Chapter 126

As the young woman paused, the eyes around her swept over, taking in the sign hanging on the door indicating someone was cultivating and the tightly closed entrance. Some people couldn’t help but be surprised; then, a hint of schadenfreude flashed in their gazes. Did the person inside not know that this particular training room was reserved exclusively for Snow Fairy Liu Fei?

The girl in the snow fox velvet dress halted, staring at the tightly shut door with a flicker of astonishment across her face. It had been a long time since anyone had occupied her training room—she could recall the last time being half a year ago. That previous intruder had ended up bedridden for half a month after being beaten by her pursuers, and since then, few dared approach this room. Yet today, she encountered this familiar situation once more.

“Heh, Fei’er, looks like we've run into another fool!” Behind her, a tall young man eyed the closed door with a smile playing on his lips. Clearly, he saw this as a perfect opportunity to prove himself before the beauty.

Liu Fei smiled lightly and shook her head, speaking softly, “Reina, be polite.”

Hearing Liu Fei’s words, which carried a certain implication, the man called Reina grinned and nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll just make things clear for them. Brother Liu Qing told me to protect you—since you’re his cousin, I won’t let you suffer the slightest injustice.”

When Reina uttered the renowned name that echoed through the inner academy, Liu Fei pursed her lips, her eyes reflecting a trace of emotion no one else could detect. That domineering, sharp young man had always left a deep impression on her since childhood. Following him to Canaan Academy, she found herself surrounded by suitors, but compared to that shadow in her heart, they all seemed to pale.

Reina approached the closed training room, his iron fist slamming heavily against the door. The crisp clang of metal echoed through the area, reverberating for nearly two minutes before gradually fading.

With a creak, the door slowly opened.

“Hmph.” Seeing the door finally open, Reina snorted and withdrew his fist, stepping back, his gaze filled with ill intent as he stared into the training room.

As the door opened, every gaze in the area quickly turned toward it.

Under the scrutiny of eyes filled with all manner of emotion, Qinglin, dressed in a green long dress, frowned as she stepped out of the room. Anyone would be displeased at having their cultivation suddenly interrupted.

“What do you want?” Qinglin raised her delicate brows, looking up at Reina.

“Uh…” Reina had expected a man to emerge from the training room. Who would have thought it was a young beauty? This was awkward—if it were a man, he could have just given him a beating, but now a girl stood before him. Was he supposed to bully a little girl?

Awkwardly, Reina looked at Liu Fei, who was also slightly surprised upon seeing Qinglin. Although she was still a young girl and hadn’t fully grown into her looks, it was clear she would become a great beauty in the future.

“Little sister, this training room is reserved for me—sorry,” Liu Fei said with a gentle smile.

Qinglin tilted her head thoughtfully and replied with seriousness, “But your name isn’t on it. Or is this training room specially built for you by the academy?”

Liu Fei's sweet smile froze, her expression turning sour.

The onlookers, who’d expected the intruder to be beaten, were now far more intrigued. Instead, a girl with looks surpassing Liu Fei had emerged, making it awkward for any male students to lay hands on her. What was more surprising was that this little beauty’s words left Liu Fei speechless, yet Qinglin’s innocent demeanor made it hard to believe she’d intended it.

“In that case, I challenge you,” Liu Fei said, a little exasperated. In the Heavenly Flame Training Tower, one could compete for better rooms by issuing challenges.

“All right!” Qinglin nodded, but, not wanting to be disturbed again, decided to assert herself. She tapped her wrist and said, “Little Fire, don’t be lazy—time to move!”

With a tap, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent sprang from Qinglin’s wrist, growing instantly in the wind into a massive serpent four or five meters long. Its scarlet tongue flickered, and its two pairs of fierce eyes locked onto Liu Fei, ready to attack at her command.

Liu Fei swallowed nervously. Under the serpent’s gaze, she managed not to collapse in fear—her composure was admirable.

The crowd, seeing Qinglin suddenly summon a Dou Spirit-level Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent, felt stunned. This seemingly frail young beauty had instantly transformed into a powerful summoner with a formidable beast. The shift was dramatic—no wonder summoners were the most deceptive profession. Now, everyone looked at Liu Fei with sympathy.

Reina, beside Liu Fei, was secretly relieved. He was only a Dou Master—if he hadn’t held back after seeing Qinglin was a girl, he’d likely be facing the giant serpent himself now.

“Big sister, do you still want to fight?” Qinglin asked seriously. If Liu Fei remained obstinate, Qinglin was prepared to let Little Fire teach her a lesson.

“No…”

“Qinglin, what are you doing?” Xiao Xie’s voice called from afar. He had seen the giant serpent, but the crowd blocked his view of what was happening. As for whether Qinglin might be bullied—what a joke! Not only did she have Little Fire with her, she also possessed a Monster Card for the Earth Giant and the White Bone Necklace of the Flame Bear, both equivalent to Dou Ancestor-level bodyguards. Xiao Xie doubted anyone could bully her.

“Young master, Little Fire, come back!” Qinglin recalled the serpent and ran over to Xiao Xie.

“No need to rush your cultivation. How about we go out for a walk?” Xiao Xie rubbed Qinglin’s small head and smiled.

“Mm! Young master, let’s invite Little Doctor Fairy to join us!” Qinglin nodded, dragging Xiao Xie off to find her.

Watching Qinglin’s departing figure, Liu Fei breathed a sigh of relief, wiping cold sweat from her forehead and feeling her legs go weak.

“So it was them?” someone recognized Xiao Xie and his companions.

“Who are they?”

“They’re the special recruits of the inner academy. The boy is Xiao Xie, seventeen years old, a Two-Star Dou Emperor, known as the strongest new student! The little beauty earlier is Qinglin, thirteen years old, a One-Star Dou Master. And then there’s Little Doctor Fairy, sixteen years old, a Seven-Star Dou Spirit.”

“My goodness! All three are prodigies! But how do you know so much?”

“This is my specialty. If you want, I can sell you information on the top ten beauties in the inner academy. Since I like your face, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount.”

“Sure! Tell me…”

…

Xiao Xie took Qinglin to look for Little Doctor Fairy, who had nearly exhausted the fire energy in her Fire Crystal Card after cultivating on the seventh floor.

“You broke through again,” Xiao Xie remarked, sensing the aura of an Eight-Star Dou Spirit emanating from Little Doctor Fairy.

“Cultivating in the Heavenly Flame Training Tower, when I take poison, I hardly need to purify my Dou Qi deliberately—the Heart Flame does it for me. So my cultivation progresses quite quickly,” she replied gently.

“All right, let’s go for a stroll. Staying cooped up in the tower all day will drive us crazy,” Xiao Xie said.

“Mm!” Little Doctor Fairy nodded and followed Xiao Xie and Qinglin as the three set out to explore the inner academy.

The inner academy was vast. The trio toured the Dou Technique Hall and the Mission Hall. Little Doctor Fairy and Qinglin even participated in a few matches in the arena, which were mostly one-sided. No one could withstand even a single move from Little Doctor Fairy, and each time Qinglin appeared, she summoned her Fire Spirit Serpent.