After departing from the Cliffside Small Building, Yan Zhen led Long Ying back there to make a series of preparations. He then reported to Elder Yu Yan that he intended to train in the Great Forest Outside the Academy. With her approval, he set off.
The reason he brought Long Ying along was that, in the story’s script, it was precisely by listening to the Loli Dragon Girl’s draconic chant that he had comprehended the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Technique.
With her assistance, Yan Zhen mastered the First Syllable of the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Technique in a mere three days. When unleashed in tandem with the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame, it was enough to disrupt even a Mystic General powerhouse’s mind.
He then spent four more days practicing and successfully cultivated the Second Syllable, which could even affect a Mystic King powerhouse.
Upon his return, Yan Zhen heard that Wu Tie, the leader of the Black Horn Society, had publicly challenged him to avenge his subordinates.
Wu Tie held the ninth spot on the General Star List, while Yan Zhen—after the list’s monthly update—had overtaken Bai Ao’s position at thirty-third.
Challenges from higher-ranked fighters to lower ones were rare, as they were seen as beneath one’s dignity, and the latter could decline. But Wu Tie’s open taunts made refusal impossible.
Yan Zhen ignored him and quietly focused on his own growth.
In the script, Yan Zhen had to raise a rice-bucket loli—tempted by her divine blood—which made for tough times. He had no choice but to return to his old trade: pill refining!
Thus, Yan Zhen purchased large quantities of Tier 3 materials at the Inner Academy Exchange and began refining Tier 3 elixirs.
With his divine soul now at the Manifestation Mid Nether Realm—that is, Fourth-Order—he could refine Tier 3 elixirs with ease, boasting a success rate of over ninety percent.
He sold the refined pills back at the Inner Academy Exchange at slightly discounted prices. Thanks to their superior quality grades, they were snapped up by Mystic Master Realm students in no time.
The senior sisters, in particular, adored his Beauty Nourishing Pills and their droplet essences.
After making a tidy profit, and at his beautiful female master’s urging, Yan Zhen bought Tier 4 materials and effortlessly took to refining Tier 4 pills.
He then ventured into refining Tier 5 pills.
Without a divine soul at the Nether Realm, Tier 5 pills were quite challenging—but not impossible.
At that time, the Inner Academy Exchange’s pill market was monopolized by one of the Top Ten Societies, the Pill King Society. Yan Zhen’s arrival stole a chunk of their business and dented their prestige. Yet his pills were undeniably superior, so members of the Pill King Society approached him with two options:
Join them, or stop selling.
Yan Zhen told them to get lost.
The smart move would have been to buy up his pills and resell them at a markup, keeping the Pill King Society’s dominance intact.
Unfortunately, these hotheaded youngsters didn’t grasp the ways of the world. They saw Yan Zhen as just a new student without solid backing, too sharp-edged for his own good. He’d already offended the Mirror-Questioning Society and Black Horn Society among the Top Ten, plus irked many old students. So they never considered a fair partnership. When he rejected their recruitment, they provoked him into a pill-refining duel to drive him out.
After Yan Zhen crushed two of them in succession, the Pill King Society’s leader—the General Star List’s gatekeeper—finally stepped up for a decisive showdown.
That man wielded the Wood-Births-Fire from the eighty-eighth spot on the Extreme Flame List and refined a superior-grade Tier 4 Mystic Pill.
Yan Zhen, aided by the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, produced one approaching Fifth Grade.
No judge was needed to declare the victor.
Their pill-refining skills were actually comparable, with Yan Zhen slightly inferior since it wasn’t his specialty. But his superior heavenly flame made the difference.
The Pill King leader lost. Per their agreement, not only did his Tier 4 Mystic Pill go to Yan Zhen, but the society also had to clear a spot in the Exchange Hall for Yan Zhen’s personal stall, barring any interference from others.
Fortunately, he was man enough to honor the bet.
