After that day—
The entire Inner Academy fell into a strange kind of frenzy.
The shocking effect of the Dou Spirit Pill had spread like wildfire, and no matter whether it was students or even Elders, all of them had personally witnessed what it meant to directly break through a level without any instability.
Such temptation…
Was impossible to ignore.
Very soon, a new trend began to emerge across the academy.
Some students began to stop entering the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower more frequently, desperately accumulating fire energy.
Others formed groups and ventured outside the academy, hunting Magical Beasts to obtain cores and earn gold coins.
Even some Elders quietly began preparing medicinal ingredients.
All of it—
For a single purpose.
To request Xiao Feng to refine the Dou Spirit Pill.
And Xiao Feng…
Did not refuse.
Over the following days, he began refining pills in batches, strictly following his own rules—those who provided materials and met his conditions would be served.
Even so, due to the overwhelming demand, he only managed to refine pills for roughly half of the applicants.
Yet even that—
Was enough to cause a massive transformation.
Within a short period of time, the overall strength of the Inner Academy rose significantly.
Newly advanced Dou Spirits appeared one after another.
The academy's defensive force—
Which was never reliant on a single Dou Zong alone, but rather on a large foundation of Dou Spirits acting as its core strength—
became even more solid and terrifying.
At the same time—
Within the Fire Faction.
Han Yue, Lin Xiuya, Bai Cheng, and Jia Yun—
All four successfully broke through into the Dou Spirit realm.
Their auras became far more stable and powerful, placing them among the true elites of the Inner Academy.
As for Xiao Yi Xian—
Due to the uniqueness of her constitution, her cultivation speed far exceeded normal logic.
She directly advanced to the peak of Dou Master, her aura faintly carrying a dangerous, hidden edge that even some Dou Spirits were wary of.
From that point onward—
A clear structure formed within the Fire Faction.
During the day—
The four Dou Spirits, along with Xiao Yi Xian, assisted Xiao Feng in managing the faction's affairs, handling requests, resources, and exchanges for pill refinement.
The Fire Faction gradually transformed into a well-organized force centered around alchemy and resources.
During the night—
All members would head to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
There, they would:
Solidify their newly gained Dou Qi
Temper their meridians
Strengthen their physical bodies
Only on weekends would they rest or handle external matters.
Under such intense cultivation and resource flow—
The Fire Faction's strength grew at an astonishing rate.
As for Xiao Feng—
He was the one who benefited the most.
With continuous pill refinement and exchanges, he accumulated a massive amount of wealth, along with an astonishing collection of flames.
By now—
He possessed more than twenty Beast Flames, including five at the 4th and 5th tier level.
And due to his unique cultivation method—
Everything changed.
Each time Xiao Feng devoured a new Beast Flame, his body would refine it, convert it, and accumulate pure energy within his core.
After fulfilling all the necessary conditions—
Including absorbing over twenty Beast Flames from each Tier 1 to Tier 3 Magical Beasts—
His cultivation finally surged forward.
He successfully broke through to—
7-Star Dou Spirit.
At the same time—
His cultivation technique, the Innate Beast Fire Cultivation Technique, began to undergo a transformation.
Originally at the peak of Earth Grade low level.
It was now trembling at the threshold of a breakthrough.
Xiao Feng could clearly feel it.
He was just one step away—
From advancing it into Earth Grade Mid-Level.
But…
He also understood something deeply.
This final step—
Would not be simple.
Standing within his courtyard late at night, flames flickering faintly within his palm, Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
A thought surfaced in his mind.
"To break through…"
"I need to fulfill the conditions of a 5th-tier flame."
Only by absorbing and refining a true high-tier flame—
Could his technique undergo a complete transformation.
And that—
Would be his next goal.
After that Xiao Feng gradually began to change the very way he accepted requests, no longer limiting himself to ordinary exchanges of medicinal ingredients and gold, but instead setting a new and far more demanding condition that would once again shake the entire Inner Academy to its core.
From that moment onward—
Anyone who wished for him to refine pills, especially the coveted Dou Spirit Pills, would have to bring with them a Beast Flame as part of the payment, turning what was once a simple transaction into something far more valuable and difficult to obtain.
The moment this rule spread, the already restless Inner Academy was pushed into yet another wave of frenzy, as students, factions, and even some Elders began to organize expeditions beyond the academy grounds, venturing deep into dangerous regions in search of Magical Beasts, not merely for their cores—but specifically for the rare and unstable flames hidden within them.
Some returned with success, carrying unstable yet powerful Beast Flames sealed within containers, their faces filled with excitement and pride, while others returned injured, or not at all, proving just how dangerous this new requirement truly was.
