Mystic Flame Longblade

"Cousin Xiao Yan, what is the meaning of this?"

In the main hall, Xiao Lei looked at the black longblade before him. While his heart screamed that it was a top-tier treasure, he made sure to maintain a feigned expression of confusion.

The black longblade exuded a sharp, piercing aura that struck straight at the soul, making Xiao Lei, a man who loved blades, yearn to possess it immediately.

"Master Xiao Lei, this is a small token of my appreciation. I obtained this blade by chance, but I am not skilled with such weapons. Seeing that you seem to favor the longblade, I intended to gift it to you, Senior!"

Xiao Yan spoke with a smile, putting on a generous front, though his heart was bleeding internally.

To think that Yao Chen would not give him such a fine blade, instead telling him to use that heavy ruler which looked like a coffin lid!

Xiao Lei rolled his eyes internally. It would be a miracle if Xiao Yan had truly obtained this item by chance; in Xiao Lei's estimation, it likely originated from Venerable Wind.

After all, that Bone Flame Ring of Yao Chen's came from Venerable Wind. After the latter reached the Dou Zun realm, he seemed to have acquired some knowledge of artifact refining and developed an interest in it, eventually becoming a renowned refiner.

In truth, it was not just Xiao Yan whose heart was bleeding; Yao Chen did not view this blade as a mere trifle either.

Old friend, I hope you do not blame me for gifting this blade away!

Yao Chen sighed inwardly, unable to stop himself from thinking of his close friend, Venerable Wind. So many years had passed that Yao Chen did not even know how the other was faring; it was truly lamentable.

This blade had been specially crafted by Venerable Wind when he saw that Yao Chen lacked a suitable weapon. Who would have thought that Yao Chen would become accustomed to using Heavenly Flame for combat, leaving this blade to gather dust all these years.

"Ahem, it is undoubtedly a fine blade. Since it is a gift from Cousin Xiao Yan, it would be inappropriate for me to refuse. How about this, Cousin Xiao Yan? I am also an alchemist. While my attainments are not high, for any pill below the fifth grade, you may make a request, and I will refine one for you free of charge."

Xiao Lei played the fool. In his eyes, the value of this blade was undoubtedly immense, especially since it was an item brought out by Yao Chen.

How could it possibly be measured by a mere fourth-grade pill!

But since Xiao Lei's current persona was that of a backwater bumpkin from a small empire, he could naturally feign ignorance of its true value.

"Below the fifth grade! Does this mean Master Xiao Lei's alchemy has already reached the fourth grade?!"

Xiao Yan was speechless once again. He was still struggling at the first-grade level, yet the other party was already a fourth-grade alchemist.

Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile; he was truly out of options!

"Naturally. So, Cousin Xiao Yan, what pill do you desire?"

"Master Xiao Lei, you misunderstand. I did not gift the blade for the sake of alchemy..."

Xiao Yan wanted to say more, but Xiao Lei raised a hand to interrupt him.

"How about this? My alchemy is indeed not high at the moment. I will change this one-time refinement into a standing promise. In the future, Cousin Xiao Yan may use this promise to have me refine a pill for you. How does that sound?"

Xiao Yan's thoughts were thrown into disarray by the alchemy skills Xiao Lei had suddenly revealed, and not knowing how to respond, he could only seek help from Yao Chen in his heart.

"Teacher, Teacher!"

Yao Chen did not respond.

"Since Cousin Xiao Yan has not refused, I shall take your silence as consent!"

After speaking, Xiao Lei laughed heartily. Trading a future favor for a suitable weapon right now—in Xiao Lei's view, this was a worthwhile deal.

Yao Chen did not respond to Xiao Yan because he himself was stunned!

A few months ago, he had seen Xiao Lei with his own eyes. At that time, Xiao Lei was only a four-star Dou Practitioner. How could he have become a Dou Ling expert and a fourth-grade alchemist in just a few months!

