"The Beast Flame Map-isn't this just what we needed?" Xiao Yi Xian's eyes shone as she looked at the Beast Flame Map in Xiao Yan's hands. It was rain arriving just in time to end a drought.
"Pick one. I'll go find it with you." Xiao Yan tossed the Beast Flame Map to Xiao Yi Xian and began thinking about what they would need for a long journey.
"Is that really all right?" Xiao Yi Xian hugged the map to her chest and lowered her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"We can't let your cultivation fall behind, can we? Besides, I want to get out and gain some experience, firm up my cultivation." Xiao Yan recalled the sensation of his Dou Qi condensing and transforming after his battle with the Jia Lie Family. It really was addictive.
"All right, then." Xiao Yi Xian nodded, unfolded the map, and began choosing a target.
The map marked four kinds of beast flame: the Northern Forest Flame, Life Spirit Flame, Ice Spirit Flame, and Amethyst Flame. Each had its own distinctive qualities, but all were exceedingly precious, making the choice difficult.
If possible, Xiao Yan actually wanted to collect all four beast flames on the map. Just how powerful would a Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus formed from six kinds of beast flame be?
But that was only wishful thinking. First of all, he did not actually need so many beast flames. Just one more would allow the Flame Mantra to advance to high Yellow Tier.
And once the Flame Mantra reached high Yellow Tier, even absorbing all three remaining beast flames at once would not bring it up to low Black Tier.
There was no other reason: the gulf between beast flames and Heavenly Flames was as vast as that between heaven and earth. According to Yao Lao, some of those supreme powers might possess beast flames comparable to the Heavenly Flames ranked below tenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, but every one of them was a sect's crowning treasure. Better to simply seek out Heavenly Flames instead.
"Let's see. The Northern Forest Flame is in the northern part of the Magical Beast Forest, beyond the Jia Ma Empire's borders, in another country. Unless we prepare a Travel Permit, we'd have to cross the heart of the Magical Beast Forest. The gains wouldn't outweigh the losses."
"The Life Spirit Flame and Ice Spirit Flame... One is a flame born within the remains of magical beasts, carrying an extremely rare dark attribute. The other comes from a special kind of magical beast, an unusual beast flame with an ice attribute. Both are pretty good, but I only want to refine medicine. Their effects are too complicated." Xiao Yi Xian sighed. The first three beast flames were all excellent, but for one reason or another, none quite suited her.
"The last flame is... the Amethyst Flame. It comes from the sixth-rank magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and it's a remarkably powerful beast flame. Its special effect is... no special effect." This last flame suited Xiao Yi Xian's current needs quite well.
"A very pure beast flame, and a powerful one at that. It will also work well on medicinal ingredients that are difficult to refine in the future. Choose this one." Yao Chen made the decision for Xiao Yi Xian.
The Amethyst Flame's marked location lay near the depths of the Magical Beast Forest. To obtain it, the relatively safe approach would be to travel some distance around the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then enter the Magical Beast Forest through a specific entrance. This would minimize the risks along the way.
A small town had been specially marked along that route as a supply stop: Qingshan Town.
As she looked at the little town on the map, Xiao Yi Xian's gaze suddenly softened, as though she had recalled memories worth cherishing.
"I remember you saying you came from this little town." Xiao Yan suddenly leaned over and asked.
"Yes." Xiao Yi Xian nodded, then suddenly tilted her head. "Would you like to hear my story?"
"I would." Xiao Yan's interest was piqued. He was also very curious about the past of his young, powerful senior sister.
"Qingshan Town is a little town where adventurers from the Jia Ma Empire gather. My parents brought me there when I was little. They were both physicians and opened a clinic in town to treat people. Ever since I could remember, my parents were very well respected in Qingshan Town."
"But later, a beast tide broke out in the Magical Beast Forest. A fifth-rank magical beast led a huge horde of monsters into Qingshan Town and slaughtered its people. My parents hid me in the cellar and went out to help the injured adventurers. Then everyone died. I was seven that year... Later, Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, arrived in Qingshan Town and wiped out the beast tide. Only then did I crawl out of the cellar."
"The newcomers had never received any kindness from my parents, so naturally they wouldn't help me. After the clinic was seized, I wandered the streets of Qingshan Town. I met all sorts of people during that time, but in the end, I survived. After that, I met Adoptive Father and you."
A faint sadness lingered in Xiao Yi Xian's smile.
"Big Sister, I don't have parents either." Beside her, Qing Lin hugged Xiao Yi Xian with tears welling in her eyes.
"What a heavy subject." Yao Chen sighed softly. "Now that you mention it, not one of the four of us here has an intact family? The Creator really is malicious..."
"If there really is a Creator, he must be a potato, right?" Xiao Yan shook his head.
"Why do you say that?" Xiao Yi Xian asked curiously.
"Because potatoes are perfect for deep-frying." Xiao Yan grumbled inwardly with no small amount of malice. Neither Xiao Yi Xian nor Qing Lin had parents, he himself had no mother, and even Yao Lao seemed to have a past too painful to revisit.
Not one of them had an intact family.
Xiao Yan's dry joke successfully chilled the atmosphere in the room a little further. They dispersed, each busy preparing supplies for the long journey.
Xiao Yan also had to inform his father, Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan had no objections; he merely slipped a Storage Ring into his son's hand.
A sweep of his spiritual strength told Xiao Yan that the half-cubic-meter Storage Ring was packed full of gold coins, roughly five hundred thousand of them. This was practically all of Xiao Zhan's private savings.
"When you're out there, don't flaunt your wealth, but don't make yourself suffer either. Besides, you have two girls with you. Spend where you ought to. We can't let their parents look down on us," Xiao Zhan earnestly advised.
"Dad, where on earth did that come from...?" Xiao Yan felt like crying, but had no tears. He truly no longer knew how to explain things to his father.
"Go on." Xiao Zhan patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.
"A man must go out and see heaven and earth for himself."
Taking those words to heart, Xiao Yan turned and left with a resolute gaze. Obtaining the beast flame was the first priority of this journey. The second was to consolidate his cultivation through life-and-death trials and strive to take another step forward.
His farewell to Xun'er took rather longer, so by the time he returned to his courtyard, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin had already been ready for quite a while.
The next day, the group borrowed a two-horse carriage from the clan and set off.
At the window on the highest floor of a tall building stood Xiao Xun'er, who had been in the Xiao Clan residence just moments earlier. She watched the party of three leave Wutan City.
"Brother Xiao Yan, have you really become involved with the Hun Clan?"
Xiao Xun'er murmured to herself. A gentle breeze swept past, sending her flowing tresses dancing in the wind. Her usually tender eyes were now like a cold pool at the bottom of a deep well.
"Letting you leave the Xiao Clan is the last thing I can do for you."
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