Within the softly lit ancient tower, a large crowd gathered around Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, both with their eyes closed, exchanging low, murmured laughter among themselves. "Clear a path, clear a path—Master Liu is arriving!" A commanding voice suddenly rang out from outside the crowd, and soon a narrow passage was swiftly opened. In the "Heaven-Burning Qi Tower," the elders stationed at each level held the highest status; if one offended them here, there was no good outcome—any minor inconvenience they could impose through their official authority would leave one utterly helpless. As the crowd parted, an ordinary-looking elder slowly stepped forward, his warm gaze sweeping over the motionless Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, and smiled, "What truly unexpected younglings! Just arriving at the Heaven-Burning Qi Tower, and neither of them had even reported in advance—how unfortunate they must feel for the difficulties they've endured." "Hehe, every year, eager new students rush headlong into the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' and now they're bound to suffer—what a pity!" Some laughter of sympathy and amusement erupted among the crowd. Though the training pace inside the tower was swift, it still held a certain monotony. With fresh faces arriving to bring some lively entertainment, the older students naturally welcomed the sight. "New students, just arriving at the inner courtyard, naturally don't understand the rules here—what's so funny about that?" A calm, composed voice suddenly broke in. As people turned to follow the sound, they spotted a young woman dressed in a silver robe. Tall and graceful, she had a slightly slender face, yet her features were strikingly beautiful—her skin as pale as snow, her eyes and expressions finely drawn. What truly amazed everyone was her long, waist-length hair, which was an uncommon silver hue. The silver hair harmonized perfectly with her silver robe, giving her an air of cool, distant elegance—so serene and refined that one felt they could admire her from afar, but never truly approach her. The eyes of the crowd, upon catching the silver-dress woman who had remained silent all along, first flickered with the customary admiration men hold for a beautiful woman. Yet behind that admiration, there lingered a touch of hesitation. As soon as the silver-dress woman spoke, the mocking laughter that had been circulating almost vanished instantly—demonstrating clearly that she held a strong reputation and competence within the inner courtyard. Otherwise, in a place where strength reigns supreme, mere beauty would not be enough to command respect or awe from others. "Ah, it's little Moon," the old willow elder remarked, his gaze shifting toward the silver-dress woman. "I didn't realize it. These people must be rather idle—what could I possibly have to say to them?" "Li Elder," the silver-dress woman replied, not maintaining a cold demeanor. A gentle, fleeting smile, like a lotus blooming briefly, touched her cheeks, causing the surrounding students to momentarily lose their focus. "Which level does Miss Yue plan to enter for her cultivation this time?" Li Elder glanced at the stiff figures of Xiao Yan and Wu Hao, then smiled warmly at the silver-dressed woman, clearly showing a more kind and approachable demeanor toward her than toward the other students. "The sixth level," the woman replied after a slight pause. "The sixth level? That requires at least a six-star Spirit Guardian rank before one can even proceed—has Miss Han already reached that level?" The woman's response immediately drew a wave of murmurs and astonishment from the surrounding crowd. "Huh?" Li Elder, too, seemed slightly surprised by the silver-dressed woman's answer, his eyes with a gleam slowly scanning over her. After a moment, he sighed, "It seems within a few years, you'll be well-qualified to run for Elder position within the Inner Academy. Such cultivation talent and pace—truly impressive." "All thanks to the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower.' If I were to cultivate on my own, I'd probably only just reach the Battle Spirit stage now." The silver-skirted woman shook her head and then turned her gaze toward Xiao Yan and Wu Hao among the crowd, her lips parting slightly. "Master Liu, let's get these two out of the heart-fire ordeal first—otherwise, the damage to their bodies will be significant." Upon hearing this, Master Liu shook his head and smiled. "Wait a moment, dear. When you first entered the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' how