16-24

Chapter 16

Early in the morning, the spirit fire chicken in the Fire Spirit Sect crowed early in the morning. Almost all the disciples woke up much earlier than usual, and the entire Fire Spirit Sect was restless.

Amidst this restlessness, the spirit energy in the air seemed to have become denser, and the temperature suddenly rose. Some disciples whose stagnant cultivation seemed to have begun to jump slightly.

All of this indicated that the Spirit Spring of Flame was about to erupt, and it also indicated that this year's inner sect ceremony would begin!

This year's ceremony had attracted even more attention from the entire Fire Spirit Sect because of the eruption of the Spirit Spring of Flame once again.

Every five years, there would always be a batch of peerless geniuses born under the baptism of the Spirit Spring of Flame, and there would also be a batch of losers who would quietly withdraw from the competition.

Of course, there were also an extremely small number of young cultivators who usually kept a low profile, but their strength was abnormally shocking. They would appear out of nowhere during the ceremony and become the dark horse of every ceremony with a crushing momentum.

When something was certain, people would naturally discuss it less enthusiastically. Instead, they would discuss who would be the biggest dark horse of the ceremony. This was the most popular topic before every ceremony.

In every ceremony, there would always be an unexpected dark horse that would step on some of the seeded contestants. The seeded contestants were naturally unwilling to be the stepping stones of others. This was also the reason why Nangong Lingfeng, Yu Meiyan, and the other seeded contestants did not dare to be careless at all.

However, this year's ceremony seemed to be a little different.

However, the focus of everyone's discussion had shifted from the topic of the dark horse to a small odd-job worker.

This fellow dared to register for this ceremony as a servant and even dared to bet 20,000 spirit stones with someone. He even borrowed 10,000 spirit stones from the Benevolence Hall and threatened to repay double the spirit stones if he did not take first place in the ceremony!

With such "boldness", it was difficult for him not to become the focus of attention.

In the tens of thousands of years of history of the Fire Spirit Sect, there were indeed precedents of outer sect servants being promoted to inner sect disciples. However, they had all been promoted through the previous two methods. This was the first time someone had planned to advance through the trial of the Spirit Spring of Flame!

This servant was called Yun Fan!

Yun Fan's matters were deliberately publicized by some people, and everyone knew about it. It even reached the ears of many elders. Of course, these elders all came to the same conclusion: "Nonsense!"

…

Early in the morning, Yun Fan finished washing up and changed into a brand new handyman uniform. He pushed open the door and walked out of the wooden house calmly.

Behind him followed a fat odd-job worker. However, his fat round face was filled with uneasiness and anxiety.

"Yun Fan, I, I think it's better if we don't go. If there's really no other way, we can go and plead with Zhou Tao now and write off the previous bet …"

Yan Hu wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and said nervously.

"Damn fatty, even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. What are you afraid of?"

Yun Fan glanced at Yan Hu from the corner of his eyes. Looking at the latter's timid appearance, his face was filled with disdain.

"Yun Fan, at most, I'll just ask my family for the tens of thousands of spirit stones from the gambling debt. I'd rather take a beating from my father. I'm just afraid that you won't be able to come back once you leave …" Yan Hu advised earnestly.

"Damn fatty, are you cursing me?"

Yun Fan glared at him.

"No, no!"

Yan Hu shook his head like a rattle-drum. Then, he lowered his head and said, "You know that my aptitude is extremely poor. I'm fat and timid. Since I was young, everyone has mocked and ridiculed me. Other than you, no one has treated me as a true friend … I'm afraid that this time, I'll lose my only friend …"

Looking at the disheartened Yan Hu, Yun Fan knew that the former was worried about his safety. He smiled and said, "Fatty, don't worry. I'm very lucky. I won't die."

"Moreover, I promise you that after today, those who once looked down on us will all shake their heads and wag their tails at us!"

Yun Fan smiled confidently and strode away.

Yan Hu did not understand Yun Fan's words at all. He still wanted to say something, but when he saw that Yun Fan had already walked far away, he sighed softly and quickly followed.

After about half an hour, Yun Fan and Yan Hu once again stood beside the iron chain bridge.

At this moment, there were already groups of Outer Sect disciples who quickly stepped onto the chain bridge and sped towards the main peak. When everyone looked at Yun Fan and Yun Fan, they all revealed strange expressions, and there were even disdainful and cold sneers.

"Fatty, do you dare to walk on this bridge?"

Yun Fan directly ignored these people and asked Yan Hu.

Yan Hu looked at the iron chain bridge and the bottomless abyss below. He was so scared that his legs and stomach tensed up. His fat body kept shaking.

"Yun Fan, let's, let's go back. If we fall, we … we fall to our deaths!"

Yan Hu begged with a long face.

"If you don't dare, then go back first. Wait for the news of my victory," Yun Fan said with a smile.

"No, no way. As a … friend … at such an important moment, how can I not go and cheer for you?" Yan Hu said while trembling.

"Alright then. Hold on to my shoulders and I will bring you over," Yun Fan said helplessly as he looked at Yan Hu, whose teeth were chattering.

"Okay, okay …"

Yun Fan first stepped onto the unceasingly swaying rope bridge. In the beginning, it was still a little unstable, but when Yun Fan circulated the Burning Technique, the spiritual energy in his meridians unceasingly flowed and his body instantly became extremely agile. Standing on the bridge was like walking on flat ground, completely different from the first time he stepped on the bridge.

Although the Spirit Qi in his body was still very thin, his meridians were all opened. Coupled with the evolution of the Burning Art, the circulation of Spirit Qi was very smooth. Maintaining balance on the bridge was naturally not a problem.

"Fatty, hold on to my shoulders!"

Yan Hu's face was pale. The moment he stepped on the bridge, he was so scared that he screamed. His fat body directly stuck to Yun Fan and he hugged Yun Fan with both hands, not letting go.

The weight of more than two hundred pounds suddenly pressed down on Yun Fan's body, causing him to lose his balance instantly. He almost lost his footing and fell off the bridge. Fortunately, he adjusted himself in time and managed to stabilize himself.

Fatty kept screaming like a pig being slaughtered. His pair of fat hands tightly gripped Yun Fan's neck. Yun Fan knew that Fatty was so scared that he lost control. He could only bend down, put his hands behind his back, and lift Yan Hu's legs. Carrying Yan Hu on his back, he walked on the violently swaying bridge towards the main peak.

The embarrassing scene of the two made the surrounding people stop and watch with playful smiles on their faces.

When they thought that Yun Fan and Yan Hu would fall off the cliff, they did not expect that Yun Fan would carry Yan Hu's body and steadily walk forward. They could not help but be amazed.

"Damn, this odd-job worker Yun Fan can actually carry that fat pig across the bridge. Am I seeing things?"

"Carrying a living thing that is more than two hundred pounds, and one that is constantly moving around to cross the bridge … Even a mid-stage Meridian Opening Realm cultivator would not be able to do that …"

"I remember that a few days ago, he had a hard time crossing the bridge himself …"

This scene was too different from the previous Yun Fan. Especially on the day of registration, the disciples who had personally witnessed Yun Fan crossing the iron bridge were so shocked that their jaws almost fell to the ground

Chapter 17

Yan Hu was still howling like a pig being slaughtered and his body was trembling. Yun Fan, on the other hand, used both of his hands to firmly hold onto Yan Hu's legs. He controlled the circulation of the spiritual energy in his body and steadily walked forward step by step.

The outer sect disciples on the bridge subconsciously dodged to the side and watched in shock as Yun Fan carried Yan Hu past. There was no longer any contempt on their faces.

Some of the outer sect disciples who had mocked Yun Fan before felt their faces heat up when they saw this scene. They tacitly shut their mouths. They knew that they could not do what Yun Fan did.

In less than ten days, his strength had increased by such a large margin. Was it because Yun Fan had improved too quickly, or had he been hiding his strength from the beginning?

No one could give a definite answer, but one thing was for sure …

Yun Fan had really become stronger!

