Time to reap the rewards, Zi Yan runs wild!

"You're... Yun'er, aren't you?"

Watching Jiang Yun awaken, Qing Ming's worries vanished, and excitement spread across his face. He stepped forward and asked nervously, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yun, his expression anxious, afraid he would hear an answer contrary to the one he hoped for.

Jiang Yun turned toward Qing Ming, whose eyes were filled with concern, and warmth stirred in his heart. The nerves that had been stretched taut through a year of struggle finally relaxed, and he gave Qing Ming a heartfelt smile.

"Senior Qing Ming, it's me. I succeeded!" Jiang Yun said slowly. With a beckoning motion, the black-and-white Saint Heavenly Demon Flame and the invisible, colorless Fallen Heart Flame appeared in his hands, dancing in his palms.

"Good, good, wonderful!" Hearing his confirmation and seeing the dancing flames, Qing Ming exclaimed repeatedly in excitement. Even his body trembled slightly.

"Child, you've suffered!" Seeing Jiang Yun's exhausted eyes, Qing Ming's heart tightened, aching with sorrow.

Jiang Yun was still only a child!

He could scarcely imagine how profound a conviction had sustained Jiang Yun and allowed him to claim the final victory.

"Senior Qing Ming, please stand guard for me. It's time to reap the rewards!"

Jiang Yun did not linger in that rare peace for long before speaking again.

Now that he had resolved the hidden danger within his body and learned the origins of the Dou Qi Continent's Heavenly Flames, new plans had formed in his mind. There was still so much waiting for him!

Time waited for no one!

To help Hun Tiandi become an Emperor, the Hun Clan had schemed for over a thousand years, and the final moment was already approaching. If, by the final battle, Jiang Yun had not grown strong enough to oppose him through his own power...

Then even if his trump cards kept him safe, that was still something he could not tolerate. Far greater goals awaited him!

"Why rush? Rest for a few days. It won't be too late to absorb it then!" Startled by Jiang Yun's request, Qing Ming tried to persuade him.

Jiang Yun shook his head gently. Though his mind was exhausted, this was also the best moment to break through!

Besides, Zi Yan had awakened. He could not drag this out any longer!

"All right! Be careful!" Seeing Jiang Yun's determination, Qing Ming said no more. He knew Jiang Yun was a stubborn child whose decisions were rarely changed by anyone. Instead, he quietly moved aside, strengthened the barrier, and stood guard.

Jiang Yun regulated his breathing for a moment, then looked at the little flame serpent in his hand. His pupils turned a deep, pitch-black shade. Opening his mouth, he swallowed the little flame serpent into his stomach.

The moment the origin flame entered him, scorching heat quietly spread through his body. Jiang Yun swiftly sat cross-legged, milky-white flames continually erupting from his pores.

Jiang Yun had already decided how to handle the Fallen Heart Flame. Unlike Xiao Yan, he did not possess the Flame Mantra, which could evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames.

Heavenly Flames could devour one another. When a powerful Heavenly Flame encountered a weaker one, it would often swallow the other's origin without hesitation to strengthen itself.

This was a rather crude method, nowhere near as safe or thorough as the Flame Mantra. However, Jiang Yun had advantages of his own.

The Saint Heavenly Demon Flame possessed a devouring attribute, allowing it to make perfect use of the energy a Heavenly Flame had stored over many years to strengthen itself. This was the method Jiang Yun had devised.

That way, he would obtain the Fallen Heart Flame's vast energy, while Jia Nan Academy would receive a young Heavenly Flame that was practically reborn. It was a win-win situation.

He believed the Great Elder would be happy to see it too!

Feeling the high temperature erupt within him, Jiang Yun sensed his insides gradually becoming scalding hot, then painfully scorched. Although he had already exhausted much of its power, the Fallen Heart Flame's heat, accumulated over countless years, was naturally extraordinary.

"It's your turn to perform!"

As the Fallen Heart Flame rampaged through his body, wreaking havoc, Jiang Yun spoke softly. At once, the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame entrenched in his dantian shuddered.

The black flame transformed into a ferocious black dragon and hurtled toward the little serpent formed by the Fallen Heart Flame.

Inside Jiang Yun's body, the Fallen Heart Flame was like a turtle trapped in a jar. With Jiang Yun tipping the scales, the giant dragon soon swallowed the little flame serpent in a single gulp.

Once swallowed by the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame, the Fallen Heart Flame began resisting violently. Although Jiang Yun had subdued it, this was nothing like what it had expected!

