Han Feng's Prying, a Warning in the Shadows

The sky above Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy was clear as if freshly washed. Now and then, figures flew overhead, leaving ripples of Dou Qi in their wake. Beneath the shade of a tree at the edge of the Training Ground, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged. He appeared to be cultivating with his eyes closed, but his soul power had already spread like an invisible spiderweb, gathering every sound within a hundred zhang.

"Phew..."

Slowly exhaling a stale breath, Xiao Yan opened his eyes, a barely perceptible cold gleam flashing through them. Several days had passed since he entered the Inner Academy, and the aftermath of the Fire Energy Hunting Competition was gradually settling. Word had spread among the new students that he had taken first place through "luck" and Yao Lao's "secret assistance." Many now saw the former "Wutan good-for-nothing" in a new light, but he had also attracted some ill-intentioned attention.

Among those watching him, the one who concerned him most was Han Feng.

An established powerhouse in the Inner Academy, Han Feng had not only reached Peak Dou Wang but was also Yao Lao's nominal disciple, with considerable skill in alchemy. Yet Xiao Yan knew perfectly well that beneath his genial exterior lay boundless greed. Especially after learning that Xiao Yan possessed a heavenly flame and a mysterious cultivation method, undisguised covetousness lurked in the depths of those seemingly calm eyes.

"Junior Xiao Yan, enjoying a quiet moment?"

A gentle voice came from behind him, carrying a deliberately familiar tone. Xiao Yan slowly turned and saw Han Feng approaching in a green robe, a smile on his face. Two followers with steady auras trailed behind him, clearly outstanding figures within the Inner Academy themselves.

"Ah, Senior Han Feng." Xiao Yan rose, his expression showing just the right degree of humility. "I had some free time, so I was merely consolidating my cultivation here."

"You're too modest, junior." Han Feng drew closer, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Yan with apparent casualness before settling on the Storage Ring at his waist. The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. "You certainly shone in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition. Even Senior Lin Xiuya was full of praise for you. With your talent, there may be no limit to what you can achieve in the academy."

"You flatter me, senior. It was only a stroke of luck." Xiao Yan lowered his eyes, concealing their chill. He could clearly feel Han Feng's soul power probing like fine, barbed needles, attempting to pierce his protective Dou Qi and investigate the state of his body.

An ordinary Dou Wang would likely have been unsettled by such a subtle soul probe, perhaps even exposing his true capabilities. But Xiao Yan's soul had long since reached the Emperor Realm. To him, Han Feng's little tricks were no different from a child playing with fire.

"Luck?" Han Feng smiled, a probing note entering his voice. "Don't sell yourself short, junior. I hear that besides your remarkable cultivation talent, you also have some insights into alchemy. As it happens, I've been planning to refine a batch of Qi Gathering Powder, but I'm uncertain about how to process one of the supplementary ingredients. Would you come to the Medicine Hut and offer me a few pointers?"

His words sounded like a request for advice, but he actually wanted to lure Xiao Yan onto his own turf, where it would be easier to make his move. Xiao Yan sneered inwardly, though his face took on a troubled look. "You must be joking, senior. With my meager skills, how could I dare wield an axe before a master carpenter? Besides, my cultivation is still shallow, and I need to make every moment count. I'm afraid I must disappoint you."

Han Feng's smile faded a little, displeasure flashing in his eyes before he quickly concealed it. "You certainly are diligent, junior. In that case, I won't disturb you. It's just..." His tone shifted, and his gaze deepened. "The Inner Academy is nothing like the Outer Academy. People's hearts are complicated here. With such rare treasures in your possession, you would do well to be careful. Some things will only bring death upon you if you lack the strength to protect them."

This was a naked threat. Xiao Yan understood that Han Feng was testing his limits while also implying that unless he handed over his heavenly flame and cultivation method, endless trouble would await him.

"Thank you for the warning, senior. I'll be careful." Xiao Yan inclined his head slightly, his voice calm and even.

Han Feng gave him a long look. Seeing that neither coaxing nor pressure could sway Xiao Yan, he said no more and merely offered a meaningful smile. "Then carry on with your cultivation, junior. I'll take my leave." With that, he turned and left with his followers. As they departed, one of them glanced back and glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, his eyes brimming with disdain.

Once Han Feng and his followers had gone far enough, the humility vanished from Xiao Yan's face, replaced by an icy chill.

"Trying to probe an Emperor Realm Soul with such despicable tricks? Han Feng, you're courting death."

