"Sssss..." The unusual sound surged like flashes of lightning, spreading continuously throughout the dark cavern. Suddenly, the previously dim environment brightened dramatically, and the air temperature rose sharply. A profoundly terrifying and ancient aura began to emerge from the black hole, eventually bursting forth like a lightning strike that tore through the endless, profound darkness. Xiao Yan's face went rigid as he stared at the opening. His throat rolled slightly. Above the opening, at a height of about two meters, the space had become almost severely distorted. Yet despite this intense distortion, nothing visible could be seen with the naked eye—only the warped space and the persistent "ssss" sounds. The entire area now seemed slightly eerie due to this scene. By the side, Master Liu's face was equally grave, continuously pulling Xiao Yan backward. As his eyes fixed on the distorted space, a flicker of fear passed through them. Though he couldn't see what exactly lay there, having served as a senior monk in the tower for so many years, he had heard whispers of various tales—thus, he knew well how terrifying the entity within the profound darkness truly was. While the naked eye could not perceive it, Xiao Yan's eyes, glowing with the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame, clearly saw the monstrous beings bursting forth from the black hole. At that moment, the body being dragged by Master Liu suddenly froze. As the azure glow in his eyes reflected, Xiao Yan clearly saw a massive, intangible fire serpent surging upward from the boundless darkness—a creature thick enough to span over ten meters in girth, though its exact length remained unknown. The serpent was enveloped in slightly distorted flames, its massive mouth open wide, with fang-like teeth as thick as Xiao Yan's thigh pulsing with a steady, wavering energy. Two enormous triangular eyes continuously emitted streams of invisible fire. Xiao Yan was no stranger to this flame—he had himself endured its fury earlier. Yet, compared to this colossal serpent seemingly entirely composed of flame, the earlier, faint invisible fire in his mind felt like a flickering candle against a full moon. Feeling the intensity of the flames coating the serpent's body, Xiao Yan had no doubt that even a Duke-level warrior would be reduced to ash in mere moments if touched by it. The invisible fire serpent roared angrily, bursting forth from the darkness. However, as it approached five meters above the dark abyss, the surrounding space suddenly rippled. With the aid of the green flame, Xiao Yan could faintly perceive that at this very moment, the space around the black hole was strangely warping, forming a spatial cage. Though the fire serpent's roar was mighty, when it struck this spatial cage, it only caused it to tremble momentarily before having no further effect. As the breakthrough seemed hopeless, the fire serpent grew increasingly frantic, unleashing torrents of invisible flame from its massive maw, continuously burning the spatial cage. Yet no matter how fiercely it burned, the cage remained firmly standing, unshaken. After a frantic struggle lasting for a while, the intangible fire serpent finally grew weary, arching upward and emitting a loud, furious hiss. Then, the space around it began to warp continuously, and the serpent once again dissolved into formless energy, retreating deep into the darkness. As the serpent vanished, the spatial prison gradually faded until it disappeared entirely. Feeling the steadily decreasing temperature around him, Master Liu finally exhaled deeply, murmuring, "Goodness, just barely escaped—how did this thing suddenly awaken?" At the same time, Xiao Yan slowly regained his composure from the initial shock, his jade-colored flames fading swiftly. His voice hoarse, he asked, "Master Liu, what... what was that thing?" Startled and coming back to himself by Xiao Yan's questions, the Liu Elder gazed at him seriously, speaking in a solemn tone: "Regarding what's happening here, no one must be informed. Originally, trainees were not allowed to approach this central area of the tower. Today, I must admit I've fallen short in my duties—thankfully, it's my shift on duty today, otherwise there would surely have been quite a few complications." Seeing the serious expression on the Liu Elder's face, Xiao Yan nodded, spread his hands with a somewhat innocent air: "I didn't see anything at all. I only noticed that the temperature here has risen significantly, and there were some sounds coming from within the black hole." "It's best not to see anything—sometimes, it's better to remain unaware. From now on, you should come less often here. Otherwise, should anyone discover this, not only will you be involved, but even our on-duty elders will be affected." Liu Elder exhaled a deep breath, with little doubt in his mind regarding Xiao Yan's words. After all, even he himself could not see the terrifying presence—only sensing the curvature of space distortions to judge the form of the intangible entity. Hearing Liu Elder express such serious concern, Xiao Yan's face also subtly changed, and he promptly nodded. "Alright, let's go," Liu Elder said, his expression