At the summit of the mountain, a black figure surged forward like a thunderbolt, faint silver electric glimmers shimmering subtly beneath the figure’s feet. In hand, a massive black ruler sliced through the air with a powerful, resonant wind, yet though the ruler was enormous, it moved with the grace of a slender sword—commanding and formidable, yet infused with a touch of agile, precise fluidity. "Shhh!" Suddenly, the broad ruler drove down with a forceful strike, sharp gusts of wind tearing through the air, delicate green luminescence swirling around its surface, resembling a cluster of emerald flames, imbuing even the wind with a sense of warmth and intensity. Black jade staff surged downward, carrying an unstoppable surge of power, and with a resounding crash, it struck a block of green stone before him. The impact sent a thunderous explosion through the air. Under the force of the powerful energy contained within the staff, the hard green stone shattered with a loud "pop," scattering countless fine fragments in every direction. Within just a moment, a stone block half as tall as a man was reduced to only a small portion still embedded in the mountain's base. With the return of the measuring rod, the silver electric glow on Xiao Yan's foot also faded. He slightly turned his head, his body trembling randomly, listening to the crisp cracking sounds emanating from within his bones, which made him smile contentedly. The day's marrow and bone refinement had nearly doubled Xiao Yan's physical strength. Not only had his bones become more resilient, but even as his muscles subtly contracted, he could feel a powerful force lurking beneath his skin, quietly building up and waiting to surge forth. Xiao Yan's physical strength had not only increased by nearly a full measure, but his agility and neural responsiveness had also become noticeably faster and more sensitive. Moreover, with his current attainment of the Battle Spirit stage, he could now sense a transformation within himself that felt almost like a complete rebirth. Had Xiao Yan employed the "Three Thousand Thunder Roars" in the past, he could have sustained it for no more than ten minutes. Now, having advanced in rank, the surge of qi within his body has significantly increased, allowing him to extend the duration by five times over—clearly demonstrating the marked difference between a Grand Combatant and a Spirit Combatant. "Doesn't the Spirit Combatant feel impressive?" the Medicine Elder, floating gently in midair, smiled at the excited Xiao Yan. "Indeed, these are two entirely different levels—the gap between them is truly immense." Xiao Yan nodded vigorously. In his earlier days, without the aid of rare items such as the "Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus" or the Earth-Heart Fire of the Qinglian, even a newly ascended Spirit Combatant would have easily overwhelmed him, leaving him in a very disadvantaged position. Now, having personally experienced the strength of a Spirit Combatant, Xiao Yan himself is deeply impressed by his own past attempts to challenge opponents at a higher level. "Now that I've reached the peak of the Battle Spirit realm, thanks to the extraordinary nature of the 'Burned Decree' technique, I'm confident in facing off against ordinary two- or three-star Battle Spirit cultivators head-on. Should I further deploy the 'Heavenly Fire Triple Transformations,' I might even stand a chance against masters of White Cheng's caliber. In that case, my strength is indeed worthy of securing a spot on the 'Strong Ranks.' With my fist tightening and loosening, feeling the powerful force building within, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile. Within just under six months of entering the Inner Courtyard, he's already earned a place among the most prestigious 'Strong Ranks.' Such an achievement is truly worthy of pride for Xiao Yan. After all, within the Inner Courtyard, every cultivator is hailed as a prodigy in terms of cultivation potential. Rising from such a competitive environment is no small feat." Stretching out his lazy limbs with a firm motion, Xiao Yan took a step forward, gazing down at the vast expanse of the forest from a lofty position. After a while, he furrowed his brows and said, "I've been training deep in these mountains for over two months now—it's time I returned to the inner courtyard. Lin Yan mentioned this so-called 'Strong Ranks Tournament'—perhaps it's approaching. As long as I make it into the top ten, I'll qualify to enter the lower levels of the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower.' Yet for some reason, I keep feeling that this 'Primordial Heart-Fire Body Cultivation' technique is somehow connected to the Fallen Heart-Inferno." "That day, the burning cultivation tower indeed seemed quite mysterious. Even with my soul strength, I couldn't expand my influence within it, so any hidden detection efforts proved entirely ineffective. Yet although I couldn't detect anything, I could still sense that several layers at the very bottom were guarded by many strong cultivators. A direct assault would likely leave even a Douzong-level cultivator with a failed attempt. Our knowledge of the current state of the Fallen Heart Flame within the tower remains limited. If