Dragonflame Daoist

Jiang Yan did not have to wait long. Muling Daoist Boy was now even more concerned about Jiang Yan's future than his own.

Three days later.

Even with the prospect of becoming a Sixth Grade High Person's disciple, Jiang Yan did not slack off.

After finishing his morning cultivation that day, Jiang Yan fired up his furnace and continued refining pills.

After repeated practice with the Bear-Tiger Pill Formula, he had now made considerable progress.

This batch yielded a full eight Bear-Tiger Pills from a single set of ingredients, three of them upper grade.

As before, he bottled the upper- and lower-grade pills separately, then controlled the formation to clean the Pill Furnace.

He was just about to put in the next set of ingredients when faint sounds suddenly came from the stairs.

He immediately shifted his attention away from the Pill Furnace before him.

This house belonged to Muling Daoist Boy, and warning formations had been laid inside it.

Since the visitor could come straight up here, it was most likely Muling Daoist Boy returning.

At that thought, Jiang Yan put away the Pill Furnace and headed downstairs.

Sure enough, as soon as he reached the lower floor, he saw Muling Daoist Boy.

He stood behind a Daoist who looked like a young man, his expression respectful and restrained, with a hint of inexplicable nervousness.

"You must be Junior Brother Jiang Yan? I am Dragonflame Daoist, Master's second disciple. Master sent me to bring you back to the Daoist Arena."

Hearing him introduce himself as Dragonflame Daoist, Jiang Yan knew that he, too, was an accomplished cultivator of the Seventh-Rank Realm.

He had short hair and wore a fiery-red Daoist robe.

At the corner of its hem, red gold thread embroidered a crimson Glaze Dragon in a pose of spewing fire to burn the heavens, with various cloud patterns adorning the space around its body.

At a glance, he seemed suffused with a majestic grandeur from head to toe.

In the middle of his chest was a flame pattern about an inch across. At first glance, its details looked so real that it seemed to be burning on his robe.

Not only that, but waves of heat faintly emanated from Dragonflame Daoist.

This heat did not affect his surroundings. Instead, when Jiang Yan looked at him, he felt a scorching heat radiating from within his own body.

After only a few more looks, Jiang Yan felt as though he were about to catch fire. Realizing something was wrong, he immediately circulated his Law Power throughout his body.

As his Law Power flowed, that inexplicable heat instantly vanished.

A flicker of surprise crossed Dragonflame Daoist's eyes, and he nodded in approval.

"Don't take offense, Junior Brother. I was simply curious about whom that brat Muling had chosen and couldn't help myself for a moment. I, your Senior Brother, couldn't resist."

"I meant to go upstairs and watch you refine pills, but unfortunately, that brat Muling made some noise to alert you. All I could do was test your willpower."

Dragonflame Daoist explained, incidentally helping Muling Daoist Boy earn some goodwill with Jiang Yan.

Judging by his tone, Muling's standing with Blowing Fire High Person was considerably higher than Jiang Yan had imagined.

Since Dragonflame Daoist was friendly, Jiang Yan naturally would not take offense. He raised his hands in salute.

"Jiang Yan greets Dragonflame Daoist. Sorry for the trouble of coming to help me."

Although Dragonflame Daoist kept calling him Junior Brother, Jiang Yan could hardly address him directly as Senior Brother. After all, he had not even met Blowing Fire High Person yet.

"No need to stand on ceremony. Consider this Fire-Resisting Pill my apology to you from your Senior Brother."

Dragonflame Daoist paid little heed to his deference and casually took a jade bottle from his storage ring, handing it over.

Faced with a gift from a Seventh Grade Daoist, Jiang Yan naturally thanked him and accepted it respectfully.

"Good. In that case, there's no time to lose. Let's leave now."

Seeing Jiang Yan accept his goodwill, Dragonflame Daoist nodded in satisfaction.

He led Jiang Yan and Muling outside.

