After obtaining the Snake Mandrake, Xiao Yan planned to visit Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, refine a pill for him, and lift the seal within his body.
But first, he needed to devour the Green Lotus Core Flame and evolve the Flame Mantra.
Xiao Yan entered his Portable Space. Now that he was a Two-Star Grand Dou Master, it stretched ninety-five li in every direction.
He did not go to the villa to see Xiao Yi Xian.
Now that he had awakened the Woeful Poison Body, he could no longer be intimate with Xiao Yi Xian. He feared he would lose control if he saw her.
He reached the shore of the Magma Lake. Atop the Green Lotus Platform in the lake, an azure flame danced merrily.
With one step, Xiao Yan landed on the platform. He reached straight into the heart of the flame and pulled out a strip of azure magma.
With a roar, a fierce blaze erupted across his palm. The Green Lotus Core Flame's source flame was resisting him.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the platform and popped the strip of azure magma into his mouth as though it were jelly.
Whoosh. The strip slid into his stomach.
Once inside, it flared up furiously, trying to burn through his body.
Xiao Yan's expression remained indifferent. His body gave a slight tremor.
Myriad Flame Emperor Physique, activate!
Within his body, the Fire God Domain unfolded, and ten thousand flames bowed in submission.
The azure fire that had just flared from the strip of magma went out with a soft pop.
Guided by Xiao Yan's will, the strip became its source flame and passed through an acupoint in his stomach into his meridians.
The source flame circulated through his meridians rather than entering his dantian at once.
One full circuit, two circuits, three circuits...
As the Green Lotus Core Flame's source flame continued to circulate, Xiao Yan's meridians steadily grew tougher and wider.
Only after nine full circuits did Xiao Yan stop.
Then he guided the Green Lotus Core Flame straight into his dantian.
Inside was a slowly rotating Dou Qi Vortex.
Xiao Yan had no need for a flame-holding spirit. Instead, he opened a Fire God Space beside the vortex.
This was an ability granted by the Myriad Flame Emperor Physique. The more flames Xiao Yan absorbed, the greater his mastery of this wondrous physique became.
Under Xiao Yan's control, the unwilling Green Lotus Core Flame was drawn into the Fire God Space.
Inside the Fire God Space lay an immense plaza, filled with countless towering pillars.
A stone platform crowned each pillar, its center slightly recessed.
Now, an azure flame burned in the center of one such platform.
The Green Lotus Core Flame had taken its place!
Xiao Yan did not rush to evolve the Flame Mantra. Over the next few days, he sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, absorbing fire-attributed energy from the Magma Lake.
To that end, he poured another two bottles of Companion Purple Crystal Source and two Earthfire Lotus Seeds into the lake.
The Green Lotus Core Flame had consumed a great deal of energy while helping his queenly wife evolve, and Xiao Yan had later drawn away a large amount of its physical flame.
As a result, its source had suffered some depletion.
Vast amounts of fire-attributed energy flowed into the Fire God Space, nourishing the Green Lotus Core Flame.
After several days, its color grew purer and deeper, and it returned to its peak.
Seated on the lotus platform, Xiao Yan felt no mental fatigue. Without pause, he guided the Green Lotus Core Flame out of the Fire God Space.
He then sent it into the rotating vortex.
Xiao Yan guided the flame into the vortex's Spirit Rune, which contained the entire essence of the Flame Mantra.
As the Green Lotus Core Flame entered, the rune changed rapidly, forming a new Spirit Rune.
The new rune radiated strange ripples that transformed the entire vortex.
Three full hours passed before a new Technique Qi Vortex was born within his dantian.
This Technique Qi Vortex rotated faster and held more energy. It absorbed and converted energy into Dou Qi more quickly, produced higher-quality Dou Qi, and released it faster.
Xiao Yan urged the vortex to keep spinning. The Dou Crystal at its center actually shrank from the size of two thumbs to one.
The Dou Crystal, once purple and azure, became a single, pure shade of azure.
This step purified the quality of his Dou Qi.
Xiao Yan returned the Green Lotus Core Flame to the Fire God Space. Evolving the Flame Mantra had consumed a full quarter of its source flame.
On the Green Lotus Platform, Xiao Yan slowly breathed out the turbid air accumulated during cultivation and opened his eyes.
