'It'

Afterward, Xiao Zhan and the two elders discussed Xiao Yan with complicated expressions, placing him back on the list alongside the family's promising seeds.

Third Elder was absent. According to news passed around by the clan disciples who had been present, he had accidentally mobilized the Dou Qi within his body when his jaw dropped in shock, causing a streak of Dou Qi to slash a large bloody gash across the left side of his face.

Of course, that was merely a joke among the younger generation. It was fine to listen to, but not to take seriously.

Perhaps because of that very thought, the mild-tempered Third Elder himself had not stepped forward to clarify matters.

Xiao Family, Xiao Manor

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere of the Xiao Family, the once relatively tranquil spring scenery now carried a touch of heat. The formerly shy green sprouts had emerged as well, freely displaying spring's unique charm.

With the matter settled, Xiao Yan was clearly in an excellent mood. Beneath an ancient tree, he stretched his body, sending his black hair, which had grown considerably longer during his arduous training, swaying around his gradually maturing, handsome face and lending him an air of carefree elegance.

"The formal Coming-of-Age Ceremony is still a month away. I won't be attending it. When are we leaving?"

Having passed the preliminary test before the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the ceremony itself was no longer so much a test to him as a collection of cumbersome formalities. It would take time and effort; he might as well leave early to train and gain experience.

In his eyes, that bit of honor was not worth even a spark from a Heavenly Flame.

"Instead of asking when we're leaving, shouldn't you first ask where we're going?"

Old Man Yao's voice rang out as his figure materialized. He said irritably, "Impulsive! The moment you heard there was news of a Heavenly Flame, you forgot all the preparations you needed to make. Did you throw away the mentality you developed through all that training just to show off in front of others?"

Hun Ruoruo giggled. Old Man Yao had appeared at exactly the right time. The moment Xiao Yan got carried away, he was bound to get scolded.

Still, that did save her quite a bit of effort.

If she had been the one to say those things, she did not know how much she would have had to beat around the bush. This was a matter of great importance, so it was better to leave it to the proper person.

After being lectured, Xiao Yan scratched his head in embarrassment. He had clearly realized that he had briefly gotten carried away.

Old Man Yao said, "This concerns a Heavenly Flame, and far too many things are perilous. There are some matters I need to discuss with Ruoruo. Listen from the side. Remember, memorize as much as you can. Even if you cannot understand it, do not cast it aside. It will be of some help when you become an Alchemist in the future."

Alchemist.

Of course, Xiao Yan had not forgotten that he was about to become an Alchemist. It was simply that family matters had been too busy recently, so he had temporarily set it aside. Picking it back up now was not a bad thing.

With a humble attitude and a desire to learn, he shifted back slightly, leaving the space for conversation to the two of them.

Seeing Old Man Yao's serious demeanor, Hun Ruoruo knew she could not hide anything from him. She simply spoke frankly. "Senior Old Man Yao, are you worried about whether Xiao Yan can absorb a Heavenly Flame?"

Her tone did not change, as though she did not consider this to be particularly difficult.

Old Man Yao was quite surprised. Frowning deeply, he said, "It would be understandable if that boy did not know the power of Heavenly Flames, but with your discernment, you should not make such a rash decision. Even with his foundation, trying to absorb a Heavenly Flame at the Dou Zhe level is probably utterly impossible."

"Even the weakest Heavenly Flame could easily burn him to ashes."

Having absorbed a Heavenly Flame himself, Old Man Yao knew best the heart-devouring, body-scorching agony produced during refinement. That hellish sensation still left him fearful whenever he recalled it, even now.

At this moment, Old Man Yao felt that the girl was being somewhat too idealistic. Having never refined a Heavenly Flame herself, she clearly could not understand the many dangers involved, so misjudgment was inevitable.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression turned somewhat ugly as well. He immediately realized that he had underestimated the difficulty of refining a Heavenly Flame.

A Dou Zhe could not refine a Heavenly Flame?

If he could not devour a Heavenly Flame, then the Fierce Heaven Art's level would become a burden to him for a long time. Though he had already been prepared for this, he still found the situation rather grave.

Even so, Xiao Yan did not interrupt. He chose to continue listening.

While speaking, Old Man Yao had not neglected to observe Xiao Yan. Seeing that the youth could still remain calm, he secretly nodded.

