Burning Incantation Out of Control

Near the northern side of the Magic Beast Mountain Range lay a naturally formed stone forest, a place rarely visited by beasts. Yet at its center was a spring that continuously pumped forth clear water. At this moment, three youths were cultivating beside it.

"Xiao Yan, don't recklessly fuse Beast Flame. We still don't know what will happen when the Burning Incantation fuses with flames. This technique was meant to fuse Heavenly Flames, yet now you're using it to fuse Beast Flame. Who knows what changes it might cause?" Yao Chen warned Xiao Yan. "And are you sure Beast Flame can improve the Burning Incantation?"

Xiao Yan nodded, obvious excitement in his eyes. "When I used the Burning Incantation to absorb that Cloud Flame before, I felt my Dou Qi circulation speed up a little, and the technique's grade improved slightly. But perhaps that fourth-tier Beast Flame was simply too weak, so it couldn't evolve to the middle level of Yellow Class."

"Then I can rest easy." Yao Chen's voice carried both apprehension and joy. "Before fusing the Beast Flame this time, we'll prepare some Iceheart Pills and Meridian-Protecting Pills. You should have refined them yourself, but these are second-grade pills, and your alchemy skills are still lacking. I'll refine them this time."

After giving it some thought, Yao Chen assigned their tasks. "Xiao Yan, follow me and study alchemy. Xiao Yi Xian, focus on improving your Dou Qi first. Later, I'll teach you how to refine pills using the cauldron Huo Yuhao gave you. Yuhao, proceed according to your own plans."

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at Huo Yuhao. A bright smile suddenly bloomed on her usually expressionless face. "Brother Yuhao, it's been a long time since we suppressed the poison." As she spoke, she took Huo Yuhao's hand and led him deeper into the stone forest.

"Young girls these days, who knows what they're thinking? Their expressions change at the drop of a hat. Back in our day..." Yao Chen clasped his hands behind his back and raised his head, deliberately speaking in a nostalgic tone.

"Once every month or so is pretty stable. Unlike you, always turning into a strange old man."

Before Yao Chen could react, Xiao Yan lowered his voice and continued, "As for Yuhao... Master, I suspect Yuhao was a girl in his previous life."

Yao Chen lowered his voice as well, his face full of excitement. "How so?"

Xiao Yan explained, "Master, haven't you noticed? Yuhao's personality changes far more easily. One moment he's warm, the next he's cold."

"I haven't." Yao Chen immediately lost interest and casually flicked Xiao Yan on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

Deep within the stone forest, a figure darted between the stone pillars like lightning. Fists, elbows, shoulder strikes, whip kicks... attack after attack came in an endless stream, leaving afterimages in the air. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the stone pillars. The instant the figure stopped, several explosive sounds rang out, nearly overlapping.

Sunlight slipped past the clouds and fell upon his face—it was Huo Yuhao. If Xiao Yan had seen this, he would have been so depressed he might have coughed up blood. He had practiced Eight Extremes Collapse diligently for nearly half a year, yet he still could not compare to Huo Yuhao's results after casually practicing for three days.

Huo Yuhao stood still, calming his breath and withdrawing his stance. Looking at the results, although he had already fulfilled the requirements for mastering Eight Extremes Collapse—perfectly stacking eight layers of force—he showed little satisfaction. As he recovered his Dou Qi, Huo Yuhao continued deducing the force application method of Eight Extremes Collapse in his mind, muttering under his breath.

"Multiple layers of force... stacking?"

A moment later, Huo Yuhao moved again. His fist turned into a palm, and the surrounding chill instantly gathered in his palm.

[Emperor Palm—Great Cold Without Snow]

Bang! The Emperor Palm, which should have been utterly silent, erupted with a deafening blast when it struck the stone pillar. Rubble flew everywhere, and before the ice-covered fragments could hit the ground, they exploded again, turning into a cloud of stone dust.

Huo Yuhao frowned as he looked at the stone dust covering the ground.

"The force can be stacked, but the following chill cannot. Hmm, if only there were a method for stacking multiple layers of Dou Qi."

