Fusion, Crimson Lotus Beast Fire

He used all his Dou Qi to protect his meridians, while the Pulse Protecting Pill, Ice Heart Pill, and Cold Ginseng Pill continuously suppressed the flames.

Finally, after half an hour, under Xiao Heng's guidance, the White Lotus Fire completed its first major circulation along the route of the Ascension Art.

Feeling the faint connection he had formed with the White Lotus Fire, Xiao Heng finally let out a sigh of relief.

He tossed several more pills into his mouth, and their warm energy began restoring his Dou Qi and damaged body.

With a bitter smile, Xiao Heng continued guiding that wisp of flame through its circulation.

The flame was still scorching, but it had gradually begun to calm. The protection the three pills provided Xiao Heng was now nearly nonexistent. From this point on, he could only rely on his own Dou Qi to protect himself.

Guided by Xiao Heng's mind, the flame circulated again and again along the route of the Ascension Art. Finally, after the thirteenth cycle, the fire completely settled down.

Looking at his utterly battered body, Xiao Heng felt like crying without tears. Again? It hurt so much!

The Exotic Flame stopped within his Qi Sea, quiet and still. It had developed intelligence, though not much. It vaguely sensed that the silvery-white point of light over there was dangerous. But it was no longer up to it.

Xiao Heng drew upon the few remaining drops of red liquid in his Qi Sea, converting them into energy. He wrapped that wisp of white flame within it and pushed it toward the silvery-white point of light.

It wanted to resist, yet it did not seem all that inclined to resist. Besides, it had no energy left. It could only be dragged unwillingly before that gleam of light, then pushed inside.

Feeling the White Lotus Fire enter the Spirit Gathering Ring, Xiao Heng finally relaxed.

However, an even more serious problem followed immediately. The moment the White Lotus Fire entered the Spirit Gathering Ring, it began fighting the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame, and the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame clearly did not welcome this guest either.

The two flames collided, and the terrifying heat that erupted made Xiao Heng's already battered body even weaker.

Blood ran from the corner of Xiao Heng's mouth. Wiping it away, he finally understood why one could not possess multiple flames at once. But things had already come to this, and there was no turning back. He could only continue.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fusion!"

On the system panel, his Heavenly Dao Points decreased by two. Xiao Heng had known about this long ago, so he was not surprised.

As the Heavenly Dao Points vanished, a stream of gray energy entered Xiao Heng's Qi Sea, then flowed into the Spirit Gathering Ring. It positioned itself between the two Exotic Flames before beginning to spread toward them.

Strangely enough, the spreading gray energy did not provoke attacks from either Exotic Flame. Instead, it calmed them down. It was like two brothers fighting over a toy, only for their mother to arrive.

Though it was only a wisp of energy, it quickly enveloped both Exotic Flames. Then, the two flames began to make contact.

This time, their contact did not erupt into conflict. Instead, it was unusually peaceful. Their flames intermingled, exchanged with one another, and slowly fused into a brand-new flame.

The progress bar on the panel reached one hundred, and at the instant the fusion was completed, a vermilion flame appeared.

The newly formed Exotic Flame was shaped like a lotus and colored vermilion, much lighter than the original Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame.

The moment he saw the lotus, a smile immediately appeared on Xiao Heng's face.

"Hahaha, it worked! It finally worked!"

Unfortunately, his smile quickly twisted. The energy released by the newly formed Exotic Flame began reforging his body, and the agony of Exotic Flame Body Tempering struck once more.

"Damn it, I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

Without time to complain further, Xiao Heng hurriedly began circulating his cultivation art again, refining the incoming flames and energy.

Both Exotic Flames had already been refined by him, so they would not harm him. But the sensation of Exotic Flame Body Tempering was no less painful than before. Vermilion flames scorched every inch of his skin while using energy to repair the damaged areas.

Watching the sun rise more than halfway above the horizon, Xiao Yi Xian was filled with anxiety. Although the flames inside had already begun to die down in the latter half of the night, Xiao Heng still had not come out. She did not dare enter carelessly and could only stand guard outside the cave, waiting anxiously.

Touching his hair, which had once again disappeared, Xiao Heng gave a bitter smile.

