System Rewards Again: Five-Flame Heaven-Burning Seal, Lingxi Sword Fingers, Martial Dao Space

Xiao Yan said nothing and listened quietly.

Yao Lao's voice grew low, carrying a trace of bitterness. "My other reason for taking out this technique is tied to my own selfish desires.

"There are some obscure descriptions in the Flame Mantra—if cultivated successfully, it seems one can use several mutually compatible Heavenly Flames to forge a body capable of housing a soul.

"At that time, with a new body, I could be considered reborn."

He paused and looked up at Xiao Yan.

"Therefore, I hope you will cultivate this technique. Consider it a small wish of mine."

Xiao Yan looked at the two floating techniques before him and fell into thought.

He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

The wind from the back mountain blew in from afar, stirring the hem of his robes and his hair.

The mark of the Undying Divine Flame glimmered faintly between his brows. Its golden-red light shone through his eyelids, tinting his vision with a warm hue.

After a long while, he opened his eyes.

His gaze did not linger on the red Ninefold Heart-Scorching Art for even an instant. He reached out directly and seized the black scroll.

"Teacher, I choose the Flame Mantra."

His voice was quiet, yet extraordinarily resolute.

"The reason I crave strength is because I fear loss. I fear that, because I lack strength, the people close to me will leave me one by one. That is why I pursue power, and for it, I am willing to give everything I have."

He clenched the black scroll in his hand until his knuckles turned white.

"A Low Earth Tier technique can make me stronger in a short time, but it cannot give me what I want. It has a clear endpoint, and that endpoint is not enough for me."

"The Flame Mantra is full of the unknown, full of danger. Cultivating it may leave me with nothing, or it may allow me to reach heights I have never imagined."

"I would rather cry out and die than live in silence. I am willing to gamble everything on this."

When he spoke those words, his voice was as calm as if he were stating a simple fact. There was no impassioned fervor, no boiling blood, yet it carried more power than any impassioned declaration.

Yao Lao froze where he stood.

He looked at the youth before him, at the light in those golden-red eyes, and for a moment, he could not speak.

He had thought Xiao Yan would choose the Ninefold Heart-Scorching Art.

A Low Earth Tier technique was already a supreme inheritance in the Jia Ma Empire. Countless people could spend their entire lives seeking one without success.

The Flame Mantra was far too risky—Heavenly Flames were difficult to find, and ordinary people might not encounter even one in their lifetimes, much less the multiple flames needed for the Flame Mantra's evolution.

Even if one was fortunate enough to find a Heavenly Flame, the danger of devouring it was not something an ordinary person could endure.

Anyone normal would choose the Ninefold Heart-Scorching Art.

But Xiao Yan had chosen the Flame Mantra.

Yao Lao had underestimated this youth's determination.

Three years of silence had not worn away his edge, and three years of cold stares had not extinguished his fire.

It was not that he did not wish to grow stronger. He had merely been waiting for an opportunity that could truly make him strong.

Now that the opportunity had come, he seized it without hesitation, even if it meant gambling his future.

What warmed Yao Lao's heart even more was Xiao Yan's final remark.

"Besides, cultivating this technique may give me a chance to help Teacher return to life. Why would I not do it?"

Xiao Yan looked at him and smiled.

There was no calculation in that smile, no self-interest. It was as clean as the azure sky above the back mountain.

Yao Lao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but it felt as though something had lodged in his throat.

He thought of that beast who had betrayed his teacher and ancestors.

That disciple to whom he had given everything, whom he had regarded as his own son, had tried to kill him for a Heavenly Flame and a technique, beating him until only a remnant soul remained.

Since then, he had trusted no one. He had wrapped himself in a thick shell, measuring everyone who approached him with suspicion and vigilance.

He had spent an entire year observing and testing Xiao Yan, only reluctantly lowering part of his guard after confirming that Xiao Yan was not another ungrateful wretch.

But he had never expected that before he had fully opened his heart, this youth would already extend a hand toward him first.

Not for profit, nor to use him.

Simply because Xiao Yan regarded him as his teacher.

Yao Lao drew a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions within him, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.

The disciple he had taken was different from his previous one.

Completely different.

"Having only a technique and no combat skills will not do." Yao Lao forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions, and his voice regained some of its composure. "Your teacher will pass on a few combat skills to you."

"Thank you, Teacher." Xiao Yan responded respectfully and bowed slightly.

Yao Lao's soul body floated up from the bluestone and drifted before Xiao Yan. He raised his right hand, his withered fingers glowing with a faint milky-white radiance, and pressed one finger to the center of Xiao Yan's forehead.

The instant his fingertip touched Xiao Yan's brow, an immense torrent of information surged into his mind like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

Xiao Yan felt his consciousness dragged into a blank world. Countless words, diagrams, and circulation routes flashed rapidly before his eyes, every frame so clear it seemed carved into the depths of his soul.