Two beams of azure light shot six zhang from his eyes. They lingered for a full fifteen minutes before slowly fading.
"Teacher, the Flame Mantra evolved successfully!"
Xiao Yan raised his right hand. An azure flame condensed from Dou Qi burst through an acupoint in his palm and blazed upward.
This was not the Green Lotus Core Flame, but a flame produced from Dou Qi.
Medicine Elder had hovered by the lakeshore, watching over him all along. Seeing Xiao Yan absorb the Green Lotus Core Flame without the slightest danger, he could only marvel at the strength of the young man's fire-attributed physique.
Back when Medicine Elder had devoured the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, it had put him through hell. He had nearly died, body and soul extinguished.
"Little Yanzi, that fire-attributed physique of yours truly makes me envious. I'm mad with jealousy."
Medicine Elder gazed at Xiao Yan with shining eyes, as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
Xiao Yan chuckled. When he had been offered his choice of three advantages from seven and learned he would cross over as Xiao Yan, he had chosen the Myriad Flame Emperor Physique without hesitation.
Hadn't he chosen it precisely for its ability to grow stronger by devouring flames and its immunity to fire?
It was practically a physique tailor-made for Xiao Yan to cultivate the Flame Mantra and become the Flame Emperor.
In fact, after Xiao Yan became the Flame Emperor, his own physique would also be another kind of "Myriad Flame Emperor Physique."
But Xiao Yan had possessed the Myriad Flame Emperor Physique from the start, so naturally he could spare himself a great deal of suffering.
"The Flame Mantra evolved successfully. It's now Mid Black Tier."
Xiao Yan spoke with a smile.
"That proves the Flame Mantra really can evolve. Next, we'll go to Jia Nan Academy."
Medicine Elder smiled too, as though he could already see Xiao Yan gathering three or four Heavenly Flames and refining him a new body.
Xiao Yan stretched, and his bones cracked like thunder.
The Green Lotus Core Flame had tempered his flesh considerably, bringing it to the peak of the fourth rank.
At the same time, Xiao Yan's cultivation had reached Four-Star Grand Dou Master.
In a flash, Xiao Yan appeared inside the villa.
By now, the entire space had changed dramatically.
After gaining Space Authority, Xiao Yi Xian had made many plans for the space.
She had built many new structures.
Even the villa had grown several times larger.
When Xiao Yan appeared inside the villa, he found the three women drinking tea in the garden.
"Brother Xiao Yan."
At the sight of him, Xiao Yi Xian slipped into his arms with practiced ease.
Xiao Yan had meant to kiss her lips, but remembering that his saliva was poisonous, he pressed a kiss to her fair forehead instead.
"Young master."
Qing Lin spoke softly. Seeing how close Sister Xian'er was to him, envy showed in her emerald eyes.
Xiao Yan reached out and rubbed Qing Lin's little head, then looked toward Nalan Yanran.
"Brother Xiao Yan, it was too lonely with only Qing Lin and me in the space, so I removed the Space Lock around Sister Yanran's courtyard."
Afraid Xiao Yan would be angry, Xiao Yi Xian explained while hugging his arm tightly against the softness of her chest.
Xiao Yan chuckled. "That's fine."
Xiao Yi Xian held Space Authority. Within this space, Nalan Yanran could not threaten her.
Qing Lin also had the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.
Of the three women, Nalan Yanran was actually the weakest.
"Xiao Yan!"
Nalan Yanran stood and bowed to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan nodded. "When I have time, I'll make a trip to the Imperial Capital and visit the Nalan Family. Give me something they'll recognize."
Nalan Yanran grew a little excited. She took the green jade pendant from her ear and handed it to Xiao Yan.
"My father bought this pendant. When he sees it, he'll know it's mine."
Xiao Yan accepted the pendant. It still held the young woman's warmth and fragrance.
He casually put it into his Storage Ring.
Afterward, Xiao Yan spent several days enjoying himself with the three women in the space.
When Xiao Yi Xian sought intimacy, he could only refuse her.
After several refusals, faced with Xiao Yi Xian's tearful eyes, Xiao Yan had no choice but to tell her he had inadvertently awakened the Woeful Poison Body.
Only then did she let the matter drop.
After enjoying a few leisurely days, Xiao Yan left the space and went to Desert City to find Hai Bodong.
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