After a series of tests, Yao Yan quickly ascertained the level of the Fallen Heart Flame: a seven- or eight-star Dou Huang. Of course, this level did not include the Heart Flame it had split off from. As a rare object born of heaven and earth, strange flames did not need to cultivate like humans; they only needed to accumulate energy to continuously increase their combat power.
However, the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower was currently restricting its growth, making its accumulated energy the resources for the Canaan Academy students' cultivation, thus slowing its growth rate countless times.
This was perhaps why the Fallen Heart Flame was so violent. No intelligent creature would enjoy being imprisoned in a small cage, with its energy constantly being drained from its body; that feeling was more painful than that of domesticated livestock.
Compared to the Fallen Heart Flame, the Three Thousand Burning Flames sealed in the starry sky were undoubtedly much happier, but this was also related to the nature of the two strange flames.
The Three Thousand Burning Flames did not have the cultivation-aiding abilities of the Fallen Heart Flame; before being refined, it was practically worthless to anyone.
"Hiss~"
Struck by a heavy blow, the invisible fire python, several meters long, not only failed to calm down but became even more ferocious, like a madman, lunging again towards the location of Yao Yan's soul power, seemingly intent on burning everything in its path. Its ferocious posture distorted and scorched the space in its way. It
was only after crashing into a spatial seal that it was heavily bounced back. This only fueled its anger and rage, with invisible flames constantly erupting from its body, indiscriminately affecting everything around it.
However, all of this was clearly irrelevant to Yao Yan. He had already withdrawn his soul power. The spatial seal below was not perfect; with the burning of the Fallen Heart Flame over the years, many gaps had appeared. However, Su Qian and the others had not noticed these, perhaps because they did not believe that the Fallen Heart Flame could break the seal of the Mangtian Ruler.
"You noticed?"
Just then, a figure appeared behind Yao Yan, an aged voice asking with a hint of surprise.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Xiong Zhuang quickly bowed and greeted Elder Liu: "Elder Liu!"
Elder Liu waved his hand, indicating that Xiong Zhuang could leave. He then took the elder's place, his eyes fixed intently on the bottomless black hole below. The darkness, capable of swallowing even light, sent chills down one's spine.
After Xiong Zhuang had gone a few paces, he continued in a low voice: "The Grand Elder mentioned you to me yesterday, asking me to keep an eye on you after you enter the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower… Since you also possess a strange fire, you must have already sensed its existence."
As he spoke, he looked at Yao Yan with considerable certainty.
"I had some guesses when I came in, and now it's confirmed. What's sealed below should be the Fallen Heart Flame."
Yao Yan did not deny it, readily admitting it. With the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame within him, how could he not sense the Fallen Heart Flame? Denying it would be laughable.
"Hmm, the Dean sealed it here back then, and Canaan Academy came into being. Now, hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it seems to be getting more and more volatile..." Elder Liu stroked his white beard, his gaze slightly lowered, and murmured to himself.
Did the people of Canaan Academy really not know that the seal had been burned to the point of being riddled with holes?
Obviously, they did know.
But what could they do? This seal was left by Mang Tianchi, who was a half-saint back then. The spatial power within it was extremely solidified, and outsiders simply could not repair it. Even a Dou Zong expert was helpless against it. They could only watch as the seal grew thinner and thinner from the burning of the Fallen Heart Flame. The only thing they could do was reinforce the seal from the outside, and when the Fallen Heart Flame truly broke through the seal, they would reseal it.
"Strange fire is inherently an extremely violent thing, full of destructive power. Canaan Academy's decision to seal it here was not a wise one. Sooner or later, it will break free."
Yao Yan pondered for a moment and said slowly.
Elder Liu turned to Yao Yan and chuckled, "If that day ever comes, Canaan Academy will handle it properly. Right now, the Inner Academy can't do without it… I am one of the elders in charge of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. The Grand Elder has already told me about your situation. If you want to cultivate here, you can enter the lowest level; there's no need to compete with the students for a spot." He
really cares about the students… Yao Yan understood the implied meaning. Grand Elder Su Qian clearly didn't want him to have too much contact with the Inner Academy disciples.
"Then thank you very much, Elder."
Yao Yan didn't refuse, and immediately followed him towards the lowest level cultivation room, intending to cultivate in seclusion for a few days to get used to the burning sensation of the Fallen Heart Flame, preparing for refining it later. After experiencing these sensations, he could get down to business.
