Chapter 247: The Sixth Level, Ziyan
Inside the softly lit ancient tower, a large crowd of people surrounded the figure of Mo Yu, whose eyes were tightly closed, exchanging whispers and soft chuckles amongst themselves.
"Make way, make way, Elder Liu is coming!"
Suddenly, a voice of reprimand came from outside the crowd, and immediately a path was cleared.
As the crowd parted, an elderly man dressed in simple clothes slowly walked in, his eyes narrowed in a smile as he glanced at Mo Yu's motionless body. He chuckled and said, "What a clueless young man, stepping into the Skyburning Qi Refining Tower without a proper report. The suffering he's gone through was unnecessary."
However, just as he finished speaking, the young man who had kept his eyes tightly shut suddenly stirred. His silver eyes slowly opened, and in an instant, a sharp aura emanated from them, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Oh, such strange eyes. And to think he recovered from the first searing of the Heart Fire all on his own… Impressive."
Elder Liu was momentarily stunned as he saw Mo Yu regain consciousness without his help. He quickly praised him.
At this moment, some students, upon seeing the distinctive silver eyes, seemed to recall something and exclaimed, "That's Mo Yu! The freshman who defeated Bai Cheng!"
"Mo Yu?"
The name stirred surprise among the surrounding students. Clearly, it was a name they were not unfamiliar with.
In just one day, the entire inner academy had heard of this freshman, who, after just a few days at the academy, had defeated Bai Cheng, ranked 34th on the Strong Ranking, setting an unprecedented record at Canaan Academy.
As a result, the crowd now gazed at Mo Yu with respect and awe, no longer mocking him as they had moments earlier.
Although Canaan Academy was a place filled with geniuses, there were still levels among them, and Mo Yu was undeniably among the top tier.
As the crowd murmured among themselves, Elder Liu also paused, then asked in surprise, "Are you Mo Yu?"
"Who are you?" Mo Yu, calming the flow of energy in his body, looked at the old man in front of him with a puzzled expression and asked.
"I am the guardian elder of the first floor of the Skyburning Qi Refining Tower. You can just call me Elder Liu," the old man replied with a smile.
"Guardian elder?"
Hearing this, Mo Yu muttered softly, then nodded in understanding, realizing that Elder Liu must have come to help him, assuming he was unfamiliar with the effects of the Heart Fire on his first visit to the tower.
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Liu," Mo Yu expressed his gratitude.
"Haha, as expected of a freshman who can defeat someone on the Strong Ranking. You didn't need my help to wake up on your own. Looks like the inner academy has another prodigy on its hands," Elder Liu praised.
"You flatter me, Elder Liu," Mo Yu replied calmly, without showing any arrogance. He then seemed to think of something and asked softly, "Elder Liu, do you know which floor Bai Cheng usually trains on?"
"Bai Cheng?" Elder Liu frowned slightly in thought and then answered, "He was ranked 34th on the Strong Ranking, so he's been training on the sixth floor."
"The sixth floor... According to the academy's rules, since I defeated Bai Cheng, I now hold the 34th rank, which means I can also train on the sixth floor, right?" Mo Yu asked with a smile.
"Yes, by the rules, you can. But you're new to the inner academy and unfamiliar with the Skyburning Qi Refining Tower. Why not start by getting used to the first or second floor?" Elder Liu suggested.
Shaking his head slightly, Mo Yu replied confidently, "Don't worry, Elder Liu. I can handle it."
Seeing Mo Yu's determined expression, Elder Liu could only shake his head helplessly, understanding that someone as talented as Mo Yu would have an exceptionally strong will.
Just as Elder Liu was about to offer some parting advice, he noticed a woman in a silver dress and smiled.
"Come, come, Mo Yu. Let me introduce you to someone."
Elder Liu scanned the floor of the ancient tower, then took Mo Yu by the hand and led him toward the woman in the silver dress.
"This is Han Yue. She has been in the inner academy for three years, so she's your senior. Hehe, her strength is quite extraordinary, and she's even formed a faction called Moon Spirit within the academy, which not many people dare to provoke," Elder Liu introduced with a smile.
"Oh?"
