Inside the cultivation chamber, Xiao Yun sat cross-legged atop a slab of black stone. From his storage ring, he retrieved the Flame Crystal Card and slowly inserted it into the groove in front of him.
Click.
A faint sound echoed in the silent chamber. Immediately, a soft radiance burst from the groove, and at the same time, Xiao Yun clearly saw the number on the crystal card drop by one. A wave of searing heat surged into the room, wrapping him in an aura of Heartfire. He could distinctly feel his Dou Qi being slowly refined under its influence.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yun formed a hand seal and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state. Once his consciousness settled, his perception of the world sharpened dramatically. He became acutely aware of the overwhelming concentration of fire-element energy in the chamber—so thick it practically crackled in the air. For cultivators like him, who specialized in fire-type Dou Qi, training in a place like this offered far greater benefits than anywhere else.
Whoosh!
A flicker of flame, nearly invisible yet radiating strange fluctuations, suddenly appeared within his body. Unlike the previous times, this flame was gentler, radiating a comforting warmth that seeped into his organs like a slow roast.
It was still painful, yes, but nothing he couldn't endure. Under this intense tempering, his internal organs and meridians were continuously strengthened. Xiao Yun gritted his teeth and endured for nearly ten minutes until, with a mere thought, the Dou Qi within his cyclone burst forth like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
The Dou Qi raced through his meridians, gathering before the flame. At his mental command, streams of scarlet Dou Qi surged forward like wild stallions, plunging straight into the heart of the invisible fire.
The moment the Dou Qi touched the flame, it began to boil violently—as if tossed into a cauldron of scalding water. Wisps of white mist rose steadily from within. Xiao Yun could feel the impurities in his Dou Qi being stripped away, leaving it purer and denser with each passing second.
This intense bubbling didn't last long. Soon, a strand of Dou Qi emerged from the flame—smaller than before, almost halved in volume. Yet its density and energy had far surpassed what it had been.
That first refined strand coursed through his meridians, completing a full cycle before returning to the cyclone. Xiao Yun summoned the status panel in his mind and saw the progress bar rise from seventy to seventy-one.
A spark of joy ignited in his chest.
"This Fallen Heartflame really is a cheat code for cultivation. Just one strand, and my cultivation's already moved up a notch."
Without pause, he activated his cyclone again. More and more Dou Qi poured forth, entering the cycle—rushing through his meridians, plunging into the fire, refining, and returning to strengthen his core.
A perfect, repeating cycle.
Under this rhythm, Xiao Yun could clearly sense his Dou Qi growing stronger and more abundant. It wouldn't be long before he reached the peak of Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster and broke through to the Eight-Star realm.
In the spacious training room, Xiao Yun's body was shrouded in faint, invisible energy. Time became meaningless as he lost himself in the joy of rapid progress. In moments like this, he wished he could cultivate nonstop until he broke through to the Dou Spirit stage.
Dong!
Time flowed like water, unnoticed in deep meditation. At some point, an ancient, resonant bell tolled throughout the tower. The sound roused Xiao Yun from his trance. Slowly opening his eyes, he realized his aura was no longer entirely under control—a telltale sign of a breakthrough.
A glint of red light flashed in his eyes.
He exhaled the stale breath trapped in his lungs, then twisted his stiff limbs, which had gone numb from long hours of immobility. Feeling the changes in his Dou Qi, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"So this is the famed Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower… Just one day on the first floor is worth three days of cultivation outside. Too bad about the fire poison—it means I can't stay in here too long."
Xiao Yun sighed and shook his head. As a skilled fire-wielder, he could sense the subtle red thread now lingering within his body.
"That must be the fire poison Elder Liu warned me about," he muttered.
"If only I had a Heavenly Flame… then a little fire poison like this wouldn't even tickle me."
The desire for a Heavenly Flame surged stronger in his heart.
Rising to his feet, Xiao Yun pulled the Flame Crystal Card from the groove and exited the chamber. According to academy rules, first-time students were only allowed one day inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. They had to wait until the residual fire poison dispersed before their next session.
Once outside, Xiao Yun took a leisurely stroll through the ancient tower. He planned to find Elder Liu and ask about the location of Falling Thunder Valley. He intended to use the waiting period to practice Ten Thousand Thunder Body Tempering, the technique he had recently obtained from the Tome Pavilion.
After wandering for a while, he finally spotted Elder Liu and quickly approached.
"Elder Liu, I'd like to ask about the location of Falling Thunder Valley." Xiao Yun explained his intention carefully and, fearing disbelief, presented a token given to him by his mentor.
Elder Liu frowned, clearly unconvinced at first. But after a moment of hesitation and a glance at the token, he sighed in resignation.
"Well, if that old man Huo gave you permission, and you're sure about this… I'll go get the Grand Elder to take you there." His tone carried a hint of reluctance, but Xiao Yun's persistence had clearly worn him down.
"Thank you, Elder Liu!" Xiao Yun said gratefully, bowing with genuine respect.
With a nod, Elder Liu took out a jade slip from his spatial ring and infused it with his Dou Qi. Moments later, a white-haired elder slowly made his way up from the lower levels of the tower.
"Grand Elder." Elder Liu bowed deeply. Then, with a pat on Xiao Yun's shoulder, he turned and left.
"Wait a second… Elder Su?" Xiao Yun blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the so-called Grand Elder to be the same Elder Su he'd met at the Fire Energy Hunt a few days ago. Then again, it made sense—the Grand Elder's full name was Su Qian. It wasn't wrong to call him Elder Su.
"Little Yun, your teacher already spoke to me about this," Su Qian said with a furrowed brow. "But at your current cultivation level—just a Dou Grandmaster—going to that place is extremely dangerous."
"I understand, Elder Su." Xiao Yun's tone was firm. "I just want to try. The moment I sense I can't handle it, I'll withdraw immediately. Please rest assured."
"…You little rascal." Su Qian gave a wry smile, then waved his sleeve. "Fine. I'll take you to Falling Thunder Valley."
With a sweep of his arm, a whooshing sound echoed through the air. In a blink, the two of them appeared outside the tower on a spacious patch of land. Then, surging waves of Dou Qi burst from Su Qian's body as he grabbed Xiao Yun by the collar and soared into the sky, flying at lightning speed toward the south.
"So this is the power of a Dou Ancestor…" Xiao Yun's eyes gleamed with awe. "He's even grasped a bit of spatial manipulation… terrifying."
In just a flash, they were already far from the tower. Xiao Yun realized that if Su Qian had wanted to kill him, it would've been as easy as squashing a bug.
"Still… this flying method is a bit…" Xiao Yun looked down at his dangling legs and couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow. Though Su Qian was soaring through the sky with ease, Xiao Yun, being only a Dou Grandmaster, couldn't fly yet. So right now, he was basically being carried by the collar like a naughty kitten.