In a dim cave.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a slab of bluestone and slowly opened his eyes.
Half a month had passed since Xiao Yan left the Xiao Clan.
With his fire spirit bloodline and the aid of the bone spirit cold flame, Xiao Yan's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
In just half a month, he had broken through from fourth stage Dou Qi to ninth stage Dou Qi.
"It's time to break through..."
Drawing a slow breath, Xiao Yan took a jade bottle from his robes and tipped its mouth slightly. A blue-and-green pill rolled out.
Looking at the smooth, lustrous Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Yan smiled faintly. He took another whiff of its refreshing, peculiar fragrance and licked his lips, then popped it into his mouth without another moment's hesitation.
The moment the Qi Gathering Powder entered his mouth, a faint coolness spread across his tongue. A moment later, a warm stream of pure energy surged straight into his body, making him shudder violently.
His expression calm, Xiao Yan swiftly formed the hand seal for absorbing Dou Qi. His breathing gradually steadied, and the faint Dou Qi within him moved at his will, swiftly entwining itself around the powerful, pure medicinal energy before beginning to refine it furiously.
Inside the small cave, the still air suddenly rippled violently. Wisps of pale white Dou Qi seeped out of the air, then poured into Xiao Yan's body in an endless stream.
His teeth clamped down on his lip. The collision of the two energies within him sent waves of stabbing pain through his meridians. Fortunately, his meridians were far tougher than an ordinary person's, so although it hurt, no serious damage had been done for the moment.
The Dou Qi within him enveloped clumps of pure green energy. As the furious refinement continued, more and more of that green energy was assimilated into pale white Dou Qi.
With these reinforcements, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan swelled at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Although the pure medicinal energy was constantly being refined, it seemed inexhaustible. Whenever his Dou Qi refined one clump, an even larger mass of green energy surged over.
Between the refinement within his body and the constant influx of Dou Qi from outside, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan gradually filled most of his meridians.
A soft, muffled sound quietly rang out inside him...
With that muffled sound, the fierce resistance that had left Xiao Yan utterly exhausted vanished without a trace.
Letting out a heavy breath of relief, Xiao Yan collapsed, drained of all strength, his chest heaving violently.
Lying in the cold cave, Xiao Yan sensed the abundant energy within him that he had not felt for three years. A smile crept onto his lips. After a moment, it widened, finally turning into a chuckle, then laughter, then wild, unrestrained laughter...
"I, Xiao Yan, have finally returned to the Dou Zhe realm!"
Once his excitement subsided, Xiao Yan eagerly sank his awareness into his lower abdomen. A palm-sized, milky-white Dou Qi vortex slowly rotated there, wrapped in a layer of milky-white gaseous energy resembling a nebula.
Observing the tiny Dou Qi vortex with his inner awareness, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. Though the vortex was still small, the energy it contained was certainly more than ten times greater than his former ninth stage Dou Qi!
His lips parted, and Xiao Yan expelled a murky breath. After releasing it, his complexion visibly grew brighter and more lustrous.
He twisted his neck, and the cracking of his bones made him grin. Raising his head, he looked at Yao Lao, who floated like a ghost at the cave entrance, and said with a radiant smile, "I did it."
"Mm, your luck wasn't bad. You successfully formed a Dou Qi vortex on your first attempt." Yao Lao nodded and spoke lightly.
"That was my ability, wasn't it?"
Shrugging, Xiao Yan suddenly adopted a fawning expression. He held out his hand and said with apparent shyness, "Teacher, look, I've already reached the Dou Zhe level. Isn't it time you gave me a Dou Qi Technique?"
At his words, Yao Lao rolled his eyes. He floated into the cave and slowly sat down before Xiao Yan, then asked, "My disciple, what technique do you want?"
"The one you mentioned, the thing even stranger than a Heaven-tier technique. The one that can... can evolve," Xiao Yan answered without hesitation.
Hearing Xiao Yan's answer, an unreadable expression flickered across Yao Lao's face, and, unexpectedly, he fell silent.
"Teacher, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with that technique? You weren't lying to me, were you?"
Seeing Yao Lao's expression, Xiao Yan could not help asking uneasily.
"This technique can indeed evolve. I didn't lie to you about that," Yao Lao said softly.
At Yao Lao's renewed confirmation, joy appeared on Xiao Yan's face. Rubbing his hands together, he cautiously asked, "Then can I cultivate it?"
"This technique is extremely strange, and it's true that it can evolve. But the risk is exceedingly high!" After another long silence, Yao Lao sighed.
Thinking of the dangers of the Flame Mantra, Yao Lao hesitated.
If something happened to Xiao Yan, how could he answer to the Immortal Emperor?
Yao Lao's sighing left Xiao Yan uneasy. He slowly withdrew his hand and asked timidly, "How high?"
With a bitter smile, Yao Lao shook his head and said helplessly, "Since obtaining this technique, I've never seen or even heard of anyone cultivating it, so I don't know the actual answer either. But judging this strange technique by the experience I've gained over my long life, the chance of cultivating it to its peak doesn't seem to exceed twenty percent..."
"Twenty percent?" Xiao Yan's face stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh. "It can't... it can't be that low, can it?"
Nodding with a sigh, Yao Lao said bitterly, "I'm afraid it really is that low."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately grew dejected. "Didn't Father say this technique suited me exceptionally well? How could this be? Was he lying to me?"
Yao Chen shook his head. "The Immortal Emperor didn't lie to you. This technique is indeed an excellent match for your fire spirit bloodline. My disciple, do you know what it requires to evolve?"
Xiao Yan asked curiously, "What does it require?"
"For it to evolve, it needs heavenly flames as its raw material. Every evolution requires it to devour a heavenly flame!"
Yao Lao's voice was slightly hoarse. "You must understand, heavenly flames are inherently destructive and violent. Not only are they rarely seen even once in a hundred years, but even if you find one, who can guarantee you'll successfully devour it? Back when I tried to obtain this bone spirit cold flame, I nearly got burned alive into nothingness..."
"What's most terrifying is that this technique requires you to devour all sorts of heavenly flames... Heavens, just one heavenly flame can torment a Dou Huang expert until he hovers between life and death. I truly dare not imagine what would happen if someone had two, or even more than two, heavenly flames inside their body..."
Yao Chen looked at Xiao Yan before him. Thinking of his fire spirit bloodline, excitement suddenly appeared in his eyes. "My disciple, although devouring heavenly flames is dangerous, you possess the fire spirit bloodline and have a natural affinity for flames. Perhaps it won't be as dangerous as we imagine."
"I've told you all this because I want you to understand the dangers of this technique, so you won't regret it in the future."
After saying this, Yao Chen looked at Xiao Yan. "My disciple, do you still insist on cultivating this technique?"
After a moment of silence, Xiao Yan suddenly raised his head and smiled. "I trust Father's judgment!"
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