"Cough, cough! Yuhao, are you demolishing the place?"

Having finished cultivating, Xiao Yan followed the noise over. Seeing the mess all over the ground, his mouth twitched. "Are you practicing Eight Extremes Collapse?"

"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded, then asked, "How is your technique? Did it advance?"

"It did!" At the mention of this, Xiao Yan immediately beamed. "The Burning Incantation successfully advanced to the middle level of Yellow Class!" Then the painful memories of the fusion process surfaced, and beneath his joy was a trace of lingering fear. "Hiss... this thing was seriously intense. If it hadn't been for the chill you sent over at the beginning, Yuhao, I almost wouldn't have made it."

"Circulate it and let me see."

"Uh, here?" Xiao Yan was somewhat unwilling.

"Is there a problem?"

"Fine, take a look." Knowing Huo Yuhao would find out sooner or later, Xiao Yan sighed resignedly and ignited his Dou Qi flame.

"It really has advanced to the middle level of Yellow Class." Ignoring Xiao Yan's pale pink Dou Qi flame, Huo Yuhao focused his spiritual power and carefully sensed the circulation of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's serious expression and no sign of mockery, Xiao Yan, who had already prepared himself to be laughed at, let out a long breath. Just as he was about to withdraw his Dou Qi flame, he heard Huo Yuhao speak.

"As expected of someone sworn brothers with Senior Gu He. Even the Beast Flame you chose is the same."

"Hey! Do you think that was the color I wanted?!"

Xiao Yan was about to argue with Huo Yuhao, but Huo Yuhao ignored him and took two scrolls from his storage ring, beginning to draw on them.

"Yuhao, what are you drawing?" Yao Chen drifted over at this point.

After finishing two diagrams of Dou Qi circulation, Huo Yuhao answered, "The evolution method of the Burning Incantation is different from what I expected."

The two Dou Qi circulation diagrams were highly similar, but one was clearly much more complicated. Huo Yuhao stared intently at them, his brows furrowing.

"How could it alter its circulation route out of thin air?"

"Isn't that normal?" Yao Chen asked doubtfully.

Seeing that normally cautious Yao Chen was now turning a blind eye to this obviously abnormal phenomenon, Huo Yuhao's slightly furrowed brows instantly tightened.

"Now that you mention it, I think something is off too. At first, I thought it should increase the amount of Dou Qi it could hold and its circulation speed. But now it feels more like a reward for devouring flames." Xiao Yan also came to realize it, confusion appearing on his face. He recalled some system-style novels he had read in his previous life.

"Xiao Yi Xian!" Huo Yuhao called out.

"What is it, Brother Yuhao?"

"Look at these two diagrams." Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Yi Xian, his voice grave. "Xiao Yi Xian, do you think a technique would advance in this way?" After explaining his and Xiao Yan's doubts, Huo Yuhao stared fixedly into Xiao Yi Xian's eyes.

"Um... is there a problem with that?" Xiao Yi Xian thought for a while before giving the answer Huo Yuhao least wanted to hear.

At those words, Huo Yuhao's expression changed drastically. His pupils instantly turned brilliant gold as he examined the three of them again and again. Then he shouted sharply at Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, immediately switch to cultivating the Heavenly Cycle Art."

"But Master's body..." Xiao Yan struggled.

"There are other methods. When the time comes, we can each control a Heavenly Flame and refine together!" Huo Yuhao said urgently.

"Alright." Seeing that Yao Chen did not stop him but instead nodded, acknowledging that Huo Yuhao's method was indeed feasible, Xiao Yan finally agreed to switch techniques.

His consciousness sank into his meridians. Xiao Yan recalled the circulation route of the Heavenly Cycle Art and tried to control his Dou Qi, changing its circulation path. However, at the instant his will touched the Dou Qi and attempted to alter it—

"I can't control my Dou Qi anymore!" Xiao Yan's voice was filled with undisguised terror, far greater than the fear he had felt when his Dou Qi disappeared.