He hadn't come to Canaan Academy to become a teacher; one of his purposes was to win over Su Qian to deal with the Demon Flame Valley.
Secondly, there was the Earth Core Tempering Milk!
...
The level of the Heart Flame contained in the lower cultivation chamber is undoubtedly many times stronger than that of the upper chamber. This is a benefit specifically provided to Dou Wang and Dou Huang instructors. Furthermore, it's much closer to the Fallen Heart Flame, with only a single seal separating the two.
"These are the only things to pay attention to. Just focus on your cultivation. If you want to leave, simply turn the lever over there," Elder Liu said softly.
"Okay!"
Yao Yan nodded and entered the secret chamber. As the lever was pulled, the door closed.
Elder Liu looked at the door, stroking his beard, and muttered to himself, "A five-star Dou Wang under eighteen, a fifth-grade alchemist, possessing a strange flame… truly a monster. Is this the disciple carefully cultivated by the major powers of Zhongzhou? Truly terrifying! In all my years, this is the first time I've seen such a prodigy!"
He sighed deeply, then shook his head, unwilling to think further, and didn't compare him to the disciples of Canaan Academy, as there was no comparison.
Inside the secret chamber...
Yao Yan sat cross-legged, his dark eyes unusually calm. He pondered inwardly; he had already sensed the rejection from Canaan Academy. Clearly, he, this 'teacher' who had joined halfway through, hadn't been truly accepted, and a certain distance remained between them.
But this was for the best. Compared to hiding his cultivation and sneaking in, only to be discovered later… this current dynamic felt quite relaxed.
Humans are ultimately emotional beings; he couldn't be as cold-blooded as Hun Xuzi.
"Let's cultivate first."
Yao Yan glanced at the ground before him, lightly flicking out a wisp of battle qi, pushing aside a small protrusion. Instantly, an invisible flame erupted from it, far more intense and concentrated than the inner fire above. Almost instantly, a large amount of invisible flame surged within his body, beginning to scorch his battle qi.
He didn't resist, instead completely emptying his mind, letting the inner fire burn within him. Simultaneously, he released the suppression of the demonic poison spots, and instantly, a massive amount of black energy surged from his limbs and bones. The sheer quantity was so great that even his body began to emit a pungent, fishy stench. If any student were to inhale it at that moment, they would likely die instantly.
Even a Dou Wang-level expert wouldn't dare touch it in the slightest.
However, the deadly poison that is extremely lethal to outsiders has little effect on Yao Yan. His physique is too strong and his bloodline is even more domineering. Although the poison is troublesome, it will be difficult to take his life. After all, no matter how poisonous it is, it cannot penetrate Yao Yan's jade bones. Those jade bones, which contain the essence of a Dou Sheng, are not something that the Demon Poison Spot can shake.
Yao Yan only recently discovered this. He had previously felt his bones were harder than other parts of his body, attributing it solely to the effects of the Dou Di's essence blood, without considering any other possibilities. It wasn't until the demonic poison infiltrated that area that he realized his bones were different from ordinary people's. They emitted a rich jade-like color, especially when threatened, the jade-like radiance becoming extremely intense, almost soaking into the bones.
Jade bones… that was standard equipment for Dou Sheng powerhouses.
Clearly, this was related to Hun Xuzi's experiments back then, though Hun Xuzi hadn't fully explained it to him. His teacher was always like this, even when teaching him alchemy; he would only force him to learn, and how much he learned and comprehended depended entirely on himself.
In terms of teaching, Hun Xuzi clearly lacked talent, far inferior to Yao Lao.
But this was understandable; someone like Hun Xuzi wouldn't have the patience to cultivate disciples. He himself was a traitor who betrayed his master and ancestors, so why would he care about inheritance? Especially since Dou Sheng powerhouses possessed lifespans of thousands of years, a lifespan that was practically immortality for ordinary people.
"Hiss~"
As Yao Yan fully unleashed his power, the Demonic Poison Spot's resistance intensified. However, under the scorching heat of the two different flames, its resistance was utterly ineffective, only being continuously refined into streams of pure energy that flowed into Yao Yan's limbs and bones, strengthening his internal Dou Qi.
