"Creak-"
A wooden door was slowly pushed open. A strand of sunlight slipped through the gap, finally forming a long, narrow line on the floor.
As the wooden door opened fully, the light rapidly widened, and two figures walked inside.
"Zi Yan, with your strength, you could enter the Inner Academy directly."
The newcomers were Jiang Yun and Zi Yan. After they had completed their enrollment procedures with Hu Gan, Great Elder Su Qian had returned to the Inner Academy. Under Zi Yan's coercion, Jiang Yun had also chosen to share a small two-story residence with her.
In Zi Yan's words, "If we live together, I can protect you!"
"Hmph! I'm only worried that you'll get bullied, Xiao Yun, you heartless brat!" Zi Yan puffed out her cheeks like a little steamed bun and glared angrily at Jiang Yun.
"All right, I said the wrong thing. I'll have to count on you to protect me from now on, Zi Yan!" He was clearly the younger one. Whether he counted his previous life or this one, strictly speaking, Jiang Yun's age did not amount to even a fraction of Zi Yan's.
Yet Jiang Yun behaved more like an older brother!
He raised his short little arm, only to discover that he could not reach the top of Zi Yan's head. Thinking quickly, he patted her shoulder instead.
"At least you know what's good for you!"
Seeing Jiang Yun "admit his mistake," Zi Yan tossed her ponytail and strode into the room with her head held high.
The residence, which looked tiny from outside, had two floors and was exceptionally tidy. After looking around for a moment, Zi Yan nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to Jiang Yun and said.
"From now on, I'll live upstairs, and you'll live downstairs!"
With their rooms assigned, the two went to their respective rooms. After everything that had happened that day, Jiang Yun was already utterly exhausted.
Lying on the soft bed, Jiang Yun drew a deep breath, an indescribable emotion stirring in his heart. From this moment onward, he finally had a true foothold on the Dou Qi Continent.
He would spend several years cultivating here.
At that point, he began sorting through what he knew. Zi Yan had just been brought back to the academy by Su Qian. Had this happened much earlier than it should have, or was this precisely when it was supposed to happen?
One thing was certain, however: Xiao Yan, this world's child of destiny, was currently close to his own age. That gave him ample time to grow.
Xiao Yan had cultivated on the Dou Qi Continent for roughly seventy or eighty years, then spent another hundred years cultivating in the Great Thousand World. That meant there were still nearly two hundred years until the final activation of the Great Thousand Demon Transformation Array.
That was enough time for him to grow!
Next, he needed to plan carefully and use his advantages to grow rapidly on the Dou Qi Continent.
As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Jiang Yun slowly closed his heavy eyes.
Night shrouded the land. Cool moonlight poured down, washing away the lingering heat.
Inside the room, Jiang Yun slept with his eyes closed. Strands of moonlight streamed through the window and fell upon his body. Then a strange sight appeared: the cool moonlight rippled like water.
The tiny tip of a tower showing at Jiang Yun's chest was giving off a faint glow.
The next instant, the sleeping Jiang Yun felt the world spin around him. When he groggily opened his eyes, he discovered that he had appeared in a pitch-black space.
There was no light here. It was silent and cold.
"You're here, child!"
Before Jiang Yun could react, an illusory figure slowly appeared.
At the sight of the figure, a surge of emotion flashed through Jiang Yun's eyes. He quickly recovered, however, and said respectfully, "You must be the tower spirit, Senior! Thank you for saving my life!"
"My name is Azure Nether Tower."
"Senior Qing Ming." Although the Azure Nether Tower was a weapon forged by Jiang Hong and could be considered an extension of his life, Jiang Yun would not have another grandfather. In his heart, Jiang Hong alone was his true grandfather.
"Child, what kind of person do you wish to become?" Qing Ming did not mind Jiang Yun's attitude. He merely watched him quietly, his profound gaze seeming capable of seeing straight into a person's heart.
"I want to fulfill Grandpa's dream. The Evil Spirit Clan is not disposable cannon fodder!" Jiang Yun declared, his expression resolute and his eyes burning.
A strange gleam flashed through Qing Ming's eyes, and he said gently, "That will be a road filled with danger and hardship."
"I'm not afraid!" Jiang Yun looked calmly at Qing Ming, an unshakable resolve written across his young face.
"Good, very good! Bringing you to this special continent was not in vain." Qing Ming beamed and laughed heartily.
A child's unwillingness to cultivate was not the real worry; a lack of ambition was!
In Qing Ming's eyes, Jiang Yun already possessed the beginnings of what it took to reach the summit of the Great Thousand World.
"What's special about this continent?"
Jiang Yun did not grow excited at Qing Ming's praise. Instead, the mention of the Dou Qi Continent's peculiarities caught his attention. Its most memorable feature was its wide variety of Heavenly Flames. Could there be something else about this continent that he did not know?
"This continent is no simple place!" Qing Ming gazed into the distance, his eyes deep, as though he could see through the tower into some unknown land.
Jiang Yun remained silent, watching Qing Ming quietly as he waited for an answer. It seemed that what he knew from his memories did not encompass the whole of the Dou Qi Continent!
"The fire-attributed energy on this continent is rather special, and it has given birth to many extraordinary flames. Can you guess why?" At that point, Qing Ming posed the question to Jiang Yun with considerable interest.
For a moment, Jiang Yun was speechless. Right then, he absolutely loathed people who spoke in riddles.
After teasing Jiang Yun a little, Qing Ming seemed to be in much better spirits. Chuckling, he said, "Actually, I don't know either!"
"..." Jiang Yun stared at Qing Ming in bewilderment. So you were just stringing me along?
"Don't look at me like that. At the end of the day, I'm only a weapon, and right now, I'm barely half awake myself. I merely brought you here on instinct, landing in the place with the most extraordinary aura." Qing Ming spread his hands and pointed at his somewhat illusory body as he explained.
"How did that happen? Was it the price of protecting me on the journey to the Dou Qi Continent?" Jiang Yun felt a pang of guilt.
"Hehe, don't worry. It wasn't because of you. Do you remember that Saint Heavenly Demon Flame?" Qing Ming's words soothed Jiang Yun's dejection.
"Could it be..."
"That's right. It's suppressed inside my tower. Once you break through to Dou Zhe, you can come here and absorb it little by little. It will be the fuel for your growth."
Qing Ming's words made Jiang Yun's breathing quicken. This was the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame—the flame of the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor! Before Xiao Yan reached his peak, it was the greatest flame in the Great Thousand World.
Although it was only a child flame, it was still comparable to the purifying lotus demon flame and the nihility devouring flame.
Perhaps even stronger!
"Whew-"
Forcefully suppressing his joy, Jiang Yun regained his composure. He looked earnestly at Qing Ming and asked, "Senior, please tell me more about what makes the Dou Qi Continent special!"
Before you continue