"Great Elder, what should we do?"
An elder hurriedly asked.
Su Qian's face turned ashen.
The situation seemed to have already exceeded their capabilities!
If they couldn't find a way to stop it—
If they let this creature rampage through the Inner Academy, forget the academy being destroyed. Half the students present might end up dead or injured!
He couldn't bear the consequences of something so terrible!
"All elders from the Inner and Outer Academies, heed my command! Protect the students and evacuate them at once. Don't let them come to harm! This beast... I'll hold it back."
Su Qian shook his head, already prepared for the worst!
"This..."
"There's no time!" Su Qian barked.
"Great Elder, we'll get the students to safety, then come back to help you!"
"Good!"
Su Qian nodded.
He added silently,
I wonder if I'll even last that long!
"Eek!"
The Fire Python that had burst out of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower threw back its head and hissed.
It seemed to be celebrating its escape!
Then, its pure-white, triangular beast pupils swept across the crowd below, as if choosing the dishes for its victory feast!
The students below had never seen anything like this. They were all petrified!
They stood rooted to the spot!
Some had to be carried away by the elders!
"Eek!"
It roared at the crowd below.
Then it suddenly charged at them!
"Beast, as long as I'm here, you won't run rampant!"
With that, Su Qian moved and shot toward the Fire Python!
Pfft!
In a single exchange,
Su Qian was injured.
The Fire Python opened its enormous maw and lunged to bite him!
"Even if I die today, I'll make sure you pay dearly!"
Su Qian gritted his teeth and prepared to self-destruct, taking the beast down with him.
The next moment!
He was horrified to discover that the Fire Python had stopped!
What was going on?
The elders below, busy rescuing the students, were dumbfounded too!
Had this beast been struck down by heaven's wrath?
"D-Dean, is that you?!"
The image of a figure he hadn't seen in many years surfaced in Su Qian's mind, and his expression grew increasingly excited!
He called out tentatively!
A faint voice echoed beside his ear!
"I'm not your Dean!"
As the voice fell,
a black-clad figure appeared before the Fire Python's head, as elusive as a ghost!
At such close range,
he wasn't the least bit afraid of the terrifying heat of the Heavenly Flame!
Anyone else would have been reduced to ashes long ago!
He raised his hand and tapped a finger against the Fire Python's head!
The gesture was like an elder disciplining a younger one. Not a hint of Dou Qi could be seen!
And yet, with that utterly ordinary tap,
the Fire Python's whole body began to flash with dazzling white light!
Then!
The Fire Python began to shrink at a visible speed!
In a matter of seconds, its enormous body had dwindled to just a few feet long!
Su Qian and the others stared in stunned silence!
Somewhere in Jia Nan Academy.
Elder Qian: "What terrifying strength!"
Elder Bai: "Could he be using soul power?"
Elder Qian: "It looks like he doesn't even have a physical body!!"
Elder Bai swallowed.
"He's already this strong without a body. How terrifying would he be with one? Just a casual tap, and he subdued that beast with ease!"
Elder Qian suddenly exclaimed, "What... is he doing?!"
The next moment,
they saw the man calmly reach out,
grab the tiny Fire Snake,
and then...
open his mouth.
He popped the Fire Snake into his mouth!
Su Qian: "??"
The other elders: "??"
The hidden Elders Qian and Bai: "??"
The students: "??"
At that moment, aside from the roaring flames crackling all around them,
everyone in the Inner Academy was frozen in shock!
He'd swallowed a Heavenly Flame whole?
Even Su Qian had never seen anything like it!
He was even more incredible than the Dean!
Everyone from Jia Nan Academy who was there gaped at the mysterious figure in the sky.
Shock!
Admiration!
Fascination!
Envy!
Fear!
Everyone felt something different!
In the sky,
a terrifying soul power, like that of a ruler of heaven and earth, surged out of Xiao Xuan!
It gathered around him, forming a sturdy barrier!
[ Ding, host is devouring the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. The system is assisting with refining and conversion...]
Two and a half days later.
[ Ding, host has successfully refined the Fallen Heart Flame. Physical body recovery: 4.5%. Current remaining progress: 84.24%.]
Watching the number steadily decrease, Xiao Xuan grew more and more eager to see how much his strength would increase once his body was restored.
Below,
the top experts of Jia Nan Academy kept their eyes on Xiao Xuan in the sky.
Hu Gan, the vice dean of the Outer Academy, said anxiously, "Great Elder, the Fallen Heart Flame is gone, and the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower has lost its function. What are we going to do?"
Su Qian looked grim too. "I don't know either. If the Dean finds out, he'll probably curse me to death."
"Sigh, I wonder if he can summon the Fallen Heart Flame," Hu Gan said with a troubled sigh.
If he could summon it, Hu Gan had heard that before the Dean left, he had foreseen that someone would take the Heavenly Flame and left a contingency plan!
But facing an expert like this, none of them dared approach him and ask him to spare a wisp of the Fallen Heart Flame.
Wait!
Could they ask him to compensate Jia Nan Academy somehow?
After all...
They had been raising this Heavenly Flame for hundreds of years.
Even if they hadn't earned merit, they had certainly put in hard work!
Hu Gan shared the idea with Su Qian, who shook his head again and again.
How was asking for that any different from asking him to spare a wisp of the Fallen Heart Flame?
It could get them killed!
Hu Gan had no choice but to drop it!
Time passed, one second at a time.
At last, Xiao Xuan emerged from the barrier.
"Do you have someone here named Zi Yan?"
Xiao Xuan came up to Su Qian and asked.
Su Qian froze.
Zi Yan?
Who was that?
Su Qian and Hu Gan both immediately took the name for a girl's name!
The two of them were startled!
Could she be this mysterious man's sweetheart?
They thought that was highly likely!
Otherwise, why would he have appeared at the last possible moment and saved the whole academy?
If that was true, they could have the student ask Xiao Xuan to spare a wisp of the Fallen Heart Flame and keep the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower running as usual!
They could even ask him to compensate the academy!
And perhaps...
They could get him to help wipe out all of Jia Nan Academy's enemies in the Black-Corner Region!
Brilliant! Simply brilliant!
Su Qian was overjoyed inside and hurriedly said, "We aren't very familiar with many of the students here. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go ask around."
Even if the academy didn't have anyone by that name, he'd find someone and make her change her name!
"No need," Xiao Xuan refused.
At the same time, he released his soul power. Within a radius of a thousand or ten thousand li, he sensed the movements of all the flowers, plants, trees, birds, and beasts.
Soon, deep within the Inner Academy, he sensed a unique aura in a valley!
Xiao Xuan immediately tore open the void and left.
Su Qian and the others were left staring after him in bewilderment!
Had he guessed wrong?
Before you continue