Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

As invisible energy was absorbed, strands of pure battle qi were separated and incorporated into Xiao Fan's meridians, entering the battle crystal as the meridians circulated.

"Others cultivate by tempering their battle qi and consuming their inner fire, but I'm directly absorbing it!"

As the Chaos Fire devoured the flames, the invisible flames at the heart gradually shrank, and were eventually completely consumed by the Chaos Fire and disappeared.

After the flames in his heart disappeared, another invisible flame reappeared, and the cycle of drawing, devouring, and stripping away battle qi from the chaotic fire began again. Xiao Fan's strength gradually increased.

Outside, Yueyao watched Xiao Fan, who was engrossed in cultivation. She didn't cultivate herself; forcing someone who resisted cultivation to do so was torture. If it weren't for Xiao Fan, she probably would have just come in to witness the wonders of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower and then left.

After all, strength wasn't something I was pursuing. I just wanted to take this opportunity to have some fun.

To be honest... just as Xiao Fan said earlier, he wanted to see the scenery along the way.

Despite the burning fire within her heart, Yueyao used her internal fighting spirit to isolate it. She then sat cross-legged beside Xiao Fan, quietly watching him, a blush occasionally flashing across her face...

After a while, Yueyao suddenly noticed that Xiao Fan's posture, which had been sitting upright, was becoming more and more hunched over.

Yueyao knelt on the ground, her hands clasped together, and brought her head close to Xiao Fan, staring at him with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

Yueyao placed her slender finger below Xiao Fan's nose. Xiao Fan's face was peaceful, his breathing was steady, and his breath was calm. Was he... asleep?

After tilting her head and looking at Xiao Fan for a long time, Yue Yao hesitated whether to wake him up.

After all, she didn't know what side effects the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower of Canaan Academy might have on people with different constitutions, but sleeping... that must be abnormal, right?

Who in their right mind can sleep when their heart is burning with anxiety?

Yueyao frowned, then reached out and nudged Xiao Fan. Sensing the movement, Xiao Fan's eyes snapped open.

Looking at Yueyao so close, and faintly smelling her fragrance, Xiao Fan coughed. "What's wrong?"

Yueyao realized she was too close to Xiao Fan, her upper body almost touching him. She pretended to be calm and sat back down, a blush rising on her face. She said softly, "It's nothing. I was cultivating when I saw you suddenly fall asleep. I thought it was some kind of side effect, so I woke you up."

Upon hearing Yueyao's words, Xiao Fan was puzzled as to why Yueyao could detect him falling asleep even while he was cultivating. Instead, he pondered what she had said.

By focusing his consciousness into his body, he found that the inner fire near his heart, still suppressed by the chaotic fire, was being stripped of its essence, and the fighting spirit within his body was slowly increasing. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

A moment later, Xiao Fan noticed something unusual in his body; his soul felt...tired.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Fan realized that the Chaos Fire within his body had always relied on his soul to exist, meaning he had been relying on his soul to sustain the burning of the Chaos Fire. Under the suppression of the Chaos Fire, the Heart Fire within his body not only did not cause Xiao Fan any discomfort, but instead made him feel warm and comfortable all over. So... he fell asleep without realizing it.

"Relying on sleep to combat the weariness of the soul...?"

Having figured out why he had fallen asleep, Xiao Fan discovered that even though his thoughts weren't focused on the Chaos Flame, the Chaos Flame was still drawing away his inner fire, so there was nothing to worry about.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Fan saw Yue Yao's concerned expression. A tender look flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head and said softly, "It's nothing. It's just my constitution. There's no harm in it."

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Yue Yao finally felt relieved. Although she didn't know the specifics, since Xiao Fan had already spoken, Yue Yao trusted him.

"Then..." Yueyao hesitated for a moment before saying, "You will continue your cultivation?"

Xiao Fan nodded. "You should start cultivating too."

The fatigue I felt wasn't insurmountable; it was just like being a little sleepy and wanting to go to sleep. The main thing was that even if I overcame the sleepiness, I could only watch helplessly as the Chaos Fire separated from the Heart Fire, and I couldn't do anything else, so I might as well continue sleeping.

So Xiao Fan sat down cross-legged again, preparing to sleep—no, to cultivate.

Looking at Xiao Fan meditating, Yueyao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Um... you can lie down, it should be more comfortable." After saying that, she turned her head slightly to the other side, but her bright red earlobes still betrayed her shyness.

