Just like an RPG

After finally managing to explain himself and shake off Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yan returned to his room, locked the door, and took a Pill Furnace out of his storage pouch.

Yao Chen's soul form slowly appeared beside him. Using his soul power, he tossed medicinal ingredients into the Pill Furnace one by one, then controlled the bone-cooling flame to refine them.

Xiao Yan sat down nearby and silently circulated the Flame Mantra to replenish his Dou Qi.

The free-floating energy between heaven and earth passed through the mid Yellow Tier Flame Mantra, becoming wisps of fiery Dou Qi that flowed into Xiao Yan's meridians.

Honestly, a cultivation method capable of evolving on its own would cause him considerable trouble in its early stages. Cultivation speed was one issue, and the quality of his Dou Qi was another. If he had not needed to refine a body to resurrect Yao Lao, he most likely would never have chosen a cultivation method with so many unknowns.

After devouring the two beast flames, the peach blossom flame and the Divine Crow Flame, his Flame Mantra was now only a step away from high Yellow Tier. He needed to find a way to obtain another beast flame, or locate one of the legendary heavenly flames.

Once Xiao Yan had recovered most of his Dou Qi while sitting cross-legged, he opened his eyes. Yao Lao's pill refinement had also entered its final stage.

A fragrant medicinal aroma wafted into his nose. The pill was complete.

"Take this healing pill. It will clear away the hidden injuries inside your body. You should have no trouble moving freely for the time being." After giving him a few instructions, Yao Chen returned to the Black Ring.

"Thanks, Yao Lao." Grinning, Xiao Yan accepted the pill.

"Nothing would help more than you doing fewer things that throw your life away. I'm still counting on you to resurrect me," Yao Chen said helplessly.

"Heh heh." Xiao Yan swallowed the pill and refined it. Before long, his injuries had mostly healed.

Xiao Yan exhaled a stale breath and rose to his feet. Judging by the sounds outside, the Xiao Clan's main force had returned victorious.

Just as he had expected, the Xiao Clan's disciples were hauling back large quantities of spoils from the Jia Lie Family.

When they saw Xiao Yan emerge, everyone passing by stopped to pay their respects.

He could clearly see all sorts of emotions on his clansmen's faces: fear, reverence, admiration, and respect. Fear was the most prevalent.

Xiao Yan understood their thoughts perfectly well. Four years ago, these people had gathered around him like stars clustering around the moon, only to cast him aside like a worn-out shoe overnight.

If yesterday's Xiao Yan had merely been a genius returned, today's Xiao Yan was undoubtedly an extraordinary genius capable of deciding the clan's fate. Everyone who had once hurt him feared a reckoning.

For the time being, he needed to change that perception.

"Yan'er, you're here?"

When he reached the main hall, Xiao Zhan, who had already changed out of his damaged clothes, was discussing Xiao Yan's astonishing performance at the Jia Lie Family compound with the Third Elder. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, he immediately beckoned him over.

"Did you really kill Jia Lie Deng?" Deep skepticism showed on Xiao Zhan's face. He had initially thought the Third Elder was deliberately teasing him, but faced with the elder's emphatic insistence, he had no choice but to accept something so absurd.

After all, Xiao Yan was only a Dou Zhe.

"The Third Elder severely wounded him. I merely delivered the final blow." Xiao Yan shook his head and gave a full, precise account of what had happened.

Yet as Xiao Yan spoke, Xiao Zhan and the other two elders only grew more shocked.

This boy is terrifying indeed! The Great Elder sucked in a cold breath.

Since we cannot snuff him out in the cradle, we absolutely must not offend him. The Second Elder frowned and sat a little straighter.

Such a genius is destined to soar beyond the confines of a mere Jia Ma Empire. Nalan Yanran, you misjudged him... The Third Elder narrowed his eyes slightly. Just recalling that earth-shaking Dou Technique sent a shiver through his heart.

"Hahaha! Yan'er, I've always told you: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of it. Never scorn a young man for being poor!" Xiao Zhan's hearty laughter echoed through the hall. He was proud of his son from the bottom of his heart.

"Keh... hehe. Father, I'm merely taking back what's mine," Xiao Yan said with a soft chuckle.

The Three Great Elders wore different expressions, but all tacitly accepted Xiao Yan's view.

"How about this, Clan Leader? Xiao Yan has rendered a great service this time. I propose that we reward him with the Black-tier High-grade Dou Technique seized from the Jia Lie Family. What do you think?" After an eerie silence fell over the hall, the Great Elder broke it, having given the matter careful consideration.

Naturally, the Great Elder was trying to ease his relationship with Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan. Now that Xiao Yan had displayed such strength again, continuing to compete with Xiao Zhan for the position of clan leader would truly mean not knowing how high the heavens stood or how deep the earth ran. Better to offer a favor that cost him little and preserve his own position.

As for his grandson Xiao Ning, the Great Elder had already abandoned him completely.

With one arm crippled, the path of a Dou Zhe was effectively closed to him. He was not worth any further resources. Cruel though it was, that was reality. The Great Elder had many grandsons, and resources were limited. He could not invest them in a useless waste.

"A high Black Tier Dou Technique?" Xiao Yan's brows twitched. Truthfully, he sorely needed something like that. Yao Lao was only a soul form and had carried little with him when he fled all those years ago. Nor was he likely to have any Dou Techniques suited to Xiao Yan's current level.

Although the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler was powerful, its consumption was far from low. Xiao Yan simply could not afford to use it as a routine means of fighting enemies. As for the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus? That was even less feasible.

"An excellent suggestion." Xiao Zhan brushed the Storage Ring on his finger, and a jade slip appeared in his hand.

"Black-tier High-grade Dou Technique: Earth Flame."

Xiao Yan took the jade slip and pressed it against his forehead. A stream of information flowed into his mind, and his expression immediately turned peculiar.

Although Earth Flame was a Black-tier High-grade Dou Technique, it was essentially a method of controlling fire. It mimicked the way the earth's veins generated fire, forcibly converting Dou Qi into flames to greatly enhance the user's strength. According to the jade slip, the user could control the degree of enhancement. The greater the boost in strength, the more the Dou Qi consumption multiplied.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan realized he could skip the step of converting Dou Qi into flames entirely and use the beast flames within his body to strengthen himself directly, with even lower consumption. At the same time, the fire-control method included in Earth Flame would help him better control his flames.

Why would the Jia Lie Family have a fire-attribute cultivation method like this? Didn't their family primarily cultivate the wind attribute?

Xiao Yan's expression was strange. Honestly, even if the raid on the Jia Lie Family had turned up an Early Earth Tier wind-attribute Dou Technique or cultivation method, he would not have found it odd at all. Yet a fire-attribute cultivation method at the Advanced Black Tier whose effects suited him so perfectly was bizarre no matter how he looked at it.

This... was just like a preprogrammed RPG. As long as I followed the main storyline, I could obtain all sorts of items suited to me.

Xiao Yan shook his head and chuckled despite himself at the thought. This was a real otherworld, not a game. How could some unseen hand have arranged all of this?