Hun Xuzi's Promise

Squelch~

Within the mountain dense forest, a glittering golden flame blade silently swept through the dense thornbushes. Every obstacle in its path was severed, before it finally disappeared into a patch of shadow. Blood immediately sprayed through the air, and a three-meter-long green snake emerged, its severed body writhing. Moments later, it went still.

Whoosh!

A nimble figure darted through the forest. The dense bushes along the way posed no obstacle to him, and moments later, he landed steadily before the green snake.

"A First-Tier Earth Green Snake. Highly venomous, skilled at using surrounding vegetation to conceal itself. Unfortunately, you were facing an alchemist."

Yao Yan muttered to himself, raising a hand to condense a Blazing Fire Blade. He expertly split open the Earth Green Snake's head to make sure it was truly dead.

Over the past three months, he had dealt with no shortage of Magical Beasts and knew exactly how tenacious their lives could be. Some would even feign death, waiting until you approached before launching a final counterattack. Therefore, the best approach was always to finish them off. In truth, this applied not only to Magical Beasts, but to people as well.

"No Magic Core..."

Yao Yan dissected the Earth Green Snake but found none of its most valuable treasure. He took several pieces of meat from its body and placed them into his Storage Ring, then circulated his Dou Qi and used Wandering Dragon's Chant to dash into the distance.

In a Magical Beast Mountain Range like this, the greatest taboo was staying in one place to deal with one's spoils. The scent of blood could easily draw powerful Carnivorous Magical Beasts near. He had suffered for that mistake more than once over the past three months. If his Dou Qi had not been stronger than that of ordinary Dou Zhes, and if not for his Soul Power's advance warning, he might have already needed to call Yao Nong for help.

Still, after three months of tempering, his gains had been considerable. First and foremost, his cultivation had successfully returned to the level of a Six-Star Dou Zhe.

This Cultivation Speed was far faster than it had been in Pill Cauldron City. The reason was naturally related to the constant exhaustion of Dou Qi. The process of depletion and recovery naturally accelerated cultivation while making one more adept at using Dou Qi.

Hun Xuzi had not asked him to cultivate in the Shennong Mountain Range without reason.

Compared to the Dou Qi stage, where one tempered the body, the Dou Zhe stage placed greater importance on using Dou Qi. Blindly cultivating in seclusion was of no benefit to a beginner like Yao Yan. Moreover, skillfully using Dou Qi in battle was clearly not something one could learn through another person's instruction. It could only be understood through personal experience.

Setting aside everything else, just the study of those three Dou Techniques alone would have made it impossible for him to reach his current level within three months if he had merely cultivated in seclusion.

Yao Yan arrived beside a waterfall and swept the surroundings with his Soul Power. Then, his figure slipped into the waterfall. After suffering at the hands of a wolf pack last time, he had moved his residence here. The crashing water concealed his aura and tracks, even masking the Energy Fluctuation produced by his cultivation.

He had dug out the cave behind the waterfall himself. Its interior was not small, and after several expansions, it was fully furnished—even a bathtub had been installed.

He skillfully took several bottles of medicinal powder from his Storage Ring and poured them into the bathtub, then fetched water from the waterfall beside him. Once he was done, he leaped into it. Illusory Gold Flame coiled around his body, and its fierce heat instantly brought the medicinal liquid in the tub to a boil. The blackish-red liquid emitted a pungent smell, while streams of Medicinal Power that numbed his muscles and bones flowed into every part of his body after being refined by the Illusory Gold Flame.

Yao Nong had prepared this medicinal powder for Yao Yan. It could heal bodily injuries, accelerate Cultivation Speed, and had other effects. Many of the medicinal ingredients contained within were precious treasures.

Scholars may survive in poverty, but martial artists could not.

That had been the truth since ancient times.

Even on the Dou Qi Continent, it was the same.

Without sufficient medicinal pills to support him, how could Yao Yan maintain such a Cultivation Speed? Moreover, he was cultivating the Three Flowers Gather Fire Skill, a foundational cultivation method that few in the Yao Clan dared attempt. Yet for the sake of his future path, he had to persevere.

If Yao Chen could make it through in the Original Work, then with his current talent, there was no way he could fail.

He closed his eyes and immersed himself in cultivation.