Jiang Yun had won their earlier battle and gained almost complete control of the Fallen Heart Flame. But it held a respectable position on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and countless years of accumulation had given birth to intelligence. How could it willingly accept being refined completely?

Fallen Heart Flame: I acknowledged you as my big brother, and now you actually want to eat me?

Then it began to fight back. Within the black dragon, the invisible Fire Python thrashed violently. The natural energy contained in the surrounding space seemed to riot as well. Multicolored streams of mottled energy became clearly visible, forming whirlwinds that sought to break into the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame and aid the Fallen Heart Flame.

However, the barrier laid down by the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame... or rather, Jiang Yun, was more than adequate. Not a trace of outside energy breached it to help the Fallen Heart Flame.

Although Jiang Yun had blocked the outside natural energy, the terrifying heat unleashed by the Fallen Heart Flame's rampage still seeped through the pitch-black flames.

The Saint Heavenly Demon Flame was of extremely high quality, but a young child flame still fell short in energy compared with the Fallen Heart Flame, which had grown for endless ages.

As the flames seeped out, Jiang Yun suffered. His insides began to burn under the Heavenly Flame, and fine beads of sweat quietly appeared on his forehead.

Ignoring its rampage, Jiang Yun mobilized the white holy flame within his Qi vortex and swept it toward the Fallen Heart Flame.

Layer upon layer, it wrapped the Fallen Heart Flame tightly inside.

The complete Saint Heavenly Demon Flame proved remarkably effective. The Fallen Heart Flame could no longer stir up any trouble. Under the devouring force, its resistance began to weaken. By the time half its flame seed had been devoured, its resistance had vanished entirely.

Its flame seed slowly merged into the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame, like a medicinal pill containing immense fire-attribute energy.

As the first wisp of pure energy entered his body, Jiang Yun felt like land that had lain parched for ages, now bursting with life once more.

Instinctively, Jiang Yun circulated the Crimson Fire Treasure Mirror and began refining the pure energy within him.

After refining one wisp of pure energy, Jiang Yun drew in another. The energy refined from the Fallen Heart Flame was exceptionally pure. A few circulation cycles were enough to turn it completely into his own Dou Qi.

Everything proceeded as smoothly as water flowing into a channel.

The barrier to Dou Wang within him also began to loosen!

His secluded cultivation had officially begun!

"Old man, where did Xiao Yun go?"

Within the Inner Academy, a terrifying pressure suddenly erupted. Many students and elders found it difficult to breathe, their souls trembling.

What sins did we commit to deserve this?

Why does trouble always strike our year? We never heard that life in the Inner Academy was this exciting!

Many students, groaning incessantly, wore bitter smiles. With one incident after another, anyone would find it unbearable!

Meanwhile, the Inner Academy's elders silently called out to the Great Elder, hoping he would quickly resolve the problem of Zi Yan. Otherwise, life would become impossible!

At that moment, the Great Elder, upon whom everyone's hopes rested, was looking helplessly at the girl before him.

She wore a purple dress, her purple hair falling to the curve of her raised backside. Despite her young age, her striking figure had already begun to take shape. A pair of purple Dou Qi Wings flickered behind her.

Her stunning face, youthful yet faintly alluring, was icy at that moment. Her purple eyes, filled with nobility and mystery, stared fixedly at Su Qian. Her entire bearing declared that if he failed to give her a satisfactory answer, she would pluck his beard bare.

This was Zi Yan, who had completed her breakthrough. She had finally grown up! Although she had not reached the age she had hoped for, looking fourteen or fifteen already left her quite satisfied!

She was finally no longer a little girl!

She had happily intended to find Jiang Yun and show off, only to find no sign of him and receive a bolt from the blue instead.

Looking at Zi Yan, whose dangerous aura made her resemble a powder keg ready to explode, Su Qian said calmly, "Jiang Yun is cultivating in seclusion at the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to break through to Dou Wang. Several elders are stationed there. You don't need to worry!"

"No!"

"That thing at the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower is dangerous. I don't trust those weaklings. I'm going to see for myself!"

The moment Su Qian finished speaking, Zi Yan objected, her words brimming with distrust toward the elders guarding the tower.

"Well..."

The Great Elder was momentarily at a loss for words. The elders stationed in the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower were all Dou Wangs, while those guarding its most crucial bottom level were even Dou Emperors.

But now Zi Yan had advanced to the sixth rank. With her mysterious racial gifts, Su Qian genuinely could not be certain that the two Dou Emperor elders were a match for her.

