Red Flame Art

As he spoke, he inserted the key into the lock.

Su Zhao was rather expectant.

This box had never been opened in the original novel. It was a complete unknown, and he had no idea what was hidden inside. But since the first two items had been treasures on the level of the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture and Eagle's Wings, the third box should not be too shabby either.

"Click."

The lid opened.

Su Zhao and Little Doctor leaned in at the same time. Inside lay a crimson scroll. Su Zhao reached out and picked it up. It felt warm to the touch, and a faint fire-elemental fluctuation still lingered on its surface.

He unrolled the scroll and glanced over it, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"Low-tier Earth-class cultivation method—Red Flame Art."

Su Zhao read the label on the scroll in a low voice, unable to hide the delight in his tone.

"Gasp... It's actually a low-tier Earth-class cultivation method! The owner of this tomb had such a treasure?"

Little Doctor moved closer in astonishment.

Though her cultivation was still shallow, she understood what an Earth-class cultivation method meant. In a place like the Jia Ma Empire, even Mystic-class cultivation methods were secret inheritances of the major clans and factions. Earth-class methods were rarer still. If word of one got out, it would be enough to draw countless experts into a frenzy!

But then she shook her head with some regret. "This cultivation method may be low-tier Earth-class, but it's fire-elemental. Can we cultivate it?"

Su Zhao smiled and tossed the Red Flame Art in his hand, sounding rather pleased with himself. "You definitely can't. But me... hehe, I happen to have a fire affinity."

He possessed a Fire Spirit Body and had an origin flame at his side. Fire-elemental cultivation methods suited him perfectly.

Although this low-tier Earth-class Red Flame Art was not particularly high-grade, it was already an extremely rare cultivation method in the Jia Ma Empire. While he was now a Fighter, he had yet to cultivate any method at all.

The main reason was that the cultivation methods he had encountered before were simply too low-grade. There had not even been a Mystic-class one among them. How could he possibly have cared for them? Forget the Flame Mantra—at the very least, it had to be something decent.

This Red Flame Art had come at exactly the right time. Su Zhao truly felt that his luck was not bad at all.

Seeing his smug expression, Little Doctor could not help curling her lips. "Tch, go on and be proud. What dumb luck."

"Hahahahaha!"

Su Zhao was in an excellent mood and did not mind her teasing.

"Fine, call it dumb luck. In any case, this trip was well worth it."

He carefully put away the Red Flame Art, then turned his gaze to Little Doctor. "By the way, what are you planning to do next? Go back to Qing Mountain Town, or come with me?"

"Come with you?"

Little Doctor froze slightly and fell silent.

Su Zhao continued bluntly, "Actually, because you have the Calamity Poison Body, you only have one path to choose."

Little Doctor glanced at him and tested, "Come with you, then?"

"That's right."

Su Zhao nodded, his tone becoming more serious.

"I already told you about the drawbacks of the Calamity Poison Body. I really can't rest easy leaving you alone in Qing Mountain Town. If something goes wrong while you're cultivating the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, or if someone discovers your constitution, the consequences would be unimaginable. If you follow me instead, I guarantee that I'll help you control your poison body in the future."

Little Doctor bit her lip, still somewhat conflicted.

She had grown up in Qing Mountain Town and knew every blade of grass and tree here. The thought of suddenly leaving naturally made her reluctant.

Seeing her like this, Su Zhao made the decision for her. "All right, just come with me. Stop dragging your feet."

"Hey! I haven't agreed yet!"

Little Doctor shot him a glare.

"Hehe, I agreed for you."

Su Zhao smiled with complete composure.

"Just listen to me. I definitely won't let you suffer for it."

Little Doctor put her hands on her hips and glared at him fiercely, though it was only an act.

She had been quite conflicted before, but Su Zhao's behavior had more or less helped her make up her mind. She had nothing tying her to Qing Mountain Town anyway. All she needed to do was say goodbye at the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall. Following Su Zhao out into the world might just lead her down a different path.

"Hmph."

She snorted.

"If you dare lie to me, I'll poison you to death someday."

Su Zhao chuckled, completely unconcerned. "I have a Calamity Poison Body too. Poisoning me would be no different from giving me a tonic."

Little Doctor had now thoroughly understood one aspect of Su Zhao's personality—his skin was unbelievably thick. Too lazy to keep arguing with him, she merely rolled her eyes and turned away.

Su Zhao clapped his hands and turned to Su You. "All right, Su You, put away all these gold coins. No matter how small, it's still meat. There should be hundreds of thousands of gold coins here. Leaving them around would be a waste."

Su You nodded. With a wave of his hand, he swept every gold coin on the ground into his storage ring.

Su Zhao watched with a little envy. He did not have a storage ring himself yet. He would have to get one later.

Otherwise, traveling the continent without any storage equipment would be terribly inconvenient.

After gathering everything of value, the three of them left the cave.

Standing on the cliffside platform, Su Zhao took one final look at the concealed cave entrance. Then he turned toward the depths of the rolling Magic Beast Mountain Range in the distance, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes.

"Let's go."

"Let's head deeper into the Magic Beast Mountain Range and find some fire-elemental Magic Beast flames to taste."

According to his original plan, the next step was to venture deep into the Magic Beast Mountain Range, hunt fire-elemental Magic Beasts, and devour their beast flames to rapidly increase his cultivation.

With Little Doctor there, she could cultivate the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture along the way and lay a foundation.

The three leaped into the air. Green wings unfurled behind Su You's back once more, and he carried the other two as they sped toward the depths of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Before long, they vanished into the layered expanse of emerald forest.

In the blink of an eye, half a month quietly passed.

Deep within the Magic Beast Mountain Range, towering ancient trees blotted out the sky. Their dense canopies broke the sunlight into scattered flecks that fell through the forest, while the air was filled with the damp scent of soil and vegetation.

This was the heart of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, a region that ordinary mercenaries from the outer areas did not dare enter. High-level Magic Beasts appeared frequently here, and for an ordinary Fighter, stepping into this place meant nine chances of death out of ten.

A fierce battle was erupting in an open clearing within the dense forest.

Boom!

A thunderous blast rang out. Crimson flames swept outward like a tide, instantly burning the dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground to ash. The air itself warped slightly from the searing heat.

At the center of the flames, two figures collided fiercely. Every exchange erupted with a dull, explosive crash that shook leaves loose from the surrounding trees.

One side was a massive crimson tiger. Its fur was red as fire, its limbs thick and powerful, and its bulging muscles gleamed with a metallic sheen beneath the sunlight. Scorching breath poured from its mouth.

It was a peak first-tier Magic Beast, a Crimson Flame Tiger, with strength equivalent to a peak human Fighter.

Fighting this savage Magic Beast was a bare-chested young man.