Chapter 390: Playing with Heartbeats

Black-Corner Region, Inner Court of Jia Nan Academy

For the inner court, peace had always been elusive. Ever since the eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame from the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower a month ago, the tower had been forced to shut down. Without the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, the inner court of Jia Nan Academy had fallen into a state of near paralysis. The students still held their Fire Energy, but they could no longer enter the tower to cultivate.

It's worth mentioning that Fire Energy served as the currency within the inner court of Jia Nan Academy. Due to the closure of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, the value of Fire Energy had plummeted to its lowest point in history. Meanwhile, some students with a knack for business began to aggressively purchase this Fire Energy.

"How many days has it been?" Su Qian stood beside the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, asking Hu Gan, the vice-principal of the outer court of Jia Nan Academy.

"Elder Su, it's been exactly fifty days," Hu Gan replied.

"Fifty days, huh?" Su Qian turned and looked toward the center of the plaza, where two statues stood.

One of the statues had been erected countless years ago, and no one had ever seen the true face of the person it represented. All they knew was that he was the dean of both the inner and outer courts of Jia Nan Academy. As for the other statue, it depicted a very young man, seemingly not even twenty years old. This young man wasn't a student of Jia Nan Academy, but he had saved the inner court. To commemorate him, Su Qian and Hu Gan had commissioned the creation of this statue.

Buzz.

As Su Qian and Hu Gan were lost in their thoughts, a faint ripple of energy emanated from the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower behind them.

"What's going on?" Hu Gan frowned.

"Could it be… they're not dead?" Su Qian muttered, his sharp eyes narrowing.

Boom.

After the first ripple, a deafening explosion, like a thunderclap, echoed throughout the entire inner court. Everyone turned their gaze toward the direction of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. The barrier that Su Qian and the others had set up shattered like glass, and a column of blood-red magma shot hundreds of meters into the sky.

As the magma fell back, two figures hovered in mid-air.

One was a man, the other a woman. The man had gray hair and gray eyes, giving off a somewhat sinister aura. His handsome face was tinged with an eerie, demonic charm. As for the woman, she had long purple hair that cascaded down to her hips, her figure tall and graceful. She was so beautiful that one could say she was capable of toppling cities and kingdoms.

"Young man, you're not dead?"

Su Qian's eyes lit up with joy as he stared intently at Mu Chen.

"Were you hoping we'd die?"

Mu Chen didn't speak; it was the purple-haired woman in his arms who responded.

"Heh, you're joking."

Su Qian stroked his beard, watching as the man and woman, unaffected by gravity, slowly descended before him. His gaze fell on Zi Yan, and he asked uncertainly, "Are you… Zi Yan?"

"Elder Su, I've consumed the Fallen Heart Flame," Zi Yan said.

"What? Consumed it?"

"Consumed it?"

Hu Gan and Su Qian stared at Zi Yan in shock. They knew Zi Yan had a big appetite, but they never imagined she would dare to consume the Strange Fire, the Fallen Heart Flame!

Su Qian looked up and down at Zi Yan, who had now grown into a stunning beauty, and said thoughtfully, "No wonder you've changed so much."

Zi Yan continued, "Without the Fallen Heart Flame, the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower is essentially useless now."

Su Qian glanced at the Heavenly Flame Training Tower and sighed helplessly, "Perhaps this is its fate. Tomorrow, I will disband the Inner Court!"

The existence of the Inner Court was largely due to the Heavenly Flame Training Tower, which served as a cultivation cheat. Now that the core component of the tower, the Fallen Heart Flame, was gone, there was no longer any need for the Inner Court to exist.

Sigh~

Hu Gan also let out a sigh at the same time.

Zi Yan, noticing the expressions on Su Qian and Hu Gan's faces, asked, "I consumed the Fallen Heart Flame. Aren't you going to blame me?"

Su Qian looked at Zi Yan with affection. She was his adopted daughter, even though she had never called him "father." The bond between them was real. As usual, Su Qian gently stroked Zi Yan's purple hair and said, "Silly girl, even if you hadn't consumed it, I felt that it would eventually break free from the tower one day. That would have been a disaster for the Inner Court. In a way, you've actually done the Inner Court a favor."

