This Kid Was Pretty Arrogant!

Early morning.

After a night of uneventful daily cultivation, Xiao Yan had breakfast with his four female roommates, and then they all got busy with their own things.

Having already familiarized himself with the route yesterday, Xiao Yan arrived at the outer perimeter of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower with ease today.

Squeezing into the crowd, Xiao Yan quickly arrived at the front of the queue.

The open space was divided into several areas, and in each area sat a large group of people. Clearly, these were some of the more powerful forces within the Inner Academy.

They don't need to queue; they can directly occupy the best spots!

Xiao Yan glanced at the various factions sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, then walked over directly.

With his Da Dou Shi level, he naturally wasn't qualified to stand with those people, but in terms of combat strength, none of the Inner Academy students could fight him!

Upon discovering that someone had so brazenly entered the best area to wait for entry into the tower, the gazes in the crowd began to become somewhat subtle, and the Inner Academy students who had been resting with their eyes closed in the open space suddenly opened their eyes as well.

"The Outer Academy's student uniform? Are you a freshman?"

Not far away, a person sitting on the ground frowned and asked.

"Yes, they just broke into the Inner Academy from the Outer Academy yesterday."

Xiao Yan's main trait now is arrogance.

"You called in? You're that freshman named Xiao Yan?"

Upon hearing this, many senior students suddenly realized what had happened. Although many of them hadn't gone outside the forest to watch the new students enter the academy yesterday, the story of Xiao Yan single-handedly taking on five senior students and even attracting the attention of Yao Ling and Ling Yanfei had spread far and wide.

Of course, this is not a good thing, because since Yao Ling and Ling Yanfei entered the Inner Academy, nothing or anyone has ever attracted their attention at the same time.

As for Shi Xuanxuan?

She was a cultivation fanatic, someone who was completely oblivious to everything else and focused solely on cultivating her Dou Qi. Nothing could possibly attract her attention.

Even just the attention of two people was enough to make Xiao Yan's situation worse.

After all... those are two of the Three Beauties of the Inner Academy!

"It's me. If you all don't want to get beaten up, you'd better not make any rash moves, otherwise you'll be in trouble if you can't get into the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower later."

Xiao Yan smiled kindly and said.

"Wow! So arrogant?"

Among the crowd, upon hearing that Xiao Yan was so arrogant as to challenge the strength of so many top forces in the Inner Academy all by himself, everyone immediately became interested in watching the show.

Many of them had witnessed Xiao Yan easily defeating Dou Ling with the strength of Da Dou Shi, but these senior students from the Inner Academy were not some rookies who had just entered the One-Star Dou Ling.

Those leaders of these senior student factions who have the privilege of not queuing are all at least Four-Star Dou Ling level, and some of them are close to reaching the Dou Ling Peak level and are about to graduate. They may even be strong enough to break through to the Dou Wang level directly within the academy!

Under such circumstances, Xiao Yan still doesn't take them seriously at all. Is this kid just too arrogant, or does he really have the right and strength to be arrogant?

"Kid, we're your seniors, how dare you be so rude?"

"You've only defeated a One-Star Dou Ling, yet you're so arrogant. As your seniors, it seems we need to teach you what it means to respect your elders!"

"It's not out of disrespect. You may think I'm not qualified to stand here, but I believe I am. If any of you senior students have objections, feel free to give it a try."

Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.

"This kid is arrogant!"

Upon hearing this, several senior students immediately stood up, rolled up their sleeves, and prepared to teach this impolite and arrogant junior a lesson!

"So hot-tempered so early in the morning? It seems there might be some dangers if we let you all enter the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to cultivate. Maybe none of you should go in?"

A familiar, aged voice rang out, causing Xiao Yan to purse his lips in exasperation.

Elder Su descended from the sky, looked at the tense situation on the field, and shook his head.

This Xiao Yan was quite humble yesterday, how come he suddenly became so arrogant and domineering today?

Seeing the elder intervene, everyone quieted down; with the elder present, a fight was inevitable.

"Thump!"

Just then, the ancient bell rang out in a grand and majestic manner, and everyone who heard the bell focused their attention on the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

"Open the tower!"

As the bell tolled, an aged voice echoed from within the tower.

Then, the tightly closed, pitch-black door slowly opened, and a scorching aura surged out, causing the temperature of the surrounding area to rise slightly.

"Go into the tower!"

