Xiao Yan Losing the Flame Mantra

Xiao Yan, how are you supposed to make Xun'er feel at ease?

Forget it, I should just treat him like an older brother...

Xun'er gently sighed, lingering knots of sorrow wrapping around her brow as the hurdle of obsession deepens in her heart, hard to cross after all.

Guarded at the side, Ling Ying took in every trace of his young miss's lonely and tangled expression, instantly guessing that the source of her upset was definitely Xiao Yan.

Instead, a trace of joy welled up deep within Ling Ying's heart.

Even if that Xiao Yan carried the Xiao Clan Bloodline, his bloodline was now decayed and his strength ordinary. Given the young miss's innate Divine-Grade Bloodline, the two of them were already as far apart as earth and heaven, fundamentally unsuited for each other.

If the young miss could let go of her feelings, it would actually be a good thing for her.

He stepped forward slowly, bowing and speaking softly: "Miss, do you need me to go and take the ancient jade of the Xiao Family..."

"No, I don't want to make things so ugly."

"Yes."

Xun'er was silent for a moment, quickly adjusting her mood, and spoke in a deep voice with instructions:

"Elder Ling, immediately send word back to the Gu Clan, applying to the family for a batch of top-tier cultivation methods and High-Level Earth-Rank Dou Techniques, and prepare a sufficient amount of rare medicinal pills and cultivation resources."

Since that Senior Lu Chuan mentioned the Douluo Continent, and it possesses such magical things as Martial Souls, it must still hide countless unrevealed supreme treasures and opportunities.

We must prepare all resources in advance and make foolproof preparations, striving to grasp all these opportunities into our hands at the very first moment.

She recalled the two yellow spirit rings floating on Zhu Zhuqing's body when she summoned her Martial Soul.

Intuition told her that the price to pay for acquiring spirit rings was likely not small.

"Yes, Miss."

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's residence.

Yao Lao withdrew his Soul Force, looking with a playful expression at Xiao Yan soaking in the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid.

"Little Flame, that childhood sweetheart of yours seems to be about to leave you. Do you want to say what you think?"

Xiao Yan forcibly endured the pain coming from his body, smiled bitterly, and rubbed his nose, a trace of relief carrying within his tone.

"Teacher, please don't make fun of me. You also said that Xun'er's background far exceeds my imagination, and she is simply not someone a hick like me can match. Right now, I just want to quickly raise my strength and then resurrect you."

Yao Lao stroked his beard with satisfaction.

"Not bad. Not being bound by romantic ties is the kind of mindset an expert should have. Once your strength is raised, plenty of women will be waiting for you to choose from."

As he spoke, he couldn't help recalling his romantic pasts of old.

Thinking back to those years, he, Yao Chen, roamed unrestrained across the Dou Qi Continent, possessing supreme talent and a resounding reputation. Those who admired him were never lacking, and while traveling far and wide, he had also crossed paths with countless women of exceptional talent and striking appearances.

It was a pity that he was ignorant back then, obsessed with alchemy, and ended up letting down quite a few beauties. Ah...

I don't know how much time passed before Xiao Yan finished refining all of the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid.

He let out a long breath, looking toward Yao Lao with a firm gaze.

"Teacher, please teach me alchemy. Brother Lu Chuan's hands must hold quite a few good things, and there might just be a way to resurrect you. I need to grow strong quickly and go out to search for treasures, lest I have nothing to trade when the time comes."

Yao Lao nodded, his heart growing more and more favorable toward Xiao Yan, yet he still kept defenses deep within his heart. After all, he was a soul who had come from another world, and the depth of his thoughts could not be seen through by anyone.

Back then, he was betrayed by his most trusted disciple, ending up dead with only a wisp of a remnant soul left. He did not want to experience that kind of taste a second time.

Originally, he had intended to hand the Flame Mantra over to Xiao Yan early for cultivation, letting him gather three Heavenly Flames to refine a body for himself and resurrect.

Yet upon hearing that merchant from another world might hold the opportunity for his own resurrection, this thought was suppressed.

He opened his mouth and spoke slowly:

"Don't rush. Alchemy is not something that can be learned in a day or two; take it slow. Once your cultivation reaches the Dou Zhe realm, I will give you a High-Level Earth-Rank Cultivation Method to aid your cultivation."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up instantly, and he kowtowed in worship.

