Responding to the Grand Elder, Chen Xiao turned his gaze to the nine people beside him.
He could see that everyone, including Zi Yan, was still undergoing the Heart Flame Origin Tempering.
Among them, half were sweating profusely, clearly nearing their limit.
Yet, even so, the time they had spent undergoing the tempering was actually longer than his, which slightly surprised Chen Xiao.
"No need to overthink it. It's just different attribute reactions. It's like throwing a piece of charcoal into ice and snow; it will cool down faster than if you threw it on the road. It's the same principle."
Understanding the look in Chen Xiao's eyes, Su Qian explained with a light chuckle.
Chen Xiao nodded slightly, recalling the scene when the Heart Flame Origin entered his body just now, and couldn't help but fall into contemplation.
Just a wisp of the Fallen Heart Flame's origin heart flame, when mixed with his ordinary ice attribute Dou Qi at the Dou Ling level, could produce such a violent reaction, even making him feel as if his body could be torn apart at any moment.
If this were the main body of the Fallen Heart Flame, or even a Heavenly Flame ranked higher on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and his strength were also increased, refining more Ice Attribute Spiritual Objects to enhance his Dou Qi intensity, what terrifying power would erupt from the clash of ice and fire under such conditions?
Just imagining it in his mind, Chen Xiao couldn't help but click his tongue.
Terrifying!
That scene would definitely be terrifying!
However, imagination is just imagination. As Xun Er said the night she left, among the Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, it seems only the Bone Spirit Cold Flame can perfectly match him.
As for the others, they are basically out of the question.
And the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is Yao Chen's lifeblood. Obtaining it would be no less difficult than obtaining the Burning Art.
So, for now, he shouldn't hope for it.
Although, apart from the Void Swallowing Flame and the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame, the other Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking are not unique, the Dou Qi Continent is so vast that finding another Bone Spirit Cold Flame is still extremely difficult.
And trying to rely on premonitions to search for news of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame probably isn't something that can be done in a short time.
Chen Xiao can only confirm at present that the upper limit of premonitions will increase with his strength, but the pattern is elusive. He himself doesn't know what realm he needs to reach to be able to foresee things of a higher grade.
"What are you thinking about?"
Like a night ghost knocking on the door, a childish whisper startled Chen Xiao awake.
Looking up, he saw that Zi Yan had finished her tempering at some point and was standing in front of him, hands on her hips, staring at him.
Chen Xiao's gaze shifted again, and he found that besides Zi Yan, only three of the remaining eight people were still struggling, while the other five were standing quietly to the side with pale faces.
From their expressions, he could roughly guess the result; they had probably all failed.
Only the little dragon person in front of him was still in good spirits, showing no signs of having undergone any tempering.
"Thinking about which clothes to change into when I go back."
Zi Yan pouted slightly, not minding Chen Xiao's perfunctory answer. She quietly gave him a wink, the meaning very clear.
Quickly tell Old Man Su about letting me go to the Black-Corner Region!
For Zi Yan, the Inner Academy was very leisurely, and the Medicinal Herb Management Depot was even a self-service cafeteria.
But, it was also very boring.
Looking at the little dragon person in front of him who was trying to endure hardship without complaint, Chen Xiao nodded gently, returning a look that meant "calm down."
Su Qian saw the two's communication and small actions the entire time and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
"The remaining three are all fire attribute. It seems their tempering has reached a critical moment, and the possibility of success is very high. I'll take you out first. Don't disturb them here. If five people can succeed in tempering this time, it will be considered breaking the record of previous years."
"I'll leave the three of them to you."
Su Qian said to the two Elders and, after receiving their response, waved slightly, taking the seven who had finished back the way they came.
...
Half an hour later, outside the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
"Zi Yan and Chen Xiao, come with me. The rest of you go back first and cultivate diligently. Even if you failed the tempering, having gone through this, you won't have any bottlenecks before reaching the Dou Wang level."
"Moreover, external help is important, but your own foundation is the key. Take Chen Xiao, for example. The accelerating effect of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower is almost useless to him, but isn't he still a nine-star Dou Ling now, no worse than anyone else? If he can do it, you naturally can too."
Facing the five who failed the tempering, Su Qian didn't hesitate to encourage them.
It was clear that this Grand Elder was not only good to Zi Yan but also genuinely cared for the Inner Academy students.
The five looked at Chen Xiao, nodded heavily, then respectfully bowed to Su Qian before dispersing.
Chen Xiao and Zi Yan, meanwhile, followed Su Qian to his study.
Sitting down in the chair behind the desk, Su Qian spoke.
"Speak, what is it?"
Zi Yan looked up at Su Qian, then lowered her head without a word, but kept tugging at Chen Xiao's sleeve, urging him.
Helpless, Chen Xiao could only comply with her wishes, stepping forward and explaining the situation.
