"Xiao Yan, the Pan Gate is only newly established, and yet you've already bolted right out of there. After all these years serving in the Enforcement Squad, I've never seen a superior as irresponsible as you. When that fellow confirmed the name of our faction, he simply handed over the new recruits to Xun'er and Huoga, then slipped away himself, making excuses all the way." On a broad road, Wu Hao sighed, watching Xiao Yan stride ahead with steady pace. "They can manage it. My role is merely to stabilize morale and bring everyone together. Now that the core team is in place, the day-to-day details will naturally fall to them. Should anyone cause trouble, we can always step in later." Xiao Yan slowed his steps, offered Wu Hao a warm smile, then turned to gaze around the wide road. Occasionally, older students from the inner courtyard flashed by, but few seemed particularly attentive to Xiao Yan and his companions—clearly, not all of them had heard of the reputation of this year's new batch. Wu Hao shook his head helplessly, then looked up at the well-connected roads and asked, "So, where would you like to go?" "I'd like to head north," Xiao Yan slowly traced the dark ring with his fingers, nodding toward the north. Last night, after hearing the old doctor's words, he had a hunch that there might be some clues about the unique flames in that direction. Now, with a strong desire to find these unique flames in order to rapidly enhance his own strength, he couldn't afford to delay any longer. "North?" Wu Hao paused slightly, then nodded indifferently—after all, once they were out, they just needed to get used to the route; going anywhere would do. "Let's go," Xiao Yan said, then suddenly stepped firmly on the ground. A burst of energy erupted, and with a whoosh, his body shot forward at incredible speed, leaving the passing seniors in surprise. "This guy..." Shaking his head, Wu Hao suddenly felt a faint glow of blood-energy surging through his legs. The energy gently pulsing, Wu Hao's form began to grow slightly translucent. Then, his body trembled, and he mysteriously vanished from his spot—reappearing several meters away. With a few swift strides, he quickly darted toward Xiao Yan, pursuing him. Comparing the movements and techniques displayed by both Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, it was clear that Wu Hao's style was more ethereal and elusive. In a battle, such a form would undoubtedly pose greater challenges to his opponent. "Such an unusual technique," remarked the senior students, gazing after the fading silhouette of blood-energy, and expressing their admiration. … The inner courtyard turned out to be larger than both Xiao Yan and his companion had expected. After sprinting continuously for nearly half an hour, they still hadn't reached its boundaries. Along the way, they frequently encountered intense combat circles where students were vigorously sparring. Surrounding each circle were numerous spectators, some of whom were particularly vocal, calling out the opponents' occasional weaknesses as they unfolded during the battle. This caused the fighters within the circles to grow increasingly anxious, eventually forcing them to reluctantly retreat with expressions of frustration. "Indeed, the students who enter the Inner Courtyard are no ordinary individuals. Their keen observation skills are truly beyond the reach of the Outer Courtyard students," Xiao Yan remarked, as he stepped back from one such combat scene. "These students have all undergone rigorous selection. If any of them were placed in the Continent Empire, they would undoubtedly be regarded as prodigies. It's no surprise that they possess such sharp eyesight." "Wu Hao smiled and said, 'However, the atmosphere here is indeed quite fierce—once someone has something to say, they immediately engage in a sparring match right there.' Xiao Yan nodded in agreement, glancing around, only to be somewhat surprised to find that an increasing number of students were now gathering along this northern path, pushing themselves to their utmost speed. As a result, the only things Xiao Yan and Wu Hao could see were the swift figures darting across the tree canopies and the constant rush of wind. 'It seems they're all heading north—what's going on there?' Wu Hao also noticed the growing crowd, expressing his curiosity. 'Hey, let's go and find out,' Xiao Yan chuckled, then stomped his foot on the ground, launching himself forward once more. After that, Wu Hao followed closely behind, like a shadow never leaving." This swift rush continued for nearly twenty minutes, and only then did Xiao Yan and Wu Hao gradually ease their pace. By now, a dense crowd of students had gathered in front of them. "Whoa—so many people!" Xiao Yan stared at the thick, ant-like procession, his face filled with astonishment. "I don't know either," Wu Hao admitted, being completely unfamiliar with the surroundings. With his hand gently rubbing his chin, Xiao Yan surveyed the area before quickly approaching a massive tree and turning to Wu Hao, "I'll go up and check." Without waiting for a response, he leapt into action, springing up the trunk with the agility of a monkey. In just a few seconds, he reached the very top of the great tree. Standing atop the tree, Xiao Yan surveyed the scene below with a lofty perspective, his gaze skipping over the dense crowd and sweeping directly forward. At that moment, his face froze and his mouth slightly opened in astonishment: "This is...?" His eyes carefully scanned the elevated tower structure, and suddenly, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows. He noticed that the space around the tower seemed subtly distorted, as if rippled or creased—a phenomenon he had previously observed in the outer courtyard's "Archive Hall." "Good heavens, they've actually gone out of their