Giving the Flame Mantra to Xun'er

One fulfilled her wish of becoming an Alchemist. Whenever he refined Medicinal Pills for the Mittel Auction House, she would watch from the side, and he had seen the longing and regret in her eyes all too clearly.

The other was a small gift. Although the Ancient Clan might not lack soul cultivation techniques, this was his heartfelt gesture toward Xiao Xun'er.

"After being cooped up in Wutan City for eleven years, it was time for the fledgling eagle to take flight!"

Sitting atop a cliff on the Xiao Clan's Back Mountain, he gazed at the Magic Beast Mountains in the distance, perpetually shrouded in mist. As his age and cultivation grew, so too did his desire for a bigger stage and a wider world.

After staying in Wutan City for eleven years, it was time to leave. Wutan City had become a shackle on his path to strength. If he wanted to continue growing stronger quickly, he had to leave Wutan City, leave the Gama Empire, and leave the Northwest Continent.

There were still three and a half years before the plot began. His goal was to become a Dou Emperor within three years, a Dou Ancestor by the time of the Three-Year Agreement, then travel through the surrounding nations before heading to the Central Plains.

Most importantly, he had to go to Canaan Academy. Half a year from now would be Canaan Academy's recruitment period, and he intended to take part in the selection.

Canaan Academy was a renowned Dou Qi institution on the Dou Qi Continent. Its strength far exceeded ordinary people's imagination. At Canaan Academy, one needed the strength of at least a Grand Dou Master to become an instructor. When it came to foundations and power, Lin Qing knew that the Misty Cloud Sect was not even worthy of carrying its shoes.

His understanding of Canaan Academy might not surpass that of Mang Tian Chi, Su Qian, Bai Lie, and Qian Mu, but he definitely knew more than anyone else.

On the Dou Qi Continent, academies differed somewhat from sects. Joining a sect meant being subject to certain restrictions, and one's future actions would represent the sect behind them. Academies were different. After graduation, one would have no compulsory ties to the academy whatsoever!

That was why one could even encounter classmates from the Central Plains at Canaan Academy. As for the help they supposedly gave the academy in the original work, he had not seen it, but it definitely existed. After all, there were few people who would bite the hand that fed them.

Canaan Academy not only had the thousand-year-old Little Dragon Maiden, but also two Heavenly Flames, the remnant soul of a Dou Venerable, and countless Flame Pearls. They would all help him grow stronger.

As long as Little Dragon Maiden obtained the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit and resolved the division of Dragon Island, she would become an enormous source of support. She also had a claim to the throne of the Void Ancient Dragon race. She was a future empress and a little rich girl—a truly promising investment.

He could take the major Heavenly Flames and leave the lesser ones. They would even have to thank him for it. Once the Dou Venerable's remnant soul was revived, he would gain another Dou Venerable subordinate.

Then there were the Lizardmen beneath the magma. They could not leave it, so as long as he paired the Breath-Concealing Jade with the Breath-Concealing Art, he could retreat unscathed after hunting them for Flame Pearls. He could then cultivate with the Flame Pearls. Even if he could not use them for cultivation, he could trade them for goods or use them in alchemy. It was practically a beginner's secret realm.

So he absolutely had to go to Canaan Academy. He did not merely dream of becoming a Dragon Knight; he wanted to grow stronger.

He could not understand why no one from the Xiao Clan had ever gone to Canaan Academy. It had been understandable when the clan had Dou Emperors and Dou Kings, but now it only had a few Grand Dou Masters and could not properly nurture its younger generation at all. Not a single person from the other Two Great Clans of Wutan City had gone either. Those who attended were all children of small clans or commoners.

The Xiao Clan's strongest expert had once been a Dou Emperor, and it had even had Dou Kings a few years ago. The clan had also come from the Central Plains, so naturally, it could be said that they looked down on so-called academies.

He found it somewhat hard to believe that the other Two Great Clans were simply short-sighted. It was more likely that they did not care in the first place.

