The core disciple's face twitched, his anger rising further.
However, before he could act, the arrogant young man raised his hand slightly, stopping him. His gaze remained fixed on Xiao Feng, cold and calculating.
After a moment, he suddenly smiled again.
But this time, there was no warmth in it.
"Very well," he said softly. "You can cultivate in this room."
He paused slightly, "But we'll see what happens after you step out of this place."
The threat was clear.
Undisguised.
Xiao Feng looked at him for a moment, then nodded faintly.
"Good," he replied calmly, as if the threat meant nothing.
Without another word, he turned around and closed the door.
—
Inside the room, the temperature still burned intensely.
Even after the door closed, the pressure from outside seemed to linger faintly in the air.
Faint footsteps could still be heard outside from time to time, as if those people had no intention of leaving immediately. The subtle presence pressed against the door like an invisible weight, making it clear that this matter was far from over.
Xiao Feng naturally noticed it, but he did not open the door. To him, as long as they did not break the rules, they were nothing more than background noise.
He walked back to the stone platform, his expression still slightly cold, but his mind already calming.
Threats like that, he had heard too many.
They meant nothing.
He sat down once more, closed his eyes, and began circulating his energy to recover his condition.
His previously ruddy complexion had turned into a deep rosy red. Thin strands of steam leaked from his pores, his entire body radiating heat like a furnace.
The earth flame energy he had absorbed earlier still lingered within him, especially affecting his skin, which had been in direct contact with the intense heat.
He had tried using spiritual energy to shield his body before.
But doing so significantly reduced his absorption speed.
So he had abandoned that method, choosing instead to temper himself directly while relying on his Serena Sea Dragon Flame for balance.
Now, he could only pause after a period of cultivation and use his spiritual energy to slowly recover.
Earlier, when he had been interrupted, he hadn't had time to stabilize his condition before getting up.
That was why, his body had been in a weakened state. Even standing had required effort.
This was also the main reason his anger had flared so quickly.
Time passed slowly.
After nearly half an hour, the weakness in Xiao Feng's body gradually faded. The intense heat within him began to subside, and his physical condition steadily returned to normal.
His muscles relaxed, though faint traces of heat still lingered deep within, refusing to dissipate completely.
Once his condition stabilized, Xiao Feng opened his eyes again.
This time, his movements were slower… more controlled.
Without hesitation, he took out a first rank Energy Calming Pill, placed it in his mouth, and swallowed it.
The medicinal energy spread quickly through his limbs and meridians, carrying a gentle cooling effect that contrasted sharply with the earlier burning sensation.
Under this dual effect of heat and recovery, his control over energy circulation became even more precise.
Xiao Feng closed his eyes once more, and re-entered a state of secluded cultivation.
/
Nearly more half a day passed in the blink of an eye. Inside the cultivation room, the air had long since returned to calm.
Xiao Feng's closed eyes slowly trembled, before opening once again.
A faint glow flickered within his pupils.
The moment he awakened, a subtle wave of heat surged from deep within his body, spreading outward through his meridians like a slow-burning current.
It was no longer violent.
Xiao Feng frowned slightly. He could clearly feel that his body had already reached a certain limit.
The earlier tempering from the Earth Flame had pushed his physique to its current peak—for now.
If he will continuing like this, it would bring little improvement.
At the same time, as an alchemist, he could already sense it clearly, the effect of this layer's flame on him had begun to diminish.
He was already a peak Second Rank Alchemist.
That's why, flames of this level were no longer enough to produce significant refinement.
Xiao Feng slowly exhaled.
The heat within his body gradually stabilized as he began adjusting his breathing, guiding the residual energy through a few final circulation cycles.
Only after confirming everything was steady did he fully withdraw from his cultivation state.
"This won't work anymore…" He muttered softly.
His gaze shifted slightly, turning thoughtful.
"If I want further improvement… I'll need a stronger flame energy."
The second layer.
That thought naturally surfaced in his mind. However, Xiao Feng did not act impulsively.
