Chapter 41: The Saint Demon Emperor Appears Again!
"If possible, I would like to borrow the academy's fifth-grade and sixth-grade pill formulas for review."
Since Su Qian had asked him to speak, Jiang Yun saw no reason to be modest. His request went straight to the core of the Dou Qi Continent's black technology.
Pill formulas below the fifth grade could be borrowed as long as one had enough Fire Energy. But once you reached the fifth grade, Fire Energy alone was no longer enough. Special requirements were added. Fifth-grade formulas were part of a faction's foundational heritage. After all, creating a formula was difficult. It required a high-tier alchemist to expend their spirit and soul power. Every time the scroll was read, it would be slightly damaged. These were true strategic resources.
Hearing Jiang Yun's request, Elder Huo scolded him before Su Qian could even speak. "Jiang Yun, alchemy cannot be rushed. Do not overreach yourself before you are ready. You have just become an alchemist. You must keep your feet on the ground and not be swayed by outside things. Only then will you live up to your talent."
Elder Huo's sudden sternness caught Jiang Yun off guard. But he understood the elder meant well, and warmth filled his heart. At that moment, he felt deeply grateful that he had fallen near the Jia Nan Academy and that Su Qian had brought him back.
This truly was a good place, filled with good elders.
"Thank you for your lesson, Elder Huo. This student will remember it." Jiang Yun bowed respectfully to Elder Huo, admitting his fault.
"Good." Elder Huo was pleased by Jiang Yun's attitude. Admitting one's mistakes and correcting them was the greatest virtue. If Jiang Yun had stubbornly insisted on his own way, Elder Huo would have felt only regret.
"How about this, Jiang Yun?" Su Qian spoke up. "I will grant you the right to borrow fifth-grade and sixth-grade pill formulas. However, you may only read them after you have earned Elder Huo's approval."
He was still worried about Jiang Yun, afraid the young man would not be able to resist temptation. So he added an extra condition.
"Alright."
With the conditions set, Jiang Yun took out a scroll. It contained the blueprints for the first and second-grade Spirit-Gathering Arrays he had created.
Su Qian took the scroll and noticed how neat it looked. He grumbled inwardly but did not point it out. He carefully studied the blueprints in his hand. After a long while, he sighed in amazement.
"I never thought arrays could be laid out like this in this world. Truly ingenious."
Then his tone shifted, and he asked doubtfully, "Is the Spirit-Gathering Stone truly indispensable?"
"If you want the array to last for a long time, the Spirit-Gathering Stone is essential," Jiang Yun explained. "For temporary use, it is not needed. Like the one I set up for Zi Yan."
"I will do my best to find one." Su Qian nodded after thinking for a moment.
"Actually, I have another idea. But I do not know if the Grand Elder will agree."
Jiang Yun spoke up again, his eyes unusually bright.
Su Qian's heart skipped a beat. He spoke in a low voice. "Speak."
"If I am not mistaken, a strange fire is sealed at the bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, is it not?" Jiang Yun said with a mysterious smile, his tone certain.
"How do you know that?" Su Qian replied instinctively. Then he realized and said with understanding, "Ah, of course. You possess a strange fire yourself. Strange fires can sense each other. It cannot be hidden from you."
Since Su Qian had misunderstood, Jiang Yun did not correct him. He continued, "I have been inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Its effects reminded me of the 'Fallen Heart Flame,' ranked fourteenth on the Strange Fire List."
"The Fallen Heart Flame has the ability to refine Dou Qi and accelerate cultivation. If we use the Fallen Heart Flame as the array's core, the Spirit-Gathering Array's effects will be twice as effective with half the effort."
To be honest, Su Qian was tempted. If this succeeded, it would benefit not only the academy but also him and the other elders.
"I must return and discuss this with the other elders."
Leaving those words behind, Su Qian departed with Elder Huo and Elder Qing. As Elder Huo and Elder Qing left, they did not forget to give Jiang Yun a kind smile.
Watching their retreating figures, Jiang Yun's deep gaze fixed on the direction of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. A quiet murmur drifted on the wind.
"I hope this works."
Time passed quickly. A year flashed by in an instant.
After handing over the Spirit-Gathering Array to Su Qian and proposing the idea of using the Fallen Heart Flame as the array's core, Su Qian had initially sent people to search for the Spirit-Gathering Stone.
Unfortunately, the differences between the two worlds were too great. Perhaps in this world, the Spirit-Gathering Stone was not even called the Spirit-Gathering Stone. The Jia Nan Academy found nothing.
