Chapter 26: The Inner Academy!

"Jiang Yun, we meet again. It seems you haven't wasted your talent these past few years!"

Su Qian looked at the young man standing before him, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, as if recalling their initial meeting back when Jiang Yun had already shown his extraordinary talent. Now it seemed, Jiang Yun was destined to soar to great heights.

"Great Elder!" Upon seeing Su Qian, Jiang Yun respectfully saluted him. Su Qian had saved his life and was one of the two and a half most important people to him in this world.

"You've come in first in this Fire Energy Hunting Competition. Wait here for now until the other students arrive," Su Qian said, looking at Jiang Yun with satisfaction. Although he hadn't fully grasped the depths of this young man, what was shown was already impressive enough. The rest would have to wait until they reached the Inner Academy. Su Qian was confident that the Inner Academy would become more lively with the arrival of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan.

Hearing Su Qian's arrangement, Jiang Yun had no objections. He sat cross-legged next to Zi Yan under the watchful eyes of numerous elders.

"Great job, you didn't disgrace me, Zi Yan!"

Just as Jiang Yun sat down, a slender and strong arm wrapped around his shoulders. Zi Yan's face, filled with a gratifying smile, appeared before him.

"This is all thanks to Zi Yan's good teaching," Jiang Yun complimented her, inwardly chuckling at the pride rising in Zi Yan's eyes. He thought, see, Zi Yan was easy to understand.

"Show me how much Fire Energy you have. Wow, more than fourteen hundred." Zi Yan took Jiang Yun's Fire Energy Card and exclaimed at the red numbers displayed on it.

Her eyes darted around as she murmured, "These senior students in the Inner Academy are quite wealthy, aren't they?"

"Don't do anything rash. If you need Fire Energy, you can use mine. Just don't cause trouble with the senior students in the Inner Academy or you'll create chaos and see how the Great Elder handles you."

Jiang Yun knocked on Zi Yan's smooth forehead and handed her his Fire Energy Card.

"Alright, alright, I get it. It's just a few days of Fire Energy; I can earn it myself," Zi Yan said somewhat haughtily, rubbing her unhurt forehead and returning Jiang Yun's card.

Jiang Yun shook his head with a smile, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to meditate. Despite the support of the Red Flame Treasure Tome, his Dou Qi was nearly exhausted from the previous battles. Although his Dou Qi consumption was minimal, the fatigue from mental exertion couldn't be recovered without proper rest. Taking a moment to meditate could restore his condition.

As Jiang Yun closed his eyes to meditate, Zi Yan also quieted down, sitting silently with her head propped up, watching Jiang Yun, a faint smile forming on her lips.

After about half a day, other students finally began to arrive. However, compared to Jiang Yun's calmness, they appeared far more disheveled, each looking utterly defeated, as if they had just received a harsh lesson. Even those like Ling Feng, who were among the top five in the Outer Academy, were not spared. 

The senior students arranged by Canaan Academy were quite strong. Though Jiang Yun had dealt with many of them, the remaining seniors had no trouble handling these new students. The lowest-ranked seniors in Canaan Academy were at least four-star Dou Shi, while the top ten in the Outer Academy were barely at the Dou Shi level. They got quite a beating on their way here.

"Jiang Yun—"

Seeing Jiang Yun already there and appearing so calm, the new students wore expressions of shock. Ling Feng and the others felt particularly disheartened, thinking to themselves, is the gap really this big?

They had heard from the senior students about an exceptionally strong newcomer in the Outer Academy and had suspected it was Jiang Yun. But seeing it with their own eyes was still a blow.

"This Fire Energy Hunting Competition is officially over. Next, there will be rewards for the outstanding new students," Su Qian announced loudly once everyone had arrived. All eyes turned to Jiang Yun, recognizing that the reward would undoubtedly be his.

"Jiang Yun, for defeating all opponents and reaching the endpoint first, you are rewarded with fifty days of Fire Energy and a Blue Fire Crystal Card."