As soon as they stepped out onto the street, Dragonflame Daoist waved his hand. The fire-breathing Glaze Dragon on his robe flashed and actually detached itself.

In midair, it transformed into a Red Glaze some hundred feet long.

Jiang Yan looked up at the Red Glaze circling overhead. This spectacle was no less stunning than what Black Gu Daoist had shown him that day.

Although flying was not prohibited in most parts of town, and dedicated flight routes had even been established-after all, many Daoists had avian Spirit Beasts-

Wasn't such a grand display a little excessive? After all, Desire Corpse Daoist was still lurking in the shadows.

For his own safety, even though he barely knew Dragonflame Daoist, Jiang Yan still had to ask and make things clear.

"Hahaha! If that Desire Corpse comes, I, your Senior Brother, can rid you of this thorn in your heart, Junior Brother."

Hearing Jiang Yan's tactful hint, Dragonflame Daoist immediately burst out laughing, seemingly utterly disdainful of Desire Corpse Daoist.

He did not hurry to explain. With a sweep of his sleeve, he brought the two of them onto the Red Glaze in midair.

The Red Glaze was about a hundred feet long, its head alone some ten feet across. Carrying three people was effortless.

Strangely, although flames burned all over the Glaze Dragon, Jiang Yan felt no scorching heat whatsoever. Not knowing what means Dragonflame Daoist had used, he looked down curiously.

Seeing his curious gaze, Dragonflame Daoist mistakenly assumed he was interested in the Red Glaze and explained with a smile:

"Are you interested in this Red Glaze soul, Junior Brother? No need for envy. Once you enter Master's tutelage, you'll have opportunities to obtain one yourself."

This was actually a dragon soul? When Jiang Yan looked more closely, he indeed saw a faint transparency in the dragon's body beneath the flames.

He was also very interested in the opportunities Dragonflame Daoist mentioned.

Jinbao was not good at covering long distances. Having a dragon soul like this to ride would truly be wonderful.

Unfortunately, Dragonflame Daoist said no more about it, instead returning to the subject of Desire Corpse Daoist.

"You needn't fear Desire Corpse Daoist in the future, Junior Brother. Now that you're entering Master's tutelage,

"Just cultivate diligently for a few years, and by then, even killing him yourself should be a trivial matter."

When speaking of Desire Corpse Daoist, Dragonflame Daoist still wore a contemptuous expression, as though he held the man in utter disdain.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Jiang Yan asked, "Do you also have a feud with Desire Corpse, Daoist?"

"Just call me Senior Brother! I have no feud with him. I merely hold his character in some contempt."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan grew even more curious and continued asking:

"Senior... Brother, if word of Desire Corpse Daoist's evil deeds has spread so widely, and he often targets the Prefecture Academy's disciples, why doesn't the academy capture and kill him?"

Dragonflame Daoist shook his head at the question.

"It isn't that the academy cannot kill him. It's that it doesn't wish to."

Doesn't wish to? Could this man have some astonishing backing?

Seeing that Jiang Yan did not understand, Dragonflame Daoist continued:

"The academy's duty is to train its disciples to the Seventh-Rank Realm, then have them join the Dao Army.

"All of the academy's rules serve this purpose. Thus, the presence of people like Desire Corpse actually gives the disciples a sense of urgency.

"Those disciples with exceptional talent will naturally catch the attention of the higher-ups and be taken under their tutelage.

"With your talent, for instance, even without this opportunity from Muling,

"Although becoming a Sixth Grade cultivator's disciple wouldn't be guaranteed, taking One of the Eighteen Heads as your master should pose no problem. Do you understand?"

Only after hearing this did Jiang Yan understand. The academy's approach was entirely one of letting great waves sift the sand.

In the eyes of the higher-ups, all that mattered was ensuring that the finest batch of geniuses met with no mishaps.

The rest, just as Jiang Yunyao had said, were merely expendables. What they ought to hone even more was their ability to survive.

Fortunately, I never considered hiding my talent. Otherwise, wouldn't I have become expendable too?