Chapter 63 – Heavenflame Palace

"At just nineteen years old, with peak Sea Transformation cultivation, you managed to suppress Xia Mang and seize first place in this hunt. Truly remarkable," praised the Heavenflame Emperor.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the compliment," Su Xin replied humbly.

"Su Xin, three years ago, I ordered you to be imprisoned in the Magic-Sealing Prison. Did you ever resent me for that?" the Heavenflame Emperor asked with a smile.

"No, I did not," Su Xin shook his head without a moment's hesitation.

With the Heavenflame Emperor's keen insight, he could tell at a glance that Su Xin was not lying.

There was indeed nothing to resent.

In fact, Su Xin had thought at the time that the Heavenflame Emperor had been quite merciful to him.

"Haha, good! Su Baichen has indeed raised a fine son," the Heavenflame Emperor laughed heartily.

He, the Qi Prince, Su Baichen, and that member of the Situ Family were all from the same era and had long known each other.

"I heard that not long ago, your Su Family was attacked?" the Heavenflame Emperor asked again.

"Yes," Su Xin nodded.

The Heavenflame Emperor's expression turned solemn. "I couldn't intervene in the past, but now that you've won first place in this hunt and will soon enter the Heavenflame Palace to cultivate, as a disciple of Heavenflame Palace, I can promise you that as long as I am on the throne, no one will dare to harm your Su Family."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Su Xin was overjoyed.

The reason he came to the Imperial Capital Hunt and was so eager to join the Heavenflame Palace was not only because of the cultivation resources it offered but also because becoming a disciple of the Heavenflame Palace would ensure the safety of his family.

With the protection of the Heavenflame Palace and the Heavenflame Imperial Family, no one would dare to easily target the Su Family.

And now, with the Heavenflame Emperor's personal promise, Su Xin was completely reassured.

With the Heavenflame Emperor's direct assurance, who would dare to go against the Su Family?

The Situ Family certainly wouldn't dare, and even the Qi Prince wouldn't openly challenge the Heavenflame Emperor.

"Haha~~"

The Heavenflame Emperor chuckled. He was well-versed in winning people's loyalty, but not everyone was worthy of his personal attention. Su Xin's talent, however, was something he valued greatly.

"Alright, let the two Palace Masters take you to the Heavenflame Palace next." The Heavenflame Emperor waved his sleeve and turned to leave.

"Farewell, Your Majesty," everyone respectfully saluted.

After the Heavenflame Emperor left, the two Palace Masters of Heavenflame Palace stepped forward.

Palace Master Qingyang glanced at the top ten talents from this hunt and said, "You have one hour to settle everything. After an hour, follow me to the Heavenflame Palace."

The ten talents quickly went to handle their affairs. Su Xin had already made his arrangements, and Duan Yunfeng, being a lone wolf, had nothing to settle and waited quietly.

An hour later, the ten talents gathered, mounted the Purple Wind Beasts under the guidance of the two Palace Masters, and headed towards the Heavenflame Palace.

...

Outside the city, in the vast and boundless void.

The two Palace Masters of Heavenflame Palace led the way, while Su Xin and the other ten talents followed closely behind on their Purple Wind Beasts.

"Heavenflame Palace is actually outside the Imperial Capital?" The talents all had peculiar expressions.

"Xia Mang, you're a member of the Heavenflame Imperial Family. You should know more about the Heavenflame Palace than we do, right?" Duan Yunfeng asked.

"I do know a bit," Xia Mang nodded. "I've heard that the Heavenflame Palace isn't located within the Royal Dynasty but in a special secret realm."

"A special secret realm?" The talents all looked at Xia Mang.

"With great means, a unique space is forcibly created, which is the secret realm," Xia Mang explained.

Hearing this, the talents were all astonished.

"Forcibly creating a space? What kind of incredible means would that require? Can a Nirvana Realm expert do it?" the plump woman Mo Bing asked in shock.

"An ordinary Nirvana Realm expert certainly can't, but some top-tier experts within the Nirvana Realm might be able to," Xia Mang replied.

Su Xin and the others were all amazed.

Under the guidance of the two Palace Masters, they soon arrived at a remote forest several hundred miles away from the Imperial Capital.

This forest had been deserted, and even if someone occasionally passed by, they wouldn't notice anything unusual.

But as they truly entered the forest, they discovered it was filled with various formations and restrictions.

The ten talents passed through numerous restrictions and arrived at the center of the forest, where there was a spatial passage guarded by powerful figures.

"Beyond this spatial passage lies the Heavenflame Palace."

"Enter," said Palace Master Qingyang.

"Heavenflame Palace!"

The ten talents, filled with anticipation, quickly entered the spatial passage.

...

It was a vast sea, with an island at its center, where the Heavenflame Palace was located.

Through the spatial passage, Su Xin and the other ten talents appeared at the edge of the island. Before them lay a sprawling complex of buildings, with two towering mountains at the horizon and a vast open space on the other side.

The entire island was paved with sturdy bluestone.

"Qingyang, take these youngsters for a tour while I go get their identity tokens," said Palace Master Diyue, who then left.

Palace Master Qingyang led the ten talents into the palace, introducing them as they walked.

"Heavenflame Palace is a special space with a unique formation that makes the spiritual energy here much more abundant than outside."

