Take the Flame Mantra

"Damn it!"

Xiao Lei watched the palm rapidly closing in and hurriedly pulled back his arms, raising a hand to intercept the slap just before it could land on his face.

"What has gotten into you, you crazy girl!"

Xiao Lei was completely bewildered. He had only taken a trip to the Mittal Auction House; why was she acting as if he had committed some grave injustice against her, enough to warrant a slap to the face?

What had he even done!

One had to know that even when Xiao Lei would secretly take advantage of her in the past, she had never once shown this level of anger.

"You jerk, Xiao Lei! What do you think you're doing!"

With her hand restrained by Xiao Lei, Xiao Yu trembled uncontrollably, as if she had been bottling up a long-standing grievance, and tears began to stream down her face.

She didn't even call me a little pervert this time; this situation seems a bit more serious than I thought!

Xiao Lei felt his heart skip a beat. It didn't matter what a girl called you, but if the way she addressed you suddenly changed one day, that was a major red flag!

"Are you trying to abandon me at the Xiao Clan and run off to have a good time by yourself!"

Heh! She really has me pegged!

"Tell me, why are you leaving the Xiao Clan? If you can't give me a good reason, you aren't going anywhere today!"

Xiao Yu accused Xiao Lei through her tears, which actually made Xiao Lei feel quite uncomfortable.

"I just don't want to eat the Xiao Clan's food anymore, that's all. Who said I was abandoning you!"

Xiao Lei looked innocent. Xiao Yu stared at his baffled expression and replayed the situation in her mind, realizing that Xiao Lei had indeed never said anything of the sort—it was all just their own speculation.

Isn't this just ridiculous!

"Then why didn't you discuss it with me before leaving the family? I thought you had run away!"

Xiao Yu had no objections to Xiao Lei leaving the family; she knew better than anyone how the Xiao Clan had treated him over the years.

"I was just about to go tell you! Who knew you'd get so worked up the moment I stepped out? Although I know I'm incredibly charming, you don't have to be so clingy!"

With the misunderstanding cleared up, Xiao Lei let out a sigh of relief, and Xiao Yu's emotions gradually settled.

Xiao Yu understood why Xiao Lei didn't want to eat the Xiao Clan's food anymore. After all, he had been treated poorly before his talent was revealed, and now that he had shown his potential, he didn't want to owe the clan anything, so he simply stopped eating their food altogether.

"Come to my place! Stay at my house! Eat my food!" Xiao Yu declared in a tone that brooked no refusal, looking exactly like one of those domineering female CEOs from Xiao Lei's past life.

"That won't do... okay, okay, fine!"

Xiao Lei had originally wanted to play hard to get and make her beg a little more, but his ears didn't seem to allow it, as they were currently being pinched by Xiao Yu.

Just like that, Xiao Lei was brought back to Xiao Yu's house. This was indeed her own residence, not that of her grandfather, the First Elder; the Xiao Clan provided houses to clansmen who had passed the rites.

That was how Xiao Yu had acquired this house, and as for the food Xiao Lei ate, it was all prepared by Xiao Yu herself, leaving no suspicion of him eating the Xiao Clan's food.

Such leisurely days continued for a long time, until Ya Fei had someone deliver the medicine cauldron and the storage ring, and Xiao Yan also seemed ready to break through to the rank of Dou Practitioner.

"Yu'er, I have something to tell you!"

Xiao Lei said this while eating the meal Xiao Yu had prepared for him.

As for this nickname, it was naturally requested by Xiao Yu; if he didn't agree, she would keep pestering him and refuse to let go.

The domineering female CEO made me call her Yu'er, otherwise she wouldn't stop hanging off me!

Xiao Lei had reluctantly agreed, forced by her overwhelming pressure.

"What is it? Is the food not to your liking?"

Xiao Yu had been staring blankly at Xiao Lei's face and only snapped back to reality upon hearing his voice.

Ever since Xiao Lei had revealed his talent, he seemed to have become even more captivating!

