Chapter 47: Intelligence!
"Old man Su, can we go now? I'm in a hurry to get back so Xiao Yun can refine some pills for me."
Just as Su Qian and the grey-robed elder were constantly examining the Fallen Heart Flame in their hands, Zi Yan, still holding Jiang Yun's hand, grew impatient.
"Ah —" Startled by Zi Yan's outburst, Su Qian realized he had lost his composure. His aged face flushed slightly. He coughed lightly and said cheerfully, "You two have worked hard recently. Go back and rest well. Cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Do not push yourselves too hard."
"Tch —, I know, I know!" Listening to Su Qian's nagging, Zi Yan shook her head impatiently, looking just like a poor student listening to a teacher's lecture.
Seeing that Su Qian showed signs of continuing, Zi Yan immediately pulled Jiang Yun and flew out of the tower.
"This girl —" Watching their departing figures, Su Qian sighed helplessly.
The elder beside him, however, sneered inwardly. Grand Elder, please try to hide the wrinkles on your face. You are smiling so widely, yet you are still acting so tsundere.
"Grand Elder."
"Grand Elder." (xN)
After Zi Yan and Jiang Yun left, Su Qian and the other elder did not linger at the bottom of the tower. In a short while, they arrived at the top.
Then...
All the elders present crowded around Su Qian. They had already learned the news about the Fallen Heart Flame from Jiang Yun, who had arrived earlier, but that did not diminish their curiosity.
Everyone jostled each other, looking excitedly at the juvenile Fallen Heart Flame burning quietly in Su Qian's palm.
They had to admit, seeing the once-massive Fallen Heart Flame fire python become so tiny was quite disorienting.
"So this is that little thing we all loved and hated? I have guarded it for twenty-three years. Let me see it."
"I have guarded it for thirty-eight years, young man. Move aside. Do not push me..."
"Everyone, make way. I have fire-attributed Dou Qi. Raising this 'little one' is a job for me..."
...
These Inner Academy elders had guarded the Fallen Heart Flame for as many years as they had been tormented by it. Now, seeing the culprit reduced to this state, they were overjoyed.
Some elders were not satisfied with just looking at the juvenile heart flame. They could not resist reaching out to touch it, to rub it.
The juvenile Fallen Heart Flame, surrounded by these academy elders who were at least Dou Wang experts, looked so weak, pitiful, and helpless.
How the tables had turned!
Before, this little thing had tormented them unbearably. Now, it was their turn to act like 'daddies'.
Just as the Fallen Heart Flame was about to reach its limit, Su Qian put on a stern, imposing expression and said, "All of you are advanced in years. What kind of behavior is this?"
Hearing this, some elders reined in their actions, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Elder Wang, you will handle the aftermath at the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. The evacuation and placement of the students must not be mishandled. Elders Su and Li, the few of you with fire-attributed Dou Qi will research a method to cultivate the Fallen Heart Flame. The rest of you, return to your respective duties."
"Yes."
Exiting the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Jiang Yun and Zi Yan saw many students gathered around to observe. Among them were quite a few unfamiliar faces.
Truth be told, he was now considered a senior student of the Inner Academy. The strong fighters on the Strong Ranking from his year had already successfully graduated and left the academy.
Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Jiang Yun was slightly startled. He saw several familiar yet unfamiliar figures.
There was a refined young man in a green shirt, handsome and elegant, always appearing calm and unruffled.
There was also a man carrying a long spear, his face resolute and domineering, exuding a sharp, imposing aura from head to toe.
And there was a silver-haired beauty with a cold, aloof demeanor, radiating an icy, snow-lotus-like temperament.
Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, Han Yue, Lin Yan... one by one, characters from the original story were beginning to appear.
Sensing their auras, Jiang Yun judged that they had probably just entered the Inner Academy not long ago. Their strength was still around six or seven-star Da Dou Shi.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes. So it is already this time, huh?
Without stepping forward to greet them, Jiang Yun silently led Zi Yan toward their dormitory.
"Eh —, those two are terrifying. Does the Inner Academy have such people?" In the crowd, Lin Xiuya abandoned his usual indifferent, smiling demeanor. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
"What is wrong with you?" Liu Qing, standing nearby, looked curiously at the young man. As new students of the same cohort, he and Lin Xiuya had always been in competition.
Although he disliked the other's fighting style, Liu Qing had to admit that Lin Xiuya was a genius and a troublesome opponent.
