Chapter 231

"To upgrade your Fire Energy card within the Inner Court, you must pay Fire Energy in exchange. Generally, upgrading from a Black Fire Energy card to a Blue Fire Energy card requires paying one hundred Heavenly Flame units; upgrading from Blue to Green requires two hundred Heavenly Flame units; and upgrading to Red requires three hundred."

"Now that you've received the Green Fire Energy card as a reward, it's equivalent to saving three hundred days' worth of Fire Energy—this isn't a small amount. Among all the senior students here, except Luo Hou, who just upgraded his Blue Crystal Card to Green three days ago, most are still using Blue Crystal Cards," Elder Su said with a smile, noticing the confusion on Xiao Yan and the others' faces.

"Three hundred days of Fire Energy?!" Hearing this number, Xiao Yan and the others finally understood why the surrounding gazes were filled with envy. Even after looting every last bit of Fire Energy from the seniors and the Black-White Pair, plus this reward, he'd only amassed three thousand total—this showed just how difficult it was to obtain Fire Energy within the Inner Court.

And Xiao Yan still had to allocate some to Xun Er and Xiao Yu for their cultivation, so he himself actually had very little.

Xiao Yan frowned. According to Elder Su's words, if he wanted to get close to the Fallen Heart Flame, he'd at least need to descend to the very bottom layer—which meant he'd need a Purple Card.

After explaining, Elder Su flicked his hand, and six Green Crystal Cards appeared in his palm. With a flick of his fingers, the cards shot toward Xiao Yan and the other five, hovering motionless before them.

"The reward has already been loaded inside. Transfer the Fire Energy from your Black Fire Energy cards into these, then return the empty Black Cards to me."

Hearing this, Wu Hao and the others hurried to comply. Moments later, they handed Elder Su the now-empty Black Fire Energy cards.

Xiao Yan walked up to Elder Su, wrapped an arm around him, and said, "Elder Su, isn't my reward a bit too small?"

Elder Su glanced at Xiao Yan. "You know how precious a Green Fire Energy card is, and you're still complaining?"

"Besides, you already stole nearly three thousand Fire Energy units—still not enough? Do you even realize how massive a sum three thousand Fire Energy units is in the Inner Court!"

Elder Su's beard practically bristled with anger. I advise you, boy, don't be too greedy.

Xiao Yan immediately put on a mournful face. "Elder Su, look—I've already reached Essence Refining. Since Luo Hou needed to upgrade to a Green Fire Energy card, that means Essence Refining requires entering the fifth or sixth level to be effective, right?"

"I'm not boasting, but I suspect even the levels accessible with this Green Card aren't my limit," Xiao Yan said with solemn gravity.

In truth, as Xiao Yan said, the first level of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta was meant for students below Essence Refining; the second level for low-tier Essence Refiners; the third and fourth levels for mid-tier to Nine-Star Essence Refiners; the fifth and sixth levels for One-Star to Six-Star Spirit Refiners.

Only Spirit Refiners from Star Seven to the peak needed the seventh and eighth levels for cultivation.

Even the prodigies among the Strong List Top Ten didn't need Purple Fire Energy cards—just Red Cards to enter the eighth level was the limit for students.

Purple Fire Energy cards were generally reserved for Elders.

But human constitutions cannot be generalized. Xiao Yan possessed a Strange Fire—protected by it, he could approach the Fallen Heart Flame, allowing him to descend deeper and accelerate his cultivation.

A normal Two-Star Spirit Refiner would be fine with a Green Fire Energy card, but Xiao Yan estimated he could go even deeper.

Elder Su frowned slightly—he knew Xiao Yan possessed a Strange Fire. As an Elder, he also knew that beneath the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta lay the Fallen Heart Flame; the tower's cultivation acceleration came from a wisp of Heart Fire generated within the body, aiding in refining Battle Qi.

