Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame

Recalling how the person before him had effortlessly defeated the other four,

The handsome man cursed inwardly.

Monster!

He was only an Eight-Star Da Dou Shi, yet he could easily defeat four high-star Da Dou Shi of the same rank. Perhaps even that mysterious number one on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking could not have done this back then?

Though he thought so, the handsome man remained composed. He cupped his fist toward Xiao Qing ahead of him.

"I am He Haoran. May I know your name?"

Xiao Qing was somewhat surprised. He had taken down four of He Haoran's teammates, yet this man still had the mood to ask his name?

However, seeing how polite the man was, Xiao Qing naturally returned the courtesy. He cupped his fist as well and said, "Xiao Qing."

"Xiao Qing..."

He Haoran mulled over the name. It felt strangely familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

Before he could think further, Xiao Qing's calm voice came from ahead.

"Well? Will you hand over your Fire Energy yourself, or shall I take it personally?"

Hearing this, He Haoran stopped thinking and looked up at Xiao Qing, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.

After being provoked again and again, even a clay figure would have some temper, let alone him.

"Since you're asking for death, I'll grant your wish!"

As he spoke, Dou Qi surged through He Haoran's body, condensing into a large halberd that radiated bone-chilling cold in his hand.

Then he transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Xiao Qing.

Seeing the man reveal his true colors, Xiao Qing flipped his hand and took out a bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills from his Storage Ring, pouring them into his mouth as though swallowing dates whole.

Yet before Xiao Qing could release a Dou Technique, He Haoran had already swept his halberd toward him.

Xiao Qing circulated Dou Qi to the soles of his feet, constantly dodging He Haoran's pursuit. At the same time, his hands formed seals, and he raised them to unleash two Scarlet Fire Seals from his palms.

Watching the two familiar crystalline palm seals fly toward him, a ruthless glint flashed through He Haoran's eyes.

Dou Qi surged wildly within him, and the halberd in his hand abruptly flew free, hovering slowly before him.

As Dou Qi flowed into it, the halberd swelled against the wind, ultimately becoming a massive energy halberd two or three zhang long. The biting chill radiating from it seemed capable of freezing all the surrounding vegetation.

"Frost Heavenly Chill Halberd!"

"Go!"

He Haoran shouted furiously, and the giant energy halberd hovering before him instantly shot toward the palm seals.

Feeling the terrifying aura emitted by the energy halberd, Xiao Qing was taken aback.

He had only thrown out two Scarlet Fire Seals. Was there really a need to use such a big move right away?

At the same time, the energy halberd collided fiercely with the two palm seals. After only a brief stalemate, the palm seals slowly dissipated.

Though the energy halberd had been weakened, it continued hurtling toward Xiao Qing without losing momentum.

Sure enough, the gap between an Earth Tier Dou Technique and a Xuan Rank Dou Technique was still far too great.

Xiao Qing shook his head helplessly. He had originally wanted to see whether the Scarlet Fire Seals could offset the opponent's attack, but it seemed he had been overthinking it.

Watching the energy halberd rush toward him, Xiao Qing slowly formed a strange hand seal before his chest. A hint of emerald green dyed his pitch-black pupils.

"First Change of the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame: Azure Spirit Transformation!"

As the calm words fell, Xiao Qing's aura soared. Emerald-green flames curled around his body, making him look like a war god who had stepped out of fire.

"Dou Ling!"

Sensing the change in Xiao Qing's aura, He Haoran could not help crying out.

The moment his voice fell, Xiao Qing once again thrust out both palms, releasing two emerald-green Scarlet Fire Seals.

Boom!

As the two palm seals collided with the energy halberd, a terrifying wave of energy erupted, flattening the surrounding area.

Having entered the Dou Ling realm with the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame, the power of the Scarlet Fire Seals Xiao Qing unleashed was worlds apart from before.

Before long, the energy halberd and the two emerald palm seals gradually canceled each other out and slowly dispersed.

"How is that possible?!"

He Haoran's expression changed drastically, and he could not help exclaiming.

He had used an Earth Tier Dou Technique. Even if Xiao Qing had used a secret technique to advance into the Dou Ling realm, he should not have been able to neutralize it so easily.

Yet before He Haoran could react, another two crystalline emerald palm seals came crashing down upon his head.

Boom!

As the dust slowly settled, a deep pit appeared where He Haoran had stood, as though two enormous palms had been pressed one atop the other into the ground.

At the center of the palm-shaped pit lay a figure in tattered robes, filthy and disheveled, looking like a beggar.

Xiao Qing slowly released the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame. As the emerald green faded from his pupils, the flames around him gradually dissipated as well.

Feeling the weakness spreading through his body, Xiao Qing slowly sat cross-legged, took out a bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills from his Storage Ring, poured them into his mouth, and closed his eyes to recover his Dou Qi.

Within the quiet forest, Xiao Qing opened his eyes, rose to stretch his limbs, then walked toward the palm-shaped pit not far away.

Jumping into the pit, he searched He Haoran and found a Fire Crystal Card. After transferring all the Fire Energy into his own card, Xiao Qing looked at the number two hundred seventy on it and nodded in satisfaction.

It was not much, but it was enough for him to cultivate in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for several months.

His gaze swept over the five people lying on the ground around him, and Xiao Qing shook his head helplessly.

"You brought this upon yourselves, so don't blame me."

With ample Fire Energy in hand, Xiao Qing did not linger. He circulated Dou Qi to the soles of his feet and darted toward the Inner Academy at the end of the forest, vanishing after only a few breaths.

On a stone platform atop a hill, Elder Su and Elder Qing, who had been seated in meditation, opened their eyes almost simultaneously and looked at each other.

"Did you see that?"

Facing Elder Qing's question, Elder Su nodded with an amazed expression.

"What a freak!"

Elder Qing could not help sighing. "No wonder Old Man Hu was so confident. This little fellow named Xiao Qing is actually this strong in battle!"

"With only the cultivation of an Eight-Star Da Dou Shi, he easily defeated every member of the Black Fiend Team. Even the White Fiend Team probably would not escape unscathed if they encountered this little fellow!"

Elder Su nodded in complete agreement. Sensing Xiao Qing's destination, he said,

"Let's go. We'll wait for this little fellow at the finish line. At his current speed, he won't need long to reach the Inner Academy."

"Mm."

As their voices fell, both men's figures trembled, and then their bodies vanished strangely from the stone platform.

In an open area littered with boulders, the forest's spread came to an abrupt halt upon reaching the rocky terrain.

Not far beyond the rocky area rose a hill, its slopes scattered with irregular stone outcrops.

At this moment, many people were gathered atop and beside those rocks, some sitting and some standing.

Each of them wore a tower-shaped badge on their chest.

Clearly, they were all senior students of the Inner Academy.