Breaking the Masked Man

Faced with this, Yao Yan felt quite helpless and directly condensed his soul power into a palm print, then slammed it down.

"hiss!"

The invisible fire python formed from the Fallen Heart Flame let out a roar and was heavily slapped away, unable to withstand Yao Yan's powerful soul force.

It's only at the level of a seven or eight-star Dou Huang... Yao Yan instantly judged the strength of the Fallen Heart Flame's true form. If it didn't take advantage of the location, its combat power could at most rival a peak Dou Huang. However, a strange fire is ultimately a rare treasure nurtured by heaven and earth, especially in the place where it was nurtured. Its combat power is not just as simple as its true form.

The inner fire that fills the entire Heavenly Flame Refining Tower is its aid.

in other words.

The entire Heavenly Flame Refining Tower was a powder keg, with the Fallen Heart Flame constantly accumulating power until it burst!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 145 Ten Days

After a series of probes, Yao Yan figured out the level of the Fallen Heart Flame: a seven or eight-star Dou Huang level. Of course, this level does not include the Heart Flame that it split off. As a rare object born of heaven and earth, strange flames do not need to be cultivated like humans. They only need to accumulate energy to continuously improve their combat power.

However, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower is currently limiting its growth, causing the energy it accumulates to become the cultivation resources for the students of Canaan Academy, thus slowing down its growth rate countless times.

This may explain why the Fallen Heart Flame is so violent. No intelligent being would enjoy being confined in a small cage and having its energy constantly drained from its body. That feeling is even more painful than that of domesticated livestock.

Compared to the Fallen Heart Flame, the Three Thousand Burning Flames sealed in the starry sky are undoubtedly much happier, though this is also related to the nature of the two different flames.

The Three Thousand Burning Flames do not have the cultivation-aiding abilities of the Fallen Heart Flame. Before being refined, it is almost worthless to anyone.

"Sigh~"

Having suffered a heavy blow, the invisible fire python, which was more than ten meters long, not only did not calm down, but became even more violent, like a madman. It pounced again on the direction where Yao Yan's soul power was located, as if it wanted to burn everything in front of it to ashes. Its violent posture scorched and distorted the space along the way.

It was only after crashing into a spatial seal that it was violently bounced back. This only fueled its anger and rage, causing invisible flames to surge around it, indiscriminately affecting everything in the surrounding space.

However, all of this was obviously no longer relevant to Yao Yan. He had already withdrawn his soul power. The spatial seal below was not perfect. Over the years, with the burning of the Fallen Heart Flame, many places had developed loopholes. However, Su Qian and the others did not notice these, perhaps because they did not believe that the Fallen Heart Flame could break the seal of the Mangtian Ruler.

"Did you notice that?"

Just then, a figure appeared behind Yao Yan, and an old voice asked with a hint of surprise.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Xiong Zhuang quickly bowed and greeted him, "Elder Liu!"

Elder Liu waved his hand, signaling Xiong Zhuang to leave. He then took Xiong Zhuang's place, his eyes fixed solemnly on the bottomless black hole below. The darkness, which could swallow even light, sent chills down one's spine.

He waited until Xiong Zhuang was a few steps away before continuing in a low voice, "The Grand Elder mentioned you to me yesterday, asking me to keep an eye on you after you enter the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower... Since you also possess a strange fire, you must have already sensed its existence."

As he spoke, he looked at Yao Yan with a rather determined gaze.

"I had some guesses when I first came in, and now they've been confirmed. What's sealed below should be the Fallen Heart Flame."

Yao Yan did not deny it, but readily agreed. With the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame within his body, how could he not sense the existence of the Fallen Heart Flame? Denying it would be somewhat ridiculous.

"Yes, the Dean sealed it here back then, and then Canaan Academy came into being. Now, hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it seems to be getting more and more irritable..." Elder Liu stroked his white beard, his eyes slightly lowered, and murmured to himself.

Do the people of Canaan Academy really not know that the seal has been burned and riddled with holes?

They obviously knew.

But what can they do even if they know? This seal was left by Mang Tianchi, who was a half-saint back then. The spatial power within it is extremely solid, and outsiders cannot repair it at all. Even Dou Zong experts are helpless against it. They can only watch as the seal becomes thinner and thinner as it is burned by the Fallen Heart Flame. The only thing they can do is reinforce the seal from the outside and reseal it when the Fallen Heart Flame breaks through the seal.

