Torch Flame Tempering Dao, Heavenly Immortal Peak

Xuanwei's consciousness drifted between endless darkness and the illusion of scattered bonfires.

He felt as if he had become one of those frail figures passing on the torch flame, experiencing their despair, their struggles, and the unyielding will to survive and unity that erupted from the depths of their desperation. The faint Mysterious Yellow Spark was no longer an external force but began a slow, firm integration with his own Immortal Qi origin, the heaviness of Wutu Earth, the vitality of Wood Element, and even that trace of Chaos tolerance.

In the Immortal Nourishing Pool, the San Xiao sisters were astonished to find that Xuanwei's origin, which had been on the verge of collapse, was not recovering slowly as they had anticipated under the nourishment of the pool water and the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper. Instead, it was absorbing all energy with an incomprehensible greed!

Even stranger, the Mysterious Yellow Spark at the core of his origin acted like a miniature furnace, refining the absorbed spiritual energy, medicinal properties, and even the Immortal Essence supplemented by the San Xiao sisters, making them purer and imprinting them with that unique "Torch Flame" essence before feeding them back into his damaged Immortal Qi body.

Under the nourishment of this peculiar energy, which contained tenacious life and the belief of civilization, the originally ferocious cracks began to heal and mend at a visible rate. The newly formed parts became even tougher and more translucent, faintly emitting a warm, Mysterious Yellow luster!

[Detected unknown energy "Humanity's Torch Flame" deeply integrating with host's origin!]

[Host's origin is being refined and reorganized by the power of "Torch Flame"! Quality upgrade! Toughness greatly enhanced!]

[Energy level rapidly recovering... 30%... 40%... 50%...]

[Chaos Heaven-Opening Art stimulated by "Torch Flame" essence, automatically deducing and optimizing, body tempering efficiency increased by 300%!]

[Remnant Seed of Jianmu absorbing "Torch Flame" power, growth accelerated, feeding back more pure Wood Element Chaos vitality!]

The System's prompts echoed like a joyful symphony in Xuanwei's hazy consciousness.

He felt like a piece of iron thrown into divine fire, undergoing countless refinements, impurities purged, and its foundation reshaped! The pain was still there, but within that pain lay the exhilaration of rebirth and the joy of growing strength!

After an unknown amount of time, perhaps only three to five days, Xuanwei's tightly closed "eyes" suddenly snapped open!

His pupils no longer held the clear, pure light of Immortal Qi but a Mysterious Yellow Star Fire, deep yet tinged with a warm firmness!

He abruptly rose from the Immortal Nourishing Pool (his Immortal Qi condensing into form), his aura erupting outwards! It was no longer the superficial early Heavenly Immortal stage from before, but directly surpassing the middle Heavenly Immortal stage, firmly standing at the peak of Heavenly Immortal! He was now only a step away from the True Immortal realm!

His Immortal Qi body was no longer simply pure white or a chaotic green-yellow, but a chaotic color imbued with Mysterious Yellow starlight, heavy, majestic, infinitely vital, and carrying an indescribable, tenacious Dao Rhyme that seemed capable of carrying civilization and passing down the torch flame!

"Peak Heavenly Immortal?! How... how is this possible?!" Bixiao exclaimed first, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief. Only a few days? From the verge of origin collapse to peak Heavenly Immortal? Even riding a flying sword wouldn't be this fast!

Qiongxiao also covered her lips, her eyes shining with wonder: "Junior Brother Xuanwei... how do you feel?"

Even Yunxiao, who was usually cold, was slightly moved. She could clearly sense that Xuanwei's cultivation had not only surged but the qualitative change in his origin was astonishing! It was a new origin, fused with the characteristics of multiple supreme powers, something she had never seen before!

Feeling the surging power within him, far exceeding his previous strength, and the "Torch Flame" power perfectly integrated and obedient to his will, Xuanwei felt a surge of heroism. He bowed deeply to the San Xiao sisters again: "Thank you, Senior Sisters, for saving my life once more, and for helping me turn misfortune into fortune and comprehend this new power!"

