The Fallen? That Just Means They Weren't Talented Enough

"If Tou She Ancient God had been born a thousand years earlier, would it have been a case of two kings refusing to meet, or would he have avoided my edge?"

Inside the cave, Xiao Yan toyed with the Flame Mantra jade slip, then glanced at the bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid beside him, lost in thought.

That one sentence nearly choked Yao Chen to death as he was passionately recounting the Flame Mantra's origins. He could not help rolling his eyes.

"Yes, yes, you're the child of destiny. The whole world revolves around you."

"Doesn't it?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, his gaze bright and intense as he spoke with perfect seriousness.

"When I close my eyes, it turns dark. When I open them, it turns light. If I'm not the protagonist, who is?"

"...Where do you even get these lines..." Yao Chen's face darkened, but inwardly, he hesitated. Protagonist or not, Xiao Yan really did seem to be someone blessed with immense fortune. So many coincidences had all been indispensable.

"Whether it was how you obtained the ring, why you kept it on you at all times, or how I happened to awaken when you happened to be a genius... If even one coincidence had been missing, things would have turned out vastly differently..."

Though he had long known how strange fate could be and had experienced it firsthand, Yao Chen still could not help feeling dazed.

Without those three years of Dou Qi nourishment from Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan would still be Xiao Yan. But Yao Chen would have become nothing more than dust. Perhaps his easily scattered soul fragments might even have served as medicine for Xiao Yan.

And thinking of that, despite having spent some time together and knowing the youth before him quite well, a question still surfaced in Yao Chen's heart.

"Logically speaking, after having your Dou Qi absorbed by me for three years and enduring countless cold stares and mockery, even if you encountered another opportunity, you still shouldn't have been able to improve your Dou Qi in the slightest.

"You experienced the fall of a genius and became nothing but trash. You should have become mature and patient, yet now..." Yao Chen trailed off, then started again, only to stop once more. He felt that Xiao Yan's mental state was especially... beautiful.

"Geniuses on the left, madmen on the right, I... Cough, cough, cough. Don't get worked up, old man. You don't understand my humor."

Just as he was about to clear his throat and tease Yao Chen some more, Xiao Yan saw him make as if to hit him and immediately grinned.

"Old man, most of what you said is right, but there is one point I need to correct. The genius never fell, so naturally, my mentality couldn't possibly suffer from any disparity."

Xiao Yan raised one finger and waved it from side to side, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Seeing Yao Chen's suspicious gaze, he laughed freely, grabbed the concentrated Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid at his side, and before Yao Lao could react, threw back his head and gulped it all down.

"Fuck! What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?!" Yao Chen was so frightened his soul nearly scattered. "You fucking lunatic!!"

This cheap disciple of his had an awful personality, but both his character and talent were exceptionally rare.

More importantly, Yao Chen currently had no ability to leave Xiao Yan. He was only a newly awakened remnant soul. If Xiao Yan died, he would be finished too!

"I already told you, this stuff is for external application, not for drinking! You..." Even Yao Chen's usual elegance could not suppress his shock and rage. One curse followed another.

Yet before he could use his soul power to protect Xiao Yan's body, Xiao Yan waved a hand. Though his entire body was burning hot and red like a cooked shrimp, the utter composure with which he did not care at all made Yao Chen pause slightly.

"There's no need."

After hesitating, Yao Chen looked directly into Xiao Yan's eyes. After a moment of silence, his soul power completely enveloped Xiao Yan. The violent force inside Xiao Yan surged like a rushing river. That bottle of Enhanced Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, enough for two full months, released all its violent medicinal power the instant Xiao Yan swallowed it.

The violent medicinal power rushed through Xiao Yan's body without any obstruction. Yao Chen even sensed three explosive booms from within him, as though three layers of bodily restraints had been unlocked, and violent Dou Qi erupted forth. But the uncontrolled Dou Qi collided with the medicinal power, making the damage to his body even worse.

Yao Chen had heard Xiao Yan mention that secret technique before. It was an opportunity he had obtained during those three years, apparently a body-tempering method called the Eight Gates. Once mastered, opening all Eight Gates could increase one's combat strength geometrically.

