Xiao Tian knocked on the door in front of him, which then opened automatically, and Xiao Tian walked in.
At a table, he saw Elder Su Qian, the Great Elder of the Inner Academy, sitting behind a desk, handling academy affairs.
"Great Elder, what can I do for you?"
Xiao Tian bowed respectfully to Su Qian.
"It's nothing particularly big. I just wanted to chat with you for a bit. Please, have a seat." Su Qian tidied up all the documents in front of him and looked at Xiao Tian with a smile.
Xiao Tian sat down directly in the spot Su Qian indicated. Su Qian waved his hand, and a tea set appeared. With a series of movements that seemed slow but were actually very elegant, he poured Xiao Tian a cup of tea.
"This is Cloud Mist, Green Bud. It can calm the mind, relieve fatigue, and increase energy absorption. Cultivating in this state can boost your cultivation speed."
Xiao Tian picked up the teacup and took a small sip. His mind cleared, and he could feel the free-floating energy of heaven and earth.
"Great Elder, taking out such a fine item, I imagine it's not just for a simple chat, is it?"
Su Qian was slightly taken aback by Xiao Tian's directness, then smiled and said, "Then I won't beat around the bush. Is the flame you displayed earlier a Heavenly Flame?"
"Yes, it is indeed a Heavenly Flame. He summoned his Heavenly Flame"
A deep green flame with flickering lightning constantly floated on Xiao Tian's palm.
"Your flame looks quite peculiar. On the surface, it is like a flame, but inside fill with life energy. It must be called the Life Spirit Flame, ranked fifth on the Heavenly Flame list.
"Young friend Xiao Tian, I came to you this time to discuss something, or perhaps to try something."
Great Elder Su Qian stroked his beard and smiled.
"What is it?"
Xiao Tian guessed it was about the Fallen Heart Flame and didn't rush to agree.
"Could we move to another location? I'll tell you once we're there, and then you can consider it."
"Alright."
Seeing Xiao Tian agree, Su Qian stood up directly, grabbed his arm, and disappeared from the room, reappearing in another place.
The entire space was a faint red. In the center of the space was a huge, deep pit, and above it was a massive, mysterious-patterned dome. Around them sat many elders from the Inner Academy, mostly of Dou Wang strength. They stood up, bowed to Su Qian, and then returned to their original positions, reinforcing the protective shield. They were very puzzled by the Great Elder bringing Xiao Tian here but were sensible enough not to ask too many questions.
Under Su Qian's lead, Xiao Tian arrived in front of the deep pit. The closer they got to the opening, the higher the temperature inside. Looking into the pit, the entire opening wasn't black but red. Looking down, all that met the eye was scorching, flowing magma.
Xiao Tian knew that the Fallen Heart Flame was within this magma.
"Is this the aura of a Heavenly Flame?"
Xiao Tian feigned surprise and confusion.
"Yes, this is our academy's biggest secret, and also the core foundation of the Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda. What lies within is the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."
Great Elder Su Qian looked at the pit below with a complex expression. He both loved and hated this Heavenly Flame. Its existence allowed the Inner Academy to flourish, but it was also a danger. In recent years, it had even been erupting intermittently.
"I came this time hoping to use your Heavenly Flame to see if we can ascertain the current state of the Fallen Heart Flame. If we can suppress it, that would be even better."
Su Qian then briefly explained the origin of the Fallen Heart Flame and its condition over the past few years to Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian didn't speak, but controlled his Heavenly Flame to appear in his hand. As Xiao Tian's Heavenly Flame emerged, the underground magma suddenly began to surge, churning continuously. A giant, translucent Fire Python appeared below the pit's opening, its massive head looking upwards.
Xiao Tian's Life Spirit Flame seemed provoked, flying from Xiao Tian's hand and forming a giant Dragon above the protective shield, roaring continuously at the depths below.
As the two sides stared at each other, the Fire Python suddenly retreated into the magma. Xiao Tian noticed a hint of fear in its eyes. Though it was only for a very brief moment, he still caught it.
As the Fire Python burrowed into the magma, the Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame also reverted to a Heavenly Flame and returned to Xiao Tian's body.
"Great Elder, this Heavenly Flame has developed sentience. In this magma world its strength will keep growing. With your current shield, it may not hold for more than half a year." Xiao Tian warned.
Su Qian sighed. He had felt the Fallen Heart Heavenly Flame's assaults grow stronger each year and had to reinforce the shield repeatedly. His Dou Qi expenditure kept rising, and he felt increasingly powerless.
"Do you have a solution? Can your Heavenly Flame suppress it?" Su Qian asked, hope flickering in his eyes. He wondered if this prodigious youth might offer a way.
Xiao Tian shook his head. He could use his last Dou Zong experience card and his Heavenly Flame to handle the threat, but he had no interest in playing with flames—he'd rather leave it to Xiao Yan.
"I do have a method," Xiao Tian said. "You could have the person who set up this protective shield come and rearrange or add reinforcements. That could make it last at least a century."
"You can tell this shield has been here a long time and is severely worn. Its remaining power is probably under thirty percent of its peak." Su Qian murmured. The shield had been left by his elusive dean, whom he could not find. The dean had been absent for decades.
"If the Fallen Heart Heavenly Flame erupts, the Inner Academy could be consumed." Su Qian's sigh made him look ten years older. The academy was his life's work.
"I have another way, but the Inner Academy might decline afterward. It would at least preserve the academy. It depends on what you're willing to give up." Su Qian's voice trembled with urgency.
Xiao Tian's earlier words had excited him; the latter left him frozen, his expression shifting.
"Tell me the method." Su Qian's eyes burned.
"My method is to release the Fallen Heart Heavenly Flame before it reaches full strength. Then I'll have people from Boundless Heaven Divine Palace come to assist and completely resolve the problem." Xiao Tian proposed.
Su Qian stared. He had met members of Boundless Heaven Divine Palace before—once two had come: one claiming to be the Palace Master's wife, who held final decision power, and another a Supreme Elder whose strength had terrified Su Qian. He felt he would be no match for such power.