He could tell that Han Feng's soul probe had not been aimless. It had targeted the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Flame Mantra within him. It seemed this nominal disciple of Yao Lao had coveted his secrets for quite some time. His performance in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition had merely confirmed Han Feng's suspicions.

"System: hostility toward the host detected from Han Feng, along with an attempt to probe core secrets. Designate him as a target for elimination?" The system's icy notification rang out in his mind.

A cold curve formed at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth. "His elimination is inevitable, but not yet."

Han Feng had deep roots within the academy and close ties to quite a few elders. Acting now could easily draw the fire onto himself. He needed the perfect opening—an opportunity for Han Feng to die in an "accident" without anyone suspecting him.

"A cauldron explosion during alchemy..." A sharp gleam flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Since Han Feng had used alchemy as his pretext for inviting him, ending his life through alchemy would be a fitting "turn of the karmic wheel."

With that thought, Xiao Yan lingered no longer and headed back to his residence. He had preparations to make, a "grand gift" to ready for Han Feng.

Meanwhile, inside a Medicine Hut deep within the Inner Academy, Han Feng sat beside a stone table, tapping his fingers lightly against its surface, his face dark and sinister.

"Senior, that Xiao Yan really doesn't know what's good for him! He's just a new student who only recently entered the Inner Academy, yet he dared refuse your invitation!" complained the follower who had glared at Xiao Yan earlier.

"Hmph, just a good-for-nothing who got ahead through luck, yet he dares put on airs before you," the other follower echoed. "Senior, if you ask me, we should simply find a chance to cripple him and seize his heavenly flame and cultivation method. Why waste words on him?"

Han Feng waved them into silence. His brows were tightly knitted, and unease stirred within him. His soul probe had seemingly met no resistance, yet something had felt wrong. Xiao Yan's soul defenses were far stronger than he had imagined, even giving him a faint sense of unfathomable depth.

"Something's wrong..." Han Feng murmured. "Xiao Yan appears to be only a Dou Shi, but when my soul power approached him, it was like hitting an invisible wall. I couldn't penetrate any deeper. A Dou Shi should never possess that kind of soul strength."

Could he be hiding his strength? Or has Yao Lao been protecting him in secret all along?

A flicker of hesitation crossed Han Feng's eyes, only to be swiftly replaced by greed. Whatever the case, he was determined to obtain Xiao Yan's heavenly flame and mysterious cultivation method. Once he had them, never mind Xiao Yan—even Yao Lao might no longer be worth his regard.

"You two, investigate Xiao Yan's movements. Find out who he's been meeting lately and what cultivation method he's practicing," Han Feng instructed his followers. "Remember, don't stir the grass and startle the snake."

"Yes, senior!" Both accepted the order and immediately turned to leave.

Once he was alone in the Medicine Hut, Han Feng rose and walked over to a pill cauldron. Pitch-black from top to bottom, it was covered in intricate patterns and gave off a faint medicinal fragrance. It was clearly an alchemical tool of considerable quality.

"Xiao Yan..." Han Feng stroked the pill cauldron, a crazed light flickering in his eyes. "Your heavenly flame and your cultivation method will soon be mine. Once I obtain the Flame Mantra and fuse heavenly flames, I'll have a place not just in Jia Nan Academy, but across the entire Dou Qi Continent!"

He had no idea that Xiao Yan, a hundred zhang away, had already heard every word with perfect clarity.

At that moment, Xiao Yan stood by the window of his room, looking toward the Medicine Hut with an icy smile on his lips.

"You want the Flame Mantra and my heavenly flame? Then trade your life for them."

He slowly raised his right hand. A barely perceptible ripple of soul power coiled around his fingertip. Though exceedingly faint, it contained a trace of the source power of his Emperor Realm Soul, enough to silently contaminate anything it touched.

"Han Feng, from today onward, your Medicine Cauldron will be your death warrant."

Xiao Yan flicked his finger. That wisp of soul power drifted out the window like a phantom and flew toward the Medicine Hut, finally merging without a sound into the pill cauldron Han Feng was stroking, vanishing from sight.

With everything done, Xiao Yan closed the window and sat cross-legged again, as though nothing had happened.

But he knew that the seeds of an "accident" aimed at Han Feng had already been quietly planted. Before long, news would spread through the Inner Academy that Han Feng had suffered an accident while refining medicine: his pill cauldron had exploded, tragically killing him.

And he, Xiao Yan, would merely be one of the many students who "mourned" Han Feng.

The reaper in the shadows never hurried to swing his scythe. He waited for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow to his enemy, leaving not a single trace behind.