Battle Through the Heavens: Obtaining the Extraction System at the Start

Fortunately, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was extremely familiar with this place. Before the undercurrents arrived, it could always find the most suitable routes to sneak through, and Xiao Ling, following closely behind it, took the opportunity to smoothly evade those magma currents.

In this fiery red world, there seemed to be no other living creatures besides the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. It was no wonder. The conditions for survival here were simply too harsh. If not for an exotic beast like the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, which survived by devouring magma, other Magical Beasts without such racial talents could never move freely through a place like this without being affected in the slightest.

As he continued sneaking toward what seemed like the endless bottom of the magma, even with the protection of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Xiao Ling could vaguely sense that the temperature outside was constantly rising.

Noticing this, Xiao Ling revealed a delighted expression. The higher the temperature, the closer he was to the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Xiao Ling looked around at the bluish magma surrounding him, then impatiently shouted to the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake ahead, "Swim faster. I'll give you something tasty later."

Hearing Xiao Ling's urging, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had no choice but to obey. The frequency of its body's writhing increased, and its diving speed suddenly surged.

Xiao Ling took out a pill that replenished Dou Qi from his Ring and swallowed it. The small amount of Dou Qi he had expended quickly recovered, and his body turned into a streak of golden light as he accelerated after the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

As the magma became increasingly blue and the temperature rose ever higher, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in front of Xiao Ling stopped writhing and nodded at him.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling, who had been following behind it, knew they had reached their destination. He first took out a pill and tossed it into the snake's mouth, then fixed his gaze on the object emitting a brilliant blue glow in the distance.

Blue light enveloped this patch of magma. Xiao Ling focused his eyes and vaguely saw that within the blue radiance stood a delicate blue lotus.

Staring at the blue lotus, Xiao Ling muttered, "Green Lotus Core Flame, I finally found you."

The Green Lotus Core Flame ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was born in the depths of the earth and underwent countless temperings, fusions, compressions, and carvings by the earth's fire... It gained spirituality after ten years, took shape after a hundred years, and became a lotus after a thousand years. Upon reaching Mastery, its color leaned toward blue, and a cluster of blue fire emerged from the lotus heart. It was called the Green Lotus Flame, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame. Its power was unfathomable. Near volcanic regions, it could even trigger volcanic eruptions, forming a destructive force of nature!

That information flashed rapidly through his mind, and Xiao Ling smiled in delight. Though he had known in advance that the Green Lotus Core Flame was in this Underground Magma World, seeing it with his own eyes still filled him with intense excitement.

"Hiss..." Beside him, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake let out a sharp cry. Xiao Ling turned to look and found that its enormous eyes were gazing at the mass of blue light with faint fear, while its huge body trembled slightly.

No longer paying attention to the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, Xiao Ling stepped forward and headed directly toward the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Before long, a thin blue membrane appeared before him. Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Ling entered it.

When his body entered the blue radiance, the expected scorching heat did not arrive. Instead, the temperature around him strangely dropped considerably.

Xiao Ling quickly swept his gaze around the area before finally stopping on the blue lotus in the center.

The blue lotus had eight petals. Its eight blue leaves were as flawless as the most perfect natural blue jade. At a glance, they appeared crystalline and translucent, making one reluctant to put them down.

Within the lotus seemed to be a small lotus platform about two or three feet across. Dots of fluorescent light shone from several holes on the platform. They were likely lotus seeds condensed from the purest Fire Attribute energy.

Below the blue lotus was an extremely slender root stalk over ten meters long. Dense, tiny tendrils covered its surface. As those tendrils swayed, Xiao Ling could clearly sense that they were madly absorbing the violent Fire Attribute energy from the surrounding magma with near-greedy hunger.

The blue lotus floated in the boundless magma like duckweed drifting across the sea. If not for the Fire Spirit Snake leading the way this time, then with Xiao Ling's abilities, even if he searched for ten days or half a month, he would never have found such a relatively tiny blue lotus within this vast region.

The closer Xiao Ling came to the blue lotus, the more he could sense its breathtaking beauty. Something so nearly perfect could probably only be created through the tempering of time and nature.

Carefully avoiding the swaying root tendrils, Xiao Ling slowly arrived above the green lotus and looked into the lotus platform.

At the center of the small lotus platform was a fist-sized hole. A flame shaped like a blue lotus quietly floated within it.

Looking at the Green Lotus Core Flame quietly floating above the lotus platform, Xiao Ling let out a breath of relief. "Good thing this lotus platform is keeping it under control. Otherwise, taking away this Green Lotus Core Flame would take quite a bit of effort."

After confirming that nothing unusual had happened, Xiao Ling took out the Jade Ruler he had prepared long ago from his Ring.

Gripping the Jade Ruler, Xiao Ling carefully swam toward the green lotus and lightly sliced the section where the lotus seat connected to the root stalk. Instantly, the perfect green lotus, like a work of art, detached and fell.

