Huo Zhi and Xiao Yan's First Meeting

Huo Zhi's gaze was fixed on the center of the vortex of energy storms in the outer area of the seventh floor.

The crimson mist almost condensed into a liquid, churning and roaring to form a miniature fire tornado, yet flowing like a liquid.

At the center of that vortex of violent energy, a figure sat cross-legged like a pillar of strength.

He was naked, his muscular upper body bare. His physique was not one of bulky, bulging muscles, but rather one of smooth lines, explosive inner power, and perfect proportions.

At this moment, the skin exhibited a strange dark red jade-like luster. Under the scouring of the violent energy torrent, the luster shifted, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if a piece of divine iron was being repeatedly hammered and tempered in the furnace of heaven and earth. Not only did it not collapse, but it became even more resilient, faintly exuding a sense of immovable solidity.

Streams of white smoke rose from every pore of his body, a sight of moisture and impurities being instantly evaporated by the extreme heat, but the smoke was immediately swallowed up by the even more terrifying heat waves around him.

He was like a sponge that could never be saturated, greedily absorbing and devouring the violent fire attribute energy at an astonishing speed—energy that even ordinary Dou Wang expert would find difficult to absorb!

"Xiao Yan..."

Huo Zhi's ruby-like eyes suddenly lit up, and her cherry lips beneath the veil held a complex and intense emotion as she uttered the name as if calling out or sighing.

An indescribable shock and intense emotion instantly overwhelmed her.

Although she had always known that Xiao Yan cultivated diligently, she had heard about it from her conversations with Ling Yanfei, Yao Xun'er, Yao Ling, and Xiao Yi Xian these past few days.

But now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I understand the weight of the word "hard work"!

This is hardly simple cultivation; it's dancing on the edge of a knife, seeking nirvana amidst raging flames!

With the mere strength of a Dou Ling, he not only dared to cultivate on the seventh level, which was reserved for elders of the Dou Wang level, but also deliberately placed himself in the most violent energy center to cultivate Dou Qi and strengthen himself.

What an insane method of cultivation!

Of course she knew that Xiao Yan was cultivating the Great Sun Separation Fire Body.

This Dou Technique was specially designed by her and sent to the Jia Nan Academy for Xiao Yan to use.

She wasn't worried at all that Xiao Yan wouldn't be able to cultivate this Dou Technique.

Because this Dou Technique was created by Xiao Yan!

The difference is that in his previous life, Xiao Yan created the Great Sun Separation Fire Body within the Bodhi Ancient Tree after Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation of reincarnation.

However, since Xiao Yan advanced to the Dou Sheng level after that, and the power of this Dou Technique was limited to those below the Dou Sheng, Xiao Yan basically never used it. Later, he casually gave it to the Yan Clan, which allowed her to learn this Dou Technique with extremely demanding cultivation conditions.

Many people in the clan tried to cultivate the Great Sun Separation Fire Body, but none of them could endure the pain of being tempered by flames, and they all gave up on cultivation.

Although she was in love with Xiao Yan in her previous life, she never had the chance to express her feelings. So she wanted to test just how difficult it was to cultivate the Dou Technique created by Xiao Yan.

Because he possessed the Red Lotus Karma Flame, Huo Zhi naturally realized that cultivating the Great Sun Separation Fire Body with the Red Lotus Karma Flame would be even more effective.

However, she underestimated the power of the Heavenly Flame Body Tempering, and her cultivation went awry, resulting in serious injuries and unconsciousness.

When she woke up, she found that she had been reborn.

The Great Sun Separation Fire Body that he cultivated inexplicably became a mysterious Dou Technique that his Half-Saint grandfather obtained from an ancient ruin on the day he was born. After analysis within the clan, the Yan Clan believed that such an outrageous cultivation method was probably related to the legendary Tou She Ancient God.

But Huo Zhi knew that wasn't the case. If there was any connection, it could only be that Xiao Yan, who created this Dou Technique, later received the inheritance of the Tou She Ancient God and became the Flame Emperor.

Perhaps, only Xiao Yan himself could successfully master the Dou Technique he created...

She didn't care why she was reborn.

She understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If she misses Xiao Yan again in this life, will she have a next life?

She didn't know, and she didn't want to think about it.

Because her future is now in her own hands.

