Chapter 36: The Underground Black Tower

A strange and violent energy fluctuation suddenly rippled across the square.

The first person to sense this heat wave was Xun Er. Soon after, Instructor Ruo Ling in the judges' stand sensed it too. Their expressions changed dramatically almost at the same moment.

Their gazes shifted abruptly and finally rested on the young man in the center of the square, standing proudly in a black robe while holding the Heavy Xuan Ruler. The source of this violent energy fluctuation was precisely him!

"This guy… just how many more tricks does he have up his sleeve?!"

A breath of slightly scorching air was inhaled deeply into Xiao Yan's lungs. Under the gaze of all present, he slowly stepped forward and raised the Heavy Xuan Ruler above his head, his arms bulging with veins that resembled writhing snakes.

"Ha!"

With a loud shout, a two-meter-high pale red ruler light shot out!

"Deflecting Water Mirror!" A graceful figure immediately leaped into the arena.

As Instructor Ruo Ling's words fell, a large amount of pale blue Dou Qi burst forth from her palm. Finally, an oval-shaped blue water mirror formed in front of her, protecting the petrified Lu Xing behind her.

The water mirror was more than a meter thick. It resembled a water city wall rather than a mere mirror, as it protected the two of them.

Boom! Hiss, hiss, hiss!!! The ruler light from the Flame Splitting Tsunami collided with the water mirror, instantly vaporizing the water and filling the entire square with a thick white mist.

The mist obscured everyone's view, making it impossible to see what was happening in the center of the square.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Such a powerful fire attribute Dou Technique, it must be at least a Low Xuan Class, right?"

"I think it feels more like Intermediate Xuan Class."

"It's so impressive that he has cultivated a Xuan Class Dou Technique to this extent at such a young age!"

Some sharp-eyed students had already noticed that Instructor Ruo Ling had intervened, which essentially meant Xiao Yan had won.

Shortly after, Instructor Ruo Ling suddenly waved her hand with a whoosh and the surrounding white mist dissipated, revealing the situation inside the arena.

Lu Xing was naturally unharmed after being protected by Instructor Ruo Ling. On the other hand, Xiao Yan was extremely pale as he forced himself to stand, gasping for breath.

It was only after swallowing a Qi Recovering Pill that he finally managed to catch his breath.

'Using the Flame Splitting Tsunami before reaching the Dou Master might not be a good idea; it completely drained all the Dou Qi in my body.' The consumption of a Di Class Dou Technique was truly terrifying, emptying his entire reserve of Dou Qi.

Furthermore, even after Xiao Yan had exhausted all his Dou Qi, the ruler light he released was only two meters high, not even one-tenth the power of a Di Class Dou Technique.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, are you okay?" Xun Er and Xiao Yu both hurriedly ran into the arena to check on Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and waved his hand, "I'm fine, just overexerted my Dou Qi. I've taken a Qi Recovering Pill just now, I'll recover soon."

"Let me support you, Xiao Yan ge-ge." Xun Er put Xiao Yan's arm over her shoulder, an intimate gesture that made the onlookers envious.

Xiao Yu snorted coldly, "If you keep pushing yourself like this, one of these days you're going to end up killing yourself."

"I have no choice but to push myself. Losing would bring shame to our Xiao Clan," Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile, then turned to Instructor Ruo Ling and asked, "Instructor Ruo Ling, does this count as me succeeding in the challenge, right?"

Instructor Ruo Ling frowned slightly as she looked at Xiao Yan. Although the ruler light from earlier didn't seem to be very powerful and appeared to be an Intermediate or High Xuan Class, only she who had blocked the attack knew that if she wasn't a 5-star Dou Grandmaster, it would have been impossible to block that attack with just a High Huang Class Dou Technique.

Her right palm was actually burned! And she was a 5-star Dou Grandmaster!

'Is it an illusion? How did it feel like his Dou Technique could mobilize the world's energy? Impossible, only Dou Techniques of Di Class or above can do that.' Instructor Ruo Ling was starting to question everything.

Where would a youth from Wu Tan City get a Di Class Dou Technique? Likely, only the royal family and the Misty Cloud Sect in the entire Jia Ma Empire had access to Di Class Dou Techniques. It was even less possible for a Dou Practitioner to successfully cultivate such a Dou Technique.