Another Blue Fire Crystal Card? The reward was so generous that even the senior students couldn't help but breathe heavily with envy. A Fire Crystal Card not only allowed one to train on higher floors of the Sky Burning Qi Tower but also required at least three hundred days of Fire Energy to exchange for. How could the senior students not be envious?

Jiang Yun accepted the Blue Fire Crystal Card, transferring the Fire Energy from his Black Card to it before returning the Black Card to Su Qian.

After putting away the Black Card, Su Qian looked at the remaining new students. "Each of you will be rewarded with five days of Fire Energy."

The new students gasped in surprise, joy lighting up their faces at the unexpected reward despite their disheveled state. They looked at Jiang Yun with gratitude, knowing that if it weren't for his outstanding performance clearing away many seniors, they wouldn't have been rewarded.

"Once you've settled in your accommodations, someone will bring your rewards to you. Now that you've passed the Fire Energy Hunting Competition, follow me to the Inner Academy," Su Qian said, turning toward a set of stone steps and slowly walking up the slope.

Jiang Yun and the others followed, stepping into the much-anticipated Inner Academy. Soon, they reached the top of the slope. The scene that unfolded took their breath away.

"Is this the Inner Academy?"

Behind the slope lay a vast, sunken basin, looking as if it had been created by a massive meteor crashing down. Within this basin stood towering buildings, and from their elevated vantage point, they could see tiny figures darting like fleas among the structures. The basin extended far, filled with tall buildings and lush greenery.

"Alright, since the hunting competition is over, follow me to the Inner Academy to get settled. Then you can take a good look around," Su Qian said with a smile, his tone suggesting he'd seen such reactions every year and was no longer surprised.

The new students nodded, having already seen the advantages the Inner Academy had to offer from their interactions with the senior students.

One of the elders led the new students to their accommodations, while the senior students dispersed, eager to spread the news about the two formidable new students, ensuring weaker students avoided them, while stronger ones would challenge them, keeping them from feeling overly complacent in the Inner Academy.

In a corner of the Inner Academy's northeast section, five bright courtyards with attics were opened to greet their new residents.

The elder leading them smiled as he opened the door. "This courtyard will be your residence from now on."

Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow. According to Inner Academy rules, shouldn't there be five people per dormitory?

Seeing the confusion in Jiang Yun's eyes, the elder explained, "Normally, new students share a dormitory with five people, but the Great Elder specially instructed that Zi Yan probably doesn't like living with others, so we've made an exception and prepared a separate place for you."

This elder had accompanied them to the Fire Energy Hunting Competition and had personally witnessed Zi Yan's powerful Dou Qi wings. He knew the immense power hidden within this seemingly harmless little girl. Even now, facing Zi Yan made him feel a cold chill and uneasy—a natural reaction to facing a threat, clearly indicating he was no match for Zi Yan.

Jiang Yun realized and smiled, patting Zi Yan's head. "Looks like I'm benefiting from you!"

"Of course! Stick with me, and I promise you'll live a good life!" Zi Yan's ego inflated immediately after Jiang Yun praised her. She strutted into the room with her head held high and hands behind her back.

Jiang Yun shook his head with a smile, bade farewell to the elder, and followed Zi Yan inside. As Jiang Yun and the new students settled in, the events of the Fire Energy Hunting Competition quickly spread among the senior students in the Inner Academy.

Everyone knew that there were two formidable newcomers among the new students—a purple-haired girl who dared to address the Great Elder as "old man," either with a background reaching the heavens or as the Great Elder's kin, with unknown but certainly not to be trifled with strength. And there was Jiang Yun, allegedly only twelve or thirteen years old, already at the eight-star Dou Shi level, defeating the Black and White Fiend teams single-handedly—a feat that astonished the Inner Academy seniors.

The Black and White Fiend teams were led by Sun Hai and Wu Qiu, both five-star Dou Shi, renowned strongmen on the leaderboard. Even eight-star Dou Shi might not guarantee a win against their combined strength, yet Jiang Yun managed it.

