Like Eating Meat Without Cilantro, but I Don't Like Cilantro

Wasn't skipping the Flame Mantra in Battle Through the Heavens like eating meat without cilantro?

"But I don't even like cilantro!"

Xiao Long shook his head and ultimately decided against cultivating the Flame Mantra. For one thing, his current cultivation method was at the Xuan Tier, while the Flame Mantra started at the Yellow Tier.

Switching would mean dispersing his cultivation and starting over from Dou Zhe. That would be a complete waste of time!

And what was the Flame Mantra's greatest function?

Fusing heavenly flames and then evolving the cultivation method. But Xiao Long himself was Shendu, the Fire Demon.

Granted, he had never tried controlling heavenly flames.

But he felt that it wouldn't be a problem.

In that case, the Flame Mantra's primary function was of little use to him. And even at its final evolution, it only reached the pinnacle of the Tian Tier, requiring far too many heavenly flames along the way.

He already had a Heaven-Tier Cultivation Technique. Was he supposed to cultivate the Flame Mantra purely to obtain Tou She Ancient God's flame inheritance later?

There was absolutely no need.

After all, the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion actually contained two portions of origin qi: one in Tou She Ancient God's inheritance, and the other in the embryonic Emperor Pill.

Why couldn't he take the latter?

Besides, if he cultivated the Flame Mantra, he would inevitably have to compete with Xiao Yan for resources-at the very least, for one crucial heavenly flame, the purifying lotus demon flame.

That would surely be indispensable for advancing the cultivation method to the Tian Tier.

Surely he couldn't take Xun'er's golden emperor burning heaven flame, or go after the Soul Clan's nihility devouring flame.

Many of the most powerful heavenly flames already had owners.

All he could say was that it was tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.

"I'll stick with this high-level Tian Tier cultivation method, the Fire Emperor Profound Canon. Tou She Ancient God probably used it as a reference when he devised the Flame Mantra."

"Besides, the cultivation method alone lets me control two heavenly flames. Add my physique, and three shouldn't be a problem!"

"Though isn't this the Yan Clan's foundational cultivation method? Still, with Tou She Ancient God's strength back then, if he went to the Yan Clan asking for it, they wouldn't have dared refuse."

By the time Tou She Ancient God became a Dou Di, all the other Dou Di had either disappeared or passed away in meditation.

He alone had stood above the entire world.

A little thuggish behavior was perfectly normal.

Xiao Long turned his attention to the other Heaven-Tier Cultivation Techniques he had obtained. One was called the Fire Emperor Profound Canon, and the other the Profound Emperor Treasure Tome.

The latter was also high-level Tian Tier, but it had no attribute, meaning anyone could cultivate it regardless of their attribute. Its power and cultivation speed, however, would certainly fall a little short of a matching-attribute method.

Xiao Long had little impression of who this Profound Emperor was. Some of those experiences had been far too hazy, flashing past in an instant.

But it was certainly another cultivation method left behind by a Dou Di.

Naturally, he would choose the Fire Emperor Profound Canon. When switching cultivation methods, it was best to stick with the same attribute, making this the ideal choice.

As for whether it would attract the Yan Clan's attention, that was overthinking it. Cultivation methods weren't as recognizable as Dou Techniques.

As for the Dou Techniques...

He could simply avoid cultivating the ones included with it. Tou She Ancient God had left behind several other Tian Tier Dou Techniques, more than enough for his needs.

"I really didn't expect to strike it this rich!"

Xiao Long sat cross-legged and began switching to the Fire Emperor Profound Canon. The circulation pathways within his body began to change. A Heaven-Tier Cultivation Technique was leagues more sophisticated than a Xuan Tier one.

But after acquiring the Shendu template, Xiao Long's talent itself had already risen to extraordinary heights.

Especially where the fire attribute was concerned.

As for why he had only reached Dou Shi at seventeen, one reason was that he had spent a great deal of time in the initial Dou Qi stages.

On top of that, he had mainly been studying Shendu's powers and the Rainbow Stone's power.

Besides, the only fire-attribute cultivation method his clan possessed was low-level Xuan Tier. Even extraordinary talent couldn't make up for a lousy cultivation method!