"I'd better wait until my hair grows back before leaving!"

In truth, he also needed some time to adapt again. That round of Exotic Flame Body Tempering had raised him by another star. He had only broken through a few days ago, yet he had already reached six-star Dou Shi. At this rate, by the time he returned to Wutan City, he would probably have broken through to Da Dou Shi.

Clenching his right hand in the air, Xiao Heng summoned a vermilion fire lotus into his palm. A smile slowly spread across his face, and then he laughed louder and louder. Only after a long while did Xiao Heng gradually calm down. Raising the flame, he said, "I'll call you the Crimson Lotus Beast Fire!"

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Xiao Heng walked out of the cave. The moment Xiao Yi Xian saw him emerge, she immediately ran over and checked him here and there, making Xiao Heng feel a little embarrassed.

"Hey! Even if you want to take advantage of me, you don't need to be this blatant!"

Xiao Yi Xian lowered Xiao Heng's hand after confirming that he was unharmed, then shot him a glance. "Who's taking advantage of you? Dream on. I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed."

Watching Xiao Yi Xian's departing figure, Xiao Heng smiled. She seemed much cuter than she had been in the original story, more like a little girl. But that was good. He liked this version of Xiao Yi Xian.

With a soft smile, Xiao Heng realized that he seemed to have suddenly fallen in love with this world. Not because of any particular person, nor because of any particular event, but because he possessed the power to change certain things. Even though he was still weak, he believed that one day, he would become strong.

He liked this feeling. In this life, he had been lucky enough to gain the qualification to succeed through hard work.

The next day!

Xiao Heng sat atop a large boulder high in the valley, breathing in and out the energy of heaven and earth.

Exotic Flame Body Tempering had purified the Dou Qi within his body once more and allowed him to break through to six-star Dou Shi. He needed to become familiar with this power again.

"Food's ready!"

Within the valley, stalks of verdant medicinal herbs grew vigorously, as though the blazing sun outside had nothing to do with this place.

A girl dressed in a white dress and pink embroidered shoes tossed the last seasoning into the pot, then called out to the young man cultivating at the top of the valley.

Xiao Yi Xian brought out the bowls and chopsticks, pursed her lips, and said in a rather sarcastic tone, "Some people sure have it easy. All they do all day is cultivate. They've never cooked a single meal or washed a single bowl. What a comfortable life."

Picking up his bowl, Xiao Heng first shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, then shamelessly praised her, "Isn't that why I have you? What do you need me for? Your cooking is so good—it'd be a waste if you didn't cook!"

Xiao Yi Xian puffed out her cheeks and muttered softly, "You sure know how to talk. If it weren't for me, you'd probably starve to death."

Xiao Heng sighed inwardly. "I'll do the dishes. From now on, I'll do the dishes every day."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at him in delighted surprise, her eyes shining.

"Really? You said it. No taking it back."

Xiao Heng laughed helplessly. This girl had really gone to great lengths just to make him do the dishes. Still, he could only agree. Though he really did not want to wash dishes, he could only say, "I definitely won't go back on my word. I promise I'll wash the dishes every day."

Only then did Xiao Yi Xian grin. She had long since stopped wanting to wash dishes. Before this, she had tried all sorts of ways to get Xiao Heng to do them, but unfortunately, she had ended up doing them herself most of the time. Finally, no more dishwashing. Yay!

She looked as though her scheme had succeeded, then immediately put on an act of generosity. "Fine! Then I'll reluctantly accept!"

This little girl was becoming harder and harder to deal with. But that was fine. There was not much time left, so they could make the most of it and spend more time together. After this parting, who knew how long it would be before they met again? Given her personality, she probably would not leave with him. Thinking of this, Xiao Heng could not help letting out a soft sigh.

Hearing Xiao Heng sigh, Xiao Yi Xian turned her head and asked warily, "Are you thinking of going back on your word?"

"Can I?" Xiao Heng widened his eyes, trying to struggle one last time.

"Hehe! In your dreams!"

A tough guy wept. You could make him cook, but you absolutely could not make him wash dishes. He had always especially hated washing dishes. Who would have thought that even after transmigrating, he would still have to suffer like this? Heavens! Open your eyes and look!