[Eight Extremes Collapse, High Mystic Tier combat skill. Based on hidden force, its power stacks layer upon layer, with eight successive bursts flowing endlessly like waves. At mastery, the eight forces merge as one, shattering mountains and splitting stones.]

[Explosive Step, Intermediate Mystic Tier movement combat skill. Dou Qi detonates the air beneath the feet, producing instantaneous explosive force. Its speed is too fast for the naked eye to catch. Suitable for short-distance charges and evasions; when combined with close combat, its power increases dramatically.]

[Flame-Congealing Sword Art, Intermediate Mystic Tier combat skill. Fire-attributed Dou Qi is condensed into a sword, blending substance and illusion, with sword qi as fierce as flame. Before the sword arrives, the heatwave comes first, scorching the opponent's meridians and burning away their Dou Qi.]

The information on the three combat skills arranged itself neatly in his mind. Every detail was crystal clear, as though he had immersed himself in these skills for years.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, and a flash of brilliance passed through them.

As expected of the Medicine Venerable. The combat skills he gave away casually were all at least Intermediate Mystic Tier.

In the Jia Ma Empire, Mystic Tier combat skills were family secrets never passed on to outsiders. Ordinary independent cultivators might spend their entire lives without seeing even one scroll.

Yet Yao Lao had given him three at once, all of excellent quality, with none included merely to make up the number.

Before the corners of his mouth could rise, the cold mechanical voice in his mind sounded once more.

[Ding. Detected that the host has intercepted Xiao Yan's opportunities: High Mystic Tier combat skill—Eight Extremes Collapse, Intermediate Mystic Tier movement combat skill—Explosive Step, evolvable technique—Flame Mantra.]

[Reward obtained: Low Earth Tier combat skill—Five-Flame Heaven-Burning Seal, Intermediate Mystic Tier combat skill—Lingxi Sword Fingers, Martial Dao Space.]

Another torrent of information poured in.

[Five-Flame Heaven-Burning Seal, Low Earth Tier combat skill. Divided into five seals, each formed from fire-attributed Dou Qi and bearing the might to burn the heavens as it suppresses enemies.

The first four seals possess power comparable to High Mystic Tier combat skills, while the fifth approaches Low Earth Tier power.

The five seals may be layered together. Once combined, their might rivals that of a Mid Earth Tier combat skill. When released, they are like an erupting volcano, unstoppable.]

[Lingxi Sword Fingers, Intermediate Mystic Tier combat skill. Fingers serve as swords, and qi controls the edge. After cultivating this skill, all ten fingers can become bladeless swords; wherever the fingertips point, sword qi runs rampant.

No sword is needed, and no charging is required. At a single thought, finger-swords emerge.

The sword qi is invisible and traceless. Only those struck know its sharpness. It attacks where the enemy is unprepared and strikes when least expected, making it a first-rate assassination combat skill.]

[Martial Dao Space, a special enlightenment space. After the host enters, projections will automatically form within the space to guide and correct the host's techniques or combat skills.

Whether it is a slight deviation in a circulation route or a fundamental error in the way a combat skill exerts force, the projections can identify it precisely and correct it.

No matter how long one remains in the space, time will not pass in the outside world.]

[Note: Martial Dao Space cannot be used to cultivate Dou Qi. It can only guide and correct existing techniques or combat skills. Operating the space consumes energy, and its energy source is Magic Cores. The higher the grade of the Magic Core, the longer the space can remain active.]

After absorbing all that information, Xiao Yan felt a surge of wild joy.

It was like receiving a pillow just when he was sleepy.

What he lacked most right now was time.

Yao Lao had given him three combat skills, and together with the Flame Mantra, he needed to spend a great deal of time cultivating, refining, and mastering them.

Otherwise, even with a high realm, if his combat skills were terrible, he would be like a child holding a sharp sword—the sword might be good, but he would be unable to wield its power.

True combat was a contest of strength, but also a battle of skill.

A Four-Star Dou Practitioner who had mastered combat skills could easily defeat a Five-Star or even Six-Star Dou Practitioner who possessed only a realm but was unfamiliar with combat skills.

Martial Dao Space perfectly made up for this shortcoming.

Time did not pass, and projections provided guidance—this meant he could bring his combat skills to perfection in an extremely short time without worrying about delaying his normal cultivation progress.

He had originally thought that after intercepting the Bone Flame Ring and Yao Lao, the system had already given him all the rewards it was supposed to provide.

Now, it seemed that was not the case.

The Myriad-Flame Divine Physique, Heaven-Burning Divine Art, and Undying Divine Flame corresponded to the three threads of Xiao Xun'er, Yao Lao, and Bone-Chilling Flame.

In the original story, these three provided Xiao Yan with the greatest help—Yao Lao protected him through the early and middle stages, taught him techniques and skills, and shielded him from enemies and disasters.

