Chapter 182: All Are Masters Pretending to Be Dumb
"Awoo! Men, the dragon has arrived. Get out of the way!"
A piercing dragon roar echoed across the inner courtyard. As the students watched in astonishment, a massive golden dragon descended from the sky.
Xiao Bai stood atop the dragon's head, surveying the scene below from a commanding height.
Within his sight, a massive black tower emerged from a depression in the terrain. This tower, however, was quite peculiar.
Only a fragment of the spire and a pitch-black entrance gate were visible from the ground, the tower itself buried deep beneath the earth.
"Is this the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower?"
Counting the days, Xiao Bai had been at Canaan Academy for over a year, and this was the first time he had truly seen the black tower!
"Yes! Brother Xiao Bai, look carefully. Doesn't the surroundings of the tower look familiar?" Xun'er, holding his arm, smiled sweetly, and pointed at the black tower.
Hearing this, Xiao Bai's gaze swept across the space surrounding the tower. He felt a faint sense of distortion and wrinkles, a pattern identical to that of the "Book Collection Pavilion."
"Space lock!"
"That's more than that! The space lock only prevents outsiders from entering. Inside, there's a space seal that only Dou Zun can set. This one faces inward. I bet the dean of Canaan Academy put a lot of effort into this black tower!"
Xun'er's eyes narrowed into crescents as she explained softly to Xiao Bai.
"You know quite a bit, little girl!" Xiao Bai smiled at the pretty girl beside him.
"Hehe. Xun'er just reads a lot of books, so she knows a little bit!" Xun'er looked at Xiao Bai's teasing expression, her eyes wandering, pretending to be dumbfounded.
Xiao Bai didn't bother to point it out, but shook his head and smiled, "Let's go! Let's go down!"
With that, he put his hands around the two women's slender waists, tiptoed, and landed gracefully.
Standing on the ground, the black tower in front of them, although only one layer and a spire, was still enormous and overwhelming.
Arriving at the spatial fold, Xiao Bai gazed at the tightly closed, dark tower door and the strange fire aura surging within. He took a deep breath and declared, "Xiao Bai, please see the Great Elder!"
His voice was like thunder, resounding throughout the tower.
"What is this devil trying to do? Doesn't he know that the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower has been closed for days, with strict orders for no students to approach?"
"Who would know! But he's a sixth-rank alchemist, higher in status than some elders. He can no longer be treated as a student!"
As some students discussed this, the elders in the tower heard this voice, exchanged a surprised glance, and then looked at the elderly figure standing in the air above the energy shield, looking a little disheveled.
He suddenly turned around, looking up into the void, as if he could see through the tower, looking at the young man in black outside.
"Xiao Bai? Didn't he just make such a commotion? Why's he running here instead of contemplating?"
Su Qian frowned slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he glanced down at the still-moving Fallen Heart Flame below, feeling a headache.
Xiao Bai stood outside the tower, gazing at the still black tower with a calm gaze. He spoke again, "Xiao Bai, please see the Great Elder. I hope to enter the tower for a chat!"
"Ah," a long, aged sigh echoed, and a voice that seemed weary said, "Come in!"
As the words fell, the space around the black tower rippled faintly, shimmering like ripples.
A moment later, the space before him twisted, and a portal wide enough for only one person opened.
"Xun'er, Xian'er, I'm going in!" Xiao Bai turned and whispered to the two women behind him.
"Well! Brother Xiao Bai, be careful!" Xun'er stepped forward and hugged him, nuzzling her little head against his chest. She was reluctant to part with him again after only a short time together.
"Xiao Bai, don't act so arrogant after you go in. Don't forget we're waiting for you at Canaan Academy!" After letting Xun'er go, the Little Medical Fairy stepped forward, straightened his shirt, and spoke softly.
Xiao Bai nodded, his gaze shifting slightly to the little golden dragon.
"Shrink! You can't even get through the tower like this!"
Xiao Bai was certain it could shrink. This creature could transform into anything, so shrinking wouldn't be a problem.
"What a lousy tower! It couldn't even be made bigger to accommodate my majestic form!" The little golden dragon muttered, glancing at the massive figure with reluctance.
Golden arcs of lightning flashed from the dragon's slender form. After a burst of golden light, it darted into Xiao Bai's sleeve.
Xiao Bai glanced at the two women again, then turned and walked into the spatial portal. As he entered, the portal slowly shrank and closed again, returning to its original state in an instant.
"Xun'er, you really won't tell him?" Little Medical Fairy asked softly, looking at Xun'er, whose eyes were fixed on her.
