Turning to a Different Cultivation Method

After accepting the two as his disciples, Yao Lao began planning out their paths of cultivation.

"I have two Earth Tier fire-attributed cultivation methods for you to choose from: one Earth Tier Low Grade, and one High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method."

Two illusory scrolls appeared in his hands.

"The Earth Tier Low Grade method can be mastered without any special requirements, so you can start cultivating it right away. The High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method, on the other hand, will be more difficult to master. Which one will you choose?"

Yao Lao looked at Qi Fei.

"Master, you brought out the High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method. Why would I choose the lower-grade one?"

Qi Fei was a little surprised.

He hadn't expected Yao Lao to have a High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method.

But then again, Yao Lao had nearly become the greatest alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent before his death. It made sense that he'd managed to obtain one.

"I'm just giving you a backup option."

Yao Lao smiled, then began explaining the High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method.

"This method is called the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art. Once mastered, it purifies the body and greatly benefits the cultivation of Dou Qi. It also forges a powerful physique, giving you a major advantage in battle."

Unfortunately, it wouldn't do much to help someone at Peak Dou Zun.

Otherwise, he would have switched to this method back then.

"To master it, you need to find a place where flames have gathered and temper your body in them. The flames' grade will directly affect your cultivation in the future."

After listing its advantages, Yao Lao began to explain its drawbacks.

"What grade of flame gathering place would I need?"

Qi Fei had already decided to choose this method.

Several places where Heavenly Flames had appeared were mentioned in the original story. They would surely meet the method's requirements.

"You don't need to go looking for such a place. You have a better way to master it."

A pale flame ignited on Yao Lao's fingertip.

As soon as it appeared, the temperature around them began to rise, yet an eerie chill followed in its wake.

"Eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking: Bone Spirit Cold Flame."

Yao Lao named the flame in his hand.

"Heavenly Flames are rare treasures nurtured by the world over countless ages. They're precious treasures that countless alchemists dream of obtaining."

"However, Heavenly Flames are so powerful that even ordinary Dou Emperors struggle to subdue them. I went through plenty of hardships to obtain this one."

Yao Lao spoke with a wistful expression.

Clearly, the painful experience of subduing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was still fresh in his memory.

"With your Dou Emperor cultivation, you should be able to withstand its scorching flames long enough to master the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art."

No matter how powerful an ordinary environment might be, it couldn't compare to a Heavenly Flame born over tens of thousands of years.

Mastering the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame would bring out its full potential. Perhaps it could even rival a Heaven Tier method.

"Wait, Dou Emperor? The realm above Dou Wang?"

Xiao Yan, who had been listening nearby, wondered if he'd misheard.

"Which other Dou Emperor did you think I meant?"

Yao Lao asked, confused.

"Doesn't something seem wrong here?"

Xiao Yan said he couldn't understand.

The ranks of the Dou Qi Continent, from lowest to highest, were Dou Zhe, Dou Shi, Da Dou Shi, Dou Ling, Dou Wang, Dou Emperor, Dou Zong, Dou Zun, Dou Sheng, and Dou Di.

Dou Emperors stood at the very peak of the Jia Ma Empire and even the surrounding nations.

Saying Qi Fei was a Dou Emperor was like saying that the friend he'd grown up with in his village was actually the richest man in the world.

It just didn't sound realistic, did it?

"Little Fei had a powerful expert pass on their cultivation to him. What's strange about that?"

Yao Lao glanced at Xiao Yan with a look of pity.

Had the boy gone stupid from having his Dou Qi drained? He'd already forgotten what Yao Lao had just explained.

"I thought the most they could pass on was enough for someone to become a Dou Shi or Da Dou Shi," Xiao Yan muttered.

"What are you thinking? Anyone capable of passing on cultivation is a powerful expert. How could they be only a Da Dou Shi?"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan, then turned back to Qi Fei.

"Besides these two methods, you have another option."

With a wave of his hand, he conjured another cultivation method.

Having learned his lesson from Han Feng, Yao Lao intended to tell Qi Fei about this method's advantages and disadvantages beforehand, so the two wouldn't fall out over it in the future.

"This is a Yellow Tier Low Grade method. I've named it the Flame Mantra."

Here it came—the notorious pitfall of the Dou Po World, the deceptively tempting, atrociously poor-value legendary cultivation method, the Flame Mantra.

Qi Fei muttered to himself.

"Although it's only Yellow Tier Low Grade, it can evolve. In theory, it could even reach Heaven Tier."

Yao Lao first pointed out the method's advantage.

"That powerful? Then why not choose it?" Xiao Yan asked from beside them.

He'd thought that a High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method was the best his master could offer. He hadn't expected there to be something this incredible.

