62: Dark Fire Struggles for the Top

Lin Chen's single move to heavily injure Fu Ao caused quite a stir in the Inner Academy.

The name "Lin Ying", originally unknown and at the bottom of the rankings, instantly entered everyone's sight, and with that strange, devouring black energy of Dou Qi, he became the most eye-catching dark horse in the Strong Ranking Competition.

All sorts of speculations and discussions poured in.

Some suspected him of being a Disciple of a reclusive old monster, others guessed he possessed some mysterious secret art, and the members of the White Gang gnashed their teeth at him, yet dared not act rashly for the time being as they couldn't ascertain his true background.

Lin Chen remained calm about this, maintaining his low profile.

He knew that this small disturbance was just the beginning; the real challenges lay with the subsequent top experts on the Strong Ranking, as well as the Hall of Souls's informants possibly hidden in the dark.

He spent most of his time in the rented Cultivation room, consolidating his Cultivation, familiarizing himself with the power of the taiyin soul stone, and only occasionally made an appearance to accept some unavoidable challenges.

The results were without suspense.

All challengers, whether at the Peak of the Dou Master or newly entering the Battle King realm, were no match for his elusive movement technique and the strange, overbearing Shadow Erosion Dou Qi.

He didn't even need to use trump cards like "Shadow Leap"; merely relying on "Thousand Illusory Shadow Hands" and "Shadow Grasp" was enough to easily win, and without exception, his opponents would suffer a hidden loss, with a portion of their Dou Qi being swallowed.

Although it didn't harm their Origin, it was enough to make their hearts pound, and they no longer dared to underestimate this fellow who appeared to be "only a seven-star Great Dou Master."

His ranking soared, quickly re-entering the top thirty of the Strong Ranking, attracting the attention of more true experts.

Top powerhouses like Liu Qing and Lin Xiuyai, who were in the top ten of the Strong Ranking, also began to pay attention to this suddenly appearing mysterious opponent.

On this day, Lin Chen sensed a strange fluctuation coming from the direction of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, which resonated subtly with the taiyin soul stone within his body.

His heart stirred, and he decided to investigate.

After paying enough Fire Energy, Lin Chen once again stepped into this familiar Cultivation Holy Land of the Inner Academy.

The Fire-attributed energy within the tower was still vast and scorching, but with his greatly increased strength and the taiyin soul stone protecting him, he could now withstand the energy pressure of deeper levels.

He did not linger on the upper floors but walked directly towards the lower levels.

The further down he went, the fiercer the Fire Poison became, and the more violent the energy, causing the number of students to sharply decrease.

By the sixth floor, this was a place where only Dou Master Peak or even Battle King powerhouses could stay for long.

Following that faint resonance, Lin Chen arrived at a relatively secluded Cultivation room area on the sixth floor.

Within the Fire Energy here, there was actually a trace of extremely subtle chilling Aura, completely out of place with the overall tone of the entire Qi Refining Tower.

"This is it," Lin Chen stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary stone chamber door, where the sense of resonance was most clear.

Just as he was about to push the door to investigate, the door of an adjacent Cultivation room was suddenly pushed open with a "boom," and a fierce, overbearing gust of wind mixed with scorching fire waves rushed towards him!

"Which blind idiot! Dares to snatch the Cultivation room my grandma reserved?!"

A crisp yet domineering shout rang out, and a petite figure angrily jumped out.

This was a little girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in a purple skirt, with soft long hair tied into a ponytail.

Her small face was exquisitely carved, and her large eyes were now wide open, shimmering with displeasure.

Most strikingly, the Aura emanating from her body had actually reached the Battle King level, and it was extremely solid and heavy, far exceeding that of an ordinary one-star Battle King!

Lin Chen immediately recognized the newcomer—Zi Yan, ranked first on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking, whose true form was the ancient Vicious Beast, the Stone Devouring Demonic Ant!

Zi Yan had obviously just finished her Cultivation and seemed to be in a bad mood.

She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at Lin Chen: "Hey! You yellow-faced one! What are you looking at? Are you trying to snatch my grandma's territory?"

Lin Chen's heart slightly tensed, but his face remained calm, and he said serenely, "This Cultivation room seems to have no designated owner, so how can it be considered snatched?"

