Breaking the Masked Man

"Teacher...?!"

Xiong Zhuang's expression instantly wilted, and he said with a bitter look that he hadn't expected to find an inner court teacher while looking for trouble. Judging from that move just now, the other party's strength was obviously much stronger than his own.

"..."

The students watching the scene all looked bewildered. It was truly embarrassing to see students making fun of their teacher.

Yao Yan said softly, "I just started yesterday and haven't found a suitable position yet. But seeing your performance today, I think Canaan Academy can open a moral education class to teach you how to respect your teachers and care for your juniors."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 144 Powder Keg

The inner courtyard is a quiet and secluded place.

Hu Qian, the dean of the outer court, was having tea with Su Qian, the elder of the inner court. Looking at the old man's calm expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you just going to leave him in the inner court like this? Actually, I think this kid is worth nurturing. He's a Dou Wang who's not even eighteen years old, and he's also a fifth-grade alchemist. He'll definitely be a strong person when he grows up."

“But his identity and background are very complicated. It’s not a good thing for Canaan Academy to be too involved with him. I think it’s good that things are the way they are now.”

Su Qian took a sip of fragrant tea, lowered her gaze slightly, and spoke slowly with a hint of seriousness in her voice.

The more you learn about those clans, the more you can discover their arrogance and domineering nature. That arrogance that comes from their very bones is absolutely impossible to fake. Take Yao Yan, for example. Although it was only the first time they met, and the other party seemed to be in a very 'down-and-out' state, wandering here, the other party did not show the slightest respect even when facing him, a Dou Zong powerhouse.

That calm and composed demeanor seemed to speak of her inner strength.

Could an ordinary young person remain so calm and composed when encountering a true Dou Zong expert?

“Not refusing, not engaging in in-depth communication… means you don’t have to take responsibility either. You old bastard, you’re really cunning. This way you don’t offend either side, but it seems you can’t befriend this little monster either.” Hu Qian said with some regret. He had a high opinion of Yao Yan because the other’s talent was too terrifying, the likes of which he had never seen before.

“He’s already a five-star Dou Wang, so Canaan Academy can’t offer him much more help anymore…”

Su Qian said softly, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. Over the years, he had seen off countless prodigies. Every gifted individual, after reaching the Dou Wang level, would choose to leave Canaan Academy and venture out into the world, some even going directly to Zhongzhou.

Some of them will make a name for themselves in Zhongzhou, while others will disappear without a trace.

Generation after generation...

"makes sense."

Hu Qian was taken aback upon hearing this, then sighed softly.

Canaan Academy trains its students starting from the Fighter level, taking approximately three to five years to cultivate them into Great Fighters. Those with exceptional talent can then go to the Inner Academy for further study and gain the qualification to enter the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, thus maintaining their rapid cultivation speed.

However, this cultivation speed will decrease significantly after reaching the Dou Wang level.

Whether it's the energy of heaven and earth or cultivation resources, Canaan Academy can hardly provide enough attraction for cultivators above the Dou Wang level, so it naturally cannot keep them here. Someone like Yao Yan, who came to the academy on his own initiative, is the first one in so many years.

Su Qian pondered for a moment, looked at Hu Qian, and said, "If you hadn't said that he possessed the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, I would have even suspected that he entered Canaan Academy for the Fallen Heart Flame."

He still harbored some wariness towards Yao Yan, this outsider.

Upon hearing this, Hu Qian couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're overthinking it. Even if he had such intentions, it wouldn't matter. That place has a seal left by the Dean. With that kid's strength, there's no way he could break it."

The dean is a Dou Zun-level expert. His powerful spatial seal is so strong that even a Dou Wang would find it extremely difficult to get close to it, let alone break through it.

Su Qian nodded, then stopped dwelling on the issue. Whether Yao Yan had any problems or not, they would know after spending some time with him. No one could hide forever. If he continued to behave himself, Canaan Academy wouldn't mind having another mentor with such extraordinary talent.

"By the way, where did that little girl you brought back a while ago go?" Hu Qian suddenly asked, somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing his old friend's question, Su Qian immediately showed a pained expression and said helplessly, "They went to the mountain area."

