With Yao Yan's strength, he naturally didn't need to stay in the outer courtyard as a teacher. Based on strength, Canaan Academy divided its teachers into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Great Dou Masters and Dou Spirits were Yellow-rank instructors, Dou Kings were Profound-rank, Dou Emperors were Earth-rank, and Heaven-rank corresponded to Dou Zong
powerhouses. However, most of the time, Heaven-rank was just for show, because most students, after reaching the Dou King level, would choose to leave Canaan Academy to travel. On one hand, reaching this level of strength meant officially entering the ranks of the strong.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower's support for Dou King powerhouses had greatly diminished; even the lowest-level cultivation room couldn't provide a significant boost to a Dou King powerhouse. Staying at Canaan Academy was not a wise choice for those wanting to continue advancing rapidly.
Young people, especially those with exceptional talent, all yearn for a wider world; only a very few choose to stay at Canaan Academy to teach.
This is why the number of strong individuals at Canaan Academy isn't very large.
But even if only a few remain, the strength accumulated over hundreds of years is enough to make the entire Black Corner Region look up to them.
At this moment,
Yao Yan was flying towards the inner courtyard with Hu Qian. The rule prohibiting flight within a radius of hundreds of miles clearly couldn't restrain Hu Qian, the outer courtyard dean. At their speed, they reached the deepest part of the mountain range in about a quarter of an hour.
A desolate mountain range came into view, resembling a huge crater carved out by a meteorite from the air, its surrounding rock walls bearing the scorching marks of millennia.
Deep within this area stood a strange black tower, its main body buried deep underground, with only its spire and a pitch-black entrance visible above ground.
At that entrance, a large, dark crowd had gathered, entering and exiting in turn, seemingly unwilling to waste a single moment because of something unique within. "
Fallen Heart Flame…" Yao Yan thought, looking at the black tower before him. At the same time, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame within his body flickered slightly, as if sensing a familiar aura.
There is a unique connection between different flames, and they even have an instinct to devour each other.
However, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower in front of them has completely sealed the Fallen Heart Flame. The aura they feel is only because its gate is open. From the slightly distorted space around them, it is enough to show how strong the seal is. Moreover, Yao Yan knows that the person who left all this behind is Mang Tianchi, the dean of Canaan Academy.
That Lei Clan elder who likes to travel around!
"That is the core of the inner courtyard. If you can really become a teacher in the inner courtyard, you will have the opportunity to go and see it in the future... Even a Dou Wang can gain a lot there." Hu Qian noticed Yao Yan's gaze and said with a smile.
"Is that so? That is quite something to look forward to."
Yao Yan said with interest, but he was quite calm. The biggest use of the Fallen Heart Flame is to activate the automatic cultivation bug. As for the derivative of this place, the heart fire reflected by the Fallen Heart Flame will probably not be of much use to him.
The two chatted for a while and then flew directly towards the courtyard not far away.
The inner courtyard of Canaan Academy isn't very large, accommodating only about a thousand students. This number is determined by the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, as it's the foundation of Canaan Academy, and everything is built around it. Most talented students choose to stay because of its existence.
No one can refuse the Heart Flame, which is almost cheating for low-level cultivators. The increase in cultivation speed it provides is not minuscule, but extremely noticeable, even directly perceptible.
If this place weren't located in the Black Corner Region, and if Mang Tianchi, a half-saint of the Thunder Clan, weren't watching over it, this place might have already been seized by some forces in the Central Continent.
Just then ,
a powerful aura suddenly emanated from afar. Simultaneously, the person, with incredible speed and a series of whooshing sounds, flashed to the void not far from Yao Yan. Their feet treaded the void, white hair fluttering in the wind, and an invisible wave spread out, causing ripples in the surrounding space.
That powerful pressure, belonging to the Dou Zong level, made everyone's hearts sink slightly.
For ordinary people, a Dou Zong expert is definitely a being at a higher level of life. Even without Dou Qi, their vigorous life force still exudes a strong sense of oppression.