"Many thanks, Teacher!!"

Douluo Continent, early the next morning.

Refreshed, Lu Chuan pulled Zhu Zhuqing out of checking out of the inn and hailed a carriage to head toward the nearest city of Suotuo, preparing to go to the Spirit Hall main temple there to purchase some Spirit Awakening Stones.

Due to breaking through that barrier last night, the progress of the two people's relationship could be described as rapid, and right now they were leaning close to each other like glue.

From time to time, Lu Chuan recounted wild histories from the Dou Qi Continent, along with various common sense topics like the Heavenly Flames and Magic Beasts of the Battle Through the Heavens World.

Quietly leaning against his shoulder, Zhu Zhuqing listened attentively, a faint gentleness perpetually lingering between her cold and aloof brows while her whole being thoroughly depended on Lu Chuan by her side.

Pondering for a moment, she opened her mouth to ask softly: "Brother Lu, if I cultivate that Shadow Prison Art, will I be able to condense a Qi Spiral using only soul power?"

Lu Chuan raised a hand to gently stroke her hair, answering truthfully: "It is indeed possible to condense one, but the foundation will be quite a bit inferior, far from being as solid as a Qi Spiral refined from pure Dou Qi."

Pausing for a moment, he offered a suggestion: "Later on, I will take you to the Battle Through the Heavens World for a trip. Cultivating a formed Qi Spiral over there will be much safer, and the benefits for your future cultivation will be even greater."

Zhu Zhuqing leaned closer against his shoulder again, her voice soft and tender.

"Thank you, Brother Lu."

Lu Chuan reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, smiling faintly: "You don't need to be so polite with me."

Even though he said that, Zhu Qing still needed to pay a price to head to the Battle Through the Heavens World. Since she had already followed him, paying with soul power was certainly out of the question.

He could only set his sights on spirit bones and immortal herbs. Once he got the Spirit Awakening Stone, he would go find Yao Lao and ask if there was a way to solve the problem of Dugu Bo and the others being poisoned.

By then, he would swap the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well over.

However, he only knew the few immortal herbs that appeared in the anime, and he was completely clueless about the rest. He would still have to find Little Scumbag or Chrysanthemum Douluo to trade for the Immortal Herb Illustrated Catalog.

Seeing Lu Chuan deep in thought, Zhu Zhuqing very consciously refrained from disturbing him.

As the woman behind a man, she knew deeply what she should be doing at what time.

Thus, serving as a pillow for Lu Chuan on one side, she opened the Shadow Prison Art to examine it. Although she was completely clueless about meridians and acupoints at the moment, memorizing them earlier would make things faster when she cultivated in the future.

After over half a day of travel, the moving carriage slowly decelerated, finally stopping steadily in the middle of a street in Suotuo City.

Lu Chuan brought Zhu Zhuqing down from the carriage, raising his eyes to look around at the surrounding scene.

One had to admit, the prosperity of Suotuo City far exceeded that of Wutan City.

Wutan City in the Battle Through the Heavens World leaned toward simplicity and adherence to tradition with conservative customs, staying closer to ancient, historical cities.

In contrast, Suotuo City on the Douluo Continent was completely different—more open and lively, leaning toward a style blending modern elements with Western fantasy, and rising by more than a single notch in all aspects.

After simply scanning the surrounding street view, Lu Chuan withdrew his gaze and, bringing Zhu Zhuqing by his side, walked straight toward the most conspicuous Spirit Hall in the city.

A few guards clad in standard armor stood at the gates of the Spirit Hall with sharp gazes.

They merely glanced indifferently at Lu Chuan and Zhu Zhuqing, perceiving the stable soul power fluctuations on the two of them and confirming they were legitimate spirit masters, so they did not step forward to block them, letting them pass directly.

The two smoothly walked into the main hall, passing through bustling deacons and spirit masters handling affairs, and quickly found the Black-Clothed Bishop stationed in the Suotuo Spirit Hall.

This Black-Clothed Bishop was sitting in the hall handling matters. Seeing Lu Chuan and Zhu Zhuqing walk in, and noticing their extraordinary temperaments with very gentle expressions, he took the initiative to ask.

"Are the two of you here to collect the spirit master subsidy? Come register over here."