In the spacious cultivation chamber, the young man, bare-chested, had his eyes closed. Dark red energy spiraled and darted around him, eventually slamming forcefully against his naked body before vanishing mysteriously. Within the broad channels of his body, the jade qi flowed like cars rushing along a high-speed highway, resonating with a steady, low hum under the watchful focus of his mind. After consuming the Swift-Spirit Wind Pill, the flow of qi within Xiao Yan's body had nearly tripled or quadrupled—voluminous, vibrant waves of jade qi surged forth from the battle crystals, cascading through his meridians and producing an unusual, deep rumble. Due to the accelerated pace, the circulation eventually reached a point where it formed a continuous loop: as the qi just emerged from the crystals at one end, the qi refined by his heart's fire surged back in with great force at the other end. Moreover, besides the release of qi through the battle crystals, the body, now coated with Qingzhi Fire Spirit Ointment, had transformed into an ever-expanding sink, continuously drawing in visible, pale red energy that seeped steadily through the skin pores and eventually coalesced into a substantial, powerful internal energy. Although the fire-based energy within the Tianfen Qi Tower was noticeably purer than that outside, it could not be directly absorbed into the battle crystals. Thus, Xiao Yan allocated most of his mental focus to carefully regulate these wild, incoming fire energies, channeling them along an alternative meridian pathway. Naturally, this meridian route ended near the source of the heart fire. As a result, after undergoing integration and refinement through the meridians, these slightly impure fire energies gradually began to surge into the vibrant heart fire. The internal Qi flows like two separate streams, and as these streams reach the heart flame, they are refined and eventually merge into a single, pure, and powerful Qi stream, which then surges into the battle crystal within the spiral, producing a deep, rolling thunderous sound. Under this dual process of absorption and refinement, Xiao Yan can clearly feel the Qi within the crystal gradually becoming richer and more abundant. With the aid of Qingzhi Fire Spirit Ointment and Su Feng Spirit Pill, everything is progressing toward the most perfect outcome. At this pace, Xiao Yan is confident he can reach the rank of Eight-Star Grand Battle Master within one month. Of course, although Xiao Yan didn't wish to break from this nearly perfect state of cultivation, various external factors completely shattered his desire to quietly focus on his practice. ... By the afternoon of the second day, the previously bustling area of the third-level advanced cultivation rooms suddenly grew quieter due to the sudden arrival of a group of visitors. Leading this unexpected group was a woman dressed in a snow fox fur dress. With her delicate features—refined oval face, small red lips, graceful eyebrows like painted willow branches, and bright, lively eyes—her overall appearance was simply pleasing to the eye. As a result, it was no surprise that she was always surrounded by a crowd, since in the inner courtyard, girls were few and the more beautiful ones were always in high demand. Beauties naturally drew admiration and attention wherever they went. Centered like a moon surrounded by stars, this woman in snowy fox fur dress maintained a sweet, composed smile on her cheeks. Yet those who observed closely could still detect a subtle sense of self-satisfaction and vanity in her eyes—eyes that reflected the genuine appraisal of the crowd once the luminous aura imposed by her elder brother had been set aside. Vanity, after all, is one of the most irresistible qualities in women. Witnessing numerous men fiercely competing for her attention, women naturally feel a quiet sense of pride. As she entered the premium section, her gaze lightly swept over the men who had paused simply because of her presence. Beneath the gentle, liquid grace of her eyes, some less resolute men found their faces growing slightly flushed, then quickly glanced away, embarrassed. Observing how the male students subtly shifted and evaded under her gaze, the woman smiled softly—her beauty instantly brightened the otherwise dimly lit tower. The woman led a group of people straight through the premium area, and then halted abruptly in the final section—precisely where Xiao Yan had chosen his solitary meditation room. As the woman stopped, several people around glanced at her, noticing the sign indicating someone was meditating and the now-closed door. Some of them were momentarily surprised, even a touch resentful—wasn't it clear that this room was exclusively reserved for Lady Xue, Li Fei, the Snow Fox? Yet back then, the man who had occupied her meditation room was left bedridden for half a month after being defeated by her suitors. Since then, few had dared to come to that room in the inner courtyard—until today, when such a cherished scene had once again unfolded. "Heh, Fei, it seems we've encountered some rather bold ones again," said a tall man standing behind the woman, a gentle smile playing on his face—a most favorable opportunity for him to make an impression upon her. Li Fei offered a quiet, faint smile and gave a slight shake of her head, murmuring softly, "Ren, be a bit more courteous." Upon hearing the subtle implication in Li Fei's words, the man known as Ren broke into a smile, nodded warmly, and said, "Don't worry—just let him understand. Li Qing, my elder brother, has asked me to protect you. As his cousin, I won't allow you to suffer a single hardship." Hearing the name that had long been renowned within the inner courtyard, spoken with a touch of reverence from Lei Na’s lips, Liu Fei couldn’t help but gently press her lips together, a subtle emotion flickering in her eyes—something others might easily miss. That commanding, resolute man had always left a profound impression in her heart since childhood. Even after joining the Gan’an Academy, where suitors came and went without cease, they all inevitably fell short when compared to the shadow he cast. "Seeing the door finally open, Renya snorted and withdrew his fist, stepping back a few paces, his gaze unkindly fixed on the cultivator within the training chamber. As the door swung open, all eyes in the area swiftly turned toward the space. Under the weight of a multitude of expressions, the young man in black robes emerged slowly, his face grim—anyone interrupted in their cultivation would likely have no better demeanor. He raised his head, fixing his gaze on the retreating Renya, furrowing his brows and coldly asking, 'What is your intention?' 'Young man, new here?' Renya smiled, glancing sideways at Xiao Yan. 'Didn't you know that no one else is permitted to use this training chamber?' 'I checked the regulations of the Tianfen Qi Tower upon my arrival, and indeed, it wasn't explicitly stated that this chamber is off-limits to others,' Xiao Yan shook his head, responding with great seriousness. Stiffened slightly by Xiao Yan's earnest reply, Lei Na's expression darkened again, and she coldly remarked, "You must have some nerve—daring to tease me like this?" "I'm rather busy..." Xiao Yan lightly flicked his sleeve, his voice calm. "If you don't mind, could you step aside? I'd like to be undisturbed in my practice." With that, he turned to resume his meditation. "Please take your time," a soft voice suddenly broke in, causing Xiao Yan to pause briefly. He lifted his gaze, calmly observing the woman dressed in a snow fox fur dress. Since she had stepped out earlier, he had already sensed that she might have been the true source of the matter. Under Xiao Yan's quiet scrutiny, Liu Fei felt a bit startled. The way he looked at her—neither shy nor admiring as other men often did, nor even expressing pure appreciation for her beauty—seemed as though he saw her merely as another among the large men around. "Is there something you'd like to say?" "This room is my private training space—I'm sorry..." Li Fei regained her composure, her dark brows slightly furrowed, with a subtle displeasure toward Xiao Yan's attitude, though a gentle smile still lingered on her face. Hearing Li Fei's words, Xiao Yan's brows tightened as well. After a moment, he pointed to the training room and said, "Is this a special arrangement from the Inner Courtyard? Do you have official documentation from the Inner Courtyard? If this room was indeed built specifically for you by the Inner Courtyard, then I apologize for having occupied it earlier." Xiao Yan's measured, slightly cold tone resonated softly through the area of premium training rooms. Under his words, everyone who had been planning to observe quietly paused, then sighed with a touch of sympathy. Li Fei's previously warm, smiling expression gradually turned strained.