As he entered the third level, Xiao Yan clearly sensed that the surroundings had suddenly grown much quieter. Looking up, he observed the corridor, which seemed slightly more deserted compared to the second level. He suddenly realized that among the academy's students, only a small number had the qualification to reach the third level. If the students training in the first and second levels represented the grassroots of the academy, then those in the third and fourth levels constituted its core strength—students with the greatest potential, capable of rising to the very top at any moment. As for those reaching the fifth and sixth levels, they had already entered the highest echelon of the academy, the very group most revered and admired. With this thought passing through his mind, Xiao Yan also established a clearer sense of his own strength. He chuckled softly, realizing that indeed, the academy was truly packed with prodigies. With a quiet sigh, he scanned the surroundings and then slowly advanced along the corridor. The third level's design was quite similar to the second, so Xiang Yan required little effort to identify the high, medium, and low-tier zones. The lower-tier areas were naturally discarded. As he passed through the medium-tier training halls, his steps paused slightly. Standing before an empty medium-tier hall, he hesitated for a moment before a cold determination flashed across his face—then he turned away and proceeded directly toward the advanced training hall area. Stepping forward, he entered the area of the advanced cultivation rooms, immediately greeted by a series of glances that carried subtle, almost hostile undertones. Ignoring these, Xiao Yan maintained a calm, detached demeanor, his gaze slowly sweeping across the surroundings. His shoulders subtly tensed, and the aura of a Seven-Star Battle Master surged forth, sweeping out like a storm. The third-level advanced training rooms are slightly more numerous than those on the second floor. Xiao Yan had counted them—there were a total of thirty-eight. These rooms ranged from those capable of accommodating twenty practitioners simultaneously to those designed for just one person at a time, offering a diverse array. As his gaze swept across the doors of these advanced training rooms, he noticed that many had signs indicating occupancy. Yet Xiao Yan did not hurry; instead, he moved steadily deeper into the area. As his line of sight approached the final stretch of the advanced training rooms, his gaze finally settled on a room displaying a sign indicating availability. He quietly exhaled in relief and then hurried forward. Upon reaching the door of the training room, Xiao Yan lightly touched the door panel with his palm. His brow slightly lifted—though the door appeared ordinary wood from a distance, it subtly radiated a sense of coldness. When he gently tapped it, a clear, distinct sound emerged, one that did not sound like wood at all, but rather more like metal. "It seems the inner courtyard was concerned about the practitioners inside—someone suddenly kicking down the door and disturbing their meditation, causing disruptions in their cultivation. Given the solid strength of the door, I'm now reassured that I won't have to be interrupted at a crucial moment of practice." As he listened to the low sound and felt the door's solidity, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. With that, he no longer needed to worry about being forcibly interrupted during a vital phase of cultivation. Gently pushing open the door, Xiao Yan stepped inside and closed it firmly behind him. At the moment of closing the door, facing away from it, Xiao Yan naturally didn't notice that the students casually passing by, upon seeing the room he had chosen, exchanged looks of astonishment and amusement. … Upon entering the cultivation room, Xiao Yan tightly closed the door before beginning to inspect it. It was clearly designed for individual cultivation. At the center of the room stood a black stone platform large enough for only two people to sit cross-legged. Additionally, tables and chairs were placed around the room, and even in the deepest part, a neatly laid bed was provided. "The facilities of this third-floor advanced cultivation room are indeed better than those on the two floors above," Xiao Yan murmured in admiration as he observed the equipment, then walked toward the stone platform and settled himself cross-legged upon it. With his buttocks pressed against the platform, a gentle warmth seeped into his body, making every bone in his frame feel relaxed and languid. With a flip of his hand, the Qing-Huo Crystal Card appeared in his palm. Xiao Yan