Chapter 288: Wounded Pride

Word Count: 3,028 Words

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Xiao Yan's expression turned strange. The spiritual information specifically pointed out that besides the factions from the Chu Yun Empire targeting the Clear Soul Nether Orchid, the Yao Clan, one of the Dou God Clans, had also set their sights on it.

After all, even the Yao Realm of the Yao Clan didn't have such a rare flower. Xiao Yan guessed they aimed to bring it back and cultivate it there.

Shaking his head helplessly, he exited the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop.

Watching him leave from within the shop, Hun Lao Gui seemed to mumble to himself, "The risk is not small."

The moment his words fell, Hun Huzi's voice echoed through the old shop:

"In the face of our clan's grand plan, some risks must be taken. Never mind that he's just a descendant of the Xiao Clan. As long as we can refine the Di Tier Pill, we would spare no effort, even if it means resurrecting Xiao Xuan."

"Alas, it's a pity that our clan's alchemists have dwindled. Otherwise, why would we need to cultivate alchemists from the outside world? Even with an already formed embryonic pill and possessing Lord Nihility Devouring Flame's power, at the very least, we still need another 9th-tier Golden Pill Guru whose Spiritual State has reached the Emperor State. With only me, it's not enough."

Hun Lao Gui couldn't help falling silent. Throughout the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists capable of stably refining tier 9 Golden Pills numbered no more than three.

Yao Dan, the Clan Head of the Yao Clan, counted as one; perhaps the strongest ancestor of the Pill Tower counted as another; the remaining one was Hun Huzi himself.

The first two would never collaborate with Hun Huzi, and their Spiritual States were not necessarily at the Emperor State; they might only be at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly State.

It was not the first time that Hun Huzi had selected promising alchemists from the outside world to join them, such as Mu Gu and Han Feng. However, despite joining the Hall of Souls long ago and receiving numerous resources, decades had passed, and Mu Gu was still only an 8th-tier alchemist. Not to mention tier 9 Golden Pills; it was estimated that he would stop at the peak of tier 8 in this lifetime.

As for Han Feng, there's even less to say. His talent might have been slightly higher than Mu Gu's, but that was all. The threshold of tier 9 remained hopeless; so his death was inconsequential, and no one would care.

In contrast, Xiao Yan still held a sliver of hope.

"Let's hope you're right."

…

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, who had emerged from the alleyway, approached a nearby street stall.

"You're so slow! I've been waiting so long that I'm getting impatient." Zi Yan stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of dissatisfaction.

"Were you getting impatient from eating, perhaps? Your mouth is covered in oil." Xiao Yan glanced at the grease at the corners of her mouth. Clearly, the group had gone ahead and filled their bellies without him.

Little Fairy Doctor took out a packaged box and handed it to him as she softly said, "We saved this for you."

Xiao Yan's eyes immediately lit up. He opened the box and began eating, not concerned at all about whether Little Fairy Doctor might have poisoned it.

A faint, barely noticeable smile appeared on her lips as she watched him ravenously devour the food.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group boarded the 'Amethyst Winged Lion Express' and began flying toward the Jia Ma Empire. With the Amethyst Winged Lion King having advanced to Rank 6, its flying speed was even faster than that of ordinary Dou Emperors. It streaked across the sky above the Black-Corner Region like a supersonic jet.

"Let's head to the small valley in the Magic Beast Mountain Range first," Xiao Yan said. He was still holding onto the Sea Heart Flame and hadn't refined it yet. He was already a bit impatient to make the Sea Heart Flame 'turn over a new leaf.'

Zi Yan immediately looked a bit unhappy, puffing her cheeks in protest, "Weren't we supposed to hurry and find the Clear Soul Nether Orchid?"

"Zi Yan, perhaps you don't know, but that valley is a treasure trove of medicinal ingredients. The entire valley is filled with various herbs, and Miss Little Fairy Doctor here is the master of that valley," Xiao Yan said with a grin.