Reactions to Jiang Yun and Zi Yan varied—some disbelieved, some were wary, and others couldn't care less. Regardless, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan had made a noticeable entrance into the seniors' radar.

Unaware of this, Jiang Yun, even if he knew, wouldn't care. Currently, he was on the brink of breaking through to the nine-star Dou Shi. Having been at the eight-star level for days, the stimulation from the Fire Energy Hunting Competition had provided the opportunity he needed for a breakthrough.

The next day.

In the Inner Academy of Canaan Academy, Jiang Yun, who had made his breakthrough, walked alone towards the northern building complex of the Inner Academy's crypt.

As for Zi Yan, she had disappeared early in the morning, likely exploring some magical beast's lair or the herb storehouse. The Inner Academy's herb storehouse was definitely in trouble!

The Inner Academy was impressively vast, filled with buildings along the way, and it was common to see intense sparring circles. Crowds had gathered around these circles, watching the competitions intently.

Jiang Yun had no interest in the sparring crowds. While these Inner Academy students were elite in the Outer Academy and hailed as geniuses from various states of the Northwest Continent, to Jiang Yun, they were relatively ordinary.

Many senior students recognized Jiang Yun. Even those who hadn't seen him knew him by reputation. Spotting a young and fresh face, they could easily identify him as either Jiang Yun or Zi Yan, the youngest members of the Inner Academy, filled predominantly with older youths.

Seeing Jiang Yun in person still elicited surprise on their faces. He was simply too young. No, more accurately, he was a mere child.

The senior students whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity and intrigue, but none dared approach him, uncertain about his temperament due to his impressive combat record.

Jiang Yun felt no inclination to engage with them either. With a glance, he walked away.

"Is that Jiang Yun?"

"Hmph—young age and big attitude, doesn't even greet us seniors."

"Ha—, him? He defeated two five-star Dou Shi 'monsters.' What makes you think you, a mere two-star Dou Shi, are worthy of his attention?"

"A 'monster?' The Inner Academy is full of monsters. Sun Hai and Wu Qiu are just garbage for losing to this young brat."

"Then why don't you go teach him a lesson?"

"Me? Just wait! Someone will make him pay!"

Jiang Yun didn't hear the subsequent gossip, and even if he had, he wouldn't care. He continued towards the Sky Burning Qi Tower, following the crowd that always headed to this popular training spot to avoid getting lost.

The Sky Burning Qi Tower was a black tower embedded deep underground, with only its tip exposed above ground. From a distance, one could sense a slight distortion in the space above the tip.

This was the seal placed by Canaan Academy's principal, Mang Tianchi, and only a Dou Zun could seal the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame on the list of Heavenly Flames, taming it for use. Otherwise, even a Dou Zong couldn't seal the Fallen Heart Flame's power.

Unleashed, the flame was formidable enough to make even high-level Dou Zong retreat, a testament to the terrifying nature of Heavenly Flames.

In the original story, only those from Dou Di bloodlines, like the Gu clan, Yan clan, Yao clan, and Hun clan, possessed Heavenly Flames. Even Burning Flame Valley and Dan Tower were guarded by Dou Sheng (Saint) characters, signifying that Heavenly Flames were not something rogue cultivators could handle lightly. Although Xiao Yan and Han Feng succeeded in refining natural Heavenly Flames due to special techniques like the Flame Mantra and sheer luck, most others received Heavenly Flames with substantial help from elders.

Thus, while alluring, Heavenly Flames were perilous.

The wide expanse before the Sky Burning Qi Tower was filled with students. As Jiang Yun walked closer, his Sacred Heavenly Flame within him began to stir, sensing the presence of another Heavenly Flame. Although the Sacred Heavenly Flame was not native to Dou Qi Continent, there was still a unique elemental reaction among the flames.

Jiang Yun circulated his Dou Qi to soothe the Sacred Heavenly Flame within, soon easing its trembling. He then felt a faint sense of hunger from the Sacred Heavenly Flame—perhaps a sign of its desire to confront or consume the other Heavenly Flame.