Fighting Soul Clan Demoness

Chapter 630 Heart Flame Refines the Heart (3k4, Bonus Chapter)
Canaan College was indeed a place that brought her joy.

Looking back at the recruitment fair, Xiao Yan didn't have many distracting thoughts. He just wanted to give this girl who disguised herself with a smile a relatively relaxed time, which eventually led to an inseparable bond with her.

Give him a wooden peach, and give him a Qiongyao in return.

Every sip and every bite is predestined.

Xiao Yan seemed to have a sudden realization.

When he fought against Venerable Huangquan, he used the Flame Dividing Wave Ruler to successfully knock his opponent down from his cultivation level with an attack far exceeding his own strength.

After that, no matter how much Xiao Yan tried to understand and replicate that moment of inspiration, he could never do it again. This feeling of being neither here nor there even made him think for a time that it was just an illusion.

But now, he has unexpectedly discovered this opportunity within Canaan Academy, a truly serendipitous turn of events.

"I originally thought that the path of birth and death contained in the Yin-Yang Twin Flames was the highest path, but in fact, it seems that this is not the case."

"If the Dao of birth and death is the reason for the birth of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames, then the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame represents the Dao of Body Refinement, and the Void Devouring Flame represents the Dao of Devouring. They are not superior or inferior, but they are stronger or weaker. This cycle repeats itself, which is how the current Strange Flame Ranking was established."

"And assuming that the truth is as I suspect, then the Burning Technique is not merely a cultivation method, but a tool for integrating the Dao!"

As the thought flashed through his mind, Xiao Yan's pupils immediately contracted.

He had a vague premonition that he had stumbled upon a field he had never explored before, or rather, had been overlooked.

A faint fluctuation, almost akin to the Dao, quietly emerged from Xiao Yan's body, but it subsided again after only a moment.

The understanding of the 'Tao' is far beyond what ordinary people can grasp, let alone Xiao Yan, whose soul has collapsed and whose mind has been turned into demonic possession.

Sensing the increasingly intense emotions within him, Xiao Yan forcibly suppressed his inner turmoil and forced himself to regain his composure.

Ever since Hun Ruoruo left, his emotions seemed to have been magnified many times over, becoming not just negative, but more like a complete whole.

It's almost like...
Like
It's as if she's projecting her emotions onto herself.

Thinking of this, a glimmer of light flashed in Xiao Yan's indifferent pupils, but he then shook his head in annoyance.

"How can it be"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned and left.

After crossing the vast square, Xiao Yan intended to visit the Demon Palace as it stands today, but was unexpectedly blocked by a crowd of students.

With Xiao Yan's eyesight, even without using his soul power, he could easily see the area where everyone was gathered, which was none other than the arena where he had sparred with Liu Qing in the past.

However, not only has the arena changed, but the spectators have also changed many times over.

Replacing the old peachwood charms with new ones is also a kind of cycle.

"Ok?"

Upon seeing the person on the arena, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly froze.

Lin Yan.

After the battle at Starfall Pavilion ended, Lin Yan ignored Mu Qingluan and the others' attempts to persuade him to stay and resolutely left Starfall Pavilion without seeking any reward. He didn't even get to see Xiao Yan.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that they had returned to Canaan College.

"Come on, you little brats, don't say I'm bullying you. Call out the strongest one and let me see how this rebuilt Canaan Academy compares to the previous world!"

Lin Yan casually grabbed a machete that was placed to the side, weighed it in his hand for a few moments, then hoisted it onto his shoulder and laughed loudly.

Upon hearing this, the students below the stage turned pale, clearly terrified of Lin Yan's methods.

This is a senior who went to Zhongzhou to make his way in the world!

Let alone ordinary students, even the top experts on the ranking list could not last three moves against him, and that was under the premise that he deliberately suppressed his cultivation.

However, just as the disciples were starting to flinch, a blood-red figure flashed up from below the stage like a ghost and stood on the other side of the arena.