Then, three months ago, Su Qian came to inform Jiang Yun that the academy had agreed to his plan. It was worth a try. However, the academy needed time to prepare to prevent the Fallen Heart Flame from going berserk.
Jiang Yun was not in a hurry. Over the past year, after obtaining the status of an alchemy student, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to studying alchemy, shoring up the gaps in his foundation.
In that one year, Jiang Yun repeatedly shattered the alchemy department's expectations. He passed the first-grade alchemist exam in one month. Two months later, he became a second-grade alchemist. Four months later, a third-grade alchemist. Seven months later, a fourth-grade alchemist. And just half a month ago, Jiang Yun had successfully broken through to become a fifth-grade alchemist.
This astonishing speed left everyone stunned. Their worldviews were completely shattered. Jiang Yun earned the title "Little Medicine Saint."
After he reached fourth-grade alchemist, the students who had opposed him before became extremely respectful. They would say things like "No discord, no concord," and "Senior Jiang, please do not take it to heart."
Jiang Yun was now the most untouchable student in the Inner Academy. This was not only because of his alchemy skills but also because he had reached the peak of Dou Ling.
One month ago, Feng Wuchen, the second-ranked fighter on the Strong Ranking, challenged Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun defeated him in three moves. From then on, Jiang Yun sat firmly at the top of the Strong Ranking, his prestige unmatched.
Looking at the large purple cocoon before him, Jiang Yun could feel the vigorous aura inside. He had not expected Zi Yan's breakthrough to take so long. Was it because of her bloodline awakening earlier?
He approached the glowing cocoon and spoke to himself. "I did not expect you to go into seclusion for a whole year, Zi Yan. Now it is my turn. I do not know how long it will be until we meet again. I have refined some pills for you. Enough to last a long time."
As if hearing his words, the large cocoon flickered slightly.
Jiang Yun smiled softly, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Do not worry. I will be fine."
"I am leaving now."
The door slowly closed. Jiang Yun's determined figure headed toward the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Creak.
He slowly pushed open the heavy iron door. Accompanied by the grating sound of the hinges turning, a wave of scorching heat surged out as if it had been sealed away for countless years.
Clack, clack, clack.
The lowest level, where no one usually set foot, welcomed a young figure today.
Jiang Yun walked slowly to a deep hole about ten zhang wide in the central area. Crimson light extended upward like a pillar, driving away the darkness.
As he neared the deep hole at the center, the air grew hotter and hotter. The fire-attributed energy within also became purer and purer.
Staring at the invisible fire python lying quietly in the hole, Jiang Yun remained silent. His eyes flickered uncertainly.
After a moment, Jiang Yun looked away and began surveying his surroundings. Soon after, he raised his hand. One Spirit Seal after another began to appear, falling methodically onto special nodes.
Dozens of Spirit Seals merged into the air, forming faint points of light barely visible to the naked eye. With a thought from Jiang Yun, those points extended threads of light that intersected and connected with each other.
In just one hour, he had finished laying out a Spirit-Gathering Array that enveloped the entire Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Humm.
The moment the array took shape, the surrounding energy of heaven and earth began to rapidly converge on the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. This scene naturally attracted the attention of Su Qian and the others outside.
"It worked."
Su Qian and several elders, including Elder Qing, exchanged glances. Undisguised joy appeared on their faces.
"The Spirit-Gathering Array is complete. Inform the students that the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower will reopen in three days. Tell them to prepare well and not miss this opportunity." Su Qian was the first to recover his composure. He gave the order to Elder Liu.
"Understood." Elder Liu acknowledged. Then he asked curiously, "Grand Elder, why has Jiang Yun not come out?"
Elder Liu was the one who had shown Jiang Yun kindness the first time he entered the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. He now felt incredibly proud of his own judgment. Back then, he had merely thought well of Jiang Yun.
He had never expected the young man to bring him such a pleasant surprise. In just one year, Jiang Yun had reached the peak of Dou Ling and become a fifth-grade alchemist.
A few days ago, Jiang Yun had refined a fifth-grade Dragon Strength Pill for him. Now Elder Liu found Jiang Yun more and more pleasing. He treated him almost like his own grandson.
Seeing Jiang Yun still absent, Elder Liu asked with some concern.
"Jiang Yun has rendered great service to the academy. I have granted him permission to cultivate at the bottom of the tower for a while."