The Red Lotus Karma Flame within his body seemed to have been stimulated in some way, becoming slightly restless and conveying an emotion that appeared to be "excitement".

"Are you excited because of Xiao Yan?"

Huo Zhi was quite familiar with the Red Lotus Karma Flame. However, logically speaking, shouldn't it be the future Xiao Yan who should elicit such a reaction from the Red Lotus Karma Flame?

Huo Zhi was slightly puzzled, but then red flames slowly rose in his eyes. He quickly realized that Xiao Yan was even more crazy than before, directly using that unclaimed Heart Fire as nourishment to temper his body!

Even a Dou Wang expert would treat the Heart Fire with utmost care, yet he used it as nourishment for body tempering?

"That Xiao Yan is a complete madman!"

After the initial shock, a feeling of heartache and worry welled up inside me.

With the help of the Red Lotus Karma Flame, her eyes became like X-rays, able to clearly "see" the enormous impact and damage that the violent energy and burning Heart Fire caused to Xiao Yan's meridians, bones, and muscles when they were inside his body.

Under the influence of the Dou Technique, Xiao Yan's body will absorb that energy and reorganize itself.

Back and forth, Xiao Yan's body maintained a delicate balance amidst destruction and reconstruction, and each surge of energy was accompanied by intense pain.

Yet, on that young but angular face, apart from the slight furrowing of his brow due to extreme focus, there was not a trace of pain or distortion, only an almost devout calm and perseverance.

To rise from a fallen member of the Xiao Family to become the Flame Emperor who protects the Dou Qi Continent, one must have endured a great deal of hardship. However, what was a self-torturing Dou Technique for Xiao Yan would probably be tantamount to suicide for most people.

All I can say is, he truly lives up to his reputation as Xiao Yan.

But won't this ruin your life?

Thinking of Xiao Yan, who is not even thirteen years old this year, Huo Zhi felt even more heartache for Xiao Yan.

For a fleeting moment, she really wanted to rush over and pull him out of the energy vortex, but she held back.

She understood that this was essential training for Xiao Yan, and besides, being interrupted abruptly in this state of deep concentration would have serious consequences.

So she stood quietly at the edge of the turbulent energy flow, her red dress fluttering in the heat, like a spider lily blooming on the edge of hell.

Huo Zhi stared intently at the silhouette of the figure at the center of the vortex, as if trying to etch this scene deep into her heart.

Surrounding her was a raging energy that even Dou Ling couldn't withstand. At its core was a young man undergoing Heavenly Flame Body Tempering, and she stood on the edge of life and death, silently protecting him.

"Although I knew you weren't afraid of those Ancient Clan, I never imagined you'd be doing the most insane things in this most dangerous place." Huo Zhi sighed softly, her eyes filled with complex emotions—heartache, admiration, and an uncontrollable, burning passion growing wildly within her. "To become stronger, you're incredibly ruthless to yourself, but I truly admire and admire you for it..."

Time slipped away quietly amidst Xiao Yan's absolute focus and Huo Zhi's silent protection.

After an unknown amount of time, the rate at which the raging energy vortex was devouring energy seemed to have reached a critical point of saturation.

The wildly spinning energy flow paused slightly, and then, like a receding tide, began to subside at a visible speed. The previously somewhat turbulent Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower also began to stabilize again.

The dark red jade-like luster on Xiao Yan's body was like divine iron that had been tempered by high temperature. Instead of dimming, it became more profound and restrained, faintly revealing a strange metallic texture.

The thick white smoke that had been billowing out suddenly thinned out and disappeared, as if the raging furnace within him had finally cooled down temporarily.

The aura emanating from him also appeared more substantial and refined, like tempered steel, carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

"Call..."

Xiao Yan slowly exhaled an extremely hot breath, which, upon leaving his body, condensed into a pale white arrow of energy in the air. It shot straight for several feet before slowly dissipating into the scorching air.

He opened his eyes.

Those deep black eyes, the moment they opened, seemed to flash with a tangible, sharp light.

After undergoing this intense tempering by the eruption of Heart Fire and the violent energy, his cultivation progress has accelerated considerably.

Just this short period of intense training has already been equivalent to the results of his previous half-month of training!

In other words, the original plan to complete the Quenching Body training in three months can now be accomplished in just two and a half months!

But the next moment, the look of satisfaction in Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly turned into a cold wariness!

