Refining the Earth Core Fire

In the secret chamber of the City Lord's mansion in Shi-Mo City, Xiao Jie was currently meditating to regulate his breathing. Floating before him was a strange flame resembling a green lotus—this was none other than the origin fire of the Green Lotus Core Flame he had obtained from deep beneath the desert not long ago.

Several hours passed before Xiao Jie finally awoke from his meditation. Absorbing a Heavenly Flame was an extremely dangerous endeavor; he had to be in his peak state to refine it, and he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Xiao Jie retrieved a Blood Lotus Pill and the Icy Spirit Spring from his storage ring. Although these items were only graded to assist in refining Heavenly Flames ranked sixteenth or lower on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, they were more than sufficient for his current needs, as higher-ranked flames were not easily encountered.

Once prepared, Xiao Jie consumed the Blood Lotus Pill, swallowed the origin fire of the Green Lotus Core Flame with practiced ease, and then ingested the Icy Spirit Spring before beginning to circulate the Flame Mantra to refine the foreign flame.

Fourteen days later, Xiao Jie's cultivation within the secret chamber began to surge violently, skyrocketing from a two-star Dou Emperor to the peak of a six-star Dou Emperor. Under Xiao Jie's deliberate compression and refinement, his cultivation eventually settled at the peak of the four-star Dou Emperor level, and the Flame Mantra evolved into a quasi-Earth-tier cultivation technique. This provided Xiao Jie with a qualitative leap in combat power, allowing him to better utilize numerous Earth-tier Dou Skills against his enemies.

After his breakthrough, Xiao Jie did not immediately exit seclusion, but instead summoned the Simulator and spoke.

"Simulator, begin life simulation."

"Ding, current available simulations: one. Proceed with life simulation?"

"Yes."

"Ding, life simulation initiated."

"Day 1: You successfully refine the second Green Lotus Core Flame. Your cultivation reaches the peak of a four-star Dou Emperor, and the Flame Mantra evolves into a quasi-Earth-tier technique."

"Day 2: Shi-Mo City Lord Shi Jian wishes to celebrate your breakthrough, but you decline. You depart for the Black-Corner Region with Qing Lin and Hai Bodong."

"Day 5: You sense two Dou Emperors from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion closing in. You use Lightning Flash Thunder Sound to transform into a streak of purple light, quickly shaking them off with Qing Lin and Hai Bodong in tow."

"Day 90: A grand auction is held in the Black-Corner Region. Seeking to establish your reputation as a grade six alchemist, you hand over four grade six medicinal pills to the auction house for sale."

"Day 100: As your fame spreads throughout the Black-Corner Region, numerous experts at the Dou Emperor and Dou King levels come seeking pills, all of which you accept."

"Day 214: You successfully master the Heaven-Burning Fist obtained from the Simulator."

"Day 366: You hand Qing Lin over to the two individuals from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, using two Emperor-Extreme Pills as a condition for the two Dou Emperors to agree to act on your behalf once."

"Day 932: The Eight-Fan Sect holds another auction. Han Feng participates this time; he uses a King-Breaking Pill, an Emperor-Extreme Pill, and a grade seven Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, while revealing his identity as a grade seven alchemist, to suppress your reputation."

"Day 986: Han Feng visits you personally and offers the inheritance of a grade seven alchemist as the price for your help in dealing with Jia Nan Academy. You agree, but demand the inheritance first. Han Feng readily hands over a jade slip."

"Day 1030: Han Feng gathers three Dou Ancestor-level combatants, eight Dou Emperors, and twelve Dou Kings to head toward Jia Nan Academy."

"Day 1032: Negotiations with Jia Nan Academy collapse, and the great battle begins. You handle three Dou Kings from Jia Nan Academy with ease. You silently observe the situation, looking for an opportunity to slip into the Heaven-Burning Qi-Refining Tower to take the Fallen Heart Flame."

"Day 1035: Han Feng's plan to seize the Fallen Heart Flame is shattered. Just as Jia Nan Academy suffers heavy casualties, two peak Dou Ancestor-level experts suddenly appear, instantly killing two low-level Dou Ancestors on Han Feng's side. The remaining Dou Emperors and Dou Kings flee upon seeing the situation turn dire. Xiao Jie stops entangling with the three Dou Kings and vanishes as a streak of purple light. The sudden reversal of the situation leaves those who couldn't react in time to be easily slaughtered by the two peak Dou Ancestors."

"Day 1043: A peak Dou Ancestor from Jia Nan Academy blood-washes the major factions of the Black-Corner Region. You do not return to the Black-Corner Region, but instead head straight for the volcanic region where the Mystic Yellow Flame is located."

"Day 1242: You successfully refine the second Mystic Yellow Flame and break through to become a peak one-star Dou Ancestor. The Flame Mantra evolves into a mid-Earth-tier technique."