easing slightly as he glanced once more at the deep, bottomless black hole, still filled with lingering apprehension. He then turned and walked outward. Xiao Yan nodded again and followed. As he was about to turn the corner, he glanced back one last time at the now silent, abyssal black hole, his voice barely a whisper, filled with growing awe: "What on earth is that?" That aura... was incredibly powerful. The spatial prison itself was quite extraordinary—remarkably unphased even under the onslaught of that terrifying force. Indeed, the "Heaven-Burning Qi Tower" seemed to be filled with mysteries at every turn. As for those surprised glances along the way, it only deepened Xiao Yan's understanding of the influence the Liu Elder held here. The saying "having someone in power makes things easier" truly rang true—now, freshly arrived, establishing a few connections would naturally be ideal. Regardless of how vast his potential might be, at this moment, he was still only just reaching the Grand Combatant level. In the eyes of the Liu Elder, who had already attained the Grand King rank, such a level of strength was hardly impressive. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then slightly nodded. He hadn't actually considered such a course of action either. In the short time since entering the inner courtyard, he had hoped to secure the most favorable training spaces—undoubtedly, this would only deepen the dissatisfaction among other factions regarding their "Pan Clan." It was likely that as soon as the group arrived, various factions would immediately come forward to forcibly displace them. Compared to the established powerhouses, the current "Pan Clan" was still relatively weak—aside from Xiao Yan and a few other senior Battle-Style practitioners, most of the others lacked the strength to challenge them directly. In such inter-faction conflicts, relying solely on a small group of individuals simply wouldn't be enough to achieve a decisive turning point. "Due to the established rules within the tower, our tower elders are unable to intervene in the students' disputes over training rooms. As long as no lives are lost, we typically refrain from getting involved." "Master Liu pondered for a moment, then smiled, saying, "As long as your 'Pánmen' can quickly produce a strong Du Ling cultivator, they will be qualified to join the second-tier factions of the Inner Courtyard and thus participate in the competition for the training halls. I believe, with your potential, you'll achieve this rather soon." "So a second-tier faction needs a Du Ling cultivator? Then, doesn't a first-tier faction have to have a Du Wang cultivator as its cornerstone?" Xiao Yan asked, surprised. "Heh, that's not quite accurate. Generally, a faction that boasts three to four Du Ling cultivators is considered a first-tier faction," Master Liu chuckled, shaking his head. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan quietly exhaled in relief. With the talents of Xun'er and the others, reaching Du Ling might not take long at all. It seemed that the 'Pánmen' would have to remain modest for a while. Once all four of them attained Du Ling rank, everything would improve. Until then, they would have to remain quietly and steadily in place. While chatting, Xiao Yan and the other two had already reached the entrance once again. Here, Wu Hao had also awakened from his unconscious state, standing there in bewilderment. Only upon seeing Xiao Yan's figure did he finally exhale in relief. As Wu Hao approached briskly, Xiao Yan smiled at Liu Elder and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Elder Liu, for your guidance. We'll stop here for now. I'll come back later to seek further instruction." "Ah, not planning to practice here today?" Liu Elder asked with a warm smile. "The Pan Gate is only newly established, and I still need to return to assist with its management." Xiao Yan smiled and politely declined Liu Elder's offer. "Indeed, new forces are quite fragile—you're certainly busy." Nodding in agreement, Liu Elder didn't press further. He glanced around and added with a gentle smile, "Next time you bring your team to train on this level, I'll assign you a fine room in one of the mid-level training halls. There, the training experience won't fall far short of that in the higher-tier halls." "Are there indeed differences among the peer-level training rooms?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. "Heh, of course there are—though ordinary students rarely notice these distinctions, only we tower elders truly understand them," said the Willow Elder with a touch of pride. "Then, thank you very much, Elder Willow," Xiao Yan nodded with genuine delight, then bowed once more before turning to greet Wu Hao, pulling him along toward the outside. Watching the figures of Xiao Yan and Wu Hao fade into view at the tower entrance, the Willow Elder gently stroked his beard, murmuring, "The unique flames... I never thought it would be that, the rise of the inner courtyard relying so heavily on them. Now, a young man barely in his twenties possesses such a rare treasure on his own. What a fortunate individual—so fortunate that one can hardly help but feel a touch of envy."