Xiao Fan was slightly taken aback, then thought about it for a moment. He realized that there really was no difference between meditating and lying down, since both relied on the Chaos Fire to devour him on its own.

Xiao Fan shifted slightly to the side and leaned against the ground, closing his eyes to rest. His head was only a little over a fist's distance from Yue Yao's thigh.

Yueyao quietly opened her eyes, looked at the resting Xiao Fan, propped her chin on one hand, and stared blankly.

After a long while, Yueyao realized that Xiao Fan had fallen asleep completely. She hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her left hand. A cool white light spread from her hand, gently lifting Xiao Fan's body. Then... Xiao Fan's head fell onto her lap.

"Hmm... I'm worried he'll get a headache if he sleeps on the floor for too long..."

Chapter 141 Medusa Reappears

After a long period of cultivation, a clear bell rang, waking everyone from their meditation.

"Ok?"

Xiao Fan got up and stretched, looking at Yue Yao's flushed cheeks, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

Yueyao shook her head, glanced to the side, and said calmly, "It's nothing, it's probably just the temperature here."

Xiao Fan nodded. "This is the academy's bell. Cultivating using the inner fire here will accumulate some fire toxins in the body. Over time, this will harm the body and may even cause a drastic change in temperament. Therefore, whenever the tower is open for a long time, students will use the bell to remind them to return to their dormitories to clear the fire toxins from their bodies. Only when the fire toxins in the body are completely cleared can they enter the tower to cultivate again."

Xiao Fan's gaze shifted to Yue Yao, and seeing her lean to one side after standing up, he immediately reached out and took her soft, slender hand. "What's wrong?"

Yueyao's cheeks were flushed, and her voice sounded strange. "My legs... my legs are numb, from sitting for too long."

"Oh..." Xiao Fan nodded, supporting her for a while until she had fully recovered before letting go of Yue Yao. "What are you going to do now? Go back first?"

Yueyao didn't answer, but looked at Xiao Fan. "And you?"

Xiao Fan looked at the bustling hall and shook his head. "I was planning to go down to the lower floors, but it looks like that's not an option now. Let's go back first."

Yueyao nodded and said to Xiao Fan, "Then let's go together."

The two walked together toward their lodgings. Halfway there, Xiao Fan suddenly stopped, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Yueyao asked curiously when she saw Xiao Fan standing still.

Xiao Fan shook his head and said to her, "I have something to do, it seems you'll have to go back by yourself first."

"Okay, then be careful." Yueyao nodded, a smile playing on her lips, and said softly.

Watching Xiao Fan walk away, Yue Yao frowned slightly, the smile on her lips gradually fading, and she muttered softly, "The lower levels? If you're not strong enough, you can't go down..."

At this time, many students came out of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. Xiao Fan avoided the crowd and walked towards a less crowded area for about half an hour before entering the lush mountain range.

A streak of light flew out from Xiao Fan's sleeve, and a charming figure blocked Xiao Fan's path.

"Little one, where do you intend to take me?"

A seductive voice rang out. Xiao Fan looked at the alluring woman in front of him and his lips twitched. The little snake that had been wrapped around his hand was wriggling restlessly. He was worried that Medusa would come out, so he planned to find a place to soothe the little guy with his symbiotic amethyst source. He didn't expect that Medusa had already come out.

"Uh...no, Your Majesty misunderstands..." Xiao Fan smiled sheepishly and waved his hand as he spoke.

Medusa looked at Xiao Fan and smiled. She walked up to Xiao Fan with her long, slender legs, placed her delicate fingers on Xiao Fan's chin, and lifted his head.

"Where is this?" Medusa could sense that there seemed to be many powerful figures around. Even if she had broken through to the Dou Zong realm, if she dared to act recklessly here, she might not have a good ending.

Xiao Fan blinked his innocent eyes, looking at Medusa's face. He inexplicably remembered what he had said when Medusa disappeared last time. It seemed that she hadn't heard him, otherwise she would probably have killed him as soon as she came out. But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of loss.

"This is Canaan Academy."

"Canaan Academy?" Medusa glanced at Xiao Fan with her narrow eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in her pale purple pupils. "Last time it was the Black Corner Region, this time it's Canaan Academy. The location is different every time. Will it be Central Continent next time?"

