After parting ways with Lin Yan, Xiao Yan immediately headed for the Tianfen Qi Tower located at the northern end of the inner courtyard. The tower gate was already open, so he saved himself the waiting time. Upon entering, Xiao Yan did not linger on the first floor but proceeded directly to the second floor. Due to the higher number of practitioners training during the day, all the advanced and intermediate training rooms on the second floor were already occupied. Initially, Xiao Yan had intended to go straight to the third floor, but after a moment's thought, he suddenly decided to simply choose a small, low-level training room at random. The type of basic cultivation chamber Xiao Yan was seeking was the smallest in size, accommodating only one person at a time. The accumulated dust inside clearly indicated that it was a rarely visited chamber—its inner flame even fell short of that of some mid-level chambers on the first floor. Thus, unless absolutely without other options, most people would not特意 come to such chambers. However, Xiao Yan did not intend to cultivate here himself. He merely needed a quiet spot to refine the pills required for his closed-door meditation. Upon entering the chamber and closing the door tightly, Xiao Yan did not step onto the small black stone platform. Instead, he sat cross-legged right where he was, and with a wave of his hand, the medicinal cauldron—only recently arrived in his storage realm—was summoned once again. Positioned the medicine cauldron, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, beginning to search through the several prescriptions given to him by the Elder Medic. After nearly five minutes of closed eyes, he opened them, a faint sense of delight in his gaze. The first type of Qingzhi Huo Ling Ointment, when applied during cultivation, endows the skin with an exceptionally acute sense and a peculiar suction for the fire-energy present in the surrounding heavens and earth. Even if one does not actively circulate their cultivation techniques to absorb energy, the fire-energy from the cosmos will still be drawn toward the body, continuously and spontaneously flowing in. Of course, this ointment has one drawback: when applied, it causes a sensation of numbness and itching on the skin. For those with less resilient minds, maintaining even a stable cultivation state may prove difficult, let alone effectively absorbing the energy. The second, the Swift Spirit Wind Pill, possesses an even more remarkable effect. After consumption, it accelerates the circulation of a user's qi, much like pouring a powerful wind directly into a spinning windmill, causing it to rotate with greater intensity and vigor. However, all systems operate according to certain rhythms—this acceleration functions as a form of temporary strain. Once the period of accelerated qi flow ends, the user's internal qi will enter a phase of sluggishness and decline. Should such a situation occur during combat, the individual might only be able to exert half of their usual strength. Though these two pills possess unusual properties and may not attract much attention under ordinary circumstances, they prove exceptionally valuable to Xiao Yan at this moment. Within the current Tianfen Qi Tower, the concentration of fire-based energy is astonishingly dense. With the aid of Qingzhi Fire Spirit Jelly, Xiao Yan's ability to absorb this energy is undoubtedly amplified. Moreover, when the inner vital flame surges, if the cultivation qi can suddenly accelerate, this would undoubtedly also speed up the refining process. Thus, it is no exaggeration to say that these two kinds of pills are exactly what Xiao Yan needs most at this moment. Though the two pills are of modest rank, and while the coordination among their ingredients appears somewhat unusual, with Xiao Yan's current skill in pill-making, producing them is merely a matter of time. After mentally reviewing in advance the blending levels and heat intensity required for the first type of pill, Xiao Yan lightly flicked his fingers, sending a stream of jade-green flame into the cauldron. The intense flame immediately raised the temperature of the entire cultivation room significantly. Sitting cross-legged before the cauldron, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and a variety of herbs materialized on the ground below. His eyes remained fixed on the flame within the cauldron, the jade-green glow reflecting off his dark pupils, creating a striking contrast between black and green. Xiao Yan's body remained motionless, his face serious. Occasionally, he raised his hands, skillfully enveloping the herbs on the ground in streams of qi, and gently dropping them one by one into the medicinal cauldron, continuously refining and blending them. The first batch of refining lasted nearly half an hour before it gradually concluded. When Xiao Yan transferred a large, thick, red, gelatinous mass into a jade vial, the initial creation of Qingzhi Huoling Ointment was successfully completed. Having only rested in a lotus position for a few minutes, Xiao Yan opened his eyes with a faint glow of red on his face, feeling the slightly refined qi after one round of medicinal refining, and smiled. With a wave of his hand, the jade-green flames flared once again within the training room. Palmed out, five pale azure pills, each about the size of a thumb, lay quietly within, slightly warm to the touch, emitting a gentle aroma. Simply by inhaling this fragrance, Xiao Yan sensed his internal qi flowing through his meridians, its pace subtly accelerating. "Hey, indeed useful!" With the sensation of his qi circulation speeding up, a pleased expression flickered across Xiao Yan's face. He retrieved a jade bottle from his storage ring, carefully placing the pills inside, then closed and stored the medicinal cauldron back in the ring before standing up, straightening his clothes. "Everything is ready. Then let's proceed to the third level and begin my closed-door cultivation." He murmured to himself as he stepped out of the room. Outside the meditation chamber, the flow of people resumed. After a brief pause, he approached a student passing by and asked about the way to reach the third level. Suddenly pulled aside, the student had just begun to grow impatient and ready to complain, but upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, he found himself quieting down. Those who had reached the third level of cultivation needed at least the rank of Star Three Grand Battle Master or above. After taking a good look at Xiao Yan, he politely pointed toward the northwest direction. After a brief thanks, Xiao Yan stepped forward and quickly headed in that direction. Nearly ten minutes later, the spiral staircase identical to the one at the entrance of the second level appeared before him. However, at the entrance of the staircase, two men clearly of instructor status were standing there. Xiao Yan noticed that the students entering were all required to present their fire crystal cards before being allowed passage. A sense of surprise flashed through him as he approached. The two instructors glanced at him, and one of them said calmly, "To enter the third level for cultivation, you must hold a blue fire crystal card and possess the rank of Star Three Grand Battle Master or above." "Ah, so it's a qualification check..." Hearing the mentor's words, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a bit clearer. He took out the Qinghuo Crystal Card and handed it over. "A Qinghuo Crystal Card?" As soon as the mentors saw the card in Xiao Yan's hands, exclamations erupted from both of them, who then stared at Xiao Yan with growing astonishment. "Shall I be able to enter?" Seeing their surprised expressions, Xiao Yan smiled and asked. "A Qinghuo Crystal Card is sufficient to enter the first six floors of cultivation, and the third floor is certainly within reach." One of the mentors nodded warmly, his smile now more courteous than before—no matter one's status, those with strong capabilities always received such courtesy. After receiving the card back from the mentors, Xiao Yan bowed slightly to both of them and then entered the spiral staircase, vanishing into the crowd of admiring eyes behind him. "Well now, someone of his age securing a Qinghuo Crystal Card—this is the first time I've seen it in all these years." After Xiao Yan had vanished, the previous mentor could not help but be astonished. "Indeed... but looking at his aura, he still seems to be at the Grand Combatant level. How could he have the Qinghuo Crystal Card?" The other mentor expressed some doubt. The Qinghuo Crystal Card was rare—perhaps no more than fifty students across the entire inner academy possessed it, and those who qualified were typically top-tier performers on the "Strong List," with combat power reaching the Spirit Guardian level. "I recall that several of this year's new students received the Qinghuo Crystal Cards as rewards from Su Elder, didn't they?" one of the mentors hesitated before suddenly adding. "Ah... so that young student we just saw—wasn't he the one specifically instructed by the Elder to receive special attention?" "Hmm... probably yes." At the third entrance, the two mentors stared at each other, wide-eyed, and after a long pause, finally exchanged a weary nod.