Hearing Elder Liu's introduction, Mo Yu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Han Yue before smiling and saying, "Hello, Senior Han Yue. Thank you for looking after Xiao Yu in the inner academy."
Seeing Mo Yu extend his hand toward Han Yue, Elder Liu couldn't help but be taken aback. He knew Han Yue well and was aware that she had a strong aversion to physical contact with men due to her extreme cleanliness.
However, before Elder Liu could stop him, Han Yue hesitated for a moment, then gracefully extended her snow-white hand from her silver sleeve. To Elder Liu's surprise, she gently shook Mo Yu's hand, her red lips parting as her clear, cool voice like a stream from a snowy mountain flowed out.
"Hello."
Within the ancient tower, as several eyes from different directions noticed the two shaking hands, they were all stunned. Soon, jealous and heated gazes turned toward Mo Yu.
Elder Liu, too, was slightly taken aback by Han Yue's unexpected gesture, but after a moment, he smiled meaningfully at her before turning to Mo Yu. "Mo Yu, you should know that you're one of the few male students who've ever shaken hands with Han Yue," he said with a chuckle.
"I'm honored," Mo Yu replied with a polite smile, releasing her hand soon after.
"Junior Mo Yu, you're the first person in the academy's history to directly challenge and defeat a Strong Ranking member from the outer academy. No wonder Xiao Yu speaks so highly of you," Han Yue said softly.
"It was just luck," Mo Yu said indifferently.
Hearing this, Han Yue's expression froze momentarily. If defeating Fu Ao was luck, then what about Bai Cheng, whose strength wasn't much weaker than hers?
"Another prodigy in the inner academy… I'll have to keep an eye on Xiao Yu from now on," Han Yue thought to herself.
"Oh, by the way, Han Yue, Mo Yu is planning to train on the sixth floor. Since you often train there too, why don't you take him with you?" Elder Liu suggested.
"So soon to the sixth floor?" Han Yue was a bit surprised but then nodded with a soft smile. "Very well, I'll take Junior Mo Yu to the sixth floor."
"Thank you, Senior Han Yue," Mo Yu replied.
Under Han Yue's guidance, the two took about five minutes to reach the sixth floor.
As they stepped into the sixth floor of the Skyburning Qi Refining Tower, Mo Yu couldn't help but marvel at the space, which was much more spacious and open than the previous floors. "Such an environment and treatment… It's indeed worthy of only the strongest in the inner academy," he thought to himself.
Though the sixth floor was quite large, there were very few people around. This wasn't surprising, considering the strict conditions required to enter. Even some top-ranked members didn't qualify, so it made sense that there weren't many people present.
After a quick glance around, Mo Yu and Han Yue continued deeper into the sixth floor.
Eventually, they arrived at a rest area where a dozen or so figures could be seen. These people all exuded powerful auras, their strong energy enveloping the entire space.
The sheer power radiating from these individuals would command respect anywhere in the inner academy, and it was clear that their strength was at least within the top 30 of the Strong Ranking.
As Mo Yu stepped into the rest area, the murmurs of conversation fell silent, and sharp gazes, seemingly calm but filled with hidden intensity, were directed at him. Some people frowned and muttered in confusion.
"A Three-Star Dou Ling? When did someone of that level gain access to the sixth floor? Has the inner academy lowered its standards?"
It was understandable that some would question this. While Mo Yu had made a name for himself, he had only been in the inner academy for a day. Meanwhile, the people on the sixth floor often spent ten days to half a month in seclusion, so they hadn't yet heard of him.
Though these people didn't recognize Mo Yu, they were familiar with Han Yue, which led to some curiosity about their relationship.
Mo Yu didn't bother explaining himself. In the sixth floor, everyone was a talented and powerful figure, and his current strength wasn't yet enough to dominate them all.
Looking at the training rooms nearby, Mo Yu asked, "Are all these training rooms available for use? Are there any restrictions?"
"Of course, there are," Han Yue replied with a slight smile. "On this floor, there's no division between high and low-quality rooms. However, the training rooms are assigned based on your ranking on the Strong Ranking."
"Since you've taken Bai Cheng's place and are now ranked 34th, your designated training room is over there."
