Breaking the Masked Man

"A real strange fire..."

Hu Qian muttered to himself. This was the second time he had seen a strange fire. It was rumored that Han Feng had obtained the Sea Heart Flame, but he had never dealt with the other party and had never seen what the so-called Sea Heart Flame looked like.

"With my skill level, teaching alchemy shouldn't be a problem."

Yao Yan said softly.

"Very well, I agree to this. Come with me to the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy. Let's first meet with the Grand Elder of the inner courtyard. If he also agrees, then this matter can be settled!"

Hu Qian took a deep breath, then nodded and agreed. He had no reason not to.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 143 The cultivation atmosphere is good

With Yao Yan's strength, there was no need for him to stay in the outer academy as a teacher. According to strength, Canaan Academy divided teachers into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Great Dou Masters and Dou Spirits were Yellow-rank instructors, Dou Kings were Profound-rank, Dou Emperors were Earth-rank, and Heaven-rank corresponded to Dou Zong powerhouses. However, most of the time, Heaven-rank was just for show, because most students would choose to leave Canaan Academy and travel after reaching the Dou King level.

On the one hand, reaching this level of strength means officially entering the ranks of the strong.

On the other hand, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower's enhancement for Dou Wang level experts has greatly diminished. Even the lowest level training room cannot provide a significant boost to a Dou Wang level expert. Staying at Canaan Academy is definitely not a wise choice if one wants to continue advancing rapidly.

Young people, especially those with exceptional talent, all yearn for a wider world, and only a very few choose to stay at Canaan College to teach.

This is why there aren't many powerful individuals at Canaan Academy.

Even if only a few remain, their accumulated strength over hundreds of years is enough to make the entire Black Corner Region look up to them.

now.

Yao Yan was flying towards the inner courtyard with Hu Qian. The rule that prohibited flying within a radius of hundreds of miles obviously could not restrict Hu Qian, the dean of the outer courtyard. At their speed, they arrived at the deepest part of the mountain range in about a quarter of an hour.

A desolate mountain range came into view. From high above, it looked like a huge crater created by a meteorite, with the surrounding rock walls bearing the scorching marks that had not faded for thousands of years.

Deep within this place lies a strange black tower, its main body buried underground, with only a section of its spire and a pitch-black entrance visible above ground.

At that intersection, a large, dark crowd had gathered. People were entering the crowd one after another, while a corresponding number of people were leaving. It seemed that there was something special about the crowd that made them unwilling to waste even a moment.

Fallen Heart Flame... Yao Yan looked at the black tower in front of him and four words popped into his mind. At the same time, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in his body also twitched slightly, as if it had sensed a familiar aura.

There is a unique connection between different flames, and they even have an instinct to devour each other.

However, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower in front of them had completely sealed the Fallen Heart Flame. The aura they sensed was due to the opening of its gate. From the slightly distorted space around them, it was clear how strong the seal was. Moreover, Yao Yan knew even more clearly that the person who left all of this behind was Mang Tianchi, the dean of Canaan Academy.

That Thunder Clan elder who loves to travel the world!

“That’s the core of the inner academy. If you can really become a teacher in the inner academy, you’ll have the opportunity to go and see it someday… Even a Dou Wang can gain a lot there.” Hu Qian noticed Yao Yan’s gaze and said with a smile.

"Really? That sounds exciting."

Yao Yan listened with interest and said, but he was quite calm. The biggest function of the Fallen Heart Flame was to activate the automatic cultivation bug. As for the derivative in front of him, the heart fire reflected by the Fallen Heart Flame would probably not have much effect on him.

The two exchanged a few words and then flew directly towards the courtyard not far away.

The inner courtyard of Canaan Academy is not very large, and it can only accommodate about a thousand students. This number has always been determined by the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, after all, it is the foundation of Canaan Academy, and everything is built around it. Most of the talented students are willing to stay here because of its existence.

No one can refuse the Heart Flame, which is almost like cheating for low-level cultivators. The increase it can give to one's cultivation speed is not just a little bit, but extremely obvious, and can even be directly felt.

If this place weren't located in the Black Corner Region, and if it weren't for the fact that Mang Tianchi, a half-saint of the Thunder Clan, was watching over it, this place might have already been dug up by some forces in the Central Continent.

at this time.