Zi Yan's expression instantly changed upon hearing about medicinal ingredients. She put on a sorrowful face, grabbed Little Fairy Doctor's arm, and said, "Sister Little Fairy Doctor, actually... actually, I grew up without parents and lived each day not knowing if I'd have enough to eat."

"Sniff... And when I was little, I accidentally ate a Body Transformation Grass, which caused me to be unable to return to my magical beast form. I can only rely on eating medicinal ingredients to grow quickly, hoping that one day I can return to my true form... Boo hoo..."

Xiao Yan looked at Zi Yan with a strange expression. To think you'd go to such lengths just for food!

When Little Fairy Doctor heard this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship. Gently stroking Zi Yan's silky hair, she comforted, "Though nothing in that valley is unusually precious, if you like it, you're welcome to eat as much as you want."

"Yay! Thank you, Sister Fairy Doctor!"

Xiao Yan was stunned!

…

Soon, with the speed of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, they flew into the other side of the Magic Beast Mountain Range within half a day, without entering from the Jia Ma Empire's border.

Breaking through the clouds, the Amethyst Winged Lion King slowly descended into the familiar valley that both Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor knew well.

Chirp!!

A loud eagle cry came from the sky. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Little Fairy Doctor's pet eagle, Xiao Lan.

Seeing Little Fairy Doctor return, Xiao Lan made a sudden dive, joyfully circling and chirping above her head. When she traveled to the Chu Yun Empire, Little Fairy Doctor couldn't bring the Rank 1 Xiao Lan with her, so she had left it in the valley to guard the place.

"Xiao Lan, it's been so long." Little Fairy Doctor's eyes glistened with tears as she gently stroked Xiao Lan's wings. Back in Qingshan Town, Xiao Lan had been her most cherished friend.

Chirp!

Xiao Yan, Zi Yan, and the others tactfully walked away. After gathering some medicinal ingredients and refining a tier 5 fire-attribute pill for the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King to use for its breakthrough, Xiao Yan retreated into his old cave to prepare to refine the Sea Heart Flame.

Meow! Mao Wu leaped out from the void.

"Go, devour the soul imprint within the Sea Heart Flame for me."

Meow! Mao Wu instantly transformed into a mass of black flames and collided fiercely with the Sea Heart Flame with a loud boom.

The Sea Heart Flame sensed the attack of the Nihility Devouring Flame and instinctively counterattacked. Terrifying blue flames surged forth.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan reacted quickly and summoned the Yin-Yang Twin Flame. The black and white fishes rotated, forming a yin-yang barrier around the entire cave to prevent the flames from destroying it.

Xiao Yan slowly channeled Dou Qi into Mao Wu. The Tian Class Qi Method operated frantically, and a terrifying suction began absorbing the surrounding natural energy. Although the Sea Heart Flame ranked fifteenth among Heavenly Flames, with Han Feng dead, it was now a masterless flame and lacked the strength to continue resisting.

Soon, Mao Wu invaded the Sea Heart Flame. Guided by Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength, it quickly found the location of Han Feng's soul imprint.

"So this is where you've been hiding…" A cold light flashed in his eyes as black flames erupted, devouring Han Feng's soul imprint in one gulp.

The screams within the soul imprint didn't even have time to escape before being devoured.

Without Han Feng's soul imprint, the Sea Heart Flame ceased resisting and was smoothly absorbed into Xiao Yan's body.

It took only three days for the Sea Heart Flame to be completely refined and imprinted with Xiao Yan's own soul mark.

An expression of immense excitement bloomed on his face when he sensed that the Flame Mantra had evolved once again.

"Low Tian Class!!!"

"Hahaha! Finally, it's at Low Tian Class!!!"

Xiao Yan estimated that even among the Dou God Clans like the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan, it would be impossible for a Dou King to possess a Low Tian Class Qi Method.

It wasn't that their clans didn't have such Qi Methods, but rather that Dou Kings were fundamentally incapable of cultivating Tian Class Qi Methods.

