While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

After passing the Black and White Duo, Chen Xiao was no longer hindered from leaving the forest.

Just as he emerged from the edge of the forest, Su Qian and his two companions, who had been following him, suddenly appeared.

"Congratulations, Chen Xiao, you won this year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition. You are probably the only winner. Because Old Man Hu didn't give me a heads-up beforehand, I didn't have time to arrange a challenging opponent for you. It's a pity, but I do hope that such an unexpected event can happen every year."

Elder Su Qian stepped forward with no other choice but to announce it.

The three of them witnessed Chen Xiao's entire process of clearing the game.

The so-called Black and White Duo didn't pose any obstacle at all, and were torn to pieces by a single ice spear.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, waiting for what was to come.

"As the sole winner of this year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition, you will receive... fifty days of Fire Energy. In addition, you are also the fastest person to traverse this forest in all these years, so I will give you an extra Azure Fire Crystal Card and fifty days of Fire Energy as a bonus."

"Azure Flame Crystal Card?"

Chen Xiao knew that Fire Crystal Cards had different levels.

Previously, the Black Fiend Team captain used a Black Fire Crystal Card and was dirt poor, while the White Fiend Team captain used a Blue Fire Crystal Card, showing a clear difference between the two.

But I can't remember the specific details.

"In the inner courtyard, the Fire Crystal Cards are divided into five colors from low to high: black, blue, cyan, red, and purple. The black crystal card in your hand is the lowest grade. This type of crystal card only qualifies you to cultivate on the first or second level of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. The blue crystal card is for the third or fourth level, and so on down."

"To upgrade a crystal card, you need to exchange it for fire energy in the inner courtyard. It takes 100 days of fire energy to upgrade from a black fire crystal card to a blue fire crystal card, and 200 days of fire energy to upgrade from a blue fire crystal card to a cyan fire crystal card. The amount of fire energy increases by 100 for each subsequent upgrade."

Hearing the elder's explanation, Chen Xiao suddenly understood.

In other words, this Azure Fire Crystal Card alone is worth three hundred days' worth of fire energy.

Including the hundred reward from Su Qian, that's a full four hundred days of fire energy rewards!

"Understood, thank you, Elder."

"Hehe, no need. You earned this through your own strength. Just transfer your fire energy to the Azure Fire Crystal Card, and give me back the Black Fire Crystal Card."

Su Qian smiled and took out a cyan crystal card from her storage ring, tossing it to Chen Xiao. The card had a striking number on it: one hundred.

Chen Xiao nodded in agreement and quickly began operating the device. He smiled with satisfaction as he watched the number on the Azure Fire Crystal Card change to 445.

"Alright, from now on you are an inner court student. I will take you into the inner court first." Elder Su Qian nodded as he took the Black Fire Crystal Card back from Chen Xiao.

"Aren't you waiting for the other freshmen?"

"The Fire Energy Hunting Competition won't end so quickly. Some of the new students are very good at hiding. It can take them two or three days to five or six days. Elder Qin and Old Man Hu can supervise it here. I will reappear when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao said no more, nodded and followed Su Qian's footsteps, climbing the steps on the slope not far away.

The gravel steps were long, but at the pace of the two of them, they could walk there in less than a minute, even at a leisurely pace.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Chen Xiao lifted himself up and stood atop the hillside. Looking into the distance, the sight that came into view filled him with awe.

Beyond this hillside lies an extremely large sunken basin, its shape resembling that of a giant meteorite that fell from the sky and was forcefully carved out.

Thinking of the Fallen Heart Flame, Chen Xiao couldn't help but wonder if the appearance of this basin was related to it.

Within the vast basin, towering buildings stand in rows, and dark shadows, resembling fleas from afar, constantly dart and shift among them.

This scene was strikingly similar to the ninja academy he had fantasized about as a child in his past life…

"As you can see, that is the core location of Canaan Academy: the Inner Court!"

"Your strength is far ahead in the outer academy, but in the inner academy, there are quite a few students stronger than you. Little one, are you ready to accept the challenge?"

Seeing Chen Xiao slightly lost in thought, Elder Su Qian nodded in satisfaction and clapped his hands.

Chen Xiao snapped out of his daze, a hopeful smile spreading across his face.

"The outer court is just a brutal crushing victory, devoid of any glory. I actually hope there will be more powerful individuals in the inner court!"

It's hard to improve when playing chess with a terrible player.

Even worse, if you are flattered by those around you for too long, and hear too many nice words, you will unconsciously fall into it.

Xiao Yan of Wutan City serves as a cautionary tale in this regard.

Although Canaan Academy promotes fierce competition and encourages struggle, it strictly prohibits life-or-death battles. Cultivating here for a period of time before venturing out into the world is undoubtedly a good transition.

"Hehe, I won't let you down. Cultivation is endless. You must believe that there are mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. Come on, let me settle you in first. You'll gradually learn more about the inner courtyard after staying there for a few days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Qian's figure transformed into a blurry shadow and sped towards the huge basin.

Chen Xiao followed closely behind.

...

Inner courtyard.

New student accommodation area.

Su Qian pushed open the door of a small attic in the very center of the area, and sunlight shone in, dispelling the gloom inside.

"The arrangements for each year's freshmen are mostly the same. The top five in the selection competition will be assigned to live together. Of course, if you have any reasonable requests, the Inner Academy will respect them and make adjustments accordingly."

"In addition, this attic is only your temporary residence. There are many academy gangs in the inner courtyard. Once they have grown to a certain size, those who are able will rent an area to house their gang members. They can move out to live there at that time."

Chen Xiao nodded slightly; he had no objection to the arrangement.

It's just a place to live; you can live in a simple one or a luxurious one. It has no impact on your cultivation.

Moreover, this little attic is quite elegant.

"I understand, thank you for your trouble, Elder."

"Since you have no objections, then just pick a room, tidy it up, and stay there. After the Fire Energy Hunting Competition ends in a few days, I'll bring the others over."

After saying this, Elder Su Qian didn't linger. He smiled, put his hands behind his back, and left.

Chen Xiao went up to the second floor and chose the most well-furnished and tidy room.

It took about half an hour to thoroughly clean the place inside and out before taking out bedding and other items from the storage ring.

After getting everything in order, Chen Xiao took out a jade bottle containing Earth Fire Lotus Seeds from his storage ring.

Open the bottle and place it on the table.

This Earth Fire Lotus Seed can be used for fishing.

No, it's for fishing for dragons!

Although luck plays a big part, it's still a method to catch those who are willing to take the bait.