Jia Nan Inner Academy, Yan Qingshan walked slowly towards the northern building complex of the Inner Academy.
The area of this Inner Academy was astonishingly large, with numerous buildings along the way, and often one could see heated battle circles where people were sparring. Outside these circles, many spectators were gathered.
Yan Qingshan had no interest in these sparring crowds. These Inner Academy students were absolute elites in the Outer Academy, and even in the Jia Nan Empire, they were mostly considered top geniuses, but to Yan Qingshan, most were quite ordinary.
A bustling area to the north was crowded with people, blocking the path ahead. In front was a massive pit, and buried within the pit was an extremely large black tower, with only a section of the spire and the top entrance visible above ground.
Yan Qingshan's gaze wandered. Many people around were in groups, some wearing distinctive emblems, indicating they belonged to certain factions, which showed the numerous forces within the Inner Academy.
Yan Qingshan barely squeezed to the front of the crowd. By then, the flow of people was almost impossible to move forward. It wasn"t that the front was completely packed, but rather a large group was sitting on a clearing closest to the black tower.
This spacious clearing closest to the black tower was neatly divided into several areas. In each area, a large group of people sat cross-legged, each bearing unique emblems, presumably representing the powerful factions of the Inner Academy.
"Dong..."
An ancient bell chime resounded throughout the area, and as the chime echoed, the noisy sounds abruptly ceased.
"Open the tower!"
As the chime faded, an aged voice seemed to emerge from within the tower. The tightly closed black gate at the top of the tower creaked open slowly, and a faint, scorching aura seeped out, slightly raising the temperature of the surroundings.
"Enter the tower!"
The aged voice sounded again. The sound of wind breaking filled the air as figures shot towards the tower gate from their cross-legged positions, and the crowd surged towards the black tower.
Yan Qingshan followed the crowd towards the black tower. As he approached the tower gate, he felt his heart beating abnormally, and the Purple Crystal Beast Flame within his heart suddenly flared up.
Yan Qingshan's face turned as red as charcoal, and wisps of faint white mist seeped from his body.
The senior students, who were initially preparing to reprimand him, chuckled with schadenfreude,
"Looks like a new student just entered the Inner Academy. He dared to enter the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower without any preparation. Go tell the elders, without their intervention, something bad might happen."
Yan Qingshan closed his eyes, sensing a strange flame that suddenly appeared within his body. It was formless and immaterial, only emitting high temperatures that slightly distorted the surrounding space, showing no resemblance to any flame.
"Dawn, record data!"
Yan Qingshan carefully sensed the properties of this flame and used Dawn to record its related data. By the time his body was about to succumb to the scorching damage, he moved his mind, and the cyan Dou Qi slowly circulated.
Yan Qingshan's Dou Qi passed through the formless flame, and the visible Dou Qi suddenly surged. As the Dou Qi Method circulated through each cycle, the formless flame gradually dissipated, and his Dou Qi became even more profound.
Inside the ancient tower with its soft lights, a large group of people surrounded Yan Qingshan, who had his eyes tightly closed, whispering and chuckling among themselves.
"Make way, make way, Elder Liu is coming."
suddenly, a reprimanding voice rang out from the crowd, and a small path was quickly cleared. An elderly man in simple clothing walked in slowly, his smiling gaze sweeping over Yan Qingshan, who stood still in the center.
"This new student doesn't know the rules. What are you all laughing about, acting so disorderly?"
Elder Liu glared, and the senior students fell silent. The tower guards had greatest power inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Offending them would not have a good outcome.
"Although this young one is reckless, there's no need to rush. The longer he endures the Heart Flame's scorching during his first entry into the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, the higher his utilization rate of the Heart Flame, and the greater his potential. This young one can endure..."
Elder Liu stroked his beard, preparing to see how long Yan Qingshan could last. But before he could finish speaking, a surge of powerful purple flames erupted from Yan Qingshan's body. The terrifying temperature and flame impact forced even Elder Liu to retreat.
Yan Qingshan's eyes slowly opened, concealing the flash of green flame within his pupils. The purple flames on his body gradually subsided, and his aura stabilized.
Yan Qingshan spoke softly, as if to himself, yet also as if addressing Elder Liu, "This thing is quite interesting. Is this the extraordinary aspect of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower?"
Elder Liu retracted the milky white flames on his body, his eyes shining as he looked at Yan Qingshan. "Good lad, despite having wood attribute, you've mastered such powerful Beast Flame. If I'm not mistaken, this is likely the source flame refined from the blood essence of a sixth-rank Magical Beast!"
Yan Qingshan smiled slightly. "The Beast Flame of the sixth-rank Magical Beast Amethyst Winged Lion King. Its power is quite decent. You must be the guarding elder of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower!"
"I am the guarding elder of the first floor of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. You can simply call me Elder Liu."
Elder Liu smiled amiably, his tone completely lacking the stern reprimands he gave to the other students earlier. This treatment naturally caused the surrounding students to grumble inwardly.
In the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, and even throughout the Inner Academy, the elders held extremely high status. Only Dou King experts or stronger could serve as elders.
Only the most outstanding students in the Inner Academy could earn the elders special attention, as these individuals might reach or even surpass their level before graduation. Even the Inner Academy elders would try to win over such talents.
The Jia Nan Academy, after all, was a large faction, and neither the Inner Academy nor the Outer Academy was entirely unified. Wherever there are people, there will be conflict, whether for power, profit, or other things.
"Elder Liu!"
Yan Qingshan nodded slightly to Elder Liu, displaying remarkable composure in the face of the elder's goodwill.
A year ago, having the chance to interact with a Dou King expert would have been an opportunity he would have desperately tried to seize. But now, a Dou King was not something he couldn't easily obtain, so he could remain so calm and collected.
"A two-star Dou Spirit, and possessing such powerful Beast Flame, you truly deserve the title of this year's Newcomer King. I heard those two lads, Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya, suffered greatly at your hands!"
Elder Liu continued to smile, but his words caused the surrounding students to gasp. While there were many experts in the Inner Academy, those who reached the Dou Spirit realm were almost all ranked in the top hundred of the Strongest Ranking, and a two-star Dou Spirit was even higher, in the top eighty.
Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya were the most prominent figures in the Inner Academy in recent months. Defeating them was equivalent to stepping over them to rise to fame in one battle!