Chapter 202: Fallen Heart Flame, Eruption!
"Xiao Yuan?"
A startled voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
The white-robed figure slowly stood up, turned his head, and smiled. "It's me. Senior Lin, it's been a while!"
"It's really you? What are you doing here?" Lin Xiuyai asked curiously.
Xiao Yan wasn't surprised, having known beforehand, but seeing Xiao Yuan waiting here like this still piqued his interest.
Normally, his third brother would only be here to cultivate, but judging by the current situation, it seemed he didn't intend to continue cultivating.
"Cultivation!" Xiao Yuan chuckled, then turned to Su Qian and clasped his hands respectfully. "Elder, everything is ready."
Su Qian nodded at his words, then turned his head toward the top ten of the Strong Ranking, pointing to ten specially crafted jade platforms beside Xiao Yuan, and smiled. "Take a seat."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others quickly obeyed and each found a jade platform to sit on.
As Xiao Yan sat down, he immediately felt a faint cool sensation seep into him. Sitting there, it was as if the intense heat from the outside world was completely blocked.
Seeing everyone seated, Su Qian finally turned to Xiao Yuan and nodded with a smile.
Xiao Yuan also nodded slightly, then turned and slowly approached the deep cave entrance. His hands formed seals with lightning speed before he let out a low and deep shout.
As his voice fell, waves of energy suddenly surged around the empty pit, and soon, a somewhat illusory ripple of energy gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.
As the ripple manifested, Xiao Yuan waved his hands, and a number of pale white orbs the size of human heads slowly floated out from the pit. They passed through the energy ripple and hovered about two meters above the ground, bobbing up and down.
After a while, ten light orbs appeared in front of Xiao Yan and the others.
Blinking, everyone looked at the egg-like white orbs in confusion.
Seeing the confused faces, Su Qian smiled faintly. With a wave of his sleeve, the color of the pale white orbs rapidly faded, eventually turning transparent and revealing what was inside.
As the color faded, what appeared within the orbs was a mass of fire that seemed invisible yet could still be seen with the naked eye. These flames slowly rose within each orb, but the temperature appeared completely isolated by the barrier, as Xiao Yan and the others could not sense any heat at all.
"This is the Origin Heart Flame," Su Qian said calmly as he gazed at the invisible flames. "This kind of flame is extremely rare and difficult to obtain. Every year, we expend great effort to secure just three to four of them, and that's if we're lucky. For those above the Dou Wang class, it's of little use, but for those below, it can pave the way to breakthrough. However, it carries significant risk—body refinement is painful and hard to endure. One misstep can lead to failure and even serious internal injuries."
After speaking, Su Qian glanced at Xiao Yuan.
Recently, Xiao Yuan had managed to capture two more Origin Heart Flames within a month. Possessing a Heavenly Flame and having immense strength, even Dou Huang level Elders couldn't match his efficiency, leaving Su Qian quite impressed.
"Elder, what's the success rate for body refinement with the Origin Heart Flame in past years?" someone in the crowd asked carefully.
"Among the top ten in each Strong Ranking that undergo this refinement, the failure rate is not low. Half of them usually fail." Su Qian's nonchalant tone made some foreheads break into cold sweat. A fifty-percent failure rate… wasn't that a bit too high?
"The Dou Wang class is the watershed for experts on the continent. You all at peak Dou Ling level should know how difficult it is to ascend. Without enough luck, staying at that level forever is entirely possible."
Su Qian glanced sideways at Lin Xiuyai and Liu Qing, speaking unhurriedly.
"If you're unwilling to accept the refinement, you may speak up. These Origin Heart Flames are precious. If they can be conserved, all the better."
Hearing this, everyone exchanged looks but no one backed down. As Su Qian said, breaking through to Dou Wang was too difficult. If they passed up this chance, they might regret it forever.
"Since there are no objections, close your eyes and calm your minds. Do not be distracted. If anything goes wrong, we will step in."
Seeing no one speak, Su Qian waved his hand. The ten light orbs shot up and hovered over each person's head. Then, under their focused gazes, they suddenly shattered with a pop, and the invisible flames dropped straight down into their heads.
As the flames entered their bodies, all ten began trembling to varying degrees. Their faces flushed red like burning coal, and wisps of white mist seeped from their foreheads.
Seeing this, Su Qian nodded slightly and instructed Xiao Yuan, "Keep a close watch. Don't let anything go wrong."
Xiao Yuan nodded calmly. With his speed and skills, he could easily handle it.