Seeing the expression on Lin Xiuya's face now, Liu Qing could not suppress his curiosity. He knew that even when facing figures on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking, Lin Xiuya had never shown such a look.
Facing Liu Qing's curious gaze, Lin Xiuya wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He glanced into the distance and found that the source of the feeling had disappeared. He shook his head and said with lingering fear, "Nothing. Perhaps it was an illusion."
Seeing that the other would not say more, Liu Qing did not press further. He returned to his cool, aloof expression.
Lin Xiuya, however, stared blankly at the ground and muttered, "Was it an illusion?"
As a wind-attributed practitioner, he had learned from the messages carried by the wind that two terrifying individuals had just walked out of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. From a distance, he had also seen two figures.
But he still found it hard to believe. The source of the dangerous feeling, even stronger than the Dou Wang elders, was actually two young people.
Wait...
Could it be those two...
Returning to their dormitory, Jiang Yun refined a few batches of pills for the gluttonous Zi Yan. Then the two went to their respective rooms to rest.
The long period of intense cultivation had left Jiang Yun feeling mentally exhausted. Without thinking too much, as soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
He slept until the third day, only then did Jiang Yun slowly wake up.
He got up and left his room. He immediately felt refreshed. The mental fatigue had been completely swept away.
He glanced at Zi Yan's room. Not sensing her aura, he did not know where she had run off to play.
Sitting in the courtyard, Jiang Yun silently pondered for a long time. His eyes flickered uncertainly.
Although he had luckily resolved the hidden danger within his body and gained many benefits from it, this did not mean that the suppressed Saint Demon Flame could now be safely absorbed.
The will of the Saint Demon Emperor contained within it still existed. The complete child flame was originally an existence comparable to Nihility Devouring Flame or Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. Even if Gu Yuan or Hun Tiandi came, they could not erase the imprint inside it.
If he continued to absorb it, he would inevitably repeat the same mistake. That was unacceptable to him. But giving up such a heaven-sent opportunity was something he was absolutely unwilling to accept.
After thinking for a long time, Jiang Yun let out a quiet sigh. It seems I still need to get my hands on the Burning Art.
According to the information left by the Saint Demon Emperor, the original owner of the Myriad Flames Imperishable Body had once fallen on the Dou Qi Continent. His origin had scattered across the continent and merged with various origins of the Dou Qi Continent, thus creating so many unique heavenly flames.
If that was the case, Jiang Yun had reason to suspect that the Burning Art — that unique cultivation method — might be the cultivation method of the Myriad Flames Imperishable Body, or at least part of it.
If his guess was correct, then the problem with the Saint Demon Flame would have a solution.
Both were at the peak of fire-attribute cultivation in the Great Thousand World. The only way to defeat magic was with magic.
Having made his decision, Jiang Yun rose to his full height and slowly walked toward the Grand Elder's office.
It is also time to meet our Medicine Emperor. I wonder if His Excellency the Medicine Emperor has unlocked the mystery of the Bodhi Transformation Saliva yet.
Arriving outside the Grand Elder's pavilion deep in the Inner Academy, the guards clearly recognized Jiang Yun. He passed through without any hindrance and reached Su Qian's room on the second floor.
"Grand Elder." Pushing the door open, Jiang Yun immediately saw Su Qian flipping through a register.
Jiang Yun's voice drew Su Qian's attention. He looked up and saw Jiang Yun entering. A look of surprise appeared on Su Qian's face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.
"How are you feeling? Refining a heavenly flame is not easy, is it? Have you rested well?"
Su Qian's tone was full of care. The day he saw Jiang Yun, he had noticed the exhausted mental state hidden beneath his deep aura.
"Thank you for your concern, Grand Elder. I am fine now." Jiang Yun felt warmth in his heart and spoke gently.
Su Qian nodded upon hearing this. Looking at Jiang Yun, who was gradually shedding his youthfulness and becoming more mature, he felt a surge of emotion. "Now that you have entered the Dou Wang realm, the academy has nothing left to teach you. What are your plans from here?"
Perhaps Su Qian himself did not realize that when he said these words, there was a hint of melancholy in his heart.
He had picked up both Jiang Yun and Zi Yan from the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Over the past few years, deep bonds had formed between them. Now, watching the two grow up and gain the ability to roam the continent, he felt a sense of loss in his heart.
There was both pride and deep reluctance.
He knew that Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's futures did not belong to the Jia Nan Academy. There was a much wider world waiting for them to explore. But at the same time, his heart was filled with disappointment.
