Inner Academy

Facing Su Qian's gaze, Lin Qing remained noncommittal and said:

"Hehe, Great Elder, I've also witnessed the effects of the Fallen Heart Flame. Great Elder's not exactly the same as what you described, but rather identical. My teacher once found me a Fallen Heart Flame Child Flame, but at that time I was only at the Dou Might, so I didn't refine it and had my teacher put it back. Later, after I broke through to the Dou Zhe, I refined the Xuanhuang Flame."

Hearing this, Su Qian was somewhat surprised, and asked curiously:

"I didn't expect your teacher to be so amazing. I wonder who your teacher is? I might have heard of him!"

Lin Qing said in a serious tone:

"My master Shen Xitong! A reclusive Eighth-Rank Alchemist, or possibly a Ninth-Rank Grandmaster. I don't know her cultivation level. She's always been elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon."

The system can indeed be considered his teacher.

Lin Qing then said:

"Over the years, I've seen more than ten different kinds of Heavenly Flames. Besides the Xuanhuang Flame, I also have many Beast Flame. A while ago, I even traded a Green Lotus Core Flame with someone. Actually, the Great Elder didn't need to test me. A person can only possess one kind of Heavenly Flames. Even if I wanted to exchange for Heavenly Flames, I would use other Heavenly Flames to do so. Since I've joined Jia Nan Academy, I won't harm the interests of the Jia Nan Academy."

Su Qian suddenly became serious and said to Lin Qing.

"Elder Lin, to tell you the truth, there's a Fallen Heart Flame, comparable to a Dou Zong, being suppressed beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. We can still manage it for now, but this isn't a long-term solution. If it breaks free, I hope you can lend the academy a hand!"

Lin Qing didn't seem too eager, and nodded with a light smile, "When the time comes, Lin Qing will definitely do her best!"

After all, the Fallen Heart Flame is right there; there's no escaping it. Acting too eager would make Su Qian think he came solely for the Fallen Heart Flame and that he'd be manipulated. The Fallen Heart Flame itself isn't valuable; what's valuable are the other things beneath the Fallen Heart Flame.

After discussing the Heavenly Flames, the atmosphere between the two became much more cheerful. Su Qian led Lin Qing to see the Small Courtyard in the Outer Academy, then turned to Lin Qing and asked:

"How is it? This Small Courtyard meets your requirement for tranquility!"

Lin Qing said directly:

"Great Elder, may I stay in the Outer Academy for now? Besides Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin, I have a few acquaintances in the Outer Academy. I would like to wait until Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin pass the Inner Academy Selection Tournament before going to the Inner Academy."

Su Qian nodded and smiled:

"Hehe, that's fine too! It's all up to you. The academy isn't a sect, so it's quite flexible in that respect. Of course, you still need to complete the Medicinal Pill -refining tasks and teaching duties of the Alchemy Department."

Then Su Qian gave Lin Qing a Purple Fire Crystal Card containing 2000 Fire Energy, and explained to Lin Qing the uses of the Fire Energy Card and the benefits of being an elder.

Fire Energy can be used for daily transactions, for consumption in the Inner Academy, and for cultivation in the Qi Training Pagoda.

As an elder, you receive 500 basic Fire Energy per month, and completing the academy's teaching tasks will earn you a certain amount of Fire Energy and gold coin rewards.

Fire Energy has monetary properties, no wonder the academy values Fallen Heart Flame so much. It's a money-printing machine! And so many Dou Masters, Da Dou Shi, Dou Ling, and Dou Wang work for Fire Energy. As long as the Fallen Heart Flame doesn't disappear, there will be no inflation.

Moreover, with so many people working hard to exchange for Fire Energy, the academy can have a continuous source of resources to grow and expand.

"Let me show you around the Inner Academy! I'll also help you settle on your accommodation Inner Academy."

"Alright!"

After agreeing, Lin Qing turned to the Lion beside him and said...

"Lion, you can stay in the Small Courtyard!"

The Lion nodded upon hearing this.

Since it was a bit far, Lin Qing and Su Qian rode on a Griffin.

The Outer Academy is situated between two Magic Beast Mountains, which stretch as far as the eye can see and are covered in lush, verdant forests.

The forest scenery is nice, but there are quite a few fourth and fifth tier creatures. Tier 6 creatures are relatively few, and they are all located in very, very remote deep mountains. The nearby Tier 6 have probably been cleared out or driven away.

The vast forest teems with all sorts of Magical Beast. Every so often, a ferocious Magical Beast would burst forth from the forest, roaring at the Griffin in the sky. Occasionally, some Flying Magical Beast would also come after them, but they were all scared away by Lin Qing and Su Qian, who had put away their Breath-Concealing Jade. In particular, Lin Qing's own human aura was really useful; he felt that weak Magical Beast didn't dare to come at all, and even the strong ones ran away.

The Inner Academy is the core location of the Jia Nan Academy. Due to its secrecy, most students from the Outer Academy, including their instructors, do not know its exact location. Even instructors and students who come out of the Inner Academy cannot find the location without Griffin to guide them. Obviously, the elders are not included in this category.

After nearly two hours, the griffin gradually slowed down, flapped its wings, and its massive body hovered in the void.

"Great Elder! And who is this?"

Two elders at the Dou Emperor level appeared near the Griffin and bowed to Su Qian, asking him questions.

"Hmm! This is Elder Lin, the newest member of the academy's Alchemy Department. He's a Sixth-Grade Alchemist!"

Su Qian explained to the two of them.

"Elder Lin, these two are Elder Su and Elder Lei."

Su Qian and Lin Qing explained.

"Greetings, Elders!"

Lin Qing cupped his hands in greeting to the two elders, and the two elders Lin Qing in return.

Then Su Qian formed a hand seal, and the space fluctuated. A crack gradually expanded and eventually formed a silver door.

Spatial Barrier can only be cast by Dou Venerable.

This must be what Mang Tian Chi left behind.

"Come with me."

As the portal opened, Su Qian turned around, said something, and then his figure swept into the space.

Seeing this, Lin Qing also stepped forward and followed.

"Old Su, Elder Lin is truly amazing to be such a young Sixth-Grade Alchemist! Perhaps he can even refine Sect-Breaking Pill! I wonder how the Great Elder managed to entice him into the academy!"

Elder Lei said to Elder Su beside him.

"We'll ask about it later!"

Elder Su nodded. Currently, many elders in the academy are stuck at the Peak Dou King or Dou Emperor Peak, and even the two in the Scripture Pavilion have been stuck at the Peak Dou Ancestor for many years.

Such a young Sixth-Grade Alchemist, I dare not even dream of reaching Tier 9, but surely Eighth-Grade will be within reach?

Stepping into the Barrier, one is still surrounded by a forest. After flying for a while, a hillside comes into view, with a series of gravel steps in the center. Ascending the steps, the view becomes incredibly expansive.

Standing on the hillside, there is an extremely large sunken basin. Judging from the shape of the basin, it looks like a huge meteorite fell from the sky and was smashed out.

Within the basin, towering buildings stand in rows. Looking down from above, one can see shadowy figures, like fleas, constantly darting and leaping above the buildings. As the line of sight extends forward, one discovers that the basin is unusually large; even at the far end of the line of sight, one can only see towering buildings and lush greenery.

Lin Qing spoke up.

"The Inner Academy is even bigger than I imagined!"