At that moment, even Yao Lao couldn't help looking delighted when he saw the Purple Fire Lin Yan had taken out.
It wasn't because the Purple Fire was especially precious.
Rather, he had seen hope for the Flame Mantra's evolution!
Unable to hold back, he asked Lin Yan, "Young friend, where did you get this?"
Lin Yan didn't hide anything and answered directly, "I got it from the system."
Yao Lao sounded a little disappointed. "I see. I thought you'd gotten it from this world."
But he soon thought it through. If Lin Yan could get Beast Fire from the system, didn't that mean he might be able to get Heavenly Flames from it in the future, too?
Looked at from that angle, it seemed Lin Yan's chances of obtaining Heavenly Flames in the future had actually increased.
At that thought, Yao Lao's earlier disappointment vanished. Smiling warmly at Lin Yan, he said, "Then I must congratulate you, young friend."
"Now that you can obtain Beast Fire, you may well be able to obtain Heavenly Flames in the future. And if you do, the improvement you'll gain will be immense."
Lin Yan nodded to Yao Lao.
Yao Lao soon turned to Lin Yan and asked, "By the way, young friend, what do you plan to do with this Beast Fire?"
Lin Yan immediately told Yao Lao what he had in mind:
"Senior Yao Lao, I plan to use the Flame Mantra to devour this thing."
"Though it's only Beast Fire, the Flame Mantra is still at a low level, so devouring it should bring at least some improvement."
"More importantly, I don't have any Heavenly Flames yet. So compared to the fire of origin I create with my soul power, this Beast Fire should be much more useful, whether in battle or when refining pills."
He laid out his thoughts point by point. Though this was Lin Yan's first time practicing the Flame Mantra, he had read Battle Through the Heavens and knew its path of advancement well. That meant he could plan out a suitable progression for himself.
"Mm, what you say makes a lot of sense, young friend."
"That's indeed a good plan."
Yao Lao nodded in approval.
He glanced at the flame in Lin Yan's hand, then said, "In that case, let's begin the preparations for devouring the Beast Fire."
"Although it isn't Heavenly Flames, Beast Fire is still not something the human body can easily withstand. You'll need pills to assist you if you want to devour it."
"Besides, young friend, your Beast Fire is still too weak."
"If you want to devour it to improve the Flame Mantra, it would be best to refine it into a source flame seed first, then nurture it constantly with the Yuan Force in your body. Once it reaches a certain strength, you can use pills to assist you and devour it with the Flame Mantra."
Yao Lao was still Yao Lao. The moment he heard that Lin Yan intended to devour Beast Fire, he quickly devised a thorough plan for him.
He also gave Lin Yan the pill recipe. As long as Lin Yan brought him the ingredients later, Yao Lao could refine the pills. For now, the more important task was nurturing the Beast Fire.
"All right, I'll do as you say, Senior Yao Lao."
Lin Yan nodded.
Yao Lao then pressed a finger to Lin Yan's forehead.
As a flood of information surged into his mind, Lin Yan studied it carefully, then narrowed his eyes and sat cross-legged.
"First, open a small space in your vortex to hold the Purple Fire."
"Once the space is ready, draw a wisp of flame from the Purple Fire and wrap it in Yuan Force before drawing it inside."
"Then absorb it completely."
Yao Lao kept reminding Lin Yan from the side. Lin Yan followed the steps that had appeared in his mind and Yao Lao's instructions.
Before long, he had finished refining the source flame seed.
"It worked! This fire belongs to me now."
Lin Yan opened his eyes again and casually manipulated the Purple Fire. It shifted and changed in his hand like a toy.
He could now feel that the Purple Fire was connected to his blood. When he controlled it, it obeyed his every whim.
"Not bad."
Yao Lao nodded at Lin Yan with satisfaction.
But he soon reminded him, "Your Beast Fire is still weak. You'll need to nurture it with Yuan Force."
"Otherwise, it won't be enough for battle or pill refining."
Lin Yan nodded to Yao Lao, then began nurturing the Purple Fire little by little with the Yuan Force in his body.
The process was long; it couldn't be completed in a day or two.
So Lin Yan stayed in his room for a full seven days, nurturing the flame with the Yuan Force in his body.
Seven days later, Lin Yan summoned the Purple Fire in the backyard.
It was clearly much more vigorous than before.
At his summons, the Purple Fire hovered above Lin Yan's palm. Its scorching heat made it feel like a little sun.
Lin Yan clenched his hand, turning his palm into a fist, and the purple Beast Fire instantly covered his arm. He swung a fist at the ground. The terrifying heat and powerful force slammed into it.
A violent boom rang out. Then a prominent crack spread from the spot where Lin Yan's fist had hit, branching out in every direction before finally coming to a stop.
"What incredible power! With this Purple Fire, my combat ability has risen another level!" Lin Yan exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.
"Heh, then you'd better look forward to Heavenly Flames, young friend. If you obtain them one day, you'll see that compared to Heavenly Flames, this Beast Fire is child's play," Yao Lao said with a laugh.
Then he added, "But the Purple Fire's power is already nearing the limit of what you can control, young friend. So I suggest you prepare to devour it with the Flame Mantra."
Lin Yan nodded to Yao Lao. "Then I'll trouble you, Senior Yao Lao."
Yao Lao smiled and said, "It's nothing."
He then summoned the Medicine Cauldron and began refining pills.
There were quite a few ingredients needed this time, most of them second-grade medicinal ingredients.
A few days earlier, Lin Yan had asked someone to exchange his Clan Competition reward for money to buy ingredients. But when Lin Zhentian learned he needed money, he gave him twice as much as he'd asked for, adding that he should just say if it wasn't enough.
So after buying the ingredients, Lin Yan still had a large sum of money left.
"Let's begin, then."
Yao Lao quickly tossed all the ingredients into the Medicine Cauldron.
As a master alchemist, Yao Lao made refining pills look effortless and graceful.
He needed a whole pile of ingredients to refine a few second-grade pills, but he tossed them in casually and got to work. It wasn't long before the pills were successfully refined.
Looking at the few gleaming pills, Yao Lao smiled faintly, then handed them to Lin Yan and said:
"Young friend, the pills are ready, and the fire has been nurtured."
"Now it's your turn to devour the flame."
Before you continue