Battle Through the Heavens: Oh no, I've become the succubus Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan stood alone at the entrance of Canaan Academy, looking up at the plaque for a long time.

As for Little Fairy Doctor and the others, they settled down in the Black Corner Region. With Medusa watching over them, nothing bad would happen.

Xiao Yan planned to establish himself at Canaan Academy before bringing them in.

At this moment, a long queue had formed at the entrance, all of them new students who had come to take the entrance exam. There were scions of noble families dressed in fine clothes, commoners in coarse cloth, and a few burly men who looked like mercenaries with scars on their arms—this group of people together looked like a hodgepodge.

"This is Canaan Academy," Xiao Yan muttered to himself. "In the original story, Xiao Yan didn't arrive until he was eighteen, but I'm here two years early."

He stood at the end of the line, idly looking around. Most of the new students were between Dou Zhe and Dou Shi in terms of cultivation level.

"Hey, are you here for the assessment too?" A round-faced boy leaned over, grinning. "My name is Wu Hao, what's yours?"

"Xiao Yan".

"Xiao Yan?" Wu Hao scratched his head. "That name sounds familiar... Never mind, I have a bad memory. What's your cultivation level?"

"Battle Emperor".

Wu Hao's smile froze on his face.

"Battle...Battle Emperor?"

"Um."

Wu Hao silently took a step back, sizing up Xiao Yan. Gray robes, black ruler, sixteen or seventeen years old—he didn't look like a Dou Huang at all. He looked more like a young master from a small family on an adventure.

  

"Are you kidding me?"

"No joke."

Wu Haoqian chuckled twice and subtly moved two steps to the side.

The group slowly moved forward. The assessment consisted of three stages: aura test, combat test, and alchemy test. The first two stages were mandatory, while the third stage was only required for those who wanted to join the alchemy department.

The battle qi test was very simple; just press your hand on the qi-testing stone and you're done. Xiao Yan stepped forward, and as soon as his palm touched the stone, it hummed and exploded with golden light.

"A second-level Douhuang!" The instructor in charge of registration almost jumped up from his chair.

All the new students around them turned their heads in unison.

"Sixteen years old? Second-level Douhuang?"

"That's bullshit..."

Am I seeing things?

The instructor flipped through the roster, confirmed the age information was correct, and took a deep breath: "Xiao Yan, you have passed the Dou Qi test. Please proceed to the second stage, the combat assessment."

The second challenge is practical combat. New students are paired up and fight in a training ground. The mentors decide whether to admit them based on their performance.

Xiao Yan's opponent was a Great Dou Master, in his early twenties, with the demeanor of a scion of a noble family. He dressed meticulously and fought with proper decorum. He unleashed a Dou Qi slash, but Xiao Yan didn't even flinch; the protective Dou Qi of his Fire God Body automatically deflected the attack.

"This..." The opponent was stunned.

Xiao Yan raised his hand, and a ball of cyan flame condensed in his palm. He then gently pushed it forward.

The flames didn't target the opponent; instead, they flew over his head and slammed into the protective shield at the edge of the training ground. The shield trembled violently, and cracks spread for half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

The entire room fell silent.

The opponent raised his hands: "I concede."

The mentors exchanged bewildered glances. This newcomer was stronger than them. One of the older mentors stood up, walked up to Xiao Yan, carefully examined his Dou Qi fluctuations, and then nodded.

"Xiao Yan, you have passed the combat assessment. Furthermore, you do not need to participate in the alchemy test. The alchemy department elders have already requested to see you."

Xiao Yan smiled.

As expected. A sixteen-year-old fifth-grade alchemist and a Dou Huang are phenomenal achievements in the entire Canaan Academy.

He followed his mentor toward the Department of Alchemy. As they passed a bamboo grove, a commotion broke out ahead.

"Zi Yan! You've stolen my pills again!"

"I didn't steal any food; I ate it openly and honestly."

"It took me three months to refine that!"

"So you're refining too slowly? I'll help you use up your inventory."

Xiao Yan stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

In the bamboo forest, a little girl sat on a rock, chewing on something, her cheeks puffed out. She looked about eleven or twelve years old, with purple hair tied in two small buns, big, watery eyes, and an innocent expression.

A young man stood opposite them, his face ashen, clutching an empty jade bottle in his hand.

"Zi Yan!"

"Don't make a fuss," the little girl swallowed what was in her mouth, clapped her hands, "I'll give it back to you next time."

