Chapter 113: Vice Dean Hu Qian

"Who are these children?" The white-haired Hu Qian asked, glancing at the young people following behind Ruolin. He found nothing unusual about Little Medicine Fairy or Qinglin, but when his gaze fell on Xiao Xie, he realized he couldn't see through him at all.

"Vice Dean, these three are new students—Xiao Xie, Little Medicine Fairy, and Qinglin," Ruolin replied.

"And why have you brought them here?" Hu Qian inquired.

"Qinglin, a one-star Dou Practitioner, thirteen years old. Little Medicine Fairy, a three-star Dou Spirit, sixteen years old. Xiao Xie, a one-star Dou Emperor, sixteen years old." Ruolin began introducing them, watching the ever-changing expressions on Hu Qian's face with some amusement. She continued, "Vice Dean, the three of them wish to enter the Inner Academy."

"Is that so? With your talents, it's indeed a waste not to enter the Inner Academy." Hu Qian looked at the trio, pondering to himself, "Where did these three little monsters come from? Each one more extraordinary than the last! No, I can't just let them stroll into the Inner Academy. They must remember the kindness of the Outer Academy."

After a moment's thought, Hu Qian rose from his seat and smiled. "With such talents, it would be a waste not to enter the Inner Academy. But since you were recruited by Ruolin, you count as members of our Outer Academy. Now, as you're about to leave for the Inner Academy, it's only right that the Outer Academy not be stingy. I'll allow you a chance to test your luck in the Book Repository Pavilion."

"Hurry along! Only the top five in the Inner Academy selection tournament are usually allowed into the Book Repository Pavilion. The Vice Dean must really think highly of you." Ruolin whispered this explanation to the three, seeing their confusion.

Hu Qian approached the wall behind him and tapped it a few times. A deep rumble sounded, and then a pitch-black passageway appeared before Xiao Xie and his companions.

"You three, follow me," Hu Qian beckoned, leading the way into the dark corridor.

Xiao Xie nodded, and together with Little Medicine Fairy and Qinglin, followed after him.

Once inside the passage, Xiao Xie noticed that large luminous pearls were embedded along the walls, their gentle glow casting a hazy light. For Xiao Xie and the others, this was more than sufficient.

The corridor was quiet except for the soft shuffle of footsteps. Xiao Xie could feel Little Medicine Fairy and Qinglin gripping his hands more tightly; girls, by instinct, tended to grow tense in the dark.

They walked for nearly half an hour before a glimmer of light finally appeared at the end of the passage. Seeing the light, their steps quickened, and before long, they had reached the exit and stepped out.

Blinding sunlight poured down from above, causing Xiao Xie and the others to instinctively squint. After a moment, Xiao Xie slowly opened his eyes, and the sight before him left him slightly astonished.

They were clearly standing before a valley depression. The steep mountain walls climbed upward until they vanished from sight. Between three sheer cliffs lay an expansive open space. There, a massive and ancient pavilion stood, grandeur and age interwoven in its construction.

Xiao Xie's gaze slowly swept over the grand, rustic building, finally settling on an ancient plaque above the entrance. The three characters inscribed there had been worn by time until they were barely legible, but their presence was undeniable.

Book Repository Pavilion.

Despite the erosion of years, the ancient script still exuded a profound aura, deeply impressing Xiao Xie and his companions. No wonder this was the mysterious Book Repository Pavilion of the Canaan Academy's Outer Academy; the plaque alone marked its extraordinary identity.

Hu Qian led the group toward the pavilion, but when they were twenty meters away, he suddenly stopped. Bowing toward the building, he said, "These three are specially recruited prodigies about to enter the Inner Academy. I have brought them to the Book Repository Pavilion to select one item each. I ask the elders to open the gate."

His words, carried by Dou Qi, echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time.

Shortly after, Xiao Xie's eyes narrowed as he stared at the pavilion. His gaze shifted abruptly to the entrance, where two figures in gray robes sat cross-legged. When he had first arrived, he was certain there had been no one there!

This must involve manipulation of space itself. These two, even if not Dou Venerable experts, were not far from that level.

Hu Qian's words faded in the valley, but the gray-robed figures remained motionless, as if they hadn't heard. Seeing no reply, Hu Qian didn't speak again but held his bow, quietly waiting.

The silence lasted for nearly ten minutes before the robes of the two guardians at the door finally stirred. Beneath the gray fabric, two pairs of eyes as calm as ancient wells rose and swept over the group, finally pausing on Xiao Xie. The gray robe trembled slightly, and a hoarse, surprised murmur slipped out: "Heavenly Flame?"

The faint voice echoed through the silent valley, clearly entering the ears of all four present.

"May I ask the young friend's name?" one of the gray-robed figures asked, his raspy voice tinged with the weight of many years as he fixed his gaze on Xiao Xie.

"I am Xiao Xie," he replied, bowing politely.

"Green fire, fire like a lotus, burning as a volcano... If I am not mistaken, the Heavenly Flame you possess must be the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame List," the elder's aged voice hovered in Xiao Xie's ears.

"That's right," Xiao Xie replied, neither arrogant nor meek. This gray-robed guardian was the first to see through the nature of his flame without him manifesting it. Yet Xiao Xie was unconcerned; the man had only sensed his Green Lotus Core Flame, not the Amaterasu or the Hellfire within him.

"To control a Heavenly Flame at such a young age—truly extraordinary talent," the gray-robed figure on the left sighed softly, a trace of admiration in his voice. He then turned his eyes to Hu Qian. "The three of them may enter," he said in a hoarse tone.

Hearing this, Hu Qian breathed a little easier, smiling. "In that case, may I trouble you both to unlock the Spatial Seal?"

"Spatial Seal?" The unfamiliar term left Xiao Xie and his companions momentarily puzzled.

A moment later, Xiao Xie noticed that if he looked closely at the air half a meter in front of Hu Qian, he could discern the faintest of ripples—minute wrinkles hidden in space itself, almost invisible. Tracing these subtle distortions, he realized they formed a barrier like a wall, shielding the entire pavilion.

Such a feat was only possible for Dou Venerable-level experts. Little Medicine Fairy and Qinglin were already wide-eyed in astonishment, and even though Xiao Xie knew that Dou Venerables could manipulate space, this was his first time witnessing visible spatial distortions, and he couldn't help but marvel.

"This is the Spatial Seal, an unbreakable barrier only Dou Venerables can create. It was set here centuries ago by a former master of the academy. Without these two elders opening it with special techniques, even a Dou Ancestor could not force their way in," Hu Qian explained with a smile, seeing their confusion.

At the entrance, the two gray-robed guardians extended their withered hands from their sleeves, forming complex seals with their fingers. As the patterns took shape, Xiao Xie and the others could sense two immense, invisible waves emanating from their palms, spreading out like ripples.

The formless waves expanded until they touched the spatial wrinkles. Where they met, the space before Xiao Xie and his companions became like a watery mirror, rippling in widening circles. After a short while, the ripples ceased, and a door-like opening was gently torn open by an invisible hand.

"Let's go," Hu Qian said, waving them onward as he stepped inside.

"Let's follow," Xiao Xie nodded to Little Medicine Fairy and Qinglin, taking their hands and leading them in after Hu Qian.