The next day, Xiao Zhan took two elders to pay the Jia Lie Family a "visit" and purchase their Marketplaces.
Yes, that was right-"purchase." As for how much he offered, that depended on just how black-hearted Xiao Zhan was.
In any case, all the Jia Lie Family's Marketplaces ended up in the Xiao Clan's hands. The Xiao Clan would surely flourish in the days ahead.
And yes, that was meant in a good way.
A few more months passed, and Xiao Yan successfully reached ninth stage Dou Qi.
Since she was already retracing her cultivation path, her foundation was exceptionally solid, so Apothecary did not make her waste any more time at the ninth stage.
With one dose of Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Yan successfully returned to the ranks of Dou Zhe.
Then Apothecary brought out an Earth Tier Low Grade cultivation method and a Yellow Tier Low Grade cultivation method that "supposedly could evolve, though no one knew whether it actually worked," and let Xiao Yan choose.
In fact, Apothecary had told Xiao Yan about the Flame Mantra months earlier, giving her time to think it over.
Now that she had broken through to Dou Zhe, it was time for Xiao Yan to make her decision.
Somewhere on the mountain behind the clan grounds.
"Teacher, there's actually something I don't understand," Xiao Yan said.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Why can't I practice an earth tier cultivation method until I reach a higher level, then switch to the Flame Mantra and devour heavenly flames to evolve it?"
"Wouldn't that be faster, more reliable, and safer than practicing the Flame Mantra right from the start?"
Apothecary flicked Xiao Yan on the forehead. "Oh, aren't you clever."
Xiao Yan clutched her forehead and grinned foolishly. She genuinely did not understand.
Apothecary knew the girl "hadn't seen much of the world," so she stopped teasing her and explained:
"The Flame Mantra is extremely exclusive. If you want to practice it, you must either start from scratch or discard your cultivation and begin again."
As she spoke of the Flame Mantra, Apothecary's voice grew subdued. Clearly, it had brought back memories:
"My cultivation was already quite advanced when I obtained the Flame Mantra. That was why I could never bring myself to disperse my power and start over."
"Besides... I wasn't certain whether the Flame Mantra could truly evolve without limit, so I never practiced it."
"After all, the grade of a cultivation method also determines a person's upper limit to some extent-"
"With the same aptitude, someone practicing a mystic tier cultivation method might reach their ceiling at Dou Emperor and struggle even to break through to Dou Zong. But with a higher-grade method, even Dou Zun might not be the end."
"And if you only devour one heavenly flame, even if the Flame Mantra can evolve, I'm afraid it still won't be enough to support your cultivation beyond Dou Emperor."
Apothecary seemed to have opened the floodgates. She was particularly talkative today:
"With your aptitude, I can tell you that if you practice an earth tier cultivation method, Dou Zong would hardly be a hurdle. Even Dou Zun wouldn't be impossible."
"If you obtain an Earth Tier High Grade or even a heaven tier cultivation method in the future, realms beyond Dou Zun may also be within your reach."
"But if you choose the Flame Mantra, even if it can evolve, you may still waste your talent if you can't find enough heavenly flames."
"So choosing an earth tier cultivation method is the safer course," Apothecary said frankly. "But the Flame Mantra has a theoretically limitless ceiling."
"...The choice is yours."
Xiao Yan understood.
Of these two cultivation methods, one had a high floor and offered a reliable path. The other carried greater risks and had a low floor, but no ceiling.
But how many heavenly flames could a little backwater native of the Northwest Continent like me get my hands on?
Even if it could evolve, when would the Flame Mantra ever match an earth tier cultivation method?
Besides, every evolution required devouring a heavenly flame. How many lives did I have to gamble with?
Something like the Flame Mantra suited people with powerful backing, or those who lacked resources early on but encountered tremendous opportunities later.
Xiao Yan was not the first kind. As for the second, she only met the first half of the description-"lacking resources early on." No one knew about the second half.
For an ordinary person like her, with neither power nor influence, choosing an earth tier cultivation method was undoubtedly safer.
And anything she could figure out, Apothecary certainly understood even better.
So the very fact that Apothecary had brought out the Flame Mantra said a great deal.
"Teacher, do you want me to practice the Flame Mantra?" Xiao Yan had no intention of beating around the bush. She went straight on the offensive.
"..."
Apothecary fell silent briefly, then gave a rueful laugh. "Sure enough, I can't hide anything from you."
"Yes, I do have some selfish motives..."
"..." And so she explained this and that.
"...According to certain obscure passages in the Flame Mantra, if you cultivate it successfully, you seem to be able to use several complementary heavenly flames to forge a body capable of housing a soul."
"And once I had that new body, it would count as another kind of rebirth..."
Did organizations like the Pill Tower lack methods of "resurrection"? No, they had them.
However, those other methods of "resurrection" all bore some resemblance to possessing another person's body.
Those methods required a "fresh" body, or at least a relatively well-preserved one with flesh and blood.
A bare skeleton without flesh and blood would not work.
And when resurrected that way, differences in attributes, bloodline, and other factors made it difficult for the soul to fit the body perfectly.
But the resurrection method in the Flame Mantra, which used heavenly flames to achieve rebirth through fire, could bypass those shortcomings.
The new body forged through the Flame Mantra was better suited to an alchemist. Refined with heavenly flames, it was ideal for pill refinement and perfectly matched the soul, allowing complete compatibility. There would certainly be no lingering issue like the Soul Hall's resurrected dead looking like dried corpses.
Apothecary gave a self-mocking smile. "Heh, girl, just treat all that as idle chatter."
"Ah, I clearly said I wouldn't interfere with your decision, yet I still couldn't keep myself from talking too much. It seems I really am..."
Shaking her head, Apothecary held out her hands. With a slight tremor of both palms, two somewhat illusory scrolls, one black and one red, appeared in her left and right hands.
"The red scroll is an Earth Tier Low Grade fire-attribute cultivation method. The black scroll is the Flame Mantra..."
Apothecary lifted her hands with a smile, her expression softening slightly as she said gently, "Girl, choose for yourself."
"Just remember that whatever you choose, you are my disciple. I won't blame you for it."
Xiao Yan stared blankly at the two illusory scrolls before her, resting her chin on her palm. Only after a long while did she shrug and smile lazily:
"Teacher, I may be a little afraid of dying, but without strength, there's no dignity."
"Besides, if I really can't make it work, I can still switch to another cultivation method, can't I?"
"I'll have Dad buy a couple of beast flames to test it out. If the Flame Mantra really can devour heavenly flames to evolve, beast flames shouldn't have absolutely no effect."
"If it doesn't work, I'll switch methods. At most, it'll cost me a year of hard cultivation. I'm still young. I can afford to try."
Shaking her head, Xiao Yan broke into a radiant smile. She reached out and, under Apothecary's slightly misty gaze, grasped the black scroll.
A stream of information flowed straight into Xiao Yan's mind.
Watching Xiao Yan, Apothecary was also stirred with emotion.
"Heh, it seems this time I haven't misjudged someone again..."
She knew full well that Xiao Yan's choice of such a dangerous cultivation method was partly for her sake.
A little warmth could not help welling up in her heart, which had lain desolate for so many years.
Watching Xiao Yan accept the contents of the cultivation method with her eyes closed, Apothecary sighed softly and murmured:
"Rest assured. Your teacher will make you the most outstanding alchemist..."
Before you continue