long did you endure the heart-fire before giving up?" His brows furrowed slightly. Han Yue paused and replied, "Seventeen minutes, and that was only because someone had reminded me in advance when I entered the tower." "Upon first entering the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower,' one can already gauge its potential. During the initial phase of heart-fire exposure, since all newcomers are unfamiliar with how to dissipate the heat, those who endure longer demonstrate greater resistance to the heart-fire. This resilience proves highly beneficial for their future development within the tower—though it's not absolutely precise, it serves as a reliable general indicator. Master Liu smiled, 'Now these two seem to have endured for eight minutes, haven't they? That's quite good.' 'Do you intend to test their limits?' 'Yes, I'd like to test them. If my assessment is correct, the young man in the black robe is likely Xiao Yan—the one who, during the 'Fire Power Hunting Match,' led the current batch of freshmen to defeat both the seniors and the Black and White Gate Guardians. Recently, he's been frequently mentioned among us elders." Li Elder glanced at the massive Xuanzhong Chi尺 standing behind Xiao Yan, smiling warmly. "He's the one you're referring to, Xiao Yan?" Upon hearing this, not only did the senior students around them emit a series of gasps, but even the usually composed Han Yue showed a flicker of astonishment in her eyes. Nodding with a smile, Li Elder kept his gaze on Xiao Yan and the other, his hands resting in his sleeves, patiently waiting for their limits to be reached. "Yue, if you have anything to attend to, go down to the tower first—I'll manage here." To ensure Han Yue wouldn't be delayed in her training, Li Elder smiled and spoke to her during the wait. "No need. I'd also like to see how this new student, who has already gained such a strong reputation before even entering the Inner Academy, will hold up." Han Yue gently shook her head, her clear eyes sweeping over Xiao Yan and Wu Hao. Over these days, she had heard quite a bit about the current batch of freshmen. The feat of defeating all the senior teams in the "Fire Hunting Tournament" was something that hadn't occurred in recent years—indeed, it had never been seen before—so she was somewhat familiar with the achievement, though she had yet to meet the leading freshman personally. Of course, her interest wasn't unique. Upon hearing the Li Elder reveal Xiao Yan's identity, even the seniors who had originally intended to retreat paused, their various emotions now fixed upon the two figures on the stage. They too wanted to see whether this newcomer truly possessed the prowess rumored about. Thanks to the growing awareness of Xiao Yan's identity, a steady stream of older students came to gather, causing the circle to expand continuously. Had it not been for the spacious layout of the tower, congestion would surely have ensued. As time passed, the expressions of the onlookers grew increasingly astonished—now, the two had been enduring for fourteen minutes, and despite their faces glowing like embers, they still seemed far from reaching their limits. "Indeed, quite impressive," the Liu Elder nodded with a satisfied smile, his eyes reflecting genuine admiration. Time continued to pass, but at the sixteen-minute mark, Wu Hao suddenly began to tremble slightly. The students around immediately recognized that Wu Hao was approaching his limit. At sight of his reaction, Master Liu extended his dry, eagle-like right hand, pointing toward Wu Hao, whose body had begun to tremble slightly. A cascade of milky-white flames slowly rose from the tips of his fingers, coalescing into a steadily rotating flame vortex. With a gentle flex of his fingers, he lightly tapped the vortex, and it swiftly detached from his palm, hovering at a distance of about a foot from Wu Hao's heart. "Come out!" With a subtle rotation of his palm, Master Liu issued a soft command. The milky-white vortex spun rapidly, emitting a strong suction force. Under the pull of this flame, a slender, slightly distorted intangible flame was forcibly drawn from Wu Hao's heart and absorbed into the vortex, where it was violently torn into nothingness. As the intangible flame detached itself, Wu Hao's trembling body instantly stiffened, his legs giving way and causing him to sit down heavily on the ground. The fiery redness on his face quickly faded, and his mouth now breathed out thick, rumbling gusts like a wild ox. Though both his body and spirit were now utterly exhausted, he had no mind to notice