Flame Seal

The Magical Beast Mountains were thick with forests and riddled with complex terrain. Xiao Yan fled at full speed, and before long, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's mercenaries could not even catch a glimpse of him.

However, they were extremely familiar with the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountains. They had roughly determined the area where Xiao Yan could hide and did not give up.

As night fell, Xiao Yan found a concealed cave. After casually eating something, he sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Examining the Dou Qi vortex within him, like a nebula, Xiao Yan finally had time to quietly ponder how to solve his lack of Dou Qi.

Xiao Yan's overall train of thought on this issue was very clear.

Since a low-grade Yellow-tier cultivation method could only allow the Dou Qi vortex to hold a very limited amount of Dou Qi, then he would simply find another place to store it.

Simply put, he would create something like a second Dou Qi vortex.

With twice as much Dou Qi as an ordinary person, he could wear an opponent to death through sheer attrition.

Then, Xiao Yan thought of the clan markings of the Dou Qi Continent.

Clan markings were far more formidable than a simple second Dou Qi vortex.

They could cause one's strength to soar, allowing the weak to defeat the strong in a direct reversal.

Combining the two, Xiao Yan settled on his plan.

The secret technique he created would initially have only the effect of a second Dou Qi vortex, increasing the amount of Dou Qi he could use. In the middle stage, it could also function like a clan marking and enhance his strength. Once fully mastered in the later stage, it would truly rival, even surpass, clan markings.

Ancient clan markings awakened the bloodline power within members of ancient clans. Calling his own bloodline even a mere trace would be an exaggeration.

Therefore, there were many problems that needed to be solved.

However, Xiao Yan did not take those problems too seriously.

Cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent had already entered an age of decline.

Ancient methods of soul cultivation and soul attacks now had stable inheritances only within the Pill Tower and certain ancient clans. As for how one broke through to become a Dou Di, fewer than ten people in the entire Dou Qi Continent knew.

Things created by predecessors in ancient times had not been developed to greater heights by later generations. Instead, cultivation itself had nearly been lost.

Possessing heaven-defying comprehension, Xiao Yan had an exceptionally thorough understanding of the cultivation environment he lived in.

From the moment he was born, he had been able to accomplish things ordinary people found difficult. After all these years of cultivation, he would only become more extraordinary in the future.

A Dou Di was not born through bloodline power!

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never mock a young man for being poor!

At midnight, all was silent, with only the breeze brushing past the treetops.

[Using your experience in condensing a Dou Qi vortex to deduce further, you attained enlightenment and comprehended the secret technique Flame Seal!]

[Flame Seal: A secret technique that stores Dou Qi in the center of the brow, where it can be released at critical moments. The amount of Dou Qi stored is affected by one's physique and the strength of one's soul power.]

The initial concept was complete! Xiao Yan stopped cultivating his method and slowly opened his eyes, looking somewhat exhausted.

After all, he had spent less than a day in total pondering it. To create this secret technique from nothing was already heaven-defying.

Taking a deep breath of cold air, Xiao Yan formed hand seals with both hands and closed his eyes once more.

The Flame Mantra began circulating again, but this time, the Dou Qi it absorbed and refined was not sent into the Dou Qi vortex. Instead, it flowed upward against its usual course.

As large amounts of Dou Qi gathered, a yellow point of light appeared between Xiao Yan's brows.

The instant the yellow point appeared, the cultivation of the Flame Seal entered the proper path.

A terrifying devouring force suddenly erupted from between his brows. The surrounding natural energy surged wildly, then condensed into countless strands of energy that slowly merged into the yellow point.

Natural energy entered Xiao Yan's body through this process, circulated according to the Flame Mantra's route, was refined into pure Dou Qi, and was ultimately sent back into that spot.

As the Dou Qi poured in without end, the tiny point of light gradually became an incomparably mysterious flame mark.

The flame mark seemed to contain endless mysteries. It looked like a fiercely burning blaze, yet it also seemed to hold boundless wisdom.

Every line upon it resembled an ancient formation, flickering with profound radiance and exuding a mysterious majesty that transcended the mortal world.

As natural energy continuously surged into the cave, Yao Lao quickly noticed something unusual.

Emerging from the Bone Flame Ring, he looked at Xiao Yan, whose brow had begun absorbing natural energy as well. Even with Yao Lao's vast experience, he could not help scratching his head.

Geniuses always did things he could not understand.

This had practically begun while Xiao Yan was still in his mother's womb. After growing up, Xiao Yan had only become more and more incomprehensible to him.

The sun rose and the moon set. The rising sun dispelled all the darkness before dawn, and the gentle sunlight was warm and pleasant.

After absorbing a terrifying amount of natural energy, the originally yellow flame mark had turned blood-red, dazzling beyond compare.

Looking at the flame mark that seemed to be burning, Yao Lao finally thought of an almost impossible possibility—clan markings!

That was the only thing Yao Lao could think of.

Yao Lao had also come from an ancient clan. Though his status at birth had been low, he had known of the ancient clans from the beginning.

Later, after becoming an eighth-tier alchemist, he learned far more secrets than ordinary people.

But Yao Lao also understood that clan markings could not be born so simply.

First, one needed an exceptionally rich ancient clan bloodline. Second, one needed a rather complicated process.

Xiao Yan, though...

"Xiao!" Yao Lao's eyes suddenly widened, and a sharp glint flashed through his aged eyes.

Some things he had never been able to understand became a little clearer at that moment.

There had once been a Xiao Clan among the ancient clans, but it had later declined and seemed to vanish overnight.

"For that group to have approached him, it seems almost certain." Looking again at his disciple, Yao Lao could not help but sigh.

With such origins, even if he was currently in such a remote place, he would likely face countless troubles in the future. Better to increase his strength as much as possible.

After cultivating through the night, Xiao Yan had stored an amount of Dou Qi equal to his own reserves within the Flame Seal.

Although it was not much, the Flame Seal still had considerable storage space.

Once he found time to fill it completely, it would roughly be no less than the Dou Qi possessed by a one-star Dou Master cultivating a Yellow-tier method.

"Teacher, you woke up pretty early." Seeing Yao Lao floating in midair, Xiao Yan grinned.

After cultivating the Flame Seal, Xiao Yan felt as though he had opened the door to a new world.

For now, he had only uncovered its most basic use. Even its later use for enhancing strength still had vast room for development.

Yao Lao had not slept all night and had no desire to speak with Xiao Yan at all.

With a flick of his finger, a pale white glow stopped before Xiao Yan and condensed into a mirror as white as jade.

In it, Xiao Yan's originally delicate face now bore a flame mark, as though it were a real flame.