"Hmph! If I say it's mine, it's mine! This area with the densest Fire Energy has always been mine!" Zi Yan raised her small fist unreasonably, purple-gold light flashing on it, containing terrifying power.

"If you know what's good for you, scram quickly, or I'll beat you until you're looking for your teeth all over the ground!"

If it were an ordinary student, upon seeing this little tyrant of the Inner Academy, they would probably have been scared witless.

But Lin Chen sensed an unusual Aura from her—an extremely rich and vast power of Medicinal Pill essence, as if she had just consumed some high-grade Medicinal Pill or rare medicinal herb, and the medicinal power had not yet fully dissipated.

Recalling the original novel, Lin Chen understood in his heart.

It seemed Zi Yan had found some treasure beneficial for her transformation and was using the energy of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower to accelerate its refinement, which was why she valued this area so much.

"Although the Fire Energy here is dense, it seems to be mixed with a trace of unusual Aura, which may not be entirely beneficial for Cultivation," Lin Chen tried to communicate.

He didn't want to conflict with this terrifying little monster.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan blinked her big eyes and suspiciously scrutinized Lin Chen: "Huh? You can also feel that chilly thing? No wonder I felt the Fire Energy here wasn't so dry today, and it was a bit more comfortable to refine.

But even so, it's still mine!"

She was still very overbearing, but her tone softened a little; clearly, Lin Chen's ability to detect that chilly Aura surprised her a bit.

Lin Chen's thoughts raced.

That trace of chilling Aura was likely related to the resonance of the taiyin soul stone, and perhaps something was hidden beneath.

It was unwise to confront Zi Yan head-on; perhaps he could try a different approach.

"I'm not trying to contend with you for this place," Lin Chen softened his tone.

"I'm just curious about the abnormal energy here.

If you are Cultivating here, may I observe for a moment? Perhaps I can make that 'chilly' thing more docile."

As he spoke, he quietly activated a trace of the taiyin soul stone's Aura.

A pure, gentle, yet infinitely chilling Origin-attributed strange fluctuation subtly emanated.

Zi Yan's eyes instantly lit up!

Her true form was a Demonic Beast, and her perception of energy was extremely keen.

She could clearly feel that the Aura emanating from Lin Chen was of the same Origin as the "chilly Qi" from underground that made her feel comfortable, but it was countless times purer!

It was like the difference between a small stream and the ocean!

"You...you have a way to make that chilling Qi more abundant and obedient?" Zi Yan immediately leaned closer to Lin Chen, her big eyes blinking, full of anticipation and longing.

Her previous displeasure had long been thrown to the winds.

She was in a critical period of refining medicinal power; if there were purer chilling energy to neutralize the Fire Poison and stabilize the medicinal power, the effect would definitely be twice the result with half the effort!

Lin Chen smiled slightly, knowing he had found the right method: "I can try.

However, I need to first know the exact source of that Aura underground."

"That's simple!" Zi Yan clapped her hands excitedly, pointing to the adjacent Cultivation room she had just exited.

"It's right below here! I've felt it for a long time and dug several times, but it's always been blocked by a damned layer of magma rock, which is very hard!"

Lin Chen's gaze turned to that Cultivation room; the resonance was indeed strongest there.

"Take me in to see."

Entering the Cultivation room, the internal temperature was extremely high, and the Fire-attributed energy was almost solidified.

Zi Yan pointed to the ground in the center of the room: "It's right below here, about ten meters deep."

Lin Chen squatted down, placed his palm on the ground, and his Soul Power mixed with the energy of the taiyin soul stone slowly permeated downwards.

Indeed, about fifteen meters underground, his perception was blocked by an extremely hard rock layer containing rich Fire Energy.

But beyond the rock, a clear energy fluctuation, originating from the same source as the taiyin soul stone but more dispersed, like a mineral vein, came through!

"There seems to be a... taiyin-attributed mineral vein below? Although its grade isn't high, the reserves are considerable," Lin Chen concluded.

This might be a unique product formed by the interaction of subterranean fire and some chilling minerals over the long years of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.

"Mineral vein? Can it be eaten?" Zi Yan licked her lips, her eyes gleaming.