At this moment, Yun Fan was unaware of the subtle changes in the crowd's mentality. He carried Yan Hu across the suspension bridge and put him down when he reached the main peak.

"Fatty, I'm about to be strangled to death by you. Let go of me, we've already crossed the bridge!" Yun Fan complained as he looked at the fatty who was still shouting.

Yun Fan shouted a few times before Yan Hu felt that he was standing on the ground. He trembled as he opened his small eyes to confirm the situation. Only then did he release his hand from Yun Fan's neck.

"Cross, cross the bridge? How, how did I get here? "

Yan Hu looked at the calm Yun Fan with a dumbfounded expression.

"F * ck, hurry up and leave. You're so embarrassing!"

Yun Fan rolled his eyes at Yan Hu and led the way to the venue.

When Yun Fan and Yan Hu followed the flow of people to the venue, they saw that the venue, which was more than a thousand square meters, was already packed with people. In the distance, even more disciples from the four peaks were rushing over, gathering in this sea of people.

Yun Fan was secretly astounded. There were probably more than a hundred thousand disciples who had come today. Almost all the outer disciples of the Fire Spirit Sect had come, and there were even quite a few servants from the four peaks. Every single one of them wanted to join in the fun, so they naturally could not miss this grand event that happened once every five years.

Through the crowd, Yun Fan narrowed his eyes and looked towards the center of the venue. There was a dried up spring, and in the middle of the spring, there was a mouth of the spring. At this moment, waves of astonishing heat waves were gushing out from the mouth of the spring, as if the fountain could erupt at any time.

As the heatwave continued to spread out, Yun Fan could feel the spiritual energy in the air becoming thicker. There was no need for him to deliberately meditate. A portion of the spiritual energy would automatically be absorbed into his body.

"As expected of the Spirit Flame Spring!"

Yun Fan secretly praised in his heart. There was such a large amount of spiritual energy emitted even before the eruption. What would happen when it erupted later?

At this moment, Yun Fan heard a weird yin and yang voice coming from behind him.

"Oh, isn't this the famous Yanfeng odd-job worker Yun Fan? You actually dared to come. I, your brother, am really impressed! "

Yun Fan turned around. If it wasn't Zhou Tao, who else could it be?

The other party had deliberately announced his identity loudly, successfully attracting the attention of everyone around. In an instant, all eyes were focused on Yun Fan.

"He's that servant Yun Fan. I've finally seen him in person today."

"He's just a little servant. Can't he just live a good life? Why did he have to come here to die?"

"Haha, I bet all my spirit stones that he would be burned to death within three breaths of time. I'm going to be rich soon!"

Hearing the discussions around him, Zhou Tao became even more confident. He said proudly, "Yun Fan, we made a bet. If you win, I'll give you 20,000 spirit stones. If you lose, you have to give me 20,000 spirit stones! But if you die … I'll take the 20,000 spirit stones from the fatty beside you! "

Yan Hu's fat face revealed an extremely flattering smile. He said to Zhou Tao, "Brother Tao, I think we should forget about the bet. We're all brothers from the same servant office. Let's not make things difficult for each other …"

"In your dreams!"

Zhou Tao flung his long sleeves and sneered, "The bet has been made. I swear I won't change it! Little fatty, just wash up obediently and wait for me. Hahaha … "

Yan Hu was so frightened that he shrank his neck. His fat body hid behind Yun Fan. He trembled as he said, "Yun Fan, you mustn't die. If you die, I'm finished!"

Yun Fan rolled his eyes at Yan Hu. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a large number of air-rending sounds in the sky, causing a commotion.

"The elders are here!"

Accompanied by the exclamations of the crowd, hundreds of red lights descended from the sky. Those were flying spirit treasures. On each flying spirit treasure stood a figure, emitting a strong aura.

These elders flew directly above the crowd's heads. With the spring as the center, they spread out and formed a huge circle.

"Greetings to the elders!"

On the ground, there was a tsunami of cheers. Nearly 100,000 outer sect disciples cupped their fists and bowed.

Immediately after, an old man walked out from the group of elders and said in a clear voice, "Today is the Inner Sect Disciple Promotion Ceremony! All of you should know that the rules of the Inner Sect Ceremony are very simple. Any outer sect disciple who has opened up a spirit energy source in his dantian can be promoted to the Inner Sect! "

"Moreover, disciples who have opened up a spirit energy source above the 'Spirit Stream' have a chance of being accepted as a personal disciple by the elders. And this year is the year of the Spirit Flame Spring's eruption. All of you have a chance of opening up a higher grade spirit energy source! "

Many of the outer sect disciples who had some talent had a burning gaze in their eyes.

Once they were chosen by an elder and became a personal disciple, not only would they be able to receive personal guidance from the elder, but they would also have much better cultivation resources than ordinary inner sect disciples. Naturally, their future cultivation path would be smoother.

At this moment, from the core of the main peak, nearly 10 red lights shot over and flew directly to the center of the square. Everyone looked over and was shocked.

"Greetings to the Sect Master and the four Hall Masters!"

The cheers of the 100,000 outer sect disciples were even louder than before. They did not expect that the Sect Master and the four Hall Masters would personally attend this year's Inner Sect Ceremony.

Yun Fan looked up and saw that among the few people in the sky, the leader had white hair and a youthful face. He was dressed in a golden robe and had a dignified appearance. It was the current Sect Master of Huoling Sect, Mo Qian.

Behind him were three men and one woman. Their auras were not weak.

Yun Fan did not know that these four Hall Masters were the four people who flew into the Fire Locust Tree forest that night.

And behind these four people were four young men and women. Yun Fan had seen two of them before. They were Mu Qingshan and Nangong Lingfeng!

Under the fiery gazes of the crowd, Sect Master Mo Qian smiled slightly and said, "Disciples, every time the Spirit Flame Spring erupts, it is the day that many prodigies of our Huoling Sect rise. I hope that this year, more disciples will open up the Spirit Stream, and the seeded contestants will be able to break through to the Spirit River. I will be here, watching all of you! "

"Roar!"

The 100,000 disciples on the ground were excited. Mo Qian's words made even the disciples who did not participate in the ceremony feel excited. Opening up a higher grade spirit energy source was the dream of all outer sect disciples.

For cultivators at the Origin Opening Realm, the higher the grade of the spirit energy source they opened up, the stronger their foundation and the stronger their spirit energy. The probability of breaking through to the Four Symbols Realm in the future would also be higher!

Of course, the sect also placed more importance on it. Their status and resources could not be compared at all.

Chapter 18

Seeing that all the disciples were excited, Mo Qian continued, "Every time the Spirit Flame Spring erupts, other than the seeded contestants, some outer sect disciples who usually like to hide their strength will also show their talents. I hope that all of you can bring out all your strength and trump cards today and let the sect see how powerful you are. This will be greatly beneficial to your future development!"

In the crowd, some disciples' eyes flickered and their hearts wavered.

"You don't have to worry. Since our Fire Spirit Sect has been able to stand tall for 10,000 years, we are naturally not a narrow-minded sect. Everyone has their own unique opportunities on the path of cultivation. The sect will not interfere or forcefully take them away. Instead, we will do our best to protect their growth."

Mo Qian paused and said loudly, "The reason why our Fire Spirit Sect can be ranked as a 'third-class sect' is because of a peerless genius who grew up 10,000 years ago. He led our Fire Spirit Sect to defeat all the other sects and obtained this position. I hope that among all of you, there will also be such a person who can lead our Fire Spirit Sect to greater glory! "

"Fight for the Fire Spirit! Fight for the Fire Spirit! "

100,000 disciples shouted, their voices shaking the heavens and earth. When those outer sect disciples who had special opportunities looked at the four seeded contestants in the sky, their eyes were filled with a strong desire to battle. Today, I will let all of you see who is the strongest genius in this batch of Fire Spirit Sect disciples!

Boom!

Poof!

Accompanied by the trembling and rumbling of the ground, a column of fiery red liquid gushed out from the Spirit Flame Spring and shot 100 feet away.

"The Spirit Flame Spring is erupting!"