Ordinary people could never withstand the intense heat of Heart Fire to accelerate cultivation, which is why the school divided the tower into levels. But Xiao Yan, possessing a Strange Fire, was certainly not ordinary.

With a whoosh, Elder Su flipped his hand, and a Red Fire Energy card appeared. "Though Jia Nan Academy has no such rule, your overwhelming victory over the captain of the Black-White Pair proves the Green Fire Energy card is insufficient. I've decided to gift you a higher-grade Crimson Fire Energy Card."

Xiao Yan was unprecedented. Others had once broken through the Black-White Pair and exited the forest—but they'd used tricks: some lured the guards away with noise; some bribed with Elixirs; some relied on connections.

But Xiao Yan—crushing them outright with raw power—was the first.

Xiao Yan grinned as he took the Red Fire Energy Card, transferred the points, and said, "Thank you, Elder."

Xiao Yan secretly chuckled—he was glad he hadn't robbed an Elder, or this card would've been ruined.

"Don't try to distract me. Hand back that Green Fire Energy Card," Elder Su held out his hand.

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. That distraction tactic had failed.

Reluctantly, Xiao Yan returned the Green Fire Energy Card to Elder Su, who nodded slightly and smiled warmly. "Good. Since you've all passed the Fire Energy Hunt, follow me into the Inner Court."

With that, the two Elders turned and walked slowly up a staircase of broken stones.

"Finally, I can enter the Inner Court—I will obtain the Fallen Heart Flame," Xiao Yan watched Elder Su's back and silently vowed.

He was ready to enter the Inner Court and seek an opportunity to refine the Fallen Heart Flame. For Xiao Yan, it was crucial—whether his Burning Scripture could reach Heavenly Rank depended entirely on it.

"Let's go."

Xiao Yan waved to Xun Er and the others, leading them forward, and under the gaze of all eyes, followed Elder Su up a staircase beyond the forest.

The broken-stone staircase wasn't tall—within one or two minutes, Xiao Yan and the others reached the topmost step, leapt upward, and stood atop the hill. Their eyes swept ahead, and the sight before them made them slowly inhale the slightly chilly air.

"Is this the Inner Court?" The quiet murmurs came from the lips of the new students on the hill.

Behind the hill lay a vast, sunken basin, shaped as if a colossal meteor had crashed from the sky and gouged it out.

Within the basin rose towering buildings. Looking down from above, one could see countless tiny black shadows darting and leaping across the rooftops. Extending the gaze forward, the basin's expanse was astonishingly vast—beyond the horizon still stretched towering structures and lush greenery.

Impossible to imagine that behind Jia Nan Academy's endless mountains lay such a wonder!

"Hehe, little ones, welcome to the heart of Jia Nan Academy: the Inner Court!" Elder Su clapped his hands and smiled at the awe on the new students' faces.

"There are so many strong people here," Wu Hao murmured, his face flushed with fervor—he longed to battle powerful opponents.

Of course, Xiao Yan, who was too strong, didn't count.

"Alright, since the Hunt is over, all new students follow me back to the Inner Court. First, we'll settle you in, then you'll truly become members of the Inner Court. Believe me—if you can endure here, when you leave, you'll find every step of your progress was worth it," Elder Su said slowly, his gaze lingering on Xiao Yan and the others.

All the new students nodded slightly. From the senior students, they could already sense the immense benefits of cultivating within the Inner Court!

Only poor Bai Shan, now stripped of his former pride. His Bai Clan, like Xiao Yan's Xiao Clan, had many clan members in Jia Nan Academy.

Aside from Bai Feng, he had an even stronger elder brother, Bai Cheng, who had reached Six-Star Spirit Refining. But Bai Shan no longer dared oppose Xiao Yan—he'd been psychologically shattered.

He was terrified of Xiao Yan. What if even Bai Cheng couldn't beat him? Then he'd be truly finished.

"Come on! Everyone follow me!"

With a wave of his hand, Elder Su's figure blurred into a streak as he shot toward the vast basin. Behind him, all the new students immediately launched into motion, descending the hill like a locust swarm. Excited shouts echoed through the sky, lingering long after.