"Maybe it has some kind of drawback," Qi Fei guessed, feigning thoughtfulness.

"Exactly. This method has two flaws that could be called fatal."

Yao Lao gave him an approving look.

"First, it has to devour Heavenly Flames to evolve. Second, you have to abolish all your cultivation and start over from Dou Zhe."

Devouring Heavenly Flames required strength, pills, and a little luck. Yet the Flame Mantra could only be cultivated from the Dou Zhe stage.

In other words, a Flame Mantra cultivator had to spend the early stages cultivating at the pace of a Yellow Tier method.

That part wasn't too bad.

Besides Heavenly Flames, Flame Seeds produced by high-tier magical beasts could also help it evolve to some extent.

With a few dozen of them, it should be possible to raise the Flame Mantra to Profound Tier Low Grade.

The bigger problem was the Flame Mantra's terrible value for the effort.

In the original story, Xiao Yan risked his life to refine his first Heavenly Flame. What grade was the Flame Mantra at then?

Profound Tier Mid Grade.

That's right. After risking his life to refine a Heavenly Flame that could kill even a Dou Emperor, the Flame Mantra had only barely reached Profound Tier Mid Grade.

It wasn't even as good as the Flame Manipulation Art Xiao Xun'er had prepared for Xiao Yan at the beginning. That method was at least Profound Tier High Grade.

To raise the Flame Mantra further, he'd have to keep risking his life to refine more Heavenly Flames.

And that was assuming he could find them in the first place.

If a cultivator had bad luck and couldn't find any Heavenly Flames, all they could do was make do with Beast Flames.

In that case, they could cultivate for their entire life and still only reach Profound Tier at most. Earth Tier and Heaven Tier would remain nothing but dreams.

All in all, in Qi Fei's eyes, the Flame Mantra was a typical protagonist's cultivation method.

Its minimum potential was extremely low, its risks were extremely high, and its upper limit was high, too.

Only a protagonist—the sort of creature that existed in novels—could ignore its two flaws and enjoy its benefits.

Anyone without a tough enough life would be killed by the first Heavenly Flame.

Qi Fei would have to be out of his mind to switch to this method.

Why not enjoy a smooth ride with an Earth Tier method, then look for a Heaven Tier method to switch to once he was strong enough?

Wouldn't that be much better than risking his life with a Yellow Tier Low Grade method?

As for the Flame Mantra's connection to Yao Lao's resurrection—

Come on. The Holy Attribute in the Heavenly Jewel Change World alone could bring someone back to life.

If more newcomers from other special worlds joined them, resurrection would be a piece of cake.

All things considered, the Flame Mantra's greatest value to Qi Fei was probably that it could unlock the Source Qi left behind by Tou She Ancient God, allowing him to advance to Dou Di.

But Source Qi wasn't the only option. There was also an Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill in Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, which the original story's villain, Hun Tiandi, had obtained.

Qi Fei could simply steal Hun Tiandi's Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill later and save himself a boss fight.

He'd win twice over—a win-win!

Xiao Yan opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

After all, this was Qi Fei's future. The decision was his to make.

"Sorry, Master. I'll still choose the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art," Qi Fei said after pretending to hesitate.

"An intelligent choice."

Yao Lao looked pleased as he dismissed the Flame Mantra and handed Qi Fei the method he'd prepared earlier.

"After this, I'll guide you in mastering it. During that time, I'll teach you Alchemy as well. Once everything is ready, we'll go somewhere else to build your combat skills."

Yao Lao had planned out Qi Fei's future in meticulous detail.

"Thank you, Master," Qi Fei said, looking grateful.

"All right, it's my turn. Master, can I cultivate this Red Lotus Body Tempering Art, too?" Xiao Yan asked impatiently.

A High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method was something even the entire Xiao Clan couldn't afford to buy.

"No. Even if you became a Dou Zhe, you still couldn't withstand the scorching flames of a place where flames had gathered."

Yao Lao answered directly.

"What about the Flame Mantra?" Xiao Yan asked again.

He would be starting from the Dou Zhe stage, so he wouldn't have to abolish his cultivation.

"Well... let's talk about that when you become a Dou Zhe."

Yao Lao hesitated, not agreeing to Xiao Yan's request outright.

Perhaps after watching Qi Fei endure the burning of a Heavenly Flame, he'd truly understand the risks of the Flame Mantra.

"Oh."

Xiao Yan replied, a little disappointed.

The conversation had been about such advanced matters that he'd almost forgotten he was only at the Third Stage of Dou Qi.

He was still six stages of Dou Qi away from becoming a Dou Zhe.

"Don't be discouraged. As long as you gather the ingredients, I have a way to help you become a Dou Zhe within a year."

As he comforted Xiao Yan, Yao Lao listed the ingredients needed to refine Foundation Building Spirit Liquid.