"No! The later Brother Xiao Bai finds out, the less worry he'll have!" Xun'er shook her head. Seeing the slightly distressed look in his eyes, she couldn't help but smile knowingly. She took Little Medical Fairy's hand and said, "Xian'er, don't let that scoundrel fool you!"
"Brother Xiao Bai is incredibly attentive. He usually notices the slightest change in our mood, but you were so obvious just now, and he didn't even ask. Do you think there's something wrong?"
"So he knew you were leaving?" Little Medical Fairy was stunned.
"Who knows? That scoundrel's thoughts have become even more esoteric now. I don't know what he's thinking!" Xun'er pouted and waved her fist in dissatisfaction.
As the person who knew Xiao Bai best, she noticed a significant change in him this time, not only in his appearance but also in his psychology.
No matter how you looked at him now, Xiao Bai exuded an incredibly natural aura, quite different from before.
"What about you?" Little Medical Fairy was about to say something.
"Oh! Xiaoxian, don't worry about it!" Xun'er pinched Little Medical Fairy's pretty face and said with a smile, "As long as he's still my brother Xiao Bai, and your Xiao Bai, and doesn't flirt with other women, knowing this is enough!"
"It's a blessing to be ignorant! Sometimes knowing too much is tiring!" Xun'er stretched, showing off her graceful curves, then waved her hand nonchalantly.
"..." Little Medical Fairy.
It was clearly a three-person game, but she said it felt a little awkward. It turned out these two were masters of feigning ignorance!
"Looks like there's a lot to learn!" Little Medical Fairy's beautiful eyes were thoughtful.
Elsewhere, as Xiao Bai stepped into the Black Tower's gate, he felt a strange flame suddenly appear within him.
"Shapeless and colorless, manifesting through the mind, leaving no trace, is this the Fallen Heart Flame?"
The corners of Xiao Bai's mouth curled up slightly. After he took a quick look, the five-colored Dou Qi in his body passed through the flames, directly dispersing the flame.
"Too weak!"
Xiao Bai shook his head. This flame couldn't even withstand the impact of the Dou Qi in his body, let alone temper it.
The fire element in his Dantian seemed to have no interest at all and was too lazy to move.
This scene happened very quickly. Xiao Bai's footsteps did not stop. As he walked, his eyes kept scanning the tower.
This hall was huge, with a cylindrical shape around it. In the center, there was a huge black hole. At this time, the air above the black hole was slightly distorted, and an extremely hot breath continued to spread around.
On the ground floor, the elders were keeping an eye on Xiao Bai's movements while maintaining the energy shield.
They all wanted to see how long this most outstanding student in Canaan Academy's history could endure the effects of the Heart Fire.
"This is his first time in the tower, right? He's completely unaffected by the Heart Fire, and even then, during the outbreak of the Falling Heart Flame?" an Outer Court elder muttered, observing Xiao Bai's unwavering pace.
After all, a new student's potential can be judged by their initial exposure to the Heart Fire upon entering the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.
The longer they endure, the greater their resistance to the Heart Fire, and the greater the benefits of training in the tower. While this prediction isn't absolutely accurate, it's been flawless over the years.
But how could Xiao Bai be considered?
Seeing his impassive expression, some elders wondered if the Heart Fire, now pervasive within the tower, wasn't treating Xiao Bai differently, and hadn't even entered his body at all.
"He's a sixth-rank alchemist; perhaps he has some method to dispel the Heart Fire!" another elder speculated after a moment's contemplation.
Many elders nodded in agreement, but Elder Huo alone rolled his eyes, scornfully gazing at the ignorant crowd.
Go find a sixth-rank alchemist without any strange fire and see if they can achieve what Xiao Bai did!
"What the hell is he trying to do?" one elder exclaimed, stunned by Xiao Bai's actions.
"Is this guy trying to jump out of the black hole in the tower?"
As he spoke, everyone saw a stream of multicolored light rapidly descending from overhead.
"..." the elders exclaimed.
This novel way of descending from the tower was something they had never seen before.
"Huh? You all know me!"
Xiao Bai landed lightly beside the energy shield. Glancing around, he saw familiar faces from the Outer Courtyard and smiled as he greeted them. "Elders! Long time no see!"
"Haha, Master Xiao, long time no see. You look even more impressive than before!"
"Student Xiao Bai, you've really changed! I'm afraid those girls in the academy will be completely captivated by you!"
"Xiao Bai."
The elders exchanged glances and then greeted Xiao Bai warmly.
"You, you're the big skeleton?" A clear, childish, slightly hesitant voice caught Xiao Bai's attention.
Zi Yan's wide, round eyes stared at the figure before her with curiosity, her nose twitching slightly.