Instructor Ruo Ling shook her head and thought it was impossible. How long could a sixteen-year-old boy have been cultivating? It wasn't as if he started cultivating from his mother's womb, so how could he have cultivated so quickly?

She walked over to Xiao Yan and gently used her water attribute Dou Qi to soothe his body, "Since you've met the academy's condition, you can naturally experience what it's like to use our academy's 'cheating device' for cultivation beforehand."

"Thank you, Instructor."

"However, I would like to remind you that if you think that defeating a Xuan Class student will guarantee your stable entry into the Inner Academy, you are gravely mistaken. You need to be at least a 9-star Dou Master to enter the Inner Academy with confidence. And my requirement for you is not just to enter the Inner Academy, but to secure a place in the top five in the Inner Academy examination." Instructor Ruo Ling's tone changed from her usual gentleness to seriousness.

"Top five? Why the top five?" Xiao Yan was puzzled. Could being in the top five grant entry into an elite class?

Instructor Ruo Ling looked at Xiao Yan who was full of questions with a smile on her face and said softly, "The top five students in the Inner Academy examination can choose an item from the Book Collection Hall, which is considered a scholarship from the Academy. The Book Collection Hall contains many treasures. Among them are Di Class Qi Methods and Dou Techniques. All the collections obtained since the establishment of the academy are stored there."

!!!!!

Choosing one item from all the collections obtained since the establishment of Jia Nan Academy!

This collection would be even more terrifying than the Jia Ma Empire's treasury!

"Give it your all, little genius. Don't waste your talent. You would need at least the strength of a Dou Grandmaster to secure a place in the top five."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and nodded firmly. He had originally thought that entering the Inner Academy as soon as possible was the best option, but now it seemed that securing a spot in the top five before entering the Inner Academy was the best course of action.

'Regardless, the first step is to confirm whether the Heavenly Flame is in the Inner Academy.'

…

Time flew by, and three days had passed in the blink of an eye. The news of Xiao Yan defeating a Xuan class student spread far and wide, accompanied by various rumors.

Xiao Yan paid no attention to the rumors swirling around the Outer Academy. His focus was solely on his cultivation as he waited for news from Instructor Ruo Ling.

'Finally,' Xiao Yan thought as his powerful Spiritual Strength detected Instructor Ruo Ling's arrival. He immediately stopped his cultivation and hurried out of his dormitory.

Instructor Ruo Ling gave Xiao Yan a blank look, "You are quite eager."

Xiao Yan shrugged and defended himself, "I was eager to see Instructor Ruo Ling."

"Where is Xun Er? Aren't you two usually inseparable?"

"Xun Er is in closed-door cultivation. Instructor Ruo Ling, you didn't just come to check on the students' cultivation progress, did you?"

Instructor Ruo Ling replied somewhat irritably, "Alright, alright, let's go. We have to take a griffin to reach the Inner Academy, and we have to return to the Outer Academy today. After all, you're not an Inner Academy student yet."

The Inner Academy and the Outer Academy were not much different overall. The only significant difference was the transition from credits to Fire Energy, with all students having the same goal: to enter and cultivate in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Xiao Yan followed Instructor Ruo Ling for about ten minutes until they arrived at a sunken area. There was a massive black tower buried deep underground. Only the top of the tower could be seen above the surface.

A tower buried underground?!

This extremely strange scene intensified the astonishment on Xiao Yan's face. He murmured, "So this is the so-called 'Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.' I didn't expect it to be buried underground."

Instructor Ruo Ling approached an elderly man dressed in simple clothes and respectfully said, "Elder Liu, this is Xiao Yan, who was approved by the Outer Academy three days ago to experience the wonders of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower."

Elder Liu opened his eyes to glance at Xiao Yan and slowly nodded, "Young man, you're quite impressive. It's wise of you to want to experience it in advance. Very visionary."

Xiao Yan touched his nose clumsily, as this had not been his intention at all.

"Go ahead with confidence. I will watch over you."

Xiao Yan cupped his fists in acknowledgment, "Thank you, Elder Liu."

Instructor Ruo Ling asked with a smile after Xiao Yan entered the black door, "Elder Liu, how long do you think this kid can last?"

Elder Liu stroked his beard and laughed, "An 8-star Dou Practitioner entering the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower is just looking for trouble. He won't last more than a minute."