"Day 1390: You return to the Black-Corner Region to find Han Feng. You ambush and kill him, obtaining the Sea Heart Flame."

"Day 1392: You are tracked down by a Soul Hall protector. You activate the triple Heavenly Fire Three-Mysterious Transformation, rising from a one-star Dou Ancestor to an eight-star Dou Ancestor. After exchanging hundreds of blows, you escape; realizing he cannot take you down, he does not pursue."

"Day 1430: You successfully refine the Sea Heart Flame, your cultivation breaks through to a four-star Dou Ancestor, and the Flame Mantra evolves into a quasi-Heaven-tier technique. You obtain the Myriad Beast Cauldron and numerous pills, formulas, and medicinal materials from Han Feng's storage ring."

"Day 1571: You return to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to find Xiao Yi Xian. Relying on the Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva from Han Feng's ring, your own Heavenly Flames, and the rank seven Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast core, you condense a poison pill for her. You then entrust her to look after the Xiao Clan and his parents before heading to the Central Plains alone."

"Day 2220: Aside from certifying your grade seven alchemist rank upon arriving at the Pill Tower, you spend your time traveling in search of opportunities and ruins."

"Day 2430: The Dou Saint cave dwelling you have been longing for, which contains the Heaven-Burning Finger, opens. You set off immediately. You encounter Ling Ying, who claims to be a successor of Sound Valley, and you travel together."

"Day 2453: You discover the Heaven-Burning Finger, but a Dou Venerate also has his eyes on this high-Earth-tier Dou Skill. With your eight-star Dou Ancestor cultivation, you activate the triple Heavenly Fire Three-Mysterious Transformation to reach a five-star Dou Venerate, severely wounding the six-star peak Dou Venerate to seize the Heaven-Burning Finger. Seeing your ferocity, others dare not offend you."

"Day 2482: At Ling Ying's request, you accompany her to Sound Valley to treat the Valley Master. Using the power of your Heavenly Flame, you purge the fire poison from the Valley Master, obtaining three grade eight pill formulas and a Foundation-Nurturing Fruit from the Sound Valley treasury."

"Day 2799: You are already proficient in refining peak grade seven pills, but because your soul cultivation has not broken through to the Spirit Realm, you cannot refine grade eight pills. You decide to refine the Illusion Spirit Blood Essence Grass to break through to a Spirit Realm soul."

"Day 2818: You break through to a perfect Spirit Realm soul, but this attracts the attention of a peak nine-turn Dou Venerate elder from the Soul Hall. He arrives and kills you. You are dead."

"Ding, this simulation has ended."

"Current selectable items: grade seven low-level Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, Heaven-Burning Fist mastery experience, grade seven alchemist inheritance."

"Please choose."

"Select Heaven-Burning Fist experience."

"Ding, selection successful."

Of the three options in this simulation, only the Heaven-Burning Fist mastery experience was of the most use to him; naturally, there was no need to overthink it. He had already consumed the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, and the grade seven alchemist inheritance was somewhat redundant—with his perfect Mortal Realm soul, he faced no bottlenecks before becoming a grade eight alchemist. Earth-tier Dou Skills were not easy to cultivate, and Xiao Jie would certainly not refuse the chance for a shortcut.

The only reason Xiao Jie had not yet reached the level of a grade six alchemist was that he hadn't collected all the medicinal materials for grade six pills, so he hadn't practiced them. Most of what he obtained from the Simulator were the primary ingredients for pills, and since Xiao Jie hadn't collected the secondary ingredients, he remained a peak grade five alchemist.

However, once he reached the Black-Corner Region and established his reputation, there would be a constant stream of medicinal materials delivered to his door for practice. Relying on his powerful soul force and flame control techniques, reaching grade six or seven would surely be quick.

After all, medicinal materials for grade six or seven pills were not common cabbages; the Jia Ma Empire was simply too small, leaving Xiao Jie unable to gather even a few sets of ingredients. Don't be fooled by him casually handing out grade six pills to others—those were obtained from previous simulations, and he had few left. As for grade eight, he could exchange for more formulas and insights at the Pill Tower in future simulations.

Xiao Jie watched as a ray of light emerged before him and instantly surged into the center of his brow. A vast amount of information flooded into his consciousness. After a long while, Xiao Jie opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and a smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself.

"As expected of a technique sharing the same origin as the Heaven-Burning Palm and Heaven-Burning Finger, the Heaven-Burning Fist, known for burning the heavens and earth and extinguishing all living things. If a mid-Earth-tier skill can have such power, I wonder what the Heaven-tier Heaven-Burning Great Hand Seal looks like. I must obtain the Heaven-Burning Finger! I'll go find Medusa for a spar later to test the power of this Heaven-Burning Fist. With my current strength, I fear only Medusa, Jia Xingtian, and Yun Shan in the Jia Ma Empire can serve as my opponents."