we could reach the lower levels of the tower, we might gain some valuable information concerning the Fallen Heart Flame." The old Ye paused and pondered. Sighing, Xiao Yan rubbed his temples, murmuring, "Indeed troublesome." Seeing Xiao Yan's pained expression, the Medicine Elder could only shake his head helplessly, saying, "There's nothing we can do about it. The Gan Nan Academy enjoys an exceptionally prestigious reputation across the Continent of Qi. Even many first-tier factions would hesitate to offend them. Indeed, even back when I was at my peak, merely in a soul state now, I would have had to carefully consider my moves before attempting to seize anything from them. To speak of the present—when I'm merely in a soul state—let alone when I was at my peak. To take anything from Gan Nan would require careful planning." Xiao Yan smiled bitterly and nodded in agreement. After all, he had endured countless hardships to reach this Gan Nan Academy, specifically in pursuit of the "Falling Heart Flame." Thus, he was determined to secure it at any cost—even if it meant inevitably offending the Gan Nan Academy. For true strength, the evolution of the "Burned Decree" was essential, and without the unique flames, that evolution could not occur! Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the south, where the Inner Courtyard's Tian Fen Qi Tower stood. After a long while, the deep, intense heat gradually receded, and he exhaled a soft sigh. His shoulders trembled slightly as his Purple Cloud Wings shot out, gently flapping, and his figure transformed into a streak of blackness, swiftly racing toward the edge of the mountain range. In an instant, he became a small dot and vanished at the horizon. Carrying the inner courtyard emblem on his chest, Xiao Yan entered the inner courtyard without any hindrance. As the figures in his field of vision gradually came into view and aligned themselves, he sighed deeply in relief. Over the past two months, aside from Lin Xiu'ya and a few others, he had not seen a single person. Once inside the courtyard, Xiao Yan's tense demeanor began to ease naturally, and his brisk pace gradually slowed. He walked leisurely toward the area where the Pan Gate was located. Since he did not carry his signature large black ruler, few people recognized him as the official "top alchemist" of the inner courtyard. After nearly half an hour of walking, he reached the new student zone without any obstacles. As they drew closer to the new district, Xiao Yan's brow subtly furrowed. Usually, this area was constantly guarded by members of the Pan Sect, but now it was completely empty. The more steps he took into the new district, the deeper his furrowed brow became—the previously relaxed pace of his walk suddenly quickened. "Ah Tai!" When he finally spotted a large group of Daoists rushing out from the corner ahead, just as he was approaching the central pavilion, he called out upon seeing the leader's face. Upon hearing the familiar voice, the group of hurried figures paused momentarily, and the leader, Ah Tai, immediately brightened, lifting his gaze toward the dark-robed figure in the distance and exclaimed with joy, "Head! You're back?" "Head! Head is back!" Behind Ah Tai, a group of people cheered upon recognizing Xiao Yan's face. "Where are Xun'er and the others?" His gaze swept over the faces of Atai and the others, yet he subtly sensed a simmering anger. Xiang's expression grew serious as a faint silver glow from his feet flickered, and then he materialized suddenly before Atai, some thirty meters away, his voice steady. "Xun'er and the others have already gone to the arena," Atai said, slightly startled by Xiang's ethereal appearance, and quickly added. "The arena? What's going on?" Xiang narrowed his eyes, asking. "Damn it! It's still the same bunch of useless clowns from the 'Bai Clan'." "As soon as this was mentioned, anger surged on the faces of Atai and the others: 'This morning, Sister Huiga led the members of Panmen into the 'Heaven-Burning Qi Tower' for training. We had already secured good spots and trained there for some time. Suddenly, the White Clan members pushed through the door forcefully, taking advantage of their numbers to drive us Panmen members out. Sister Huiga argued with them, but the opponents on the other side insulted her. Overcome with indignation, she ended up fighting them. However, to her surprise, two Douling-level masters were hidden behind the scenes. Though she managed to injure one of them, she herself was struck by a palm and sustained a serious injury.' After bringing Sister Huiga back, Brother Wu Hao immediately grew furious and led his team directly to the White Clan. According to the returning members, Brother Wu then issued a formal challenge to Bai Cheng. Now, Sister Xun and the others have already dispatched their teams to the arena." "The head, the White Clan is getting more and more arrogant. They're taking advantage of the fact that our White Clan has no Douling-level强者, coming to us with complaints again and again!" "The head, this time we have to fight them! We can't endure it anymore!" A group of Panmen members, full of fiery anger, shouted loudly, clearly having reached the limit of their patience with the White Clan's provocations.