After all, he had just undergone this very process not long ago.
Su Qian trusted him and soon turned his gaze toward the massive deep cave behind them. He frowned slightly and asked, "How's the Fallen Heart Flame lately? Any activity?"
At the question, Xiao Yuan's face turned serious. He quickly replied, "I was just about to tell you. Recently, the Fallen Heart Flame has been extremely calm—so calm that not even the slightest ripple has appeared. I asked two elders, and they said it's never been this quiet before. I think something's wrong."
"No movement?" Su Qian's expression darkened. The Fallen Heart Flame had always been trying to break through the seal. Why would it suddenly go completely silent? Something abnormal was definitely going on. Was it preparing something?
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Su Qian's expression grew heavier. After a pause, he asked, "How's the seal?"
"A few days ago, I gathered all the elders from the Inner Academy—eighteen in total—and spent five days completely repairing the damaged areas."
"But Elder, the power of a Heavenly Flame is extraordinary. The Fallen Heart Flame has already developed intelligence. I fear it may be planning something big. I have a feeling a storm is brewing."
"Even though the outer layers of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower are protected by the Dean's seal, that beast's strange behavior suggests it might have found a way to break through. I think we should prepare in advance."
Su Qian nodded solemnly. "Yes, you possess a Heavenly Flame yourself, so you know its terror. I trust your judgment. I'll send more people nearby. If anything happens, send the signal immediately. I've already notified the Outer Academy—if something goes wrong, they'll respond swiftly."
"Don't worry, Elder. If anything happens, I'll signal right away. Leave the students here to me."
Knowing Su Qian was still uneasy and might want to investigate personally, Xiao Yuan nodded earnestly.
"Good. I'll check the situation myself. Take care of things here."
Su Qian nodded in appreciation, then disappeared in a flash.
As he watched Su Qian vanish, a glimmer flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes.
This eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame was inevitable. Rather than worrying about the seal, it would be better to shut down the Refining Tower and evacuate all students and instructors in advance!
Regaining focus, Xiao Yuan turned his attention to the top ten students undergoing body refinement.
As expected, Xiao Yan showed no problems. But after about an hour, one student began showing strange symptoms. His previously flushed face turned pale, and his body trembled violently, as if in convulsions.
Though Xiao Yuan didn't recognize the student, he naturally wouldn't ignore his duty. With a flash, he appeared beside him, placed a hand lightly on the student's back, and injected his Dou Qi mixed with Heavenly Flame, instantly devouring the Origin Heart Flame inside him.
The trembling lessened, but the student's pale face turned crimson again, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The blood sizzled as it hit the ground, releasing white smoke and leaving only a faint red stain behind.
After spitting blood, the student slowly opened his eyes. He clearly realized he had failed. His eyes filled with disappointment and helplessness.
"Rest for a while. Failing this isn't unusual. With your talent, you won't be stuck at Dou Wang forever."
Xiao Yuan smiled in reassurance.
The student clearly recognized Xiao Yuan's reputation but didn't understand how he had suddenly become an Inner Academy elder. He wanted to ask, but another student suddenly started convulsing. Xiao Yuan shrugged helplessly and immediately flashed over to resolve it as before.
The failure of the first two seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Within an hour, three more failed. Despite Xiao Yuan's incredible speed, he was kept quite busy.
After dealing with the last problematic student, Xiao Yuan looked at the remaining five. Their flushed faces still showed stable auras. He breathed a sigh of relief—they had passed the most dangerous phase. As long as nothing went seriously wrong, they should succeed.
"Still a fifty percent success rate," Xiao Yuan muttered, shaking his head with a sigh.
Then he turned to the five dejected students and smiled. "Rest for now. I'll send you out of the tower soon."
With that, Xiao Yuan closed his eyes and began meditating on his jade platform, not giving the five any chance to ask questions.
Two hours later, Xiao Yuan opened his eyes.
"Let's go. I'll escort you out. Move quickly—the tower isn't safe lately, and I need to keep watch here."
With that, Xiao Yuan rose and walked away.
The five exchanged glances, then followed him.
After swiftly escorting them out, Xiao Yuan returned and didn't resume cultivating. He sat quietly in place.
By the third day, the body refinement of the others was nearing completion. The flush on their faces slowly faded, and waves of energy of varying intensity rose from their bodies. Though not much stronger than before, the energy was clearly more solidified.
But just as they were about to succeed, deep in the lowest floor of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, Su Qian's expression suddenly changed...
(END CHAPTER)
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