At least, that was how Xiao Yu felt.

"No, I need to leave Wutan City for a while!"

This news seemed to come as quite a shock to Xiao Yu.

However, Xiao Yu understood better than anyone that although she seemed to be the dominant one in their current dynamic, it was only because Xiao Lei didn't care about such details.

Once Xiao Lei made up his mind about something, there was no possibility of her persuading him otherwise; it was already a stroke of luck that he had chosen to tell her at all.

"Mm—take care of yourself. I'll go prepare some things for you!"

Xiao Yu had no say in Xiao Lei's affairs; she could only try her best to be of help.

Packing some clothes and preparing supplies was the only thing she could do.

"Don't worry, I have this by my side!" Xiao Lei patted the long blade at his waist.

It was something Xiao Yu had given him previously, a magic core weapon she had bought at the Jia Nan Academy, which had cost her a small fortune.

In the back mountains of the Xiao Clan, after a burst of energy fluctuations, a man in black spoke excitedly to the pale figure beside him.

"Teacher, I've broken through to the rank of Dou Practitioner. What about that cultivation technique you mentioned before? Bring it out and let me see!"

Becoming a Dou Practitioner once again after so many years left Xiao Yan with complex emotions, though excitement dominated his heart—especially when he thought of the mysterious cultivation method Yao Chen had mentioned.

"What is the rush! How can you become a powerhouse with such a temperament?" Although he said this, Yao Chen was even more nervous than Xiao Yan; this was the moment that would decide his fate.

Only by choosing the Flame Mantra would Xiao Yan have any hope of resurrecting him.

Although Yao Chen had been a man of integrity his entire life and would not force a decision upon Xiao Yan for the sake of his own resurrection, he still offered some verbal guidance.

"This black scroll is the Flame Mantra I mentioned to you before, and the other is a Low-Tier Earth-Grade cultivation method. While the Flame Mantra is miraculous, it is extremely difficult to cultivate. Consider it carefully. Even if you do not choose this scroll, your teacher can still train you to become a powerhouse, and I will not blame you!"

"No need to say more, Teacher. I choose the Flame Mantra. I want to help you refine a body and resurrect!"

Xiao Lei silently gave Xiao Yan a thumbs up!

Well chosen! If you didn't pick it, where would I get the Flame Mantra?

"Good! You are worthy of being my disciple, you have guts!"

"Sit cross-legged and prepare to cultivate the method. I will guard you."

The next day, while cultivating at home, Xiao Yan suddenly received a visit from Xiao Lei. It had been many days since Xiao Lei had left the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Zhan and the others had been searching for Xiao Lei, but since he had been staying with Xiao Yu, they could not find him, and Ya Fei naturally would not disclose his situation to them.

Therefore, most of the Xiao Clan members assumed that Xiao Lei had already left Wutan City.

Xiao Yan was also curious about this genius who had suddenly emerged, so he immediately went to see Xiao Lei.

Little did he know that Xiao Lei had come without any important business; he simply stared at him and then started spouting nonsense.

Although Xiao Yan had broken through to become a Dou Practitioner and possessed a cultivation method, the Flame Mantra was currently only Low-Tier Yellow-Grade, making little difference whether he had it or not. Furthermore, Xiao Lei had become a Tier 2 Alchemist, widening the gap between them, which in turn shortened the time required for Xiao Lei to copy Xiao Yan.

During the copying process, Xiao Yan did not feel much discomfort, only a sense of unease from being stared at by Xiao Lei.

Although Xiao Lei's "Look at What, You" System was prone to issues and had harsh conditions when copying powerhouses, it was truly simple when bullying the weak—it was nothing short of thuggery.

Through this operation, Xiao Lei quickly obtained the Flame Mantra.

This made Xiao Lei sigh with emotion; Xiao Yan was truly a good sheep to shear. He would continue to do so next time.

Just the thought of Xiao Yan accidentally finding some Heavenly Flame not mentioned in the original story, which he could then copy directly, made Xiao Lei feel ecstatic!