Sudden Change!

The next day, inside the Bamboo House in the Ancient Saint Mountain Range.

Looking at Xun'er sprawled on the bed with drool still trickling from her mouth, Yun Xi's lips twitched as he muttered, "This girl... why does she seem different from last night...?"

"Mm~~~" The little girl on the bed let out a soft hum and slowly opened her eyes. A ray of morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon Xun'er's face, making her star-like eyes appear even more beautiful.

Xun'er stared blankly at the figure by her bedside and froze. A moment later, a clear cry burst from her little mouth.

"Ah!!!"

Yun Xi instantly froze.

Along a tree-lined path.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to..." Xun'er said with a miserable expression.

If anyone else had been nearby, they would have seen a baffling sight: the young lady of the Gu Clan was... apologizing to herself?!

"Yun Xi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Xun'er was still apologizing. After all, anyone would be startled upon opening their eyes to see someone floating beside their bed.

If Xun'er's spiritual power entered her body right now, she would surely see this scene: a white-robed man with a livid expression squatting in a corner, drawing circles on the ground with a twig.

Yun Xi: Damn it, a big shot like me from the Heavenly Profound Continent was actually frightened by a little girl?! Even an army of thousands couldn't do anything to me, yet a seven-year-old girl managed to scare me??

Yun Xi was not boasting about that.

He had once been one of the strongest experts on the Heavenly Profound Continent. With a single spear, he had slaughtered his way through the entire Ancient Sect. Even the various guardians and Elders joining forces could not stop him for even half a step!

Such an achievement gave rise to a tale across the continent: the White-Robed Spear God, the man who slaughtered an entire sect alone.

"Xun... wait, we'll talk later. I'll conceal my aura first. Your father is here."

As soon as he spoke, space twisted, and Gu Yuan slowly stepped out from within.

Seeing Gu Yuan before her, Xun'er was startled at first and was just about to warn Yun Xi when he reacted even faster.

Seeing Xun'er looking somewhat nervous, Gu Yuan asked, "Girl, did you hide something from me last night?"

At those words, the nervousness on her tender little face seemed ready to spill over.

"N-No!" Xun'er said stubbornly.

"No?" Gu Yuan looked at Xun'er with lingering suspicion, but then said seriously, "If there truly isn't anything, then forget it. However, you had just accepted the Strange Flame Inheritance yesterday, and by nightfall, you were exhausted from overusing your soul power. The Great Elder and I discussed it, and we will join forces to help you refine the Heavenly Flame. After all, the Heavenly Flame is still the fourth-ranked Heaven and Earth Strange Flame."

"Alright, Father." Xun'er blinked and replied seriously. Then she followed Gu Yuan into the Space Crack.

Ancient Clan Ancestral Hall.

Several Elders sat cross-legged in a circle. The massive formation beneath them emitted a faint glow, while smaller formations were inscribed within it. At the very center of the formation, Xun'er blinked her large eyes as she curiously observed the ancestral hall.

"This formation is remarkably intricate, though it seems to share some similarities with the spirit formations of our continent." Yun Xi observed the formation through Xun'er's eyes.

Hearing Yun Xi's voice, Xun'er brightened. "Yun Xi? Weren't you afraid my father and the others would discover you? Why have you come out again?"

"It's fine, not a big problem. They're adjusting the formation right now, so they won't notice me."

"Oh, right, I still have so many questions to ask you..." Xun'er spoke eagerly, then suddenly froze in place.

When Xun'er, who had been chattering nonstop, suddenly fell silent, Yun Xi asked in confusion, "Xun'er? What's wrong?"

At that moment, in the Ancient Clan Ancestral Hall.

"Xun'er? Xun'er!" Gu Yuan's doubts deepened as he watched Xun'er standing within the formation, her eyes vacant while she continued muttering to herself.

After he called out several times, her eyes finally regained their focus. Yet the moment she looked up and met Gu Yuan's questioning gaze, her back instantly straightened, and she grew nervous again.

