Cultivating the Burning Flame Art

"You agree?" Elder Yao asked again, as if to confirm an answer.

"That's right, I'm going to cultivate this Burning Flame Art," Xiao Yan said confidently.

"Why?" Elder Yao asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid that there might be something wrong with this cultivation technique?"

Moreover, what Elder Yao didn't say was that the evolution of the Burning Flame Art depended entirely on fate. If Xiao Yan couldn't find Exotic Fire, it would mean that the Burning Flame Art would remain at the Yellow Tier Low Grade forever.

Therefore, it would be a complete waste of Xiao Yan's great talent, and it would be a question whether he could defeat Nalan Yanran two years later.

"Teacher, the things you need me to do can only be accomplished by me cultivating the Burning Flame Art, right?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

"Huh?" Elder Yao looked at Xiao Yan in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Back then, you were subtly tempting me to cultivate the Burning Flame Art, how could I not have sensed it?"

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. Although he was a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), he wasn't stupid. He had noticed Elder Yao's tempting intentions long ago.

"Hehe~" the Elder Yao chuckled helplessly, "You're quite the shrewd fellow!"

"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. You should know very well that I am now a Soul Body, and my strength is less than Eleven."

"But naturally, I don't want to spend my whole life looking like this, neither human nor ghost. Therefore, having a physical body is absolutely necessary."

"Could it be..." Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then said with some fear, "You want to possess another's body?"

Xiao Yan was familiar with this legend. Many old monsters, when they had no hope of breaking through and their physical bodies were decaying, would choose to possess a new body in order to survive.

He had no doubt that Elder Yao was capable of doing such a thing.

"Get lost!" Elder Yao said irritably. "If I wanted to possess someone's body, I would have plenty of ways to do so. Why would I need you to cultivate the Burning Flame Art?"

"So what do you mean?"

"Hehe~" The Elder Yao chuckled somewhat lewdly, "It's easy to seize a body, but it's not truly your own, which would cause me a lot of trouble in the future. Therefore... I need you to help me refine a body, a physical body that truly belongs to me."

"Refine the body?"

"That's right. Through the description in this Burning Flame Art, I found a method for refining the body, but the prerequisite is that it requires multiple kinds of Exotic Fire." As he finished speaking, the light in Elder Yao's eyes dimmed considerably.

To be honest, the conditions for multiple types of Exotic Fire are too harsh, and this was just a desperate measure for him.

However, he was unwilling to let his life end like this, since those who plotted against him had not yet paid the price!

"Since that's the case, then I, your disciple, will reluctantly practice this Burning Flame Art Technique!" Just as Elder Yao was feeling down, Xiao Yan's words pulled him back from his memories.

"I'll practice this technique first. If there are any problems, I can modify it later," Xiao Yan said casually.

"Then... I'll do as you say."

The Elder Yao was deeply moved. Although the cultivation method could be modified, the wasted time would be difficult to make up for. The reasons behind this were too numerous to be explained in a single sentence.

"Teacher, do you have any news about the Exotic Fire?" Having made up his mind to cultivate the Burning Flame Art, Xiao Yan quickly began to focus on the key points.

If Elder Yao doesn't even know the slightest bit about the Exotic Fire, then this path will be much more difficult.

"Of course I have that!" The Elder Yao immediately reverted to his usual sage-like demeanor, stroking his beard with an air of arrogance on his face.

"Where?"

Xiao Yan subconsciously ignored Elder Yao's attempt to show off and asked directly. In a sense, they belong to the same type of people.

"Canaan Institute!" the Elder Yao said, pointing out a location.

"Canaan Institute?" Xiao Yan repeated, "The one located in the Black-Corner Region, the one known as the number one Canaan Institute on the continent?"

"That's right!"

"Teacher, you're not suggesting I Canaan Institute, are you?" Xiao Yan asked with disdain.

"What? Did Canaan Institute embarrass you?" Elder Yao said with ill intent.

Even someone of Elder Yao's stature wouldn't look down on the so-called Canaan Institute. But where did Xiao Yan get his confidence from?

"I feel like Canaan Institute is just so-so," Xiao Yan began to analyze.

"The strongest person at Canaan Institute should be a Dou Zong, right? My Xiao Clan also has Dou Zong. Canaan Institute has High Rank Cultivation Method and Dou Techniques, but my Xiao Clan's strongest Cultivation Techniques and Combat Skills has reached the Earth Rank Advanced. Could it be that they have a Heaven Rank Cultivation Method?"

"Furthermore, regarding the teaching staff, you are a high-level Alchemist and a top expert, so I have no need for you. As for resources, the Xiao Clan is quite good, isn't it? Why would I join some so-called academy and fight tooth and nail with others to get them?"

Xiao Yan's words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, and he also flattered Elder Yao, leaving the latter speechless.

"This..."

Elder Yao was exhausted. His student's family was truly wealthy! After Xiao Yan's analysis, Canaan Institute's advantages were practically worthless.

"But there's Exotic Fire there!" Finally, Elder Yao delivered a fatal blow to Xiao Yan. Indeed, Exotic Fire are Mysterious Object that don't come easily.

Even if it's just for that Exotic Fire, Xiao Yan has to go.

"Alright!" Xiao Yan said somewhat helplessly.

"What kind of Exotic Fire is it?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"If I remember correctly, it should be the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Strange Fire Ranking. It's known as a 'cultivation cheat device.'"

"Any news about other Exotic Fire?" Xiao Yan asked again. The Fallen Heart Flame was still too far away for him; it was simply not a solution to his immediate needs.

"Well..." The Elder Yao gave a wry smile, "I really don't have any news."

The existence of Exotic Fire is extremely rare. The Jia Ma Empire is just a remote small country in the Northwest Continent. How could it be so lucky to find the so-called Exotic Fire?

"Alright." Xiao Yan wasn't too disappointed. After all, Elder Yao wasn't omnipotent; how could he be a "know-it-all"?

"You could ask your father for help," the Elder Yao suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened. "Teacher, aren't you afraid my father will find out your identity?"

"Heh!" The Elder Yao remained noncommittal. "Just say you've become an Alchemist and are interested in Exotic Fire..."

"Anyway, there are plenty of reasons; you're not afraid of not finding one."

In Elder Yao's opinion, it's only natural that Xiao Zhan would be interested in the Exotic Fire since he knows that Xiao Yan is backed by a mysterious Alchemist. There shouldn't be any problems.

"Perfect timing. Now that you've become Dou Zhe, practice the Burning Flame Art, and I'll teach you some alchemy techniques so you can become a true Alchemist before enrolling in Canaan Institute..."

Once the topic of alchemy came up, the Elder Yao seemed to open a floodgate of words, talking on and on!

Xiao Yan quickly mastered the Burning Flame Art. Seeing the faint yellow light emanating from his palm, his desire for the Exotic Fire grew even stronger.

After all, who would want to use a Yellow Tier Low Grade cultivation technique? That would affect their future.

One day, six months later.

"What? You want to go to Canaan Institute?" Xiao Zhan's incredulous voice came from the Xiao Clan.