Purple Flame

"I agree, but you must give me the Human-Shaping Pill and Imperial Extreme Pill first," the Amethyst Winged Lion King said.

"Heh heh." Master and disciple exchanged a glance.

"Heh heh, of course." Yao Lao casually pushed the Human-Shaping Pill and Imperial Extreme Pill before the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"However, I advise you to wait until the Purple Flame has been extracted before taking the Imperial Extreme Pill." Yao Lao smiled mysteriously.

Roar! The Amethyst Winged Lion King paused at Yao Lao's words. In the end, it swept up the Human-Shaping Pill with a burst of force and swallowed it whole, then let out wave after wave of agonized roars. Amid its painful howls, its body began to blur and shift once more. Within mere seconds, its seven- or eight-meter-long massive beast form transformed into a rugged, wild-looking middle-aged man around two meters tall, bare-chested and wearing only a leather skirt.

"Heh heh." The middle-aged man—or rather, the Amethyst Winged Lion King—looked somewhat awkwardly at his hands. Then, following the memories inherited through his Bloodline, he removed his beast robe and used Dou Qi to conjure a black robe around himself.

"Master." Only then did the burly man willingly address Xiao Yan as his master.

"Amethyst Winged Lion King, now that you've taken human form, give yourself a human name." Xiao Yan clapped his hands and laughed.

Just as the Amethyst Winged Lion King was about to speak, Xiao Yan added, "Since you're the Amethyst Winged Lion King, why not call yourself Xiao Yi?"

"..." The Amethyst Winged Lion King—or Xiao Yi—watched Xiao Yan with a twitching eye before ultimately accepting the name. For a magical beast, a human name did not really matter. It was merely a designation.

"Heh heh, Xiao Yi, come here. It's time to begin." After watching Xiao Yan tease Xiao Yi for a while, Yao Lao finally spoke. Xiao Yi gritted his teeth, then closed his eyes and sat before Yao Lao.

"Yan, watch carefully." Yao Lao spoke seriously to Xiao Yan before using an ancient technique he remembered to extract the Beast Flame from Xiao Yi's body.

"Hmph." As Yao Lao's actions reached the critical stage, Xiao Yi began to tremble all over, muffled groans escaping him.

With Yao Lao's movements, a cluster of Purple Flame slowly lit up at the center of Xiao Yi's chest and began moving out of his body.

"Hold on!" Yao Lao suddenly shouted. Then he gave a fierce pull, and an exceptionally bewitching mass of violet flame appeared in his hand. The Purple Flame was dazzling and scorching, endlessly radiating heat. As Yao Lao pulled it from Xiao Yi's body, Xiao Yi's aura rapidly fell at a speed everyone could clearly sense, dropping from the peak of a two-star Dou Emperor to the initial stage of the Dou Emperor realm.

"Quick, take the Imperial Extreme Pill." Yao Lao reminded him. Xiao Yi immediately swallowed the Imperial Extreme Pill, and his aura slowly climbed from the initial Dou Emperor stage back to the three-star Dou Emperor realm.

"Alright, Xiao Yi, go rest." Xiao Yi gave Yao Lao a resentful look, appearing as aggrieved as an abandoned young wife, before silently finding a corner to regulate his breath.

"So this is the Purple Flame, the innate Beast Flame within the Sixth-Tier Magical Beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King?" Xiao Yan stared at the flame in Yao Lao's hand.

"Yes, this is the Purple Flame, Yan. Alright, no time to waste. Refine this Beast Flame quickly."

As he spoke, Yao Lao took out two bottles of medicinal pills and said to Xiao Yan, "These are Pulse Protection Pills. They'll protect your meridians from being burned by the Purple Flame. These are Ice Heart Pills. They'll keep your mind clear at all times. Before refining the Purple Flame, take two Pulse Protection Pills and an Ice Heart Pill. This is the method for refining Beast Flames." Yao Lao then pointed a finger at Xiao Yan's forehead.

"Alright, Teacher." Xiao Yan nodded solemnly.

After swallowing the Pulse Protection Pills and Ice Heart Pill, Xiao Yan used force to draw the Purple Flame from Yao Lao's hand into his own. He then took a deep breath and swallowed the Purple Flame in one gulp.

Xiao Yan immediately felt an intense burning sensation throughout his body. Fortunately, the protective layer formed by the Pulse Protection Pills clung to the surface of his meridians, isolating the Purple Flame, while the cool energy of the Ice Heart Pill kept his mind clear. He then closed his eyes, focused his mind, and began refining the Purple Flame according to the method Yao Lao had given him.

Xiao Yan circulated his Dou Qi, carrying the Purple Flame through the mysterious, hidden, and remote meridians recorded in the method, moving slowly yet steadily. After struggling through three small cycles, the Purple Flame finally began to melt, gradually transforming into violet liquid flame. Xiao Yan sensed it all with delight, then guided the violet liquid into the meridian route normally traveled by his Dou Qi during cultivation.

The violet liquid slowly passed through his meridians and flowed through the pale yellow Qi Cyclone in his dantian, gradually dyeing it purple. Once, twice, three times.

At last, during the fifth great circulation cycle, the pale yellow Qi Cyclone was completely dyed violet, and the violet liquid poured fully into it. Unknowingly, the meridians within Xiao Yan's body had also become much wider and tougher. Sensing this, Xiao Yan could not help curling his lips into a smile, because he knew the Purple Flame had been successfully refined.

"Hm? What's this?" Having just finished refining the Purple Flame, Xiao Yan suddenly discovered that his strength had unknowingly risen from a seven-star Dou Zhe to a nine-star Dou Zhe. His aura continued to grow, eventually reaching the Dou Master realm before launching an assault on the barrier separating Dou Zhe from Dou Master. The energy in the air also began gathering madly, drilling into every pore of Xiao Yan's body.

"Oh, refining the Purple Flame had allowed him to break through into the Dou Master realm as well?" Yao Lao, who had been observing Xiao Yan for some time, muttered after sensing the change in his aura.

"Heh, what a lucky brat."

Having keenly sensed all this, Xiao Yan took the opportunity to actively guide the turbulent aura within him to strike at the Dou Master barrier. Shortly afterward, his aura suddenly burst outward before gradually stabilizing.

"Whew, I finally broke through to Dou Master. What a double blessing." Xiao Yan opened his eyes and felt the continuously surging Dou Qi within his body.

"Heh heh, looks like you're in a good mood." Yao Lao laughed.

"Teacher, I succeeded." Xiao Yan grinned at Yao Lao.

"Yes, I know. Try sensing it again. The Flame Mantra should have evolved as well, right?" Yao Lao smiled faintly.

"Mm, Teacher, the Flame Mantra evolved too, but only to Yellow-Tier Advanced." Xiao Yan closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, then opened them and spoke to Yao Lao with slight disappointment.

"You brat, what do you take the Flame Mantra for? This is a technique even more mysterious than Heaven-Tier techniques. For a mere Sixth-Tier Beast Flame to evolve it to Yellow-Tier Advanced is already very good." Yao Lao snapped furiously.

"A mere Sixth-Tier Beast Flame." Xiao Yi, who had already finished regulating his breath and awakened, suddenly spoke in a faint voice.

"Shut up!" Master and disciple turned and rebuked him in unison.

PS: I realized there were too many female characters around the protagonist early on, so I changed the Amethyst Winged Lion King's gender here. It is now male, which is why it became a burly man after taking human form.