The aged voice rang out again, and then everyone who had been sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed on the open space suddenly stood up. With a whooshing sound, countless figures surged into the tower.

"Elder Su, thank you. I'll go in now."

Xiao Yan knew that Elder Su meant well by offering him a way out and helping him out of a predicament. Although he didn't need it, he still appreciated the favor.

"Okay, go ahead..."

Elder Su nodded and watched Xiao Yan enter the tower, but soon he realized the problem and his expression changed drastically!

Oh no, I forgot to warn this kid to watch out for the Heart Fire projected by the Fallen Heart Flame!

Thinking of this, Elder Su quickly followed him inside.

As the light dimmed, Xiao Yan entered the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower. But the next moment, his handsome face turned as red as burning coals!

Wisps of white mist, accompanied by a sizzling sound like roasting meat, rose from its body.

Seeing Xiao Yan standing motionless at the tower entrance, the older students behind him gloated, "Serves him right for being so arrogant just now. He dared to be completely unprepared when entering the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower for the first time! Heh heh, serves him right!"

"Go and inform the elders inside the tower quickly. If an elder doesn't intervene, someone like him, who is entering the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower for the first time, will probably be burned to a crisp from the inside out."

Another senior student expressed some concern.

But Xiao Yan was not unprepared.

Gazing at the invisible, colorless flame that suddenly appeared within his body, radiating intense heat, Xiao Yan was quite intrigued.

Is this the Heart Fire projected by the Fallen Heart Flame?

It was just okay...

This temperature is nothing compared to what I endured when I devoured the Heavenly Flames.

Having absorbed two Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan had developed a certain level of patience for flames of this caliber.

The Legendary Fire-Resistant King belongs to this category.

Since the appearance of this invisible flame, the high temperature emanating from it has caused Xiao Yan's meridians, bones, muscles and other organs to feel a slight warmth. This will not cause any harm, but will only help Xiao Yan improve the fire resistance of his internal organs, bones, muscles and meridians.

"Formless and colorless, manifesting through the heart, leaving no trace..." The Old Yao's voice slowly rang out, "It really is Heart Fire projected from the Fallen Heart Flame. Even I have never seen one before. But for you, this is already the fourth Heavenly Flames you have ever seen, right? Hehe, what an enviable little fellow!"

"Just lucky, just lucky..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled and replied, then immediately got down to business, controlling the cobalt blue Dou Qi within his body to surge out from the rhombus-shaped Dou Crystal, pass through his meridians, and arrive at the place where the invisible flames resided.

Under Xiao Yan's control, the cobalt blue Dou Qi passed through that invisible flame.

The originally extremely robust Dou Qi shrank by almost half after passing through the invisible flames!

But it wasn't consumed; rather, it was refined and solidified!

With the Fallen Heart Flame tempering your Dou Qi, there's no need to worry about your Dou Qi becoming unstable, because as long as you give the Fallen Heart Flame enough time, your Dou Qi will be continuously condensed!

This is why the Fallen Heart Flame is called a cultivation cheat code!

Unfortunately, after Xiao Yan refined the five Dou Qi, the invisible flame trembled slightly and then dissipated.

"What a pity..."

After Xiao Yan poured the refined Dou Qi back into the Dou Crystal within the Qi vortex, he shook his head in disappointment and opened his eyes.

The noise was overwhelming and filled my ears.

"Make way, make way, Elder Su is coming."

Suddenly, shouts rang out from outside the crowd, and a narrow path was quickly cleared.

Following the parting of the crowd, Elder Su walked in, and was stunned when he saw Xiao Yan shaking his head and opening his eyes.

Ah?

"How many minutes did you hold out?"

Elder Su leaned closer, looked at Xiao Yan, and asked.

"What do you insist on?"

Xiao Yan was puzzled.

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, Elder Su was somewhat speechless.

After a pause, he slowly said:

"The academy usually estimates a student's potential based on how long they can endure the intense heat of the Heart Fire when they first enter the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower."

Since they don't know how to dissipate their Heart Fire, the longer they persist, the stronger their resistance to Heart Fire becomes, which will be of great benefit to their future studies in the tower.

Of course, this is just an estimate, not precise; it's only a rough estimate.

"Elder, he woke up in just three minutes!"

The older students around them snapped out of their daze and said in disbelief.

It should be noted that being able to sustain the Heart Fire for more than ten minutes and let it dissipate on its own is already the mark of a genius among geniuses.

