That Bitch

"The Bone Chiling Flame is too powerful. I can't Devour it directly with the Flame Mantra. If I had a low-level Heavenly Flame, I could Devour that first to grow stronger, then Devour the Bone Chiling Flame."

The Flame Mantra was extremely powerful and mysterious. It could advance by Devouring Heavenly Flames, and it could take Heavenly Flames into the body, making them part of oneself and rapidly raising one's Cultivation Level. The problem was that Xiao Yan's body could not withstand the terrifying energy of the Bone Chiling Flame.

To put it plainly, his Cultivation Level was too weak, his body was too weak, and the Bone Chiling Flame's energy was too powerful. Before the Flame Mantra could even circulate and Devour the Heavenly Flame, his own body would be burned away first.

Xiao Yan opened the Heavenly Flame Ranking. He did not know who had written this Heavenly Flame Ranking, but it contained extremely detailed illustrated explanations of the twenty-three kinds of Heavenly Flames on the Dou Qi Continent.

Mysterious Yellow Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Mysterious yellow was the color of heaven and earth. The Mysterious Yellow Flame was born between heaven and earth, where yin and yang clashed. All things mingled and moved in the same wave; mysterious yellow was vast and without substance. Its power was like the suppression of heaven and earth. Once mysterious yellow emerged, it bore a weight of tens of millions.

Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame, ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. The Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame was born in lands brimming with the Life Force of countless beasts. It was born from the combined power of ten thousand beasts, harmonized by the spirits of ten thousand beasts, and its color was like the colors of myriad beasts. It was a Flame that guarded the Life Force and prosperity of all beasts.

Yin-Yang Twin Flame, ranked twenty-first on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was born in the void within the crack between the netherworld and the present world, one black and one white like Yin Yang Twin Fish, swimming through the void. Yin and yang were the laws of nature, the origin that nurtured all things in the world. Born within that origin, the Yin-Yang Twin Flame was filled with the dual powers of life and death. The yang fire saved people and flowed endlessly; the yin fire killed people, leaving not even bones behind.

Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was born in the ancient Netherworld Poison Marsh. After being steeped for tens of millions of years in the poison miasma that blotted out the sky over the poison marsh, the Flame fed on endless poisonous miasma. It gained spirit in a hundred years and took form in a thousand. When fully matured, its color leaned green, and it moved through the miasma of the poison marsh like Ghost Flame. The Netherworld Poison Flame contained deadly poison. As long as one was touched by even a fleeting spark, one would be poisoned. Under normal circumstances it could not be Devoured or used; only the Woeful Poison Body could Devour it.

Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was born deep within the molten earth at the heart of the world, tempered and carved by the fire of the earth over tens of millions of years. It gained spirit in ten years, took form in a hundred, and became a lotus in a thousand. When fully matured, its color leaned azure, and a cluster of green fire was born in the lotus heart. Its name was the Green Lotus Core Flame. This fire's power was unfathomable, and it could control volcanic force, forming the destructive power of nature!

Xiao Yan focused on the introductions of the last five Heavenly Flames. If Xiao Yan wanted to Devour a Heavenly Flame as quickly as possible to raise his strength, then the last five were undoubtedly the best choices.

Although Xiao Yan did not know who had written this Heavenly Flame Ranking, the rankings were arranged according to the strength of the Heavenly Flames.

And Xiao Yan had found a record, or rather a diary, in the Storage Ring. It spoke of the process by which the owner of this Storage Ring had subdued the Bone Chiling Flame. The owner of the Storage Ring had taken a Fifth Grade Pill, the Blood Lotus Pill, and even with his Dou Wang Cultivation Level, he had almost been burned to ash. Only at the last critical instant had he subdued the Bone Chiling Flame.

In other words, if Xiao Yan truly wanted to completely Devour the Bone Chiling Flame with the Flame Mantra, then at the very least he would have to refine a Fifth Grade Pill, the Blood Lotus Pill, and add to that a Dou Wang Cultivation Level before there was any possibility.

The Blood Lotus Pill could form blood scabs inside the human body, protecting both the inside and outside of the body from damage by Flame.

Xiao Yan had always had Ya Fei keep an eye out for the medicinal ingredients needed for the Blood Lotus Pill. In the Storage Ring Ya Fei had given Xiao Yan, apart from a few of the main ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill, all the other supplementary ingredients were complete.

"If I had the Blood Lotus Pill, then to absorb the lowest-ranked Mysterious Yellow Flame, would Dou Ling be enough? Da Dou Shi? No, maybe even a peak Dou Shi would have a chance. After all, there's also a trace of Bone Chiling Flame in my body. If I used that bit of Bone Chiling Flame to protect myself, maybe it could work."

