Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

Page 132

Recalling the bizarre methods used by the Fallen Heart Flame last time, Xiao Fan was already taking a risk by agreeing to come to the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower with Xiao Yan this time.

During this time, he kept the strange fire energy within his body contained and dared not release it at all.

Even during his confrontation with Liu Qing just now, he dared not reveal the slightest bit of his feelings.

After all, this time it's on the sixth floor, where the Fallen Heart Flame can unleash even more terrifying power. If that thing is awakened, Xiao Fan doesn't know if the seal can actually stop it.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fan couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.

In the original work, although the Fallen Heart Flame was terrifying, it did not exhibit a situation where it could actively show hostility to people while still sealed.

In retrospect, it was probably due to my own actions.

Xiao Fan simply didn't know why for the time being.

"Alright, go and cultivate!"

Seeing the hesitation on Xiao Yan's face, Xiao Fan smiled, then gave Xiao Yan a push, nodded to Lin Yan, and left with Zi Yan.

Xiao Yan watched Xiao Fan's retreating figure, a warm glint in his eyes. He then nodded to Lin Yan and, without further hesitation, walked toward the first training room.

Whether it was when Liu Qing came out and targeted him, and Xiao Fan took the initiative to stand in front of him, or now when Xiao Yan gave him Zi Yan's cultivation room to cultivate, Xiao Yan remembered it all.

When no one else is around, my senior brother always makes fun of me and Xun'er.

However, whenever an outsider targets them, they always stand in front of them.

As Xiao Fan and Zi Yan walked away into the distance, the occasional sounds of their argument could still be heard.

"I'll make you another sweet pill this time, I guarantee it will taste delicious."

"Can we add this in?"

"This is... Heavenly Golden Snake Grass, my young lady, this stuff is extremely bitter."

"So it's not going to work?"

"This is no problem for me at all. Just add snow lotus fruit to remove the fishy smell, and add ginseng root and stem, and I can neutralize the taste..."

Chapter 207 The Black Tower's Premature Uprising

Xiao Yan entered the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower for a final push into cultivation.

Because of the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Fan dared not cultivate within it.

After all, if his cultivation caused the Fallen Heart Flame to erupt prematurely, Xiao Yan's cultivation would probably be delayed.

Unable to cultivate in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, Xiao Fan's daily life became simpler.

Every day, when Hu Jia wasn't paying attention, he would sneak out with Yue Yao and stay in the arena to watch the fierce competition for the top spot.

Or they could use alchemy as an excuse to hide in the alchemy room and evade Hu Jia's capture.

However, Xiao Fan only used this method once before discarding it.

After all, Hu Jia walked up to him with her hands on her hips and sneered, "Since you've been in the alchemy room for a while, our Vice Sect Master Xiao Fan must have refined a lot of pills. Contribute some as a reward for the Pan Sect."

Forced to hand over a considerable amount of pills, Hu Jia excitedly let Xiao Fan go.

As for why he was avoiding Hu Jia...

The reason is that now that Xiao Yan has gone to cultivate, Xiao Fan stays in the Zongpan Sect every day, and Hu Jia uses the excuse that he has never participated in the construction of the sect to exploit his labor.

In order to relax... cough... and to seriously prepare for the Strong Ranking Competition, Xiao Fan could only avoid Hu Jia.

Time passed day by day, until this day, Xun'er and Hu Jia, who had originally led the Panmen disciples to the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower for cultivation, returned early with the Panmen disciples.

At this moment, Xiao Fan was lying comfortably on a recliner in the center of the courtyard.

Yes, Xiao Fan specially built a deck chair in the center of their campus, where he would lie every day, ostensibly to regulate his breathing.

So when Xiao Fan saw Hu Jia and Xun'er return so early, he was completely bewildered.

After hearing Hu Jia and the others' explanation, Xiao Fan realized what had happened.

It turns out that something unexpected happened inside the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.

Many elders from the inner courtyard appeared there and strictly ordered the students cultivating inside to leave the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

"You were all kicked out?"

Xiao Fan looked at Xun'er and Hu Jia in front of him, squinted his eyes and asked curiously.

Hu Jia nodded and said with a hint of strange fire, "I don't know why, but while we were still cultivating, the temperature inside the tower suddenly rose a lot, and then the tower-guarding elder asked everyone to leave the tower immediately."

As she spoke, Hu Jia asked Xiao Fan with a curious look, "Do you know why?"

Xiao Fan raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and replied, "I didn't go to cultivate, how would I know why?"

But Xiao Fan guessed that the fact that so many elders had been mobilized meant that the Fallen Heart Flame inside the tower must have rioted again.

The gathering of so many elders is likely to further strengthen the array seal within the Black Tower.

......

On the sixth floor of the Black Tower, an elderly man with gray hair stood in front of many elders, watching Xiao Yan disappear down the stairs. Without turning around, he simply said, "These two little fellows, their talent is truly astonishing!"