The bottleneck he had just broken through began to sway again, heading towards the six-star Dou Wang realm.
"...Just bear with it a little longer."
Yao Yan felt his Dou Qi growing stronger within him, his eyes slightly opening, azure flames swirling within them, exuding an indescribable eeriness. He muttered to himself, secretly wanting to try the taste of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's essence blood.
However, these few drops of essence blood had not been refined, and the energy contained within was extremely violent. According to the masked man, even a peak Dou Huang would be burst by the energy contained within, demonstrating just how terrifying it was. If he were to consume it now, most of the energy would likely be wasted. It would be better to refine the Demonic Poison Spot first.
It has to be said that Yao Yan now possesses more and more valuable items. He even feels that before reaching the Dou Zong level, he won't need to cultivate anymore; he can simply refine these foreign items with his Strange Fire.
This is the most correct way to use Strange Fire, without worrying about the side effects of consuming external substances, allowing him to enter an unlimited drug-consuming mode.
"Once I break through to the six-star Dou Wang level, I can take the Dou Ling Pill, which should allow me to reach the eight-star level... At that time, I can go and chat with Han Feng~"
Yao Yan licked his lips, his eyes flashing with azure flames, making his handsome face even more eerie and bewitching. His expression was filled with anticipation and covetousness. No matter how much he suppressed it, after cultivating the Burning Technique, his craving for Strange Fire had almost become instinctive, like a person needing to eat and drink.
He was also a little hungry! He
even felt a little annoyed that his cultivation speed was too slow.
... About ten days later
,
Yao Yan reluctantly left the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. It closed for several days each month for maintenance and inspection, a responsibility to the academy, as the seal on the Fallen Heart Flame was no longer intact, making it prone to accidents.
"It seems the bottommost secret chamber has had some effect on you," Elder Liu chuckled, observing Yao Yan's significantly stronger aura.
Yao Yan smiled and nodded, offering no rebuttal. He couldn't very well admit he'd spent the entire time refining the Demonic Poison Spots without cultivating himself, possessing a great gift within him that he wouldn't utilize, instead choosing to cultivate arduously. That would be truly foolish. Besides, the Heart Flame's enhancement for a Dou Wang wasn't particularly high; if he had cultivated on his own, his progress in those ten days would likely only be one-tenth of his current level.
"Come back in three days; it will reopen then,"
Elder Liu said, turning and entering the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, slowly closing the door behind him.
The elders in charge of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower wouldn't leave; in fact, they would stay there year-round, partly for secluded cultivation and partly to watch over the Fallen Heart Flame and prevent it from going berserk.
"Three days? That should be enough
time," Yao Yan muttered to himself. He planned to use these few days to obtain the Earth Core Tempering Milk, one of the core ingredients for refining the Grade Seven Ice Heart Pill. If he remembered correctly, the place should be in the area behind Canaan Academy, guarded by a Snow Demon Sky Ape, with a strength of around the fourth or fifth rank, easily dealt with.
Just then, someone approached from behind him.
The newcomer was very tall, like a chimpanzee, but had a憨笑 (a simple, honest smile) on his face, saying, "Teacher, you've finally come out."
"You were waiting for me?"
Looking at the newcomer, Yao Yan was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Xiong Zhuang to be waiting for him outside.
"Isn't it because I was worried you might need something, Teacher? You haven't been in the inner courtyard for long and aren't familiar with everything. If you need anything, just ask me, Old Xiong. To be honest, I know this inner courtyard very well!"
Xiong Zhuang patted his chest and assured him.
"...Perfect, could you check if there are any Snow Demon Sky Apes around here? I need their magic cores to refine a pill." Yao Yan pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Teacher is also an alchemist?!"
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhuang's simple eyes flashed with a sharp light as he asked in surprise.
"Yes."
Yao Yan was concise and didn't explain anything. He hated trouble. Explaining to Hu Qian and Su Qian was just to increase his own standing. If Xiong Zhuang knew, there would probably be a lot of trouble. After all, there are quite a few students in this academy, and the attraction of a fifth-grade alchemist is quite formidable.
Xiong Zhuang resisted the urge to ask, intending to make a good impression first before asking for benefits. This was also the reason he came to ask for favors.
He was, after all, a teacher at the Dou Wang level; even if he secretly possessed some valuable skills, it would be enough for my own use.