As soon as he opened his eyes, Xiao Yan subconsciously released his powerful soul perception, accurately capturing an unfamiliar, scorching aura. Moreover, this aura gave him a sense of oppression!

There's a powerful stranger here!

In this seventh level, which should only be accessible to elders and was deserted due to the riot, there was actually a powerful figure I didn't recognize?

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and his body muscles tensed instantly, like a cheetah poised to pounce.

He turned his head sharply, his gaze like lightning, piercing through the thin red mist that had not yet completely dissipated, and precisely locked onto that slender red figure.

When their eyes met, Huo Zhi did not panic at being discovered.

Her ruby-like eyes met Xiao Yan's wary and sharp gaze, and the corners of her lips, hidden beneath the veil, seemed to curve into a very faint arc.

She stood still, calmly accepting Xiao Yan's scrutinizing gaze.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

After the violent energy subsided, only a viscous silence remained on the seventh level.

A dark red light illuminated the two figures, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

"Who are you?"

Xiao Yan's voice broke the silence.

His voice was slightly hoarse from prolonged training and high fever, but the wariness in his words was unmistakable.

Although he did not get up immediately, and even though his cross-legged posture still looked very stable, the Dou Qi within his body had already quietly circulated, and his bones and muscles were poised to unleash a thunderous attack at any moment.

He could sense that the other party's aura was very strong, at least at the Dou Wang level. Moreover, there was an extremely familiar sense of oppression emanating from this woman, which made the Green Lotus Myriad Beast Fire within Xiao Yan feel fear!

However, even Old Yao's Bone Spirit Cold Flame could not make Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames feel fear directly!

Does this woman possess a top-ten ranked Heavenly Flames?

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan had a rough idea of the person's identity.

Most of the top ten Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking either have owners or no one can subdue them.

The woman wore a red dress, and occasionally, deep red flames in the shape of lotus flowers would appear around her, clearly the Red Lotus Karma Flame, ranked eighth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Without a doubt, the one who possesses this flame is the pride of the Yan Clan, Huo Zhi!

Huo Zhi didn't answer immediately, but instead took a light step. Her high heels clicked crisply on the scorching floor, making an exceptionally clear sound in the silent seventh floor.

"Nice to meet you, Xiao Yan." Her voice rang out, coming through the veil, carrying a subtle sense of intimacy, melodious and pleasant, "Or rather, we have finally met."

Xiao Yan frowned slightly.

"We've finally met?"

That's a profound statement...

Moreover, Xiao Yan was surrounded by quite a few beautiful women. Having spent so much time with them, he had come to understand women quite well. He could see through the complex emotions hidden in those ruby-like eyes at a glance.

"I imagine you wouldn't be too surprised if I told you my identity directly, would you? Yan Clan, Huo Zhi." She nodded slightly, a formal introduction, then met Xiao Yan's gaze frankly, stating her purpose directly, "I've come for you."

"For me?"

Xiao Yan was somewhat puzzled.

This woman shouldn't recognize him yet, right?

So what is she doing?

"I've come here to fulfill a promise."

Seeing Xiao Yan's confusion, Huo Zhi understood that Xiao Yan definitely didn't know who she was, since she was the only one who had been reborn.

"Agreement?"

Xiao Yan slowly stood up, his movements fluid and powerful. The muscle lines of his bare upper body were particularly clear in the dark red light, and the remaining traces of sweat were quickly evaporated by the high temperature. His perfect physique made Huo Zhi unable to look away.

"I have no connection with the Yan Clan, so what agreement could there be?"

Xiao Yan shrugged; he was genuinely confused about what had happened.

Upon hearing Huo Zhi reluctantly withdrew her veiled gaze, then smiled and took a few steps closer, "What you were cultivating just now, was it the Great Sun Separation Fire Body?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted!

How did she know about this body-refining Dou Technique?

Could it be...?

Huo Zhi didn't keep her in suspense and explained directly, "That Dou Technique scroll belongs to my Yan Clan, but it seems it's more suitable for you to cultivate. This Dou Technique was won from my clan by Elder Mang."

"Ah?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes widened.

This Dou Technique is actually from the Yan Clan?

No, that's absolutely impossible!

The appearance of this Dou Technique at the Jia Nan Academy may be inextricably linked to Huo Zhi!