He had already experienced how overbearing these Earth Flames could be.
Even in the first layer, without proper preparation, one could easily lose control—let alone the second layer, where the intensity would increase drastically.
Rash advancement… would be courting danger.
His fingers lightly tapped against his knee.
He needed to make some preparation and that was the key.
At that moment, a faint smile slowly appeared on his face- Alchemy.
That was his greatest advantage.
With the system's inheritance, every pill formula that had ever existed in this world was etched within his mind.
He began to think about any second rank pill, that could help him in this situation.
Countless formulas flashed through his thoughts in an instant. There were formulas about heat resistance pill, body tempering pills, meridian protection pills and so .
One after another, perfect combinations began forming in his mind.
Then, as if recalling something important, Xiao Feng's smile deepened.
"Yes, who said that it must be a pill!"
A trace of excitement flickered across his eyes. If he could refine that particular thing before entering the second layer.
His chances would increase significantly.
As he decided, he stood up and took out his toke. His gaze fell upon the remaining nine lines on this token in his hand.
This means he could still train here for nine more times.
"Good…"
He stretching his body slightly, easing the faint numbness in his body. The faint cracking sounds from his bones carried a sense of suppressed strength.
Without lingering any longer, Xiao Feng turned and walked out of the cultivation room.
—
Outside, the heat of the Earth Flame Cave greeted him once again. But compared to before, he was far more composed.
After training in the top tier cultivation room of the first layer for one day, this slightest lingering heat didn't affect him slightly.
As he stepped out into the corridor, a familiar figure quickly came into view.
It was the young man who had guided him earlier.
The moment he saw Xiao Feng, the young man's eyes lit up slightly.
"You're out already?"
He walked over with a friendly expression.
Xiao Feng gave a slight nod in reply. He had already figures out about this person's extremely talkative personality.
The young man smiled.
"How is the effects? You have felt greatly increasement in your mastery of flame controlling methods."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and extended his hand casually.
"By the way, we didn't properly introduce ourselves last time. My name is Lin Yue."
Xiao Feng shook his head in agree, then responded calmly.
"Xiao Feng."
"Xiao Feng…" Lin Yue repeated, as if remembering something.
"Your name and supreme elder's personal disciple, you should that Xiao Feng who is recently famous for becoming personal disciple of Fifth Elder!"
There was no envy in his tone, only awe and simple friendliness.
"I'm that much famous?" Xiao Feng was slightly surprised after hearing his remark.
"Just famous? You are most popular topic in the sect recently, even those in deep cultivation had heard about your name."
Lin Yue's gaze became much more fervent as he speaks.
"Let me tell you, you have already became famous in whole central region. Everyone want to know about the person who made Elder Shi willingly to come ahead and wants to be his disciple."
After a short exchange, the atmosphere between them became noticeably more natural.
Just then, Lin Yue glanced at him, lowering his voice slightly.
"Earlier… those people you ran into. Do you know about them?"
Xiao Feng's gaze shifted.
"The four of them?"
"Yeah." Lin Yue's expression turned a bit more serious. "You should be careful of them. Especially the one who spoke the least."
Xiao Feng's eyes narrowed faintly.
"That one is called Zhou Li. He's already an Inner Disciple immediately after entering the sect half a year before."
Xiao Feng's brows furrowed slightly as he heard his this line.
"That's not possible. The sect only recruits once a year. The last recruitment just happened a few days ago. How did he join half a year earlier?"
Lin Yue let out a small breath.
"That's because his background is more powerful than us."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Zhou Li's family, The Zhou clan is one of the affiliated families of the Heavenly Dao Sect. They're what you could call a 'vassal family'.
These clans serve the sect for many generations. Many elders within the sect actually come from such families."
Xiao Feng's eyes flickered slightly.
Lin Yue continued, "These families regularly offer resources, manpower, and loyalty to the sect. In return, they receive certain privileges like special entry slots and direct recommendations."