But Xiao Yan is even more outrageous.

He woke up on his own in just three minutes!

"To recover from the initial scorching Heart Fire so quickly on your own, Xiao Yan, you are the first person in all the years the Inner Academy has existed to do so."

Upon hearing this, Elder Su was taken aback, then shook his head and sighed.

This situation actually exists in theory.

That is, the newborn uses the Heart Fire to temper their Dou Qi, so that the projected Heart Fire becomes powerless and eventually dissipates.

But how could Xiao Yan possibly know all this?

"What's so difficult about that? It's just Heart Fire to temper your Dou Qi, isn't it?"

Xiao Yan spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

"This kid's really good at pretending..."

Upon hearing this, many of the older students hardened their fists.

Xiao Yan is such an infuriating kid.

"Alright, looks like you did your homework beforehand. But this makes it really hard to assess your potential..."

Elder Su shook his head.

Speaking of which, he currently oversees the third level. The first level is managed by an elder surnamed Liu, but it seems he noticed his arrival and didn't come out to help Xiao Yan, which was indeed unnecessary...

This Xiao Yan is truly extraordinary!

"According to the highest assessment, Elder Su should know that this is merely a small flame projected from my Heart Fire, and it couldn't possibly cause me any harm."

Xiao Yan smiled and said seriously.

"Too..."

Upon hearing this, Elder Su realized that the little fellow in front of him possessed Heavenly Flames, so ordinary flames naturally couldn't harm him.

"Elder Su, I'd like to go directly to the third level and see if I can adapt. If I can't get used to it, I can come back, is that alright?"

Xiao Yan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said with a smile.

"The third floor?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Su was somewhat surprised, but considering that Xiao Yan possessed Heavenly Flames, his safety should not be a problem, so he nodded.

"Sure, I happen to be on duty on the third floor right now. Come with me."

Elder Su smiled, took a step forward, and walked ahead.

"Tsk, to have Elder Su show such favoritism, could this kid also be someone with connections?"

Seeing this, many senior students couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

However, Xiao Yan's ability to quickly extricate himself from the scorching heat of his Heart Fire also amazed many people.

After all, even someone entering the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower for the second time couldn't complete the tempering of their Dou Qi in just three minutes without any warning.

Because the first step they need to take is not to temper their Dou Qi, but to protect their internal organs with Dou Qi!

The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only a tall figure dressed in a light gray outfit, gazing thoughtfully in the direction Xiao Yan had left.

That person is Xiao Yan? He doesn't seem that powerful...

She brushed aside her slightly messy hair, revealing bright eyes with reddened undersides.

I need to find the Yao Ling to prepare some medicine. I've been cultivating in the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower for too long, and the accumulated Fire Poison is about to exceed the limit.

Thinking this, she turned and walked out of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

As Xiao Yan strolled through the tower, his gaze swept across his surroundings.

Although the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower is buried deep underground, with only its tip visible, the interior is actually extremely spacious. The first floor alone is large enough for five hundred people to cultivate at the same time.

The training rooms on each floor are also divided into three levels: high-level, intermediate-level, and low-level.

The closer a training room is to the center of the tower, the higher its level; conversely, the closer it is to the outer perimeter, the lower its level.

"Within this Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, the high, medium, and low-level cultivation rooms are generally contested based on one's own strength. Only those with strong strength can obtain the best cultivation conditions, while those with weak strength can only cultivate in the outermost low-level cultivation rooms."

Elder Su pointed to a cultivation room with a high-level sign hanging on it and smiled faintly.

"Furthermore, within the same level of the tower, regardless of the level of the training room, the amount of Fire Energy required is the same. For example, all the training rooms on this first level require a certain amount of Fire Energy."

"Okay, I understand!"

Xiao Yan nodded; he really couldn't remember these details and rules very clearly.

Before they knew it, the two had reached the center of the tower.

"This is...?"

Gazing at the bottomless black hole that appeared before him, Xiao Yan's heart stirred. He slowly took two steps forward, reached the edge of the black hole, and cautiously glanced down.

It was an eerie darkness, almost devoid of any light, that gave one the urge to jump.

If you sense it carefully, you can vaguely perceive that the air here is much hotter than other places. Xiao Yan knows that if he jumps down from here, he can start the Fallen Heart Flame skirmish.