Suddenly, a powerful aura emanated from afar. At the same time, the other party flashed to the void not far in front of Yao Yan with an extremely fast speed, accompanied by bursts of air-cutting sounds. His feet stomped flat on the void, his white hair fluttered in the wind, and an invisible wave spread out, causing ripples in the surrounding space.

The powerful pressure emanating from the Dou Zong level caused a slight sinking feeling in everyone's hearts.

For ordinary people, a Dou Zong expert is definitely a being at a higher level of life. Even without Dou Qi, their vigorous life force has a strong sense of oppression.

"This is Elder Su Qian of the Inner Court. You can talk to him if you have something to say... Old man, be polite. This is a five-star Dou Wang who is not yet eighteen years old, and also a fifth-grade alchemist. He came to Canaan Academy to apply for a teaching position. Whether you agree or not is up to you. I will return to the Outer Court first."

Hu Qian gave the other party a disgruntled look, then simply washed his hands of the matter. It was clear that whether or not to leave Yao Yan behind was entirely up to Su Qian. If the other party disagreed, there was no point in him staying, and Su Qian's strength was more than enough to suppress any dissent.

A mere five-star Dou Wang kid is clearly not going to cause any trouble.

"Explain yourself!" Su Qian's lips twitched as he hurriedly said, but all he could see was Hu Qian's departing figure. In a few flashes, the other party had already disappeared from sight.

"My name is Yao Yan, and I greet the Grand Elder!"

Yao Yan glanced at the other person a few times, then politely cupped his hands in a salute.

Su Qian looked at the young man before him—no, to be precise, he could be called a teenager—and felt a chill run down his spine. An eighteen-year-old Battle King was already outrageous, but to be a fifth-grade alchemist was even more astounding. The combination of these two achievements was enough to make one question the meaning of life. He pondered for a moment before asking, "At such a young age, you possess such Battle Qi cultivation and alchemy skills. May I ask where you learned your skills from? Or perhaps you are a disciple of some family?!"

"……Hard to say."

Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"If you don't explain yourself clearly, I have no reason to keep you here!" Su Qian said in a deep voice, his expression slightly serious. He couldn't possibly keep a little monster of unknown origin.

"I wonder if the Grand Elder has ever heard of the Medicine Clan? I was born into this clan, but I got into some trouble later and have now been expelled from the clan. I am temporarily homeless. Since I heard about Canaan Academy when I was a child and was passing through this area, I thought I would like to stay here for a while."

After thinking for a moment, Yao Yan revealed some information to him.

Medicine Clan?!

Could it be one of those families the dean mentioned before?!

Su Qian's heart stirred slightly. Although he didn't understand the value of the Medicine Clan, he had followed Mang Qianchi, a half-saint of the Thunder Clan, before, and naturally learned some things from him. For example, those major families that were above countless forces on the Dou Qi Continent, they were like non-existent to those who were not strong enough. But the stronger one was, the more one could feel the size and terror of those families.

The mere mention of the word "Emperor" is enough to suffocate countless people.

Su Qian pondered for a moment before asking, "If I were to keep you here, would it cause trouble for Canaan Academy?"

"If that day ever comes, the Dean can simply hand me over. Although my family is domineering, they won't implicate others without reason. Besides, Canaan Academy is extremely famous throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent, so they won't go too far. Therefore, the Grand Elder doesn't need to worry about those things."

Yao Yan smiled slightly and said softly.

"What trouble have you gotten yourself into that you've been expelled from the clan?" Su Qian was puzzled. This kid's talent was monstrous; how could those clans bear to throw him out?

"To avenge my parents, I wiped out the enemy's entire family, who happened to be of the same clan..."

Yao Yan said it casually.

Su Qian was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "You can stay at Canaan Academy for the time being, but if trouble comes to you because of me, I hope you will leave on your own. This is our agreement. If you agree, you can stay at Canaan Academy."

"No problem," Yao Yan said with a smile and a nod.

"kindness."

Su Qian gave Yao Yan a deep look, but said nothing more. He then flew directly towards his courtyard with Yao Yan. He planned to take Yao Yan with him for the next few months. If Yao Yan had any falsehoods, he would tell him the price of deceiving a Dou Zong expert.