His cultivation could perhaps be explained by some special constitution or bloodline, but what about the alchemy?

Even within the Yao Clan, which possessed the Dou Di bloodline most adept at alchemy, no one had ever heard of such a person!

Yao Chen used his soul power to probe Xiao Lei in disbelief, discovering that Xiao Lei's soul power was indeed at the fourth-grade level, and even stronger than that of an average fourth-grade alchemist.

At the same time, Yao Chen sensed a rich medicinal fragrance on Xiao Lei. Being extremely sensitive to pills, Yao Chen could roughly determine the types of pills just from the scent.

Bone Tempering Pill, Marrow Cleansing Pill! Both are fourth-grade pills. He did not lie; he truly is a fourth-grade alchemist.

After confirming everything, Yao Chen hesitated. He was one hundred percent certain that Xiao Lei had not used pills to boost his strength, but rather talent—an incredibly heaven-defying talent.

What would happen if I let him practice the Burning Mantra? With the talent he has displayed, it is highly likely he possesses some special constitution. As long as this constitution has no major flaws, it is highly probable he could reach the Dou Saint realm. By then, having him subdue a few Heavenly Flames to help me refine a body would be a simple matter!

Thinking of this, Yao Chen began to struggle.

As Yao Chen himself had said, as long as one is human, one has desires, and Yao Chen's desire was to be resurrected.

Though Yao Chen lacked a physical body, he felt as if a chill had washed over him.

"Sigh!"

After a long while, Yao Chen let out a long sigh.

If only I had discovered him sooner. I have already been absorbing that little fellow's Dou Qi for three years and have had him practice the Burning Mantra. If I were to seek a second person, would I not be harming him?

I, Yao Chen, have not yet sunk to such filthy deeds!

Yao Chen only shouted these words in the depths of his heart.

If he truly did such a thing, how would he be any different from that wicked disciple Han Feng, who had betrayed his master for the sake of the Burning Mantra?

A person's life is always filled with various temptations; we must learn to make choices...

Xiao Yan was unaware of the soul-searching journey Yao Chen had just experienced; he only knew that befriending Xiao Lei seemed unexpectedly smooth, and that Xiao Lei did not seem difficult to get along with at all.

The reality, however, was that both of them had long since made up their minds to befriend the other to pursue their own necessary interests!

All the bustle in the world is for profit; all the commotion in the world is for gain!

Xiao Lei did not immediately obtain a Dou Technique from Xiao Yan, primarily because he lacked a suitable opportunity. After all, Yao Lao had not yet revealed himself, and on the surface, Xiao Yan was still just an ordinary person; for Xiao Lei to demand a Dou Technique from an ordinary person would clearly be unreasonable.

He needed a fitting opportunity...

As it happened, Xiao Lei took advantage of Ya Fei hosting a special auction at the Mittal Auction House to dispose of some resources he had accumulated over this period that he no longer had any use for.

At the same time, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were planning their departure for training.

"Watch closely. If you happen to encounter these few medicinal herbs during your training, try your best to collect them. They are extremely important for your future absorption of a Heavenly Flame."

Yao Lao handed Xiao Yan a list, on which were clearly written: Ice Spirit Flame Grass, Blood Lotus Essence...

"Teacher... what is this?"

"A Heavenly Flame is a miraculous object of heaven and earth. If you were to recklessly absorb it directly, there would be almost no path but death, so you must rely on the assistance of external items."

"These are the ingredients required for a medicinal pill called the Blood Lotus Pill. This Blood Lotus Pill can form a layer of blood scab over your body, helping you get closer to the source flame."

"This is the first step toward absorbing a Heavenly Flame. If this step cannot be achieved, everything else is just empty talk. Therefore, if you encounter these herbs, you must do everything in your power to collect them; after all, we have no way of knowing when we might encounter a Heavenly Flame."

If Xiao Lei were to hear these words, he would likely give Yao Lao a thumbs up.

The only fear is that you wouldn't be willing to spend the money!