glanced at the figure on the card: "One hundred and three." In less than seven days, the "Fire Energy" on the card had shrunk by one-third. This rate of consumption left Xiao Yan quite astonished. "If this pace continues, the remaining Fire Energy won't last much longer..." He shook his head with a wry smile, inserting the card into the slot before him. A gentle glow passed through, and the figure instantly changed to a neat hundred. "Indeed, each level down requires an increasing amount of Fire Energy—each day more than the last." Observing the diminishing numbers, Xiao Yan sighed. The third level now demanded three days' worth of Fire Energy. This Heaven-Burning Qi Tower truly was a voracious eater. "Since the fees have already been paid, if we don't train and return with the energy, wouldn't that be a bit disrespectful to the tower?" Shouldered slightly, Xiao Yan retrieved two jade vases from his storage ring and then removed his black robe, revealing his bare upper body—slightly lean, yet brimming with a force that seemed about to explode. Grasping a jade vase containing a dark red, ointment-like substance, he flipped his hand and produced a jade slab, using it to lift a clump of the red ointment from the vase. "I wonder how itchy this Qingzhi Huoling Ointment will be when applied to my skin. Well, I'm going all in," he muttered, his eyes fixed intently on the clump. After a long pause, he bit down hard, flinging the ointment onto his bare chest and then spreading it evenly with the jade slab, finally coating his entire upper body. As the Qingzhi Fire Spirit Ointment was applied to his body, Xiao Yan jolted suddenly, clearly sensing that his awareness of the hot energy within the training room had become remarkably sharp. In fact, even without using his spiritual perception and with his eyes closed, he could faintly see the delicate red energy drifting continuously throughout the room. "Indeed effective!" Upon noticing this change, Xiao Yan's heart warmed with delight. Yet before this joy could spread to his face, a sudden stiffness settled on his lips, and he clenched his teeth tightly, his forehead immediately beading with fine sweat. "Ah... This must be the drawback of the Qingzhi Fire Spirit Ointment—indeed, it's both numb and itchy!" With his teeth clenched, a steady stream of cool air escaped from his mouth. He could feel his skin crawling with ants, the numbness and itchiness so intense that even unprepared, Xiao Yan nearly lost his training focus and stepped out of his meditative state. Taking several deep breaths, Xiao Yan clenched his teeth, set down the Qingzhi Huoling Ointment in his hands, then picked up another jade bottle and poured out a round, pale green pill. With his mouth slightly open, he launched the pill into his mouth, then closed his teeth again! Shortly after swallowing the Su Ling Feng Pill, a refined, slightly light energy surged down his throat and flowed through his body—then, the Qi circulating within his meridians suddenly surged like a wild bull suddenly struck by spring vitality, racing wildly. Sensing the Qi moving at high speed, even emitting unusual sounds within his body, Xiao Yan formed meditation hand seals, gradually closed his eyes, and after nearly fifteen minutes of adjustment, finally entered his state of cultivation. As Xiao Yan entered his state of cultivation, a sudden surge of energy rippled through the training room. Waves of fire-based energy coalesced out of thin air, eventually solidifying into tangible, slightly substantial strands of pale red energy. These semi-solid pale red energy streams whirled around Xiao Yan's head, then, as if drawn by an unseen force, violently collided against his bare upper body. Despite the force of the impacts, Xiao Yan's body remained utterly still—rather, the energy seemed to vanish into an invisible black hole, being absorbed by him in a most peculiar manner. As the first wave of energy surged, countless energy streams continued to pour down upon him, relentlessly striking his form. In the training room, an extraordinary scene unfolded: the sheer volume of energy flowing in was so immense that Xiao Yan's body, seated on the black stone platform, was completely enveloped within a radiant circle of pale red energy. Intense energy fluctuations rippled swiftly throughout the cultivation chamber, with their center point being Xiao Yan, seated in meditation upon the stone platform. At this moment, Xiao Yan appeared like an ever-expanding, bottomless vortex, drawing in and absorbing the exceptionally dense fire-energy within the chamber. Such an astonishing level of absorption would likely leave onlookers utterly stunned, gaping in awe.