His temperament had indeed improved considerably, but...

He sighed and continued speaking to Hun Ruoruo. "This may be somewhat discouraging to the two of you, but to devour a Heavenly Flame, one must at least possess the cultivation of a Dou Shi or above. And that is only with all the necessary materials prepared. Without sufficient medicinal pills and rare treasures, even a Dou Ling would likely struggle."

"What if he refines a child flame?"

"A child flame?"

Old Man Yao froze, clearly not expecting such an answer.

As a young sprout split from a Heavenly Flame, a child flame inherited most of the Heavenly Flame's effects. Yet because the Fire Seed was weak, it did not possess such terrifying and unmatched power.

As the Fierce Heaven Art's initial target for devouring, it was an excellent choice.

However, obtaining a child flame often required a Heavenly Flame to split on its own, or for someone who controlled one to expend a portion of its origin to condense it. Either method was clearly something one could only hope to encounter by chance.

Suddenly, Old Man Yao recalled the Soul Clan intelligence Hun Ruoruo had previously shared with him. Ripples spread across his ethereal body as he suppressed his delight and said—

"Could it be?"

"That's right. I happen to have a child flame of 'It'."

Hun Ruoruo's gaze became incomparably bewitching. She licked the corner of her lips, as though she had made some mad decision.

"You can calculate the chances of success. With the effects of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, supplemented by a fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill, a Sixth-grade Earth Spirit Pill, and a Soul Clearing Pill to keep his mind from being devoured by 'It'..."

Since she had decided to help him all the way, her personality would naturally not allow her to hold back any longer. The Void Child Flame would just sit there otherwise; she might as well let Xiao Yan refine and absorb it, allowing the Fierce Heaven Art to evolve sooner.

As long as Xiao Yan became strong enough, then no matter how things changed afterward, with her there, they might not be unable to withstand it.

Thus, before Old Man Yao's somewhat astonished gaze, Hun Ruoruo rattled off the formulas for numerous medicinal pills and how they could be used together. She was so thoroughly familiar with them that she was likely more proficient than most Alchemists.

Unfortunately, her Dou Qi attribute was far too unsuitable, cutting off that path for her.

Old Man Yao nodded repeatedly. "Girl, when it comes to combining medicinal ingredients related to Soul Force, even I have gained quite a bit from you. Calculating it this way, the chance of success is actually as high as thirty percent."

"Thirty percent?!"

Xiao Yan, who was busy committing everything to memory, had not yet figured out which Heavenly Flame 'It' referred to before he was abruptly choked by those words.

"A thirty percent chance can be described as 'as high as'?"

"What?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's shocked expression, Old Man Yao teased, "Have you forgotten all those grand words you said earlier? Devouring a Heavenly Flame has always been a nine-in-ten chance of death. If Ruoruo had not prepared so thoroughly for you, forget thirty percent—you would not even have one percent."

"Then what does Teacher mean?"

"I was merely worried before. Since the problem has now been resolved, I naturally will not interfere with the agreement between the two of you."

With that, regardless of Xiao Yan's reaction, he swiftly turned into mist and slipped into the ring, leaving only a long-drawn-out sentence echoing behind him.

"There is no backing out of what you have promised. Hurry and think through, then prepare everything you need before departing. Come to think of it, this is your first time traveling far from home, isn't it? Hahaha—"

"That damned Old Man."

Old Man Yao seemed not to have finished speaking, but Xiao Yan could understand what he meant. He looked up at the girl reclining on the stone bench and could not help but say, "Ruoruo."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Xiao Yan's feelings were incredibly complicated, but in the end, they only turned into a single word of thanks.

"Rather than thanking me, Third Young Master, why not think about how you'll explain this to Master Xiao?" The girl's voice was sweet and cloying, her tone carrying a relaxed laziness.

"There won't be a problem with Father. He has always refrained from meddling too much in my affairs."

Xiao Yan had more or less grown accustomed to her extremely strange way of addressing him. There was no point telling her to stop since she would not change, so he could only let her be.

"Does that count as free-range parenting?"

"Haha, perhaps you could put it that way."

"Ah, come to think of it, Master Xiao really is a good father."

Hun Ruoruo's gaze suddenly became distant as she said something Xiao Yan could not make heads or tails of.