But Yan Zhen didn’t keep refining and selling forever. Once he completed his System task, he slipped away.
Over that month of pill refining, Yan Zhen’s cultivation advanced smoothly to Seven-Star Mystic Master, free of the previous stagnation from rapid progress.
Among the nine stars of a major realm, the first three were low-star, four through six mid-star, and seven through nine high-star.
At Seven-Star Mystic Master, Yan Zhen’s mystic power surged dramatically, rivaling a Mystic General’s. With his heavenly flame, he could trade blows evenly with a Three-Star Mystic General—in pure mystic power clashes, without techniques!
Add his Lifebound Sword, Fourth-Order Physique, and Fourth-Order Divine Soul, and he could handle a Seven-Star Mystic General with ease.
Thus, in the middle of his third month in the Inner Academy, Yan Zhen publicly challenged Wu Tie, ninth on the General Star List!
His own rank hadn’t budged that month; he remained at thirty-third.
When a lower-ranked challenger targeted a higher one, the latter couldn’t refuse—unless they’d already fought once that month.
Wu Tie, of course, accepted.
Suddenly, all eyes in the Inner Academy turned to the duel.
Most students resented a new student lording it over the old guard. They figured Yan Zhen was suicidal this time. The top ten on the General Star List were a world apart from the rest. Wu Tie was a Seven-Star Mystic General, an Inner Academy veteran powerhouse, while Yan Zhen was merely a Seven-Star Mystic Master. Victory seemed impossible!
More level-headed observers, though still skeptical, noted Yan Zhen’s feat of a Four-Star Mystic Master beating a Four-Star Mystic General. They gave him a slim chance.
The duel took place at the Inner Academy Grand Duel Arena, drawing over half the students that day. They wanted to witness the clash between the Inner Academy dark horse and a veteran titan—to see how Wu Tie would school this arrogant newbie…
The outcome shocked them all.
At first, Wu Tie dominated with his signature Armor Mystic Technique, transforming into a humanoid savage dragon that pressed Yan Zhen back relentlessly. That lasted until Yan Zhen summoned his flame sword.
The youth clenched his fist in empty air, and gold-silver flames gathered in his grasp, forging a complete Gold-Silver Greatsword.
Flame patterns etched the blade, the crossguard blazed like roaring fire, and draconic motifs coiled the hilt. It exuded a Mystic metallic sheen, utterly unlike its prior illusory form.
Neither the spectators nor Wu Tie himself could forget that sight:
The youth raised the sword with both hands, faintly stirring the Power of Heaven and Earth. A ten-zhang sword beam erupted from the blade.
One slash downward, and the Power of Heaven and Earth surged as a wave of flame qi that incinerated Wu Tie’s every defense to ash. The terrifying impact hurled him into the Grand Duel Arena’s wall, his body charred black as he embedded there, gravely wounded and unconscious.
In his third month at the Inner Academy, Yan Zhen decisively crushed the General Star List’s ninth place and claimed his rank.
The arena erupted in cheers!
In the corner, Long Ying shouted loudest of all, clapping her little hands with glee, her face blooming like a flower in proud delight.
Huangfu Wenqing and Zi Xunyi both smiled radiantly from afar, gazing at their fiancé/future husband with eyes brimming with affection.
Even Elder Yu Yan had come, narrowing her eyes in a satisfied smile and nodding approvingly.
“This kid’s advancing into the top ten way too fast,” Cousin Sister Yudie muttered. “At this rate, he’ll surpass me in half a year.”
“A Seven-Star Mystic Master beating a Seven-Star Mystic General… Junior Brother Yan Zhen’s a monster.” Ling Fei scratched his head. “Is he another freak like Gu Tiange? Sigh, won’t I be next as the poor third place? ~”
“…”
Wen Canglan’s expression darkened.
Yan Zhen’s pace far exceeded his expectations. The youth wasn’t his match yet, but if allowed to keep growing, that could change.
He had to nip it in the bud—before then.