Xiao Xun'er provided Ancient Clan support in the later stages, while Ling Ying protected him in secret and saved Xiao Yan from danger time and again.

Though Bone-Chilling Flame did not appear much in the early stages, it played a tremendous role as the key aid that advanced the Flame Mantra from a High Earth Tier technique to a quasi-Heaven Tier technique.

Intercepting the Bone Flame Ring and Yao Lao did not mean Yao Lao would obediently listen to him.

The system's reward logic was clear—obtaining the ring was only the first step. Persuading Yao Lao was the true "interception."

Only by gaining Yao Lao's approval and making him willing to become his aid could he obtain the Flame Mantra and those combat skills from him.

Every link was an independent opportunity, and every link had a corresponding reward.

Xiao Yan silently gave the system's mechanism a thumbs-up in his heart, then gathered his thoughts and looked at Yao Lao before him.

"Teacher, these combat skills are strong, but most are suited for sustained fighting or flexible responses." He chose his words carefully. "Do you have any combat skills with stronger explosive power? The kind that... decides victory in one move."

What he meant was clearly the Low Earth Tier combat skill Yao Lao had passed to Xiao Yan in the original story—the Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler.

The explosive power of that combat skill ranked among the best of all combat skills above the Mystic Tier. If he could obtain it from Yao Lao, it might trigger another system reward.

Hearing this, Yao Lao rolled his eyes at him irritably.

"Biting off more than you can chew."

Yao Lao's voice carried a trace of disdain. "You have not even mastered the combat skills I just gave you, yet you are already thinking about higher-tier ones? You have not even learned how to walk, and you want to run?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head and chuckled twice without asking further.

Of course, he would not tell Yao Lao that with Martial Dao Space in hand, it would not take him long to cultivate these combat skills to perfection.

"First, thoroughly master what is already in your hands." Seeing that he had fallen silent, Yao Lao softened his tone slightly. "Once you have mastered all of these, your teacher will teach you others."

Xiao Yan nodded to show that he understood.

Then, right under Yao Lao's watchful eyes, he sat cross-legged and began converting to the Flame Mantra.

His eyes gently closed, his breathing steady, and Dou Qi circulated slowly through his meridians—he slightly adjusted the circulation route of the Heaven-Burning Divine Art, making it appear no different from the Flame Mantra on the surface.

The Heaven-Burning Divine Art was originally the upgraded, ultimate version of the Flame Mantra. Their underlying logic came from the same source, and their core circulation routes were highly similar.

It was like two trees grown from the same root. Their trunks were almost identical, differing only in their branches and finer details.

Xiao Yan only needed to slightly alter the outwardly visible portions of the Heaven-Burning Divine Art for it to look no different from the Flame Mantra.

Though Yao Lao's Soul Power was formidable, he was ultimately only a soul body, and his senses were greatly diminished. Coupled with the common origin of the Heaven-Burning Divine Art and Flame Mantra, it was nearly impossible for him to discern the difference.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xiao Yan opened his eyes.

"How is it?" Yao Lao asked, anticipation in his eyes.

"Teacher, the Flame Mantra truly can evolve."

Xiao Yan pretended to sense it, closed his eyes, and felt for a while longer before slowly speaking. "I feel that after the Flame Mantra devoured my Undying Divine Flame, it has now evolved to the High Mystic Tier."

"Good!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Yao Lao's face. It grew wider and wider before finally turning into a hearty laugh.

"Good, excellent!"

His laughter echoed through the back mountain, startling flocks of birds from the forest. That illusory elderly figure trembled faintly beneath the sunlight, not from weakness but excitement.

The Flame Mantra could evolve—this legend, recorded on the scroll for countless years yet never verified by anyone, had become reality today through his disciple.

Yao Lao's laughter gradually subsided. He looked deeply at Xiao Yan, his expression complicated, carrying gratification, expectation, and something else he could not describe.

He said nothing more. His soul body transformed into a streak of light and entered the Bone Flame Ring.

Too much had happened today: the companion flame within Xiao Yan, the Flame Mantra's evolution, and all the unexpected surprises this youth had brought him—he needed time to digest them all.

The back mountain returned to silence.

Xiao Yan did not leave immediately. He stood beside the bluestone and began practicing the combat skills Yao Lao had taught him.

How to stack the hidden force of Eight Extremes Collapse layer by layer, where beneath the feet the detonation point of Explosive Step would yield the strongest burst, how far Flame-Congealing Sword Art's Dou Qi needed to be condensed for maximum sharpness—he tested each one and adjusted them again and again.

The sky gradually darkened.

Xiao Yan ended his practice, stretched his slightly sore body, and followed the familiar path toward the hot spring on the back mountain.

The warm spring water rose over his shoulders. Steam carrying a faint sulfur scent wrapped around him, melting away the fatigue accumulated over the day inch by inch.