Even ordinary Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid could make someone at the Third Stage of Dou Qi explode and die. This enhanced version, whose medicinal power was nearly doubled, was lethal even to Xiao Yan's powerful physique.

Xiao Yan's body was flushed crimson from the violent energy. His veins were clearly visible, and faint cracks had even appeared across his skin. Yao Chen had seen this sight before. It was the sign of someone about to explode and die.

A moment passed. Xiao Yan remained at the brink of exploding to death, yet he still held on. Even Yao Chen could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.

"You..." Gritting his teeth, Yao Chen sighed helplessly and was about to act. Even if it meant falling asleep again, he could not let this reckless brute die like this.

However...

Yao Chen's eyes suddenly widened.

The violent medicinal power inside Xiao Yan was actually circulating perfectly through his meridians along the path of the Flame Mantra as his Dou Qi moved.

The Flame Mantra was normally something only a Dou Zhe could cultivate. Though Yao Chen knew Xiao Yan's body and soul power were exceptionally strong and that he had once reached that realm, having formed a Dou Qi vortex within his body, he had originally only intended to let Xiao Yan familiarize himself with it. He had never expected him to actually cultivate it.

This process was incomparably more brutal than ordinary cultivation. Even with Xiao Yan's soul power far surpassing that of others, he could only guide the flow of the medicinal power and Dou Qi slightly. Yet it was precisely that tiny bit of guidance.

There was no taming, no assimilation. He simply let the violent medicinal power circulate through his body again and again, allowing the Flame Mantra to devour it bit by bit and turn it into nourishment for his body.

The movements were so smooth, as though he had exploded and died countless times before—brutally breaking through every restraint while avoiding every vital route.

It was like carving flowers into tofu with a forty-meter-long blade...

As the Flame Mantra circulated and time passed, the medicinal power was gradually absorbed perfectly, while Xiao Yan's aura surged madly.

From the Third Stage of Dou Qi before taking the medicine... to the fourth stage... fifth stage... all the way up to the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi before finally stopping!

Yao Lao was completely dumbfounded. What kind of heaven-defying luck was this? No, this could no longer be explained by mere great fortune.

He had received the Flame Mantra on the first day and could already cultivate it so wildly?!

He believed that Xiao Yan, who had not been beaten down by life, was someone who could act on impulse when his head heated up, but he absolutely did not believe Xiao Yan was an idiot.

How could he possibly do something he was not confident about?

Then...

"...Honestly, kid, I'm starting to suspect that Heaven itself set me up..."

Feeling how perfectly Xiao Yan and the Flame Mantra worked together, like Boya and his qin, Yao Lao's eye twitched repeatedly, but he could not help asking.

"Although I don't know where your confidence comes from, aren't you afraid of falling here?"

Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. His gaze was especially calm. He lightly waved his hand up and down, revealing an arrogant smile.

"Relax, Teacher. This sort of thing couldn't be simpler."

Yao Lao's eyes widened. Could it be that among the opportunities Xiao Yan claimed to have obtained, there was knowledge related to this?

"...You just have to explode and die a few times to gain experience, right?"

Yao Chen: "..."

Decisively ignoring Xiao Yan, who seemed to be acting bizarre again, Yao Chen hesitated before looking straight into Xiao Yan's eyes.

"But what if you really did fall here?"

"I won't fall." Xiao Yan slowly shook his head.

"Aren't you afraid that if you fail to control it, your meridians will be destroyed and you'll become completely crippled, a fallen genius?"

Xiao Yan remained calm and shook his head. Smiling at Yao Lao's unblinking stare, he broke into a bright, sunny laugh.

"Hehehehe, a fallen genius? No. A genius never truly falls. If someone falls, it can only mean he wasn't a genius."

Xiao Yan poked his thumb against his chest, his smile exceptionally brilliant.

In his daze, Yao Chen subconsciously ignored that detestable laugh.

"So being a genius requires not just talent, but a temperament worthy of it as well. Only by remaining unyielding through every setback can one be called a genius... Hehehehe." Yao Lao murmured softly, apparently misunderstanding something. He suddenly burst into laughter, but as he laughed, he abruptly froze.

"...Fuck! How many times have I told you?! Change that damned laugh!"