This time, his gratitude was heartfelt. Without the excellent healing environment of the Three Immortal Island and the San Xiao sisters' full assistance, he would never have recovered so quickly, let alone coincidentally triggered and integrated this sliver of Humanity's Torch Flame.

Yunxiao waved her hand, looking at him with deep eyes: "This is your own destiny and fortune. This new power within you... is extremely mysterious, seemingly related to the collective will of all beings, yet more fundamental. Fortune lies in misfortune, and though this power is strong, it can also easily make you a target. Be mindful."

"Disciple remembers Senior Sister's teachings." Xuanwei nodded solemnly. He understood Yunxiao's meaning; the Humanity's Torch Flame represented the future, but it also implied change and challenge, inevitably provoking those with vested interests (such as the Heavenly Court, or powerful beings who viewed mortals as ants).

"By the way, Senior Sister, that fragment from the Nine Nether Demon Domain..." Xuanwei remembered the important matter.

Yunxiao's expression turned serious: "I have already sent word to Master. This matter involves an ancient Demon Lord and is no small affair. Master will decide. Your injuries have healed, and your cultivation has greatly advanced. You may return to Golden Ao Island to consolidate. The sermon at Biyou Palace is imminent; do not miss it."

Xuanwei knew Yunxiao was protecting him, not wanting him to get any more deeply involved. He nodded in agreement: "Yes, disciple will return now."

After bidding farewell to the San Xiao sisters, Xuanwei took flight. This time, his speed far surpassed his arrival. As immortal light streaked past, faint Mysterious Yellow Star Fire flowed, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

Upon returning to the Medicine Garden behind Golden Ao Island, Xuanwei immediately activated all the restrictions and began a closed-door cultivation to consolidate his power.

He first familiarized himself with the power of peak Heavenly Immortal and the application of the "Torch Flame" power. He discovered that the Torch Flame power had infinite uses. Not only could it accelerate his own cultivation and purify negative energy, but it could also greatly enhance his spiritual plant cultivation!

He attempted to infuse a trace of Torch Flame power into the nurturing of an ordinary Spirit-Nourishing Grass. As a result, the Spirit-Nourishing Grass not only matured instantly but its quality underwent a transformation. Its leaves naturally developed faint, mysterious patterns, and the spiritual energy it contained had the effect of calming the mind, soothing the spirit, and inspiring wisdom! This had already surpassed the scope of ordinary spirit grass!

"This... this is turning grass into treasure?!" Xuanwei was both surprised and delighted. With this skill, why worry about Contribution Points? Why worry about resources?

More importantly, he could feel that when he used the Torch Flame power to cultivate spiritual plants and promote their growth and evolution, the faint "Torch Flame" itself seemed to receive a minuscule, yet real and undeniable, feedback and strengthening! It was as if his actions, by aligning with some "promoting civilization's progress" and "benefiting all beings" Great Dao, had received tacit approval from the unseen!

"Giving a man a fish feeds him for a day; teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime... This Torch Flame, perhaps it encourages 'creation' and 'inheritance'?" Xuanwei mused thoughtfully.

Next, he began testing the new changes in the Chaos Bead.

As his cultivation increased and the Torch Flame power integrated, the repair progress of the Chaos Bead quietly rose to 5.5%! The Chaos Domain expanded to a diameter of fifteen zhang, with longer duration and greater power! The mustard seed space also expanded to a diameter of six li, with a time flow rate of up to 1:18!

With a thought, he entered the Chaos Bead space.

The space was still hazy, but in the central area, the Remnant Seed of Jianmu, after absorbing Chaos Qi and Torch Flame power, had grown from a seedling state into a sapling about a foot tall! It was emerald green, its leaves naturally inscribed with Chaos Dao patterns, exuding a rich Chaos Wood Element vitality. Around the sapling, a small patch of vibrant spiritual soil had even evolved on its own.

