Dumpling-Style Breakthroughs
Night also enveloped the Inner Academy of the Canaan Academy. In a secluded courtyard, a cup of tea sat on a stone table, long since cold.
A man dressed in a blue uniform from the Inner Academy, with a calm demeanor, sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.
As the second-ranked student on this year's Inner Academy Strong Ranking, Liu Yang, Nine-Star Dou Ling, possessed strength that was enough to make him stand out among his peers. However, at this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression carried a lingering sense of frustration and resentment.
The crushing defeat in the Strong Ranking competition a few months ago still feels like a thorn in his side.
That purple-haired little girl who appeared out of nowhere, with just one move! A casual move! completely shattered his proud Dou Technique!
Since then, he has begun a near-self-torturing period of arduous training. Unfortunately, for someone who has undergone the Heart Flame Body Tempering and whose strength has reached the threshold of the Dou Wang, the help from the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower is barely enough to be considered as good as nothing.
During this time, his strength remained unchanged. The seemingly within-reach Dou Wang barrier stood like an insurmountable chasm before him, and no matter how he tried to break through, it remained unmoved.
"Brother Liu! Brother Liu! Let's go for a walk in the Outer Academy!" A familiar voice called out from outside the courtyard wall; it was a friend from the same gang.
"The Grand Elder announced today that cultivation is prohibited within the Inner Academy. Since we're just idling around anyway, shall we go get some fresh air and clear our minds?"
Liu Yang slowly opened his eyes, just about to speak in response.
Buzz--!!!
Without warning, an indescribably brilliant light suddenly shot up from around the Inner Academy! The light was so intense that it instantly illuminated the entire Inner Academy as if it were daytime!
This light did not exist for only a moment, but rapidly spread and extended, transforming into an enormous, transparent light shield that could cover the entire Inner Academy area!
Immediately afterwards, an unimaginable and terrifying suction force erupted! The Heaven and Earth Origin Qi within a radius of a thousand miles, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, rushed and converged into the light barrier! The momentum was so great that even the howling wind could be heard continuously!
In just a few breaths, the entire Inner Academy was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable "fog".
This mist is not water vapor, but rather formed from the extremely pure Heaven and Earth Origin Qi! It is so dense that it is almost tangible, and it presents a pure and flawless milky white color, without a trace of impurity.
Level 5 Spiritual Formation, complete!
The moment the massive Spiritual Formation array stabilized, all the students and elders within the Inner Academy felt their bodies suddenly sink, as if they were carrying a heavy load, and a brief feeling of suffocation followed.
But then, an indescribable feeling of comfort swept through my entire body! It was as if every cell was cheering and jumping for joy, and my whole body felt completely activated and full of vitality!
"Brother Liu! This, this is----" Outside the courtyard wall, his friend's voice was stammering with extreme shock.
The weariness and frustration that had been in Liu Yang's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a gleam of shock and ecstatic joy!
Although Liu Yang didn't quite understand the cause of this earth-shattering change, the Dou Qi that had been stagnant in his body for several months was now circulating spontaneously at an unprecedented speed, and the indestructible Dou Wang barrier was actually loosening under the impact of this energy!
"Start cultivating immediately! Don't waste this opportunity!" Liu Yang's voice was filled with undeniable excitement and urgency.
After being reminded, he ignored his friend outside the courtyard, instantly focused all his attention, sat cross-legged on the ground, and fully activated his cultivation technique! The Dou Qi within his body transformed into a vortex, frantically absorbing the rich and pure Heaven and Earth Origin Qi around him!
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passes quietly amidst the surging energy.
Liu Yang's aura surged like a rocket! The limit of the Peak Dou Ling was easily broken, and a brand new, powerful aura belonging to Dou Wang erupted!
Boom!
A pair of incredibly solid, deep blue Dou Qi Wings suddenly unfurled behind him!
Just as he successfully broke through and released his aura, an invisible wave of divine thought quietly swept by. Like the gentlest palm, it effortlessly eliminated the commotion caused by Liu Yang's breakthrough.
The entire Inner Academy remained shrouded in a calm yet dense mist of energy.
Above the Inner Academy, Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense Clone hovered silently. He withdrew his gaze from Liu Yang, his divine sense covering the entire Inner Academy, meticulously sensing every teacher and student attempting a breakthrough.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Liu Yang's breakthrough seemed to ignite a chain reaction! Following him, several more breakthroughs resounded throughout the Inner Academy!
Besides the first place winner, the top ten on the Strong Ranking, who were also stuck at the Peak Dou Ling and only one step away from Dou Wang, all broke through their shackles! The aura of Dou Wang rose up in various parts of the Inner Academy, only to be quietly smoothed out by Huo Yuhao's omnipresent divine sense.
However, this groundbreaking feast is far from over!
In the area where the elders lived, several more powerful energy fluctuations, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly erupted like volcanoes!
Rumble!
The pressure of Dou Huang expert spread out like a tide! Those Inner Academy elders who had been stuck at the Nine-Star Dou Wang realm for many years finally stepped into the Dou Emperor level under this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Meanwhile, energy fluctuations from breakthroughs to the Dou Ling realm emerged like bamboo shoots after a spring rain throughout the Inner Academy!
"Elder Huo!" An aged figure appeared beside Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense Clone; it was none other than the First Elder Su Qian.
Looking down at the magnificent scene of the Inner Academy, which was shrouded in rich Heaven and Earth Origin Qi and constantly bursting with powerful auras, he was so excited that his facial muscles trembled and his eyes were almost overflowing with shock!
"Elder," Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense Clone nodded slightly, "This Spiritual Formation has just been set up, and it's the time when the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi is at its most active. You can also take this opportunity to cultivate. I will protect the students; there's no need to worry."
Su Qian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in her heart, and firmly shook her head. "There's no need to rush! I will protect you, Elder Huo, please take a rest!"
His gaze remained fixed on the breakthrough light surging below, his voice filled with emotion. "Elder Huo, I truly don't know how to thank you enough!"
"I still really like Jia Nan Academy, and I am the chief elder of the academy!" Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, his tone relaxed.
"As a token of my gratitude—how about giving me the Fallen Heart Flame?"
"Fallen Heart Flame?" Su Qian was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Huo Yuhao would need this Heavenly Flames.
The Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower has always been a symbol of the Jia Nan Academy and the foundation of the Inner Academy's cultivation system. Su Qian remained silent for a moment, then raised his gaze from the Inner Academy to the night sky.
Finally, Su Qian let out a long breath, as if he had made up his mind. He turned his head, his gaze becoming firm and calm again, and nodded solemnly to Huo Yuhao's Divine Sense Clone: "Okay! No problem!"