Take the God Seal Technique, for example. Even the threshold for cultivating the first seal, Open Mountain Seal, required one to be at least a Dou King, while the second seal required reaching the peak of Dou King or even the Dou Emperor realm. Tian Class Qi Methods could only be cultivated by those at the Dou Emperor or even Dou Ancestor realm at minimum.

Only a Qi Method like the Flame Mantra, which started at Low Huang Class and evolved step by step through refining and merging with Heavenly Flames, could have such miraculous effects!

Now, when Xiao Yan faced the geniuses from the Dou God Clans again, he had absolute confidence!

Xiao Yan instantly summoned all his Heavenly Flames with a wave of his hand. The Nihility Devouring Flame's Seed Flame, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, the Fallen Heart Flame, the Bone Chilling Flame, and the Sea Heart Flame!

Seven kinds! A full seven Heavenly Flames!!

Each of the seven Heavenly Flames had its own distinct appearance. Besides the Nihility Devouring Flame's Seed Flame, Yin-Yang Twin Flame, and Fallen Heart Flame, which already possessed intelligence and were like living creatures...

When the Green Lotus Core Flame rose, it vaguely resembled a green lotus flower. Each time the Ten Thousand Beast Flame surged, it was like ten thousand beasts stampeding. The flames of the Bone Chilling Flame were sharp like ice spikes. The Sea Heart Flame was the most serene, its waves gently undulating like the sea lapping at a beach.

With the appearance of the seven Heavenly Flames, not just within the cave, the temperature of the entire valley rose noticeably.

With a thought, Xiao Yan altered the forms of the seven Heavenly Flames, transforming them into flame shapes, and then merged them into a mass of nameless fire.

Xiao Yan didn't know what to call this merged Heavenly Flame. The only thing he knew was that the power of this amalgamated nameless fire should be comparable to the top five ranked Heavenly Flames.

And most importantly, while the top five Heavenly Flames each had only one mystical ability, his possessed seven! This was something no single Heavenly Flame could compare to.

This was also his confidence when facing the Gu Clan in the future!

'But Qi Method and Heavenly Flames alone aren't enough. I need stronger Dou Techniques.' Xiao Yan took out two scrolls from his Storage Ring. They were the God Seal Technique and the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique!

He planned to spend a month in the valley cultivating these Dou Techniques before leaving.

Now, Octane Blast and Mad Lion Chant could only be used to deal with small fry. He would only use them when concealing his true strength. When it came to real battles, even the Flame Splitting Tsunami was no longer sufficient.

What would really determine victory or defeat relied on the God Seal Technique, the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, and self-created Heavenly Flame Dou Techniques. When Xiao Yan had to use the Asura Soul Reaping Technique and Angry Buddha Lotus Flame, it wouldn't be a battle anymore; it would be fighting desperately when pushed into a corner.

Speaking of which, it was quite sad. Xiao Yan had started cultivating from a young age and was almost twenty-one years old, but he had always learned Dou Techniques through self-study. He never had a master to properly teach him. The only one who taught him some 'phonetics' was Zi Yan, that half-baked Dragon Language Master.

This time was different. This time, Venerable Tian Huo was instructing him in the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique. Learning it should be much faster.

Then, half a month later, Venerable Tian Huo was completely dumbfounded.

He looked at Xiao Yan, who was concentrating on condensing a Fire Spirit before him, and felt that he was unworthy of teaching this monstrous genius.

From the moment he learned that Xiao Yan truly possessed five kinds of Heavenly Flames, he'd had a faint feeling that something was amiss. Later, when he saw his proud Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique being altered beyond recognition by Xiao Yan, he no longer knew how to continue teaching.

The Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique was a fire-controlling method divided into five levels, distinguished by beast natures: Wolf, Leopard, Lion, Tiger, and Dragon. Each level had its own Fire Spirit. When the technique was mastered, the five beasts would gather to form the Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation, wielding immense power capable of evaporating seas and incinerating the sky.

This was how it was supposed to be.

In just half a month, Xiao Yan had already managed to condense four Fire Spirits. But this wasn't because he cultivated extremely fast; rather, he had taken a shortcut.