"You said the same thing last time!"

"Then maybe next time."

The young man stomped his feet in anger, but dared not make a move. The little girl looked harmless, but everyone in the inner courtyard knew that she had never lost a fight.

Xiao Yan smiled as he watched this scene.

Zi Yan. A Taixu Ancient Dragon. Transmigrators know this inside and out. In the original story, she was Xiao Yan's closest companion at Canaan Academy. A young Taixu Ancient Dragon, she possessed noble blood and ridiculously high strength, never losing a fight. Her only weakness was her gluttony; she would accept any pill offered.

He walked over, took out a jade bottle from his storage ring, and handed it to Zi Yan.

"Here, take this."

Zi Yan raised her head and looked at the unfamiliar young man in front of her. She looked down at the jade bottle and her nose twitched.

"It smells so good." Her eyes lit up.

"A fifth-grade elixir, the Qi-Nourishing Pill. It's better than the one you stole."

Zi Yan took the jade bottle, uncorked it, smelled it, and then tilted her head back to pour the pill into her mouth.

"Delicious!" She squinted, smiling like a cat that had stolen a fish.

The young man was dumbfounded. Zi Yan hadn't even glanced at the pills he had refined for three months, but the one the young man casually handed her, she ate like it was candy.

"Who are you?" Zi Yan asked, chewing on a pill.

"Xiao Yan. A freshman who just enrolled."

"A freshman?" Zi Yan looked him up and down. "You smell nice."

Xiao Yan knew what she was talking about. The aura of the Fire God Body was like catnip to a noble-blooded magical beast like the Ancient Void Dragon.

"I'll give you more pills to take later," Xiao Yan said, "but you have to do me a favor."

"What kind of help?"

"Help me fight."

Zi Yan grinned: "I'm best at fighting."

Xiao Yan extended his hand, and Zi Yan hesitated for a moment before reaching out her small hand to shake his.

Her hands were small, but her grip was incredibly strong. Xiao Yan almost couldn't hold them.

"My name is Zi Yan."

"I've heard of you," Xiao Yan smiled, "the best fighter in the inner courtyard."

Zi Yan blinked, then grinned.

"You have good taste."

She didn't know why, but this boy gave her a sense of security. It was as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Xiao Yan watched her skip and hop into the depths of the bamboo forest, thinking to himself: In the original story, Zi Yan's trust in Xiao Yan was built up little by little through time and elixirs. This time, he would be even faster.

The elder of the Alchemy Department was surnamed Huo and was called Elder Huo. He was a fifth-grade alchemist. When he saw Xiao Yan, his first reaction was disbelief.

"Sixteen years old? A fifth-grade alchemist?"

"You can test me, senior."

Hu Tian set a challenge: refine a fourth-grade pill called the Rejuvenating Pill on the spot, with a time limit of half an hour.

Xiao Yan took fifteen minutes.

When the pills were finished, they were round and plump, exuding a fragrant aroma, and their quality was even better than the ones Elder Huo refined himself.

Elder Huo remained silent for a long time.

"Your soul power..." He stared at Xiao Yan, "is it approaching the Spirit Realm?"

"By a stroke of luck, we almost made it." Actually, we had already arrived, but I didn't want to discourage you, old man.

Elder Huo took a deep breath. He had lived for so many years, yet his soul power hadn't even reached the Spirit Realm. This sixteen-year-old boy, however, seemed to be almost catching up to him in soul power.

"Xiao Yan," Elder Huo said, "from now on you will be an elder of our Alchemy Department. In addition, I will apply to the Dean to allow you to directly participate in the Inner Court activities."

"Thank you, senior." As long as the people at Canaan Academy aren't blind, I'll definitely get into the inner academy.

Xiao Yan walked out of the Alchemy Department and looked at the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower of Canaan Academy.

The tower is hundreds of feet tall, entirely black, with a faint flicker of firelight at its top.

Fallen Heartflame.

He sensed it. That familiar call from the strange fire was exactly the same as it had been in the Tagor Desert. But this time it was more subtle, more gentle, like someone softly calling his name from afar. And there was even a hint of impatience in it.

"No rush," Xiao Yan thought to himself, "I'll get established first, then I'll come find you."

He turned and walked towards the freshmen dormitory.

Behind them, the flames atop the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower seemed to brighten for a moment longer than before.