the people around him. "Heh, sixteen minutes—especially considering he was completely unprepared and suffered from the heart flame's erosion. That's quite a solid performance," Li Elder remarked, smiling as he watched Wu Hao sit down. "This year's new recruits seem to be genuinely stronger than in previous years." "That Xiao Yan... could actually keep going? This fire resistance is even comparable to that one..." Han Yue's eyes shifted back to Xiao Yan, who was still closed-eyed, and she whispered in astonishment. "It's no wonder he managed to defeat the senior team with the newcomers. This young lad truly has some talent." Watching Xiao Yan still holding on, showing no signs of reaching his limit, Elder Liu smiled slightly, his hands once again inserted into his sleeves, saying, "Very well. Today, I'd like to see just how long you can keep going." However, as soon as Elder Liu finished speaking, everyone noticed Xiao Yan's body suddenly trembling. At that moment, a quiet sense of relief washed over them—thankfully, he hadn't performed some equally stunning feat comparable to leading the newcomers to victory over the seniors. Otherwise, it would have been too much of a blow to those who had only managed to stay steady for less than ten minutes. "Oh...," seeing this, the Liu Elder was momentarily stunned, then shook his head with a slightly disappointed expression, chuckling, "Our expectations have indeed been rather high..." "Master Liu, nearly eighteen minutes of resistance against the heart-fire—this is already quite impressive. In the Inner Courtyard, I'd hardly find many who can match it." Hearing the Elder's demeanor, Han Yue couldn't help but feel a touch of helplessness; his words surely made the other students feel deeply embarrassed. "Heh, yes, that's truly impressive," the Liu Elder managed a somewhat awkward smile, then waved his hand, causing another pale, milky whirl of fire to appear. With a flick of his finger, the fire spiral once again settled upon Xiao Yan's heart. The soft, milky glow of the fire cast an unusual hue over Xiao Yan's flushed face. "Come out!" With a light command, the spiral suddenly spun rapidly—yet at that very moment, something utterly unexpected and astonishing occurred, leaving everyone in awe. A surge of flame erupted from Xiao Yan’s body, unexpectedly and without warning, after a brief hesitation. Instead of the intangible, anticipated fire, a powerful wave of jade-green flame surged forth, swiftly engulfing and consuming the milky-white flame of the Liu elder. The white flame vortex, which had been expected to forcefully disrupt the jade-green flame as it had done previously, failed to offer any resistance and was entirely absorbed—this unexpected turn left the surrounding students utterly stunned. After consuming the milky-white flame, the Jade Lotus Earth-Heart Fire did not dissipate. In the absence of external control, it seemed to act autonomously, protecting its host. Thus, following the surge of attack energy, it directly swept toward the Liu elder, releasing an immense wave of power that left both the students and even the Liu elder themselves visibly impressed. A vibrant blue flame surged forward, delivering an undifferentiated assault. Li Elder urgently shouted in response. At the sound of his cry, the junior seniors swiftly retreated, causing immediate chaos within the tower's space—figures hurried back and forth, fearing being engulfed by this mysterious blue flame. Observing the advancing blue flame, Li Elder's face grew serious. He waved his hands, and streams of milky-white flames erupted from them, rapidly coalescing into a protective flame shield, which he then hurled, enveloping Xiao Yan and the surging blue flame. Despite this, the blue flame persisted in its relentless pursuit, and finally, under the collective gaze of everyone, it collided powerfully with the milky-white flame shield. "Boom!" At the moment of impact, a surge of violent energy erupted, shaking the flame shield violently. The resulting explosion, accompanied by a powerful wave of scorching heat, caused the entire Tian Fen Lian Qi Tower to tremble slightly. As Han Yue retreated, her ki rapidly coalesced into an energy shield on her body. The residual shockwaves from the energy impact continuously rippled across the shield, yet fortunately, they did not cause any harm to her body. After retreating several dozen steps, hearing the gradually fading roar, Han Yue quickly turned her gaze toward the explosion site. Upon seeing the clear scene there, she was momentarily stunned, her lips parting slightly in profound shock.