Lin Chen was speechless; this girl really couldn't go three sentences without talking about food.

"Direct consumption probably won't work, but its energy can be guided up to assist your Cultivation."

"Good, good, good! Hurry and do it!" Zi Yan was impatient.

Lin Chen pondered for a moment, then formed a simple hand seal; this was a crude energy guiding method he had learned from a fragmented scroll of the "The Shadow Codex."

He pressed the taiyin soul stone to the ground, using it as a guide, carefully communicating with the tiny taiyin mineral vein underground.

Gradually, wisps of pure taiyin energy began to penetrate the hard rock, drawn by the taiyin soul stone, slowly seeping upwards.

The scorching heat in the Cultivation room was immediately neutralized quite a bit, becoming warm and pleasant.

The Fire Energy was still vast but no longer violent and harmful.

"Wow! So comfortable!" Zi Yan exclaimed in surprise, immediately sitting cross-legged and circulating her Cultivation Technique.

Rich taiyin energy mixed with Fire Energy poured into her body.

The medicinal essence she had previously consumed was refined and absorbed at a visible speed, and a look of utmost contentment appeared on her small face.

Lin Chen also silently absorbed this energy.

Although its effect on him was not as obvious as on Zi Yan, it was better than nothing.

What he cared more about was the mineral vein itself; perhaps he could use it to Cultivate some special Battle Skills in the future.

Half an hour later, Zi Yan opened her eyes, refreshed and clearly having gained a lot.

Her gaze towards Lin Chen had completely changed, from the previous domineering attitude to one of closeness and satisfaction.

"Hey, yellow-faced one, you're not bad! From now on, my grandma will allow you to use this area with me!" Zi Yan patted her chest, looking like a big sister covering her little brother.

Lin Chen smiled: "My name is Lin Ying."

"I don't care what your name is, from now on, follow me, and I guarantee no one will dare to bully you!" Zi Yan said smugly, then curiously asked, "By the way, what's with your dark Dou Qi? It seems to be able to absorb other people's Dou Qi?

That's fun, want to have a fight with me and try it out?"

As she spoke, she eagerly clenched her small fists, and purple-gold light surged again.

Lin Chen's eyelids twitched, and he quickly waved his hand: "Let's talk about sparring another day.

The Strong Ranking Competition is imminent, let's prepare for the competition first."

Fighting with this humanoid Vicious Beast? Unless he used all his trump cards, it would be purely asking for abuse.

"Hmph, boring," Zi Yan pouted but didn't insist.

"By the way, in the Strong Ranking Competition, don't get knocked out too early; I still want to see if your black Qi can absorb Liu Qing and Lin Xiuyai's!"

After a few more casual chats, Lin Chen excused himself, saying he needed to rest, and left the Cultivation room.

Zi Yan continued to stay there, enjoying the benefits brought by the taiyin energy.

Through this incident, Lin Chen unexpectedly connected with the Inner Academy's strongest little tyrant, temporarily gaining an extra layer of protection.

He also confirmed the secret beneath the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, which might be useful in the future.

As the Strong Ranking Competition gradually drew to a close, the challenges became increasingly fierce.

Lin Chen, relying on his strange and powerful strength, cleared all obstacles, his ranking steadily rising, and finally successfully entered the top ten of the Strong Ranking!

His opponents also changed from ordinary Battle Kings to the true top Geniuses of the Inner Academy.

On this day, he finally ushered in a crucial battle to advance into the top five.

His opponent was Lin Xiuyai, ranked fifth on the Strong Ranking, possessing the Green Wood Immortal Vine Martial Soul, known for his control and endurance!

Below the arena, people were packed like sardines, and all eyes were focused here.

Everyone wanted to see where the limit of this mysterious dark horse truly lay.

Could he shake a veteran Strong Ranking expert like Lin Xiuyai?

Lin Xiuyai, dressed in a green robe, stood gracefully on the stage, looking at Lin Chen opposite him, and smiled: "Junior Brother Lin Ying, please enlighten me.

Your Dou Qi is very special, you must be careful."

Lin Chen's expression was calm, and he clasped his hands in return: "Senior Brother Lin, please."

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

(End of Chapter 63)