Beast Flame

After the battle ended, Gu He approached, still shaken. Seeing that Huo Yuhao and the other two were almost completely unharmed, aside from Xiao Yan's slightly red and swollen right hand, he secretly let out a sigh of relief. His voice was stern, with a trace of lingering fear.

"Are you trying to get yourselves killed? That was a fourth-tier Magic Beast! You might not even have had time to run, yet you dared to charge at it?"

As he spoke, he took a jar of ointment from his Storage Ring and handed it to Xiao Yan, still lecturing them all the while.

"You should have retreated immediately. My fire net could have trapped it in time and kept it from hurting you."

"Thank you, Senior Gu He!" Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Honestly!" Gu He shook his head helplessly, then said with some amazement, "I never expected you to be so talented in battle as well. A fourth-tier Magic Beast is comparable to a Dou Ling. You're only Dou Zhes and Dou Masters, yet you managed to injure it." Gu He paused before continuing.

"Though it was also because the Fire Cloud Leopard excels in speed, while its actual strength is at the bottom among fourth-tier Magic Beasts."

Hearing Gu He's praise, Xiao Yan openly looked pleased with himself. Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yi Xian, meanwhile, showed no particular reaction.

At that moment, Xiao Yan looked at the Fire Cloud Leopard still being scorched by flames and spotted something unusual. He suddenly asked, "Senior Gu He, why are your flames pink? Could this be...?"

"Cough, cough!" Before Xiao Yan could finish, Gu He coughed repeatedly. His rigid expression nearly cracked, revealing a clear hint of embarrassment.

"You guessed right. This is indeed a Beast Flame." Gu He answered briefly, clearly not intending to explain further. With a wave of his hand, the pink flames on the Fire Cloud Leopard went out.

"I never thought Senior Gu He had such a maidenly heart! What unique taste..." Before Xiao Yan could finish teasing him, Huo Yuhao covered his mouth from behind and dragged him away from Gu He without another word.

"You should still show Senior Gu He some respect," Xiao Yi Xian whispered to Xiao Yan from behind Huo Yuhao.

Watching Huo Yuhao question Gu He about the details of his Beast Flame, Xiao Yan curled his lip.

"Yuhao isn't being much more respectful either."

"Senior Gu He, what tier is your Beast Flame? What kind of Magic Beast did it come from?" After pulling Xiao Yan behind him and making sure there was enough distance for Yao Chen to react if Gu He became angry from embarrassment, Huo Yuhao began asking questions as well. He truly was curious about Beast Flames. When he had traveled alone in the past, he had never ventured deep into the core region of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Whenever he occasionally encountered a fourth-tier or higher Magic Beast, he used Simulation to avoid it. Thus, he had never seen anything like a Beast Flame before.

"Heh heh!" The veins on Gu He's forehead throbbed. As a Dou Wang, he could naturally hear Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan clearly. At that moment, he deeply suspected that these little brats had been sent out to train not entirely because of their teacher.

In the end, however, Gu He swallowed his anger. Pretending not to see the amusement in their eyes, he introduced it somewhat stiffly. "This Beast Flame is a fifth-tier Beast Flame, taken from a Magic Beast called the Kui Wood Beast. It is a relatively easy flame to control."

"Since you already have a Beast Flame, why did you come here to obtain another one? Is it for a disciple?" Huo Yuhao continued asking.

"No. I have not taken a disciple." Gu He explained, "Although the Peach Blossom Flame has the advantage of being easy to control, its temperature and power are somewhat lacking. It is useful for low-tier alchemists, but once one reaches the fifth tier or above, it is time to change flames."

"I think the color might have something to do with it too," Xiao Yan continued whispering.

The veins on Gu He's forehead bulged again. He drew a deep breath and silently repeated, Don't get angry, don't get angry, barely suppressing the urge to punch a hole through Xiao Yan.

"Perfect. This Fire Cloud Leopard has a Beast Flame as well. A fourth-tier Beast Flame will be enough for Xiao Yan's early-stage alchemy." As he spoke, Gu He took a refined steel longsword embedded with a Magic Core from his Storage Ring. He stabbed it into the wound at the back of the Fire Cloud Leopard's head, cut open its body, and removed a white sphere resembling an inner core.

