Female Protagonist Assistance System

Chapter 64 : . Heading to the Inner Court

Looking at the Red Lotus Karmic Fire before her, Xiao Han let out a sigh of relief.

"Absorb it. I'll keep watch for you," she said.

Although they were due to head to the Inner Court in a few days, Gu Xun'er had already experienced absorbing Heterogeneous Flames twice before. Presumably, this time shouldn't take too long.

"What Heterogeneous Flame is this?" Gu Xun'er asked curiously. "It looks similar to the Green Lotus Core Flame."

Xiao Han replied, "This is the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, ranked eighth on the Heterogeneous Flame list."

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Gu Xun'er's eyes. She hadn't expected her Senior Sister to be so impressive, able to accurately locate a sealed Heterogeneous Flame among the many treasures in the Library Archive.

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Gu Xun'er exclaimed excitedly.

Xiao Han, however, shook her head and said, "No need to thank me, understand?"

Gu Xun'er obediently nodded, her eyes darting around before she leaned in and kissed Xiao Han's lips.

Xiao Han raised her hand to hold the back of Gu Xun'er's head, deepening the kiss.

After a while, the two parted.

Xiao Han licked her lips, feeling somewhat regretful. If Gu Xun'er didn't need to hurry and absorb the Red Lotus Karmic Fire before entering the Inner Court, she could have spent some quality time with her girlfriend.

Never mind, there would be plenty of time in the future.

Having experienced absorbing Heterogeneous Flames twice before, Gu Xun'er sat cross-legged and took a Blood Lotus Pill.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Xun'er looked at the Red Lotus Karmic Fire in front of her, then at Xiao Han who was keeping watch for her. She pursed her lips and began refining the Heterogeneous Flame.

The process of refining a Heterogeneous Flame was quite noisy, but fortunately, with Xiao Han present, those attracted by the commotion were intimidated by the terrifying high-level Dou Zun pressure Xiao Han released.

Due to her previous experiences absorbing Heterogeneous Flames, coupled with Gu Xun'er's current strength being higher than before, this absorption process went smoothly without any dangers. It only took two days to completely refine the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

Gu Xun'er slowly opened her eyes, a flash of deep red light passing through her pupils. She lightly raised her delicate hand, and three types of flames appeared before her.

Golden, green, and deep red.

Xiao Han nodded and said, "Not bad."

Gu Xun'er's smile deepened. She stood up and threw herself into Xiao Han's arms. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Xiao Han embraced Gu Xun'er in return, affectionately pinching her nose lightly, and said, "How many times have I told you, no need to thank me."

Gu Xun'er nuzzled against Xiao Han and said playfully, "I just want to say it."

Xiao Han felt somewhat helpless: "You..."

The two didn't talk for long. Xiao Han looked up at the sky and said, "Let's go. Today is the day we enter the Inner Court."

"Alright."

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When Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er arrived in front of Vice Principal Hu Qian's study, they saw that quite a few people were already standing in the open space before the door.

As Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er arrived, the area fell silent for a moment. Many people looked at the two with reverence. Of course, not everyone did; at least Bai Shan and Xiao Yan's gazes towards Xiao Han were not particularly friendly.

Xiao Han ignored all the gazes, expressionlessly pulling Gu Xun'er forward.

At this time, the area outside the open space was also filled with many other students. In the hearts of all Outer Court students, being able to enter the Inner Court for cultivation was an extremely enviable honor. Countless people had been working towards this goal since entering the academy. Therefore, every year when the students who passed the selection competition entered the Inner Court, many people would come to see them off and observe.

"Where have you two been? Why are you only coming now? I thought you weren't coming," Hu Jia pouted, speaking to the two.

"We had some things to attend to, which delayed us a bit," Gu Xun'er explained with a light laugh.

Hu Jia nodded and didn't inquire further.

About ten minutes after Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er arrived, the closed study door finally opened. Vice Principal Hu Qian and several elders slowly walked out. Upon seeing their appearance, the whispers in the entire open space gradually quieted down, and after a moment, it became completely silent.

Hu Qian's gaze slowly swept over the fifty or so students in the open space. Seeing that no one was absent, he nodded with satisfaction, stepped forward, and said in a loud voice, "Students, today is the day you enter the Inner Court. I'd like to congratulate you here. Your long-term efforts have finally paid off. I believe that after entering the Inner Court, you might find it difficult to adapt to the cultivation methods there at first. However, there's one thing I'm certain of: you'll be able to maximize your potential there."

"The Inner Court is the core area of Jia Nan Academy. Due to its confidentiality, most Outer Court students and instructors don't know its exact location. Therefore, we will send you to a certain place," Hu Qian smiled and looked up at the azure sky in the distance. There, ten black shadows were flying towards them. After a moment, the black shadows gradually grew larger, revealing themselves to be ten enormous Griffin beasts.

The ten Griffins cast huge shadows as they flew over the academy, finally stopping in the air above where Xiao Han and the others were. As their wings flapped, gusts of wind surged, causing some students below to struggle to maintain their balance.

Hu Qian waved at the Griffins in the sky, and then the shadows pressed down to the ground. Finally, amidst the blowing wind, the ten Griffins landed not far from the open space. The crowd's gaze swept over them, discovering that on each Griffin's back were two people controlling them.

"Alright, it's time. Students, please board them, five people per group," Hu Qian pointed and smiled as he saw the Griffins descend.