Xiao Yan kept calculating, but very soon, he lay on the ground with a dispirited expression.

"Sigh, a Fifth Grade Pill. Am I supposed to refine that with my head? Right now, I can't even refine a Third Grade Pill." Because Xiao Yan had once witnessed Hun Xuzi's Alchemy technique, he had gained many insights into Alchemy and was already able to refine Tier 2 Pills, but Third Grade Pills were too difficult.

The difficulty did not lie in the refining, but in collecting the materials. In Wutan City, collecting the medicinal ingredients for a Third Grade Pill was truly making things hard for Xiao Yan.

Alchemists were money-devouring beasts. In Alchemy, aside from observing high-level alchemists refining pills to learn, what mattered more was constant refining and summarizing experience from failure. The higher grade the pill, the rarer the medicinal ingredients became. Even with the help of a Heavenly Flame, success was very difficult.

Gathering one set of ingredients for a Third Grade Pill was too hard!

Xiao Yan raised his right hand and looked at the Soul Ring on it. There were now two paths laid out before him. The first was to enter Jia Nan Academy together with Xun Er and the others to study and train, then wait until his Cultivation Level was high enough to directly Devour the Bone Chiling Flame.

As one of the renowned advanced academies on the Dou Qi Continent, Jia Nan Academy was practically a Sacred Land in the hearts of all youths.

Jia Nan Academy was located at the intersection of the Jia Ma Empire and the borders of two nearby great empires. Even in that kind of lawless region, it still held a transcendent status. From this, one could imagine the strength of Jia Nan Academy.

If he had not practiced the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan actually would definitely have entered Jia Nan Academy to train.

And the second path was that Soul Hall token sitting inside the Storage Ring.

Xiao Yan had solved Hun Xuzi's test questions and cured the poison. According to Hun Xuzi's words, he could take that token to the Soul Hall in the Royal Capital.

There were maps and books of the Dou Qi Continent in the Storage Ring, and one section introduced the powers of the Dou Qi Continent: One Palace One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Directions Pavilion. The Soul Hall could be said to be one of the top organizations on the Dou Qi Continent, its sphere of influence spreading across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

But the problem was that the Soul Hall described in the books was more like an evil terrorist organization! They continuously abducted talented alchemists and seized powerful Soul Bodies.

Xiao Yan understood that the reason Hun Xuzi had given him the token was probably also because he had taken a fancy to Xiao Yan's naturally powerful soul and his talent as an alchemist.

Although the Soul Hall was filled with unknown dangers, it could not be denied that if Xiao Yan wanted to obtain information on Heavenly Flames and learn stronger Alchemy, entering the Soul Hall was the best method.

Power was like a knife. How to use that knife was up to the user. Whether it was used to chop people or melons depended entirely on the person wielding it.

"Where am I supposed to find a Heavenly Flame?"

Xiao Yan looked at the sky. It was getting late, so he left the cave.

Just as Xiao Yan returned to the clan gates, by coincidence, he saw a familiar young girl's graceful back standing prettily in the courtyard, looking extremely beautiful.

"Xun Er finally decided to come back."

Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Xun Er turned around and just happened to see Xiao Yan returning from outside. She stuck out her tongue and laughed softly. "I just came back from Secluded Cultivation. The moment Xun Er returned, all I heard was Xiao Yan Gege's glorious history."

What Xun Er was referring to was naturally Xiao Yan refining pills in public and making the two great clans almost go bankrupt without shedding a drop of blood.

"Small stuff. Isn't it just knowing how to refine a few pills? What's so amazing about that?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's punchable expression, Xun Er's laugh was clear and tinkling. "Then congratulations, Xiao Yan Gege. No matter what grade of alchemist you are, or what your Cultivation Level is, Jia Nan Academy will make an exception and admit you. Xiao Yan Gege, you won't even need to take the exam to enter Jia Nan Academy."

At the mention of Jia Nan Academy, a trace of hesitation appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

Xun Er keenly caught it and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Xiao Yan Gege? You don't want to go to Jia Nan Academy for further study?"

"Not exactly. Compared to going to Jia Nan Academy to cultivate Dou Qi, what I want more right now is a Heavenly Flame." Xiao Yan did not hide it. A Heavenly Flame was something every alchemist dreamed of.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xun Er blinked, looked at Xiao Yan, and said, "If it's a Heavenly Flame, Jia Nan Academy has one. Did Xiao Yu Tangjie not tell you?"

???

(0-0)(◇)?

ヽ(｀Д)︵┻━┻┻━┻ "That bitch!!!"