Su Qian's Little Thoughts

"Great Elder, what should we do?"

An elder asked in a rush.

Su Qian's face was ashen.

The current situation seemed to have already exceeded their capabilities!

If they did not find a way to stop it.

If they let this creature run wild in the Inner Academy, let alone the destruction of the academy, at least half of the students present would likely be killed or injured!

He could not bear the weight of such a terrifying consequence!

"All elders of the Inner and Outer Academies, hear my order: protect the students and evacuate them immediately! Do not let them come to harm! As for this beast... I will hold it back."

Su Qian swayed, having already prepared himself for the worst!

"This..."

"There is no time!" Su Qian barked.

"Great Elder, we will return to assist you once the students are safe!"

"Very well!"

Su Qian nodded.

He added a silent thought to himself.

"I only wonder if I can hold out until then!"

"Screech!"

The Fire Python, having surged out of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, tilted its head and hissed.

It seemed to be celebrating its escape!

Afterward, it swept its gaze over the crowd below with those solid white, triangular beast eyes, as if it were selecting a meal for its victory feast!

The students below had never seen such a scene; they were all frozen in terror!

They stood rooted to the spot, unable to move!

Some had to be carried away by the elders!

"Screech!"

It let out a roar at the crowd below.

Then, it lunged forward!

"Beast, as long as this old man is here, do not think you can act so rampantly!"

With that, Su Qian moved, darting toward the Fire Python!

Puff!

In a single exchange.

Su Qian was wounded.

The Fire Python opened its blood-red maw and snapped toward him!

"Even if I have to die today, I will make you pay a heavy price!"

Su Qian gritted his teeth, preparing to self-destruct and perish together with the beast.

The next second!

He discovered with shock that the Fire Python had actually stopped!

What was happening?

The elders below, who were rescuing the students, were also stunned!

Had this beast been struck by divine retribution?

"Head... Headmaster, is that you?!"

An image of that figure, unseen for many years, surfaced in Su Qian's mind, and his expression grew increasingly agitated!

He called out tentatively!

A faint voice echoed in his ears!

"I am not your Headmaster!"

As the voice fell!

A figure in black appeared before the head of the Fire Python like a ghost!

At such close range!

He showed no fear of the terrifying temperature of the Heavenly Flame!

If this had been anyone else.

Otherwise, it would have long since been burned to ash!

He merely raised his hand and tapped a finger against the Fire Python's head!

This finger felt like an elder disciplining a junior; there was not the slightest ripple of Dou Qi to be seen!

Yet, this seemingly ordinary finger!

Actually caused the entire body of the Fire Python to flash with a blinding white light!

Then!

The Fire Python began to shrink rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

In a matter of seconds, its massive body had shrunk down to only a few feet in length!

Su Qian and the others were dumbstruck!

Somewhere in Jia Nan Academy.

Elder Qian: "What terrifying strength!"

Elder Bai: "Could it be that he is using soul power?"

Elder Qian: "It seems he has no physical body!!"

Elder Bai swallowed hard.

"To be this strong without a physical body—if he had one, how terrifying would he be? With just a casual tap, he easily subdued this beast!"

Elder Qian suddenly exclaimed: "What... is he trying to do?!"

The next second.

They watched as the man calmly reached out, grabbed the tiny fire serpent, and then...

opened his mouth, feeding the fire serpent into it!

Su Qian: "??"

The other elders: "??"

The two elders in the shadows: "??"

The students: "??"

At this moment, aside from the crackling sounds of the raging inferno, everyone in the Inner Academy was frozen in place!

Swallowing a Heavenly Flame whole?

Even Su Qian was seeing this for the first time!

More badass than the Dean!

Everyone present at Jia Nan Academy stared at the mysterious figure in the sky, dumbfounded.

Shock!

Adoration!

Obsession!

Envy!

Fear!

Everyone's emotions were different!

In the sky.

A terrifying soul power, as if the master of the heavens and earth, surged from the body of Xiao Xuan!

It condensed into a solid barrier around him!

Ding, Host is devouring the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. The system is assisting in refining and conversion...

Two and a half days later.

Ding, detection confirms Host has successfully refined the Fallen Heart Flame. Physical body restoration progress: 4.5%. Current remaining progress: 84.24%.

Looking at the numbers steadily decreasing, Xiao Xuan grew increasingly expectant of how much his strength would rise once his physical body was fully restored.

Down below.

Several top experts of Jia Nan Academy had been watching Xiao Xuan in the sky the entire time.

Hu Gan, the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy, said worriedly: "Great Elder, the Fallen Heart Flame is gone, and the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower has lost its purpose. What are we to do?"

Su Qian's expression was also grim: "I don't know either. If the Dean finds out, he might just scold me to death."

"Sigh, I wonder if he can summon the Fallen Heart Flame." Hu Gan sighed, his expression heavy with worry.

If it could be summoned, he had heard that before the Dean left, he had anticipated the Heavenly Flame might be taken and had left behind a contingency plan!

However, facing such a powerhouse, none of them dared to step forward and request that he share even a sliver of the Fallen Heart Flame.

Wait!

Could they ask him to provide some compensation to Jia Nan Academy?

After all...

They had been nurturing this Heavenly Flame for hundreds of years.

If there was no merit, there was at least hard labor!

Hu Gan shared this thought with Su Qian, but Su Qian shook his head repeatedly.

How was making such a request any different from asking him to share a sliver of the Fallen Heart Flame?

One wrong move and they would lose their lives!

Hu Gan had no choice but to drop the idea.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Finally, Xiao Xuan stepped out from the barrier.

"Is there someone here named Zi Yan?"

Xiao Xuan arrived before Su Qian and asked.

Su Qian was stunned.

Zi Yan?

Who was that?

The first impression this name gave Su Qian and Hu Gan was that it belonged to a girl!

Suddenly, both men were startled!

Could it be this mysterious person's lover?

They felt this possibility was extremely high!

Otherwise, why would he have suddenly appeared at the critical moment to save the entire academy?

If that were truly the case, they could have that student ask Xiao Xuan to share a sliver of the Fallen Heart Flame to ensure the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower continued to function normally!

They could even ask for some compensation for the academy!

Perhaps...

They could even get him to help wipe out all of Jia Nan Academy's hostile forces in the Black-Corner Region!

Brilliant! Simply brilliant!

Su Qian was overjoyed, and he quickly said, "We aren't very familiar with many of the students in the academy. Please wait a moment, my lord, I will go and ask."

Even if the academy didn't have such a person, he would drag someone over and change their name to that!

"No need!"

Xiao Xuan refused.

At the same time, his soul power was released, and the movements of every flower, tree, bird, and beast within a radius of a thousand, even ten thousand miles, were all within his perception.

Very quickly, he sensed a unique aura in a valley deep within the Inner Academy!

Xiao Xuan immediately tore through the void and departed.

Leaving Su Qian and the others looking completely bewildered!

Could he have guessed wrong?