Appears

"Ah?"

Xiao Yan came back to his senses and asked instinctively, "I remember the Bone Spirit Cold Flame you possess, Teacher, is ranked..."

"Eleventh."

When it came to discussing this, Old Yao was far more familiar with it than Xiao Yan.

"Then the Living Flame is..."

"The Living Flame can be said to be a Heavenly Flame that every alchemist dreams of obtaining."

"Unlike other Heavenly Flames, which are powerful, violent, difficult to tame, and astonishingly destructive, the Living Flame possesses exceptionally vigorous life force instead."

"Because of its life force, it is also known as the Flame of Longevity. A Heavenly Flame holder who possesses it has vitality no less than that of certain magical beasts. The only regrettable thing is that this flame is not suited for battle and does not provide much of a boost to combat strength."

"The Living Flame is born between heaven and earth and can likewise nourish all things. Wherever it remains for a hundred or a thousand years, medicinal herbs of the same age can be found with ease. It can be said that possessing the Living Flame means possessing an inexhaustible supply of medicinal ingredients."

After Old Yao finished, he let out a long sigh. "Now do you understand why I was so shocked just now?"

"Every one of the top five on the Heavenly Flame Ranking is extraordinarily miraculous, far beyond what ordinary Heavenly Flames can compare to."

"Miss Wan..."

Having come back to his senses, Xiao Yan looked at the tightly shut guest room, his feelings inevitably complicated.

The more he learned about this world, the farther away Miss Wan seemed to become from him...

It was as though they were not even from the same world.

"But then again, the aura of the Living Flame on that girl was not particularly strong. The Living Flame is born of heaven and earth and possesses extraordinarily high intelligence. Once it takes form, it no longer remains an ordinary flame. It may transform into vegetation, or merge with the soil, nourishing all things silently."

"I imagine it is not a complete Living Flame. More likely, it is a Living Flame Seed that is still in its growth stage."

"Yet nurturing a Heavenly Flame is exceedingly difficult. That girl is so talented, but she is only a Dou Wang now. She must have spent too much effort nurturing that flame seed."

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned. Even after having her cultivation progress delayed by a Heavenly Flame, she had still become a Dou Wang. If she had given up nurturing the Heavenly Flame, would she not have charged straight toward the Dou Emperor realm by now?

Xiao Yan hardly dared to imagine it.

Someone around his own age... a Dou Emperor?

Even within the entire Jia Ma Empire, such a person would be capable of commanding the winds and clouds.

And how could such a genius possibly have been nurtured by a mere Jia Ma Empire?

Even Xiao Yan knew clearly that the Jia Ma Empire was an exceedingly weak and insignificant existence in the vast Dou Qi Continent.

Beyond the Jia Ma Empire and its many neighboring nations, there was naturally an entirely different, boundless world.

Miss Wan had probably come from such a place.

Unlike Xiao Yan, however, Xiao Zhan and the three elders were more shocked by that surging tide of Dou Qi. It was already a level beyond anything they could come into contact with, and the person making the breakthrough inside the guest room was even more unimaginable.

Only after wave upon wave of Dou Qi tides gradually subsided did everything settle down along with them.

The vigorous life force gradually faded, and the stirred-up Dou Qi fell silent as well.

Inside the guest room, Yao Wan softly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

A five-star Dou Wang.

She could originally have pushed onward in one burst toward the Dou Emperor realm, but in order to nurture the Living Flame Seed within her lifeline, Yao Wan had chosen to forgo breaking through to Dou Emperor as quickly as possible. Instead, she poured all the vigorous life force brought by the sublimation of her Dou Qi into that tiny, weak flame seed.

Still, the growth of the Living Flame Seed had lived up to her efforts.

Yao Wan slowly spread her fingers. Her fair, slender jade fingers unfurled like lotus petals, and a blue-green flower bloomed in her palm.

Unlike before, when it seemed as though it might go out at any moment, the Living Flame Seed had now truly been ignited within its kindling.

Though it could not be accomplished overnight, it had at least gotten on the right track. There would be no problem using it normally from now on.

The blue-green flower blooming from her palm was naturally no longer the Living Flame Seed. It should be considered another Living Flame.

"Phew... at least I didn't raise you for nothing."

A bright smile spread across Yao Wan's lips as she murmured to herself unconsciously.

Although the feeling of finally being rewarded for her past efforts was immensely gratifying, Yao Wan had not forgotten that several people seemed to have arrived outside her door.

Well, her breakthrough had been rather sudden, so Yao Wan had not made any preparations.

Accordingly, she had naturally not consciously blocked off the outside world while making her breakthrough. By the time she suddenly realized what was happening, it was already unrealistic to use her divine sense to seal off the outside. Thus, Yao Wan simply stopped worrying about it. With Xiao Yan covering for her on the Xiao Family's side, dealing with it presumably would not be too troublesome.

But now, she could no longer keep hiding in the guest room.

Only when she was alone in her room did Yao Wan not wear that oversized cloak.

As the girl rose from her cross-legged position, the sunlight outside the window cast her graceful figure, with its elegant curves, upon the guest room wall.

Yao Wan was sixteen this year, at the height of her youthful bloom. Her peerless beauty had begun to show itself.

Beneath her snowy, lovely face were autumn-water eyes reflecting a sea of stars. Her brows resembled willow leaves, and her lips red cherries.

Yet for some reason, whenever Yao Wan made no expression, her face seemed to carry an air that kept others at a distance.

How strange.

Yao Wan herself found it odd. She did not think she was particularly difficult to get along with.

She raised her fingertips and made a beckoning gesture with her fair hand. The Bamboo Hat at the side flew over, and she caught it and put it on, concealing once more the beauty that could bring trouble at any time.

With a soft creak from the doorway, the girl opened the door and slowly stepped out of the guest room.

Five people stood in the small courtyard, and Yao Wan spotted Xiao Yan at a glance.

Amid the overwhelming shock of the Clan Leader and the three elders, the courtyard suddenly fell into an exceedingly strange silence.

Only after a moment did Xiao Yan finally ask, "You broke through?"

"Mhm, five-star Dou Wang."

Having just made a breakthrough and seen the Living Flame grow as well, Yao Wan was in a fine mood. Even her voice carried an unconcealed hint of delight.

"My cultivation speed is a little slow, but at least there were other benefits. I suppose the gains were quite plentiful."

"Then congratulations, Miss Wan."

Yet after Xiao Zhan and the elders witnessed the simple exchange between Xiao Yan and Yao Wan, they were even more shocked.

A five-star Dou Wang? Someone capable of commanding the winds and clouds throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire had appeared in the Xiao Family?