In the quiet and serene heart of his mind, only the steady, ancient rhythm of his heartbeat resonates gently. As he entered his state of cultivation, Xiang Yan's sensitivity to the energies surrounding him grew sharper. He could feel the rich, intense heat energy filling the room—so profound it was almost overwhelming. For someone practicing fire-based techniques, cultivating here would undoubtedly yield significantly better results. "Pff..." As his mind grew more tranquil, a soft, low sound suddenly emerged. Then, without warning, a cluster of flame—seeming formless yet pulsing with unusual vibrations—appeared near the area corresponding to his heart. The gentle warmth radiated outwards, gently roasting his body and filling it with a steady, steaming heat. His mind fixed upon that intangible flame, Xiao Yan once again felt a surge of unease at the elusive nature of this fallen Heart Flame—despite now being in an extremely alert state, he still hadn't caught sight of exactly how this flame had manifested. In quiet admiration, Xiao Yan kept his gaze locked on the flame. This current one appeared notably more robust than the one he had encountered yesterday, and he suspected it must be due to the characteristics of this mid-level training room. With the appearance of this streak of fallen heart flame projection, the sensation of meridian scorching that had been present yesterday began to return. However, Xiao Yan no longer activated the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire to shield it this time, because, having come to understand the cultivation methods in this place, he now realized that allowing the meridians, bones, muscles, and even cells to grow and evolve gradually under the sustained scorching was a crucial aspect of the "Heaven-Furnace Qi Tower" system. If he shielded it away, the benefits would actually diminish further—thus, it would be a case of gaining less than expected. Holding his breath and enduring the internal scorching, the intangible flame surged with increasing joy, radiating a steady high temperature that permeated throughout the body. Within the human form, it created the effect of a slow-baking oven, in which every organ and meridian underwent continuous refinement and gradually strengthened. The scorching pain caused by the high temperature occasionally made the meridians within Xiao Yan's body twitch subtly, though it was manageable. After enduring this for about ten minutes, Xiao Yan suddenly stirred his mind, and the rhombus battle crystal nestled within the energy vortex emitted a faint glow. Immediately, powerful battle qi surged forth in a flood, pouring out continuously from it. This battle qi swiftly circulated through Xiao Yan's meridians and, under the guidance of his mind, reached the streak of high-temperature fallen heart flame. With a subtle mental effort, the battle qi that had been waiting there surged downward, rushing directly into the intangible flame in a steady, vibrant flow of jade-colored energy. At the very instant when the qi entered the formless flame, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the latter suddenly became significantly hotter, and the qi itself, like boiling water, continuously had various substances being driven off and stripped away under the intense heat. This boiling state did not last long, and the strand of qi successfully pierced through the flame. After emerging, the qi had shrunk nearly in half in volume compared to before, yet its energy was far more robust and densely concentrated—clearly having undergone a successful refinement through the formless flame's tempering. Immediately after exiting the flame, the strand of qi, under the guidance of Xiao Yan's mental focus, circulated once again along the meridians before being injected into the battle crystal. As a result, the light on the surface of the crystal subtly intensified once more. Seeing the transformation of the crystal, Xiao Yan's heart immediately filled with joy. Indeed, the Fallen Heart Flame lives up to its reputation as a cultivation accelerator—its effects are so impressive that anyone would be envious. Should this news spread, even with the prestigious status of the Ganav College on the continent, it would surely attract eager attention from others. With the successful completion of the first refinement, Xiao Yan finally set aside his last concern. As his mind flashed with concentration, streams of ki continuously drew forth from the crystal, flowed along his meridians, passed through the flames, and then returned into the crystal itself! A perfect cycle, a flawless refinement. Under this continuous cultivation process, Xiao Yan could feel the ki within his Douling growing ever more vibrant. At this pace, he would surely reach the peak of the Six-Star Douluo Master rank within no time, and soon break through into the Seven-Star tier! … During the cultivation process, there was no clear sense of time—everyone was fully immersed in the rapidly growing strength within them, as though they yearned to advance directly to the next stage in a single breath. In the spacious cultivation chamber, every individual was enveloped in a subtle, intangible ripple, delicate white mist rising gently from their heads, gradually fading until it finally dissolved into nothingness. Occasionally, the intangible ripples on certain persons' bodies would surge with intense tremors, and as these tremors occurred, a gentle glow would suddenly appear on their faces. Upon close observation, one could perceive that their vital energy had grown significantly stronger compared to before—clearly, these