Otherwise, why would he have planned to use the Sheep Talisman on Yao Lao? It was just that, half-dead as Yao Lao was, he was still alive.

And so Xiao Long hadn't succeeded.

But now, timing, circumstances, and talent had all aligned. Xiao Long's exceptional fire-attribute talent and the Fire Emperor Profound Canon were like lofty mountains and flowing streams finally finding someone who understood their music!

Before long.

An enormous vortex seemed to form around Xiao Long's courtyard, tyrannically stripping away the fire-attribute dou qi within a hundred li!

"See? You rushed again!" Yao Chen shook his head as another batch of Spirit Liquid failed under Xiao Yan's hands. The boy had decent talent.

But he was only just getting started. Although preparing Spirit Liquid wasn't as demanding as alchemy, it still required delicate handling.

Fortunately, the boy's soul seemed somewhat unusual, with greater soul power than an ordinary person's.

Xiao Yan wasn't discouraged. He cleaned the failed Spirit Liquid out of the medicine jar and began mixing another batch. But just as he was about to use his dou qi to strengthen the flame and extract the medicinal potency...

The flame he had just lit went out in an instant.

"Don't go out! Don't go out!"

Xiao Yan had no idea why the flame had suddenly died. He hurriedly channeled his dou qi, trying to keep it burning.

Yao Lao abruptly looked in one direction. "What's over there?"

"Huh? That should be where my brother and Xiao Xun'er live."

"Your brother."

Yao Chen floated beside Xiao Yan. From the moment he first saw Xiao Long, he had felt an extraordinary affinity with him-even greater than what he felt toward Xiao Yan.

Unfortunately, the Bone Flame Ring hadn't ended up in Xiao Long's hands. And although he had never seen Xiao Yan in action...

Xiao Yan had told him that Xiao Long possessed an utterly pure fire attribute, which meant he couldn't possibly inherit his legacy.

He had stopped dwelling on the missed opportunity, but he still thought very fondly of Xiao Long.

"That brother of yours is no ordinary fellow! He drew in all the free-floating fire-attribute dou qi around here in an instant."

"Huh?"

Xiao Yan froze. "What does that mean?"

"It means the cultivation method he practices is very likely Tian Tier!"

"Heaven-Tier? Hey, Whitebeard, you used to be a Peak Dou Zun. Surely you have a Heaven-Tier Cultivation Technique too?"

"Nope."

Yao Chen shook his head as though it were perfectly natural. Puzzled, Xiao Yan asked, "Didn't you say you were one of the continent's greatest alchemists?"

"I am! But Heaven-Tier Cultivation Techniques aren't cabbages you can pick up anywhere. The Pill Tower probably has some, but the problem is, I didn't want to join the Pill Tower back then. So I don't have one!"

"Then what do you have? I'm about to break through to Dou Zhe. You're already my godfather-surely you won't make me cultivate a Xuan Tier method?"

"Gurararara! Relax, relax. I prepared the cultivation method best suited to you ages ago!"

"It's at least Di Tier, right?"

"Yellow Tier!"

"What?"

Xiao Yan froze, then hurriedly asked, "Yellow Tier? The Yellow Tier I'm thinking of?"

"What other Yellow Tier is there for cultivation methods?"

"Then I might as well just ask my brother for one. Are you kidding me?" Xiao Yan had never imagined that Whitebeard had saved a Yellow Tier cultivation method for him.

"Hey! This is no ordinary cultivation method. I'm the only person on the Dou Qi Continent who has it. This cultivation method can evolve!"

"Evolve? How far can it evolve?"

"Well, Tian Tier."

"Then why can't I just cultivate a Tian Tier method directly?"

"Do you have your brother's talent? You can't just cultivate any method you please. Besides, weren't you asking about the Woeful Poison Body? I've vaguely remembered something."

"One indispensable requirement is controlling three heavenly flames, and this cultivation method of mine is specifically designed for heavenly flames."

"Don't you want to work hard in secret, then amaze your brother?"

Xiao Yan listened to the picture Yao Chen painted.

When Xiao Long was at his wits' end over his friend's problem, he would produce a solution on the spot and tell him he had the ability to resolve it.

He nodded emphatically. "All right!"

Brother, I'll definitely be able to help you!