Seeing Zi Yan's resolute expression, Su Qian felt a headache coming on. Softening his tone, he said gently, "Jiang Yun is cultivating in seclusion to break through to Dou Wang. If you disturb him now and startle him into failing his breakthrough, wouldn't that..."

Su Qian did not finish. He had noticed the increasingly active spatial force around Zi Yan and knew she would not rest easy until she saw Jiang Yun with her own eyes.

Helpless!

Su Qian could only compromise. "All right. Keep the commotion down, and try not to disturb Jiang Yun."

Whoosh- Before Su Qian had even finished, a purple flash streaked past him. Zi Yan was nowhere to be seen. Looking toward the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, he saw a purple streak of light rapidly descend.

"Ah... what sins did I commit to deserve this?" Su Qian sighed helplessly where he stood. At that moment, he dearly wanted to return to the past and slap his former self twice.

An elder nearby who heard Su Qian muttering was rather speechless. Great Elder, when you say that, could you please rein in those irrepressibly rising corners of your mouth?

The elder had heard before that the Great Elder was someone whose words contradicted his heart. Now it seemed...

Those rumors were true!

"All right, elders, disperse the students! Check whether anyone is injured. All injured students may collect a third-tier healing pill from the Alchemy Department. Go on!"

Perhaps realizing his own expression, Su Qian composed himself and began cleaning up after Zi Yan, looking every bit like a worried old father.

"Yes!"

The elders cupped their hands in acknowledgment and scattered to deal with the aftermath.

Nodding, Su Qian vanished in a flash as well, heading toward the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

Tap, tap, tap.

A series of crisp footsteps rang out as a graceful purple figure hurried toward the bottom level of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

Thanks to the Spirit Gathering Array Jiang Yun had laid down, the natural energy within the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower was now roughly thirty percent denser. Yet Zi Yan noticed none of it.

Or rather, her mind was not on any of that at all!

The elders guarding each level appeared along the way, watching Zi Yan depart and marveling inwardly.

What a terrifying little girl!

Soon, Zi Yan reached the bottom level of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower and met the two Dou Emperor elders stationed there, Elder Shi and Elder Huang!

"Where's Xiao Yun?" Zi Yan asked impatiently as she looked at them.

"He should be in Cultivation Room One!" Elder Shi nodded slightly at Zi Yan, a pleased smile appearing on his face, and pointed toward the innermost room.

Nodding, Zi Yan hurried toward Cultivation Room One. Upon reaching its door, her brows immediately furrowed and her heart tightened. Under the two elders' astonished gazes, she lashed out with a fierce kick.

"Don't..."

Bang-

After the thunderous crash, Zi Yan abruptly turned toward the two elders, her expression dark. A terrifying draconic pressure rose from her body as she asked coldly, "Where is Xiao Yun?"

Suddenly finding themselves under Zi Yan's stare, both elders felt their hearts tighten, a chill running through them. Hearing her question, they went to look inside Cultivation Room One and immediately cried out.

"Impossible! Where did he go?"

Unable to believe it, they opened every cultivation room on the bottom level, one after another, but there was not a single person inside.

"I'll ask once more. Where did Xiao Yun go?" An icy voice rang out. Standing some distance away, Zi Yan's purple eyes had transformed into terrifying vertical pupils, and faint purple-gold scales appeared on her fair skin.

A terrifying pressure emerged. At that moment, she was no longer that innocent little girl, but seemed instead like an empress ruling all beneath heaven.

Faced with Zi Yan in this state, Elder Shi and Elder Huang, though both Dou Emperors, quietly felt an emotion called fear arise in their hearts.

"Well..."

"Zi Yan, calm down!" Just as the two elders were at a loss for an answer, Su Qian appeared at the bottom of the tower and hurriedly called out.

Seeing Su Qian arrive, Zi Yan steadied her emotions. However, she continued staring coldly at the two elders, demanding an answer.

"Elder Shi, Elder Huang, what happened? Where is Jiang Yun?" Seeing Zi Yan calm down, Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief and hastily asked.

"We don't know either. A year ago, we saw him enter this room with our own eyes!"

The Great Elder's arrival also reassured the two elders. Having regained their composure, they explained, looking utterly bewildered.

Hearing this, the Great Elder's brows knitted into deep furrows. A perfectly living person, and you're telling me he vanished?

He couldn't have been swallowed by the Fallen Heart Flame, could he?

Wait...

The Fallen Heart Flame?