"He is Elder Su Qian of the Inner Court. You can talk to him... Old man, be polite. This is a five-star Dou Wang under eighteen years old, and also a fifth-grade alchemist. He came to Canaan Academy to apply for a teaching position. Whether you agree or not is up to you. I'll return to the Outer Court first."
Hu Qian gave the other party an annoyed look, then directly became a hands-off manager. Obviously, whether or not to leave Yao Yan was entirely up to Su Qian. If the other party disagreed, there was no point in him staying. Moreover, with Su Qian's strength, he was more than capable of suppressing any dissent.
A five-star Dou Wang kid obviously couldn't cause any trouble.
"Explain things clearly!" Su Qian's lips twitched, and he quickly said, but all he could see was Hu Qian's departing figure. In a few flashes, the other party had disappeared before his eyes.
"I am Yao Yan, greetings to the Grand Elder!"
Yao Yan glanced at the other party a few times, then politely bowed.
Su Qian looked at the young man before him—no, to be precise, he could be called a teenager—and felt a chill run down his spine. An eighteen-year-old Dou Wang was already excessive, but to be a fifth-grade alchemist was enough to make one question reality. He pondered for a moment before asking, "At such a young age, you possess such Dou Qi cultivation and alchemy skills. May I ask where you learned your skills? Or perhaps you are a disciple of some family?!"
"...It's hard to say."
Yao Yan pondered for a moment before slowly replying.
"If you don't explain clearly, I have no reason to keep you here!" Su Qian said in a deep voice, his expression slightly serious. He couldn't possibly keep a little monster of unknown origin.
"I wonder if the Grand Elder has ever heard of the Medicine Clan? I am from this clan, but I got into some trouble and have now been expelled from the clan, leaving me temporarily homeless. Since I heard of Canaan Academy in my childhood and am passing through this area, I wish to stay here for a while."
Yao Yan thought for a moment and then revealed some information.
The Medicine Clan?!
Could it be one of the families the Dean mentioned?!
Su Qian's heart stirred slightly. Although he didn't understand the prestige of the Medicine Clan, he had previously followed Mang Qianchi, a half-saint of the Thunder Clan, and naturally learned some things from him, such as those powerful families that surpassed countless forces on the Dou Qi Continent. To those with insufficient strength, they were like non-existent creatures, but the stronger one was, the more one could feel the size and terror of those families.
The mere mention of the word "Emperor" was enough to suffocate countless people.
Su Qian pondered for a moment and asked, "If I leave you here, will it cause trouble for Canaan Academy?"
"If that day ever comes, the Dean can simply hand me over. Although my family is domineering, they won't implicate others without reason. Besides, Canaan Academy is extremely famous throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent, so they won't go too far. Therefore, Elder, you don't need to worry about those things,"
Yao Yan said with a slight smile.
"What trouble have you gotten yourself into that you'd be expelled from your clan?" Su Qian was somewhat puzzled. This kid's talent was practically monstrous; how could those clans bear to throw him out?
"To avenge my parents, I wiped out the enemy's entire family, who happened to be of the same clan..."
Yao Yan said casually.
Su Qian was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "You can stay at Canaan Academy for now, but if trouble comes your way, I hope you will leave on your own. This is our agreement. If you agree, you can stay at Canaan Academy."
"No problem." Yao Yan nodded with a smile.
"Hmm."
Su Qian gave Yao Yan a deep look, said nothing more, and flew directly towards his courtyard with Yao Yan. He planned to take Yao Yan with him for the next few months. If the other party had any falsehoods, he would tell him the price of deceiving a Dou Zong expert.
...
Infiltrating Canaan Academy was obviously easy. With Yao Yan's talent, Canaan Academy had no reason to refuse him. However, since he had entered halfway through, Su Qian did not completely trust him and remained somewhat wary. He did not let him directly serve as a tutor, but at the same time, the other party did not restrict his freedom. He could freely visit the entire inner courtyard.
It seemed as if Yao Yan was merely staying temporarily at Canaan Academy.
However, to be fair, the inner courtyard's cultivation environment was strikingly similar to her previous life's senior year of high school. Everyone was focused on cultivation, with no time for anything else. Every day, they either went to the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower to cultivate, or went out to hunt magical beasts, gather medicinal herbs, trade with others for fire energy points, and continue their arduous training.
