Is This the Flame Mantra's Cultivation Speed? Yao Lao Was Astonished

Even Yao Lao, with all his vast experience, was left dumbfounded for a moment.

After quite a while, Yao Lao flicked his finger, sending a black beam into Xiao Yan's hand. As the black light faded, it revealed a black scroll.

"This is the cultivation technique even stranger than a Heaven-tier technique—the Flame Mantra! It is currently only Low Huang-tier, but it can evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames.

"I'll explain what Heavenly Flames are later. For now, all you need to know is that a single Heavenly Flame can torment even a Dou Emperor to the brink of death.

"Even I can hardly imagine what kind of spectacle it would be if one person possessed two, or even more than two, 'Heavenly Flames' within their body."

"If you want to realize your ambitions, then cultivate diligently." Yao Lao sighed, hoping he had not misjudged him this time.

Having obtained the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan rose to his feet and headed to the cave in the back mountain where he had often cultivated over the years, so as to avoid being disturbed.

Yao Lao was quite pleased by Xiao Yan's caution.

In truth, aside from the fact that the little fellow was somewhat too lecherous, Yao Lao was satisfied with him in nearly every respect.

Sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, Xiao Yan slowly opened the Flame Mantra. The scroll immediately transformed into a stream of information that poured directly into his mind.

With his heaven-defying comprehension, Xiao Yan understood the Flame Mantra's cultivation method completely after reading it just once. A few inexplicable thoughts also surfaced in his mind.

Having undergone enlightenment many times, Xiao Yan was no stranger to such thoughts.

If he focused on studying them in the future, he would make tremendous progress and perhaps turn them into reality.

Slowly closing his eyes, Xiao Yan began cultivating the Flame Mantra.

After breaking through to the Fighter realm, everyone became qualified to cultivate techniques. Once they cultivated a technique, the colorless milky-white Dou Qi within their bodies would transform into Dou Qi bearing the attribute of that technique.

The first conversion of Dou Qi did not usually take long. However, the Flame Mantra was exceedingly strange, and no one had ever cultivated it before. Yao Lao hovered in midair, watching Xiao Yan as he closed his eyes and converted his Dou Qi.

Two hours later, Yao Lao began to grow anxious.

"Why is it taking so long?! The Flame Mantra is only a Low Huang-tier technique right now. With Xiao Yan's aptitude, he should have completed the conversion long ago."

Xiao Yan had cultivated Dou Qi for more than ten years, and during that time, the Dou Qi Foundation-Building Art had undergone several enlightenments.

The final technique Xiao Yan cultivated was called the <Qi-Dispersing Origin-Restoring Foundation-Building Technique>.

This cultivation method had been developed by combining Yao Lao's absorption of Dou Qi with the experience accumulated from years of cultivating Dou Qi.

Cultivating while his Dou Qi was constantly being absorbed had not only strengthened Xiao Yan's physique to a terrifying degree, but also made his Dou Qi exceptionally pure—so pure that it nearly rivaled true Dou Qi.

By condensing a Dou Qi Cyclone from such pure Dou Qi and breaking through to the Fighter realm, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi retained that purity. Its power was so formidable that even the Dou Qi of a Dou Master was somewhat inferior to it.

As a result, the conversion naturally took far longer than it would for an ordinary Fighter.

Only after a full five hours did Xiao Yan finally complete the conversion of all his Dou Qi.

Having formally begun cultivating a Dou Qi technique, Xiao Yan seemed more spirited than before. A faint sheen like warm jade glimmered on his delicate face, making him appear full of vitality.

Yao Lao, who had been watching Xiao Yan the entire time, immediately caught the change. "The conversion succeeded?"

At that moment, the energy of heaven and earth in the surroundings surged madly toward Xiao Yan, growing faster and more violent by the second. It was as though Xiao Yan's body had become a black hole, endlessly absorbing the frenzied energy flooding into him.

Hovering in the air, Yao Lao frowned slightly at the scene Xiao Yan had created. "Is he about to break through?"

"But... this amount of energy from heaven and earth far exceeds what a Fighter should require for a breakthrough!"

While Yao Lao was filled with confusion and anxiety, Xiao Yan, his eyes tightly shut, calmly guided the energy of heaven and earth entering through his pores.

Xiao Yan had done this countless times before. Even though he was now using the newly cultivated Flame Mantra, he showed no trace of unfamiliarity.

The vast amount of energy from heaven and earth underwent repeated refinement and purification through his meridians before reaching the standard of Xiao Yan's internal Dou Qi, then poured into his Dou Qi Cyclone.

A full hour passed. The energy of heaven and earth gradually grew thinner, until all the energy in the surrounding area had been completely absorbed by Xiao Yan.

A muffled boom came from within Xiao Yan's body, and only then did everything return to normal.

Xiao Yan blinked and looked around the cave, which seemed much brighter than before. He smiled faintly.

Naturally, Xiao Yan knew this was one of the sensory enhancements brought about by cultivating a technique.

"A two-star Fighter!" Yao Lao could not help clicking his tongue. "Breaking through while converting cultivation techniques—I've never heard of such a thing. It seems your many years of cultivating Dou Qi have brought considerable benefits to your body."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. "My Dou Qi was exceptionally pure. Once the technique conversion was complete, I sensed that the Dou Qi in my Dou Qi Cyclone was about to break through to the two-star Fighter realm. So I cultivated a little longer and broke through directly."

"Cultivated a little longer..." Yao Lao shook his head with a bitter smile and described the scene of Xiao Yan's breakthrough. "That was not the kind of display a one-star Fighter should produce, nor was it the cultivation effect a Low Huang-tier technique should have."

Xiao Yan smiled. "Could it be that everyone who cultivates a Low Huang-tier technique gets the same result? If that were true, then everyone would use the same cultivation method during the Dou Qi stage, yet their cultivation speeds would still differ."

"The reason geniuses are called geniuses is because their aptitude far surpasses that of ordinary people. If aptitude did not affect cultivation speed, and it all came down to techniques, resources, and the like, then the Dou Qi Continent would probably hear one more saying—if I had such-and-such a technique or such-and-such a pill, I could do it too."

"Aren't you just taking the long way around to praise your own extraordinary talent?" Yao Lao saw through Xiao Yan's thoughts at a glance.

Xiao Yan raised a hand and scratched his head, remaining silent.

Though Yao Lao was somewhat speechless at Xiao Yan's narcissism, he knew that the little fellow was not wrong.

"What you say makes sense, but who with such talent would choose a Low Huang-tier technique?" As he spoke, Yao Lao could not help revealing a bitter smile. However, he quickly composed himself and looked Xiao Yan over anew.

To cultivate a Low Huang-tier technique at a speed normally reserved for a High Huang-tier technique—even the well-traveled Yao Lao was astonished by it.

This was a complete transcendence of the cultivation technique achieved purely through talent!

Yao Lao suddenly poured cold water on him. "Don't celebrate too early. Although your cultivation speed is not slow, before the Flame Mantra evolves, your Dou Qi's endurance will be far inferior to that of others."