Hearing Hu Qian's words, the students in the open space immediately turned and rushed towards the Griffins. With a series of rustling sounds, these people eagerly climbed onto the Griffins' broad backs. However, the Griffins' feathers were very slippery, and when many of them set foot on the backs, they fell off due to instability.

"Haha, youngsters, don't be rash. There are seats installed on the Griffins. Don't try to stand on their backs; that's an ability only Dou Great Masters possess," Hu Qian laughed loudly, then turned his head towards Xiao Han and the others, saying, "Top five, you five are in the same team. Go on up."

Xiao Han nodded calmly, then pulled Gu Xun'er along. Their figures flickered, and in the next second, they appeared on the Griffin's back.

Witnessing Xiao Han's speed, those who had fallen off showed reverence in their eyes.

After Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er, Xiao Mei and the others also flashed up simultaneously. All three of them stood straight on the Griffin's back without using any external aid.

Hu Qian and the several elders beside him surveyed the open space. When they saw that everyone had boarded the Griffins, they exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Hu Qian waved his hand, and three elders moved, flashing up into the air. Their shoulders shook, and four pairs of brilliant Dou Qi wings extended from their backs. The wings vibrated slightly, and their figures hovered motionless in the air above the open space, under the envious gazes of many.

"On this journey, we will personally escort you," Hu Qian smiled, looking down at the open space below. He waved his hand, and the people controlling the Griffins below let out a sharp whistle. Immediately, the Griffins' wings shook vigorously, and their huge bodies slowly rose into the air, accompanied by the shrinking shadows left on the ground.

"Xiao Han, Xun'er, Mei'er, do your best! If you perform well in the Inner Court, you can have holidays," a voice suddenly came from below as the Griffins took to the air. Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er looked down and saw it was Instructor Ruo Lin. Beside her, Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning, and others were also looking up at the rising group of Griffins. Seeing Xiao Han and the others looking down, they smiled and waved.

"Goodbye, Instructor! Goodbye, Sister Yu! Goodbye, Xiao Ning!" Xiao Mei waved her hand, loudly bidding farewell to her loved ones.

As the Griffins' wings flapped rapidly, the figures below became smaller and smaller, until finally, they looked like ants. From this high altitude, one could almost take in the entire Jia Nan Academy at a glance.

In the azure sky, ten huge Griffins flapped their wings, flying over the seemingly endless mountain range behind the academy. Outside the Griffins, Hu Qian and the three elders formed a square, surrounding the entire Griffin formation. Powerful Dou Qi appeared outside their bodies, unmoved by even the fiercest winds.

"Do you know what's special about the Inner Court?" Gu Xun'er turned her head towards Hu Jia and the others, taking the initiative to break the rigid atmosphere. Since the Vice Principal had them on the same Griffin, it meant they were already a team, and the relationship among the five of them was quite good, with no friction existing between them.

"Grandfather never mentions anything about the Inner Court to me, so I'm not too clear. But anyway, every time I see students coming out of the Inner Court, they're much stronger than before," Hu Jia shrugged and said.

"I don't know either. I rarely pay attention to these things," Wu Hao also shook his head. As a battle maniac, he usually spent most of his time hunting down people from the Black Corner Region who mistakenly intruded into Jia Nan Academy, leaving little time to care about the Inner Court.

Xiao Mei thought for a moment and said, "I heard Senior Sister Hun Jin mention that there's something called a Qi Gathering Tower in the Inner Court, which can refine Dou Qi and accelerate cultivation."

Hearing this, except for Xiao Han, everyone else turned their gaze to her.

"Qi Gathering Tower? Sounds very advanced," Hu Jia elbowed Xiao Mei, asking curiously, "What's it like?"

Xiao Mei shook her head and said, "I don't know anything else. Senior Sister Hun Jin didn't tell me much."

"Hun Jin..." Hu Jia rubbed her chin, "Why does this name sound familiar?"

Xiao Mei glanced at her: "She's a senior student in the Inner Court."

Hu Jia thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why the name sounded familiar, so she gave up thinking about it.

It wasn't anything important anyway.

The vast forest was filled with various Magical Beasts. Every so often, ferocious Magical Beasts would burst out from the forest, roaring at the Griffin formation in the sky.

Occasionally, some flying Magical Beasts would give chase, but whenever these Magical Beasts approached within a hundred meters of the formation, they would be intimidated by the powerful aura emanating from Hu Qian and the other three, retreating in fear.

However, this wasn't always the case. In this vast, endless mountain range, Magical Beasts were extremely dense, and naturally, there were some terrifyingly powerful beings among them. Therefore, half an hour after the flying formation entered the back mountains of Jia Nan Academy, powerful Magical Beasts began to ignore the pressure from Hu Qian and the others, forcefully charging towards the Griffin formation. At this point, Hu Qian and the three elders began to demonstrate their awe-inspiring strength.

As they flew along, all sorts of fierce Magical Beasts surged forward in waves, but not a single one could break through the blockade formed by Hu Qian and the other three.

After this near-brutal collision had continued for nearly an hour, the Griffin formation's flying speed finally began to slow down gradually. Sensing the deceleration, Xiao Han's gaze swept forward, but she found that except for a bottomless mountain ravine below their feet, everywhere else was still an endless sea of green. Forget about the Inner Court; there wasn't even a single human figure in sight.

"What's going on?"

Gu Xun'er and the others exchanged puzzled glances. Except for Xiao Han, who already knew the plot, everyone else looked confused.

"Descend!"