"W-What is it, Father?"

"Nothing. Are you ready? The refinement is about to begin."

"I-I'm ready."

The formation activated, and its light instantly engulfed the entire ancestral hall. Xun'er's spiritual power entered her body once more.

The sight before her left Xun'er utterly shocked. Her entire Dantian had turned golden, and all nine points of light had been dyed with a layer of golden flames.

Her gaze shifted toward the source of the Heavenly Flame. Yun Xi was sitting atop it, while a tiny flame dragon affectionately coiled around his slender finger.

"Yun Xi, this young lady is here again, hehe." Looking at Yun Xi atop the flames, Xun'er returned to her usual playful self.

Yun Xi remained silent as he looked at Xun'er. With a flick of his finger, the flame dragon dispersed. One tall and one small, the two gazed at each other. Xun'er's eyes were full of confusion, while Yun Xi's were filled with tenderness and a trace of regret.

"What's wrong with you? Did you go stupid?" Xun'er could not help asking.

"I am essentially your Heavenly Flame. Refining the Heavenly Flame is equivalent to refining me. Once you refine it, I may disappear from this world..."

Her mind went blank. Looking into Yun Xi's gentle, watery eyes, Xun'er's eyes reddened, her nose stung, and tears unconsciously streamed down her cheeks.

She did not even know why she was crying.

"W-Why? Yun Xi, you're teasing me, right?" Xun'er forced a bitter smile.

Though they had only known each other for a short time, there seemed to be an innate sense of trust between them. Just as when Yun Xi told her not to reveal his existence to Gu Yuan, she had agreed before she even had time to think about it. It had felt perfectly natural.

In her eyes, she had already come to regard this well-dressed, dignified, and unfathomable man as an older brother. Yet now, such terrible news had suddenly arrived, and she simply could not accept it.

Although Xun'er was mature for her age and possessed manners and bearing that children her age lacked, she was still only a seven-year-old child.

"Don't cry, don't cry. The awakening formation has activated. The flames are about to go berserk, so listen to me now."

"Xun'er, I'm truly happy to have met you. Though we've known each other for only a short time, I've truly felt a happiness I've never had before. It may be sudden, but I still hope you can remember..." Before he could finish, Yun Xi was swallowed by a mass of golden flames.

The instant he was consumed, the entire Heavenly Flame began to rage. An enormous surge of energy slowly flowed into Xun'er's eight extraordinary meridians.

Looking at the man who vanished before finishing his words, Xun'er involuntarily began to cry. Lost in her grief, she did not notice the abnormal change in the Heavenly Flame at all.

Wherever the golden flames flowed, countless meridians within her body seemed to let out cries of exhilaration. As the flames passed through them, the original color of her meridians gradually faded, replaced by a noble gold.

Her physical body also grew tougher under the tempering of the Heavenly Flame. Every inch of muscle and every stretch of meridian seemed to undergo rebirth, possessing energy far surpassing what had originally existed within her body.

Ancient Clan Ancestral Hall.

"Suppress it quickly! Miss's bloodline is of extremely high quality, so she is unaffected by the Heavenly Flame, but the other disciples of the clan cannot withstand such energy!" the Great Elder roared.

Boom!

As soon as he spoke, flames surged. Golden fire flooded the sky, and flame dragons charged like unbridled wild horses at everyone present.

"Suppress it with all your strength!"

Multicolored Dou Qi erupted forth, attempting to suppress the chaotic situation, yet it could only slow the speed of its eruption.

Bang!

The ancestral hall collapsed. Massive stones flew everywhere as the golden flames grew increasingly immense. Gu Yuan and the Elders were like a lone leafboat upon the sea, on the verge of capsizing.

Looking at the vacant-eyed girl at the center of the flames, Gu Yuan frantically erupted with Dou Qi, intending to rush over and save her.

Who would have thought that his actions would provoke the Heavenly Flame even further?

Just as the flames were about to erupt completely, a soft sigh entered Xun'er's ears at the center of the formation.

"You little girl."