"Jiang Yun, we will meet again. It seems you haven't wasted your talent these past few years!"
Su Qian looked at the young man approaching him, a hint of recollection in his eyes, as if recalling their first meeting. Even then, Jiang Yun had already displayed extraordinary talent.
Now, it seemed Jiang Yun was destined to soar among the heavens.
"Great Elder!" Seeing Su Qian, Jiang Yun respectfully bowed. Su Qian had saved his life, making him one of the two and a half people in this world he held dear.
"You are the first place in this Fire Energy Capture Competition. Please wait here for the other students to arrive." Su Qian looked at Jiang Yun with satisfaction. Although he hadn't fully uncovered the young man's depths, what he had shown so far was already enough.
More would be revealed once he entered the Inner Court! Su Qian believed the Inner Court would become lively with the arrival of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan.
Hearing Su Qian's arrangement, Jiang Yun had no objections. Under the elders' subtle gazes, he walked over to Zi Yan and sat down cross-legged beside her.
"Very good, you didn't embarrass me, Zi Yan!"
As soon as Jiang Yun sat down, a slender, strong arm reached out and wrapped around his shoulder.
Then, Zi Yan's face, beaming with a satisfied smile, appeared before Jiang Yun.
"This is all thanks to Zi Yan's excellent guidance," Jiang Yun complimented, chuckling inwardly at the smugness rising in Zi Yan's eyes. See, Zi Yan was still very easy to understand.
"Let me see how much fire energy you have. Wow, over fourteen hundred!" Zi Yan reached for Jiang Yun's fire energy card and exclaimed at the bright red numbers on it.
Then, her large eyes darted around, and she murmured, "Are these Inner Court veterans really that rich?"
"Don't mess around. If you're short on fire energy, you can use mine first. But don't even think about targeting the Inner Court veterans. If you cause chaos in the Inner Court, how will the Great Elder deal with you?"
Jiang Yun tapped Zi Yan's smooth forehead and handed his fire energy card to her.
"Oh, I know, I know. It's just a few days of fire energy. I'll earn it myself."
Zi Yan rubbed her unhurt forehead and returned Jiang Yun's card, saying with a touch of haughtiness.
Jiang Yun shook his head with a wry smile and began to sit cross-legged, closing his eyes to meditate. Although his Dou Qi consumption was almost negligible under the Crimson Fire Treasure Mirror's enhancement during the battles, the mental energy consumed couldn't be recovered so easily. A short meditation would help him recover his state.
Seeing Jiang Yun close his eyes to recover, Zi Yan also quieted down, sitting cross-legged beside Jiang Yun, propping her small head up and watching him, a slight curve slowly forming on her lips.
After about half a day, other students finally began to appear.
However, compared to Jiang Yun's composure, they looked much more disheveled, each one dispirited, looking exactly like they had just been taught a lesson.
Even Ling Feng and others, who were among the top five of the Outer Court, were not spared.
The veterans arranged by Jia Nan Academy were still very strong. Although Jiang Yun had dealt with a large portion of them, the remaining veterans had no trouble dealing with these new students.
The weakest of Jia Nan Academy's veterans were at the four-star Dou Grandmaster level, while in the Outer Court, only the top ten had Dou Grandmaster strength.
Being outnumbered, they had been robbed quite a bit along the way.
"Jiang Yun—"
Seeing Jiang Yun already there and looking perfectly fine, the new students' faces were filled with surprise. Ling Feng and the other three lowered their heads in dismay. Was the gap really that big?
They had already heard from the veterans about a formidable person among the new students. Although they had suspected it was Jiang Yun, seeing it with their own eyes was still a blow.
"This Fire Energy Capture Competition has officially ended. Next, we will reward the new students who performed exceptionally well in this competition."
After everyone had arrived, Su Qian said loudly. All eyes fell on Jiang Yun; this reward undoubtedly belonged to him.
"Jiang Yun, as the first person to defeat all opponents and reach the finish line, is awarded fifty days of fire energy and an azure fire crystal card."
Another azure fire crystal card?
The reward was so generous that many veterans' breathing became heavy, their eyes filled with envy.
One had to know that a fire crystal card not only determined which floor of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower one could cultivate on, but it also required at least three hundred days of fire energy to exchange for. How could these veterans not be envious?
Jiang Yun took the azure fire crystal card, transferred the fire energy from his black card, and then returned the black card to Su Qian.
