At the very instant when Xiao Yan's feet touched the ground inside the tower gate, his body suddenly froze. His delicate face turned as if charred, and delicate streams of pale mist seeped out from within him, emitting a soft hissing sound reminiscent of sizzling meat. Lü Hao, who had entered the tower with him, also experienced the same phenomenon at that very moment—his face flushed, and pale mist rose from his body in a manner identical to Xiao Yan's. Both stood motionless at the entrance, as several older students who had entered earlier attempted to shout out complaints. However, upon seeing the scene of Xiao Yan and Lü Hao, they silenced their voices and chuckled with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. "It must be two first-year students, newly entering the inner courtyard. They must have failed to prepare at all for their first encounter with the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower'—they deserve it." "Hurry and inform the senior elders inside the tower. For first-time visitors to the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' if the elders don't intervene, they'll likely be burned from the inside out, turning into cinders." "Of course, at this moment, Xiao Yan and his companion naturally couldn't hear the elders' remarks. They were now deeply startled and busy, struggling to comprehend the strange occurrences suddenly manifesting within their bodies. "For heaven's sake, what on earth is going on?" Xiao Yan's mind trembled with astonishment as he gazed at the peculiar flame that had appeared unexpectedly within him—something utterly unusual. This flame was unlike any ordinary flame, for it had no form, no visible shape. Had it not been for Xiao Yan's deep mastery of fire control and his intimate understanding of flame, he might have failed to recognize this slightly distorted, formless phenomenon as a flame at all. This cluster of intangible flame may not be exceptionally powerful, yet the human body remains its most vulnerable aspect. Even the strongest Du Huang cultivators dare not allow unknown energies to enter freely without proper regard. Any damage inflicted upon anything within this realm would result in significant, and potentially permanent, losses. Since the emergence of this intangible flame, the rising heat has begun to cause mild discomfort in Xiao Yan's meridians, bones, muscles, and other organs. As someone accustomed to handling fire, Xiao Yan knows this is the early sign of thermal injury. Should this condition persist, his meridians and internal organs would soon lose their functionality—effectively rendering him a useless cultivator. "Stay calm. Stay calm!" Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan struggled to calm the somewhat panicked heart stirred by this sudden development. After a moment, a sudden thought struck him, and he observed as the jade-like spiritual space at the center of the spiraling energy rapidly surged with emerald flame. Following his command, the flame swiftly flowed through one after another of his meridians, eventually spreading out in a sweeping, encircling formation to completely surround the mysterious, intangible flame that had appeared unexpectedly. With the emergence of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, the intense heat seeping out from the intangible flame was entirely blocked. Only then did Xiao Yan feel a sense of relief—thankfully, the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame was providing solid protection. "Damn it," he murmured, "how did this thing get inside me?" "Only after the danger had passed did Xiao Yan begin to wonder. Since entering the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' he had touched nothing, and his meridians were continuously protected by a steady flow of battle qi—how could this stream of flame have entered his body silently? Yet, observing the manner in which this strange flame first appeared, it seemed as though it had always been within him, rather than having surged in from outside. 'How could it have always been inside me? My body is protected by the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame—ordinary flames should never have penetrated!' Shaking his head, Xiao Yan swiftly suppressed the thought that had briefly flashed through his mind. 'Hm? An intangible flame?' As Xiao Yan struggled to make sense of it, a deep, elderly voice of astonishment suddenly emerged from within him. 'Master?' Hearing this voice, Xiao Yan was instantly delighted. 