Three days passed. Xiang Shaoyun did not manage to comprehend the profundity of flame, but he was reaching the edge of it. He had a sensation he needed something more to take that final step forward, as there were a few times when he attempted to take the final step yet was pushed away.

However, he did not act with undue haste. Instead, he stopped his meditation session. He could sense a group of people heading toward him. There were about 30 people in the group, led by a third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. This was a decently powerful group.

When Xiang Shaoyun swept his gaze over, he found that he could not recognize any of their faces. They did not seem like Di Alliance members. Rather, they were probably members of a different faction.

"Here to look for trouble?" Xiang Shaoyun said with a sigh.

Competition was stiff in the Flame Mountains. The numerous genius disciples would fight each other for cultivation spots and flame spirits. All that was for the sake of obtaining more cultivation resources.

Hence, Xiang Shaoyun wasn't surprised that trouble was coming his way. With great vigor, the group arrived halfway up the mountain. They saw Xiang Shaoyun standing on a certain boulder. As the wind blew on him, his sleeves fluttered about. His presence was ethereal as if he was an immortal exuding the supreme bearing of a young tyrant. 

He did not even spare them a glance. His gaze was focused at the distance, his face calm, as if everything was already within his grasp and unworthy of his attention. This sight of him caused the group to stop in their tracks.

They had a sensation that Xiang Shaoyun seemed to have become one with the world. It was as if he was the master of this place, and everything here was under his control. Nobody would be able to disobey him within this zone of control. They did not know why they would have such a feeling, but they knew it was a thought they had to discard. Only then would they be able to advance.

The leader shouted, "Xiang Shaoyun, get lost if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

This was a group of neutral disciples that had not joined any factions. Even this grouping was temporary, having been created due to someone's instigation. 

Xiang Shaoyun finally lowered his head and looked at them. Using his fingers as a sword, he lightly slashed at the air.

Swish!

A fiery crack then appeared ahead of him. It was clear and visible to the eye.

"Cross the flame line, and you die," Xiang Shaoyun declared.

As he spoke, a presence of dragon and tiger unfurled from him. Instantly, an unrivaled aura engulfed his surroundings and suppressed the disciples around him.

A suffocating sensation assaulted the disciples as if a sharp blade was hanging above their heads. So long as they resist, the sharp blade would drop and pierce their skulls, killing them without a burial ground. At the same time, the pressure also felt like the will of a dreadful monarch, one that caused them to not even dare to think of resisting. Numerous proud heads were lowered.

Of the genius disciples who had arrived with much fanfare, half of them had lost the will to fight and started considering retreat. A part of them was still able to persist, but their belief had still been shaken, and their will had weakened. Only the leader still maintained a clear mind, but the pressure Xiang Shaoyun was exerting on them was truly quite massive.

"I refuse to believe you're really that strong!" one of them suddenly roared as he gritted his teeth and stepped over the flame line.

The moment he did so, a mighty power erupted from the flame line. He was prepared for the incoming trouble as he focused all his power into his lower body to push the eruption back into the ground.

However, the fiery eruption contained the power Xiang Shaoyun had comprehended during the past few days. It now carried a slight trace of the power of the profundity of flame. Coupled with their environment, the flame line erupted with a might that an ordinary person could not stop.

"AHHH!"

The person mustered all his strength only to fail at suppressing the fiery eruption. His entire body ignited, and he wailed in pain. Like an artillery shell, he was sent flying, and he crashed not far away. There, he flailed and rolled, trying to extinguish the flame engulfing his body.

He himself was a flame cultivator. He had initially believed he could absorb the flame covering his body, but he found that there was some sort of power within the flame, an inextinguishable power that made it hard for him to escape.

When the others saw, they went to help him. Only after great difficulty did they manage to extinguish the flame. But by then, he was barely alive. His entire body was scorched black, his body riddled with terrifying wounds that gripped one's heart.

Those who were more experienced knew instantly Xiang Shaoyun had a unique flame. One of them exclaimed, "T-this is the power of the profundity of flame! One of its traits is being incredibly hard to extinguish!"

The words caused everyone's expressions to change. They were all genius cultivators, and for them to be able to join the Dragon Phoenix Academy signified that they were among the best in the world.

However, even they had yet to start comprehending the profundity of flame, but Xiang Shaoyun had accomplished just that. The gap between them was now clear for all to see.

Furthermore, the might Xiang Shaoyun displayed had gone beyond their imagination. He was only a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivation, yet a random flame he left on the ground was enough to cripple one of their leaders, a third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. It was obvious his strength was far beyond them.

It was no wonder he was so confident. A few of them still wanted to try challenging Xiang Shaoyun, but they gave up after some hesitation. Offending someone like him would only make things difficult for them in the academy.

One of them was an oddity. Standing before the flame line, he looked at Xiang Shaoyun with a fanatical gaze and said, "Young Master Xiang, I am Wang Ziyu. I wish to join the Overlord Legion. Please accept me."

Wang Ziyu was also one of their leaders, and he was a mid third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. He had a decent talent in cultivation. Someone like him was strong enough to climb the Jiao Luan List. What he did caused several people to look at him with contempt before they turned to leave. They felt insulted just to be standing together with someone like Wang Ziyu.

However, some thought differently. Like Wang Ziyu, they expressed a desire to join the Overlord Legion.

"Young Master Xiang, please give me a chance. I am willing to join the Overlord Legion...to fight for the glory of the legion!"

"Young Master Xiang, I did not come to offend you. In truth, I am here to ask for a chance to enter the Overlord Legion and dominate the academy alongside you!"

"From the very first time I saw you, I have been greatly attracted by your magnificence. You are the greatest monarch in my heart. Please, accept the offering of my knees!"

"Overlord, please accept me. I will definitely work with great devotion!"