“Who says otherwise?” Elder Hao, standing behind the old man, stepped forward and laughed, “If the First Elder hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known that Xiao Yan had already broken through to the three-star Dou Ling level!”

The old man standing in front of the many elders was none other than the Grand Elder of the Inner Court, named Su Qian.

The Grand Elder nodded and turned to the other elders, asking, "Have all the students cultivating inside the tower been cleared out?"

Upon hearing the Grand Elder's words, an elder who managed the Black Tower stepped forward from the crowd and respectfully said to the Grand Elder, "It has all been cleared. All the students who were cultivating inside the tower have been evacuated."

"Alright." The elder's aura suddenly changed, and his voice became somewhat cold and sharp.

"Elders guarding each floor, check the formations in your respective areas. The rest of you, come with me to the bottom of the tower to reinforce the seal. The Strong Ranking Competition is just around the corner, and the Black Tower must not be allowed to have any problems at this time."

"In the Black Corner Region, Han Feng has long suspected the existence of a strange fire in the inner courtyard. He has approached the inner courtyard many times because he suspects that there is a strange fire there. If the seal is broken, he probably won't be able to stay idle."

"Han Feng!?" An elder in the crowd frowned. "Han Feng is a sixth-grade alchemist, but isn't it rumored that he already possesses a different kind of fire? Why would he still covet this thing from our inner courtyard?"

"Who knows?" The elder shook his head, his tone carrying a somewhat enigmatic meaning.

"Han Feng was a disciple of the Medicine Venerable who once dominated the continent. However, decades ago, news suddenly spread that the Medicine Venerable had failed in alchemy and died. I don't believe that the Medicine Venerable, a peak eighth-grade alchemist, would actually perish because of alchemy."

"Moreover, over the years, Venerable Medicine's friend, Venerable Wind, has had a very suspicious attitude toward Han Feng."

The elder spoke for a moment, then shook his head helplessly, his tone heavy.

"In short, we absolutely cannot let this seal break, otherwise, the inner academy will likely face a catastrophe. The power of a sixth-grade alchemist to gather resources is a real headache."

"Then... how about we notify the dean to come back and oversee things?"

Hearing the Grand Elder's serious words, one of the elders couldn't help but say, "The disciples of the Inner Court are generally only at the Great Dou Master level. If the people from the Black Corner Region really attack the Inner Court, they simply won't be able to stop them."

The elder glared at him, his beard trembling with anger.

"You know perfectly well that the Dean has been traveling across the continent for so many years, and he didn't leave behind any means of communication. How can we contact him?"

"Uh..." The elder scratched his bald head sheepishly and chuckled awkwardly, "I just forgot in my haste..."

"Alright, enough of that. Let's go reinforce the seal first."

As the Grand Elder finished speaking, the numerous elders systematically inspected the array seals inside the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.

From the first floor all the way to the bottom, these elders were always busy at work.

In particular, the elders who were proficient in formations were taken to the bottom of the Black Tower by the Grand Elder and asked to strengthen the seal at the bottom again to ensure the normal operation of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.

On the other side, Xiao Yan walked out of the Black Tower, his eyes still filled with shock.

Having witnessed the vibrant Fallen Heart Flame firsthand, Xiao Yan felt a chilling energy emanating from it, and was somewhat puzzled.

Can I really devour something so violent?

"Don't overthink it. Let's take this opportunity to refine the Earth Spirit Pill first."

The old man's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.

Xiao Yan nodded upon hearing this, then turned and flew out of the inner courtyard.

Chapter 208 Refining Rank Six Pills

The inner courtyard, deep in the mountains.

Xiao Yan found a secluded hilltop, with several tall mountains nearby that successfully concealed the area. He couldn't help but ask Yao Lao, "Teacher, how is it here?"

"Just here."

The old apothecary floated out of the ring, glanced at the surrounding environment, and nodded in satisfaction.

He then gestured for Xiao Yan to take out the medicinal materials for refining the Earth Spirit Pill.

Xiao Yan took out the medicinal herbs he had been preparing from his storage ring, including the Green Wood Immortal Vine he had traded with Lin Yan last time.

So many rare medicinal herbs were neatly arranged in front of me, and a rich aroma of herbs instantly filled the air.

This time, the old master Yao did not refine the pills casually as before, but took out a pitch-black medicine cauldron from his storage ring.

The black medicine cauldron was covered with strange flame patterns. At first glance, the flames even seemed to be wriggling slightly, as if they were alive.

"Black Demon!" Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with envy when he saw the medicine cauldron that Yao Lao had taken out.

This is the medicine cauldron that Yao Lao used during Xiao Yan's previous training. It is Yao Lao's medicine cauldron, and it is a very famous one even on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, which is a ranking of alchemists based on their medicine cauldrons.

This time, the old master actually used the Black Demon in the refining process, which shows just how difficult it is to refine the Earth Spirit Pill.