"That's Wu Hao!"

The students recognized the person and their faces lit up with ecstatic joy, exclaiming in surprise:

"Senior Wu Hao has actually emerged from seclusion! With his strength as the number one on the ranking list, he'll definitely teach this arrogant guy a lesson!"

"Wu Hao?" Lin Yan's face also showed some surprise.

He had a close relationship with Wu Hao when they worked together in the Demon Palace, so he was naturally a little surprised to see an old acquaintance now.

Upon seeing his old friend whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Lin Yan's expression immediately relaxed considerably. He asked in surprise, "It's been so long! How come you're still hanging around in the academy? I thought you had already graduated."

Wu Hao: "."

After a long silence, Wu Hao, who was not good at expressing himself, showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes and said softly, "At my age, I am not yet ready to graduate."

Upon hearing this, not only Lin Yan, but even Xiao Yan, who was silently observing, was momentarily stunned.

Yes, the graduation age for Canaan College is exactly twenty-five.

If they hadn't left Canaan Academy for Central Continent, they would probably still be enjoying their time at the academy, just like Wu Hao.

Unfortunately, everyone has different goals and different burdens. How difficult it is for them to advance and retreat together.
In the end, they were just passersby.

Lin Yan, for example, has only improved by one star since their last encounter, and is still far from reaching the Dou Zong level.

As for Wu Hao, three years have passed, and he has only barely stepped into the threshold of the high-level Dou Wang realm. He will never have the qualification to spar with him again in this lifetime.

However, they did not choose to give up. Wu Hao, who had suffered repeated defeats in the past, had successfully become the number one on the Strongest Ranking, while Lin Yan had also made a name for himself in the Starfall Pavilion battle and had become quite famous in Zhongzhou.
This is determination, a determination to see things through to the end.

Xiao Yan revealed a hint of relief, and it seemed as if invisible fire pythons were quietly leaping in his pupils. On the arena, the sparring between Wu Hao and Lin Yan had already quietly begun.

Even with his cultivation suppressed, Lin Yan's strength still surprised everyone present. Not only were his attacks cunning and fierce, but his extremely ugly duck-like gait left everyone breathless and unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Wu Hao was equally determined. Although he was in the academy, as a member of the enforcement team, he had also experienced life and death in the Black Corner Region and managed to withstand Lin Yan's relentless attacks.

The two fought more and more fiercely, and the students who originally harbored a lot of resentment towards Lin Yan couldn't help but feel worried for Wu Hao.

The fierce battle between the fighting kings even alarmed half of the inner courtyard. In just a short while, a cursing red-haired old man arrived and tried his best to strengthen the barrier that was on the verge of breaking.

Just as the two had exchanged a hundred blows, Lin Yan's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he abruptly reversed the cleaver in mid-air. With a swift movement, the back of the blade slammed into Wu Hao's wrist, knocking the heavy sword from his hand and sending it crashing heavily to the ground some distance away.

"Buzz!"

A flash of cold light appeared on the tip of the blade, and Wu Hao's stiff face was reflected on the mirror-like surface of the blade.

"You flatter me," Lin Yan said with a smile.

"I lost." Wu Hao sighed, but showed no sign of resentment.

In an instant, cheers and applause erupted like thunder in the arena.

At Canaan Academy, strength is paramount. As long as one is strong enough, one can earn the praise of others. Even if Lin Yan defeats Wu Hao, he will not have any complaints. At most, he will only lament that he is not as skilled as Wu Hao.

"Now you know how strong your senior is, right?" Lin Yan patted him on the back and boasted with a smile, "Back in our year, I wasn't even the strongest. You guys still have a lot to learn!"

Wu Hao's eyes were strange: "Are you sure you want to compete in this?"

As expected, upon hearing Lin Yan's words, one of the students, who was already somewhat resentful, couldn't help but speak up:

"If I remember correctly, Senior Wu Hao was in the same year as Senior Ruoruo and Senior Xiao Yan. Are you even more skilled than them?"

