Within the secret chamber of the City Lord's Mansion in Shi-Mo City, Xiao Jie sat in meditation, regulating his breathing. Floating before him was a strange flame resembling a Cyan Lotus—the Origin Flame Seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame he had obtained from beneath the desert not long ago.
Several hours later, Xiao Jie finally awoke from his meditation. Absorbing a Heavenly Flame was an exceedingly dangerous matter. He had to absorb and refine it at his peak condition; there was no room for the slightest carelessness.
Xiao Jie took out the Blood Lotus Pill and Icy Spirit Spring from his Storage Ring. Although these two items could only help him refine Heavenly Flames ranked sixteenth or lower on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, they were more than sufficient for him now. Heavenly Flames ranked higher were not so easily encountered.
Once he had finished preparing, Xiao Jie swallowed the Blood Lotus Pill. Familiar with the process, he swallowed the Origin Flame Seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame, then drank the Icy Spirit Spring as well before circulating the Flame Mantra to begin refining the Heavenly Flame.
Fourteen days later, Xiao Jie's cultivation began to soar within the secret chamber. It surged all the way 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 ultimately stabilized at the peak of a Four-Star Dou Emperor. The Flame Mantra had also evolved into a quasi-Earth-tier Cultivation Method, granting Xiao Jie's combat strength another qualitative leap and allowing him to wield his many Earth-tier Dou Techniques more effectively in battle.
After completing his breakthrough, Xiao Jie did not leave seclusion immediately. Instead, he summoned the Simulator and said,
"Simulator, begin a life simulation."
"Ding. You currently have one simulation attempt remaining. Would you like to begin a life simulation?" "Yes." "Ding. Life simulation begins." "Day 1: You successfully refined your second Green Lotus Core Flame. Your cultivation reached the peak of a Four-Star Dou Emperor, and the Flame Mantra evolved into a quasi-Earth-tier Cultivation Method." "Day 2: Shi Jian, the City Lord of Shi-Mo City, wished to celebrate your cultivation breakthrough. You declined and set out for the Black-Corner Region with Qing Lin and Hai Bodong." "Day 5: You sensed two Dou Emperors from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion gradually approaching your group. You used Lightning Flash Thunder Sound, taking Qing Lin and Hai Bodong with you as you transformed into a streak of purple light and swiftly shook them off." ... "Day 90: A grand auction was held in the Black-Corner Region. You wished to use it to establish your reputation as a Sixth-grade Alchemist, so you handed four Sixth-grade Pills to the auction house for sale." "Day 100: As your reputation began spreading through the Black-Corner Region, numerous Dou Emperor- and Dou Wang-level experts came seeking pills from you. You accepted every request." "Day 214: You successfully mastered the Heaven-Burning Fist obtained from the Simulator." "Day 366: You handed Qing Lin over to the two from the Heavenly Serpent Mansion and, in exchange for two Emperor-Extreme Pills, had the two Dou Emperors agree to assist you once." "Day 932: The Eight-Fan Sect held another auction. Han Feng also participated this time. With a King-Breaking Pill, an Emperor-Extreme Pill, and a Seventh-grade Pill, the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill—and by revealing that he was already a Seventh-grade Alchemist—he suppressed your reputation." "Day 986: Han Feng personally visited you and asked you to help him deal with Jia Nan Academy in exchange for the inheritance of a Seventh-grade Alchemist. You agreed, but demanded the inheritance first. Han Feng readily handed you a jade slip." "Day 1030: Han Feng gathered the fighting strength of three Dou Zongs, eight Dou Emperors, and twelve Dou Wangs before heading to Jia Nan Academy." "Day 1032: Negotiations with Jia Nan Academy broke down, and the great battle began. You faced three Dou Wangs from Jia Nan Academy with ease, silently observing the battle in search of an opportunity to slip into the Heaven-Burning Qi-Refining Tower and take Fallen Heart Flame." "Day 1035: Han Feng's plan to seize Fallen Heart Flame was shattered. Jia Nan Academy had already suffered grievous casualties, but two peak Dou Zong experts suddenly appeared and instantly killed two low-level Dou Zongs on Han Feng's side. Seeing that the situation was wrong, the remaining Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs immediately fled. Xiao Jie also stopped tangling with the three Dou Wangs, turning into a streak of purple light and vanishing at high speed. The sudden reversal left some people unable to react, and they were easily killed by the two peak Dou Zongs." "Day 1043: One of Jia Nan Academy's peak Dou Zongs slaughtered the major factions of the Black-Corner Region. You never returned to the Black-Corner Region, instead heading directly toward the volcanic region where Mystic Yellow Flame was located." "Day 1242: You successfully refined your second Mystic Yellow Flame and broke through to the peak of a One-Star Dou Zong. The Flame Mantra evolved into an Earth-tier Mid-grade Cultivation Method." "Day 1390: You returned to the Black-Corner Region to find Han Feng. You ambushed and killed him, obtaining Sea Heart Flame." "Day 1392: A Soul Hall Protector found you. You activated the third level of the Heavenly Fire Three-Mysterious Transformation, rising from a One-Star Dou Zong to an Eight-Star