After receiving the black card, Su Qian then looked at the other new students: "The remaining new students will each be rewarded with five days of fire energy."
Hearing this, all the new students exclaimed in surprise. After all, they were so battered, yet they still received a reward, which made them genuinely happy.
While happy, their gazes towards Jiang Yun held a hint of gratitude. They also knew that if Jiang Yun hadn't performed exceptionally well and cleared the path of veterans, the Great Elder wouldn't have made an exception to reward these new students.
"The rewards for the others will be sent to you by someone I arrange after you've found your accommodations. Now that you have all passed the Fire Energy Capture Competition, please follow me into the Inner Court."
With that, he turned first and slowly walked up a stone staircase towards the hillside.
Jiang Yun and the others followed, stepping onto the enviable Inner Court.
Soon, everyone arrived at the top of the hillside. A glance ahead, the sight that appeared in their vision made them slowly take a breath of the slightly cool air.
"Is this the Inner Court?"
Beyond the hillside was an extremely vast sunken basin. Looking at the shape of the basin, it seemed as if a giant meteorite had fallen from the sky and smashed it out.
Within this basin, towering buildings stood, and from a high vantage point, one could see black figures, like fleas, constantly flashing and leaping across the buildings.
Extending one's gaze forward, the area of this basin was surprisingly large. Even at the furthest visible point, one could still only see towering buildings and lush greenery.
"Alright, since the Capture Competition is over, all new students will follow me back to the Inner Court. I'll settle you in first, and then you can properly explore the Inner Court." Su Qian looked at the stunned new students, a smile on his face. He saw these expressions every year and was long used to them.
The new students nodded. They had already seen the benefits of the Inner Court from the veterans.
One of the elders greeted the new students, while the many veterans dispersed. They needed to spread the news that there were two formidable individuals among this year's new students.
Those with insufficient strength should avoid them, while those who were strong should go and teach them a good lesson, lest they think the Inner Court had no one capable.
In a cluster of residences in the northeast corner of the Inner Court, five bright courtyards with attics were opened to welcome new occupants.
The elder leading the way smiled as he pushed open a door and said, "This courtyard will be your residence from now on, for the two of you."
"Two people?"
Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow. He remembered that according to the Inner Court's rules, wasn't it five people per dormitory?
Seeing the question in Jiang Yun's eyes, the elder leading the way explained, "Originally, according to the Inner Court's rules, new students share a dormitory with five people. However, the Great Elder specifically instructed that little friend Zi Yan probably wouldn't like living with others, so we made an exception and prepared a dormitory for the two of you."
After saying this, the elder secretly observed Zi Yan's expression. Seeing the joy on her face, he immediately felt relieved.
He was also one of the elders who went to the Fire Energy Capture Competition and had personally witnessed Zi Yan's dazzling Dou Qi wings, knowing how much power was hidden within this seemingly harmless little girl.
Even now, he felt a chill in his heart and discomfort throughout his body. This was a natural human reaction when facing a threat, and it was clear that this elder was no match for Zi Yan.
Jiang Yun suddenly understood and, with a smile, patted Zi Yan's head, "It seems I'm benefiting from your presence!"
"Hmph—that's right! Don't worry, with Zi Yan, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury!"
Praised by Jiang Yun, Zi Yan immediately got a big head. She lifted her chin, clasped her hands behind her back, and strode confidently into the room.
Jiang Yun shook his head with a wry smile, said goodbye to the unnamed elder, and then followed in Zi Yan's footsteps.
As Jiang Yun and the other new students settled in, the events of the Fire Energy Capture Competition quickly spread among the Inner Court veterans.
Everyone knew that there were two formidable individuals among this year's new students: a purple-haired little girl who dared to call the Great Elder an 'old man'—either her background was extraordinary, or she was a junior of the Great Elder. Her strength was unknown, but she was not to be trifled with.
There was also a new student named Jiang Yun, reportedly only twelve or thirteen years old, who had already reached the strength of an eight-star Dou Grandmaster and single-handedly defeated the White Demon and Black Demon teams.
This caused a stir among the Inner Court veterans. One must know that this time's White Demon and Black Demon teams were led by Sun Hai and Wu Qiu, two five-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) experts, both renowned powerhouses on the Strong Ranking.
Even an eight-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) would not be fully confident in defeating them if they teamed up, yet Jiang Yun had accomplished it.
