The Legend of the Fastest Apprenticeship

Under the suppression of the bone-white flames, the scarlet flame within Xiao Yan finally stopped raging. Like a tamed beast, it obediently curled up in a corner of the Dou Qi Vortex.

Within the Dou Qi Vortex, as the flame flickered, dense gaseous energy surged forth, and Xiao Yan's aura skyrocketed as if riding a rocket.

Two stars, three stars, four stars... eight stars!

However, before his aura could finish soaring, Old Yao's powerful soul force entered Xiao Yan's body together with the bone-white flames, forming skeletal figures that pounced toward the scarlet flame.

Whoosh!

Seeing the terrifying bone-white flames coming to devour it, the scarlet flame fled in fright, plunging headfirst into the Spirit Absorber that emitted a gray glow.

Before Xiao Yan could even react, the bone-white flames unceremoniously swept away every last bit of Dou Qi within his Dou Qi Vortex!

"Little fellow, I helped you refine the Heavenly Flame and saved your life. It isn't excessive to take a little payment, is it?"

The elderly voice rang out with a teasing laugh. The bone-white flames instantly withdrew from Xiao Yan's body, taking a large amount of Dou Qi with them!

Xiao Yan had no objections whatsoever!

His eyes suddenly flew open, and Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at the bone fragment in his hand, now incomparably pale.

Clearly, the newly born flame seedling had used the bone fragment as its vessel. Now that he had refined the flame, the bone fragment had naturally lost its use.

The hot spring... had turned cold as well!

He sprang out of the water and instinctively tried to use Dou Qi to dry his clothes.

Then Xiao Yan came to his senses.

There truly was not a single thread of Dou Qi left in his body!

The good news, however, was that his realm had not fallen too much. He had only dropped from a two-star Dou Zhe to the stage of having just entered the Dou Zhe realm. With a little cultivation, he could return to being a proper one-star Dou Zhe.

Xiao Yan quickly regained his composure, suppressing the excitement in his heart. He looked curiously at his ring and asked tentatively,

"Senior?"

"Your perception is quite good, little one. Even in such circumstances, you could sense that something was unusual about this ring. What fine talent!"

The elderly voice sounded, and a transparent figure flew out from the ring. Seeing how translucent his body was, Xiao Yan knew that Old Yao, who had awakened two years early, was in poor condition. Even after taking Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, he had recovered very little.

Thinking about it carefully, it was easy to understand. How much could the soul force of a Dou Zun expert recover by absorbing a little Dou Qi—or even Dou Qi energy—from a Dou Zhe, even if he had absorbed it for three years?

"Xiao Yan greets Senior. Thank you for saving my life. I will remember your kindness and will surely repay you in the future!"

Xiao Yan cupped his hands in salute and spoke solemnly.

"What a composed little fellow. You saw me in this form, yet you weren't frightened into running away?"

Old Yao smiled as he teased Xiao Yan. Then he circled Xiao Yan a few times, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"A ten-year-old two-star Dou Zhe, fire-attributed Dou Qi mixed with wood affinity, powerful soul perception, and the luck to encounter a Heavenly Flame. Not bad!"

Old Yao nodded and floated before Xiao Yan. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked,

"Do you want to become an alchemist?"

The moment Old Yao finished speaking, Xiao Yan dropped to his knees with a thud and bowed.

"Teacher, I want to become an alchemist more than anything!"

???

Old Yao was utterly dumbfounded by Xiao Yan's smooth sequence of moves.

There was something strange about this kid!

"How did you know I was an alchemist?"

Old Yao could not help asking.

"Aren't you? Then what did you mean by asking whether I wanted to become one?"

Xiao Yan looked up and asked in confusion.

"That is true, but you accepted me as your teacher without even confirming it?"

Old Yao considered himself well traveled across the continent, someone who had seen every sort of situation. But this was truly a scene he had never encountered before.

"Senior just saved my life and helped me refine the flame. Though you took a small amount of Dou Qi as payment, Xiao Yan is not so shortsighted.

To exist in the form of a soul body, Senior's strength must be extraordinarily formidable. My little bit of Dou Qi would be no more than a drop in the ocean to Senior—even that would be flattering myself.

Senior said my Dou Qi possessed wood affinity, praised me highly, and then asked whether I wanted to become an alchemist. Clearly, you had the intention of taking me as a disciple. Though I have already taken Yun Yun, the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, as my teacher, I imagine she would not mind if I learned alchemy from the senior who saved my life!"

Xiao Yan made no move to rise. Still kneeling on the ground, he spoke with a respectful expression.

"Good, good, good. You really are a clever lad, and you have good judgment as well. I do not mind that you have another teacher. As for alchemy, across the entire continent, there are not many who can stand on equal footing with me!"

When it came to alchemy, Old Yao's tone held a few more traces of pride.

"That's wonderful! This disciple, Xiao Yan, pays respects to Teacher!"

Xiao Yan immediately bowed again.

He did not want to have his Dou Qi drained for three years, nor did he want to go through that three-year observation period.

His cheat-code mentor had already arrived. All he wanted now was to immediately gain Old Yao's help and begin his overpowered life!

"Mm. From now on, you may call me Old Yao."

Old Yao stroked his illusory beard and nodded with a smile.

Xiao Yan nodded, then asked curiously,

"Teacher, what exactly is going on with this Heavenly Flame?"

As Xiao Yan spoke, he told Old Yao everything about the hot spring in this cave.

"Hmm..."

After hearing this, Old Yao thought for a moment. Then he flicked a finger, sending out bone-white flames that evaporated the pool water and exposed the bottom.

The pool bottom was not made of scattered stones, but a single enormous stretch of pale bone. It had not been obvious while the water was there, but once the water had evaporated, a closer look revealed that it seemed to be the spinal bone of an incomparably massive magical beast.

"So that's how it is..." Old Yao seemed thoughtful. "Beneath this hot spring, the corpses of many ancient magical beasts were likely piled up long ago. The blood you poured into it just now allowed the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire to complete its final missing piece. That is why it appeared on its own, intending to use your soul to bring about its birth.

"Teacher, what does that mean?"

Xiao Yan did not quite understand. He was unfamiliar with the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire.

"This Myriad Beast Spirit Fire is condensed from the souls and bloodlines of countless beasts. 'Myriad' is merely an approximate number; it does not truly mean ten thousand, but the number is certainly not small.

And the most important link among them is mankind, the spirit of all living things!

The blood on your body came from the Dou Zhe you killed. They were too weak; even after death, their souls could not exist independently and instead dispersed through their organs, blood, and veins, eventually returning to heaven and earth.

Therefore, although that blood could not be considered essence blood, it was fresh enough. It even contained blood from internal organs that carried soul fragments, making up the crucial piece missing from the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire and allowing it to take shape.

But it had not truly been completed. That was why the flame entered your body on its own, attempting to use your soul and blood to complete itself entirely. Who would have thought that you, you reckless brat, would drag a newly born and weakened Heavenly Flame into refining right away!

With the strength of a Dou Zhe, refining a Heavenly Flame—even such a weak little flame—was bold enough!"

Old Yao explained, shaking his head somewhat helplessly.

When he had refined a Heavenly Flame back then, he had been tortured beyond recognition. He had remained in that pitch-black place for many years before barely succeeding. Yet this boy had refined a Heavenly Flame so easily, escaping danger without harm. Although that Heavenly Flame had not fully matured, it was still enough to make others jealous!