Five Stars! The Way to Escape

As the Star Fire pathways within his body were completely opened, the power of the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture finally began to reveal itself in full.

The pure energy fed back after the Myriad Stars Flame was infused began circulating along the intricate, profound paths of the star veins, every strand flowing into the nebula.

With the nearly inexhaustible fire-element energy of this place, along with the almost plunderingly efficient conversion of the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture, Qin Han's cultivation began climbing steadily at a pace visible to the naked eye!

Who knew how much time passed.

As the development level of the Myriad Stars Flame reached 100%, the Starflame Origin outside had been reduced to nothing more than a faint spark that seemed as though a gust of wind could extinguish it.

Meanwhile, Qin Han's aura steadily settled at the level of a Five Star Dou Wang.

The infusion of an almost complete Eighth Rank Flame had forcibly raised Qin Han by three stars.

"Phew—"

Exhaling the stale air from his chest, Qin Han slowly rose to his feet, feeling immense power coursing through his entire body.

He threw a punch toward the furnace above his head from afar, and the enormous impact nearly caused the lava lake to churn.

The echoes of the blast spread outward in waves, taking several breaths to finally subside.

"As expected... Yun Qianhang wasn't lying. This turtle shell is ridiculously sturdy."

Qin Han shook his head helplessly. Even that punch had failed to shake the furnace in the slightest.

Still, he was not disappointed.

The path above had never been his only option. The one below was!

Qin Han walked over to Yun Qianhang's corpse, crouched down, and unceremoniously removed the ancient-looking dark-red Storage Ring from his finger.

With its owner dead, the soul imprint had naturally dispersed.

Soul Power flowed into it, and with a sweep, Qin Han indeed found quite a few good things.

The Storage Ring's space was fairly large. Inside were neatly arranged scrolls, most of them Fallen Fire Sect Dou Techniques and Cultivation Methods of various attributes, generally Mysterious Rank—not too high, not too low.

However, after obtaining the Great Sun Burning Heaven Seal and the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture, these held far less appeal for Qin Han.

There were also a small number of sealed Jade Bottles and well-preserved Medicinal Herbs. Their age and medicinal properties were both exceptional; they were likely Yun Qianhang's personal collection.

But these were not what Qin Han was looking for.

After scanning the Storage Ring for a moment, Qin Han pulled out a scroll of Animal Skin.

"Found it!"

The Animal Skin felt warm to the touch. It had clearly undergone special treatment and could withstand high temperatures.

When he opened it, he found a map covered in a complex network of passageways, with tiny notes marked in many places.

More precisely, it was a map of the Underground Lava World's passageways!

Qin Han's spirits rose.

Back then, the Fallen Fire Sect had painstakingly sought to steal the Fallen Heart Flame through the underground. They must have conducted long-term explorations of this labyrinthine world.

Many passages on the map had been marked with conspicuous red "×" symbols, accompanied by notes such as "fire poison accumulation," "energy turbulence," and "Flame Lizardman passage."

Some regions were marked "unknown."

One relatively clear route, however, had been specially highlighted. The arrow extending from it pointed directly toward a blurry flame symbol at the edge of the map, beside which were written two small words: Heart Flame!

This was the route Yun Qianhang and the others had planned to take to reach the underground beneath Jia Nan Academy. Though it might not have been entirely accurate and was interrupted in places, it was still the most reliable guide available.

Qin Han raised his head and looked once more at the inverted furnace.

"Since the way up won't work..." Qin Han drew a deep breath, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes. "Then I'll go down!"

The Fallen Fire Sect had taken this path out of greed and recklessness. For him, however, it was now the only possible route to survival.

To others, the Underground Lava World was practically a forbidden zone.

But Qin Han had two Heavenly Flames protecting his body, while the Flame Demon Rage Phase granted him fire resistance far beyond that of ordinary people, as well as the ability to survive in extreme heat.

When cultivating before, he had even deliberately sought out lava lakes to temper his body.

With the map to guide him as well, as long as Qin Han did not venture too deep or deliberately provoke the Flame Lizardmen, he was highly confident that he could make his way back to Jia Nan Academy.

Just as Qin Han was about to store the map in his Storage Ring, a scorching aura seeped out from within it.

"Hm?"

Following that aura, Qin Han found another gray cloth bag inside the Storage Ring.

It felt heavy in his hand. Opening its mouth, he found not gold or silver, but densely packed crimson beads the size of longans.

A rough count revealed there were actually more than a hundred of them!

