Flame Control Technique (5)!

After learning about the first Dao Fruit.

Chen Jichuan reined in his joy and turned to look beside the lotus pod.

The lotus pod had originally been a lotus flower.

The lotus flower had originally been a bud.

There had originally been only one bud.

But now, the flower bloomed twin blossoms on the same stem, and at some unknown time, another bud had grown.

Inside the bud.

Two thousand one hundred and seventy-four silver threads danced wildly, yet the bud showed no sign of blooming.

Chen Jichuan stared at it for a moment.

Information came from the bud, making him frown. "Entering the Great Yan World only took one thousand Origin Force before, but this time it requires ten thousand Origin Force?"

A thousand had made it bloom last time.

This time, it demanded ten thousand.

He had prepared in advance—

Living frugally and pinching every penny, he had saved a little over two thousand Origin Force, thinking that once the Great Yan World ended, he could seamlessly connect to the next world.

Who would have thought—

"Looks like."

"I need to act quickly."

Chen Jichuan thought to himself.

There were far too many places that required Origin Force now—

Making the bud bloom.

Materializing lotus seeds.

Using Flame Control Technique, Blood-Burning Art, and the like.

All of them required Origin Force.

Besides that, his own cultivation also depended on Origin Force. Otherwise, who knew whether he would ever achieve much, even by the year of the monkey and month of the horse.

One matter after another.

Every single one was a bottomless grain-eater.

And the only place Chen Jichuan knew for certain could provide Origin Force was the Black Prison within Centipede Mountain.

Beyond that, the Clam Pearls produced in the Li River Gang's Water Mansion also contained spiritual energy. But in terms of quantity, they could not compare to the Black Prison. Chen Jichuan was unfamiliar with the Water Mansion as well and had little confidence.

As for the Golden Sun Sect's Peach Haven, he did not yet know whether it contained Spirit Stones, Clam Pearls, or other good things.

"Right now, I stand alone. I can neither take down the Black Prison nor occupy it."

Chen Jichuan knew about that place.

If he entered in person, mining Spirit Stones would be easy. But if something happened outside and he was trapped within, cut off from food, he would be starved alive before many days had passed.

That was not a viable move.

"Fortunately."

"I have a trump card in hand."

Chen Jichuan glanced at the lotus seeds within the pod.

With a thought.

He returned to reality.

Begonia Mountain.

The rising sun had just emerged.

Chen Jichuan led Chen Shaohe to practice beside the Spirit Jujube Tree.

Two months had passed, and the Spirit Jujube Tree had long since recovered its vitality. Though winter was approaching, it had actually sprouted many new leaves, lush and green, bringing joy at a glance.

Cultivating beneath the tree left one invigorated, with remarkable results.

Moreover, the Spirit Jujube Tree could gather spiritual energy, making cultivation even more beneficial.

Chen Jichuan had tested it himself.

Ten days of cultivation beneath the Spirit Jujube Tree equaled twelve or thirteen days of cultivation in the Great Yan World.

Two or three days might not seem like much, but over the years, it meant several more years—perhaps even a dozen more years—of accumulated skill and cultivation than others.

How many stretches of several years or over a decade could a person have in one lifetime?

The sun rose higher.

The morning sun was gentle.

Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe sat cross-legged atop separate millstones, one to the left and one to the right, circulating their internal force and inner breath.

This was a stillness technique and required complete concentration.

About half an hour passed.

Their circulation was complete.

"Huh?"

Chen Shaohe opened his eyes first. Confusion appeared on his face, followed by surprise. Without standing, he remained seated cross-legged and opened his mouth toward the side—

Whoosh!

Flames shot out like a tongue of fire, reaching a full five feet away. The heat evaporated the morning dew in the forest, turning it into billowing clumps of mist.

"I—"

Chen Shaohe breathed fire from his mouth, startled and bewildered.

At that moment.

Chen Jichuan also finished his practice and looked at Chen Shaohe. "What is it?"

He thought the latter had gone wrong during cultivation.

"Fourth Brother."

"Quick, take a look! My Flame Control Technique seems to have gotten stronger!"

Seeing that his fourth brother had awakened, Chen Shaohe hurriedly urged him.

Another two months had passed, and Chen Shaohe's body had grown sturdier while his temperament had become livelier.