A warm feeling flowed through Zi Yan's heart. Although her biological father had abandoned her, her adoptive father had always cared for her deeply. With a mischievous smile on her lips, Zi Yan flipped her hand and asked, "Elder Su Qian, look, what is this?"

A cluster of milky-white flame appeared in Zi Yan's hand. The temperature around them rose several degrees as the flame materialized.

"A Strange Fire?" Su Qian was momentarily stunned.

"No, the energy of this flame seems too weak," Hu Gan questioned, furrowing his brow.

"You're not wrong. This is indeed the Fallen Heart Flame, but it's a smaller version," Zi Yan explained with a smile.

"What? The Fallen Heart Flame has given birth to a child?" Su Qian asked in shock, his mind racing with possibilities.

"I'm not sure how it came to be, but it is indeed the Fallen Heart Flame. Here, take it. With this, the Inner Court can use Dou Qi to nurture it, and it will be enough to keep the Heavenly Flame Training Tower functioning normally," Zi Yan said generously, waving her hand to send the small Fallen Heart Flame floating toward Su Qian.

"Mm," Su Qian nodded, carefully collecting the small Fallen Heart Flame as if it were a precious treasure. Then, he looked at Zi Yan and scolded her with a smile, "You little rascal, why couldn't you just explain everything at once?"

"Hehe!" Zi Yan chuckled proudly. She had done it on purpose, wanting to give Su Qian a rollercoaster of emotions.

"Zi Yan is right. This small Fallen Heart Flame is still young, and its intelligence hasn't fully developed yet. As we use Dou Qi to nurture it, even if it eventually develops intelligence, it won't be as hostile to humans. This will be even more beneficial for the Inner Court. In fact, our Inner Court might even have a powerful Strange Fire to protect it," Hu Gan added excitedly, agreeing with Zi Yan's words.

"Mm."

Su Qian nodded, looking at Zi Yan with gratitude. "Girl, on behalf of the Inner Court, I thank you."

Zi Yan tilted her head to look at Mu Chen beside her and smiled, "If you want to thank someone, thank my husband."

"Husband?"

"Husband?"

Su Qian and Hu Gan's eyes once again froze, landing on Mu Chen. They were shocked by Zi Yan's address to Mu Chen—Husband! Especially Su Qian, who recalled the time when Mu Chen had effortlessly broken the barrier formed by him and numerous Dou Zong and Battle Emperor experts with just a finger. Thinking of Mu Chen's unfathomable cultivation, far surpassing his own, Su Qian couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile. In his view, Zi Yan marrying Mu Chen was a match where Mu Chen was indeed worthy of her.

"Senior Su Qian, is this statue of me?" Mu Chen landed beside the statue under construction.

The statue stood over a hundred meters tall, majestic and imposing, with an extraordinary aura. Although still under construction, its features were already clearly visible, unmistakably resembling Mu Chen.

"Yes," Su Qian nodded, smiling as he replied, "Young brother, you have done a great favor to our inner academy, a deed of rebirth. If it weren't for you a month ago, the Fallen Heart Flame would have erupted, and our inner academy would have been destroyed by it."

Mu Chen remained calm, looking at Zi Yan, and said, "It's time for us to leave."

Zi Yan nodded, her eyes reluctant as she looked at Su Qian. Although she addressed him as the Grand Elder, she could never forget his kindness.

Noticing Zi Yan's subtle gesture, Mu Chen paused. With a flick of his finger, he sent a golden pearl, crafted from the remains of Donghuang Taiyi from the White Snake Origin plane, accurately landing in front of Su Qian. "Senior Su Qian, the energy within this golden pearl is enough to elevate you to the realm of a Battle Saint."

"A... Battle Saint?" Su Qian's eyes were moved as he looked at the golden pearl in his hand, then at Mu Chen. Mu Chen had already taken Zi Yan's hand, and with a ripple in the air, they disappeared before his eyes.

Su Qian took a deep breath, never dreaming that he would have the chance to step into the realm of the extraordinary in his lifetime.

Meanwhile, Hu Gan looked at the golden pearl in Su Qian's hand, unable to hide the fervor in his eyes. Thinking of his granddaughter who preferred men over women, he sighed helplessly. Gently patting Su Qian's shoulder, he said enviously, "Grand Elder, you truly have a good adopted daughter."

(End of Chapter)