Shen Luo Was a Cultivation Cheat

Led by Su Qian, Shen Luo went straight to the lowest level of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

An ancient door stood before them, covered in flowing runes and radiating an ancient, savage aura.

"Open the seal!"

Su Qian barked the order at the dozen or so Inner Academy elders beside him.

"Great Elder, once the seal is opened, the fallen heart flame might seize the chance to escape," an Inner Academy elder said with a frown.

"No matter. With Elder Shen and me here, a single heavenly flame won't be able to overturn the heavens." Su Qian waved a hand.

The Inner Academy elders exchanged glances and began rapidly forming hand seals.

Although Su Qian held the title of Great Elder, he had absolute authority within the Inner Academy.

The Dean of Jia Nan Academy had disappeared years ago. Many of the elders had never even seen what he looked like.

Thus, Hu Gan had always run the Outer Academy, while Su Qian governed the Inner Academy.

All things considered, Su Qian was effectively the Dean of Jia Nan Academy.

Shen Luo narrowed his eyes.

Jia Nan Academy had many elders, but most were only Dou Wangs. They were the ones who routinely maintained the seal on the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

Although Su Qian was a Dou Zong, he had to cultivate on top of handling the Inner Academy's many affairs.

Once one reached the Dou Zong level, advancement slowed. After grinding away for so many years, Su Qian was still only a Three-Star Dou Zong.

"This is Shen Luo, the newest elder to join our Inner Academy. You should all get acquainted with him." Su Qian stroked the beard on his chin as he introduced Shen Luo to the elders.

At his words, the elders all nodded to Shen Luo.

When they saw Shen Luo wearing an Inner Academy elder's robes, they had already guessed as much.

Yet when they probed him, they could not sense his cultivation level at all.

This young man had such profound cultivation despite his age. No wonder the Great Elder had received him personally.

"Elder Shen is not only a Dou Zong expert, but also a high-ranking alchemist. With him joining the academy, we will surely climb another step up the hundred-foot pole." With his hands clasped behind his back, Su Qian took in every elder's expression.

What?

Elder Shen was actually a Dou Zong?

For Great Elder Su Qian to call him a high-ranking alchemist, could his alchemy be even better than Elder Huo's?

Elder Huo was an elder of Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department. He was a five-star Dou Wang and a Peak Fifth-Grade Alchemist.

Shen Luo smiled. After a brief hesitation, he took a white jade bottle from his Storage Ring.

"You elders maintain the seal on the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower. Even if your contributions go unrecognized, your toil deserves credit. There are three Dou Ling Pills in here. I'll leave their distribution to Great Elder Su Qian. Please consider them a small token of my appreciation."

At his words, the elders flushed, disbelief spreading across every face.

A Dou Ling Pill could raise a Dou Wang expert's strength by a full star. Even Elder Huo's success rate in refining one was low.

This man had casually offered three of them. Just who was he?

Such an enormous gift left them scarcely able to believe it.

Even Su Qian could not hide the smile on his face.

This Elder Shen was not only a masterful alchemist, but also unassuming and generous, unlike other alchemists who were so difficult to get along with.

With him at Jia Nan Academy, its strength would surely double again before long.

Su Qian's eyes shifted as his mind raced.

It seemed he couldn't let Shen Luo remain an ordinary elder. After some time, he would have to give him a position befitting his abilities.

Boom!

With a thunderous blast, the ancient stone door finally began to open as the seal was lifted.

Savage fire-attribute energy rushed into their faces.

Everyone's breath caught.

"Elder Shen, although your strength is extraordinary, even the Dean did not dare venture far into the depths of the earth core magma back then. You must be careful."

Su Qian seemed to remember something and hurriedly cautioned him before giving the elders further instructions.

"You will take turns standing watch and be ready to assist Elder Shen at any time. Report to me immediately if anything happens."

As if injected with a shot of adrenaline, the elders chorused, "Rest assured, Great Elder! We will not leave this spot and will guard it well!"

Shen Luo cupped his hands toward Su Qian, then stepped slowly inside.

The elders immediately reapplied the seal, and the stone door closed once more.

"Great Elder, where did you find someone like Elder Shen? This old man's eyes have finally been opened!"

Now that Shen Luo had entered the Earth Core Magma World, Jia Nan Academy's elders could no longer restrain themselves and began peppering Su Qian with questions.

"Heh, naturally, Elder Shen agreed to join our Jia Nan Academy out of respect for me."

Su Qian's face was full of pride. He waved a hand. "All right, guard this place well. Elder Shen won't treat you poorly in the future."

Su Qian turned around, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.

Shen Luo had just given him a Seventh-Grade Pill. He intended to enter secluded cultivation immediately and break through to the Four-Star Dou Zong level.

Now these days held something to look forward to. Before, he had merely been letting the years slip away.

Jia Nan Academy had been established for so many years, with one generation of students replacing another, yet he had never seen the academy receive much in return.

The moment Shen Luo entered the Earth Core World, he was stunned by the fire-attribute energy, so dense it was almost liquid.

He had cultivated in the Flame Realm for several months. That enclosed space, created by a Dou Di, had abundant natural energy, yet this place was no less rich.

The energy in the Earth Core World was simply more violent and harder to refine.

If an ordinary person remained here for too long, fire poison would inevitably corrode them, causing their cultivation to regress rather than advance.

But none of that was a problem for Shen Luo, who possessed the Devouring Ancestral Talisman and the heavenly tyrant body.

The Devouring Ancestral Talisman's power defied the heavens. With it, he could devour and refine every form of energy in existence.

Even light and sound.

And the heavenly tyrant body was among the finest physiques in the world, impervious to all poisons and indestructible by myriad arts.

For Shen Luo, this Earth Core Magma World was the most suitable place to cultivate on the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Shen Luo's dou qi surged out like a tide, enveloping his entire body in protection. Then he leaped forward and swam toward the depths of the earth's core.

At the same time, black radiance blazed from the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, turning Shen Luo into a black vortex.

The savage fire-attribute energy all around rushed toward him, only to be completely refined by the Devouring Ancestral Talisman into pure dou qi.

Within the Earth Core Magma World, Shen Luo had no fear of causing too great a disturbance. He unleashed the Devouring Ancestral Talisman at full power, greedily absorbing everything around him.

Purple radiance flowed over his heavenly tyrant body, and every cell seemed to cry out. The extreme heat appeared to help strengthen the physique as well.

Shen Luo continued swimming toward the depths of the earth's core. Half an hour later, he stopped, surveyed his surroundings, then sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

The Devouring Ancestral Talisman operated at full power. Fire-attribute energy from the surrounding magma surged madly into his body at a rate visible to the naked eye, and his dou qi climbed steadily.

The deeper he went, the more concentrated the fire poison became, until it almost took solid form.

Purple radiance flowed over the heavenly tyrant body, keeping every harmful substance outside, while the Devouring Ancestral Talisman flickered with black light, swallowing every last trace of energy.

One orthodox, one unconventional; one defending, one attacking. With both trump cards working in tandem, Shen Luo's cultivation speed reached a terrifying level.

He could clearly feel his dou qi swelling. The bottleneck at the late one-star Dou Zong stage seemed to be showing faint signs of loosening.

Now this was a true cultivation cheat.

Time ticked by, and Shen Luo immersed himself in cultivation, utterly forgetting everything else.

Yet not far behind him, a pair of enormous scarlet eyes stared fixedly at this stranger who had entered the Magma World.

Those eyes brimmed with savagery and greed, as though gazing at a sumptuous meal delivered straight to their mouth.