Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, I am your second master.

"Then let's proceed with the enrollment procedures, Old Su. I remember that there's one chance to enter the library when you're admitted from the outer academy to the inner academy. You must save this opportunity for Li'er," Old Wang said with a grin.

The library of Canaan Academy is filled with treasures, all collected by Dean Mang Tianchi, a Dou Zun powerhouse.

For example, the Earth-rank cultivation techniques and combat skills that are highly sought after outside are not lacking at Canaan Academy. The library has all kinds of cultivation techniques, combat skills, medicinal herbs, and pill formulas.

"Hehe, old man Wang, if you want to enter the library, you have to complete the outer academy selection competition first. Only those who reach the top five are qualified. Of course, with the little guy's strength, it shouldn't be a problem."

Su Qian stroked his beard and said.

"Li'er, why don't you go to the outer courtyard to register first? I'll be waiting for you in the inner courtyard," Old Wang said with a smile, patting Xiao Li's head.

"No problem, let me see the geniuses of Canaan Academy." Xiao Li clenched his fists, already impatient.

"Then, Elder, I'll take this little genius to the outer academy to report for duty," Wu Tianlang said with a smile. It was naturally a good thing that Canaan Academy had such a genius.

"Well, Sirius, take our newly recruited little genius to school," Su Qian said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Wu Tianlang then led Xiao Li to the outer courtyard, while Su Qian led Elder Wang directly to the inner courtyard.

"Old Wang, is that little fellow your new disciple? He must be an alchemist too," Su Qian asked.

"Of course, Old Su, guess what rank my disciple is now?" Old Wang had always been very satisfied with Xiao Li.

"Oh? Let me guess, he must already be a fourth-grade alchemist, right? With his cultivation level of Dou Ling, refining fourth-grade pills shouldn't be a problem for him," Elder Su Qian said with a smile.

"Hehe, you guessed wrong! My disciple is already a fifth-grade alchemist! He can already refine fifth-grade pills, Spirit Ascension Pills," Old Wang said proudly.

"Fifth grade! He can even refine Spirit Ascension Pills? Even our academy's Old Man Huo doesn't have a high success rate in refining Spirit Ascension Pills. Is this kid that amazing?" Su Qian exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't you even know who taught your disciple! Alright, old man, arrange an honorary elder position for me. I want to research some things and refine a couple of pills while I'm at it." Old Wang waved his hand and said.

the other side,

"Teacher, where are we going now?" Xiao Li asked the middle-aged man with a fierce face.

“I’m not a teacher, I’m the deputy commander of the Canaan Academy’s enforcement team. My surname is Wu, you can just call me Commander Wu.” Wu Tianlang said with a smile, “We’ll go to the dean of the outer academy to process your enrollment procedures.”

"understood!"

Half a day later,

"Phew~ It's finally over. The inner court selection competition will be held in about a month. In a month, it's unlikely that I can improve by another star. Hmmm, let's refine some medicine."

"Since breaking through to the Dou Ling realm, I haven't had a single day of dedicated alchemy practice. I can't slack off on alchemy; it's my livelihood."

Xiao Li went straight to his dormitory and began his month-long alchemy practice.

. . . . . .

One month later,

dong dong——

dong dong dong-

"Who!"

"Xiao Li! Today is the Inner Academy Selection Competition! Have you forgotten?!"

Hu Qian, the vice dean of the outer academy, was originally presiding over the inner academy selection competition when he realized that the little guy he had met a month ago was not in the team, so he came over.

"Open the door! What are you doing, kid? I'm breaking down the door!"

bang——

Hu Qian kicked the door open. When he saw the room, he found that the spirited young man from a month ago was now disheveled, his clothes were dirty, and although he had dark circles under his eyes, his gaze was still fixed on the blue medicine cauldron in front of him.

"Hiss—he's refining medicine! Judging from the energy fluctuations, it's a fifth-grade pill! This kid can refine fifth-grade pills!" Hu Qian was stunned. He never expected that a sixteen-year-old boy could refine fifth-grade pills!

This is too outrageous!

"Congeal!"

Xiao Li activated the flames, condensing the medicinal liquid into a pill the size of a longan.

boom--

The strange phenomena caused by the fifth-grade elixir filled the entire room.

Xiao Li held the pill in his hand. The pill was still warm, but it wasn't perfectly round.

"Tsk, the pill was made too hastily! The quality of this pill is terrible! It's all your fault, old man! You actually disturbed my pill refining, and you ruined a perfectly good Qingyuan Pill!"

Xiao Li roared at Hu Qian! The most taboo thing for an alchemist is to be disturbed during the alchemy process. Xiao Li was at the most critical moment of condensing the pill, but Hu Qian distracted him.