And the dormant core fragment of the Chaos Bead, attached to Yang Mei's remnant soul, seemed to have solidified slightly after being brushed by the Torch Flame power, its transmitted thoughts no longer so intermittent: "Little friend... fortunate... deep... this fire... very good... may... accelerate... my... recovery..."

Xuanwei's heart stirred, and he attempted to guide a trace of Torch Flame power towards the core fragment.

Buzz!

The fragment trembled slightly, as if a parched land receiving timely rain. Its absorption efficiency was even higher than when absorbing Chaos Qi! Yang Mei's remnant soul also transmitted a comfortable thought.

"It seems this Torch Flame power is also highly effective in repairing fragmented souls!" Xuanwei was overjoyed. This was equivalent to another means of accelerating Yang Mei's recovery.

After dealing with his own changes, Xuanwei began to plan his next steps.

There was still some time before the sermon at Biyou Palace, and he had to use this time to improve his strength as much as possible. Peak Heavenly Immortal was not enough! He needed at least True Immortal combat power to have some self-preservation ability in the future storms.

He decided to tackle it from two angles:

First, utilize the mustard seed space and time difference of the Chaos Bead to cultivate madly! One day in the outside world was eighteen days inside! This was his greatest advantage!

Second, take on a large number of high-Contribution Point tasks, especially those involving cultivating high-year, high-quality spiritual medicines. This would allow him to earn resources for exchange, and also practice and strengthen the Torch Flame power.

No sooner said than done!

His main body remained in the Medicine Garden, maintaining normal external activities and accepting tasks. However, the vast majority of his consciousness sank into the Chaos Bead's mustard seed space, utilizing the time flow difference to begin a frantic closed-door cultivation!

Supreme Pure Immortal Method, Chaos Heaven-Opening Art, Azure Emperor Longevity Art (incomplete), comprehending the wonders of the Torch Flame, practicing the coordination of Supreme Pure Divine Thunder and Chaos Domain...

Under the accelerated time, his cultivation consolidated and advanced at an astonishing speed! His comprehension of various divine abilities and cultivation methods deepened rapidly!

Concurrently, the "High-End Spiritual Plant Customization" service he publicly offered quickly gained renown. The spiritual plants cultivated by his hand far surpassed ordinary quality, even possessing special effects, drawing countless Intercepting Sect disciples like a moth to a flame. Contribution Points flowed into his coffers like water.

Thus, he simultaneously served as the Intercepting Sect's renowned "Spiritual Plant Master" and, under the cheat of time, underwent arduous cultivation far beyond ordinary people's imagination.

However, just as he entered seclusion, believing he could safely pass this period, a storm targeting him was quietly brewing within Golden Ao Island.

On this day, having just cultivated the "Supreme Pure Divine Thunder" to the minor accomplishment stage within the Chaos Bead, his consciousness returned to his main body. As he prepared to deliver a batch of pre-ordered "Thousand-Year Jade Marrow Grape," an anxious telepathic message from Senior Brother Ma Sui arrived from outside the Medicine Garden:

"Junior Brother Xuanwei! Come out quickly! This is bad! People from the Enforcement Hall are here, saying you've been privately cultivating forbidden demonic arts and harming the vitality of fellow disciples' spiritual plants. They want to question you!"

Xuanwei's eyes snapped open, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Demonic arts? Harming spiritual plant vitality?" He instantly thought of the glowing cocoon gestating beneath his medicine garden, and the effects of his Torch Flame cultivation that far exceeded common sense.

Was someone jealous and framing him? Or... was that scoundrel Ling Xiao, with his persistent ill intentions, secretly causing trouble?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, tidied his robes (Immortal Qi coalescing), and calmly walked out of the medicine garden.

Outside the medicine garden, several disciples in Enforcement Hall attire, with stern expressions, were surrounding a middle-aged Daoist with a rigid face and sharp eyes. Standing beside the middle-aged Daoist was Ling Xiao, a sneer on his face, his eyes filled with schadenfreude and malice!