Jiang Yun thought for a moment, then spoke the request he had prepared. "The Jia Nan Academy has its own spies in the Black-Corner Region, right? I would like to ask the Grand Elder to help me find out if anything major has happened in the Black-Corner Region over the past few years. Specifically, has there been any change in Maple City?"
A glint of light flashed in Su Qian's eyes. He immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Jiang Yun's words. He looked deeply at Jiang Yun and said in a grave tone, "You want to make a move against Han Feng?"
Jiang Yun nodded. To make a move against Han Feng, he and Zi Yan alone might be enough. However, Maple City still had many strong fighters within it. Moreover, they would have to guard against the jackals of the Black-Corner Region. This would require the power of the Jia Nan Academy.
And to borrow the academy's power, he could not bypass Su Qian. Besides, Jiang Yun had no intention of hiding this from him.
Seeing Jiang Yun admit it, Su Qian said cautiously, "Do you know who Han Feng is?"
Su Qian's tone was filled with strong caution. Before Jiang Yun could answer, he continued.
"He is a sixth-grade alchemist in the Black-Corner Region. There are even rumors that he has reached the seventh grade. With his influence, he can rally almost everyone in the Black-Corner Region at his call. Moreover, he himself is a peak Dou Huang expert. In the Black-Corner Region, almost no one is willing to be his enemy. And these are just old news. He himself has changed since then."
"I know all of this. But he has something I am interested in." Jiang Yun nodded calmly, speaking in an enigmatic tone — the pure language of the law of the jungle in this world.
"You are talking about the Bodhi Transformation Saliva." Su Qian looked deeply at Jiang Yun and said confidently.
A flicker of light passed through Jiang Yun's eyes. Although his primary target was not the Bodhi Transformation Saliva, since the other had misunderstood, he did not bother to explain further.
"After all, it is an opportunity for a Dou Sheng. Who would not be interested? Besides, I heard he also possesses a heavenly flame."
Su Qian's heart skipped a beat. Even though he had known about the existence of the Bodhi Transformation Saliva for a long time, his heart still burned at the mention of it.
That was a Dou Sheng!
A true peak expert of the continent.
Looking at Jiang Yun's determined expression, Su Qian was silent for a moment. Then he stood up and walked to a row of cabinets. After a complicated series of spatial operations, he took out a scroll from a box.
"This is what has been happening in Maple City lately."
Jiang Yun took the scroll handed over by Su Qian. As expected, the Jia Nan Academy had its own intelligence network in the Black-Corner Region, constantly monitoring its movements.
He slowly unrolled the scroll and carefully read the intelligence on it. After a moment, he had memorized it thoroughly.
Ever since the Dou Zun secret realm incident, several groups had descended upon Maple City. Among them were Dou Huang and even Dou Zong experts.
But as the lord of Maple City, Han Feng was equally cunning. He had been repeatedly refusing to show himself. The old foxes, afraid that attacking Maple City would cause Han Feng to completely flee, were also hesitant. If he ran, they would be left empty-handed.
As long as Maple City existed, they still held a sliver of hope — that Han Feng would not abandon such a large foundation and run. So, no one took advantage of his absence.
However, openly and covertly, everyone in the Black-Corner Region was indeed looking for Han Feng's whereabouts.
As for Han Feng, that guy could hold out. He had only appeared again a year ago.
As soon as he appeared, a battle broke out in Maple City. Han Feng also exposed his strength. He had already advanced to Dou Zong. Moreover, another Dou Zong was by his side.
Two Dou Zongs. This strength completely suppressed all kinds of evildoers in the Black-Corner Region. At that time, Han Feng made a grand announcement: he had advanced to seventh-grade alchemist.
He even took out a seventh-grade Instant Qi Pill for auction. At that point, everyone went crazy.
Maple City's prestige rose to another level. Every day, people came to Maple City seeking pills.
Han Feng turned no one away. Whether Dou Huang, Dou Wang, or Dou Ling, as long as they agreed to join Maple City, he would agree to their request and refine pills for them.
After a year of wildly recruiting underlings, Maple City had developed into the largest power in the Black-Corner Region.
Its influence was unmatched.
Jiang Yun looked at the intelligence in his hand. His heart sank. Han Feng's advancement to Dou Zong and seventh-grade alchemist was unexpected.
And there was that unknown Dou Zong as well.
The waters of Maple City were even deeper than he had thought.