"Qingyuan Pill! A high-grade fifth-rank pill, Qingyuan Pill! This pill can assist a Dou Huang in cultivation. Although it cannot directly increase cultivation by one star like the Dou Ling Pill or the Huangji Pill, its effect of accelerating cultivation speed is extremely significant!"

Hu Qian was surprised. It's no wonder he was so surprised, because Canaan Academy really doesn't have such a strong alchemist. The most powerful alchemist in the academy right now is Elder Huo, the head of the alchemist department, who is only a fifth-grade alchemist.

If he wants to refine the Qingyuan Pill, he will probably need to hone his alchemy skills for a while longer.

"Ahem, Vice Dean, what did you say you wanted to talk about? What day is it today?" Xiao Li asked, picking at his ear.

"Today is the Inner Academy selection competition. Aren't you going to the Inner Academy? Are you trying to get a spot in the Library Pavilion while you're at it? If you miss today, you'll have to wait for the next one!"

Hu Qian explained that he wisely refrained from mentioning that he had just disturbed Xiao Li's alchemy, since his actions had violated a taboo for alchemists.

"I understand. They're just some Battle Masters. I'll take on any battle against a Great Battle Master." Xiao Li dusted himself off and walked outside.

In the selection competition,

The top students from each class had been waiting for a long time, but the selection competition had not yet started because one student had not yet arrived, and the vice dean personally went to invite him.

"Who is it? They must have some big influence to require the vice dean to invite them?"

"Who knows?"

Boom boom boom——

A series of air explosions rang out, and a crimson streak of light rushed in, crashing directly onto the fighting platform and creating thick smoke and dust.

"Alright, geniuses, if you have any skills, just show them off, I'll take them all!"

As the dust settled, a young man was seen holding a large red and silver sword, looking arrogantly at the remaining people on the field.

"How brave!"

"Insanity!"

"court death!"

The geniuses were initially taken aback, but then they were enraged by Xiao Li's words and rushed forward without thinking twice.

"Hmph! Heaven! Fierce! Slash!"

Xiao Li raised the Heavenly Blaze high above his head, then gathered his battle qi! An extremely strong energy fluctuation converged on the Heavenly Blaze! Earth-rank battle techniques can use the energy of heaven and earth to achieve destructive power.

With his current cultivation level of three-star Dou Ling, Xiao Li can unleash Earth-rank Dou Techniques, making him virtually unrivaled among Dou Ling. If a Dou Wang were to be directly attacked by Xiao Li, they would be either dead or crippled.

"Oh no! Protect the trainees!"

Vice Dean Hu Qian had just sat down when he stood up again because Xiao Li had gone too far.

Chapter 33, The Library

Vice Dean's Office

In the selection competition, Xiao Li deservedly won first place, sweeping away the so-called geniuses of the outer academy with his own strength. Next, the "geniuses" of the outer academy will compete for the remaining four spots.

"You brat, are you deliberately trying to annoy me? Is it really necessary to be so violent? Look at you, a mere Dou Ling, bullying several Dou Shi and Da Dou Shi, and you're using Earth-rank Dou Techniques right off the bat!"

I know you're an alchemist, you're rich, and you have a powerful master, how could you do this to me like this... (slurred speech) Ugh... I'm so angry!

Hu Qian spat at Xiao Li, but dared not verbally insult him directly.

"It's because I wasn't in a good mental state, and I didn't control the force well." Xiao Li scratched his cheek awkwardly, then glanced at Hu Qian's newly bandaged right hand.

If Hu Qian hadn't intervened in time, some trainees might have been injured or killed.

"You brat! You're driving me crazy! Get your ass to the inner courtyard and stop causing trouble there. My outer courtyard can't handle a master like you!" Hu Qian said angrily.

"Alright, you lot, come with me. You are the top five in this selection competition, and according to the rules, you are qualified to enter the library to try your luck."

Hu Qian stood up, went to the wall behind him, and casually clapped his hands a few times. A deep rumbling sound rang out, and then a dark passage appeared in front of Xiao Li and the other four.

"There's something amazing inside!" Xiao Li exclaimed.

Hu Qian: "Come with me."

Upon entering the passage, one sees large luminous pearls embedded in the walls, their soft glow casting a hazy light over the passage. The atmosphere within is quiet, with only the soft rustling of footsteps.

After walking through the passage for about half an hour, a glimmer of light finally appeared at the end of the passage. Upon seeing the light, the group of people in the passage quickened their pace. A moment later, they finally reached the end of the passage and stepped out.

A blinding glare shone down from the sky, making it difficult for the other four to open their eyes. After a while, they slowly opened them and were surprised by the scene that appeared before them.

Before Xiao Li and the others lay a valley, with steep cliffs rising all the way to the horizon. Between the three cliffs, there was a wide open space, and on that open space stood a massive, imposing, and ancient-looking pavilion.

