Refining Flame (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Follow-ups)

With the small talk out of the way, they began the real task.

Xu Haoyu looked at the white flame burning atop the Magical Core, his little face solemn. He raised his right hand, pressed his joined index and middle fingers to his brow, then drew them outward.

His soul perception surged forth and wrapped around the cluster of white flame. Then, Xu Haoyu formed the Flame Control Hand Seals used in alchemy.

To refine a flame, one naturally had to first subdue it. For an ownerless flame such as Beast Flame, as long as one could leave a Soul Imprint within it, one could control it and even safely absorb it into one's body.

As Xu Haoyu guided his soul perception deeper into the flame, the flame, though mindless, instinctively resisted.

With a sputter, the flame burned more and more fiercely, wantonly scorching Xu Haoyu's Soul Strength. The searing heat made him feel as though he were trapped in a sea of fire.

Xu Haoyu's expression changed. The scorching heat caused him immense pain, and he immediately changed his hand seals. His soul perception began to spin, wrapping the flame airtight within it and doing everything possible to suppress its heat, preventing it from spreading freely.

Xu Haoyu then entered into a tug-of-war with the flame. This flame was the Origin Flame of the peak sixth-tier magical beast, the Blazing Heavenly Flame Tiger. Though it was only a small flame ignited atop its Magical Core by its Heart Blood Essence, its quality was still extraordinarily high, making it far from easy to refine.

Xu Haoyu slowly dragged things out, using his soul perception to saturate it as much as possible, allowing this mindless, ownerless flame to gradually adapt to his Soul Strength.

This was not a Heavenly Flame. The moment a Heavenly Flame truly took shape, it possessed the beginnings of intelligence, which was why its resistance was so fierce.

A Beast Flame's resistance was merely instinctive. As long as it was lightly saturated until their auras became similar, that resistance would naturally cease.

Sure enough, once the flame became tainted with Xu Haoyu's soul aura, its resistance gradually weakened. A cluster of white flame swayed lonely atop the Magical Core.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Haoyu launched a fierce assault with his soul perception. The white flame no longer resisted, flickering brightly and dimly as it allowed him to do as he pleased.

Before long, after his soul perception had moved in and out of the white flame, leaving behind an imprint, Xu Haoyu gained absolute control over it.

A smile spread across his face. Xu Haoyu extended his right hand toward the white flame.

"Come here!"

In an instant, the flame left the Magical Core. Like a flame spirit, it leaped into Xu Haoyu's hand. Suppressed by his soul perception, its temperature was not particularly high and instead gave off a warm feeling.

But without the Magical Core to provide energy, the white flame quickly weakened. Immediately afterward, Xu Haoyu infused it with his Fire Wood Dou Qi.

With a sputter, the white flame blazed vigorously once more. With Xu Haoyu supplying it with energy, his control over the white flame also improved greatly.

A tangible flame!

Xu Haoyu's face brimmed with delight. Only a Dou Ling expert or a Fourth-Rank Alchemist could create a tangible flame directly without using a medicinal cauldron.

Now that he could do the same, Xu Haoyu confidently declared, "Grandfather, once I become proficient in using this flame, I'm highly confident that I'll be able to refine Rank 4 Pills and become a Fourth-Rank Alchemist."

Hearing this, Xu Tianlong sighed with both pride and satisfaction. "Good. I believe in my good grandson. Hehe, a ten-year-old Fourth-Rank Alchemist—if word got out, who knows how many jaws would drop."

Xu Haoyu was also quite satisfied with his own talent. Looking at the flame in his palm, he suddenly smiled. "This tiny flame really consumes quite a lot of Dou Qi. But my greatest advantage is my abundant Dou Qi. I'm not afraid of you consuming too much—I'm only afraid you won't be powerful enough."

Then Xu Haoyu raised his hand and directly stuffed the white flame in his palm into his mouth, swallowing it.

The flame was quite peculiar. After entering Xu Haoyu's body, it transformed from fire into a stream of white energy, entering his Meridians at his throat.

It flowed through his Meridians all the way to his dantian, but at that moment, the vortex within his dantian suddenly grew restless.

Perhaps because this white energy had not been cultivated by Xu Haoyu himself, but was instead the Blazing Heavenly Flame Tiger's refined Origin Flame.

To the vortex, it was an alien energy that could not be absorbed, immediately provoking its intent to resist.

Rumble!

The vortex spun faster and faster. The liquid energy filling it seemed to boil, and the liquid energy that had already shown signs of gathering together actually began to condense on its own under this stimulation.

Xu Haoyu froze for a moment, but immediately realized what was happening. The opportunity to break through was right before him—how could he possibly let it slip away?

He quickly said, "Grandfather, protect me. I feel like I'm about to break through."

After saying that, Xu Haoyu immediately sat cross-legged, released his soul perception, and guided the white energy to transform back into a tangible flame.

With a sputter, the white energy transformed into white flame. As it swayed, it seemed almost to be provoking the vortex.

Sure enough, as if stimulated, the vortex spun ever faster, even letting out a low whine. Under its influence, the liquid energy within the vortex was compressed bit by bit. Barring any surprises, once all the liquid energy transformed into a solid Dou Crystal, it would be the moment he advanced from a Dou Master to a Da Dou Shi.

At the same time, a powerful suction force emerged around Xu Haoyu's body, continuously absorbing Heaven and Earth Energy. After being refined into Dou Qi, it replenished the vortex's expenditure.

Seeing all this, Xu Tianlong's eyes shone brightly with excitement. He stored the Magical Core and blood essence in his Storage Ring, seriously guarding Xu Haoyu while saying in delighted amazement, "Hahaha, my good grandson has the potential to become a Dou Venerable! After advancing to the Dou Zhe realm, he broke through to Dou Master in half a year and to Da Dou Shi in one year. Breaking through is as easy for him as eating and drinking! And he won't merely become a top expert—he'll also become a top alchemist!"

As he said this, Xu Tianlong's face was full of certainty, as though he could already see the day Xu Haoyu became both a top expert and a top alchemist.

At this moment, Xu Haoyu's advancement had also reached a critical stage. Within his vortex, the viscous liquid energy, like mercury slurry, had been continuously compressed until only a fist-sized mass remained. It had already taken the rudimentary shape of a Dou Crystal.

Seeing this, Xu Haoyu's resolve hardened. Through his soul perception, he continued increasing the vortex's speed, exerting even greater pressure upon the embryonic Dou Crystal in hopes of making it truly take shape.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The vortex's wail had reached its limit. Once it surpassed that limit, it exploded outright, and surging energy swept through Xu Haoyu's body—his Meridians, Four Limbs and Skeletal Structure, Five Viscera and Six Bowels...

Under the impact of that energy, Xu Haoyu's mind trembled violently, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

It was as if something had shattered. Every aperture in Xu Haoyu's body opened, and the suction force of every pore increased by more than tenfold. A storm formed above his head, drawing in an endless stream of Heaven and Earth Energy and pouring it into his body.

Riding that momentum, Xu Haoyu's Dou Crystal finally took complete shape. The fist-sized Seven-Colored Dou Crystal gave off an incomparable sense of abundance, power, and strength.

"Phew..."

Xu Haoyu let out a comfortable groan. Now, he had gained two new abilities: Dou Qi Emission and Dou Qi Armor, both unique abilities of a Da Dou Shi.