New Flames

Gu Te inspected the various medicinal ingredients with an obsessed expression, his face full of adoration for them.

"Let's leave this transaction at that. If you have more good stuff like this next time, remember to come find me!"

Gu Te put the medicinal ingredients into his bird's nest Storage Ring and said with a smile to Xiao Wujiu.

"Of course, of course."

Xiao Wujiu led Xiao Yi Xian away, readily agreeing with his words.

Yet he understood in his heart that, given the rate at which his strength was growing, Gu Te's collection would soon no longer be enough to meet his needs.

After being enhanced, his cultivation method had reached Heaven Tier. It was worlds apart from an Earth Tier cultivation method, not to mention that even Earth Tier cultivation methods were scarce within the Jia Ma Empire.

The Burning World Return to Origin Art mainly enhanced his ability to contain flames, while its improvement to cultivation speed was merely incidental.

However, the difficulty of cultivating it had not increased much because of that. Perhaps because it had been enhanced by the Crossing Gate, the optimized cultivation method was exceptionally suited to Xiao Wujiu. That was also why he had successfully converted to it.

Combined with his advantage of knowing the plot, this might be their last transaction.

After leaving Gu Te's collection room, the two returned to Black Rock City and arrived at a place where they could ride flying magical beasts to Shimo City.

Thanks to his identity as a third-tier alchemist, they smoothly boarded the nearest flying magical beast bound for Mo City.

Once inside their room, Xiao Yi Xian curiously looked around. After all, Thick-Winged Birds were not only enormous enough to build houses on their backs, but were also gentle-tempered and highly enduring. These were things she had only heard of back in Green Mountain Town.

This feeling was completely different from flying in Xiao Wujiu's arms!

"Xiao Wujiu, I'm going out for a look around."

After finding their room, Xiao Yi Xian spoke to Xiao Wujiu.

He sensed the strength of everyone aboard the Thick-Winged Bird and found that the strongest was merely a Five-Star Da Dou Shi, so he nodded and gave his permission.

"Go on. Be careful. Flying magical beasts could still appear in the sky."

"Okay~" After agreeing, Xiao Yi Xian skipped out of the room.

Xiao Wujiu remained in the room to cultivate. He felt that his strength was about to break through.

After consuming the Companion Amethyst Source and Refining the Purple Flame, he had already been close to a breakthrough. Feeling it now was simply a natural progression.

Although the higher the grade of a cultivation method, the more energy was required for a breakthrough, Xiao Wujiu had obtained nothing but treasures that others would envy!

He took out the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower from his Storage Ring. This was also one of the Immortal Herbs he had brought back from Douluo Continent. The flame-origin power contained within it was considerable and beneficial to the cultivation of the Burning World Return to Origin Art.

Next, he took out Flame Marrow, Fire Bodhi, Earth Fire Ganoderma, Crimson Blood Crystal...

Then he summoned the Creation Cauldron and tossed everything into it at once. Finally, he added a full three bottles of Companion Amethyst Source!

"These should be enough..."

Xiao Wujiu muttered to himself. He intended to use the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower as the main ingredient, feed it these materials to enhance its medicinal efficacy, then try to extract a special kind of "beast flame" from it.

Since Ma Hongjun had been able to use it in the original story to evolve his grass chicken Martial Soul into a phoenix, Xiao Wujiu wanted to see whether he could extract a flame from it. Even if it could not compare to Heavenly Flames now, it might one day be able to rival them.

He acted as soon as he thought of it, controlling the Creation Cauldron as he began Refining the energy within and integrating it into the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, stimulating the growth of the energy inside it.

Judging by what was shown in the later era of Douluo Continent, these Immortal Herbs could actually be considered a kind of spirit beast. Although the first batch of Immortal Herbs possessed no intelligence, that did not mean they lacked their abilities.

Therefore, his idea was feasible!

As the Refining continued, natural treasures such as the Flame Marrow transformed into streams of pure fire-element energy, continuously nourishing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower.

Soon after, a cluster of vermilion flames slowly emerged from the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. The flame core even carried traces of gold, making it look exceptionally noble!

Once all the medicinal ingredients had been infused into the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, he decisively took it out. Ignoring the now surging flames covering it, he swallowed it in one bite!

After being Refined and infused with the energy of numerous medicinal ingredients, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was essentially no different from a medicinal pill. Moreover, it had already been Refined once by the Creation Cauldron during this process.

After all, while it was inside the cauldron, it could not escape its refining power!

The moment the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower entered his stomach, a surging torrent of fire-element energy flooded into Xiao Wujiu's body and rapidly coursed through his meridians!

The exposed skin of Xiao Wujiu's body became flushed, like a steamed shrimp. His entire body was incomparably scorching, and a searing energy seemed ready to burst out through his skin.

Yet the rolling heat was tightly restrained within a two-meter radius around him. They were still high in the air, after all. Even the disturbance from a Dou Wang's minor breakthrough was not something this first-rank Thick-Winged Bird could endure.

Thus, without absolute confidence and control, he would not have dared to break through here.

After controlling the external situation, Xiao Wujiu finally began circulating his cultivation method at full force, guiding the pure energy according to its pathways.

After being purified, this energy could fully be regarded as a sixth-tier medicinal pill!

Under the infusion of this enormous energy, the bottleneck within Xiao Wujiu's body, which had not been particularly stable to begin with, was quickly shattered!

Crack!

As the faint sound of something breaking seemed to echo in his ears, Xiao Wujiu felt his body lighten, followed by a surge of power.

Two-Star Dou Wang, achieved!

After his realm broke through, more than half of the energy within his body had been consumed. Xiao Wujiu soon absorbed the remainder completely.

"Whew~ At my cultivation speed, directly suppressing Protector Wu at the time of the Three-Year Agreement won't be a problem at all!"

Feeling the energy within him grow stronger once more, Xiao Wujiu experienced a deep joy from the bottom of his heart, the joy that came from an increase in strength.

He had gone from a Three-Star Dou Zhe to his current realm in only a little over a year. With nearly two years remaining before the Three-Year Agreement, just how far would his strength rise?

"For this trip to the Tagor Great Desert, I should absorb two more Spirit Rings to boost my strength, just to be safe. Then, even if I encounter Medusa, I'll have complete confidence."

After some thought, sensing that the Battle Qi within him remained extraordinarily abundant, he took two Magic Cores from his Storage Ring. One belonged to the Amethyst Winged Lion King, while the other had been traded from Gu Te.

Both Magic Cores were fire-attributed. He wondered what kind of spirit skills they could grant him.

With that thought in mind, Xiao Wujiu summoned the Creation Cauldron again, tossed in the two Magic Cores, and began Refining them.

Meanwhile, Wutan City was still caught in an intense commercial war...