……

Infiltrating Canaan Academy was obviously easy. With Yao Yan's talent, Canaan Academy had no reason to refuse him. However, since he was a latecomer, Su Qian did not fully trust him and remained somewhat wary, so he did not directly appoint him as a mentor. However, Su Qian did not restrict his freedom either; he could freely visit the entire inner academy.

It was as if Yao Yan was really just temporarily staying at Canaan Academy.

However, to be fair, the cultivation environment in the inner courtyard was very similar to the senior year of high school in my previous life. Everyone was focused on cultivation and had no time to pay attention to anything else. Every day, they either went to the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower to cultivate or went out to hunt magical beasts, gather medicinal herbs, trade with others to exchange for fire energy points, and continue to bury themselves in hard work.

The atmosphere was really nice, reminding Yao Yan of her days at the Yao Clan Academy.

The next day.

Yao Yan then arrived at the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. This tower is not open every day; it is only open on a few fixed days each month. At other times, it is closed. This is to prevent students from overusing their inner fire for cultivation, which could lead to an excessive accumulation of fire toxins in their bodies, and also for maintenance purposes.

As time went by, the Fallen Heart Flame, sealed within the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, became increasingly irritable and unwilling to remain sealed there, becoming a tool for others to use.

Especially as the intelligence of the spirit of the strange fire increased, its yearning for freedom became stronger and stronger.

As for why it doesn't run down... would it dare?

Yao Yan's arrival naturally attracted a lot of attention. The inner court students were quite interested in a 'stranger', since newcomers were meant to be exploited. If the other party was not strong enough, they wouldn't mind talking to him about protection money.

The inner court does not prohibit this, and even encourages it to some extent.

Because there has never been order or rules in the Dou Qi Continent, similarly, if you want to survive in the Inner Court, you must adapt to its unspoken rules, unless you have the strength to break them.

Perhaps because Yao Yan's aura was somewhat conspicuous, several people looked over at him with ill intent.

Yao Yan didn't care about this. He kept looking at the black tower until he heard a voice in his ear: "Kid wearing a mask, are you new here? Do you want your senior to teach you how to use fire energy in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower... As payment, give me five points of fire energy."

As they were talking, a tall man walked up to Yao Yan's side. He was two heads taller than Yao Yan, burly and powerful, and a genuine Grand Master.

"Xiong Zhuang made his move. Tsk, what an unlucky kid. If he gives in this time, he'll probably have to pay tribute to him for the next year or two."

"Who can blame him for being so strong and physically powerful, with innate superhuman strength? Even though he's only an eight-star Grand Dou Master, he can still hold his own against a Dou Ling with sheer brute force. There are very few in the inner academy who dare to compete with him head-on in terms of strength."

The students around them couldn't help but stop and watch the show, clearly familiar with the scene.

"kindness?"

Yao Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at the burly man who had caused the trouble. He raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly remembered that Canaan Academy's inner courtyard had a long-standing tradition of upperclassmen bullying freshmen. This had only improved with Xiao Yan's generation. Once he understood this, he grinned and said, "You want fire energy?"

"I don't want it, this is payment!"

Xiong Zhuang said with a smile. He reached out and pinched Yao Yan's 'slender' arm, applying a little force to signal that the other party should be sensible and obediently pay the protection fee. However, he always knew what he was doing and usually only asked for a few points. As for robbing them all, that was impossible, and the elders of the inner courtyard would not agree to it.

He can be a 'bad guy,' but he can't cut off other people's path to cultivation.

This is Canaan College's bottom line.

"Then I'll have to trouble this student." Yao Yan said with a smile, raising his arm slightly and directly moving Xiong Zhuang's arm.

At this moment, Xiong Zhuang's expression froze instantly. He stared at Yao Yan in disbelief, feeling the terrifying power coming from the other's arm. He could hardly resist that power. Even though he had used all his strength in his arm, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree compared to the other. This was a feeling he had never experienced before in his life.

"Crack~"

Yao Yan raised her hand and slapped Xiong Zhuang's hand away, saying in a friendly manner, "However, the teacher does not like being touched by others, especially without my consent. But since this is your first offense, I can forgive you. Don't do it again."