What woke Xiao Yan from his unconscious state was unbearable pain—deep, searing pain! With great difficulty, he opened his blurry eyes and saw a vivid, blood-red glow. As his eyes gradually widened, he realized that the redness was not static—it was a vast, flowing river of molten lava. Lava? For a moment, Xiao Yan stood stunned, then suddenly snapped to attention. His gaze swept around, and he was left breathless to discover that he now found himself immersed in a sea of molten lava, deep within its heart. Whether looking up, down, or to either side, the scene before him was uniformly a deep, crimson flow of lava. He gazed around in confusion, and then noticed—within a distance of roughly one zhang from his body—there was an invisible flame roaring vigorously. And himself? He seemed to be precisely inside the very core of that invisible flame. Shaking his head vigorously, the slightly foggy mind gradually cleared. Only then did Xiao Yan vaguely recall that he had been struck by the Falling Heart Flame and subsequently lost consciousness... Where was he now? Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. He glanced around and realized that a dense, pale-white flame was enveloping his body. Beyond this flame, large, formless flames curled and spiraled like little serpents. Despite the insulating effect of the Bone-Spirit Cold Flame, the intense heat was causing sharp, persistent burns on his skin—precisely the pain that had woken him from his unconscious state earlier. A wave of panic surged through him, but soon he forced himself to remain calm and asked in a dry voice, "What needs to be done to escape here?" "As soon as he said this, there was a moment of silence. Only after a long while did the Elder of Medicine speak, his voice still tinged with bitterness: 'I'm not sure. This place is deep underground, where the power of the Fallen Heart Flame flows almost continuously. Unless I recover my peak strength, I may never break through its containment. Moreover, we are undoubtedly deep within the magma layer. Should this Fallen Heart Flame release the flames surrounding us, you would be instantly engulfed by the scorching lava—no matter how powerful your unique fire, you likely wouldn't survive long enough to reach beyond the magma.' '...Then are we simply going to wait to die?' Xiang Yan's body slightly trembled as he murmured. With the Elder of Medicine's extraordinary abilities still unable to offer any solution under such dire circumstances, what could it mean? The Elder sighed softly, unable to respond. If it weren't for the existence of the Bone-Spirit Cold Flame, Xiang Yan would have already been reduced to ashes by the time he lost consciousness." Xiao Yan clenched his fists, his dark eyes blazing with determination. There were still so many things awaiting him—his family’s disgrace needed to be erased, his missing father needed to be found, and he had promised a young girl that he would become a strong warrior and stand before her. Therefore, "I can't die here!" The resolute and stubborn words slowly emerged from the young man’s lips. Through all these years of trials and tribulations, if he now gave up, wouldn’t all that suffering have been in vain? His years of disciplined, monk-like cultivation had not only strengthened his power but also forged in him a resilient spirit and sturdy character. "Heh..." feeling the strong drive for survival emanating from Xiao Yan, the herbal elder smiled gently and said, "The youngster always has such fiery determination. If that’s the case, then even with this old body, I’ll do my part to support you." "Remember, my bone spirit's cold flame may last for three more days. After that, I will pour my remaining soul energy entirely into you, and then, with my soul energy depleted, I shall fall into deep sleep. From then on, it will all depend on you. I hope when I awaken, to find you alive and vigorous." Xiao Yan remained silent, then, after a while, nodded slightly with a firm grip on his teeth, his eyes slightly red as he spoke softly, "Teacher, please rest assured. I have promised you that I will craft a body capable of housing your soul. How could I possibly leave this life here?" As the back settled onto that jade lotus platform, the gradually permeating scorching pain eased significantly—clearly, this platform, which nurtured the jade lotus's inner fire, possessed an exceptional ability to insulate against temperature. "I forgot you had such treasures. With this platform, your chances of survival should improve considerably." Feeling the temperature now slightly moderated, the herbal elder chuckled slightly, then paused thoughtfully, saying, "After I fall asleep, if you begin to falter, take the 'Earth Spirit Pill' then. It will help you endure longer—originally meant to dissolve the heart-fire of a fallen soul, but now, given the current situation, it's uncertain whether either one will be consumed by the other..." Staring at Xiao Yan gradually entering his cultivation state, Yao Lao remained silent for a long time before finally softly sighing. "Young one, this might be your trial and tribulation. I can sense that if you manage to escape from here unscathed, you will undergo a transformation—like a chrysalis breaking into a butterfly—and then become a true powerhouse!" Though the great battle has passed, as Elder Su Qian had said, that name, that young man, has remained etched in everyone's memory like an impression—perhaps even decades later, when students graduate and become powerful figures, they will still occasionally recall that astonishing battle that erupted at the Cana College and that figure, who saved them. Of course, now that Xiao Yan has departed, the leadership of the "Panmen" rests with Wu Hao and Huo Jia, yet throughout all these years, both have only held the position of deputy leaders. Every member joining the "Panmen" is clearly informed that the true leader of the "Panmen" is a heroic figure who saved all the students in the inner courtyard—his name is Xiao Yan! This tradition has been upheld over time. Perhaps in years to come, people will forget the names of their instructors, but that name will remain etched in their hearts as an indelible memory. An elder bowed slightly toward the elder seated on the wheelchair in front, speaking with respectful courtesy. Upon hearing his title, it became clear that the silver-haired elder was Su Qian, the Grand Elder. Yet, in his current appearance, he seemed notably more aged than before—unless one noticed the occasional sharp glint of cold determination in his eyes, one would have thought him merely a helpless old man. "Have you fully investigated the origins of the black-angled domain warriors who launched the assault on the inner courtyard?" Su Qian's gaze paused on the final black iron gate, and his hoarse voice rose slowly. "All inquiries have been completed." "Issue instructions now: one month from today, gather your forces and personally visit each of them. The inner courtyard's disgrace must be repaid, one step at a time." With a simple gesture, Su Qian spoke coldly. "Understood!" The senior elders all nodded in unison, their eyes flashing with anger. The sudden assault by the powerful figures of the Black Horn Domain had not only spread throughout the Black Horn Domain but had now reached across the entire continent. If they failed to respond, where would the Cantania Academy have any standing in the future? Slowly, the composed demeanor of Su Qian began to thaw. His dry fingers, once stiff, gently crossed over one another. He murmured, "You say... he's still alive, don't you?" Everyone stared at one another, hesitant to speak, as the heart-flame of the fallen consumed them entirely and pulled them deep into the earth—surely even a Douzong-level powerhouse would have faced certain doom... Seeing clearly what was passing through their minds, Su Qian sighed softly and said, "I heard that Xiao Yan once had an elder brother who visited the Gan Nan Academy. Later, he moved to the Hei Jiao Region. Let's send someone to check on him and provide discreet protection—just as a way to repay that young man's kindness." With that, Su Qian waved his hand, and the wheelchair automatically turned around, then slowly fading into the darkness with a gentle, rolling sound. As he disappeared, the elders exchanged quiet sighs and turned their gaze toward the dark iron gate, bowing slightly before retreating. Amidst their departure, no one knew that deep beneath their feet, the pale, silver flame on the young man's body was gradually fading—true hardship and refinement were now beginning to unfold. Perhaps no one knows that deep within the molten core, the young one is struggling between transformation and destruction—whether he emerges as a butterfly from his chrysalis or is reduced to ashes. No one knows, for there lies an absolute abyss!