Hoodwinking each other
Xiao Yu nodded slightly and said, "That's right, I am indeed an alchemist!"
The old man stroked his illusory beard, looking at Xiao Yu with the air of someone who had been through Pill Tower? If not, I know quite a few elders Pill Tower. How about I help you get into the Pill Tower?"
A hint of a smile flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes as he said, "Oh? You actually know people from the Pill Tower? Not bad, not bad. But since you want to help me, there must be conditions, right?"
The old man's ethereal figure rubbed his hands somewhat awkwardly and said, "Hehe, it's nothing, just a small matter. My name is Yao Tianhuo, and in my lifetime I was revered as the Heavenly Flame Venerate. Back then, because of my greed, I was severely injured by Heavenly Flames, so now only a skeleton and a wisp of soul remain. I see your flame is quite good, so your alchemy skills must also be excellent. You must know some methods to repair souls, so..."
"So you want me to help you repair your soul?" Xiao Yu crossed his arms and looked at Heavenly Flame Venerate with great interest. This guy actually thought he could get something for nothing. Knowing people from the Pill Tower? Knowing no one at all! Does he really think Xiao Yu knows nothing?
Heavenly Flame Venerate nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with hope, and asked, "How is it?"
Xiao Yu immediately showed a troubled expression and said, "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that my teacher treated me well. He once told me that an alchemist should focus on alchemy and not be bothered by other trivial matters, so that he can break through to a higher level. Therefore, before he died, he warned himself not to step into the Pill Tower!"
Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Heavenly Flame Venerate's face darkened, and he cursed inwardly, "What kind of teacher is this? His logic is completely twisted."
"Ahem!" Heavenly Flame Venerate looked at Xiao Yu and said, "You can't say that. If alchemists don't interact with other alchemists, wouldn't that be stagnation? That would be a huge disadvantage for you in breaking through your alchemy levels!"
Xiao Yu suppressed a laugh as he watched Heavenly Flame Venerate try to persuade him, then said, "That's true, but how do I know if you're a good person or a bad person? What if I fix you up and you just run away or turn around and come after me?"
"Your strength is so high, even if I wanted to fight you, I couldn't beat you!" Heavenly Flame Venerate said speechlessly. He could feel the extremely vast aura within Xiao Yu's body, which definitely indicated that he was also Dou Zun expert.
The Heavenly Flame Venerate's soul is almost completely dissolved. If no one comes to rescue him in two more years, he will truly vanish into nothingness. That's why he wanted Xiao Yu to take him away from here.
"No, no, I still can't agree to that!" Xiao Yu finally refused.
Heavenly Flame Venerate gritted his teeth and said, "Then, I'll give this to you!"
As he spoke, Heavenly Flame Venerate tossed a snow-white Storage Ring to Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu caught it and saw that it contained a scroll with the words "Five-Ringed Li Fire Method" written on it.
Heavenly Flame Venerate said with considerable reluctance, "This is my most precious possession, the Five-Ringed Li Fire Method. When mastered, this technique is equivalent to Heavenly Grade Dou Skill. How about my sincerity?"
Xiao Yu stroked his chin and chuckled, "Not bad, not bad, I can see your sincerity. However, I came down here for the Fallen Heart Flame Fallen Heart Flame, so I'm taking it too!"
Heavenly Flame Venerate was slightly taken aback, then said, "Alright, no problem. This was originally unclaimed, so I'll give it to you!" With that, he waved his hand, and the Fallen Heart Flame slowly drifted towards Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu took out the Fire-Gathering Pot and put the Fallen Heart Flame inside. A familiar Heart Flame suddenly appeared in Xiao Yu's heart. After casually circulating his Dou Qi to extinguish the Heart Flame within him, Xiao Yu raised his head and looked at Heavenly Flame Venerate, smiling, "Thank you for your gift, sir. I'll take you up now!"
Heavenly Flame Venerate exclaimed with delight, "Alright, I'll stay in this Storage Ring. Oh, and please take my remains with you!"
After placing Heavenly Flame Venerate and the skeleton into his Storage Ring, Xiao Yu broke through the magma and swam upwards. Below was the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, but Xiao Yu's strength was not yet sufficient, so it was better not to approach it for now. He was considering when to tell Zi Yan about her father.
Soon, Xiao Yu appeared above the lava. After placing the Storage Ring, Xiao Yu walked towards the door. With a creak, the heavy door was pushed open by Xiao Yu, and standing outside the door was a figure, none other than Great Elder Su Qian.
Upon seeing Xiao Yu emerge, Great Elder Su Qian's eyes revealed a hint of joy as he stepped forward and asked, "Did you encounter any danger?"
Xiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "I encountered a strange lizardman down there. They were very strong, and there were quite a few among them who were comparable to human Dou Zong experts. I suspect there might even be creatures stronger than Dou Zong, so you'd better not go near that lava. But don't worry, once these creatures leave the lava, they're like fish out of water, slowly dying, so don't worry too much!"
A look of surprise appeared on Su Qian's face, but after hearing about the creature's strength, he quickly said, "Don't worry, the academy will absolutely not enter the lava!"
Xiao Yu then handed the Fire-Gathering Pot to Su Qian. After Su Qian took it, he felt a trace of Heart Flame appear in his body. If one wanted to activate the Heart Flame in Su Qian's body, it must be the original body of the Fallen Heart Flame. Su Qian knew that this must be the Fallen Heart Flame in its nascent stage that Xiao Yu had mentioned. This finally put Su Qian's mind at ease.
After Xiao Yu and Su Qian came up from the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, they bid farewell to Su Qian, left the Inner Academy, and returned to Maple City.
The following day, Xiao Yu had a long talk with the Thousand Hundred Elders of the academy in a secret room about his experience at the Dou Zun. Both of them returned to the Jia Nan Academy with great joy and began their seclusion. Presumably, after this seclusion, they would be able to break through to the Dou Zun realm.
After seeing off Thousand Hundred Elders, Ya Fei went to Xiao Yu's room and said to Xiao Yu, "I have the information you asked me to gather. It seems that something has happened in the Heavenly Snake Mansion recently. The valley is completely sealed off, and no one knows what happened. However, my people told me that a figure shrouded in black mist once sprang out of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, which is very similar to the person from the Soul Hall we are looking for."
"As expected, it's still in the Heavenly Snake Mansion. What about the Magic Flame Valley?" Xiao Yu asked, looking at Ya Fei.
"Magic Flame Valley is now similar to the Heavenly Snake Mansion, but I suppose the Old Ghost Di Mo needs to heal his injuries, which is why he issued this order. When do you plan to deal with Magic Flame Valley?" Ya Fei asked.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Yu said, "Tell Yun Yun and the others immediately. Also, bring along the powerful experts above the Dou Wang Underworld. Tomorrow, we're going to Magic Flame Valley!"
Ya Fei nodded slightly and parted her red lips, saying, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"
Watching Ya Fei's figure disappear, Xiao Yu murmured, "It's time to set off for Central Plains!"