Dou Zong. After fighting him for over a hundred exchanges, you escaped. Knowing he could not defeat you, he did not pursue." "Day 1430: You successfully refined Sea Heart Flame. Your cultivation broke through to a Four-star Dou Zong, and the Flame Mantra evolved into a quasi-Heaven-tier Cultivation Method. From Han Feng's Storage Ring, you obtained the Myriad Beast Cauldron, as well as numerous pills, pill recipes, medicinal ingredients, and other items." "Day 1571: You returned to the Magical Beast Mountain Range and found Xiao Yi Xian. Using the Bodhi Body-Transforming Saliva from Han Feng's Storage Ring, the Heavenly Flames in your possession, and the magical core of a seventh-tier Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast, you condensed a Poison Pill for her. You then asked her to look after the Xiao Clan and your parents before traveling alone to the Central Plains." "Day 2220: Aside from certifying your rank as a Seventh-grade Alchemist upon first arriving at the Pill Tower, you spent all your remaining time traveling in search of opportunities and ancient ruins." "Day 2430: The Dou Saint Cave Abode containing the Heaven-Burning Finger, which you had longed for, opened. You immediately set out for it and encountered Ling Ying, who claimed to be a descendant of Sound Valley. You traveled together with her." "Day 2453: You discovered the Heaven-Burning Finger, but a Dou Venerate also set his sights on this Earth-tier High-grade Dou Technique. With the cultivation of an Eight-Star Dou Zong, you activated the third level of the Heavenly Fire Three-Mysterious Transformation and reached a Five-Star Dou Venerate. You severely wounded this peak Six-Star Dou Venerate and seized the Heaven-Burning Finger. Seeing how fierce you were, no one else dared provoke you." "Day 2482: At Ling Ying's request, you traveled with her to Sound Valley to treat the Sound Valley Master. Using the advantage of your Heavenly Flames, you extracted the Sound Valley Master's fire poison and obtained three Tier 8 Pill Recipes and a Foundation-Nurturing Fruit from Sound Valley's treasury." "Day 2799: You had long been able to proficiently refine peak Seventh-grade Pills, but your soul cultivation had not broken through to the Spirit Realm, preventing you from refining Tier 8 Pills. You decided to refine the Illusion Spirit Blood Essence Grass to advance your soul into the Spirit Realm." "Day 2818: You broke through to a perfected Spirit Realm soul, but this drew the attention of a peak Nine-revolution Dou Venerate Honored Elder from the Soul Hall. He came and killed you. You died." "Ding. This simulation has ended." "Currently available rewards: low-grade Seventh-grade Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, Heaven-Burning Fist mastery experience, Seventh-grade Alchemist inheritance." "Please choose." "Select the Heaven-Burning Fist experience and insights." "Ding. Selection successful."
Of the three choices from this simulation, only the Heaven-Burning Fist cultivation experience was truly useful to him, so there was naturally no need to deliberate. He had already taken the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, while the Seventh-grade Alchemist inheritance was somewhat useless. With his perfected Mortal Realm soul, he would face no bottleneck before becoming an eighth-grade alchemist. Earth-tier Dou Techniques were difficult to cultivate, so Xiao Jie would naturally not refuse a chance to master one quickly.
The reason Xiao Jie had yet to become a Sixth-grade Alchemist was simply that he had not gathered all the medicinal ingredients needed for Sixth-grade Pills, so he had never attempted to refine them. Most of what he obtained from the Simulator were merely the main ingredients for certain pills, and Xiao Jie had not gone out to collect the supplementary ingredients. As a result, he was still only a peak fifth-grade alchemist.
However, once he reached the Black-Corner Region and made a name for himself, there would be a steady stream of medicinal ingredients delivered to his door for practice. With his powerful soul force and fire-control techniques, reaching the sixth and seventh grades should not take long.
After all, the ingredients for sixth- and seventh-grade pills were not cabbages growing by the roadside. The Jia Ma Empire was simply too small; Xiao Jie could not even scrape together several complete sets of ingredients there. Though Xiao Jie casually gave away Sixth-grade Pills, those had been obtained from previous simulations, and he did not have many left. As for Tier 8 Pills, he could make more trips to the Pill Tower in future simulations to exchange for pill recipes and insights.
A ray of light appeared before Xiao Jie and instantly shot into his glabella. A vast amount of information flooded into his consciousness. After a long while, Xiao Jie opened his eyes and let out a long breath. A smile appeared on his face as he muttered,
"Just as expected of the Heaven-Burning Fist, which shares the same origin as the Heaven-Burning Palm and Heaven-Burning Finger. It is said to burn heaven and earth with fire and annihilate all living beings with a fist. An Earth-tier Mid-grade Dou Technique already possesses such power—what kind of spectacle must the Heaven-tier Dou Technique, the Heaven-Burning Great Hand Seal, be? I must obtain the Heaven-Burning Finger! I'll go spar with Medusa in a while and test the power of this Heaven-Burning Fist. With my current strength, only Medusa, Jia Xingtian, and Yun Shan in the Jia Ma Empire can probably serve as my opponents."
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