The instant the wooden box opened, it revealed nothing beyond half of the Flame Jade Pendant and an ancient-looking ring. Xiao Yan carefully tucked both items into his Storage Ring, but the warm, smooth sensation lingering on his fingertips and the echoes of their resonance with the Heavenly Flame refused to fade.
"The Misty Cloud Sect elder appeared because of the pendant's fluctuations. It seems the secret behind this pendant is more important than I imagined." Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on his bed, sinking his Emperor Realm Soul into his dantian to examine the Green Lotus Core Flame floating quietly within.
The deep blue flame resembled a miniature lotus, its petals layered upon one another, energy of utmost purity pulsing at its core. Ever since subduing it in the Tagor Desert, he had barely managed to control it, yet a barrier remained between them—like a novice musician who could strike the notes but could not bring out the soul of the music.
"The system requires me to conceal my strength, but if I can't truly refine the Heavenly Flame, it might expose a flaw at a critical moment instead." Xiao Yan drew a deep breath and began circulating the Flame Mantra. This cultivation method was the key to devouring Heavenly Flames, and under the guidance of his Emperor Realm Soul, its circulation grew ever more seamless.
Wisps of Dou Qi flowed from every limb and bone into his dantian, like streams rushing toward the Green Lotus Core Flame. Sensing the influx of energy, the Heavenly Flame swayed slightly and released scorching heat, attempting to burn this "intruder" to ashes.
This was precisely what made refining Heavenly Flames so difficult—their nature was wild and defiant. How could they submit so easily?
An ordinary cultivator would already have suffered the flame's backlash, sustaining severe injuries at best or exploding and dying at worst. But Xiao Yan was different. His soul power far surpassed that of others at his level, and he had once been an emperor who looked down upon the Dou Qi Continent. His mastery of energy had reached the realm where all complexity returned to simple perfection.
"Contain." He uttered a low command. Like invisible shackles, his soul power precisely enveloped the heat spilling from the Heavenly Flame while guiding his Flame Mantra Dou Qi along a roundabout path, allowing it to seep into the flame's core bit by bit.
The process was like boiling a frog in warm water, slow but inexorable. The Green Lotus Core Flame's resistance gradually weakened, and its deep blue petals began opening and closing slightly with the circulation of his Dou Qi, as though breathing.
An unknown amount of time passed. Only when the sky outside turned the pale white of a fish's belly did Xiao Yan slowly open his eyes. Within his dantian, the Green Lotus Core Flame's color had faded somewhat, but it had gained a trace of sentience, moving increasingly in sync with his Dou Qi.
"I've finally found the way in." He gently exhaled a breath of stale air and turned his palm upward. A small deep blue flame silently appeared, dancing over his fingertips without releasing the slightest wave of scorching heat—he had perfectly contained its energy. At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary flame.
This was the fruit of his entire night of secluded cultivation: not only could he control the Heavenly Flame better, but he could also conceal its aura completely, fulfilling the demands of his disguise as a "good-for-nothing."
He had just risen to stretch when Xiao Shi's timid voice came from outside the courtyard. "Young master, Steward Xiao asked you to come to the Front Courtyard. He said there's a visitor."
Xiao Yan straightened his robes and pushed the door open. Xiao Shi stood at the courtyard entrance holding a food box. Seeing him emerge, he hurriedly offered it to him. "The kitchen just made this breakfast. The steward said the guest might stay for a meal."
"Understood." Xiao Yan accepted the food box. His gaze lingered on Xiao Shi's hands, reddened by the cold, before he took a pair of thick cotton gloves from his Storage Ring and handed them over. "Put these on. It's cold."
Xiao Shi froze. Looking at the gloves in his hands, his eyes reddened slightly, and he lowered his head to murmur, "Th... thank you, young master."
Xiao Yan said nothing more and headed straight for the Front Courtyard. As soon as he rounded the corridor, he saw Steward Xiao speaking with a middle-aged man in brocade robes. Two guards with steady, composed auras stood behind the man, making it clear that his status was far from ordinary.
"Xiao Yan is here." Seeing him approach, Steward Xiao hurriedly introduced the visitor. "This is Mr. Mittel Tengshan, chief auctioneer of the Mittel Auction House and Miss Ya Fei's father."
Mittel Tengshan turned around with a gentle smile. His gaze lingered on Xiao Yan for a moment. Though he released no Dou Qi to probe him, there was a faint air of scrutiny in his eyes. "Young friend Xiao Yan, I've long heard of you."
Something stirred in Xiao Yan's heart. The Mittel Family was a long-established power in Wutan City and had always maintained ties with the Xiao Clan, but a personal visit from its chief auctioneer was unusual. He adopted a humble manner. "You're too kind, Mr. Tengshan. May I ask what guidance brings you here today?"
"Nothing so grand as guidance." Mittel Tengshan waved a hand with a smile. "I merely heard that you returned safely from the Magical Beast Mountain Range and came to see you. Besides, that girl Ya Fei asked me to bring you a few things."
He took an exquisite wooden box from one of the guards and handed it to Xiao Yan. "She won these at an auction in the Jia Ma Empire's capital. She said they help low-level cultivators stabilize their cultivation, so she asked me to pass them on to you."
Xiao Yan accepted the wooden box, feeling its slight weight in his hand. He opened it to find three lustrous white pills giving off a faint medicinal fragrance. They were third-tier Qi Condensation Pills. For someone currently at "Dou Qi Third Stage," they were undoubtedly precious.