Everyone cried out in alarm. At this moment, waves after waves of heatwaves gushed out from the mouth of the spring and swept out in all directions. Some of the disciples with lower cultivation bases could not withstand the attack of the heatwaves and were forced to retreat.

"Form the formation!"

Sect Master Mo Qian shouted. Behind him, the four Hall Masters and hundreds of elders stretched out their right hands together. In an instant, hundreds of red rays of light intertwined with each other and seemed to form a light shield with a diameter of 200 feet. It covered the square and isolated all the disciples outside.

Once the formation was formed, most of the energy gushing out from the Spirit Flame Spring was blocked inside, and the temperature outside the light shield dropped sharply. The surrounding disciples immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"Disciples who have signed up, quickly enter the formation!"

Seeing this, Mo Qian pointed at the formation and his voice spread out in all directions. Nangong Lingfeng and the others who had been standing silently behind the Four Great Hall Masters turned into rainbows and charged into the formation.

Soon after, numerous disciples entered the great array one after another. However, the faces of the disciples who entered the great array instantly turned red, and their expressions were extremely painful.

"Ah, no, it's too hot! I'm going to die from the heat! "

Just as he entered, a disciple's wail was emitted from the large array. Soon after, the elder in the sky sighed. With a point of his finger, a miserable figure flew out from the large array.

Everyone looked over and saw that the man's skin was badly burned. He had already fainted, causing everyone to be terrified.

"I know this person. He's Chu Yi from the Alchemy Hall. He's at the late stage of the Meridian Opening realm."

Someone in the crowd spoke out the identity of the other party, causing the hearts of all the disciples to jump. The Spirit Flame Spring was indeed not something that anyone could enjoy …

Some of the late Meridian Opening stage disciples who had originally intended to give it a try also hurriedly retreated into the crowd. They did not dare to try again. Chu Yi was a good example.

"Yun Fan, are you going in or not?"

To one side, Zhou Tao looked at the motionless Yun Fan and sneered as he asked.

"If you don't dare to enter, I won't make things difficult for you. Just happily give me twenty thousand Spirit Stones!"

Zhou Tao's words caused the surrounding gazes to once again focus on Yun Fan. They also believed that Yun Fan did not dare to enter. Even Chu Yi from the Alchemy Hall had almost been burned to death by the heat of the Spirit Flame Spring, what more Yun Fan?

Yun Fan completely ignored them. Under the gazes of the crowd, he strode towards the great array.

Today was the day that Yun Fan broke out of his cocoon and became a butterfly!

"Yun Fan, don't go!"

Yan Hu was already kneeling on the ground as he cried out in a trembling voice.

The surrounding disciples who had participated in the bet could not help but cry out in excitement when they saw that Yun Fan was about to step into the array.

"Yun Fan, hold on for three breaths before you die!"

"Hehe, I bet on you for five breaths. Do your best!"

"Hmph, I think he won't even be able to hold on for one breath. I'll definitely win!"

The commotion on this side also attracted the attention of some of the elders in the sky. All of them saw a young man wearing a worker's uniform walking step by step towards the center of the great array.

"Is this the servant Yun Fan?"

An elder said in a deep voice.

"It should be. He will definitely die if he enters the array. Should we stop him?"

Another elder spoke up.

"No need. He's just a servant. Since he wants to die, he can't blame others."

The first elder said coldly. The life and death of a servant was not worthy of his attention.

Under countless gazes, Yun Fan stepped into the light barrier. Because he had the registration token on him, his body entered without any hindrance.

Just as he stepped into the light array, Yun Fan felt that he was enveloped by flames. The Spirit Flame Spring was constantly erupting and the surrounding temperature was constantly rising.

Around him, there were many disciples sitting cross-legged at the edge of the light array. They were beginning to use the fire energy of the Spirit Flame Spring to open up a spiritual energy source.

The faces of these disciples were all red as they bitterly endured. For them, opening up a spiritual stream was already a success.

Yun Fan observed his surroundings for a short period of time. Waves of heat rushed towards him, making it unbearable for Yun Fan.

"It's indeed a little hot!"

Yun Fan's face was red as he felt that he was in a sea of fire.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged and subconsciously operated the Burning Art. Waves of scorching spiritual energy entered his meridians through his pores and was constantly absorbed and refined by Yun Fan.

As a large amount of spiritual energy was absorbed, the temperature around Yun Fan no longer rose. Instead, it slightly decreased, making Yun Fan secretly happy.

"The evolved Burning Art is indeed powerful!"

Yun Fan secretly praised. If he did not evolve the Burning Art, the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy would not be able to keep up with the speed at which it was increasing. In the end, he would be burned to death by the large amount of scorching spiritual energy.

"The density of spiritual energy here is a hundred times that of the outside world … It's really a good place to absorb spiritual energy!"

Yun Fan, who had already endured the high temperature, gradually began to enjoy it. The spiritual energy here was abundant, and he had a quasi-Earth Rank cultivation technique. Naturally, the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy was much faster than others.

"Since it's like this, I'll first absorb enough spiritual energy."

Yun Fan licked his lips. The meridians in his body seemed to be roaring with hunger and thirst. Ever since all his meridians were opened, there was no time to replenish spiritual energy. Thus, they had been in an almost dry state.

"It's starting!"

Yun Fan roared in his heart. The Burning Art began to operate at full force. His body seemed to have transformed into a high-powered vacuum cleaner, savagely sucking the surrounding spiritual energy into his body.

This terrifying absorption speed also caused a faint red spiritual energy vortex to appear above Yun Fan's body. Everyone who saw this scene turned pale!

As for those disciples who had bet that Yun Fan would be burned to death in a few breaths, they were extremely shocked when they saw the terrifying scene that appeared on Yun Fan's body.

Outside the light barrier, Zhou Tao, who had a complacent look on his face, was now in a daze. He kept muttering, "Impossible … impossible, this is impossible!"

Chapter 19

At this moment, Yun Fan was completely immersed in the pleasure of rapidly absorbing the Spiritual Qi. He did not know how much Spiritual Qi his meridians could hold, but fortunately, there was plenty of Spiritual Qi now, and he had enough time to absorb it. He could absorb as much as he wanted.

Outside the light shield, the group of outer sect disciples and odd-job workers who wanted to see Yun Fan make a fool of himself had a variety of expressions on their faces.

"It, it's already been half an hour …"

Someone stammered, his throat a little hoarse.

"It, it's been half an hour at least. My 100 Spiritual Stones …"

An outer sect disciple cried miserably. He had bet that Yun Fan would be burned to death in three breaths. Now, it seemed like he had lost everything.

"F * ck, you only have 100 Spiritual Stones. I bet all my money. That's more than 1,000 Spiritual Stones. Damn that Yun Fan, why isn't he dead yet?!"

Another outer sect disciple grabbed his hair with both hands. At this moment, his mentality was on the verge of collapse. All the money he had painstakingly accumulated was lost in this bet.

"F * ck, who was the one who told me that Yun Fan was only at the early stage of the Meridian Opening Stage? If I see him again, I'll definitely skin him alive! "

Another outer sect disciple's eyes were red as he shouted at the crowd. At this moment, the aura that Yun Fan was emitting was already at the middle stage of the Meridian Opening stage. Furthermore, his aura was still slowly rising.

"Look, what's that on Yun Fan's body?"

"A … a Spiritual Qi vortex?"

"F * ck, how could a Spiritual Qi vortex appear on that odd-job worker?"

When the crowd saw Yun Fan crazily absorbing the Spiritual Qi and creating a Spiritual Qi vortex, they could not remain calm.

They knew very well what a Spiritual Qi vortex represented. It was a phenomenon that could only appear when one's Spiritual Qi absorption speed reached a certain level!

And this phenomenon could only be created by an extremely talented cultivator. At this moment, it appeared on a lowly odd-job worker. This was unacceptable to the crowd.

"No, impossible … this is impossible!"

Zhou Tao's eyes turned red as he watched Yun Fan crazily absorbing spiritual energy. Was this still the servant Yun Fan that he was familiar with?