"That old bastard actually hid so many good things!"

Delight flashed through Qin Han's eyes.

With these Fire Beads to sustain him, the success rate of his plan to travel through the underground rose another notch.

Qin Han carefully put away the map and the Fire Beads.

Dark-red body-tempering patterns emerged across his body, while his muscles and bones gave off faint crackling explosions. In the blink of an eye, a man of fire wrapped in lava appeared atop the platform.

He cast one last look at the black platform that had trapped him for who knew how long, as well as Yun Qianhang's corpse. Then he kicked hard off the edge of the black rock platform and leaped toward the lake of Dark Red Magma below, where terrifying heat waves churned...

Jia Nan Academy, Inner Academy Arena.

The enormous circular arena was paved with sturdy Black Gang Stone, surrounded by an energy barrier capable of withstanding the impact of a Dou Wang.

With less than a month remaining until the Strong Ranking Competition, the arena was packed almost every day.

Yet today, the atmosphere in the stands was especially heated.

Pan Sect, Lang Ya, Lie Shan, Medicine Gang, Moon Spirit... experts from every faction had gathered here. Even some elders who were not on duty had appeared at the edge of the arena.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the center of the stage.

A graceful figure as cool and aloof as the moon stood there quietly. Her white robes were spotless, her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her pair of flawless jade legs were long and shapely, faintly visible beneath her silver-armored gauze skirt.

Han Yue held a slender silver sword in her hand. A faint chill flowed along its blade, complementing its owner's temperament perfectly.

However, a closer look would reveal that her breathing was slightly more hurried than usual, the knuckles gripping her sword had turned faintly white, and there was an inconspicuous scorch mark at her cuff—the trace of repeated battles.

Opposite her stood a lean, capable young man with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Wen Yan, ranked tenth on the Strong Ranking, a peak Seven-Star Dou Ling and Vice Sect Master of Lie Shan.

"Han Yue."

Wen Yan's voice carried a trace of cold hardness. "Why bother? Is it worth reducing yourself to this state for a dead man?"

Han Yue's gaze was icy. Her silver sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and she said nothing.

Wen Yan sneered and continued, "Everyone knows that place called the Fallen Fire Sect is a hellhole. Even Elder Su Qian personally went in to investigate and was forced back by the fire poison. The seal has closed again. Even a Dou Zong might not survive after entering.

"It's true that Qin Han rendered service to the academy, but he's been trapped inside for more than half a year. There is absolutely no chance he's still alive."

"A Strong Ranking position is wasted sitting empty. By the rules, anyone missing for a long time or confirmed dead automatically loses their ranking, and those below move up. The elders have delayed it for so long out of old sentiment, but rules are rules."

He stepped forward, his aura faintly pressing toward her. "You've guarded that position for him for so long, driven back seven or eight waves of challengers, and fought your way from a Three-Star Dou Ling to a Six-Star Dou Ling. You've already done more than enough.

"Now, giving up that position would be best for everyone. If you keep fighting, even your seventeenth-place Strong Ranking position may not remain secure."

Han Yue finally lifted her eyes slightly, her cold gaze meeting Wen Yan's directly. "He isn't dead."

"Ha!"

Wen Yan seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world. "Han Yue, face reality. You can't hold onto Qin Han's Strong Ranking position!"

As his words fell, the powerful aura of a peak Seven-Star Dou Ling erupted with a boom.

The discussions in the stands grew even louder.

At the elders' seats, several elders responsible for arena affairs also frowned slightly.

They had made the rules, and they understood the situation.

After Hu Gan, Wu Tianlang, and the others returned badly wounded, they had remained tight-lipped about what had happened within the Fallen Fire Sect. Yet news that Qin Han had been trapped in a desperate situation with little hope of survival had still spread like wildfire.

The information Elder Su Qian brought back after personally investigating had all but pronounced Qin Han dead.

They understood Han Yue's persistence and admired her devotion, but the Strong Ranking Competition concerned the allocation of resources and academy rules. They could not leave a position vacant indefinitely for a "dead man."

Allowing Han Yue to accept challenges on his behalf was already the greatest concession they could make.

But now, even Wen Yan, ranked tenth, had stepped forward. If Han Yue lost, Qin Han's ranking being revoked was practically a foregone conclusion.

On the arena stage, facing Luo Hou's aggressive aura and the gaze of the entire crowd, Han Yue merely raised her longsword slowly. Her icy voice rang out clearly:

"If you want to fight, then fight."