"Please thank Miss Ya Fei for me." Xiao Yan closed the box, but his thoughts were turning. Is Ya Fei sending pills at this moment simply out of concern, or is there another meaning behind it?
As though seeing through his thoughts, Mittel Tengshan smiled. "Don't overthink it, young friend. Ya Fei simply felt that, with the Three-Year Agreement approaching, you might have a use for them. Speaking of which, the Nalan Family has been making frequent moves lately. I hear Nalan Yanran has been progressing at astonishing speed in the Misty Cloud Sect and has already reached the strength of a Peak Dou Master."
The words sounded like casual conversation, yet they touched upon the crucial point: Nalan Yanran's strength far exceeded that of the current "Xiao Yan." For him, the Three-Year Agreement was almost certain defeat.
A "bitter" smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face. "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Tengshan. I'll work hard."
Mittel Tengshan gave him a long, searching look, then changed the subject. "Oh, there's one more thing. Wutan City hasn't been peaceful lately. The Mo Family is offering rewards everywhere for your capture, so you must be careful. If you run into trouble, the Mittel Family may be able to offer some help. After all, our friendship with the Xiao Clan goes back a long way."
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Tengshan. I'll be careful." Xiao Yan bowed slightly.
After seeing Mittel Tengshan off, Steward Xiao could not help saying, "Young master, the Mittel Family has always remained neutral. There's probably more to this sudden show of goodwill."
"I know." Xiao Yan nodded. "They either want to draw the Xiao Clan to their side, or... they want to fish some benefits out of the conflict between us and the Mo Family."
Returning to his small courtyard, he put away the Qi Condensation Pills without taking them—with his current strength, third-tier pills were of little use. Yet those three pills had given him an idea.
"Didn't the Mo Family say I stole their family heirloom?" The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth lifted slightly. "Then I'll 'steal' something and let them see."
Night fell once more. Like a shadow merging into the darkness, Xiao Yan silently left the Xiao Clan. He did not head for the Mo Family's base, but went straight to the Mittel Auction House's warehouse.
Using his Emperor Realm Soul to scout, he easily avoided every guard and slipped deep into the warehouse. Countless goods were piled inside, including many precious medicinal ingredients and ores. With a clear target in mind, Xiao Yan walked straight to an area marked "Mo Family deposits," picked up an inconspicuous wooden box, and turned to leave.
The entire process flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without alerting a single person.
The next morning, the Mo Family's base erupted into an uproar.
"What? The Black Iron Token deposited at the Mittel Auction House was stolen?" Mo Feng slammed the table and roared. The Black Iron Token was the credential the Mo Family used to mobilize its branches across the land. Its loss could bring unthinkable consequences.
"This subordinate has already questioned the auction house staff. They said nothing unusual happened in the warehouse last night, and the guards didn't notice any movement either," his subordinate replied in a trembling voice. "But... but this was left at the scene."
He handed over a slip of paper bearing a crooked line of words written in charcoal: "The Mo Family's things really aren't anything special—left by Xiao Yan."
"Xiao Yan!!" Mo Feng's eyes turned bloodshot as he violently split the table in two. "I'll kill him! I'll tear him into ten thousand pieces!"
The news soon spread throughout Wutan City: not only had Xiao Yan refused to be intimidated by the Mo Family's bounty, but he had brazenly stolen their Black Iron Token.
"Has Xiao Yan gone mad? He actually dares to take the Mo Family head-on?"
"I think he's smashing the cracked pot altogether. He's already a good-for-nothing anyway, so he might as well gamble everything."
"The Mo Family will probably get serious this time. The Xiao Clan is in danger..."
Inside the Xiao Clan's study, Xiao Zhan looked at the slip of paper in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed. "Did you really steal something from the Mo Family?"
Xiao Yan sat in a chair, wearing the stubborn look of someone determined to smash an already cracked pot. "They already accused me of stealing, so I might as well actually do it! Why should they be allowed to frame me while I'm forbidden to fight back?"
Xiao Ding said anxiously, "Third Brother, you're playing with fire! The Black Iron Token is vital to the Mo Family. They'll never let this go!"
But Xiao Li's eyes flickered. "Perhaps... this isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Everyone turned to him, and Xiao Li continued, "The Mo Family is powerful, and we've always been stuck defending ourselves. Now that Third Brother has stolen the Black Iron Token, we hold the initiative. If the Mo Family wants its token back, they'll have to dance to our tune."
Xiao Zhan pondered for a moment before looking at Xiao Yan. "Are you confident you can keep the Black Iron Token safe?"
"Don't worry, Father. No one can find where I've hidden it." Xiao Yan thumped his chest, his face full of "youthful bravado," while his mind remained utterly clear—the Black Iron Token was merely bait he had thrown out. His true purpose was to force the Mo Family to expose more weaknesses while luring that hidden Misty Cloud Sect elder into acting again.
He had calculated that losing the Black Iron Token would inevitably throw the Mo Family into disarray. And if the Misty Cloud Sect elder wanted to reap the fisherman's spoils, he would surely appear when the conflict between the Mo Family and the Xiao Clan intensified.
All Xiao Yan needed to do was wait patiently, like a hunter concealed in the dark, awaiting the perfect moment to strike.
Within his dantian, the Green Lotus Core Flame gently swayed, its deep blue light reflecting the sharp gleam in his eyes. This game of chess centered on Wutan City had only just entered its middle stage.
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