'Formless, colorless, manifesting only through the mind—traceless, elusive... This... this... this?' The old medic murmured to himself, his voice growing increasingly amazed, then bursting into joyful excitement. "This the Fallen Heart Flame?" "Fallen Heart Flame?" Xiao Yan's mind surged with sudden shock, his emotions nearly overwhelming him. The jade-colored flames surrounding the intangible flame surged violently, almost dissipating entirely. "Stay calm, stay calm..." The Ye-Lao hurried to soothe him. Once he observed the jade-colored flames gradually stabilizing, he refocused his attention on the intangible flame. After a moment, however, he suddenly emitted a puzzled exclamation. "What is it, Master?" Xiao Yan, his mind fixed intently on the intangible flame, quickly asked upon hearing Ye-Lao's surprised tone. "Not at all..." the medicine elder murmured, puzzled. "This form indeed matches the characteristics of the Fallen Heart Flame, but it shouldn't be so weak. Ah! Ah! This strand of flame... it seems not to be the original essence of the Fallen Heart Flame at all. Rather, it appears to be a projection of the flame, formed as it approaches and settles within the heart." Since the Fallen Heart Flame can project its fragmented flames within your inner being, it must be quite close to you... Moreover, I can now clearly tell you that the 'Fallen Heart Flame' you've been seeking is precisely within this 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower'! I never expected that the Canaan Academy would conceal such a rare flame right here—thus explaining its elusive nature. The elder pharmacist chuckled, his voice filled with unmistakable delight. "Indeed, the Fallen Heart Flame is within this tower?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan, who had just been slightly disheartened, immediately regained his spirits. "Only then can we explain why students from the inner courtyard achieve such rapid progress when training within this tower," the elder pharmacist smiled. "And this is directly related to the Fallen Heart Flame?" Xiao Yan was astonished. "Of course it is. When you withdraw the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, channel your Qi, and pass through this intangible flame, observe what happens." The elder pharmacist instructed. Hearing this, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly, then bit his teeth, and with a subtle mental focus, the jade flame that had tightly encircled the intangible flame swiftly shot back into the "Nalings." As the jade flame withdrew, the intense heat once again spread from the intangible flame, causing his internal meridians and bones to emit faint, piercing pains. Despite the discomfort, Xiao Yan maintained his composure, gently shifting his mental focus. Within the qi vortex, the rhombic battle crystal, roughly the size of his thumb, trembled slightly, and waves of jade qi surged forth, eventually flowing through several meridians until reaching the area where the intangible flame was concentrated. "Pass through," he commanded firmly in his mind. Instantly, the qi erupted forcefully and, under the watchful gaze of his consciousness, surged into the intangible flame. Given the small size of the intangible flame, the transition took barely a second—the jade qi that had entered reemerged on the opposite side. "This…", astonished by the sudden realization, Xiao Yan tightly controlled the wave of azure qi that was passing through the invisible flame. To his amazement, the once robust stream of qi had been reduced nearly in half as it traversed the flame. Yet, although its volume had shrunk significantly, the resulting, more compact azure qi gave him a remarkably solid sensation—like the invisible flame had tightly wound and condensed the previously somewhat diffuse qi into a denser form. As a result, despite its reduced size, this refined stream of qi possessed a force far greater than the earlier, more turbulent and expansive one. Feeling this change in the qi flow clearly, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be delighted and immediately controlled a steady stream of qi flowing continuously through that invisible flame. However, just as the fifth stream of qi passed through, the flame began to tremble slightly, then grew increasingly ethereal and cooler. After a while, it finally vanished silently—just as it had appeared—without a trace. "Disappeared?" A stream of qi had passed right through it, and Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. He could feel the intense warmth within him beginning to fade rapidly. "This is merely a weak projection fragment, producing a modest amount of purification energy. Therefore, it can only sustain the purification of your qi streams." The elder's laughter dispelled Xiao Yan's confusion. With that, Xiao Yan suddenly understood, shook his head with a touch of regret, and then mentally activated, rechanneling the several purified streams of qi back into the crystal within the vortex. The spirit gaze fell upon the rhombus battle crystal. Xiao Yan noticed that as these purified battle energies flowed into the crystal, the thumb-sized crystal seemed to subtly grow a bit larger. "Such an effect from this fallen heart flame! Simply projecting its slender, weak flame fragments has already refined my battle energy slightly. If I can eventually consume its core... then..." As he spoke, Xiao Yan swallowed, his heart pounding with excitement. This fallen heart flame was truly a powerful tool that could accelerate cultivation—anyone who possessed it would surely achieve an astonishing level of growth. "Is that so? Little one, you're excited, are you?" Master Yao's teasing voice rang out. Xiao Yan smiled, fully revealing his eager longing. "Master, this fallen heart flame is likely more beneficial to me than the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame. Therefore, no matter what, I must secure it!"