The heavens did not answer him. Instead, they mocked him as though he had suffered some enormous injustice. Xiao Heng pursed his lips in disappointment.

"Oh! Okay."

Only then did Xiao Yi Xian nod in satisfaction. "Alright, then eat!"

With the mindset of turning grief and indignation into appetite, Xiao Heng ate two more large bowls.

The way the two got along had changed greatly from the beginning. From being strangers at first, to gradually becoming familiar with each other, to now having no reservations at all.

They had both shown their most childish sides in front of the other. Perhaps because they were about to part ways, they cherished the time they had left even more...

"Xiao Heng, you're here!" Bear One and Bear Two were much more enthusiastic toward Xiao Heng now. Mainly because Bear Two's breakthrough to the fifth tier had a great deal to do with Xiao Heng, so the two bears had grown much fonder of him. The moment Xiao Heng appeared, Bear Two ran over.

Xiao Heng forcefully held back Bear Two's enthusiasm. It was not that he was unwilling; it was just Bear Two... well, that was hard to put into words. Ever since Bear Two had nearly hugged him hard enough to break his bones last time, he had not dared let Bear Two get close to him so casually. Besides, a bear four or five meters tall hugging a human man just over 1.7 meters tall was something he really could not accept. If Xiao Yi Xian wanted to hug him like that, though, there would definitely be no problem.

Bear Two did not mind being rejected by Xiao Heng. "Thank you, Xiao Heng!"

Xiao Heng shook his head carelessly. "Bear One obviously taught you that. No need to thank me. Just help me find more medicinal herbs in the future."

He patted Bear Two's arm. With Bear Two's personality, he definitely would not say something like that. Still, Earth Stone Bears really did have incredibly strong bodies. Their fur was quite soft too. Mm! Not bad!

He did not dare pet a Dou Wang-level bear for too long. After briefly satisfying his urge, he said to Bear One beside him, "I'll probably leave the Monster Mountain Range in about a month. Are you coming with me, or staying here?"

Having two Fifth-tier Magical Beasts by his side would be quite nice. Their presence would greatly improve the safety of the journey. But it did not matter if they did not come with him.

Before Bear One could speak, Bear Two said excitedly, "We're going out? I want to go! I want to go!"

Ignoring his foolish younger brother, Bear One thought for a moment before saying, "Let Bear Two go out with you. He's already broken through to the fifth tier, so he's strong enough to protect you. Besides, he's always wanted to leave the Monster Mountain Range and take a look."

Bear One was clearly much steadier than Bear Two. If Bear Two's intelligence was roughly that of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old, then Bear One's was that of someone in their twenties or thirties. He had seen many things, and he thought far more deeply.

Hearing Bear One tell him to go out, Bear Two became much more excited. But then he grew dejected again. "Bear One, aren't you coming with us?"

Although Bear One often hit him, he still did not want to be separated from Bear One.

Bear One shook his head. "I'm not going. But when you go out, protect Xiao Heng well. And remember to listen to Xiao Heng."

Bear Two nodded, seriously considering whether he should go, then said dejectedly, "Then maybe I shouldn't go either."

Bear One looked at his foolish younger brother and continued, "Haven't you always wanted to go out and see the world? This is the perfect opportunity. I'll be at ease if you follow Xiao Heng. And you must protect Xiao Heng well."

Bear Two still wanted to say something, but before he could, Bear One added, "It's decided."

Seeing that Bear Two was still somewhat downcast, Xiao Heng smiled. "Don't worry, we won't be gone for long. And if you miss Bear One, you can always come back anytime."

Hearing that, Bear Two became happy again. Right, he could come back whenever he wanted.

Xiao Heng had come today mainly to continue training. This matter had merely been incidental. So he once again asked to spar with Bear Two.

Bear One said, "Bear Two just broke through and still can't control his strength properly. I'll spar with you instead."

Xiao Heng nodded. However, the following battle was much more difficult than before. In his previous fights, he could barely break through Bear Two's defenses, but against Bear One, he had no way to do so at all. Moreover, Bear One's combat experience was far beyond Bear Two's.