In less than ten days, Yun Fan had advanced from the initial stage of the Meridian Opening Stage to the intermediate stage. Now, Yun Fan's cultivation was still rising in a straight line, and he was about to reach the advanced stage of the Meridian Opening Stage!

"It's impossible for him to open a spirit energy source. Yun Fan can't be promoted to an inner disciple!"

Zhou Tao's breathing quickened as he stared at the skinny figure in the array. He kept muttering to himself in an extremely confident tone.

Zhou Tao was now comforting himself in his heart. Yun Fan's current valiant performance must be because he had used the ten thousand spirit stones he borrowed to buy a lot of elixirs that could temporarily increase his cultivation and cultivation speed. Once the effect of the elixirs was over, Yun Fan would naturally return to his original state.

At this moment, the crowd felt that Yun Fan's aura had suddenly increased by a large amount. As his aura grew stronger, the spiritual energy vortex around his body also grew larger, reaching a height of one meter.

"Advanced stage … of the Meridian Opening Stage?"

Feeling the change in Yun Fan's aura, the crowd could not help but exclaim in surprise.

Previously, the crowd only felt that Yun Fan was infinitely close to the advanced stage of the Meridian Opening Stage. Now that they had personally witnessed Yun Fan breaking through to the advanced stage, the shock was naturally even greater.

"Eh?"

Yun Fan's performance was also noticed by the nearby elders.

"This odd-job worker is rather interesting. He actually used the Spirit Flame Spring to break through to the advanced stage of the Meridian Opening Stage …" A red-clothed elder smiled while stroking his beard.

"He's rather interesting, but that's it. He's only at the advanced stage of the Meridian Opening Stage … It's really nothing." Another green-clothed elder's voice was cold, not very enthusiastic about this.

"Indeed. Every five years when the Spirit Flame Spring erupts, the number of prodigies in our Fire Spirit Sect will multiply. There are more than a thousand disciples at the perfect stage of the Meridian Opening Stage, but less than half of them can open a spiritual energy source … The advanced stage of the Meridian Opening Stage is indeed nothing to worry about." The first elder agreed.

The surrounding elders nodded lightly, then turned their gazes towards the perfect stage of the Meridian Opening Stage disciples.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The four seeded contestants, Nangong Lingfeng, Mu Qingshan, Wan Li, and Yu Meiyan, flew down from the sky and directly stepped into the array. Flying was not allowed in the array, so they could only walk.

The moment the four prodigies entered the array, they immediately attracted the attention of all the disciples inside and outside the array.

The four of them tacitly did not choose to meditate on the spot. Instead, they continued to walk towards the source of the spring.

They all knew that the closer they were to the Spirit Flame Spring, the denser the spiritual energy would be, and the more powerful the spiritual energy source they could open would be.

They were all publicly acknowledged as the number one prodigy of their respective peaks. Each of them had reached the perfect stage of the Meridian Opening Stage three to four years ago. They had been accumulating for this moment!

They only had one goal, and that was to obtain first place in the ceremony!

At this moment, the four of them were secretly competing with each other. No one was willing to be the first to open a spiritual energy source, and they all wanted to get closer to the Spirit Flame Spring.

The moment they stepped into the array, the four of them rushed towards the core at a speed that was close to sprinting. They directly surpassed all the outer disciples, and their speed caused everyone to raise their eyebrows.

After a short while, the four of them had walked five hundred feet away. The spiritual energy here was five times denser than at the edge, and it was even more beneficial for opening a spiritual energy source.

Correspondingly, the temperature here was five to six times higher than at the edge. Even a perfect stage of the Meridian Opening Stage disciple would find it difficult to withstand such terrifying heat.

After walking another hundred feet, the four of them stopped in their tracks, and it was difficult for them to continue forward. The heat wave was ten times higher than at the edge, and even they found it difficult to withstand it.

"The first place belongs to me, Nangong Lingfeng!"

"Fire Cloud Carpet!"

Nangong Lingfeng's eyes were like an eagle's. His white robe was fluttering from the heat wave. He patted his storage bag and summoned the flying carpet Spiritual Treasure.

The Fire Cloud Carpet emitted a red glow. The moment it appeared, it rolled into a pillar under Nangong Lingfeng's control. It slowly rotated and protected Nangong Lingfeng's body.

Under the protection of the Fire Cloud Carpet, Nangong Lingfeng looked at the other three and smiled. Soon after, he strode forward and approached the Spirit Flame Spring once again.

"Since that's the case, Qingshan can only embarrass himself."

"Spiritual Flame Sword!"

Mu Qingshan also faintly smiled. Following a low cry, a large sword that was completely red appeared around him.

On the sword, a torrential flame surged out. It constantly rotated around Mu Qingshan, and the flame surrounded him.

Mu Qingshan's expression lightened, and he followed Nangong Lingfeng towards the Spirit Flame Spring.

"Hmph, do you think that only the two of you have a Spiritual Treasure?"

"Fire Scale Armour!"

On the other side, Wan Li was not to be outdone. With a roar, countless fire-coloured scales flew out from nowhere and covered his nearly two-foot-tall body. He looked like an ancient war god.

Wan Li coldly snorted and also strode forward.

Chapter 20

Yu Meiyan was the only girl among the four. She was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her appearance was as charming and sweet as her name suggested, but her pretty face was as cold as ice.

Seeing the three reveal their spirit treasures one after another, Yu Meiyan didn't do anything. Her originally slender waist bulged as if there was a living creature coiling around her waist.

Immediately after, the living creature crawled out from Yu Meiyan's collar between her flat stomach and her breasts. It was actually a little green snake with red patterns.

The little green snake was very agile, but its eyes were shining but lifeless. It was obviously a Fire Hornless. Just as it slithered out from Yu Meiyan's collar, the green snake hissed silently and flew into the air. The thin snake's body was covered in flames.

Yu Meiyan waved her hand, and the little green snake flew to her side and kept dancing around her body.

After doing all this, Yu Meiyan moved lightly and chased after the three people in front.

After witnessing the strength of these four individuals, many disciples revealed looks of envy and jealousy. Most of them could barely stay at the edge of the great array, while the remaining few could barely walk a few dozen feet forward. The distance between them and the four great geniuses was too great.

"Haha, Qiu Ji, I didn't expect you to give the Fire Scale Armor to Wan Li in advance."

Seeing the burly figure in the formation like a god of war, Alchemy Hall Master Duan Wei sneered.

"Same to you. Didn't you also give the Fire Cloud Carpet to Nangong Lingfeng in advance?"

Body Tempering Hall Master Qiu Ji snorted with disdain and crossed her arms.

"Bu Er, your Fire Puppet Peak's Yu Meiyan actually learned your Nine Revolution Fire Hornless Art. Her talent is indeed outstanding!"

Looking at the green snake Fire Hornless Art, Xiang Yan praised in a low voice.

The Hall Master of the Fire Worm Hall, Zhong Bu 'er, chuckled and said, "Mu Qingshan of the Flame Peak, your fire controlling technique is not bad either!"

Listening to the conversation of the four hall masters, Mo Qian looked at the four figures and secretly nodded.

"I wonder if any of these four people can open a Spirit Sea …"

Spirit energy sources were divided into Spirit Spring, Spirit Stream, Spirit River, and Spirit Sea. A cultivator who opened a Spirit River could be considered a Heaven's Pride, and a cultivator who could open a Spirit Sea could be considered a Giant!

Spirit Sea Realm cultivators were much stronger than their peers. Every one of them was a rare treasure of a sect. The inheritance of a sect depended on the number of Spirit Sea Realm cultivators.

"Don't worry, Sect Master. Yu Meiyan of my Fire Puppet Peak has the strength to try!" Zhong Bu 'Er was not tall, but his face was very proud.

Xiang Yan immediately smiled and said, "Haha, your Fire Puppet Peak's Yu Meiyan is indeed not bad, but she is still slightly inferior to my Flame Peak's Mu Qingshan."

Zhong Bu 'er was displeased. Just as he was about to retort, Qiu Ji from the Body Refining Peak said calmly, "Both of you, step back. The one who has the highest chance of opening the Spiritual Sea is naturally Wan Li from the Body Refining Peak!"