Seeing the green lotus fall, Xiao Ling quickly beckoned, drawing it toward himself and making it float before him as it slowly rotated.

Grasping the root section of the lotus seat, Xiao Ling moved his mind and stored the lotus seat along with the Green Lotus Core Flame atop it into the System Space.

As the lotus seat and Green Lotus Core Flame were taken away by Xiao Ling, the surrounding blue radiance instantly dispersed, returning everything to its former crimson-red hue.

Xiao Ling looked back at the remaining section of root stalk and thought, Perhaps after another thousand years, this place may give birth to another Green Lotus Core Flame. But that will have nothing to do with me. For now, I need to leave quickly and find a place to devour the Green Lotus Core Flame to increase my cultivation.

Arriving beside the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, Xiao Ling called out to it and followed behind it as they hurried back in the direction they had come from.

"Why hasn't Xiao Ling come out yet? Could something have happened?" At the entrance of the passage, Zi Yan stared at the lava lake that had been silent for so long. Her emotions, which had just calmed down, gradually became anxious once more. Her brows were tightly furrowed as she paced back and forth impatiently.

"Big Sister Zi Yan, don't worry. I received a message from the Fire Spirit Snake. Young Master is on his way back and hasn't run into any trouble." Beside her, Qing Lin slightly opened her eyes. A dark glint flashed through her jade-green pupils as she raised her little face and softly spoke to Zi Yan, who was pacing back and forth.

"Splash..." As soon as Qing Lin finished speaking, the sound of something breaking through water rang out through the cavern once more. Zi Yan hurriedly turned her gaze toward the magma and saw Xiao Ling's figure, enveloped in crimson-gold flames, slowly enter her sight.

"Whew..."

Breaking through the surface of the viscous magma, Xiao Ling let out a long breath. He raised his head to look at Zi Yan and Qing Lin above him, waved at them, then stomped hard against the magma. His body shot upward. As he neared midair, his back trembled, and Dou Qi transformed into wings. With a slight flap, he gracefully leaped onto the passage.

As his feet stepped onto solid ground, the crimson-gold flames around Xiao Ling's body gradually withdrew into him, while the Dou Qi Wings behind him turned into particles of energy and dispersed into the air.

Seeing Xiao Ling return safely, Zi Yan and Qing Lin both crowded around him and asked about what had happened.

Looking at Xiao Ling's empty hands, Zi Yan curiously asked, "Xiao Ling, didn't you obtain a Heavenly Flame this time?"

Smiling, Xiao Ling took out the lotus seat and the Green Lotus Core Flame from the System Space. "Of course I found it. This is the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

Qing Lin stared at the Green Lotus Core Flame on the lotus platform, her eyes filled with amazement. "This Heavenly Flame is truly beautiful, like a work of art. Congratulations, Young Master, on obtaining the Heavenly Flame."

Zi Yan nodded in agreement. "This Heavenly Flame looks much better than that big snake at Jia Nan Academy."

After letting Qing Lin and Zi Yan admire it for a while, Xiao Ling stored the Green Lotus Core Flame back into the System Space.

"Now that we have obtained the Heavenly Flame, there is no need to remain here any longer. The environment here is too hot. Let's return to Desert City first."

With that, Xiao Ling turned around and took the lead toward the passage.

Seeing Xiao Ling leaving, Zi Yan followed behind him with light steps.

Seeing the two leave without another word, Qing Lin hurriedly whistled toward the magma lake. At once, the blue glow on the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's forehead flared brightly. Moments later, its enormous body rapidly shrank before turning into a streak of blue light that shot into Qing Lin's sleeve.

Qing Lin curiously patted her sleeve with her little hand. A faint smile appeared on her small face as she softly said, "No causing trouble, okay? If Young Master gets angry, I'll throw you away."

"Hiss..." The faint hiss carried a trace of grievance. Apparently, the Fire Spirit Snake was dissatisfied with its master's disdain.

"Hehe." Qing Lin covered her mouth and giggled softly, then clasped her hands behind her back and skipped after Xiao Ling and Zi Yan. The three gradually disappeared into the darkness of the passage.

As the sound of their footsteps faded away, this vast magma cavern once again sank into eternal silence...

Desert City.

After obtaining the Green Lotus Core Flame from the Underground Magma World, Xiao Ling and the other two returned to Desert City.

As the setting sun gradually sank and night slowly blanketed the desert sky, scattered stars began to adorn the heavens, allowing one to feel the tranquility and mystery of the Tagor Desert at night.

Walking through the streets of Desert City, Xiao Ling accompanied the two girls as they shopped.

Though it was already night, there were still quite a few pedestrians on Desert City's streets. Most were local residents, while several patrol units maintained order within the city. From time to time, Mercenaries could be seen sitting on the ground by the roadside, calling out as they sold the day's harvest.

