Sea Heart Flame's Powerful Trait: A Heavenly Flame with the Potential to Reach Sainthood!

"Has that old man Hu Gan been following me this whole time?"

Lin Chen watched the image freeze on the screen, a trace of surprise crossing his face.

Then he chuckled. "So that's it. Is he worried about me? That prickly old man isn't half bad. In that case, I can afford to act with a freer hand from now on..."

"But what exactly was that final transformation of the sea heart flame?"

Lin Chen rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Everyone knew that the heavenly flames each possessed their own marvels, and every flame's traits differed.

The green lotus core flame, for instance, was born within underground magma. It could trigger volcanic eruptions, unleashing the mighty power to devastate the natural world.

Then there was the three thousand burning flame, also known as the three thousand starry sky flame. Born among the stars, wherever it descended, the stars vanished and the blazing sun failed to rise. It could help its wielder form the Three Thousand Star Body, said to grant an undying body—a truly wondrous power.

The sea heart flame, meanwhile, was born under the crushing pressure of the ocean depths and possessed the ability to dissolve in water.

But frankly, that trait was like chicken ribs-too little meat to savor, yet a pity to throw away. A majestic heavenly flame that dissolved in water? What was the point?

Was an alchemist supposed to hide underwater and ambush other alchemists?

Compared to the traits of other heavenly flames, the sea heart flame's was downright pathetic!

"But things are different now. Everything is different."

"Ordinary water won't work, but that doesn't mean water on the level of heavenly treasures won't. Why didn't I think of this before?"

"Heaven and earth don't just have heavenly flames. There are also mysterious natural lightning forces like black demon lightning and nine profound golden lightning that can rival them. Who's to say there isn't 'heavenly water' that can do the same?"

"Although, for now, the only kind that seems capable of rivaling or even suppressing heavenly flames is the Nine Nether Yellow Springs of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan, at least there's hope."

"The sea heart flame dissolves in water and is reborn within it. That's the true essence of this trait."

"As long as I find enough heavenly water of sufficiently high quality, there's no reason it can't evolve endlessly. If it eventually gives birth to the third heavenly flame spirit in existence, I might even contend for the throne of Dou Di!"

Understanding flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. They grew brighter and brighter, and his expression gradually twisted as he burst into laughter. "Hehehe! Even if it can't become a heavenly flame spirit, once it devours the Nine Netherworld Python Clan's sacred ground, my sea heart flame might still contend with saint-grade heavenly flames. That would be enough to help me become a Ninth-Grade Alchemist!"

"I absolutely won't be cannon fodder in the final battle!"

"Still, that's easier said than done. The Nine Netherworld Python Clan is a transcendent power with a Dou Sheng guarding it. I'll have to plan this carefully and take it one step at a time..."

Lin Chen rubbed his chin and took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement stirring in his heart and calming himself again.

It was no wonder he was so excited. As far as he knew, only a handful of heavenly flames in existence could still have an effect on a Dou Sheng.

Every one of them was a powerful flame ranked among the top five on the heavenly flame ranking. The nihility devouring flame was with the Hun Clan, the golden emperor burning heaven flame with the Gu Clan, the living flame in Old Man Shennong's hands, and the purifying lotus demon flame was sealed away.

The lower-ranked heavenly flames could hardly exert much influence on a Dou Sheng. They were merely better than nothing.

"In that case, there's no suspense about my choice this time."

"But that old man Hu Gan has been following me all along. Although he certainly won't spy on my cultivation, he'll definitely get suspicious if my cultivation suddenly skyrockets. I'd better wait until Hai Bodong finds the ingredients for the Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill and the Three-Turn Flame Spirit Pill, then refine them."

"Afterward, I can take pills while helping the sea heart flame evolve. That way, a sudden surge in cultivation will make sense."

Lin Chen had not forgotten how, during the simulation, the sea heart flame had devoured the water of the nine nether yellow springs, causing his cultivation to soar.

Such a fortuitous encounter could only be stumbled upon, never sought out. He certainly could not let it slip away.

With that, he willed it into being, and an ancient-looking jade box abruptly appeared. Layers of frost covered it, with blossoms of ice blooming across its surface, giving it an ornate appearance.

"Hiss... what intense cold..."

Lin Chen reached out and took the jade box, only to feel a bone-piercing chill rush straight into his body. He instinctively circulated the sea heart flame. Deep-blue flames surged out and wrapped around the box, temporarily shielding him from direct contact. Only then did he put it into the Jade-Green Ring.

Then he swept his sleeve, and three pill recipe scrolls appeared.

Lin Chen picked up one of them, which recorded the method for refining the Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill, and began reading it carefully.

A month later,

In a quiet chamber off a corridor in the Ancient Map Map Shop.

Bang!

With an explosive report, the crimson medicinal cauldron abruptly stopped spinning. Inside it, a deep-blue fire dragon exhaled its final breath, gently nurturing the embryonic pill...

A figure in blue robes sat cross-legged before the cauldron, his expression grave. Not daring to relax in the slightest, he formed complex hand seals, sending streams of energy into it to maintain the flame's temperature.

A quarter of an hour later,

Whoosh!

The cauldron abruptly opened. Wave after uninterrupted wave of energy rippled outward from it in every direction, only to quietly dissipate the instant they touched the walls...

Lin Chen swept his sleeve, and a crimson pill bearing two interwoven pill patterns appeared in his hand.

The pill was about the size of a longan fruit. Its two pill patterns, one purple and one red, wound around each other from end to end, spiraling downward to vaguely form a funnel-shaped pattern. It looked distinctly unusual.

"The Second-Turn Flame Spirit Pill is finally finished. I successfully refined the Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill earlier, too. It's time to enter seclusion."

Lin Chen examined the Second-Turn Flame Spirit Pill in his hand, a gleam flashing through his eyes as a satisfied smile crept onto his lips.

Beside him sat a transparent jade bottle containing a translucent pill that resembled a crystal of flame. It was the Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill.

After putting both pills into the Jade-Green Ring, Lin Chen swept his sleeve to brush the dust from his clothes, then walked out of the quiet chamber.

At that moment, out in the corridor.

Hai Bodong was leaning against the wall with a melancholy expression. Seeing Lin Chen emerge, he hurried forward and asked respectfully, "My lord, did you succeed?"

"Yes. Fortunately, you gathered several extra sets of ingredients. I failed a few times at first, but both pills have now been successfully refined."

"After this month of refining pills, I vaguely feel that I'm not far from becoming a Sixth-Grade Alchemist. Perhaps in just a few months, I'll be able to refine a Sixth-Grade Pill."

Wearing a faint smile, Lin Chen nodded with restrained dignity and casually offered an explanation.

"Really? My lord, you truly are a heaven-blessed genius, accomplished at such a young age, already showing the horns of greatness and standing above the crowd..."

"A Sixth-Grade Alchemist so young! Even Pill King Gu He back then couldn't compare—he fell far short. My lord, you truly are..."

At those words, excitement immediately spread across Hai Bodong's aged face. A gleam flashed through his cloudy old eyes, and he could not resist lavishing praise.

"Ahem. Old Hai, compose yourself. It's not as though I can't bear to hear criticism. You can save this flattery until I actually join the ranks of Sixth-Grade Alchemists."

Lin Chen gave a light cough and waved a hand to stop Hai Bodong's endless chatter, though inwardly he was thoroughly pleased. Then he said, "I'll be taking pills and cultivating for a while next. Go fetch Zi Yan for me first."

"Understood, my lord. Please wait a moment."

Hai Bodong's expression turned solemn. He cupped his hands in farewell, then headed toward another room.