"Hmph!"

Zhong Bu 'Er and Xiang Yan both snorted coldly and did not say anything. It was as if they disdained to argue with him.

When Mo Qian heard this, he looked at the Medicine Refinery Hall's Hall Master Duan Wei, who had been smiling silently.

"Duan Wei, even I have heard of the name of your Medicine Refinery Peak's Nangong Lingfeng. What are the chances of this kid opening the Spiritual Sea?"

Duan Wei smiled mysteriously and cupped his fists. "There is no need for me to say more. Sect Master will know after watching!"

"Oh?"

Seeing that Duan Wei was pretending to be mysterious and seemed to have a card up his sleeve, Mo Qian's interest was piqued. His eyes fell on Nangong Lingfeng, who was closest to the Spirit Spring of Flame.

At this moment, under the baptism of the terrifying heat wave of the Spirit Spring of Flame, many disciples directly fainted and were carried out of the array by the surrounding elders who were monitoring.

More disciples chose to start meditating and opening the Spirit Spring of Flame. As long as the Spirit Spring of Flame was opened, no matter what level they were at, they could be promoted to inner sect disciples. This inner sect ceremony was not in vain.

There were also some disciples who were at the peak of the Illuminating Pulse realm who chose to grit their teeth and continue to move closer to the Spirit Spring of Flame. Although every step was extremely difficult, they still persevered and continued to move forward.

Their goal was to open a higher level Spirit Spring of Flame to gain the recognition of an elder and become a direct disciple of an inner sect elder. Naturally, they would be more prominent than ordinary inner sect disciples.

As time passed, more and more disciples reached their limits and could no longer move forward. They chose to start opening the Spirit Spring of Flame.

"Puff …"

Suddenly, a disciple who was trying to continue forward spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, he fell straight back, causing the hearts of the surrounding people to jump.

"Fire poison attacking the heart …"

An elder shook his head and sighed with a look of pity. With a hook of his hand, he sent the disciple out of the array. The disciple's body was charred black. Everyone was shocked.

This example was the result of trying to be brave. A disciple with some talent had completely lost the opportunity to advance. Moreover, the fire poison's attack was very serious. Even if it was cured in the future, there would be repercussions and his cultivation would drop greatly.

With the example of the previous disciple, more disciples chose to sit cross-legged and start opening the Spirit Spring of Flame. They no longer continued to move forward.

Buzz —

After a period of time, a mist appeared above the head of one of the disciples. The mist gradually solidified, and in the end, it seemed to have turned into a stream, emitting a majestic energy fluctuation.

"Someone succeeded in opening the Spirit Spring!"

"That's … that's the Spirit Spring!"

"This is the first one of the year!"

Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, the disciple on the field instantly became the focus. It was not an ordinary stream, but a Spirit Spring formed by the liquefaction of Spirit Qi!

"This kid, this old man has taken a liking to him!"

Around the array, a white-haired Inner Court Elder laughed as he stretched out his hand. A red light shot out from his finger and flew into the array. Finally, it imprinted itself on the disciple's left chest, turning into a 'Goshawk' symbol that was imprinted there.

This meant that the disciple had gained the recognition of the inner sect elder and was accepted as a direct disciple. Therefore, the symbol was used to mark the disciple's chest.

Everyone looked at the disciple with envy. To be able to become a direct disciple of an inner sect elder meant that the disciple's wealth, status, and reputation would rise greatly. It was just a matter of time before he could bring glory to his ancestors.

Buzz —

Buzz buzz buzz —

Then, one after another, waves of energy began to spread throughout the area. This meant that more and more disciples had opened up their Spiritual Energy Fountains.

"Another one has opened the Spirit Spring!"

"Sigh, this person is only at the Spirit Spring. I'm afraid it's impossible for him to become a direct disciple."

"Look over there, that person is about to succeed as well …"

"…"

Numerous discussions rose and fell. The various Elders in the air also fought to be the first to shoot the seals in their hands towards the disciples they favored.

Just as everyone's attention was attracted by the disciples who were about to open the Spirit Spring, in an inconspicuous corner of the array, Yun Fan's body trembled slightly. The Spirit Qi vortex suddenly stopped and the aura of the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse emitted from his body.

Yun Fan exhaled lightly and slowly opened his eyes. It was as if a bolt of lightning had suddenly flashed by.

"Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse!"

Chapter 21

Feeling the abundant spirit energy in his meridians, Yun Fan clenched his fists. He could feel that the current him was more than ten times stronger than before!

The current him could steadily lift Yan Hu's fat body with one hand!

At this moment, almost everyone's attention was focused on the disciple who had opened up the spirit energy source. Yun Fan's actions did not attract much attention.

However, Yan Hu, who had been paying attention to Yun Fan, noticed the changes in Yun Fan.

"Yun Fan, you, you actually reached the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse?"

Looking at the shocked Yan Hu, Yun Fan said proudly, "It's just the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse and you're already so shocked. Later when I open up the spirit ocean, you'll be so scared that you'll wet your pants?"

"Damn, Yun Fan, you're really something!"

Seeing that Yun Fan did not die and had even successfully broken through to the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse, Yan Hu was so happy that his fat body trembled.

If it was really as Yun Fan said and he could successfully open up the spirit ocean, then he would really be promoted to an inner sect disciple. This was something that he did not even dare to dream of before.

Yan Hu laughed. He did not expect that his seemingly unreliable friend would be so reliable at such a crucial moment!

At this moment, a sharp voice rang out beside Yan Hu.

"Hmph, so what if he relied on spirit medicine and luckily raised his cultivation level to the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse? Those geniuses who had been stuck at the Great Circle of Illuminating Pulse for many years could not even guarantee a hundred percent success rate. A trash like him who relied on spirit medicine to forcefully break through, the chances of him breaking through again is almost zero! "

If one did not use large amounts of spirit medicine, a cultivator with mediocre cultivation talent would not be able to raise his cultivation level by such a large amount in a short period of time. Therefore, Zhou Tao believed that Yun Fan relied on spirit medicine to advance.

Zhou Tao sneered, "If you don't want to die, hurry up and walk out of the array. Give up your qualifications and I can consider only taking half of the spirit stones you bet!"

Yun Fan looked at Zhou Tao as if he was looking at an idiot and said helplessly, "You're really childish!" Since he had already come this far, how could Yun Fan give up so easily?

Seeing that Yun Fan did not fall for his trap, Zhou Tao flew into a rage and shouted, "Good! Today, I'd like to see if a piece of trash like you can compare to the numerous geniuses of my Fire Spirit Sect! "

"Hold this fatty down! If that trash Yun Fan dies, we'll find this fatty to collect the debt! "

Behind Zhou Tao, two burly odd-job workers grabbed Yan Hu's arms from both sides, causing Yan Hu to wail in pain.

After doing all this, Zhou Tao looked at Yun Fan in a provocative manner. However, he saw a trace of a sharp glint in the latter's eyes. That sharp glint was like a knife that directly pierced Zhou Tao's heart, causing him to feel an indescribable panic.

"Zhou Tao, how dare you touch my, Yun Fan's, brother? We'll settle this score in the future …"

This voice seemed to come from the underworld, and it was bone-chilling. Zhou Tao had used his friend to threaten him. This had touched Yun Fan's reverse scale. This fellow was unforgivable!

Feeling the bone-chilling coldness, Zhou Tao's entire body trembled, but he still stubbornly said, "You'll have to walk out of this great array alive first!"

Yun Fan snorted coldly and stood up, but his gaze was fixed on the Spirit Flame Spring.

Before the ceremony, Yan Hu had already helped him find out that the closer he was to the Spirit Flame Spring, the denser the spiritual energy was, and the higher the probability of opening a high-grade spiritual energy source.

His goal was to open a spiritual ocean!

Since that was the case, he had chosen to open a spiritual energy source in the depths of the core.

"Since everyone thinks that I'm at the bottom of the rankings, I'll make a comeback for you all!"

