By the training room door, a small girl in a white dress leaned against the wall, arms folded, glancing sideways at the gathering crowd. Though she appeared harmless, a subtle ferocity in her eyes sent cold sweat prickling up the spines of anyone who held eye contact with her. "Ah, so you're Zi Yan, Senior," Li Qing's expression slightly shifted when the white-dressed girl appeared. Compared to others, he remained relatively composed, and he smiled warmly at her. Yet the way he addressed her felt strangely odd—imagine a man as large and sturdy as a gorilla being so respectful and cautious toward a girl only reaching his waist. It would hardly seem normal to anyone. Zi Yan glanced at him once, then stepped steadily into the room. As she moved, the onlookers hurried to retreat, fearing they might end up caught in the crossfire. Lin Yan stood beside Xiao Yan, noticing that Zi Yan had actually come toward them, which made him feel rather uneasy. He truly felt a deep sense of fear toward this formidable powerhouse. "Hey, who's been bothering you? I told you time and again to come find me whenever you have any trouble," said Zi Yan, stopping beside Xiao Yan and giving him a sideways glance. "Tell me, and I'll take care of it." With that, she fixed her dark, lively eyes on the surroundings, scanning everyone around. Anyone caught in her gaze quickly shook their heads, their scalps tingling with anxiety. At Li Qing's side, Yao Sheng's face twitched slightly, and he took a quiet step back, nearly hiding half his body behind Li Qing. Before this elusive creature, who was universally feared within the inner courtyard, no one dared to ruffle her feathers—especially not Xiao Yan, whom he had never imagined could have such a close relationship with her. "Just some minor disagreements. I can handle them myself." Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiao Yan merely shook his head with a smile. Though he was well aware that Zǐ Yán was an exceptionally powerful beast, he simply couldn't bring himself to use her name as a means of display—especially not with such a delicate, youthful appearance. Moreover, the notion of "harassing" her had not yet reached that level. Their earlier encounter with Yao Sheng had been evenly matched, with both sides suffering minor setbacks; it was truly a draw. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Li Qing's expression slightly eased. If he had mentioned Yao Sheng, Zǐ Yán—by nature—would likely have immediately summoned him for a scolding. In that case, to protect Yao Sheng, Li Qing himself might have had to step in. While within the inner academy, even Lin Xiu'ya wouldn't necessarily instill much fear in him, he nonetheless held deep respect and caution for this young creature. It was precisely this kind of conflict he most wished to avoid. Upon hearing this, Zi Yan furrowed her brows, turned to Xiao Yan, and fixed her large eyes on him, speaking in a voice only the two could hear: "Hmph. Don't think you can avoid helping me just because you don't want me to assist you—there's no way I'll let you off the hook for preparing pills for me." Xiao Yan shook his head, helpless. He had assumed that the little one thought he was rejecting her help, and thus wanted to escape her request for pill-making—indeed, such a sweet, endearing girl she was. "Rest assured, I'll keep my promises. As long as you finish eating the pills, simply bring the herbs whenever you need them, and I'll take care of the rest." Smiling, he gently rubbed her head. Yet suddenly, he felt the gaze of the surrounding crowd growing strange. He glanced up and noticed everyone staring at him—specifically at the hand now gently caressing Zi Yan's head—with unmistakable astonishment. "Give her a solid slap right there." A soft murmur spread through the crowd. Among the "top-tier" contenders, Zǐ Yán's formidable reputation was particularly vivid—back then, several bold and skilled challengers had dared to face her, only to be sent flying like a ball, each one struck hard by her slender hands, ending in broken bones and strained ligaments. Though their injuries eventually healed, the sheer terror of those scenes left lasting impressions. Thus, when they now saw Xiao Yan daring to treat Zǐ Yán so casually, many couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of relief and even mild envy. Of course, they fully expected the very scene of being sent flying to unfold on Xiao Yan—yet Zǐ Yán merely frowned, shook her head, and gave a gentle tap on Xiao Yan's arm. The gentle reproach sent a ripple of discomfort across the faces of the onlookers. When had this powerful force of raw strength become so polite? Under the weight of so many eyes, Xiao Yan's hands, which had been gently moving, hesitated awkwardly and then shyly withdrew. Liu Qing cleared his throat. With Zi Yan already stepping forward, he had no reason to offer any further warnings. Observing the way Xiao Yan and Zi Yan interacted, it was clear