Though the scent was a little unfamiliar, she could still faintly detect the same scent as the big skeleton.
"Little Zi Yan, why are you here?" Xiao Bai looked at the little girl in white before him, surveying the surroundings in surprise.
"This girl snuck in on her own!" an elderly figure approached, helplessly saying.
Zi Yan's talent allowed her to enter and exit restricted areas almost at will, silently, making her completely invisible to the elders.
Elder Hao, from the medicinal herb storage department, had complained to him countless times about this, not only having lost herbs but also being constantly threatened by this girl.
"Greetings, Great Elder!" Xiao Bai bowed upon seeing the newcomer.
"No need to be so polite!" Su Qian looked at the young man with a complicated expression.
This kid had just created a heavenly phenomenon, revealing a heavenly-grade fighting technique, and then immediately rushed to the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower. Although he suspected he had no interest in strange fire, he still had a few questions about his presence.
"Tell me! What brings you to me?"
Xiao Bai looked at the slightly flustered Su Qian, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'd like to enter the underground magma below. I hope the Great Elder will grant me some leniency!"
"You want to go down?" the Great Elder asked, his eyes flickering, his brows furrowed.
Could this kid really be interested in strange fire?
"Great Elder, please rest assured. I have no interest in this Fallen Heart Flame!" Xiao Bai saw Su Qian's expression, knew what he was most afraid of, and hurriedly explained.
"You knew there was a Fallen Heart Flame beneath the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower?" Su Qian asked, his eyes narrowed, his gaze gazing at Xiao Bai with a hint of meaning.
Judging from the kid's expression, the presence of the strange fire, the Fallen Heart Flame, seemed unsurprising. And now he was asking to enter the magma below, suggesting he had other motives!
"The mystical manifestations of the Skyburn Refining Tower are easily understood by anyone with some understanding of exotic fires, and those who have personally experienced them. Coincidentally, I'm familiar with all of this!"
Xiao Bai's words were well-reasoned, but he didn't answer the question of whether he knew about the Fallen Heart Flame before coming to Canaan Academy.
"As an alchemist, aren't you even slightly tempted?" The Great Elder ignored Xiao Bai's evasive response, staring intently at him with a calm expression.
"Haha," Xiao Bai laughed heartily, hands clasped behind his back, and spoke with a disdainful expression.
"Great Elder, you underestimate me too much. Before I was ten, I had the opportunity to obtain the eleventh-ranked Bone Spirit Cold Fire. At fifteen, I personally obtained the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire and traded it for other items!"
"I'm not being arrogant, but rather want to tell you, Great Elder, that I don't take the Fallen Heart Flame seriously!"
With this, Xiao Bai released his aura, a powerful aura resonating throughout the base of the Skyburn Refining Tower.
"Peak Dou Wang?!"
"I remember he was only at Dou Ling before. How long has it been since he's broken through from Dou Ling to peak Dou Wang?"
"Damn, comparing yourself to others is so infuriating! Compared to him, we're just wasting our time!"
"Indeed! The key is that he's a sixth-rank alchemist. He must have spent a lot of time studying alchemy, and the rest of the time is spent practicing. If he had devoted all his energy to cultivation, his current level of cultivation would probably be..."
Upon hearing this, all the elders were shocked. Although he didn't finish his words, the thought of it was even more terrifying.
Instantly, the elders were inexplicably shocked. As elders of Canaan Academy, they were once influential figures among the crowd, but they had never seen anyone break through so quickly.
"As expected of someone who could create such a martial art, he is truly a genius. I'm afraid this Northwest Continent won't be his future. His destiny can only be a place like Zhongzhou!"
Su Qian sighed inwardly. Although his doubts were not completely resolved, it no longer mattered.
Regardless of his connection to the dean, this was a demonic being destined for Canaan Academy's good graces.
Furthermore, as he'd said, he was a man blessed with great fortune. Otherwise, ordinary people would have to go through countless hardships to even encounter Strange Fires. At his age, he'd already seen several. He'd even been able to obtain them, even possess them. But judging by his expression, he seemed to hold them in low regard, even ranking above the Fallen Heart Flame.
"Alright! Since you insist on going in, I'll grant your permission!" Su Qian pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
He didn't know what Xiao Bai was up to, or how he could handle the invisible fire python below.
He believed that with Xiao Bai's soul power, he could definitely sense the aura below, but he was still determined to do so, and Su Qian didn't try to persuade him.
To have reached this level at such a young age, he was definitely not an arrogant and reckless man. He should have some means to deal with the Falling Heart Flame.
Thinking of this, a hint of anticipation flashed in his cloudy eyes.
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(End of this chapter)