Yun Fan's eyes shone. He also wanted to see how strong he was now!

Tap, tap, tap …

One step … two steps … three steps …

Yun Fan steadily walked forward, walking past the disciples who were sitting cross-legged.

At first, everyone's gazes were still on the disciples who were opening a spiritual energy source, but in a few breaths' time, they gradually shifted to Yun Fan.

Yun Fan's neat and tidy servant uniform was too conspicuous in the crowd of outer sect disciples.

When the crowd saw a small servant continuously overtaking the positions of the outer sect disciples and walking step by step towards the depths of the core, their faces were filled with shock.

"Who, who is he?"

"A servant has actually overtaken half of the outer sect disciples?"

"He is … Yun Fan!"

Following the crowd's exclamations, Yun Fan's information was once again brought up by the crowd. One spread to ten, ten spread to a hundred. Everyone's gazes were no longer filled with contempt and slander, but were instead filled with shock and admiration.

A servant with extremely poor cultivation aptitude was actually able to overtake half of the outer sect disciples and continue to calmly walk towards the depths of the Blazing Spirit Spring. All of this showed how strong Yun Fan was!

As a servant, being able to do this already made a portion of the outer sect disciples look at him in a new light.

However, there were still some people who were nitpicking and brought up the matter of Yun Fan borrowing ten thousand spirit stones from the Supplement Hall.

"This Yun Fan must have exchanged for a large number of spirit herbs, otherwise his cultivation would not have risen so quickly!"

"Hmph, using spirit herbs to forcefully raise his cultivation, his foundation will definitely be unstable. It will be very difficult to break through to the Origin Opening Realm."

"Hehe, he is still trying to be brave and still wants to walk towards the core area. He thinks that he is a heaven's pride of this generation and that arrogance means destruction!"

Yun Fan's strong rise aroused the abnormal jealousy in the hearts of most people. They were not willing to see a small servant surpass them, the true outer sect disciples!

Inside the array, Yun Fan operated the Blazing Skill and steadily walked towards the core area.

Ten feet …

Fifteen feet …

Twenty five feet …

The Blazing Spirit Spring was about a thousand feet away from the edge of the array. At this time, Yun Fan had already walked more than three hundred feet, leaving most of the outer sect disciples behind him.

The air waves here were even hotter and more terrifying. Yun Fan stood on the spot and adjusted his breathing. Feeling that he could still bear it, he continued to walk forward.

"Look, that Yun Fan is walking forward again!"

Following Yun Fan's footsteps, more and more people noticed this young man in servant uniform.

Even the elders in the sky noticed Yun Fan, and their faces were filled with shock.

Since the founding of the Fire Spirit Sect, this was the first time a servant had been able to reach such a level. Regardless of whether Yun Fan could successfully open the spirit energy source in the end, he had created a precedent for the Fire Spirit Sect.

In the sky above the core area of the Blazing Spirit Spring, the Sect Master Mo Qian and the four Hall Masters were floating. Suddenly, Mo Qian, who was originally focused on Nangong Lingfeng, seemed to have sensed something. His gaze swept across the array not far away. A young man in servant uniform was slowly walking towards them.

"A servant can actually reach here. Interesting!"

Mo Qian looked at Xiang Yun Fan with a glimmer of light in his eyes.

Sensing the Sect Master's gaze, the four Hall Masters behind him all looked towards Yun Fan.

"Xiang Yan, the outer sect disciple you made Blazing Peak is weak, but the servant is very strong."

Alchemy Hall Master Duan Wei looked at Xiang Yan with a faint smile.

"As a servant, his cultivation aptitude is extremely poor. This child can actually cultivate to the Complete Meridian Opening Stage … His perseverance is commendable," Body Tempering Hall Master Qiu Ji said indifferently.

"I also admit that he is outstanding. It's a pity that a servant is still a servant … "

Fire Puppet Hall Master Zhong Bu 'er shook his head helplessly. Obviously, he did not think that Yun Fan could continue to create miracles.

Chapter 22

"This year's dark horse. Looks like we'll have to see if those little fellows from the outer sect can cause any trouble for the four prodigies …"

After hearing the conversation between the Hall Masters, Mo Qian retracted his gaze from Yun Fan and looked at the dozen or so outer sect disciples following closely behind the four prodigies.

This year's dark horse would be born from these disciples!

These dozen or so outer sect disciples were not as dazzling as the four prodigies, but they had hidden their abilities well and were ready to shock the world!

At this moment, each of them had a powerful Numinous Treasure protecting their bodies, or they were relying on their powerful cultivation techniques to support themselves. With heavy footsteps, they chased after the four prodigies in front of them.

Their goal was to become this year's Grand Ceremony's number one dark horse. That way, they would have the chance to gain the recognition of the four Hall Masters and become their personal disciples.

That would be ten times more dazzling than an ordinary personal disciple!

Among the dozen or so people following the four prodigies, there was a youth in black called Gan Ping. He was gradually leading the others and closing in on the four prodigies.

He formed a seal with his hands and controlled a pair of steel claws to fly around his body, resisting the terrifying heat waves of the Spirit Spring. He gritted his teeth and walked forward slowly with determination in his eyes.

Gan Ping looked at the backs of the four prodigies with an unyielding gaze. He had been able to break through to the Soothing Meridian realm two years ago. The reason he had endured until now was so that he could shock the world today!

He knew that each of the four prodigies had the support of a powerful family, so their cultivation resources far exceeded that of ordinary disciples.

He, Gan Ping, was also an ordinary outer sect disciple, but unlike his name, he wanted to stand out and gain everyone's recognition.

Hence, the effort he had put in over the past few years was several times that of ordinary people. He had risked his life countless times to enter the ancient mountains alone to search for treasures. Fortunately, the heavens had blessed him and allowed him to obtain a pair of steel claws and a cultivation technique.

He believed that the current him would not lose to any of the four prodigies. He only had one goal today, and that was to crush everything and become the number one in this Grand Ceremony!

"Four prodigies? Hmph, I, Gan Ping, will definitely not lose to you! "

Gan Ping's expression was ferocious as he erupted with all his potential. He did his best to get closer to the four geniuses. He was only three steps away from catching up to Yu Meiyan.

Yu Meiyan also sensed Gan Ping behind her. Her pretty eyes narrowed as she pointed with her delicate finger. The little green snake that had been continuously circling around her silently hissed. The fire symbols on the snake's body suddenly lit up and its speed more than doubled.

Yu Meiyan's complexion lightened, as if the terrifying heatwave around her had weakened by thirty percent. Her feet moved lightly as she chased after Wan Li, once again pulling away from Gan Ping.

Gan Ping's eyes narrowed. He clapped his hands together, forming a profound seal. His two claws whistled through the air like wind and thunder. Gan Ping increased his speed once more, chasing after Yu Meiyan and the others.

Yu Meiyan and Gan Ping's increase in speed caused Wan Li, who was in front, to feel the pressure. With a loud roar, the Fire Scale Armour around his body emitted a fiery red glow. Immediately, he strode forward and chased after Mu Qingshan and Nangong Lingfeng, who were a short distance away.

Mu Qingshan and Nangong Lingfeng also sped up. The five people in the first group directly left the others far behind.

When the dozen or so outer court disciples in the second group saw this, a sense of helplessness appeared in their eyes. They had already done their best, but they were still left behind by the five people in front of them. They could only sigh and accept their fate.

"Sigh, looks like this year's dark horse is none other than Gan Ping."

Everyone in the second group looked at Gan Ping enviously. He would probably amaze the world with this grand ceremony and be hailed as another prodigy of this generation in the Fire Spirit Sect.

However, just as they were about to give up, they suddenly felt a terrifying fiery energy appear behind them. This fiery energy was even hotter than the heatwave from the Spirit Flame Spring. At the same time, it gave off an icy feeling!

Everyone turned around in panic and saw a ball of white flames slowly approaching them. They were so frightened that they hurriedly dodged to the side.

"What is that?"

"It's even hotter than the Spirit Flame Spring!"

"Luckily, we ran fast. Otherwise, we would have been burned to death by it!"