Xiao Fan gave an awkward laugh, unsure how to answer. "Do you want to leave here?"

Seeing Xiao Fan's flustered expression, Medusa's lips curled into a playful smile. "What, you really want me to leave that badly? Hmm?"

Xiao Fan was restless. What else could he do? He was a Dou Zong powerhouse. If you were that obedient and adorable Sasha, I would definitely dote on you. But now you are the leader of the Snake-People Clan, the Medusa Queen who strikes fear into the hearts of the Gama Empire.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else you require..." Xiao Fan looked at Medusa, his eyes involuntarily turning away. He couldn't help it; Medusa's body was simply the greatest temptation for men. If he stared at Medusa, Xiao Fan was afraid she would beat him to death.

"Heh..." Seeing Xiao Fan's disheveled appearance, Medusa smiled and stopped teasing him. "Where's the Spirit Fusion Pill you promised me?"

"Um...this..." To be honest, Xiao Fan had completely forgotten about this thing. If Medusa hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten that he had promised to refine a Spirit Fusion Pill for her.

"Ahem... Your Majesty." Xiao Fan coughed lightly, then said seriously, "Don't worry, my alchemy skills have now reached the fifth-grade alchemist level, and I've almost collected all the materials for the Spirit Fusion Pill. It's just that the last few ingredients are a bit hard to find, so I haven't been able to find them yet..."

"A fifth-grade alchemist?" Medusa glanced curiously at Xiao Fan, only then realizing that his strength had already reached the Dou Ling level. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. Such a young Dou Ling, and a fifth-grade alchemist at that—even with her experience, she couldn't help but admire him.

Consider Gu He, the Pill King of the Jia Ma Empire, who is only a fifth-grade alchemist. Xiao Fan is only around twenty years old, yet he is already able to rival Gu He.

"I remember last time in the Black Corner Region, we were only missing three ingredients for the Spirit Fusion Pill, right?" Medusa said calmly after staring at Xiao Fan for a while, concealing her true opinion of him.

"Yes, that's right." Xiao Fan had already said it, so he had no choice but to continue pretending. "All three materials are extremely difficult to find. Even though I've been searching all this time, I'm still missing two of them."

"Oh? Which two?" Medusa asked.

"One is the Green Wood Immortal Vine, and the other is the Mountain Spirit." Xiao Fan didn't lie to Medusa about this, after all, the relationship between the two wasn't too bad now. Xiao Fan even had the heart of Xu Xian, cough cough, genuinely wanting to help Medusa.

Although I haven't tried my best to find them, I'll still grab them if I come across them. Right now, I'm still missing these two most crucial materials.

"Your Canaan Academy doesn't have a place to exchange currency?" Medusa glanced at Xiao Fan with her beautiful eyes and asked.

“This…” Xiao Fan scratched his head. “I’ve only recently entered the inner courtyard, so I haven’t been there yet.”

"In that case, go and see if you can find these two materials today." Medusa stretched lazily, then looked at Xiao Fan and gave him a casual order.

Chapter 142 The Temperamental Man

Under pressure from Medusa, Xiao Fan had no choice but to agree to her demands.

“If you go in like this, I reckon we’ll be surrounded by countless elders as soon as we enter the inner courtyard,” Xiao Fan said slowly after looking Medusa up and down.

After thinking for a moment, Medusa glared at Xiao Fan, then transformed back into a seven-colored snake, hiding inside Xiao Fan's clothes and wrapping around his arm.

Xiao Fan glanced at Medusa's entangled left arm, gave a wry smile, then turned and walked towards the inner courtyard.

The eastern section of the inner courtyard is the trading area for inner courtyard students. Many strange things are sold here, including rare medicinal herbs, magical beast cores, or some cultivation techniques and fighting skills that others can't use.

However, these items are sold by students from the inner academy, so you need fire energy to buy them.

However, Xiao Fan still has more than 300 fire energy on him, which is more than enough.

It took Xiao Fan about half an hour to finally reach the trading area in the East District. As soon as he stepped inside, the deafening noise made him frown slightly, but he did so before entering.

"Your Majesty, this is where the inner court students trade. Now it all depends on our luck," Xiao Fan whispered to Medusa, who was hiding in his arm.

"Hmph! Too noisy." Medusa snorted softly from her sleeve, tightening her grip on Xiao Fan's arm.