The shops displayed a dazzling array of goods. Strings of glowing stones hung outside their doors, shining in every color and flickering with light, leaving people dazzled.

Although it was merely a border city of the Jia Ma Empire, the bustling atmosphere still piqued Xiao Ling's interest.

After choosing several small trinkets from various shops, Xiao Ling accompanied Qing Lin and Zi Yan as they ate candied hawthorns from a street stall.

At a shop selling medicinal herbs, Xiao Ling also found a bargain. For the price of a second-grade medicinal herb, he bought an auxiliary ingredient capable of refining a Sixth-grade Pill. Although that herb was nothing much to Xiao Ling, obtaining it at such a low price still gave him the joy of finding treasure.

As the night deepened, Xiao Ling brought Zi Yan and Qing Lin back to Hai Bodong's shop.

Several white Moonlight Stones decorated the shop's main hall, giving off a gentle glow that completely dispelled the darkness.

The three sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing together.

As time passed, most of their energy gradually faded, and the exhaustion brought by their constant traveling over the past few days slowly seeped into their bodies.

Qing Lin in particular, having only recently begun cultivating, yawned from time to time and looked as though she might fall asleep at any moment.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling said with an amused smile, "It's getting late. Let's all return to our rooms and rest. After we get up tomorrow morning, we'll head for the Imperial Capital. There are still some matters there that haven't been resolved. Then I'll need to enter seclusion for quite some time. I plan to use the energy of the Green Lotus Core Flame to break through to Dou Huang in one go."

Hearing this, Zi Yan felt inexplicably emotional. When she had first met Xiao Ling, he had only been a little over ten years old, and his cultivation had merely been at the Da Dou Shi level. Yet in just five short years, Xiao Ling was about to break through to Dou Huang. He was even a peak Sixth-grade Alchemist, while she had remained at the Dou Wang level all this time. Still, Zi Yan was sincerely happy that Xiao Ling's strength had risen so quickly.

"Hehe, looks like I'll need to eat more medicinal herbs from now on. I can't let that guy Xiao Ling leave me too far behind!" Zi Yan playfully clenched her little fist and happily muttered to herself.

"Young Master, didn't you say before that we still needed to visit that Qingshan Town?" Qing Lin rubbed her eyes and yawned. Even though she possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and had Soul Power superior to ordinary people, her cultivation was still shallow, and she was already half-asleep.

Rubbing Qing Lin's little head, Xiao Ling said with a smile, "Qingshan Town is along the route back to the Imperial Capital. We can stop by when we pass through. You look like you're about to fall asleep, so hurry up and get some rest."

After wishing each other good night, the three returned to their respective rooms.

Sitting on the bed, Xiao Ling took out the lotus platform and the Green Lotus Core Flame, holding them in his hands.

Looking at the flame shaped like a blue lotus, Xiao Ling's eyes burned with excitement. With the help of this Heavenly Flame, once he devoured it using Fen Jue, he believed that he could directly break through to Dou Huang before long. A fifteen-year-old Dou Huang—even among the Eight Ancient Clans, without activating a Dou Di Bloodline, there should be no one capable of matching him.

This also showed the uniqueness of Fen Jue. As long as there were enough flames to devour, increasing one's cultivation was simply a natural progression.

Originally, Xiao Ling had planned to refine this Green Lotus Core Flame immediately. However, after careful consideration, in order to make this Heavenly Flame as effective as possible, he decided to first use the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds and the Dou Ling Pill to raise his cultivation to the high Dou Wang level. Then he would devour the Green Lotus Core Flame. Reaching high Dou Huang might be difficult, but advancing to four- or five-star Dou Huang should not be a problem. After all, unlike in the original story, this Heavenly Flame had not been used by Queen Medusa, and its energy remained at its peak.

Moreover, Xiao Ling had only recently devoured a Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Child Flame to increase his cultivation, so he needed time to consolidate it. With the help of the System Warehouse, the problem that Heavenly Flames could not be stored in a Ring and were inconvenient to carry had been easily resolved. He could devour this Green Lotus Core Flame whenever he wanted.

With that in mind, Xiao Ling removed the eleven Earth Fire Lotus Seeds from the lotus platform, then stored the Green Lotus Core Flame separately in the System Space.

Xiao Ling released the root stalk of the lotus seat, allowing it to float in midair. It immediately began to rotate slowly, emitting blue light in all directions.

Looking at the Green Lotus Seat, which was as perfect as a work of art, a few traces of excitement flashed through Xiao Ling's eyes. With a wave of his hand, he lowered the Green Lotus Seat slightly, then leaped forward and sat cross-legged firmly within the lotus platform.

Xiao Ling's weight caused the lotus platform to sink rapidly, but when it reached the same height as the bed, it slowly came to a stop.

Sitting on the lotus platform, before he even began circulating his cultivation technique, the Fire Attribute Dou Qi in Xiao Ling's body became active, circulating at more than one and a half times its usual speed.