The moment Gu He drew his sword, Huo Yuhao fixed his eyes on it and examined it from top to bottom. Soon, he withdrew his gaze and stepped forward on his own initiative to help Gu He dissect the Fire Cloud Leopard's body.

"Senior, what is that?" Huo Yuhao asked upon seeing the sphere in Gu He's hand.

"The Fire Cloud Leopard's Beast Flame is called Cloud Flame. This Cloud Flame condensed inside its body into this flame pearl. By refining this flame pearl, one can obtain the Fire Cloud Leopard's Beast Flame."

After finishing his explanation, Gu He tossed the flame pearl to Xiao Yan. Seeing Xiao Yan clutch it fondly and refuse to put it down, a faint smile appeared on Gu He's face.

Noticing Gu He's smile, Huo Yuhao stopped dissecting the Fire Cloud Leopard and asked, "Senior Gu He, is there anything else we need to pay attention to when refining the Cloud Flame?"

"There is no need to make any preparations in advance. Just refine it directly." Gu He's smile became even more apparent. "With his current strength, he can refine it. There is no danger."

At the same time, Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen in his heart, "Master, can I refine this Beast Flame?"

"You can," Yao Chen's voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.

"Isn't a fourth-tier Beast Flame a little too low-grade?"

"Don't worry. You can replace it when you encounter a better Beast Flame. Isn't Gu He here to replace his Beast Flame?"

Hearing Yao Chen's confirmation, Xiao Yan relaxed. Unable to wait any longer, he immediately sat cross-legged and began refining the flame seed.

At that moment, Yao Chen's voice and Gu He's voice rang out at the same time, both carrying similar amusement.

"Although there is no danger, the refining process won't be very pleasant."

In an instant, cold sweat streamed down Xiao Yan's forehead, only to be evaporated by his rapidly rising body temperature. Xiao Yan clenched his teeth and endured the agony of the blazing heat consuming him.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows. His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared beside Xiao Yan. Cold air surged in his palm as he prepared to strike him.

"No need to interfere." Gu He stopped him. "The flame seed of a fourth-tier Beast Flame cannot harm an alchemist who cultivates a fire-attributed technique."

Yao Chen's voice also sounded in Huo Yuhao's mind. "Relax. Nothing will happen."

Hearing that, Huo Yuhao stopped. He carefully observed Xiao Yan's condition for a while, and after confirming that there was indeed no danger, he returned to the Fire Cloud Leopard and dismembered it with Xiao Yi Xian.

Gu He also watched Xiao Yan for a while and confirmed that he did not need to lend a hand. When he turned back and saw Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yi Xian processing the Fire Cloud Leopard, he stepped forward to offer guidance.

"That piece you cut off has little value. Aside from its Magic Core, the Fire Cloud Leopard's claws, fangs, beast bones, and fur can also be collected..."

"Thank you, Senior," Huo Yuhao replied.

Seeing that the two of them not only took the parts he had mentioned but also collected several other portions, Gu He secretly shook his head.

Had he guessed wrong before? Were they not from a major faction? They were even keeping such worthless things.

After glancing at Xiao Yan's condition, Gu He instructed, "It looks like he will need some more time to refine the Beast Flame. It's getting dark, so we'll set up camp here. I'll hunt for some food nearby."

"Huh?" Huo Yuhao had barely begun to speak when Gu He flashed away.

"We can just eat Magic Beast meat. Why does he need to go hunting?" Huo Yuhao froze the beast bones and other materials, tossed them aside without paying them further attention, and carefully cut up the portions Gu He considered useless—the ribs, tenderloin, hind legs, and so on.

When Gu He returned to camp carrying several prey animals and medicinal herbs, he saw all sorts of cooking utensils piled beside Huo Yuhao, who was pouring rice into a pot.

"???"

Gu He stared blankly, his face full of question marks, as Huo Yuhao set up a steamer, washed the rice, and steamed it with the practiced ease of someone in his own kitchen. Finally, he could not help blurting out.

"You even brought rice with you?!"

"You can't eat meat all the time. You need balanced nutrition."

"That's not what I'm asking!"