"The Strange Fire is inherently an extremely violent thing, full of destructive power. Canaan Academy's decision to seal it here was not a wise one. It will break free sooner or later."

Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.

Elder Liu turned to look at Yao Yan and chuckled, “If that day ever comes, Canaan Academy will handle it properly. Right now, the Inner Academy can’t do without it… I am one of the elders in charge of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. The Grand Elder has already told me about your matter. If you want to cultivate here, you can enter the lowest level. You don’t need to compete with the students for a spot.”

He really cares about the students... Yao Yan understood the implied meaning of these words. Elder Su Qian obviously did not want him to have too much contact with the disciples of the inner court.

"Then thank you very much, Elder."

Yao Yan did not refuse, and immediately followed the other party to the lowest level of the cultivation room, intending to cultivate in seclusion for a few days to get used to the burning feeling of the Fallen Heart Flame in advance, in order to prepare for refining it in the future. After experiencing these feelings, he could get down to business.

He didn't come to Canaan Academy to become a teacher; one of his purposes was to win over Su Qian to deal with Demon Flame Valley.

Secondly, there's the Earth Core Tempering Milk!

……

The level of the Heart Flame contained in the lower cultivation room is undoubtedly many times stronger than that in the upper room. This is a benefit specially provided to Dou Wang and Dou Huang mentors. At the same time, it is also closer to the Fallen Heart Flame, with only a single seal separating the two.

"These are the only things to pay attention to. Just focus on your cultivation. If you want to go out, just turn the wrench over there," Elder Liu said softly.

"kindness!"

Yao Yan nodded and walked into the secret room. As the wrench was pulled, the door of the secret room closed.

Elder Liu gazed at the door to the secret chamber, stroking his beard as he muttered to himself, "A five-star Dou Wang at less than eighteen years old, a fifth-grade alchemist, possessing a strange fire... truly a monster. Is this the disciple meticulously cultivated by the major powers of Zhongzhou? Truly terrifying. In all my years, this is the first time I've ever seen such a prodigy!"

He sighed deeply, then shook his head, unwilling to think any further, and made no comparison between the Canaan Academy disciples and the other party, as there was no basis for such comparison.

In the secret room.

Yao Yan sat cross-legged, his dark eyes unusually calm. He was thinking to himself that he had already sensed the rejection from Canaan Academy. It was clear that he, as a 'teacher' who had joined halfway through, had not been truly accepted by them, and a certain distance was still maintained between them.

But this is fine too. Compared to hiding his cultivation level and sneaking in, only to be discovered later... he feels quite relaxed with this current way of getting along.

Humans are ultimately emotional beings; he couldn't be as cold-blooded and ruthless as Hun Xuzi.

"Let's practice first."

Yao Yan glanced at the ground in front of him, and gently released a burst of battle qi with his finger, pushing aside a small protrusion. Instantly, an invisible flame emerged from it, much more vigorous and intense than the heart fire above. Almost instantly, a large amount of invisible flame surged within his body, beginning to scorch his battle qi.

He did not resist, but instead completely emptied his mind, letting the inner fire burn within him. At the same time, he released the suppression of the demonic poison spots, and a large amount of black energy surged out from his limbs and bones. The amount was so great that even the surface of his body began to emit a pungent stench. If a student were to smell it at this moment, he would probably die instantly.

Even a powerful expert at the Dou Wang level wouldn't dare to touch it in the slightest.

However, the deadly poison that is extremely lethal to outsiders has little effect on Yao Yan. His physique is too strong and his bloodline is even more domineering. Although the poison is troublesome, it will be difficult to take his life. After all, no matter how poisonous it is, it cannot penetrate Yao Yan's jade bones. Those jade bones, which contain the essence of a Dou Sheng, are not something that the Demon Poison Spot can shake.

Yao Yan only recently discovered this. He could feel that his bones were harder than other parts of his body. He simply attributed this to the effect of the Dou Di's essence blood and did not think of anything else. It was only after the demonic poison spot invaded that area that he realized his bones were different from ordinary people's. They would emit a rich jade color, especially when threatened, the jade-colored radiance would be extremely rich, almost soaking into the bones.

Jade bones...that's standard equipment for a Dou Sheng powerhouse.

This is obviously related to Hun Xuzi's experiment back then, but Hun Xuzi did not explain it to him completely. His teacher was always like this, even when teaching him alchemy. He would only force himself to learn, and how much he could learn and what he could comprehend depended entirely on himself.