This atmosphere was truly excellent, reminding Yao Yan of her days at the Medicine Clan Academy.
The next day,
Yao Yan arrived at the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. This tower wasn't open every day; it only opened on a few fixed days each month. The rest of the time, it was closed, partly to prevent students from overusing their inner fire for cultivation, leading to an excessive accumulation of fire toxins, and partly for maintenance.
As time passed, the Fallen Heart Flame sealed within the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower had become increasingly volatile, unwilling to be confined and used as a tool by others.
Especially as the spirit of the strange fire grew more intelligent, its yearning for freedom intensified.
As for why it didn't run down… would it dare?
Yao Yan's arrival naturally attracted a lot of attention. Inner Academy students are always interested in 'strangers,' after all, newcomers are meant to be exploited. If the other party isn't strong enough, they don't mind discussing protection money. The
Inner Academy doesn't prohibit this; in fact, it encourages it.
Because there's no order or rules on the Dou Qi Continent, similarly, to survive in the Inner Academy, one must adapt to its unspoken rules, unless you have the strength to break them.
Perhaps because Yao Yan's aura was somewhat conspicuous, several people looked at him with ill intent.
Yao Yan didn't care. His gaze remained fixed on the Black Tower until he heard a voice beside him: "Masked kid, are you new here? Want your senior to teach you how to use fire energy in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower… As payment, give me five points of fire energy."
As he spoke, a tall man walked to Yao Yan's side. He was two heads taller than Yao Yan, burly and powerful, a genuine Great Dou Master.
"Xiong Zhuang has made his move. Tsk, what an unlucky kid. If he gives in this time, he'll probably have to pay tribute for the next year or two."
"Who told him to be so strong and physically powerful, with superhuman strength? He's only an eight-star Grand Dou Master, yet he can withstand a Dou Ling with his brute force without being defeated. In the inner academy, there are very few who dare to compete with him head-on in strength."
The surrounding students couldn't help but stop and watch the show, clearly familiar with this scene.
"Hmm?"
Yao Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at the burly man who had caused the trouble. He raised his eyebrows slightly, suddenly remembering that Canaan Academy's inner courtyard had a long-standing tradition of upperclassmen bullying freshmen, a situation that only improved with Xiao Yan's generation. Understanding this, he grinned and said, "You want fire energy?"
"I don't want it, this is payment!"
Xiong Zhuang said with a smile. He reached out and pinched Yao Yan's 'slender' arm, applying slight pressure to signal the other to be sensible and pay protection money. However, he always knew his limits; he usually only asked for a few points. As for robbing everyone, that was impossible, and the elders of the inner courtyard wouldn't agree to it.
He could be a 'bad guy,' but he couldn't cut off someone else's path to cultivation.
This was Canaan Academy's bottom line.
"Then I'll trouble this student," Yao Yan said with a smile, raising his arm slightly and directly moving Xiong Zhuang's arm.
At that moment, Xiong Zhuang's expression froze instantly. He stared at Yao Yan in disbelief, feeling the terrifying power emanating from the other's arm. He could barely resist that power; even with his arm exerting its full strength, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree compared to the other's strength. This was a feeling he had never experienced before.
"Slap~"
Yao Yan raised his hand and gently slapped Xiong Zhuang's hand away, saying amicably, "However, I don't like being touched, especially without my permission. But since this is your first offense, I can forgive you. Don't let it happen again."
"T-Teacher?!"
Xiong Zhuang's expression instantly wilted, and he said bitterly. He hadn't expected that his attempt to cause trouble would land him on an inner court teacher. Judging from that move just now, the other's strength was clearly far superior to his own.
"..."
The surrounding students watching the show also showed bewildered expressions. Watching students tease their teacher was truly embarrassing.
Yao Yan said softly, "I just started yesterday and haven't found a suitable position yet. However, seeing your performance today, I think Canaan Academy could open a moral education class to teach you how to respect your teachers and care for your juniors."
(End of Chapter)