Teacher, to Prove the Flame Mantra's Theory, Please Share Your Heavenly Flame with Me
Clenching his fists and feeling the abundant strength in his body, Xiao Yan's lips curled upward, a look of enjoyment on his face.
Although he had intercepted this energy three years early, leaving it far weaker than what he had obtained in his previous life, it was enough to help him become a Dou Zhe.
What he lacked most now was time, and this power had let him reach the Dou Zhe level a full year early. That changed everything.
Thinking again of the Three-Year Agreement, Xiao Yan suddenly smiled smugly and murmured:
"Nalan Yanran, I'm suddenly looking forward to our battle three years from now..."
But before he could finish, he heard someone cough beside him.
He looked up and saw Yao Lao staring at him with an entirely solemn expression, a hint of reproach in his eyes.
His meaning was clear: Hand over your teacher's Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva.
Xiao Yan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, hurriedly took a medicine box from his Storage Ring, and respectfully presented the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva inside.
Seeing how tactful his disciple was, Yao Lao nodded in satisfaction and reached out to accept the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva.
The moment he touched it, Yao Lao felt its icy temperature. When he smelled its medicinal fragrance, he praised it even more. "As expected of a treasure of heaven and earth!"
With that, Yao Lao closed his hand, and eerie white flames swiftly burned the roots of the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva.
Before long, he had burned the entire rhizome into a viscous liquid.
Yao Lao raised his palm and took a deep breath, drawing the rich energy into his body. Then he recited a formula and began circulating his soul cultivation technique to refine it.
Hearing the familiar formula again, Xiao Yan naturally knew what it was.
It was the Pill Tower's High Xuan Tier soul cultivation technique, the Taiyi Soul Art, which had once helped him cultivate a Heavenly State Soul.
Yao Lao had once been the champion of the Pill Tower's Pill Gathering, so it was hardly surprising that he possessed this method of cultivating soul power.
But seeing no sign that Yao Lao would awaken yet, Xiao Yan was in no hurry. He sat down to meditate and began consolidating his cultivation.
Although this body had once been a Dou Zhe and had a sufficiently solid foundation, it was still somewhat unaccustomed to regaining all its strength at once.
As it happened, he now had some time to adjust his condition.
Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Yan awoke from his deep rest and opened his bright eyes once more.
He had sensed a change in Yao Lao and knew the latter would soon emerge from seclusion.
Sure enough, less than an hour later, a vast surge of soul power radiated through the cave.
The energy was visible to the naked eye, having condensed into a tangible shockwave that spread outward to the far end of the cave walls, blasting fine cracks into them.
To avoid being caught in its wake, Xiao Yan immediately ran to the edge and dropped to the ground, using Dou Qi to shield his body from the impact.
A fierce gale howled past, whipping sand and dust into the air and shaking the entire cave.
Fortunately, Yao Lao controlled it properly, and Xiao Yan, who was only a Dou Zhe, was not hurt.
Otherwise, given his current strength, he would probably have been torn to shreds by merely coming into contact with the storm's aftershock.
After the gale passed, Yao Lao's figure slowly appeared in midair. He then floated over to the fallen youth, reached out to help him up, and asked with concern:
"Xiao Yan, are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Xiao Yan waved a hand and brushed the dust off his face. He wasn't angry, however, and casually changed the subject, asking curiously:
"Teacher, now that I've become a Dou Zhe, can you bring out that cultivation technique that can evolve, the one you promised me?"
Yao Lao chuckled. "You little rascal, you're the shrewdest of the lot. How many days has it been? You're already thinking about that technique again."
Xiao Yan grinned without speaking and simply watched Yao Lao in silence.
Yao Lao said helplessly, "Very well. It's only a cultivation technique, after all. Just don't regret it."
Yao Lao touched a bony finger to his brow, then copied the knowledge from his mind, sketching two scrolls out of thin air before the youth, one black and one red.
At that moment, Yao Lao put away his smile and assumed an extremely solemn expression. He said earnestly:
"Xiao Yan, there are two cultivation techniques here. One is a Low Earth Tier technique, and the other is the Flame Mantra. I gave it that name myself."
Without hesitation, Xiao Yan grasped the red scroll called the Flame Mantra.
Just as he was about to open it, Yao Lao's warning sounded in his ear again.
"Although the Flame Mantra can evolve, it starts out as nothing more than a Low Yellow Tier cultivation technique. Even I don't know whether it can actually improve, so think carefully before you decide."
Xiao Yan did not think of backing down at the mention of difficulties. Instead, he said with complete confidence:
"Teacher, if I have a choice, of course I'll pick the cultivation technique with the highest upper limit. Isn't that only human nature?"
Yao Lao nodded. "True, but Heavenly Flames are hard to find in this world. You should be mentally prepared."
At this point, Xiao Yan was no longer sleepy in the slightest. Excitedly, he shared his thoughts.
"Teacher, there really aren't many kinds of Heavenly Flames beneath the earth, but aren't ordinary flames like Beast Flames and false Heavenly Flames everywhere?"
Yao Lao was taken aback, then laughed.
"Haha, actually, it's not as though I haven't considered your method. The Flame Mantra can indeed keep improving by fusing flames, but if you use Beast Flames, the effect will be greatly diminished."
But Xiao Yan still refused to give up the idea and insisted, "Teacher, Heavenly Flames have only accumulated in heaven and earth for a thousand years. If I find ten thousand, or a hundred million Beast Flames, could they really be inferior to a single Heavenly Flame?"
Hearing Xiao Yan name such enormous numbers, Yao Lao fell silent.
Indeed, the Flame Mantra's very function was to continually fuse flames and create more powerful ones.
Heavenly Flames were hard to come by, but as long as there were enough ordinary flames, the Flame Mantra could likewise create something no weaker than a Heavenly Flame and evolve as well. It was only a question of the quantity required.
"Besides, I already have a plan for cultivating the Flame Mantra."
Xiao Yan smiled mysteriously, then turned his gaze back to Yao Lao.
Under his gaze, Yao Lao couldn't help feeling a chill down his spine. He had a persistent feeling that the boy was scheming after his Heavenly Flame.
Sure enough, the moment Xiao Yan opened his mouth, he brought up the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
"Teacher, to prove the Flame Mantra's theory, please give me a portion of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame."
When Yao Lao heard him mention the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he had been about to reach out and slap him.
But just as his palm reached Xiao Yan's mouth, it abruptly stopped.
Yao Lao thought it over carefully. That seems to make some sense. If I just split off a wisp of Bone Spirit Cold Flame now, won't I find out whether the Flame Mantra can evolve?
Yao Lao was a practical man who acted on his ideas.
Since Xiao Yan's suggestion was feasible, he naturally would not be stingy with his power.
Yao Lao then flicked a finger on his other hand, and a portion of eerie white flame split off from a mass of it out of thin air and floated quietly into Xiao Yan's hands.
Holding the little wisp of Bone Spirit Cold Flame in both hands, Xiao Yan swallowed nervously and glanced at Yao Lao's palm, still suspended in midair.
Although he had known in his previous life that Yao Lao could be rather ruthless in certain matters, witnessing it firsthand, and nearly being struck by his slap, still chilled him to the bone.
Seemingly noticing Xiao Yan's gaze, Yao Lao also gave an awkward laugh and withdrew his hand. He said sheepishly:
"Sorry. I've only just regained my strength, and my hands and feet aren't quite obeying me. Please excuse me."
But after a light cough, Yao Lao changed tack and said solemnly:
"Back to the matter at hand, Xiao Yan. Give it a try and see whether this Flame Mantra is truly so miraculous. If it's useless, cultivate the other technique. I won't force you."