A black flame cat, a blood-red tiger with eight wings, a colorless and formless snake, and a pair of black and white Yin-Yang fishes.

Venerable Tian Huo recalled the effort and hardships he had endured back when he cultivated the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique. He instantly covered his face and wept bitterly, his heart filled with sourness. His soul body flickered, and he even had the impulse to just die and be done with it.

This person was born possessing four Heavenly Flame Spirits! He hadn't even started cultivating and had already jumped to the fourth level!

In the past half-month, Xiao Yan had been focusing solely on cultivating the fifth level to condense the Fire Dragon!

Moreover, this Fire Dragon wasn't even made of fire. Xiao Yan planned to use the Sea Heart Flame to condense the fifth Fire Spirit, which could be considered a 'Flood Dragon.'

Xiao Yan practiced until he was drenched in sweat. At this moment, the four Fire Spirits floated behind him. The Sea Heart Flame before him was ever-changing. The ocean-like Sea Heart Flame now surged with towering waves, as if something was about to emerge from within.

The splashing sounds echoed from the Sea Heart Flame as Xiao Yan manipulated the Heavenly Flame to take shape according to Venerable Tian Huo's teachings.

His terrifying Spiritual Strength and fire control ability were like molding clay, shaping the Heavenly Flame with precision.

Time passed minute by minute. Finally, accompanied by a dragon's roar, a completely blue Flood Dragon broke through the sea and emerged from the center of the Sea Heart Flame's ocean. The Sea Heart Flame had finally taken the form of a Flood Dragon, completing its shaping.

This Flood Dragon's appearance was very similar to the Serene Sea Scaly Beast that Xiao Yan had seen in the Jia Ma Empire's imperial palace. Xiao Yan had modeled it based on its appearance. In fact, it was the only flood dragon-type magical beast he had ever seen.

"It's done!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but become excited. Half a month—finally, he had molded one! It wasn't easy!

Meow meow meow~~~ Mao Wu called out a few times, clapping its two paws to applaud Xiao Yan. The little Fallen Heart Flame serpent wagged its tail; the Flame Demon Tiger flapped its wings; the Yin-Yang Twin Fishes spun around, forming a heart shape.

These four Fire Spirits were obviously different. Their intelligence was even higher than that of the Sea Heart Flame Flood Dragon that Xiao Yan had molded.

"Elder Yao, I've gathered all five Fire Spirits. Can we start cultivating the Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation now? Elder Yao?" Xiao Yan wiped his sweat and looked excitedly at Venerable Tian Huo.

Venerable Tian Huo covered his face and turned his head, not daring to look at Xiao Yan. Condensing a Fire Spirit in half a month was already extremely fast. Back then, it had taken him a year to condense the first Fire Spirit. And now, Xiao Yan had essentially completed the cultivation of all five levels in half a month!

Do you have any idea what I went through back then? You don't know. You only know how to take shortcuts! Ugh, I could cry!

Xiao Yan scratched his head. Naturally, he didn't feel that his cultivation speed was particularly fast. On the contrary, he even felt it was a bit slow. After all, he possessed the Tian Class Flame Mantra! Its fire control ability was incomparably terrifying. Taking half a month to mold one Fire Spirit was already quite slow.

"Elder Yao? Is it because I'm cultivating too slowly? I'll stop cultivating the God Seal Technique for now and focus on mastering the Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation."

Xiao Yan swore that he truly thought this way!

He believed that cultivating the God Seal Technique while also cultivating the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique had caused him to lack focus.

When Venerable Tian Huo heard Xiao Yan say that he was cultivating slowly, he felt as if a sword had pierced his heart. It hurt so much.

"Go cultivate on your own! I'm quitting being Venerable Tian Huo. Whoever wants to be him can be him!" With a whoosh, Venerable Tian Huo's soul body directly fled.

Zi Yan saw Venerable Tian Huo run away and asked with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with that old guy?"

Little Fairy Doctor smiled softly and said, "His self-esteem has taken a hit."