The transition from the wild, blood-pumping adrenaline of the Hunting Competition to the heavy, solemn atmosphere of the Inner Academy was like stepping from a storm into a deep cavern.
The Inner Academy wasn't just a school; it was a sprawling city hidden within a massive mountain basin. The buildings were older, carved from a strange, dark stone that seemed to pulse with a faint, rhythmic heat. Xiao Chen walked alongside Xiao Yan and the rest of the 'Pan Gate' newcomers, his 8x Soul Perception mapping every shadow.
"So this is the place," Xiao Yan whispered, looking at the distant, massive structure that dominated the skyline.
Standing in the center of the basin was a tower that seemed to be buried in the earth rather than built upon it. Only its top few floors were visible above ground, constructed from pitch-black obsidian. This was the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
"Everyone, listen up!" Elder Su Qian's voice boomed as he stood before the tower's massive iron doors. "You have fought hard for your Fire Energy. Here, that energy is your lifeblood. One day of energy equals one day of cultivation in this tower. But beware—the deeper you go, the stronger the 'Heart Flame' becomes. If you overextend, your very soul will be turned to ash."
The First Descent
The iron doors groaned open, releasing a wave of dry, scorched air that made the students gasp. Chen stepped inside, and his 8x Neural Processing immediately flagged a massive anomaly.
[Infinite Doubling System]
Environmental Scan: Entering High-Density Fire Zone.
Detection: The Falling Heart Flame's "breath" is saturating the oxygen.
Analysis: Your 8x Foundation is currently acting as a lightning rod. The tower's energy is being drawn toward you at a rate 800% higher than a normal student.
"Brother Chen, are you okay?" Xiao Yan asked, noticing the faint emerald glow shimmering beneath Chen's skin.
"I'm better than okay, Yan-er," Chen replied, his voice a low vibrato. "I feel like I've finally found a place that can actually feed me."
They descended to the first level. The interior was a labyrinth of training rooms, each containing a stone platform. Students sat in meditative trances, their faces flushed red as they battled the "Invisible Flame" within their own bodies.
The Heart Flame's Trial
Xiao Yan sat down on a platform and began to cultivate. Within seconds, his face turned crimson, and a wisp of white steam rose from his head. He was experiencing the "Heart Flame"—the academy's secret weapon for accelerating cultivation by burning away the impurities in one's Dou Qi.
Chen walked to the furthest corner of the first level and sat down. He didn't just wait for the flame to find him; he opened his meridians and demanded it.
Whirr—
The air around Chen began to distort. A normal student received a tiny "spark" of Heart Flame. Because of the 8x Multiplier, Chen's body acted like a vacuum. The invisible fire rushed into his pores in a torrent.
Inside his Dantian, the Green Wood Flame Heart roared to life. Usually, the Heart Flame was an enemy to be tamed. To Chen, it was raw fuel. His 8x-multiplied meridians, tough as dragon-scale, didn't just withstand the heat—they absorbed it, refined it, and converted it into pure, liquid Dou Qi.
[Cultivation Speed: 16x Active (8x Talent * 2x Heart Flame Efficiency)]
[Progress toward 16x Multiplier: 15%... 16%... 17%...]
The rate of his absorption was so violent that a small whirlwind of sand and dust began to spin around his platform.
The Disturbance of the Elders
On a high balcony overlooking the training floor, two Elders—Elder Liu and Elder Lin—were monitoring the newcomers.
"Look at that kid, Xiao Yan," Elder Liu noted. "His control over the Heart Flame is exceptional. He might reach the second level within a month."
"Indeed," Elder Lin agreed. "But... look at the corner. Floor room 402."
The two elders froze. In room 402, the ambient Fire Qi of the entire floor was being sucked toward a single point. The red glow of the tower's walls was actually dimming in that specific area as the energy was drained.
"What is that?! Is the seal leaking?"
They rushed down to the floor, only to find Xiao Chen sitting calmly in the center of a literal Qi-storm. His skin was glowing with a brilliant emerald light, and the "Invisible Flame" was so thick around him it was becoming visible to the naked eye as a swirling translucent distortion.
"Stop him! He's going to trigger a tower-wide depletion!" Elder Liu shouted.
He reached out to touch Chen's shoulder to break his trance, but the moment his hand entered the 8x-pressure zone, his fingers were singed by a heat that felt ancient and primal.
"Don't touch me, Elder," Chen said, his eyes snapping open. The golden slits in his pupils were wider than ever, glowing with a terrifying intensity. "I'm just getting started."
The Realization of the 16x Path
Chen stood up, and the swirling fire-storm dissipated, absorbed entirely into his body. He felt his 8x-foundation groaning, expanding, reaching for that legendary 16x jump.
He looked at the stairs leading down to the second level.
"The first level is too thin," Chen said, his voice echoing through the silent training hall. "The fire here is just a flickering candle. I need the roar of the furnace."
He turned to the stunned Elders. "Which floor holds the primary seal? The place where the flame is the thickest?"
"The ninth level..." Elder Liu stammered, nursing his singed hand. "But no one below the rank of Dou Wang can even survive the air down there! It's certain death!"
Chen smiled—a sharp, confident grin that made the Elders' blood run cold.
"Death is a matter of perspective, Elder. To me, the ninth level sounds like a feast."
He turned to Xiao Yan, who had just finished his first cycle. "Yan-er, keep the Pan Gate steady. I'm going down. I have a date with the heart of this mountain."
As Chen disappeared into the stairwell leading deeper into the darkness, the tower itself let out a low, mournful groan—a sound of the Falling Heart Flame recognizing that its predator was no longer outside the cage, but inside it.