Han Yue turned and pointed to a corner of the room where a training room stood alone. While it was more exquisite than the rooms on the previous floors, it was still simpler compared to the other rooms on this floor.
"The number on the door represents your ranking on the Strong Ranking. The higher your rank, the better the training room. The top ten rooms, for example, allow training at twice the speed of your 34th-ranked room."
She then looked at Mo Yu with a meaningful smile and said, "With your talent, Junior Mo Yu, I'm sure it won't be long before you experience the top ten training rooms."
"Thank you for the kind words, Senior Han Yue," Mo Yu responded with a polite smile.
After bidding her farewell, Mo Yu made his way to his training room.
As he pushed open the door, a strong red light flooded out, causing Mo Yu to instinctively squint. After a few moments, he slowly opened his eyes and took in the sight inside the room, his admiration growing.
The spacious training room was enveloped in a thick layer of red mist. His visibility extended only a few meters ahead before the dense fog obscured everything else.
"Such powerful energy!"
Sensing the energy filling the room, Mo Yu nodded in satisfaction. He walked through the red mist and soon found a dark stone platform at the center of the room.
During his earlier conversation with Han Yue, Mo Yu had learned that this platform was used to deduct fire energy. The sixth floor required 30 fire energy units per day.
The feeling of wealth he had from before quickly faded. With only 700 fire energy units, he could only stay for about ten days. If he wanted to keep training, he would need to find a steady source of income.
Pushing these thoughts aside for the time being, Mo Yu swiped his Crimson Fire Crystal Card, deducting 30 fire energy units. Instantly, a large surge of invisible Heart Fire rose from near his heart. At the same time, powerful Thunder energy began flowing through his meridians.
"The purification and refining effect on the sixth floor is much stronger. I might be able to fully absorb the Thunder energy within a year…"
Feeling the growing strength in his body, Mo Yu couldn't help but smile.
Back when Mo Yu was only at the Great Dou Master level, the vast energy feedback from the Vermilion Bird Burning Sky Lightning had left him no choice but to seal it and absorb it slowly.
Though the Thunder energy was enormous, it had the potential to help Mo Yu break through to the Dou Wang or even Dou Huang level. However, the process could take several years.
But now, with the help of the Skyburning Qi Refining Tower, that time could be shortened to just one year, making Mo Yu extremely happy!
The purifying effect of the Heart Fire increased the absorption speed of the Thunder energy by tenfold. However, the intense heat occasionally caused stinging pain in Mo Yu's meridians.
Although the pain was uncomfortable, it didn't slow him down at all. With a focused mind, he continued circulating his Dou Qi from the sea urchin-shaped Dou Crystal within him, which now had only six long spikes remaining.
Familiar with the Dou Ling level, Mo Yu knew that with each advancement in his strength, one of the crystal's energy spikes would retract. When all six spikes were fully absorbed, he would finally reach the Dou Wang level!
Under the fierce refining effect of the sixth floor's Heart Fire, Mo Yu could sense that the sixth spike on the crystal was slowly shrinking. Perhaps, once it was fully retracted, it would mark his advancement to the Four-Star Dou Ling level.
Time passed unnoticed during training, especially when one could clearly feel their Dou Qi becoming stronger and purer each day. Before he realized it, a full day had passed. When Mo Yu sensed that the sixth spike on his Dou Crystal had shrunk by one-fourth, he nodded in satisfaction. If given another three days, he could likely break through to Four-Star Dou Ling!
With the Thunder energy and the refining power of the Heart Fire, the speed of his training was frightening!
Shaking his head, the prospect of breaking through was tempting, but Mo Yu knew that his priority now was to solidify his control over the Bai Gang.
After all, only with a faction could he earn enough fire energy to continuously fuel his training. He had his priorities straight.
As Mo Yu was about to leave the room, a soft voice suddenly called out.
"Who are you? Why do I sense a familiar aura from you?"
The voice was childlike and clear, but upon hearing it, everyone in the rest area, except for Mo Yu, suddenly turned pale. Their gazes quickly shifted toward the entrance of a nearby training room, where a small figure appeared.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.