Seeing the new students' dormitory buildings, Xiao Yan stared blankly at Elder Su, who had brought them. "Elder Su, these are too small—how many people can even fit here?"

Each dormitory area had small villas resembling dorm rooms, but these tiny dwellings couldn't compare to the luxurious buildings the Yun Lan Sect had granted the Xiao Clan, nor even to the room Xiao Yan had lived in back in Wutan City.

Elder Su scowled. "The Inner Court assigns five students per building, with another five on the other side."

Xiao Yan frowned. "Elder Su, aren't there larger ones? We have nine people here."

Including Hu Jia and Wu Hao, Xiao Yan's group totaled nine.

Elder Su spread his hands. "There's nothing I can do—the Academy's free housing is already the best. Others get worse. If you want a larger courtyard, you can rent land from the Academy using Fire Energy and build your own."

"Some major factions in the Inner Court rent land and construct their own faction strongholds."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan asked, "Can factions be formed in the Inner Court? Does the Academy allow it?"

"Of course it allows it. Many tasks in the Task Hall require teams to complete—naturally, the Academy encourages students to organize tightly."

Seeing Xiao Yan stroking his chin in thought, Hu Jia asked, "You want to form a faction?"

Xiao Yan suddenly remembered the promotion relationship between the Soul Sovereign and the Soul Hall: if one advanced to the rank of Elder in the Soul Hall, they would receive the Soul Token and join the Soul Sovereign.

This continuously brought fresh blood and promising strong cultivators into the Soul Sovereign.

"Hmm, the talents of students in the Jia Nan Academy Inner Court cannot be called weak. As the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, it's natural for me to want such talent," Xiao Yan said without concealment, voicing his true thoughts.

Elder Su chuckled: "Hahaha, your thinking is shared by countless factions outside the academy. Take Bai Shan, the one who offended you—his family has a faction within the Inner Court called the White Gang."

"The Inner Court's graduation period is five years. After graduation, many students join the family or organization tied to their Inner Court faction; those who form their own factions remain a minority."

"This competitiveness is exactly what our Inner Court requires. If you wish to avoid being bullied, you must strive to strengthen yourself—otherwise, forget it. The strong rule supreme; this has always been the world's fundamental principle. We do not wish for the Inner Court to become a carefree ivory tower, for such an environment produces no true experts." Elder Su said coolly.

Elder Su was not surprised; after all, this was precisely the academy's purpose—to cultivate talent, and talent was always fiercely contested.

Xiao Yu asked: "Xiao Yan, do you plan to form a faction here and then recruit talent to Wutan City?"

Xiao Yan paused, then suddenly realized: "Oh, I almost forgot—I haven't told you yet, have I?"

Xiao Yu blinked her beautiful eyes, puzzled: "Tell us what?"

"Our clan has moved to the Yun Lan Sect and now resides atop it," Xiao Yan said with a smile, as if it were trivial.

At these words, Xiao Yu and the other five Xiao Clan members widened their eyes in shock! They had entered Jia Nan Academy long ago and naturally knew nothing of recent events.

"What? Why did our Xiao Clan join the Yun Lan Sect? Is it because Nalan Yanran?" Xiao Yu suddenly remembered—Xiao Yan had an arranged fiancée who was the Young Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect!

Xiao Yan shook his head: "Something happened. But now, our Xiao Clan, the Yun Lan Sect, the Jia Ma Royal Family, and the Snake Empire have jointly formed the Yan Alliance—so my father and the others have already moved to reside atop the Yun Lan Sect."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not just Xiao Yu—even Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and Elder Su were stunned. The latter three had all heard of the latter three factions even within Jia Nan Academy; their alliance made sense, but how had the Xiao Clan suddenly joined them? Who exactly was this Xiao Clan?

"Is your family that powerful?" Wu Hao asked.