And as days passed—
A steady stream of Beast Flames began to gather in Xiao Feng's possession, each one different, each one carrying its own unique aura, heat, and violent nature.
Every time a new flame was presented before him, Xiao Feng would calmly examine it with his Spiritual Strength, carefully distinguishing whether it was something he had already absorbed or something entirely new.
If it was a flame he had never encountered before—
He would not hesitate.
He would absorb it directly.
Seated within his chamber, he would refine the flame into his body, allowing it to merge with his cultivation technique, strengthening his Dou Qi while further tempering his physique, his aura becoming deeper, hotter, and increasingly difficult to measure with each successful absorption.
However—
If the flame was one he had already absorbed before—
He would not waste it.
Instead, he would seal it carefully within his storage ring, preserving it either for future use, for refining, or even as rewards for the core members of the Fire Faction, gradually building not just his own strength, but the strength of his faction as a whole.
In this way—
Time passed.
Days turned into a steady rhythm of refinement, absorption, and exchange.
But then—
Something subtle began to change.
Inside his room, as Xiao Feng stared at a freshly refined medicinal pill resting quietly within his palm, his expression slowly turned serious, his brows knitting together ever so slightly as he sensed something he had not expected.
Previously—
With three sets of medicinal ingredients, he could effortlessly refine two high-quality pills, each one nearly perfect, each one a product of precise control and deep understanding.
But now—
Using the same amount of materials—
He was only able to produce a single pill.
And even that one—
Though still powerful—
Lacked the same flawless quality it once had.
The room fell into silence.
"This is not…"
"A problem of strength…"
Xiao Feng's voice was low, almost a whisper, as realization slowly dawned upon him.
This was something deeper.
He had grown too accustomed to success.
Too reliant on his current mastery.
Too focused on efficiency—
And not enough on foundation.
His alchemy…
Though still powerful—
Was beginning to lose its sharpness.
Taking a slow breath, Xiao Feng closed his eyes, and when he opened them again—
They were completely calm.
"I need to start over."
Not his cultivation—
But his alchemy itself.
He decided, without hesitation, to enter closed-door training, and this time, he would abandon all shortcuts and return to the very beginning, refining from 1st-tier pills, step by step, all the way back to 5th-tier, rebuilding every detail of his understanding from the ground up.
The next day—
Xiao Feng personally went to the herbal stores within the Inner Academy, walking through rows of medicinal shelves as he selected vast quantities of herbs, ranging from the most basic materials used in beginner-level pills to the rare and complex ingredients required for high-tier refinement.
By the time he finished—
He had gathered enough resources to sustain two full months of uninterrupted training.
When news of his closed-door cultivation spread—
There was no shock.
No disbelief.
Because everyone understood—
At their level…
Progress could not always be forced.
Sometimes—
What one needed was not more resources…
But a moment of clarity.
A spark of understanding.
An enlightenment that could only be found in solitude.
Before entering seclusion—
Xiao Feng made all necessary arrangements within the Fire Faction, distributing a large stockpile of medicinal pills, enough to sustain operations for the next three months, ensuring that nothing would fall into disorder during his absence.
And during this time—
Another breakthrough quietly occurred.
Xiao Yi Xian successfully advanced into the Dou Grandmaster realm, her aura becoming far more refined and dangerous, her poisonous Dou Qi carrying a faint pressure that even newly advanced Dou Spirits would instinctively avoid.
At this level—
She now possessed the capability to refine 3rd-tier medicinal pills, and with effort, perhaps even touch the threshold of 4th-tier alchemy.
However—
Xiao Feng did not allow her to rush forward recklessly.
"Stabilize your realm first," he told her calmly, his tone steady yet firm.
"Strengthen your foundation before attempting anything higher."
Xiao Yi Xian listened quietly, then smiled gently, her eyes soft yet confident.
"Don't worry," she said.
"I'll be fine… you just focus on your training."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
Only trust.
"Come back successfully."
Xiao Feng looked at her for a brief moment, then gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
Finally—
With everything prepared—
He walked into the specially constructed cultivation chamber deep within his courtyard, a place designed solely for isolation, refinement, and uninterrupted focus.
The heavy stone door slowly closed behind him.
Cutting him off from the outside world.
Inside—
There was only silence.
Stillness.
And the faint presence of the cauldron before him.
Xiao Feng sat down slowly, crossing his legs as he placed his hands upon his knees, exhaling a long, steady breath as his mind gradually emptied of all distractions.
"This time…"
"I will rebuild everything."
And with that—
He began again.
From the very beginning.