way to set up such a defensive measure," Xiao Yan thought. According to the previous explanation from Hu Qiyan, the Deputy Director, he knew that to create such a spatial distortion defense, one would need at least the strength of a Battle Sovereign—otherwise, it would be impossible. "Battle Sovereign..." Xiao Yan shook his head with a sigh. Such a level of power was truly astonishing—capable of manipulating even the intangible, ethereal nature of space itself. As for the Battle Emperors and beyond, what kind of realm must that be? "Hmph..." Just as Xiao Yan was marveling at the overwhelming power of the Dou Zun-level warriors, a series of rushing wind sounds suddenly erupted from a distance behind him. Turning around, he was somewhat surprised to see nearly forty figures swiftly approaching from afar. These individuals moved with remarkable speed—within less than ten seconds, their silhouettes appeared in a scattered pattern along the branches of several trees beside him. "These people are quite strong..." Upon closer inspection, Xiao Yan noticed that each of the forty figures wore a badge resembling a leaf on the left side of their chest. It seemed clear that they belonged to the same faction. "Oh well, the inner courtyard truly has a lot of power. Our 'Pan Gate' is still just getting started..." Xiao Yan sighed, shaking his head as he stared at the figures. He noticed that after observing the scene below, they each simply moved directly downward, a large number of figures plunging from the sky and forcefully pushing through to the front of the dense crowd below. Their aggressive insertion clearly stirred resentment, yet when the crowd saw the leaf-shaped insignia on the visitors' chests, they all reluctantly swallowed their complaints. "This faction must be quite strong within the inner courtyard," Xiao Yan murmured, taking in the scene, then quickly leapt down along the trunk. Upon landing, Wu Hao hurried over, asking, "Have you gathered all the details?" "It seems this is exactly the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower'." Xiao Yan clapped his hands and then pushed through the crowd, smiling, "Let's go and see what this 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower' can do—how it enables people to train so quickly." "Is this the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower'?" Lü Hao's face brightened at the news, and he hurried to catch up with Xiao Yan, pushing desperately through the crowd—clearly just as enthusiastic about the sight. As Xiao Yan and Lü Hao struggled through the crowd and finally reached a boundary where no further progress was possible, they found that the obstruction wasn't due to people ahead being packed tightly. Instead, directly in front of them lay a spacious open area, and across about fifteen meters of that open space stood the mysterious black tower buried deep beneath the ground. At this open space, the ground was neatly divided into several distinct zones, each occupied by a large group of people seated with their eyes closed. Xiao Yan scanned these figures and noticed that many of them were the same individuals he had seen earlier on the tree's canopy. "These must be some of the stronger factions within the Inner Courtyard. Indeed quite domineering—they don't even need to queue; they simply claim the best spots. Well, it's no wonder that Atai said, in the Inner Courtyard, if you want the best training conditions, you must either establish or join a powerful faction." Wu Hao murmured softly beside him. "Indeed, quite domineering..." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He gazed deeply at the various factions seated cross-legged, quietly observing as they didn't make a show of entering the central circle. He understood that, at present, neither he nor the "Pán Gate" had the standing to do so. Perhaps when he reached the "Battle Spirit" level, he might be able to join them. For now, he would have to remain humble. "Ding!" Suddenly, as Xiao Yan and Wu Hao were speaking softly, a deep, resonant chime of an ancient bell echoed through the area. With the chime, the bustling noise instantly ceased. "Open the Tower!" As the chime resonated, an elderly voice seemed to emanate from within the tower. Soon after, the once tightly closed, dark gate began to creak open slowly, releasing a gentle, warm breeze that slightly raised the temperature of the surrounding realm. Sensing the sudden increase in warmth, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed sharply, and his hands tightened instinctively. "Enter the tower!" the elderly voice echoed once more. Instantly, all those who had been meditating on the open space sprang to their feet, their eyes widening as a rush of wind swept through the air, and figures surged forward in a wave, pouring toward the tower's entrance. "Come, let's go in too," Xiao Yan said, steadying his heart, then gestured to Wu Hao, stepping forward first and swiftly making his way toward the mysterious black tower buried deep beneath the earth. As the distance narrowed, Xiao Yan finally truly perceived the vast scale of this black tower—this was merely the portion visible above ground, yet it already resembled a building several stories high. Just a fraction of the ice-capped tip, and one could scarcely imagine the immense size of the tower buried beneath the earth. Smiling and nodding, Xiao Yan turned his head to gaze at the dark, imposing gate. For some reason, something within him stirred gently. As he drew closer to the gate, his heartbeat grew increasingly rapid. A moment later, when he stood right at the entrance, sweat had already soaked his palms. Standing at the threshold, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, clenched his teeth, and steadied his resolve, then lifted his feet and stepped firmly into the darkness beyond the gate.