He basked in the sun all day without ever feeling hot. Instead, he had tanned himself pitch-black, leaving not a trace of the old Chen Fifth from the Black Prison.

"Flame Control Technique?"

Chen Jichuan's heart stirred. Without another word, he used Insight Art to inspect him—

Name: Chen Shaohe

Age: 16

Immortal Tier: None

Level: 5

Talents: Fire Control, Divine Pounce Blade (First Layer), Land-Flying Technique (First Layer), Iron Bull Technique (First Layer), Crouching Tiger Technique (First Layer), Wave-Wrapping Technique (First Layer)

"Flame Control Technique."

"Fifth Layer?!"

Delight appeared on Chen Jichuan's face. "It really is!"

During this time.

Chen Shaohe had practiced martial arts alongside him, and his strength had grown considerably.

He had also practiced the Flame Control Technique every day.

But aside from becoming more proficient, neither Chen Shaohe nor Chen Jichuan had known how to raise this Altered Ability.

Who would have thought.

It would actually break through today!

"Level five?"

"Then I'm a Fifth Rank expert too?!"

Hearing his fourth brother's words, Chen Shaohe froze at first, then broke into a broad grin, baring his teeth as he laughed foolishly without stop.

During this time, he had cultivated internal arts and trained external arts.

He had watched himself go from nothing to cultivating inner breath, then watched that inner breath grow bit by bit, filling him with joy. As he trained in martial arts, his appetite had gradually increased, his body had steadily become sturdier, and his legs had gained more power. He enjoyed every moment of it.

Training was bitter.

But as long as he could see progress, Chen Shaohe was happy.

And the Flame Control Technique, which he had originally placed the least hope in and merely let take its natural course, had silently broken through to the Fifth Layer. This caught Chen Shaohe greatly by surprise.

This was an unexpected delight.

"When did you notice it?"

Seeing Chen Shaohe grinning foolishly, Chen Jichuan was happy for his fifth brother as well.

But what concerned him even more was how this Altered Ability could be improved.

When his fourth brother asked, Chen Shaohe quickly wiped the smile from his face and recalled, "It seemed like this morning, or maybe yesterday morning. I didn't pay much attention. I practiced Flame Control as usual every day, and for some reason, it just became stronger."

"For some reason?"

Chen Jichuan shook his head.

Everything had its cause. Nothing could happen for no reason at all.

"Could it be—"

Chen Jichuan looked at the Spirit Jujube Tree before him, a guess forming in his heart.

Suddenly.

"Almost forgot!"

Chen Shaohe slapped his forehead and cried out. He pulled two plump jujubes from his clothes and said to Chen Jichuan, "Fourth Brother, could it be these Spirit Jujubes?"

Seeing his fourth brother look over.

Chen Shaohe explained, "Fourth Brother brought back over sixty Spirit Jujubes back then, and I ate them all. Whenever I ate one, I vaguely felt more energetic and stronger. I had that feeling in the Black Prison too, but after leaving it, when we first came to Begonia Mountain, it disappeared."

"Black Prison."

"Spirit Stones."

"Spirit Jujubes."

Chen Jichuan nodded after hearing this.

That was likely the reason.

Back then, he had not cared about the few hundred Origin Force within the Spirit Jujubes. He had also thought that since Spirit Jujubes could awaken Altered Abilities in Sheng Dayang and his son, they might be useful to Altered Humans like Chen Shaohe.

Now it seemed.

They had indeed worked.

"Let me take another look."

With a thought, Chen Jichuan used Insight Art once more to inspect Chen Shaohe.

This time, he looked deep into his flesh and blood. At a glance, he saw that the rune representing Flame Control Technique had become more complex—several times more intricate than it had been at the Fourth Layer.

Even though Chen Jichuan had analyzed several Altered Abilities over the past two months, seeing this Fifth Layer rune still made his head swim. For the moment, he could neither see it clearly nor commit it to memory.

"Fifth Layer."

Rather than being annoyed, Chen Jichuan was delighted. "It seems my Flame Control Technique can advance another step as well."

The Flame Control Technique he possessed had been copied from Chen Shaohe. Now that the "sample" had changed and become stronger, copying it again would benefit him too.

As for performing Deduction himself—

"I'm not capable of that yet."

Chen Jichuan shook his head.