"Just a small family from a remote city—not strong at all," Xiao Yan shrugged and explained.

As members of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yu and the others knew better than anyone how weak their own family truly was. Xiao Yan's words sounded like a fairy tale—what had happened to make their humble, isolated city family ally with these Elder Giants?!

Elder Su said: "If you plan to form a faction, it will cost a great deal of Fire Energy. I advise you to conserve it. Though you've indeed seized plenty of Fire Energy, the Inner Court has no formal lessons—so long as you have sufficient Fire Energy, you may enter the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta to cultivate, which is far more effective than any course."

"Also, within the Inner Court are the Dou Technique Hall, the Cultivation Method Pavilion, the Mission Hall, the Pill Alchemy Rooms, and more. If you wish to obtain cultivation methods or Dou Techniques, or seek aid in Spirit Refining, you may visit these places—but only if you have enough Fire Energy to exchange for them. Compared to the Outer Court, the Inner Court is far more free."

"If you feel your Fire Energy is insufficient and are itching to fight, you may earn more at the Battle Arena—but only if you possess sufficient strength; otherwise, you'll lose everything."

"Thus, in the Inner Court, Fire Energy is always insufficient."

After a moment of thought, Xiao Yan transferred two thousand Fire Energy from his card to Xun Er and said: "Divide this Fire Energy among you. Later, buy a plot of land with Xiao Yu and the others from Elder Su—I intend to form a faction here. This should suffice for now."

Xun Er nodded and asked: "What should we name our faction in the Inner Court?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment, then said: "Call it Xiao Dian."

"Xiao Dian??"

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan awoke in the dormitory assigned by the academy. The previous day, Xun Er had already leased a large plot of land; they would not be able to move in for several more days.

After washing up, Xiao Yan descended the stairs and saw two figures darting and clashing in the courtyard outside, their dense Dou Qi surging from their bodies and rippling through the Hall.

On a chair in the Hall, Xun Er was smiling as she watched the two figures. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, saw Xiao Yan descending the stairs, and hurried forward with a gentle smile: "Brother Xiao Yan, you're up?"

"Mm," Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, then grinned at the two fighters: "What are these two up to now?"

"Perhaps because of the 'Hunting Competition,' last night Wu Hao and Sister Hu Jia both advanced to Six-Star Essence Refining—one after the other. This morning, they woke up and immediately wanted to spar, so they started fighting," Xun Er said with a muffled laugh, covering her mouth.

"Oh? They advanced?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, then shook his head in amazement. These two were indeed top students of the Jia Nan Outer Court—this talent far surpassed ordinary people.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you going to the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta today?" Xun Er asked.

"Mm, I'll go take a look."

Upon hearing Xiao Yan planned to visit the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, Wu Hao halted his battle and said: "Take me along—I want to see what this legendary Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta is like."

Xiao Yan nodded. As the two were about to step outside together, they suddenly noticed a group of over a dozen people approaching from afar.

Xiao Yan had a good memory—he recognized these people as this year's top fifty New Students.

Seeing Xiao Yan appear, the dozen New Students looked at him as if he were a savior, their eyes filled with tears as they surrounded him in a tight circle, even one falling to his knees and clutching Xiao Yan's leg.

"Hey hey hey hey, what are you doing? I'm straight!" Xiao Yan kicked the man clinging to his leg away.

"Senior Student Xiao Yan, big brother! I'm Tai—New Student. You absolutely must help us new students!" The man named Tai, who had clung to Xiao Yan's leg, cried out.

"First, tell me what happened," Xiao Yan said.

"The senior students in the Inner Court are utterly oppressive. Yesterday, they demanded protection fees—two days' Fire Energy per person. We knew we were newcomers and didn't want to provoke them, so we swallowed our pride and paid. But today they came back, saying we earned twenty days' Fire Energy from passing the competition, and now they want more." The young man named Tai gritted his teeth in indignation.

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled: "I can help you—but why should I?"

(End of Chapter)