It was one of the few medicinal formulas suitable for cultivation at the Dou Qi stage.

"Wait, these will cost more than a thousand gold coins altogether."

Xiao Yan counted them off on his fingers.

"For your little stash of just two hundred and six coins, that really is a daunting challenge," Qi Fei quipped from the side.

"Yeah... Wait, how do you know how much is in my stash?"

Xiao Yan stared at Qi Fei in alarm.

Was he after his stash?

"Xun Er saw you hiding the money. Then, when she sneaked a look at you, Uncle and I caught her."

Qi Fei briefly summed up what had happened.

"You were looking around in every direction and still didn't notice the three of us, which was pretty pathetic. But you looked so handsome saving your money that Uncle was nearly moved to tears."

After all, most children their age spent their allowance as soon as they got it.

With that, Qi Fei gave Xiao Yan a thumbs-up.

"..."

Xiao Yan stared at Qi Fei without a word.

Qi Fei kept his thumb raised.

As for Yao Lao, he simply stood to one side and watched the show.

"So, Master, how am I supposed to get the money?" Xiao Yan finally asked, giving in and turning to Yao Lao.

"I only know Alchemy. I don't know any other way."

Yao Lao gave him a look that said, "You're hopeless. Even if I told you, you couldn't use it."

"Idiot. Just tell Uncle that an alchemist took us on as disciples, then give him the list of ingredients. Isn't that easier?"

Qi Fei said, exasperated.

Ingredients weren't gold coins. Even if Xiao Zhan was suspicious, he'd still try it first.

If it didn't work, they could have Yao Lao refine something simple to tide them over.

"Let the clan provide the ingredients, then sell the finished products through them. That's much easier."

Qi Fei figured he'd only be practicing with low-grade pills for a while anyway. There was no need to waste time on such trivial matters.

"That's right. Why am I making things difficult for my own stash?"

Xiao Yan suddenly understood.

"In that case, write these down, too."

Yao Lao listed another string of medicinal ingredients and also asked them to get a Medicine Cauldron.

"These are the things Little Fei will need for learning alchemy later. Buy them all and have them delivered."

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Yan replied.

Afterward, he went down the mountain to ask his father for help, while Yao Lao and Qi Fei stayed behind to prepare to switch cultivation methods.

"This art has three stages: Fire Body, Jade Bone, and Red Lotus Body. Tempering your body with flame to form a Fire Body means you've successfully begun. After that, you can cultivate on your own..."

Yao Lao explained the various precautions for the cultivation method to Qi Fei.

While they were at it, Xiao Yan returned from running errands. Seeing that the lesson wasn't over, he started cultivating on his own nearby.

After more than half a day, the lesson ended.

The group moved to a secluded cave, ready to help Qi Fei get started.

"Since you can't use protective pills, there's no failing and starting over. Make absolutely sure no outsiders disturb us."

Yao Lao reminded Xiao Yan with a grave expression.

The key to the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art was using flame to temper the body.

If the energy of other pills got involved during the process, it could very likely affect the formation of the Fire Body and, in turn, the art's ultimate results.

That was why the cultivation method repeatedly warned against using pills.

"Understood, Teacher. I absolutely won't let any outsiders disturb you."

With that, Xiao Yan left the cave and stood guard outside, keeping watch.

"The Heavenly Flame burns with excruciating pain. If you can't keep the cultivation method running, make sure you call out and tell me."

Yao Lao turned to Qi Fei again.

"Switching to this cultivation method isn't something that can be done overnight. It won't matter if you don't gain much this time."

"Please rest assured, Master."

Qi Fei secretly released his Life Bead.

With the Will Jewel's fire attribute boosting me, I should be able to get started faster, right?

"Then let's begin."

As Yao Lao spoke, pale flames surrounded Qi Fei.

Only after Qi Fei began circulating the cultivation method did the flames slowly climb over his body.

The instant he touched the flames, intense pain surged from the scorched area.

Without the support of God Boundary Breaker's will, Qi Fei felt he would have passed out from the pain in the next moment.

But for now, he could still keep the cultivation method circulating.

With the Will Jewel's boost, Heaven and Earth Origin Qi on a scale far beyond that of an ordinary Earth Tier Cultivation Method gathered and flowed into Qi Fei's body.

Vast power coursed through his meridians, gradually transforming into Dou Qi to counter the burning of the Heavenly Flame.

As time passed, Qi Fei's yellow Dou Qi slowly took on a trace of eerie pale white, spreading along his meridians and seeping into every part of his body.

The wounds caused by the Heavenly Flame's burn also began to heal bit by bit.

A transformation was beginning.

During the process, Qi Fei suddenly had a strange feeling.

It was as if he could see how the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was formed.