Everyone stared at the ball of white flames in panic. There seemed to be a thin figure in the flames, and he was walking toward the center step by step.

"There seems to be … someone in this terrifying flame!"

As one of the disciples screamed, everyone noticed that there seemed to be a young man in a servant's uniform in the white flames …

"Yun Fan! It's Yun Fan! "Everyone screamed.

"This Yun Fan can actually control such a powerful fiery energy. Even Mu Qingshan, the prodigy of the Flame Mountain, can't do that, right?"

"What kind of servant is this? He's clearly a peerless prodigy!"

The hearts of the disciples who had witnessed all of this with their own eyes were already surging with monstrous waves. They had never imagined that such a lowly servant would actually possess such abnormal strength!

The white flames seemed to have come from an extremely cold place. It made people feel a chill that seemed to be able to freeze their souls, but it also made them feel as if they were in a sea of fire. It was incomparably hot!

Looking at Yun Fan, who was like a god of fire, as he slowly walked past them, the terrifying fiery energy made them tremble with fear.

At this moment, they knew that the final result of this year's Inner Sect Ceremony would become complicated and confusing because of Yun Fan's appearance …

Feeling the fearful gazes from the surroundings, Yun Fan, who was in the flames, smiled faintly. He had just thought of using the Heavenly Flame to resist the heat wave of the Spirit Flame Spring.

The terrifying heat of the Bone Ice Fire naturally far exceeded the Spirit Flame Spring. Even if Yun Fan could not unleash the full power of the Bone Ice Fire, it was more than enough to resist the Spirit Flame Spring.

If it was not for the fact that he had only subdued the Bone Ice Fire for a short period of time and did not have the time to use the Heavenly Flame to completely change his physique, the heat of the Spirit Flame Spring was like soaking in a hot spring to Yun Fan.

"The first place of the Inner Sect Ceremony belongs to me!"

Yun Fan lifted his gaze slightly and looked at the five figures in front of him. Laughing faintly, he strode forward.

Yun Fan's strange actions finally attracted the attention of Sect Leader Mo Qian and the four Hall Masters. Especially Hall Master Xiang Yan. At this moment, his old eyes were already wide open. There was no trace of the dignity and composure of a Hall Master.

"That flame … that flame … this kid …"

Looking at the flames surrounding Yun Fan, Xiang Yan raised his trembling finger and his breathing quickened.

"Why does the flame on this young man's body feel so similar to the residual fiery energy from a few days ago at the back of the mountain?"

Qiu Ji frowned and looked at Xiang Yunfan thoughtfully.

"The person who was cultivating at the back of the mountain that night was this kid!"

Zhong Bu 'er shouted with great certainty, causing Sect Leader Mo Qian to be shocked.

Chapter 23

A few days ago, the terrifying flame that suddenly appeared on the back mountain was reported to Mo Qian by the four Hall Masters after their investigation.

However, Mo Qian did not pay much attention to it at that time and thought that it was caused by a disciple or even a Grand Elder. He did not expect to hear Zhong Bu 'er's confirmation that the culprit that day was this little guy in front of him …

"Such an outstanding person is making Yan Feng a servant?" The Alchemy Hall Master, Duan Wei, looked mockingly at Xiang Yan, who was still in shock. He chuckled and said, "Since Yan Feng doesn't want to use him, then let him come to my Alchemy Peak. With such a powerful flame, he will definitely be able to display his abilities in my Alchemy Hall!"

Zhong Bu 'er's height only reached Duan Wei's waist, but he looked up and laughed, "Hehe, Hall Master Duan, you are wrong. The place that can display such a powerful flame is naturally my Fire Puppet Hall. Moreover, you already have Nangong Lingfeng. Let me discipline this kid!"

Seeing the two of them fighting, Qiu Ji was unhappy. "Stop fighting. Such a powerful flame is naturally more suitable for tempering the body. However, it is more suitable for him to come to my Body Tempering Hall!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Xiang Yan finally regained his wits and shouted with bloodshot eyes. He had never met a cultivator who could control such a powerful flame in his life. How could he give up such a talented disciple?

That day at the back of the mountain, he had already had his suspicions, but he did not put them into action. Now that Yun Fan had displayed such a powerful talent, everyone was fighting over him. However, how could he allow the other Clan Leaders to poach him?

At this moment, Xiang Yan's face was filled with anger. He shouted coldly, "Yun Fan is the one who messed with Yan Feng. No matter how his identity has changed, he is still the one who messed with Yan Feng! Whoever dares to snatch him from me, I will let you experience the power of the 'Fire Controlling True Dragon Technique'! "

Seeing this, Zhong Bu 'er couldn't take it anymore. He straightened his neck and formed a seal with his hand. A fire python puppet that was as thick as an arm jumped out of his body. He sneered, "Hehe, I'm not afraid of you. Today, I want to see if your' True Dragon 'is stronger or if my' Fire Python 'is stronger!"

Just as the two of them were about to fight, they heard Mo Qian's shout.

"All of you, shut up!"

Mo Qian's face was ashen as he looked at the four Hall Masters. The four Peak Masters and the four Hall Masters had almost fought over a disciple. What kind of scandal would this be if word got out?

However, the talent and potential displayed by this disciple was truly terrifying. Even he, who had never accepted disciples, had the intention to take him under his wing.

Seeing that the Sect Leader was angry, the four Hall Masters all shut their mouths and did not say anything. However, their expressions were filled with Battle Qi and they were enduring it. They could erupt again at any time.

"Sigh …"

Mo Qian let out a long sigh and said, "This boy is just a handyman. His cultivation talent may not be good. I don't know if he can open up a spiritual power source. We'd better wait and see. After the ceremony, we'll make a decision."

Mo Qian had no choice but to delay. However, judging from the expressions of the four Hall Masters, they seemed to have made up their minds. Even if Yun Fan's cultivation talent was extremely low, it could not change their determination to draw him to their Hall.

…

As time passed slowly, the disciples in the array continued to open up spiritual power sources. Some were strong and some were weak. They attracted the envious gazes of the crowd.

Among the thousands of disciples that remained, the majority only managed to open up Spirit Springs, and only a few hundred managed to open up Spirit Streams. These lucky ones were all accepted as direct disciples by the various Elders.

Slowly, as the successful and unsuccessful disciples left, the number of disciples at the edge of the array decreased. Some of the onlookers started to look at the core area a thousand feet away.

"Look, the prodigies of this year's ceremony are still moving forward. None of them sat down to open up a spiritual power source."

"Nangong Lingfeng is indeed powerful. He's walking steadily at the front. He's already walked more than 800 feet."

"Mu Qingshan, Wan Li, and Yu Meiyan are not bad either. They're following closely behind. They're also about 750 feet away."

"Hey, hey, there seems to be another figure behind the four prodigies … That, that's Gan Ping from the Medicine Refinery Peak. Looks like the title of the first dark horse of this year's ceremony will be his!"

Just as the crowd was discussing excitedly, a sharp voice pierced through everyone's eardrums.

"Look! Behind Gan Ping, there's still … a ball of fire? "

Under the reminder of that voice, everyone also noticed this strange phenomenon. They were already too far away from the core area. The cultivation of these outer disciples was not enough for them to clearly see the scene that was 700 feet away.

This strange scene caused everyone to feel a chill down their backs. Especially that flame that was suffused with a dense white color. It seemed to be emitting a chilling intent.

"Where's Yun Fan? Where's Yun Fan? Where's Yun Fan? "

Being supported by two strong odd-job workers, Yan Hu's small eyes were nervously searching for Yun Fan's figure. There were too many disciples in the array just now. In the blink of an eye, Yun Fan had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Yun Fan must have been burned to ashes by the Spirit Flame Spring. Haha, I, Zhou Tao, have won! Damn fatty, twenty thousand spiritual stones and your chrysanthemum. I want it all! Hahaha! "

Zhou Tao laughed wildly. Now, there were fewer and fewer disciples left in the array. As far as his eyes could see, there was no sign of Yun Fan, which made Zhou Tao overjoyed.