The Xiao Clan's decline was certainly partly due to its bloodline fading away, the deaths of numerous experts in the war between the Xiao and Hun Clans, and the Ancient Clan's later betrayal that completely severed its inheritance. But the most important reason was its aggressiveness when it first arrived on the Northwest Continent. It had tried to divide Gama three ways with the Misty Cloud Sect and the Imperial Family. As a result, its Dou Emperor and Dou Kings died, and it had no choice but to flee in disgrace from Jia Ma Sacred City to Wutan City.

That was only because the Misty Cloud Sect and the Gama Imperial Family had not taken the opportunity to divide and devour the Xiao Clan. Fortunately, Yun Shan had still been a gentleman back then, while the Imperial Family had been wary of the Misty Cloud Sect. Otherwise, the Xiao Clan might not even have had the ability to leave Jia Ma Sacred City alive.

Even after leaving Jia Ma Sacred City, they encountered enemies along the way. The clan's sole remaining Dou Spirit died in battle, and by the time they reached Wutan City, only two Grand Dou Masters remained. Their Cultivation Technique had been reduced to only a mid-level Mystic Tier technique, and only then did they slowly gain a foothold in Wutan City. (I'm beginning to suspect that the Three Mysterious Flame Transformation Xiao Yan found in Jia Ma Sacred City was originally brought there by the Xiao Clan. Otherwise, it could not possibly have appeared in the Gama Empire.)

But this was ultimately his mother's maternal clan, as well as the family that had raised him. He would have to repay this kindness in the future.

"Brother Lin Qing!"

Before she arrived, her voice reached him first.

Lin Qing turned toward the mountain path. There, a graceful purple figure was leaping toward him as lightly as an elf.

With a light tap of her toes against the mountain rock, Xiao Xun'er fluttered onto the summit like a purple butterfly. Her head tilted slightly as her gaze swept toward the youth standing by the cliff.

Seeing the girl arrive, Lin Qing smiled faintly.

"Xun'er!"

Captivated by the elusive smile at the corner of the youth's lips, Xiao Xun'er's exquisite cheeks formed adorable dimples. She smiled softly and said, "Brother Lin Qing, did something good happen?"

"Xun'er is about to become a Fighter, right?"

Lin Qing asked with a light chuckle.

"Mhm! I'm already at the Ninth Duan of Dou Force!"

As Xiao Xun'er answered, she walked toward him. The faint smile on her face was incredibly soothing. Then she gently sat down and rested her head on Lin Qing's shoulder.

"Xun'er, to congratulate you on becoming a Fighter, I prepared some gifts for you!"

Lin Qing stood up and flipped his palm. A black Storage Ring appeared in his hand.

"I had planned to give you these gifts once you became a Fighter. Inside are two Cultivation Techniques, a Qi-Gathering Powder I personally refined, a piece of Soul-Nourishing Jade that can nourish and protect the soul, and a Wood Spirit Fruit that can allow a Fire Attribute Fighter to gain a trace of the wood attribute."

"So... Brother Lin Qing, are you leaving?"

The intelligent Xiao Xun'er quickly caught the meaning behind Lin Qing's words. The smile on her face vanished at once. She looked up at him, her clear eyes filled with sorrow, with no intention of accepting the Storage Ring.

"One Cultivation Technique is only low-level Yellow Tier, but it is incredibly special. It can devour Beast Flames and Heavenly Flames to evolve. According to the information I obtained, this was the Cultivation Technique once practiced by the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor. Refining Heavenly Flames may be dangerous, and finding them is far from easy, but for you, those difficulties are reduced countless times over! Perhaps one day, you may even inherit the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy and reach that realm!"

He took Xiao Xun'er's soft hand, placed the Storage Ring upon it, and explained.

"Brother Lin Qing, aren't you going to cultivate it? You have a Heavenly Flame too!"

Having watched Lin Qing refine pills, she naturally knew that he possessed the Xuanhuang Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

And she hoped even more that Lin Qing would cultivate this technique. That way, there would no longer be any obstacle between the two of them.