Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower

As the two energies collided, they stirred up a massive disturbance.

After exhausting the power within his body, Xiao Yan was sent flying backward, while Lin Yan also suffered heavy injuries.

All the team members shouted in unison, "Big Brother!"

They then caught him as he fell.

Xun Er also appeared behind Xiao Yan, pulling him firmly into her embrace.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you alright? If I had known, I would have stepped in myself. Seeing you like this makes my heart ache."

Hearing Xun Er's words, Xiao Yan felt a pang of tenderness.

"I'm fine. I was certain this strike would defeat him." Xiao Yan was right; Lin Yan had been severely injured in the collision and could not even stand.

The remaining team members wanted to seek revenge, but Lin Yan held them back.

"Enough, I've already lost. Are you going to go up there? Do you want to embarrass yourselves?" Lin Yan said to Xiao Yan, "I'll count this as you passing. Go on in; once you pass through here, you'll be in the Inner Academy."

Xiao Yan cupped his hands in a salute and was about to walk inside when two old men standing in the trees began to laugh.

Xiao Yan paused, then asked, "Are you two the elders in charge of this place?"

One of the old men nodded and said, "Truly, each generation surpasses the last. To reach this level at only sixteen—your future is surely limitless."

The other smiled and added, "Just like that new elder who joined the Inner Academy; he's only in his twenties and is already a Dou Wang powerhouse. The First Elder loves such young talent."

Listening to the two elders' conversation, a smile tugged at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.

It seemed his plan was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Xiao Yan nodded, and one of the elders tossed him two cyan Fire Energy Cards.

Even Lin Yan was shocked; in the Inner Academy, those who hadn't reached the Strong Ranking basically never possessed cyan Fire Energy Cards.

"My thanks to both elders."

Xiao Yan cupped his hands again.

"Welcome to the Inner Academy. I hope that in a year's time, I will see you on the Strong Ranking."

After the elder finished speaking, he led Xiao Yan and Xun Er into the Inner Academy. The elder arranged an independent courtyard for the two of them.

The second and third floors were for living and cultivation, while the first floor was for receiving guests. Xiao Yan reckoned that only someone with his status received such treatment; others likely didn't have it so good.

Watching Xun Er tidy up the room, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a sense of domesticity. He had been transmigrated into this world for over a year now, and to be honest, Xiao Yan was truly exhausted.

Every day was nothing but cultivation. This state was exactly like the six months before the college entrance exams. Xiao Yan really wanted to relax for a moment.

However, the current situation did not allow Xiao Yan to stop for even a single second.

Now that he had entered the Inner Academy, he would soon have to face the experts on the Strong Ranking.

He could not afford to slack off in his cultivation progress, and Xun Er needed to cultivate as well. Her speed was no less impressive than Xiao Yan's own "cheating" methods.

Therefore, Xiao Yan had to work hard as quickly as possible so as not to be surpassed by Xun Er.

Once everything was settled, Xiao Yan smiled at Xun Er and said, "Xun Er, I'm going to the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to go into seclusion for a while. Can you take care of yourself while I'm away?"

Xun Er leaned against Xiao Yan and said, "Brother Xiao Yan, I don't have anything to do outside either. I want to go with you."

Xiao Yan thought about it and realized she was right. In the original story, Xiao Yan had left Pan Gate for Xun Er and the others to manage while he focused solely on his own cultivation.

Since he hadn't created any faction yet, they naturally had time to cultivate together.

"Sure, why not? It just so happens I have more Fire Energy than I can spend. Let's go!" Xiao Yan took Xun Er's hand, and the two walked out onto the street together.

Everyone present looked at them.

"Are those two freshmen? They look a bit unfamiliar."

"You actually don't know? That man is known as this year's Freshman King. His name is Xiao Yan, and the girl is the number one beauty of Canaan Academy, called Xun Er."

"They really are a perfect match. I heard that Xiao Yan even robbed the senior teams."

"That's right, and in the end, he even defeated Lin Yan. I heard Lin Yan gave his forty-fifth ranking on the Strong Ranking to Xiao Yan."

Listening to these whispers, Xiao Yan smirked. Sure enough, once you become strong, everyone around you becomes a "good person."

When Xiao Yan and Xun Er arrived at the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, Xiao Yan looked up at the massive structure and sighed.

The architecture was truly magnificent, and the density of the materials used in its construction was so great that it could likely withstand attacks from a Dou Wang powerhouse.

"Xun Er, the first time you enter the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, there will be heart-fire calcination. However, I possess two types of Exotic Fire. As long as you hold my hand tightly when we enter, there won't be any problems."

As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, Xun Er took his hand.

The two stepped into the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower together, and the heart-fire calcination appeared as expected. However, it was all within Xiao Yan's calculations.

The Green Lotus Core Flame and the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire both surged forth.

They completely swallowed the phantom projection of the Fallen Heart Flame, and Xiao Yan and Xun Er walked inside as if nothing had happened.

This stunned the tower guard on the first floor, who muttered to himself, "Is this the genius that Hu Gan kept mentioning? Interesting indeed, though I wonder how his mental fortitude holds up."

Xiao Yan naturally noticed the unusual movement of the Fallen Heart Flame below. Elder Yao said, "Xiao Yan, the Exotic Fire is right below, and it seems to have been kept in captivity by Canaan Academy."

"Indeed, Teacher. What do you suggest I do?" Xiao Yan asked in his heart.

Elder Yao sighed and said slowly, "We've reached this point, so why the rush? With your current strength, it is impossible to forcibly refine the Fallen Heart Flame. Improving your own cultivation is the key. Besides, there are too many unknowns within the Inner Academy. I will not be communicating with you much during this period."

"Understood, Teacher. Please get some rest. I won't let my training fall behind." After saying this, Xiao Yan wanted to head down to the second floor.

Because of Xiao Yan's strength as a seven-star Dou Shi, combined with the protection of two Exotic Fires, the upper floors could no longer satisfy his needs.

There was no need to worry about Xun Er either; although she was only an eight-star Dou Shi, she possessed the fourth-ranked Exotic Fire, the Golden Emperor Sky-Burning Flame, within her.

Since Hu Gan had specifically instructed the Inner Academy, First Elder Su Qian had already given permission for Xiao Yan to enter the lower levels.

Because the sixth floor was occupied by those on the Strong Ranking, there was no space for Xun Er, so Xiao Yan was in no hurry to go down there.

However, Xiao Yan and Xun Er descended all the way to the fourth floor without anyone stopping them, which struck Xiao Yan as rather strange.

The guards on duty simply let them pass the moment they heard the name Xiao Yan.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Xiao Yan searched for a long time and discovered that the high-level cultivation rooms were basically all occupied.

Xiao Yan finally managed to find an empty high-level cultivation room, though he knew that places like this usually required a fight to secure.

Xiao Yan pushed open the door to the cultivation room and found that there were exactly two spots inside.

However, there were indeed some personal items left behind. Xiao Yan frowned and said, "It seems this cultivation room doesn't allow for reserving spots; it's strictly first-come, first-served." With that, Xiao Yan took all the items and set them outside.

The people outside were stunned, and one person stammered, "That guy... he seems to have taken Lin Xiuya's room!"