Su Xin and the other ten talents noticed this as well.

The spiritual energy in Heavenflame Palace was indeed much denser than outside, promising faster cultivation progress.

"Additionally, there are several places within Heavenflame Palace that greatly aid your cultivation. The first is the Treasure Pavilion," Palace Master Qingyang pointed to the top of one of the mountains at the horizon.

At the mountain's peak stood a massive pavilion.

"The Treasure Pavilion houses countless treasures of the Heavenflame Dynasty. Over seventy percent of the dynasty's resources, including manuals and techniques, can be found there. However, acquiring these treasures or manuals requires exchanging fire points."

This was easy to understand.

Though the Treasure Pavilion contained countless treasures, they couldn't be used freely by the disciples.

"That is the Trial Tower."

Palace Master Qingyang pointed to a tower at the northernmost part of the island, "It's where Heavenflame Palace disciples test their strength and improve their skills."

The ten talents following Palace Master Qingyang frowned.

The Treasure Pavilion was easy to understand, but the Trial Tower's purpose was less clear. How exactly did it test strength, and how did it aid skill improvement?

Palace Master Qingyang hadn't explained.

"Palace Master Qingyang, may I ask..." Su Xin began to inquire.

"Silence!"

Palace Master Qingyang immediately snapped, "Listen, but don't ask!"

Su Xin's expression changed, but he remained silent, thinking that Palace Master Qingyang's temper was rather poor.

He had only inquired instinctively, with a polite tone, yet was met with a reprimand.

"Hmph!"

Palace Master Qingyang shot Su Xin a cold glance.

If it had been another talent asking, he might not have answered but wouldn't have reprimanded them either.

But with Su Xin...

Firstly, when Heavenflame Palace was discussing whether to grant Su Xin a special admission, he had opposed it, delaying the decision. Yet, in just two months, Su Xin had participated in the Imperial Capital Hunt and won first place, which was a slap in his face.

Secondly, after the incident with Tu San, Su Xin had become an adversary of the Qi Prince, and Palace Master Qingyang was aligned with the Qi Prince.

Combining these factors, he naturally wouldn't show Su Xin any kindness.

Palace Master Qingyang continued his introduction.

"Over there is the training ground of Heavenflame Palace, where disciples often gather to exchange, spar, and even duel."

"There are also eight Dao Masters at the training ground. These Dao Masters are peak experts within the Nirvana Realm, with extraordinary skill and Concept Comprehension. Every month, they give lectures at the training ground, which you can attend."

"Dao Masters giving lectures?" The ten talents were surprised.

Even though it was only once a month, having peak Nirvana Realm experts lecture was a rare opportunity.

"Nirvana Realm experts personally lecturing," Su Xin murmured, feeling quite eager.

"Lastly, there's the Star Hall."

Palace Master Qingyang pointed to another mountain peak at the horizon, where a grand hall stood, "The Star Hall is unique and greatly beneficial to your cultivation, but the entry requirements are high. Once you have enough fire points, you can explore it yourselves."

Palace Master Qingyang clearly didn't want to elaborate, so Su Xin and the others listened quietly, not daring to ask questions.

At this moment, Palace Master Diyue, who had left earlier, returned.

"Here are your identity tokens. Keep them safe. In the outside world, these tokens represent your status as Heavenflame Palace disciples. They also contain your fire point balance," Palace Master Diyue distributed ten tokens to Su Xin and the others.

The tokens were uniquely shaped, resembling a blazing flame.

Upon receiving the token, Su Xin sensed the number inside, indicating he had ten thousand fire points.

"Here are ten Qiankun Rings, one for each of you," Palace Master Diyue handed out ten black rings.

"Qiankun Rings?" Su Xin's eyes lit up.

Qiankun Rings, containing vast spaces within, were storage treasures that only Nirvana Realm experts could craft, extremely precious.

Previously, only Su Baichen, the Patriarch of the Su Family, possessed a Qiankun Ring. Now, as a Heavenflame Palace disciple, each received one.

"Now, I'll take you to your accommodations."

Palace Master Diyue led the ten to a residential area, where they soon arrived.

"There are many residences on the island. You can choose freely, but first, there's something you need to know."

Palace Master Diyue looked at each of them.

"Heavenflame Palace disciples can only cultivate here for a maximum of thirty years. After thirty years, regardless of your strength, you'll undergo a graduation assessment. If you pass, you'll remain a strong figure from Heavenflame Palace, and your family will continue to receive some protection from the palace."

"But if you fail the assessment, Heavenflame Palace will reclaim your identity token, and you'll have no further ties with the palace."

The ten talents were taken aback.

Heavenflame Palace had a graduation assessment?

However, these talents weren't concerned. They were all top-tier talents with immense potential. If they couldn't pass the assessment after thirty years of cultivation in Heavenflame Palace, they might as well give up.

"Additionally, as newcomers to Heavenflame Palace, you'll have six months to improve your strength. After that, you'll be assigned training tasks, which come with fire point rewards."

"And only after completing these tasks will you be eligible to take on other tasks issued by Heavenflame Palace to earn fire points!"

The ten talents listened intently.

Completing tasks to earn fire points...

"That's all you need to know for now. The rest you'll have to discover on your own."

With that, Palace Master Diyue turned and left.