individuals had been fortunate enough to achieve advancement during this very first refinement. Throughout the cultivation room, those who achieved promotion were mostly students with strong potential but still hovering around seventh to eighth star levels of battle prowess. Students like Xiao Yan and Xun'er—already at sixth to seventh star of Great Battle Master level—had not seen such promotions, as most of them had already entered the second or third floors of the Tianfen Qi Tower, where the mid-level cultivation rooms no longer met their needs. Time flowed steadily, slipping through the fingers like water. When an ancient bell's chime suddenly resonated throughout the tower, the students who had been quietly closed their eyes gradually opened them, and at once, a wave of subtle energy fluctuations, caused by sudden improvements in strength, spread throughout the room. His eyes suddenly opened, a faint gleam flashing briefly before fading. Xiang Yan deeply exhaled the thick air he had been holding in his chest, twisted his neck, and listened to the crisp sounds of the bones clicking against one another. A soft laugh escaped him as he turned his gaze toward the other Panmen members who had just awakened. He was momentarily stunned—while scanning their eyes, he noticed a subtle streak of pale red among them. "This must be the fiery, turbulent energy factor mixed in during the cultivation of qi, due to the fallen Heart Flame," he murmured, as he was familiar with such phenomena given his own expertise in working with fire. "It seems indeed as Hou Hu predicted—those who lack sufficient strength cannot sustain their training here. Otherwise, the accumulated turbulent energy would eventually transform into an incurable fire toxin, damaging the body." Xiang Yan sighed softly, murmuring these thoughts. "Brother Xiang, how is your cultivation going?" Suddenly, a soft voice echoed beside him. Xiao Yan lifted his head to find Xun'er had just awakened. Gazing steadily at her lively eyes, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly in mild surprise—after all this time of cultivation, she showed no signs of any disturbance at all. It seemed the turbulent flame energy factor had made no impact upon her. "She's quite hidden, isn't she?" he murmured to himself. Turning his gaze once more toward Huiga and Wu Hao, he noticed a faint glimmer of red subtly shimmering in both of their eyes—clearly, despite their comparable strength to Xun'er, they too were affected by the flame's turbulent energy factor. With a gentle motion of his hand, a crystal appeared in his grasp. Using the smooth surface as a mirror, he studied his own reflection carefully for a while, only to find it astonishing that no trace of erosion appeared in his eyes. "With Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire protecting you, you can freely refine your battle energy without restraint. Although Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire ranks slightly behind the Fallen Heart Flame on the list of rare flames, if the mere projected flames wish to inflict any harm upon you—someone shielded by this very fire—it would indeed be an ambitious feat. As for your little girlfriend, she likely also possesses some mysterious protective essence..." As Xiao Yan expressed his curiosity, the voice of Yao Lao quietly echoed within his mind. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan suddenly understood, gave a subtle nod without making it obvious, and quietly expressed his growing excitement: "Then, does that mean I can continue my cultivation within this 'Heaven-Burning Refinement Tower' without needing to rest to stabilize the turbulent flame factors?" "Yes. As long as you can endure the monotony of cultivation, you may freely choose your training schedule with Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire protecting you." Yao Lao replied with a smile. "Hehe. I've already been enduring this monotony for several years—how could I possibly find it unbearable?" Xiao Yan smiled lightly, a touch of joy spreading across his face. With the protection of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, his training time within the Tower would greatly exceed that of others, and thus his progress would far surpass everyone else. "I should find a reason to stay in the Tower and continue training—otherwise, I'd be wasting this precious time. The sooner I reach the Dou Ling stage, the better I'll be positioned when the fate of my Heart Flame should change," he thought. Standing up from the black stone platform, he then stepped down, reached for Xun'er, and whispered a few arrangements into her ear. After a brief moment of surprise, Xun'er nodded gently, her eyes soft and warm as she gazed at Xiao Yan's eager expression. "Don't worry," she said softly, "We'll handle the affairs of the Pan Gate. You just need to focus on your training." Gazing down at that refined, serene face, Xiao Yan found his otherwise calm heart unexpectedly stirred. These years, the girl had grown more delicate and radiant than ever. Among all the women he had encountered during his years of training and exploration, he had rarely met one whose grace and beauty could match hers. Shaking his head vigorously, Xiao Yan set aside his thoughts, gently ruffled Xun'er's hair, then turned and walked out of the meditation chamber on his own. Now he needed to establish connections to remain in the tower for further cultivation. With the unique power of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame at his disposal, he simply could not afford to miss this rare opportunity.