In terms of being a teacher, Hun Xuzi clearly has no talent and is far inferior to Yao Lao.

That's quite normal, though. Someone like Hun Xuzi wouldn't have the patience to train disciples. He himself is a traitor who betrays his master and ancestors. He wouldn't care about any inheritance, especially since a Dou Sheng expert has a lifespan of several thousand years. For ordinary people, such a lifespan is no different from immortality.

"Chichi~"

As Yao Yan unleashed his full power, the demonic poison spot's resistance grew increasingly fierce. However, under the scorching heat of the two different flames, its resistance was utterly ineffective. It could only be continuously refined into streams of pure energy, which were then poured into Yao Yan's limbs and bones to strengthen his fighting spirit.

The bottleneck that had just been broken through began to shake again, heading towards the six-star Dou Wang realm.

"...Just bear with it a little longer."

As Yao Yan felt the growing battle qi within his body, he slightly opened his eyes, within which blue flames swirled, exuding an indescribable eeriness. He muttered to himself that he really wanted to taste the essence blood of the Demon Phoenix from that day.

However, these few drops of essence blood had not been tempered, and the energy contained within them was extremely violent. According to the masked man, even a peak Douhuang expert would be burst by the energy contained within, which shows how terrifying the energy was. If they were to be swallowed now, most of the energy would probably be wasted. It would be better to refine the Demon Poison Spot first.

It has to be said that Yao Yan now has more and more good things on him. He even feels that before he reaches the Dou Zong level, he will not need to cultivate on his own. He can just rely on the strange fire to refine these foreign things.

This is the correct way to use the strange fire. There's no need to worry about the side effects of taking external substances; you can start an unlimited drug-taking mode.

"Once I break through to the six-star Dou Wang level, I can take the Dou Ling Pill, which should allow me to reach the eight-star level... At that time, I can go and have a chat with Han Feng~"

Yao Yan licked his lips, his eyes flashing with blue flames, making his handsome face even more eerie and bewitching. His expression was filled with anticipation and craving. No matter how much he suppressed it, his desire for strange fire had become almost instinctive after cultivating the Burning Technique, just like a person's need to eat and drink.

He was also a little hungry!

Some even complained that their cultivation speed was too slow.

……

……

About ten days later, Yao Yan walked out of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower with some lingering interest. It was closed for a few days each month for maintenance and inspection, which was also a responsibility to the academy, as the seal on the Fallen Heart Flame was no longer complete and could easily lead to some unnecessary accidents.

"It seems that the secret chamber at the bottom has had some effect on you as well," Elder Liu said with a light laugh, looking at Yao Yan, whose aura had become much stronger.

Yao Yan smiled and nodded, not refuting anything. He couldn't very well say that he had been refining the demonic poison spots the whole time and hadn't been cultivating himself. He had a great gift in his body but didn't develop it and instead chose to cultivate hard. That would be truly foolish. Besides, the Heart Flame's enhancement for a Dou Wang wasn't very high. If he had cultivated on his own, his progress in these ten days would probably only be one-tenth of what it is now.

"Come back in three days, it will open again then."

Elder Liu said something, then turned and entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, slowly closing the door behind him.

The elders in charge of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower will not leave, and they will stay here year-round, partly for secluded cultivation and partly to keep an eye on the Fallen Heart Flame and prevent it from going berserk.

"Three days? That should be enough time."

Yao Yan muttered to himself. He planned to take advantage of these few days to get his hands on the Earth Core Tempering Milk, which was one of the core materials for refining the Grade 7 Ice Heart Pill. If he remembered correctly, the place should be in the area behind Canaan Academy, guarded by a Snow Demon Sky Ape with a strength of around the fourth or fifth level, which was easy to deal with.

Just then, someone approached him from behind.

The newcomer was very tall, like a chimpanzee, but he had a simple, honest smile on his face. He said, "Teacher, you've finally come out."

"Are you waiting for me?"

Yao Yan was somewhat surprised to see who it was; he hadn't expected Xiong Zhuang to be waiting for him outside.

"Isn't this because I was worried that you might need something? You haven't been in the Inner Court for very long and aren't familiar with everything there. If you need anything, just ask me, Old Bear. To be honest, I know the Inner Court very well!"

Xiong Zhuang patted his chest and assured him.

"...Perfect timing. Could you check if there are any Snow Demon Sky Apes around here? I need their magic core to refine a pill," Yao Yan said after a moment's thought.

"The teacher is also an alchemist?!"