However, the problem is that even with the help of the Old Yao, they might not be able to defeat that thing.

We're still not strong enough!

But, taking a look shouldn't cause it to explode, right?

Thinking to himself, Xiao Yan leaned his head forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the deep darkness. With a thought, cobalt blue flames surged into his eyes, and his originally dark vision gradually began to brighten.

The next moment, the space inside the cave suddenly began to subtly distort, and then those distorted spaces, like invisible pythons, climbed upwards towards the cave entrance at an extremely terrifying speed.

"Xiao Yan, step back!"

Elder Su's shout suddenly rang in Xiao Yan's ears, and then he placed his hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder and pulled him away from the place.

"Hiss..."

Immediately afterwards, a sound like a snake flicking its tongue suddenly rang out, and then the slightly dim environment suddenly brightened up, the temperature in the air also rose sharply, and an extremely terrifying aura emerged from the black hole!

At this moment, two meters above the cave entrance, the area had become extremely distorted. Strangely, nothing could be seen with the naked eye; only a constant hissing sound could be heard.

Elder Su, standing to the side, looked grave as he pulled Xiao Yan back, a flicker of fear in his eyes. Although he couldn't see what was there, having been an elder in the tower for so many years, he naturally understood what terrifying things were hidden in that deep darkness!

However, with the support of the Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan saw in his cobalt blue vision that an Invisible Fire Python, over ten meters thick and with a tail that could not be seen, was roaring in the black hole!

However, the black hole was surrounded by a distorted Space Seal, preventing it from escaping.

Fortunately, since it's still early, the Fallen Heart Flame seems to only know how to act recklessly. Although it has developed intelligence, it is clearly not very smart.

At the same time, the Green Lotus Myriad Beast Fire within Xiao Yan's body also emitted a fluctuation, because it sensed its own kind!

"Hiss!"

The Fire Python formed from the Fallen Heart Flame was now wide open, with invisible flames constantly shooting out from it— the Heart Fire that Xiao Yan had personally experienced before.

Of course, the invisible fire that appeared in my heart earlier was no match for the Fallen Heart Flame itself. The flames on this Fire Python were enough to turn Dou Huang expert to ashes in an instant!

Limited by the Space Lock, the Fire Python was naturally unable to cause any trouble. After a short while, exhausted, it let out a furious roar and returned to the dark cave.

As the Fire Python disappeared, the traces of the Space Seal gradually faded until they were no longer visible to the naked eye.

Feeling the temperature drop around him, Elder Su finally breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "That was close. How could it have suddenly woken up?"

Then, he looked at Xiao Yan and said seriously:

"Don't tell anyone what just happened. Students aren't allowed near the center of the tower, so I was somewhat negligent today."

Seeing Elder Su's solemn expression, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, immediately changing the subject. "Shall we go down to the third level?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Su nodded and said, "Come with me."

After quickly passing through the second level, Xiao Yan and Elder Su arrived at the third level.

"This is the third floor. What level of training room would you like?"

Elder Su asked.

"It's a high-level one, I think. I plan to go into seclusion for a while until I run out of Fire Energy before I emerge."

Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"If anyone else said that, I certainly wouldn't allow it, but you possess Heavenly Flames and are immune to Fire Poison, which is an advantage. Come with me."

Elder Su nodded upon hearing this, and then led Xiao Yan toward the central area of the third floor, finding a cultivation room extremely close to the black hole area.

"This is it. This is one of the few single-person cultivation rooms. Of course, I have to warn you in advance that each level of the Qi Refining Tower consumes more Fire Energy. You need to plan your time well, otherwise you'll suffer a huge loss if you can't use the Qi Refining Tower's functions at a crucial moment in your cultivation due to insufficient Fire Energy."

Elder Su gave his earnest instructions.

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Su!"

Xiao Yan nodded, bowed respectfully, and then pushed open the door to enter the cultivation room.

Under the soft light, the room was extremely sparsely furnished, with only a black stone table and nothing else.

Xiao Yan sat down beside the black stone platform. He flipped his hand, and the Cyan Fire Crystal Card appeared in his palm. After inserting it into the groove in front of him, a faint light emanated from it, and three points of Fire Energy were directly deducted.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and formed cultivation hand seals in front of him. After a while, his breathing gradually became steady, and he entered a state of cultivation.

As the technique was activated, a wisp of Heart Fire suddenly appeared.

Next came the tedious period of secluded cultivation!