By the time Chen Xiao finished speaking, Zi Yan, who was usually fearless, had become a little nervous.
Don't look at how she called him "Old Man Su" so casually; in Zi Yan's heart, the status of this Grand Elder Su Qian was currently unmatched.
"Alright."
Zi Yan had prepared herself mentally for being refused, continuing to fight for it, being refused again, and fighting again. She hadn't expected Su Qian's reply to be so straightforward, making her feel as if she had hallucinated. She looked up in disbelief, her expression quite amusing.
Grand Elder Su Qian chuckled, "You didn't mishear, I agreed."
"However, it's not that I'm completely at ease about you. I just trust Chen Xiao. After more than half a year of experience, Chen Xiao is already well-versed in the rules of the Black-Corner Region. I've also been keeping an eye on the Black-Corner Region, and I haven't heard any news about Chen Xiao, which is a good thing. You two going out to train together, with him watching over you, I'm at ease."
Deep down, Su Qian never intended to restrict Zi Yan. He was very happy to see Zi Yan grow up.
It was just that in the past, Zi Yan had few friends and couldn't find anyone to look after her.
And with Zi Yan's personality, letting her go out alone would be like a wild horse without reins, easily getting out of control.
But now it was different. Zi Yan had made friends and was going out to train together. With Chen Xiao helping to look after her, Su Qian was happy to see it happen.
Understanding what Su Qian said, although Zi Yan wasn't entirely satisfied with the explanation, the result was acceptable, so she didn't dwell on the rebellious nature of the situation.
Seeing the little dragon person stop talking, Su Qian turned to look at Chen Xiao.
"Before the Strong Ranking Tournament began, the movement technique you displayed was no small matter. In the Black-Corner Region, and even the Northwest Continent, it's fine, but if you go to the Central State in the future, don't use it lightly, otherwise it's easy to invite disaster."
Clearly, he recognized the Three Thousand Lightning Movement and knew that it was a secret technique of the Wind and Lightning Pavilion that was not passed down.
At the same time, this was also one of the reasons why Su Qian was at ease letting Zi Yan go out to train with him.
These two, one had the Three Thousand Lightning Movement protecting him, and the other had an incredible talent in spatial matters, able to enter and exit the Inner Academy's Medicinal Herb Management Depot at will without being discovered by the guarding Dou Huang Elder.
With such a combination, there really weren't many things in the Black-Corner Region that could threaten them.
At worst, they could escape with their lives.
And given the distance between Jia Nan Academy and the Black-Corner Region, as long as Chen Xiao and Zi Yan could hold on, Su Qian would be able to arrive quickly after receiving the news.
Under this premise, Su Qian letting Zi Yan go out was not without confidence.
"Thank you, Grand Elder, for the reminder. However, I am aware of this matter. At that time, I obtained this movement Dou Skill from a traitor of the Wind and Lightning Pavilion who came from the Central State. I have already killed that person."
Chen Xiao nodded in thanks, not hiding anything.
He was clearer than anyone about the trouble that the Three Thousand Lightning Movement could bring. Xiao Yan in the original trajectory was a negative example.
"Well done. When traveling outside, kill when necessary, especially in a place like the Black-Corner Region. It's better to kill the wrong person than to let one go."
After praising him, Su Qian changed the subject and took out an exquisite wooden box from his storage ring that looked very familiar to Chen Xiao.
"Actually, even if you and Zi Yan hadn't said anything today, as long as you entered the top ten of the Strong Ranking, I had originally planned to let you take her out to train. Although Jia Nan Academy is open-minded, it is still an academy after all. This girl Zi Yan can't stay here forever. She needs to experience life and death, experience human relationships, and see more of human nature."
"This is a Heaven Jade Fruit collected by the academy. Taking it directly at the Dou Ling level can increase strength. Refining it into a pill also has an effect on Dou Wangs. I'm giving it to you as my personal gift. In the future, find a reliable Alchemist to process it. It should be of some help in increasing your strength."
In Su Qian's original plan, this Heaven Jade Fruit was considered compensation for Chen Xiao taking care of Zi Yan.
However, he now found that the relationship between the two was already very good, and mentioning compensation again would seem distant.
Therefore, he changed the way he gave it.
Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Chen Xiao suddenly understood.
He had been a little confused before. The rewards for the top ten of the Strong Ranking were the same every year, and there had never been a gift like the Heaven Jade Fruit. Why was the prerequisite for the subsequent advance payment getting into the top ten?
Moreover, after getting into the top ten, the subsequent improvement that was supposed to be completed had not arrived for a long time.
Until this moment, everything became clear.
This was exactly what he needed to repay. Chen Xiao immediately stopped being pretentious.
"Thank you, Grand Elder!"
He took it with both hands. The moment he touched the wooden box, the advance payment information in his mind also changed.
Advance payment subsequent completion.
Current available advance payment times: One!
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