"You're not worried?!"

Hu Qian was taken aback upon hearing this and said with some surprise, because when he saw the little girl, she looked to be only five or six years old, and was clearly a young magical beast. How could Su Qian, that old man, dare to let her go to the mountain range full of magical beasts alone?

Su Qian gave a wry smile and said, "I don't know what kind of magical beast that little girl is in her true form. Her physique is incredibly strong. Ordinary third or fourth-tier magical beasts are no match for her at all. She even dares to touch fifth-tier magical beasts. I was worried about her before, but I stopped paying attention to her... I couldn't control her anyway, her appetite is too big."

There was something he didn't say: if they continued to raise them on his side, he might not be able to afford it anymore.

Those rare and precious herbs that humans would easily explode from consuming were devoured by that little girl like candy beans. Her mouth was like a bottomless pit, accepting everything without hesitation, as if she were a starving ghost reincarnated, having been hungry for who knows how many years.

"That's insane?!"

Hu Qian was somewhat surprised to hear this. Unlike humans, magical beasts rely on bloodline inheritance or bloodline evolution. Generally, the offspring of magical beasts with strong bloodlines can show their powerful bloodline talents from a young age, such as strength, defense, and recovery ability. These are the most basic standards of measurement.

“Her physical form is very special.” Su Qian nodded, his expression becoming more serious. “I even suspect that her parents are eighth-order magical beasts… This is also why they didn’t keep her in the inner courtyard. Furthermore, I also discovered that she can use spatial power, which may be related to her racial talent.”

Spatial power?!

Hu Qian was startled, because spatial power is a power that only those above the Dou Zong level or those above the seventh-order magical beast level can use. There seem to be very few races among magical beasts that are good at using spatial power, and he had never heard of a cub being able to do it.

"We've struck gold!" Hu Qian couldn't help but laugh.

"Bao is indeed a treasure... but he just eats way too much."

Su Qian said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, unsure whether to be happy or sad. The resources required for a gifted magical beast cub to grow up were enormous. He had been raising it for several months and was almost unable to afford it anymore, which was why he had abandoned it in the mountains.

"Stop complaining about being poor. Just consider it raising a daughter. This old man needs to go back and see his granddaughter. I'm leaving now."

Hu Qian smiled, stood up to say goodbye, and then, under Su Qian's gaze, strode away with smug steps.

"..."

Su Qian fell silent after hearing those words. After a moment, a hint of melancholy appeared on her face as she thought of her past. Who hasn't been young... who hasn't fallen in love with a woman when they were young...

……

Meanwhile, Xiong Zhuang had been completely subdued by Yao Yan, and he was quite pragmatic in dealing with a teacher whose strength far surpassed his own.

As the saying goes, those who understand the times are the heroes!

There's nothing shameful about admitting defeat when you can't win.

Xiong Zhuang was clearly the best among them. At this moment, under the stunned gazes of a group of people, he bowed and scraped as he served Yao Yan, introducing the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower to the new teacher, saying, "Teacher, this is your first time here, so you have to be careful later, because once you enter, an invisible flame will appear in your body. It will help us temper our battle qi and increase our cultivation speed, but the first time may be a little painful."

He's not a bad person at heart.

Upon hearing this, Yao Yan gained some understanding of Xiong Zhuang's personality. He knew that Xiong Zhuang's words were a well-intentioned reminder, because it was easy to get burned when entering the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower for the first time. The Fallen Heart Flame was no pushover; even a small amount of heart flame was enough to severely injure a Great Dou Master in an instant. If one was not careful, even a Dou Ling would suffer a great loss.

"Thank you for reminding."

Yao Yan smiled and stepped into the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower with the other party.

Xiong Zhuang smiled innocently and followed behind him obediently. He was not being kind; it was simply because Yao Yan was too strong. Even if he didn't warn him, nothing serious would happen. On the contrary, if the other party suffered a loss in the tower and then came looking for trouble, wouldn't that be terrible?

Smart people know how to solve this problem.