Regarding the news of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan, some disbelieved, some were wary, and some were completely indifferent. In any case, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan had initially entered the radar of the Inner Court veterans.
Jiang Yun was completely unaware of these things, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. He was currently breaking through to nine-star Dou Grandmaster. He had already lingered at eight-star for many days, and the stimulation from the Fire Energy Capture Competition had inadvertently provided him with the opportunity for a breakthrough.
The next day.
In Jia Nan Academy's Inner Court, Jiang Yun, having broken through, slowly walked alone towards the northern cluster of buildings in the Inner Court's sinkhole.
As for Zi Yan...
She had vanished early in the morning. She was either currently raiding some magical beast's lair or in the medicinal herb repository.
The Inner Court's medicinal herb repository was also in for trouble!!!
The Inner Court's area was astonishingly large, with numerous buildings along the way, and it was common to see heated battle circles where people sparred. Outside these circles, many spectators gathered.
Jiang Yun had no interest in these sparring crowds. These Inner Court students were absolute elites in the Outer Court, mostly geniuses from various countries in the Northwest Continent, but to Jiang Yun, most of them were quite ordinary.
Many veterans also saw Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun was quite recognizable; even those who hadn't seen him knew of him.
If they saw a youthful figure, it was either Jiang Yun or Zi Yan. They were the youngest students in the Inner Court; most students in the Inner Court were eighteen years old and above.
Upon seeing Jiang Yun in person, everyone's faces still showed surprise. He was simply too young—no, he was childish.
The veterans whispered among themselves and their companions, their gazes towards Jiang Yun filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
However, due to Jiang Yun's achievements and not knowing his temperament, these students did not approach to greet him.
Jiang Yun also had no interest in interacting with the crowd and left after a quick glance.
"Is that Jiang Yun?"
"Hmph—he's not old, but his temper isn't small. He didn't even come over to greet so many of us senior students."
"Tch—you? He's a 'monster' who defeated two five-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) experts. What right do you, a two-star Dou Ling (Battle Spirit), have to expect him to actively get to know you?"
"'Monster'? The Inner Court has no shortage of monsters. Sun Hai and Wu Qiu are just two pieces of trash to have lost to this wet-behind-the-ears kid."
"Then why don't you go teach him a lesson?"
"Me? Just wait! Someone will make him regret it!"
Jiang Yun didn't hear the discussions behind him, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. Jiang Yun also had no interest in interacting with them and headed straight for the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.
As for getting lost, there was no need to worry at all, because the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower was the most popular spot in the Inner Court, with many students constantly heading there.
One only needed to follow the crowd to reach the destination.
The Heavenly Flame Refining Tower was a black tower deeply buried underground, with only a section of its tip exposed. From a distance, one could feel a slight distortion in the space above the tower's tip.
That was a seal placed by Jia Nan Academy's Dean, Mang Tianchi. Only a Dou Zun (Battle Venerate) had the power to seal the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking list, and make it his own.
Otherwise, with Jia Nan Academy's Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) experts, they wouldn't be able to seal the Fallen Heart Flame, whose strength was comparable to a Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor).
Once it erupted, even a high-level Dou Zong (Battle Ancestor) would have to avoid its sharp edge. That's how terrifying a strange flame was.
In the original work, most people who possessed strange flames came from Dou Di (Battle Emperor) families: the Gu Clan, Yan Clan, Yao Clan, Hun Clan—which of them didn't have a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) in existence?
Even Burning Flame Valley and Danta had Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) experts overseeing them. It could be said that strange flames were not something rogue cultivators could handle.
Xiao Yan and Han Feng successfully refined wild strange flames by relying on Flame Mantra. Yao Chen was also a person of great fortune. Apart from these few, everyone else had refined strange flames with the help of elders from a young age.
It could be said that this thing was an enticing cake, but it was full of deadly poison.
In front of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower was a huge open space. Jiang Yun walked slowly, and the closer he got, the more the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame within his body began to tremble.
As natural spiritual objects, flames naturally had a sense of each other. Even though the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame was not a product of the Dou Qi Continent, they still had an abnormal reaction.
Jiang Yun mobilized the Dou Qi within him to soothe the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame, and soon, the trembling of the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame greatly diminished.
Whether it was Jiang Yun's illusion or not, the Holy Heavenly Demon Flame suddenly conveyed a feeling of hunger.