their relationship was quite good—he had no doubt that if he repeated his earlier remarks, the rough-and-tumble king would simply charge over and give him a solid punch. "Alright," Liu Qing said calmly, giving a slight clap of his hands, "Today's matter shall be concluded here. Any grievances can be settled during the competition—there, it will be the most fair place." After speaking, he glanced at Xiao Yan once more before waving his hand and leading Yao Sheng and the others away from the rest area. Seeing Liu Qing so composed and willing to let things go, the onlookers shrugged and gradually dispersed. "Hey," one of them remarked, "you should've just said right then that he was all stiff and formal—with someone like that on your side, what could possibly make you afraid of Liu Qing?" "Looking at the ones leaving, Lin Yan gently tapped Xiao Yan's back and whispered. Xiao Yan smiled, shook his head, and didn't dwell on the topic, lazily stretched, and said, "Should all the training rooms here be usable? Are there any restrictions?" "Of course there are," Lin Yan rolled his eyes, saying, "The sixth floor doesn't have distinctions between high, medium, and low tiers—basically, all rooms are intended for top-tier 'Strong Rank' practitioners. However, the quality of the training rooms depends entirely on your position on the 'Strong Rank' list." "You're currently ranked thirty-first on the 'Strong Rank' list, so you'll have access to your designated training room," Lin Yan turned and pointed toward a corner outside the arena, where a training room stood alone. Though this room was much more elegant than those on the lower floors, it appeared slightly simpler when compared to the training rooms on the other side of the rest area. "There are numbered rooms at the entrance, and each number represents the ranking on the 'Strong List.' The higher the rank, the better the effect. I'm currently in Room Nine—hey, training there is at least twice as fast as training in your Room Thirty-One." Lin Yan chuckled, a touch of pride in his smile. Zi Yan's youthful voice instantly made Lin Yan's proud smile stiffen, and he now stared at Xiao Yan with wide-eyed admiration. The No. 1 training room—this was Zi Yan's personal sanctuary. The top twenty on the Strength Ranking had coveted it countless times, yet no one had dared to challenge for it, only watching in envy. Today, however, Zi Yan had generously lent it to Xiao Yan. Such an honor—something even Liu Qing, Lin Xiu, and Lin Xiu's peers had never experienced. "Can you lend your training room to someone else?" Xiao Yan asked, visibly astonished. Lin Yan spread his hands helplessly. "As long as the room's owner agrees, the Inner Court won't interfere." Xiao Yan paused thoughtfully, then nodded with a smile and said to Zi Yan, "Very well. Then I'll have the pleasure of borrowing your room and experiencing the swift progress of training in the No. 1 Training Room." Now that only twenty days remain until the grand tournament, rapidly enhancing his strength has become the most urgent matter for Xiao Yan. Should he refuse again, it would indeed seem rather pretentious. Hearing Xiao Yan agree, Zi Yan's small face immediately brightened, and she whispered, "While you're training, I'll come by to have you prepare pills for me." "Yes," Xiao Yan smiled gently—this was a minor matter, and he naturally wouldn't decline. "Follow me," she said, even more delighted by Xiao Yan's prompt acceptance. She quickly took the lead, and after a slight shrug toward Lin Yan, who was looking on with admiration, Xiao Yan followed. Passing through the rest area, the spacious training halls on the other side came into view. As they drew closer, Xiao Yan could even sense the pure energy flowing out from within the halls. Along the way, at the entrances of several training rooms, Xiao Yan indeed spotted the room numbers mentioned by Lin Yan. Starting from room number twenty, the more inward one went, the more powerful and abundant the warm energy seeping out of the training rooms became. When reaching the rooms numbered ten or below, Xiao Yan could even visually observe delicate strands of pale red energy drifting through the air like fine threads—such a rare and striking sight that left him quietly amazed. Zi Yan waved to Xiao Yan and then pointed to a dark iron gate at the far end of the corridor, saying, "Don't go there—it's off-limits. If the elders discover you're there, even I'll have to be confined. So be careful." As Xiao Yan followed her gaze, the darkness beyond the gate appeared as if it were ink, unbroken and deep. He slightly furrowed his brows. Just as he was about to turn, his hand suddenly trembled. In that very instant, he had clearly sensed a subtle tremor in the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame within him... What in the Tower of Refinement could cause such a reaction in the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame? Only one thing—Falling Heart Flame.