Heaven and Earth Energy gathered around him. Yao Yan could clearly feel his Dou Qi Cyclone strengthening, its color growing increasingly dense, as though it were about to liquefy. At the same time, wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi entered his body, nourishing both his flesh and soul. Compared to the strengthening of his Dou Qi, the sensation of absorbing Spiritual Qi was far more wondrous.

He could even sense the Tunling Clan bloodline stirring within him, as though Spiritual Qi was an energy of the same origin. Yet the two energies were inexplicably incompatible.

Buzz~

Suddenly, the Storage Ring on Yao Yan's fingertip flashed with a faint gleam. A jade tablet floated up, wrapped in black flame. Amid the swirling black fire, a figure devoid of any energy appeared in midair. Red light flickered in its eyes, black flames coiling within them. It was indescribably strange and sinister.

The newcomer was naturally a wisp of Hun Xuzi's Soul Body. He did not interrupt Yao Yan's cultivation and merely watched him calmly. With his Soul Power, he could clearly sense the changes in Yao Yan's body.

"Spiritual Qi?"

Hun Xuzi seemed to sense something. He raised his hand, and black flames surged forth, instantly intercepting a wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. He gave Yao Yan a surprised look. Spiritual Qi was a domain that only Seventh-Rank Alchemists could come into contact with, yet he had not expected Yao Yan to be able to draw Spiritual Qi into his body at such a young age. He even seemed exceptionally compatible with it.

Was it because of the Dou Di Bloodline, or the Tunling Clan bloodline...

"It seems this little fellow's talent for alchemy is not weak."

Hun Xuzi murmured to himself. Originally, what he valued most was Yao Yan's Tunling Clan Bloodline Talent, but now he had some other ideas. Perhaps he could nurture Yao Yan's alchemy as well. If he could cultivate a Ninth Grade Alchemist Grandmaster in the future, it should prove useful for the Soul Clan's ultimate plan.

When it came to alchemy, the Soul Clan was ultimately no match for the naturally gifted people of the Yao Clan. Even Hun Xuzi had to admit that.

After all, in the Soul Clan's thousand-year history, he was the only Ninth Grade Alchemist Grandmaster it had produced.

Over the years, he had also tried to train other Soul Clan disciples, but unfortunately, most had been unworthy of the effort. Reaching the eighth grade was already their limit. As for the ninth grade, they were not even qualified to touch upon it.

As the Medicinal Power in the liquid was fully absorbed, Yao Yan also stopped cultivating and opened his eyes.

While in the Shennong Mountain Range, he did not dare immerse himself too deeply in cultivation, fearing that some accident might occur.

But opening his eyes today clearly brought a pleasant surprise.

"Teacher."

Seeing the familiar ghostly black-flame figure before him, Yao Yan's face revealed a trace of delight as he hurriedly called out.

After wearing a mask for too long, it truly became difficult to take it off.

By now, Yao Yan had almost developed a conditioned reflex.

Hun Xuzi nodded, deeply approving of Yao Yan's performance during this period. In a gentle tone, he said, "Not bad. You have improved quickly. The Yao Clan's Three Flowers Gather Fire Skill is indeed well suited to you at present. As for a cultivation method, once you reach the Dou Wang realm, I will prepare one for you. The Soul Clan does not lack Heaven Rank Skills."

Yao Yan naturally believed that. When it came to wealth and resources, the Soul Clan was undoubtedly the greatest in the world. After all, the Soul Clan had raised a bandit den like the Soul Hall. If they wanted something, they only needed to take it by force!

"Besides that, I will also prepare a Heavenly Flame for you. I believe you have already sensed it. This flame is Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Although it is not the source flame, merely a child flame of Nihility Devouring Flame, its power is enough to rank among the top five. Even an ordinary child flame is far more powerful than most Heavenly Flames, and its special nature is exceptionally compatible with your Tunling Clan bloodline."

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Yao Yan hurriedly rose and bowed, excitement and exhilaration appearing in his eyes. Yet his heart remained calm, because he knew Nihility Devouring Flame was a trap. Without the Flame Mantra, it was best not to touch it at all. Otherwise, when facing Nihility Devouring Flame's Main Body, one would not even be able to muster the thought of resisting and might even be directly refined into a puppet.

That was precisely what Nihility Devouring Flame had done in the Original Work. Many Soul Clan higher-ups had been implanted with its child flames and turned into puppets under its control.

This method was no different from Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame's.

One could only say that those two fellow sufferers truly deserved each other. Having escaped together from the Dou Di Cave Abode, both excelled at refining people into puppets.