At this moment, Yao Yan had already entered. As the light in front of him dimmed, his feet landed on a solid stone surface. At the same time, a burning sensation rose from the bottom of his heart. That warm sensation instantly ignited the fighting spirit within his body. Invisible flames appeared out of thin air in his limbs, radiating unparalleled heat, causing his body to be enveloped in white mist.

Xiong Zhuang on the other side was in the same situation, but he suppressed it with his fighting spirit for the time being and did not start cultivating directly. At the same time, he turned to look at Yao Yan and found that the strange phenomenon around Yao Yan had disappeared at some point. At the same time, there was an invisible flame in his palm. It was as if he had drawn the invisible flame out of his body.

"?!"

Xiong Zhuang was somewhat dumbfounded. This scene was beyond his comprehension. He had seen people resist with battle qi, and he had seen people cultivate cross-legged, but he had never seen anyone be able to extract it from their body. Just how strong was this teacher?!

He can't be a Dou Wang or Dou Huang, he can't be a Dou Zong!

This is too scary!

“Interesting~”

Yao Yan did not resist. He felt the heart fire constantly surging within his body and began to experience it with great interest. He even directly used the Burning Technique to refine it. You should know that he has long since merged with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a humanoid strange fire. This kind of heart fire is completely his cultivation resource.

Unlike others who cultivate by relying on the inner fire, he completely used the inner fire as a resource for cultivation, absorbing all the energy of this wisp of inner fire.

"Teacher... what level of skill do you possess?"

Xiong Zhuang, with a smug grin, asked with considerable curiosity.

"Five-Star Fighting King".

Yao Yan replied, while dissipating the inner fire in his palm. This wisp of inner fire was far too scarce to provide him with sufficient help. Moreover, the amount of battle qi in his body was too large, and he didn't know how long it would take to refine such a small amount of inner fire.

He couldn't help but look at Xiong Zhuang and said, "There should be a secret cultivation chamber here, right?"

"Of course, teacher, this way please!"

Xiong Zhuang became even more humble at this moment, respectfully leading Yao Yan towards training room number twelve. It was his daily training place and the result of his many years of hard work. Although he only obtained it after surpassing the previous senior, it still demonstrated his talent.

The first floor of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower has nearly a hundred training rooms, which are divided into low-level training rooms and high-level training rooms. The effects of training in the two are different, and there are certain requirements for strength. Similarly, the number of fire energy points required is also different.

However, Yao Yan soon stopped, as the two of them had already reached the center of the first floor.

At this moment, there is a bottomless black hole in the center, like an abyss, which almost runs through the entire Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. If it weren't for the tower's spire covering it, it might be visible from the sky.

If you sense it carefully, you can feel that the temperature here is much hotter than other places. It feels as if there is something here that is constantly emitting heat.

“Falling Heart Flame…”

Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and a strange blue flame appeared deep within them. As his eyes were covered by the strange flame, an invisible soul force explored the depths of the black hole. He planned to first investigate the Fallen Heart Flame today and see how far it had grown.

However, Yao Yan soon discovered that he didn't seem to need to spy on anything, because the Fallen Heart Flame was always crawling around the black hole, its body constantly emitting a temperature that was enough to distort space and burn the surrounding spatial seal.

The spatial seal left by Mang Tianchi was indeed terrifying, but it couldn't withstand the constant burning of a strange fire. It might not feel anything for a year or two, but after decades or even hundreds of years... the so-called spatial seal had already been burned open.

"Sigh~"

Seemingly sensing the spying, the invisible fire python lying on the spatial seal opened its ferocious eyes and let out a roar. At the same time, the surrounding temperature soared rapidly, even Yao Yan's spiritual power was baked into nothingness, making it impossible for him to get closer.

As expected of the Fallen Heart Flame… Yao Yan exclaimed inwardly. In terms of dealing with soul power alone, the Fallen Heart Flame is undoubtedly superior to the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

Do you want freedom?

Yao Yan looked at the Fallen Heart Flame and transmitted his voice through his soul power.

However, he clearly overestimated the intelligence of the Fallen Heart Flame. This thing was incapable of thinking; it only possessed a violent desire for destruction. Unlike Ling'er's, this aura of destroying everything was extremely pure. In fact, after sensing Yao Yan's presence, it directly pounced on Yao Yan's soul power.