Cultivation knew no years. In the blink of an eye, two and a half years had passed.
Throughout those two and a half years, the outside world had heard no word of Ling Xi.
As the younger generation gradually left the space opened up by the Pill Tower, Ling Xi was the only one still training inside.
As time went by, even the people at the Pill Tower had nearly forgotten about him.
After all, no one would keep thinking about a boy whose strength was only that of a Dou Master.
Before the spatial passage leading to the space opened up by the Pill Tower, an old man with a head of white hair and a face full of age stood waiting, gazing expectantly.
The guards stationed around the passage would sneak glances at the old man from time to time, but none of them dared disturb him.
"Pfft!"
A soft sound rang out, and ripples spread across the spatial passage.
The next moment, a figure suddenly shot out of the passage.
"Teacher, what brings you here in person?"
Only after hearing the voice, tinged with surprise, did the people around them get a clear look at the figure who had shot out of the passage.
The tall, straight-backed youth wore a rugged coat made from the hide of some unknown Magical Beast.
The skin exposed beneath it was no longer as fair and luminous as before, but instead had a healthy wheat-brown tan.
Yet even this wild attire could not conceal the youth's exceptionally handsome features.
Two and a half years of hardship had worn away his youthful softness, revealing a face with sharply chiseled features.
"Not bad. Very good!"
Ling You looked Ling Xi up and down, making no effort to hide his satisfaction.
He reached out and ruffled Ling Xi's disheveled black hair, which fell to his shoulders, then nodded slightly.
"It seems you didn't waste your time training these past two years. I never expected you to reach the level of a five-star Da Dou Shi in such a short time."
With Ling You's strength, he could tell Ling Xi's current Dou Qi level at a glance.
Before entering the space opened up by the Pill Tower to train, Ling Xi had only recently broken through to the Dou Master level.
Yet in just two and a half years, he had advanced by one and a half major levels, reaching the strength of a five-star Da Dou Shi.
A wisp of Dou Qi slipped from Ling You's fingertip into Ling Xi's body. He sensed it for a moment, and the delight on his face only grew.
"Such a solid foundation, such refined Dou Qi. You're already far beyond other Da Dou Shi at the same level... Hmm?"
Ling You's expression abruptly changed, and he fell silent.
With a wave of his hand, he whisked Ling Xi away.
Ling Xi's vision blurred. By the time he came to his senses, he was back in his room at the Pill Tower.
He looked around at the surroundings, which had grown somewhat unfamiliar. Before he could say anything, Ling You spoke from beside him.
"When I examined your foundation just now, I sensed a scorching heat in your dantian. It seems to be tempering the Dou Qi in your body constantly."
Ling You's expression was complicated.
"Could it be... you refined a Heavenly Flame?"
Ling Xi pressed his lips together without answering and simply held out his right hand to Ling You.
A dark red flame suddenly appeared in Ling Xi's palm. Its heat made the space above his hand warp ever so slightly.
Most astonishingly, the flame kept changing into all sorts of Magical Beast shapes in his palm.
"The twenty-second-ranked Heavenly Flame, Myriad Beast Spirit Fire..."
As an Eighth-grade Alchemist, Ling You recognized the Heavenly Flame in Ling Xi's hand at a glance.
"Tell me, then. What happened?"
"Teacher, I came across the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire by chance in the space opened up by the Pill Tower. Then I used the Blood Lotus Pill and the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to completely refine it."
Seeing Ling You's faintly furrowed brow, Ling Xi couldn't help asking,
"Teacher, I refined a Heavenly Flame. So why do you look unhappy?"
"You were just too impatient!"
Ling You tapped Ling Xi on the forehead several times, his tone carrying an emotion that was hard to describe.
"Your talent in cultivation and alchemy is the greatest I've ever seen among the younger generation."
"You'll surpass me by far one day. Reaching the Saint Realm won't be difficult for you."
He paused, then let out a heavy sigh.
"Although the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire is a Heavenly Flame, it ranks only twenty-second. That's too low for you."
"Actually, I'd much rather you had sought the ninth-ranked Heavenly Flame, the Three Thousand Burning Flame, sealed by the Pill Tower in the starry sky."
"Although the Three Thousand Burning Flame is incredibly violent, and even Xuan Kongzi and the others couldn't subdue it, I believe you would have been able to handle it in the future."
"But now you've already refined the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire... What a pity."
Every Heavenly Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking had been born from the energies of heaven and earth, but the twenty-second-ranked Myriad Beast Spirit Fire was nowhere near a match for the ninth-ranked Three Thousand Burning Flame.
"Teacher, does refining one Heavenly Flame mean I can't refine a second?"
Ling Xi showed no sign of regret.
"Did spending two and a half years in the space opened up by the Pill Tower muddle your brain?"
Hearing this, Ling You couldn't help rapping Ling Xi on the head twice.
"Heavenly Flames are among the most violent forces in this world. When two of them meet, it's like boiling oil catching fire."
"Even if you were lucky enough to survive, the best outcome would be severe injury and near death."
Never mind Heavenly Flames—even Beast Flames couldn't coexist. It was common knowledge among Alchemists.
Of course, some Alchemists refused to believe that common knowledge. They all ended up playing with fire and getting burned.
"Teacher, is there really no way at all?"
Ling Xi blinked at Ling You, seeking confirmation once more.
"Well..."
This time, Ling You didn't answer immediately. He furrowed his brow and thought it over.
After a moment, Ling You slowly spoke.
"Well... there are exceptions."
"If someone had reached an extremely high level of control over Heavenly Flames and possessed great strength, they might be able to fuse two of them."
"The head of the Yan Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans alongside the Ling Clan, supposedly fused two of his Heavenly Flames through his strength and control over fire."
"But that method is incredibly difficult and dangerous."
Ling You paused, a trace of nostalgia passing through his eyes.
"There's another way: a cultivation technique... Back then, that old bastard Yao Chen found a fragment of an unnamed technique in an ancient ruin."
"According to him, the technique had the ability to devour and fuse Heavenly Flames."
After a pause, a trace of anger appeared on Ling You's face.
"I wanted to borrow it at the time, but that old bastard refused."
"And now look: he died, and took the technique with him to his grave."
"That old bastard... What a pity."
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