A river of molten lava surged forth like a towering column of fire, erupting straight from the tip of the Tianfen Training Tower. At that very instant, energy throughout the inner courtyard surged and trembled violently. As the seal of the Tianfen Training Tower broke, a sharp, excited cry—like thunder—burst forth from within the lava stream, followed by a widespread cascade of molten flows. Where the lava landed, fierce flames instantly rose, transforming the area within dozens of meters of the tower into a vast sea of fire in a short span of time. As the lava spread, a massive, intangible fire serpent, stretching over thirty zhang in length, surged forth. Feeling the long-awaited sense of freedom, an intensely human joy radiated in its two large triangular eye pupils. Some tree tops and rooftops beyond a hundred meters from the Tianfen Qi-Tower were crowded with students, all staring in wide-eyed astonishment at the colossal creature bursting out of the Tianfen Qi-Tower. None of them had expected such a formidable being to be hidden in their regular training grounds. "Where is Xiao Yan?" Lin Xiu'ya, who had just escaped from the tower, now stood on one of the rooftops. Upon glancing around, he quickly asked. "He's there." Zi Yan pointed with her small finger toward a section of sky surrounding the Tianfen Qi-Tower, where a dark silhouette was flapping its deep purple-black wings and hovering in mid-air. "The senior elder didn't instruct everyone to move away from that spot, did he? How can he still be there, when even the elders couldn't resolve the issue?" Lin Yan's face immediately tightened, and he exclaimed in urgency. Zi Yan held onto the pale purple ponytail, his youthful voice deliberately adopting a mature tone: "That person isn't a fool. Don't worry—whenever there's a problem, he'll move faster than a rabbit. He's even preparing things for me. How could he die so easily?" Upon hearing this, Lin Yan groaned, shaking his head in resignation and finally deciding to stop asking pointless questions. He turned his attention to the massive creature bursting out of the Sky-Burned Qi Tower, instantly his face brightened with renewed astonishment. He murmured, "What kind of beast is this? It's truly terrifying..." Lin Xiu-ya, Liu Qing, and the others also shook their heads. With their keen eyes, they still couldn't discern the origin of this intangible fire serpent. "This isn't just some ordinary beast... It's... It's... I don't even know what it is." Zi Yan shook her head, bit her finger, and after thinking for a while, chuckled happily. As a beast herself, she naturally sensed that the intangible fire serpent lacked the aura of a beast—yet explaining precisely *why* proved a challenge for her ever-occupied little brain, always preoccupied with food. The others sighed in resignation; this sturdy, force-driven king truly still relied solely on strength to make a living. As Su Qian finished his chant, the eighteen elders hovering in the sky responded in unison. Eighteen powerful streams of qi surged forth, then interlaced with lightning speed. At the moment of interweaving, they refracted like light, scattering countless finer energy beams. These beams intertwined and, within mere moments, formed a highly dense and intricate energy network across the sky. The vibrant network continuously refracted, layer upon layer accumulating, creating a cascading, multi-layered appearance—remarkably resilient in defense. With the immense energy surge bolstering him, Su Qian pulled his hands again, and instantly, a vibrant energy dome—spanning nearly a hundred meters—shot down from the edges of the sky-bound energy net. As the dome descended, a solid defensive barrier promptly formed, intercepting the falling heart of the Flame of Heaven. Due to the enormous energy consumed during his earlier breakthrough through the Tower of Heavenly Incineration, the invisible fire serpent's flames had initially dimmed slightly after emerging. It wasn't until the "Thousand-Layer Sealing Array" in the sky was fully established that the flames began to surge once more, rising vigorously from its massive body. As the flames flared, the wild energy within the serpent seemed to recover as well. Slowly lifting its enormous head, it gazed with fierce determination at the colorful energy net above. Having now tasted the freedom of its own, the serpent no longer wished to return to a world dominated by molten rock and fiery toxins. "Ji!" With a loud, piercing cry, sharp waves of sound radiated outward like tangible force, striking the energy walls descending vertically around them and sending out ripples of rapid vibration. Since the energy network spanning the sky was so vast, the nearby Xiao Yan found himself inadvertently enclosed within it. Fortunately, the agile young man had swiftly descended into the fiery sea of flames upon the emission of the sound waves, enveloping himself in the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire. This not only protected him from any harm caused by the flames but also provided him with optimal concealment. "It's going to start soon," Xiao Yan said, his face glowing with excitement as he watched the two parties preparing to clash in the sky. He had waited nearly a year for this moment, and it seemed his journey to the Cangnan Academy was finally coming to fruition. "Be careful—the commotion when they fight will be tremendous." The voice of the medicine elder rang out in Xiao Yan's mind, though it was a reminder, it carried an unmistakable joy. Xiao Yan nodded, hiding his body behind a massive boulder, paying no attention to the roaring flames beside him, and instead kept his gaze fixed on the sky. Above, the intangible fire serpent emitted a sharp cry before gradually forming a serpentine array in the heavens, its completely whitened triangular pupils locked firmly on Su Qian, who stood at the center of the energy network. As the serpentine array took shape, the flames surging from the serpent's body intensified, distorting the surrounding space so severely that even when gazing at the serpent, one could only see a blurred, towering silhouette. "Everyone take care—be alert for its counterattack," Xiao Yan said. "I've already sent the signal. As long as we hold on just a little longer, the Vice Dean of the Outer Courtyard and the senior elders will arrive as well. Together, we will surely be able to seal it once again!" "Watching the poised stance of the intangible fire serpent before launching its attack, Su Qian suddenly roared. "Yes!" Hearing the roar, the senior elders stiffened and responded in unison. "Crick!" As the unified response settled, the coiled intangible fire serpent suddenly extended its body and then shot forth with lightning speed—so swift it seemed to match the very speed of lightning, with no perceptible lag despite its immense size. Where the fire serpent passed, it left behind a trail of vacuum in the void, the heat intense enough to be felt even at a distance, causing several elders to subtly adjust their expressions. Only now, having faced it firsthand, did they realize that the fallen heart flame had grown significantly stronger than before. "Hoo!" As the fire serpent's eyes rapidly expanded, Su Qian's hand seal suddenly shifted, and he let out a powerful roar. Immediately following his cry, the vibrant energy web burst forth with a brilliant, radiant five-colored glow! "Boom!" The massive body, carrying an irresistible force of impact, slammed hard against the vibrant energy web. The powerful force pushed the web upward by nearly ten meters, creating a threatening arc that seemed on the verge of rupture—so intense that it sent cold dread through the hearts of the onlookers at a distance. The first assault proved futile; the formless fire serpent showed no hesitation, its massive tail sweeping with a powerful motion, propelling its body once more skyward. As it neared the energy net—within less than fifty meters—its enormous mouth opened, and a surge of formless flame erupted, spreading out in an overwhelming wave. Suddenly, another sharp wave of sound erupted, and the all-encompassing, intangible flame began to ripple and surge. Finally, under the transformed expression on Su Qian's face, it coalesced into a slender flame serpent, as thick as a human arm. As soon as the serpent took shape, it struck the energy web with an astonishing force, and then—explosion! At the moment of the blast, the energy web trembled violently, and gradually, a remarkably fine crack appeared—thanks to the timely response of Su Qian and his companions, this crack did not ultimately cause the web to shatter. However, at the very instant the crack formed, a surge of immensely powerful energy erupted forth, shooting straight upward, its vast energy waves clearly visible even from a thousand miles away. "Oh no…" Su Qian's heart sank immediately as this turbulent energy rose and spread.