His eyes slowly swept across the huge and simple pavilion, and finally stopped on an extremely ancient plaque outside the pavilion. On it, three characters that had been somewhat blurred by the years were looming. out.

Library!

Hu Qian led Xiao Li and the other four slowly toward the library. Just as they were about twenty meters away, they suddenly stopped, cupped their fists in a gesture of respect towards the library, and said:

"The top five in this year's Inner Court Selection Competition have been determined. According to the rules, I have brought them here. Please open the door, Elders!"

Two gray-robed figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the previously deserted library. Xiao Li was certain he hadn't blinked; the two gray-robed figures had appeared far too quickly.

'These two are probably the backbone of Canaan Academy, the former Grand Elders, Qianmu and Bailie, right? They must have reached the high-level Dou Zong level a long time ago; they would be considered experts even in the Central Continent.'

Just as Xiao Li was pondering, he suddenly felt two gazes coming his way. Xiao Li looked up and met the gazes of the two elders.

The two elders exclaimed softly, "Eh?" One of them asked, "May I ask this young friend's name?"

The old man's somewhat hoarse voice carried a hint of the vicissitudes accumulated over the years.

"Junior Xiao Li greets the two elders!" Xiao Li clasped his hands and bowed.

"Hmm~ Bone age of sixteen, but cultivation level has reached three-star Dou Ling level, and even shows a trend of progressing to four-star. In terms of soul, it is even stronger than most fifth-grade alchemists!"

You are truly exceptionally talented! Even in the Central Plains, where geniuses abound, there are very few who can compare to you.

Qianmu said with a smile, "Huqian, you've taken in a good student this time. I think the dean will be very happy. As for the other kids, two are Great Dou Shi and two are at the peak of Dou Shi, so they're just average."

Hu Qian cupped his hands and said, "Please, elders, unlock the spatial lock."

"Spatial lock?"

Hu Qian explained with a smile, "This is a spatial lock, a barrier that only a Dou Zun powerhouse can set up. This spatial lock was left by the Dean. If the two elders inside don't open it with special methods, even a Dou Zong powerhouse wouldn't be able to get in."

(The original text refers to a senior from Canaan Academy, but I directly named him Mang Tianchi, since he is currently the only Dou Zun at Canaan Academy, and it is reasonable for the dean to name him this.)

At the pavilion, the two elders slowly extended their withered hands from their sleeves, and then slowly formed hand seals one finger at a time. As they formed the hand seals, Xiao Li could clearly feel two extremely powerful and invisible waves emanating from their palms like waves.

The invisible fluctuations gradually spread, finally coming into contact with the spatial folds. Upon contact, the space in front of Xiao Li and the others became like a mirror made of water, constantly rippling. After a moment, the ripples stopped, and a door-shaped structure was slowly torn open by an invisible hand.

'Is this the kind of spatial manipulation only Dou Zong or even Dou Zun experts can unleash? I wonder when I'll be able to reach that level?'

"Let's go in," Hu Qian said, waving to the group.

Xiao Li was the first to enter the library, and the other four exchanged glances and followed suit.

"Now you may enter the library on your own. Remember, whatever you want, do not force it, because everything inside is covered by an energy layer. If your hand can pass through the energy layer without any hindrance, then you can take the things inside. Of course, no matter how much you can take, you can only take one thing out of the library. Do not be greedy, otherwise you will end up with nothing."

If you cannot penetrate the energy layers, then give up. With your strength, you cannot break through them. Every year, many people enter the library, but quite a few leave empty-handed. Therefore, everything is up to fate; do not force what you cannot have.

The voice of the elder came through.

"The door will only be open for one hour. After one hour, regardless of whether you have gotten what you need, you must come out."

After learning the rules of the library, the five of them entered the library at the same time. Everyone was eager to see what treasures this mysterious library held.

There has always been a legend in the academy that a certain ordinary senior student soared to great heights after entering the library. After cultivating in the inner courtyard for several years, he graduated as a Dou Wang (Battle King) and then became a powerful figure in his own right.

Chapter 34 The Alchemist's Methods

"Let me see what good stuff we have," Xiao Li said, rubbing his hands together.

The other four kept their distance from Xiao Li with remarkable tacit understanding, because Xiao Li's previous strike was so terrifying that it made their legs weak.

It should be noted that the average age of the four of them was around twenty-four or twenty-five, while Xiao Li was only sixteen years old. Sixteen years old was so much younger than them, yet his cultivation was one or even two major realms higher than theirs.

The two elders just mentioned that this monstrous genius is also an alchemist. They felt that all their years of cultivation had been for nothing.

Xiao Li had already seen dozens of energy shields. He reached inside and pulled out a crimson scroll.