Zhou Tao was rocking back and forth with laughter. With Yun Fan's death, a large stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

He had always felt that Yun Fan was strange and felt that there was something fishy about Yun Fan's actions. With Yun Fan's death, these concerns were finally eliminated.

"Damn it, this is what happens when you go against your Grandpa Tao!"

Zhou Tao proudly looked at the group of odd-job workers behind him. His eyes were filled with disdain. The odd-job workers who were swept by his gaze all lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye. They were afraid that the next person Zhou Tao would deal with would be them.

Just as Zhou Tao was getting carried away, among the crowd, a disciple who had already broken through to the Origin Realm stared at the white flame in the core area with an incredulous look on his face.

"There … there seems to be a person in that flame!"

When the surrounding people heard this, they hurriedly looked at the white flame. Under the guidance of the disciple, they seemed to see a figure in the flame walking forward. This also explained why the flame was moving on its own.

"Damn it, it really is a person!"

"Who the hell is this amazing person? How can he control such a powerful flame?"

"I don't know … but he seems to be wearing … odd-job worker clothes …"

"… Yun Fan!"

A name flashed through everyone's minds like lightning, followed by a commotion in the crowd. The scene was a little out of control for a moment.

They had never imagined that the 'amazing person' they were talking about was the odd-job worker Yun Fan whom they had ridiculed in every possible way before.

However, the shock of everyone added together was not as intense as Zhou Tao's. A moment ago, he was laughing wildly and showing off, but the next moment, his voice came to an abrupt halt. His face was filled with shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

Chapter 24

"Impossible, this is impossible. Yun Fan, that trash, is already dead. How is this possible …"

While Zhou Tao's lips were trembling and his face was filled with disbelief, the various Elders joined forces to create a spiritual energy projection that was hundreds of meters wide. They projected everything that was happening in the core area onto the projection so that the disciples could better observe and learn from it.

From the Spiritual Energy Projection, everyone could clearly see that within the dense white flames, there was indeed a youth wearing a worker's uniform. As the flames churned, a delicate and pretty face was faintly discernible.

"It's really Yun Fan!"

Yan Hu shouted excitedly. The fire of hope was reignited in his originally dim eyes. He never expected that Yun Fan was actually still alive and had even made it to the core area!

In contrast to Yan Hu's excitement, Zhou Tao was dumbfounded. He stared at Yun Fan in the projection, dumbfounded.

…

At this moment, the competition in the core area had already reached its climax.

Mu Qingshan, Wan Li, and Yu Meiyan had already reached the 85-meter mark. The heat wave here was ten times more terrifying than the 500-meter mark. If they were not careful, they might be burned to ashes.

At this moment, the three of them were extremely haggard. It was obvious that they had used up all their strength. It would be extremely difficult for them to take another step forward.

Sighing helplessly, the three of them gave up on trying to advance. They sat down cross-legged on the spot. The spirit energy around them surged as they tried to open up a spirit energy source!

Less than fifty feet behind them, Gan Ping's situation was even worse than the three of them. The pair of steel claws flying around him had become dim and lightless, and there was a burnt smell all over his body.

He looked at the four people in front of him, his eyes filled with unwillingness and helplessness. He had put in so much effort, but he was still slightly inferior to the Four Prodigies.

However, while he was unwilling, he was also comforting himself. At least he was the first person other than the Four Prodigies.

To be able to become the first dark horse of this year's ceremony, it was worth the years of hard work he had put in.

However, just as Gan Ping was comforting himself, he suddenly felt a heat behind him.

He turned around to look, and his eyes suddenly shrank. He didn't expect that there would be someone silently following behind him. This person's body was covered in dense white flames, which made people shudder.

"Who is this person? You're still so calm even when you're here? "

When Gan Ping saw Yun Fan's indifferent expression, his eyes widened. It was as if the terrifying heat and pressure here didn't affect him at all. It was as if he was taking a stroll in the park as he leisurely walked forward.

The terrifying heatwave that was enough to instantly burn any outer sect disciple to ashes hit his body, but even the white flames around him didn't waver at all. This left Gan Ping dumbfounded.

Gan Ping even forgot to open up a spirit energy source. He simply watched as the flaming figure passed by him and headed deeper into the core.

After the flaming youth walked some distance away, he turned back to look at the dazed Gan Ping and waved with a smile, not forgetting to cheer Gan Ping on.

"Good luck bro, I have high hopes for you!"

Optimistic my ass!

When Gan Ping heard this, his breathing became unstable and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

To someone as prideful as Gan Ping, this was simply an insult!

He wanted to give chase, but he didn't have the strength to do so. As for Yun Fan, he had already walked more than ten feet away and was faintly discernible in the terrifying heatwave ahead.

Gan Ping felt a sense of helplessness and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He didn't know who that youth was, but he knew that this year's number one dark horse was no longer him.

Mu Qingshan, Wan Li, and Yu Meiyan were about ten feet away from the Flame Spirit Spring. At this moment, they were all sitting cross-legged, preparing to use the dense spirit energy here to open up a spirit energy source.

Just as the three of them were about to close their eyes and enter a meditative state, they suddenly felt a figure approaching them from behind.

Yu Meiyan was shocked. "Could it be that Gan Ping has caught up again?"

With doubts, Yu Meiyan's beautiful eyes slightly turned. She immediately saw Yun Fan's figure, which was like a fire god descending to the mortal world, causing her to cry out in fright.

Yu Meiyan's loss of self-control also startled Wan Li. Yu Meiyan's personality was calm and steady, and he had never seen her so flustered before. Wan Li followed Yu Meiyan's gaze, and a look of disbelief also emerged in his huge eyes.

Behind him, an unfamiliar youth had suddenly appeared. His body was covered in a dense white blazing flame, causing people to be intimidated. Especially his servant uniform, which caused Wan Li to be even more shocked.

"It's actually a servant? A servant can actually come here? "

Wan Li's voice was originally rough and loud. Under the shock, his voice spread a hundred feet away.

The tens of thousands of onlooking disciples outside the great formation looked at the clear image in the air and heard Wan Li's shocked roar. They could feel Yun Fan's sudden emergence even more directly.

To be able to shock one of the four great heaven's prides, Wan Li, one could imagine how powerful Yun Fan was at this moment.

This voice was like the last straw that overwhelmed Zhou Tao. His body directly collapsed to the ground. At this moment, his mind was blank. He simply could not understand how Yun Fan had suddenly become so powerful.

At the core, Mu Qingshan also turned his head to look. His pupils fiercely shrank. Through the dense white flames, he saw the face of a youth …

This face could be considered familiar to Mu Qingshan. A few days ago, he had seen it on the iron chain bridge.

"Brother, can you come with me to the main peak?"

"Thank you, I can do it myself!"

"Then I won't force you. If there's anything, you can come to the Fire Cloud Cave to find me."

"Likewise. If you have anything, you can also come to the servant's office to find me."

"May I ask for brother's name?"

"Yun Fan!"

"..."

The conversation between the two of them a few days ago continued to echo in Mu Qingshan's mind. Back then, when he saw that it was extremely difficult for Yun Fan to even cross the bridge, he thought that his cultivation was not good enough, so he wanted to help him.

However, the latter had directly rejected his good intentions. It was precisely because of this that Mu Qingshan had a deep impression of him.

From the looks of it, this Yun Fan was actually a hidden expert. His strength was unfathomable, and he was actually much stronger than him, Mu Qingshan. He had already reached his limit, and Yun Fan seemed to have not used his full strength yet …

Mu Qingshan laughed bitterly. He had originally planned to help the other party, but he never thought that the other party would be even stronger than him.

Just as Mu Qingshan lowered his head and laughed bitterly, the figure of the youth with the white flames quietly walked in front of him. Soon after, a somewhat white and clean palm extended out from the flames in front of him.

Mu Qingshan was slightly stunned, he raised his head and looked at Xiang Yunfan's clear eyes, following which Yun Fan spoke indifferently, his voice faintly sounding out.

"Senior Brother Qingshan, do you need help?"