Su Qian stroked his white beard and answered Elder Liu's question with a beaming smile. He even teased, "Elder Liu, I am afraid that by the time Jiang Yun comes out of seclusion, he will already be a Dou Wang."
"My, my. A Dou Wang at eleven or twelve years old. Jiang Yun's future is limitless."
"Heh heh. Wonderful. Jiang Yun is a child of our Jia Nan Academy. The better he does, the happier I am."
"Come. Let us also make our preparations and try out this new Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. See if we can reach a higher level. Otherwise, before we know it, Jiang Yun will catch up to us."
Down at the bottom of the tower, Jiang Yun could already clearly feel the surrounding energy of heaven and earth thickening. His cultivation speed had increased by about thirty percent.
That was already a significant improvement.
After finishing the array, Jiang Yun took a deep breath and once again approached the central hole.
Hiss.
Unlike before, a giant fire python was now coiled at the entrance, its enormous head facing Jiang Yun. The serpentine pupils, formed of invisible flames, stared unblinkingly at him.
If a timid person had come here, they would probably have been scared out of their wits.
But Jiang Yun seemed to have expected this. He was not surprised by the Fallen Heart Flame's appearance. He calmly gazed at it and slowly spoke. "Now, it is just you and me."
As his voice faded, Jiang Yun leaped into the air. A pair of black-and-white wings slowly unfurled behind his back, flapping gently. He jumped straight down into the deep hole.
He had already reached the peak of Dou Ling. At this stage, one could temporarily summon Dou Qi wings. Given the purity of Jiang Yun's Dou Qi, this was well within his ability.
Roar.
The invisible fire python that was the Fallen Heart Flame roared. It turned its serpentine head, twisted its body, and swiftly chased after Jiang Yun.
Hot wind howled past his ears as Jiang Yun slid down the hole. The closer he got to the magma world below, the hotter the air became.
This seemingly endless descent continued for quite some time before Jiang Yun's field of vision suddenly opened up.
Before him lay an endless world of magma. Giant bubbles rose from the magma and burst, releasing waves of scorching heat mixed with wisps of white smoke.
Jiang Yun flapped his wings and stabilized his body in midair above this magma world.
Roar.
The fire python that had followed close behind let out a loud roar. Greed flashed in its eyes.
"Come. Success or failure rests on this moment." As if he had been waiting for this, Jiang Yun spread his arms wide in an embracing gesture. He let out a clear, bright laugh and quietly watched the Fallen Heart Flame.
Roar.
In his jet-black pupils, the invisible flame rushed toward him. The sea of fire surged, and Jiang Yun's figure disappeared above the magma. With the Fallen Heart Flame gone, this space returned to its ancient, eternal silence.
Hot. Unbearably hot.
Not only was the surface of his body scorching, but the inside of his body was also beginning to feel feverish. As an invisible flame, the Fallen Heart Flame could use human emotions as fuel to ignite from within. It could even attack one's soul directly.
Around him, the magma was crimson red, like fresh blood. About one zhang away from his body, a mass of invisible flames burned fiercely, trying to refine him. However, a faint green light protected the surface of his body.
It ensured he was not burned to ashes in an instant.
At this moment, Jiang Yun felt a pain that penetrated to the bone. It hurt so much that he grimaced. He spoke hoarsely, "That really hurts."
"This is probably the most pathetic I have ever looked, isn't it?"
"Xiao Yun, you were reckless this time." Qing Ming's figure slowly materialized beside him. The illusionary face was filled with disapproval and reproach.
"Senior Qing Ming, this was a choice I had to make." Jiang Yun's expression returned to calm. His delicate face bore an unprecedented determination.
"But…" Qing Ming hesitated. He looked around at the invisible flames and asked in confusion, "Can this flame truly deal with 'Him'?"
Jiang Yun grinned after hearing this. He spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know."
"You… you are being absurd!" Qing Ming was so furious that his figure became even more illusionary. If Jiang Yun's condition were not so precarious, he would probably have already lashed out.
"Heh heh. Since it has come to this, you can only trust me. Trust that I will succeed." Jiang Yun's face broke into another smile, helping Qing Ming regain his composure.
Sigh.
"If you fail in the end, I will do my best to preserve your soul." In the end, Qing Ming relented. His words were sharp, but his heart was soft.
"Thank you." Jiang Yun felt a trace of warmth in his heart. He thought to himself, For your sakes, I will not fail.
"'Saint Demon Emperor,' will you not come out and see an old friend?"