Lin Yan's smile froze instantly.

The next moment, countless trainees realized what was happening and became excited.

"Yes, Senior Xiao Yan was the number one on the strength ranking in your year, and Senior Ruoruo already possessed strength comparable to a Dou Zong expert before even graduating. Aren't you just bragging a bit too much?"

"I've heard all about it. Senior Sister Ruoruo became the chief of the Starfall Pavilion in Zhongzhou, which is the chief of the Four Directions Pavilion! My father decided to send me to Canaan Academy because of her achievements!"

"You said you also participated in the Four Directions Pavilion Competition. Could it be that you passed because of your connections with Senior Xiao Yan and the others?"

More and more doubts arose, and Lin Yan's face flushed red with anger and embarrassment as he said:

"Nonsense! Xiao Yan and I are brothers, you understand? How can matters between brothers be considered 'using connections'?!"

The scornful jeers from the audience grew even louder.

"Damn it!" Lin Yan slapped his hand and cursed angrily, "I'm afraid of being accused of using connections, which is why I absolutely refuse to accept any benefits from that kid. When I call him here one day, I'll make sure you little brats are convinced!"

Looking at Lin Yan arguing with the students below the stage, Wu Hao shook his head helplessly, seemingly used to such scenes.

He surveyed the area, and after spotting the enormous blood-red sword embedded in the crack in the stone, he spoke to the inconspicuous black-robed figure in the corner:
"Excuse me, could you please help me remove my weapon?"

The previous battle with Lin Yan had completely exhausted Wu Hao, so he naturally couldn't muster any fighting spirit.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed figure paused for a moment, then slowly walked towards the huge blood sword in front of him and pulled it out of the crevice in the rock.

"Huh?" Wu Hao's pupils contracted.

The blood sword he possessed was a gift from his adoptive father, a Dou Huang (Battle Emperor). The sixth-order magic core embedded in it was only one step away from the seventh order. Such a powerful weapon was actually taken out by the opponent with one hand.

Moreover, he didn't even use his battle aura!
Using battle qi and not using battle qi are two extremes, and the difference in difficulty between them is simply incomparable.

"Classmate, you."

Before Wu Hao could finish speaking, the blood sword suddenly flew out and embedded itself in front of Lin Yan, who was arguing with the student, with a clang. Lin Yan was so frightened that he stumbled and sat down on the ground, glaring angrily.

"Who?!"

"Arguing with a group of freshmen about who's right and wrong is childish."

A faint, almost imperceptible sound rang out, only to vanish in an instant.

Lin Yan raised his head almost subconsciously.

But the direction from which the sound came was now empty, with no trace of it.

"It must have been my imagination, right?" After staring blankly at the empty space for a long time, Lin Yan looked away and touched his chest with lingering fear.

Rather than his almost impossible guess, he preferred to believe that he was seeing a ghost.

Having quietly broken free from the spatial lock, Xiao Yan left the Black Corner Region without alerting anyone, continuing his journey slowly towards its starting point.

Beyond the Black Corner Region lies an endless desert plain, where dark storms frequently rage, creating an extremely harsh and eerie atmosphere.

Xiao Yan, however, remained unfazed, as if he were in an empty place.

As I walked, I kept reminiscing about what I had seen and heard.

"The Myriad Beast Spirit Fire represents body tempering, while the Fallen Heart Flame represents the true nature of heart tempering."

"The Fallen Heart Flame can accelerate cultivation. In essence, it is to refine the heart and eliminate calamities. No wonder inner demons have nowhere to hide in front of it. The pursuit of the Great Dao is about perseverance and hard work, and about sticking to it to the end!"

Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

Without his noticing, an invisible wheel seemed to slowly condense behind him, and on the wheel, a transparent mark like a fiery python quietly lit up.

"I also have that kind of determination!"
-
Another chapter will be released a little later.
(End of this chapter)