The diamond-shaped Dou Crystal suddenly erupted with a violent suction force. The purple-black flames that had enveloped Xiao Yan's entire body were completely drawn into the Dou Crystal, condensing into the seed of the Three Thousand Flaming Flame.
At the same time, the dark green poison within the Dou Crystal had accumulated to a certain level.
Under the suppression of the Three Thousand Flaming Flame, the dark green poison was highly compressed, and the Netherworld Poison Flame was born.
The Netherworld Poison Flame was ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, far below the Three Thousand Flaming Flame, which was ranked ninth.
Moreover, the methods of their condensation were vastly different, which was why the time required for their formation varied so greatly.
Stellar energy was ethereal and elusive. Xiao Yan had absorbed it purely through his technique, and naturally, it would take years to fully condense.
On the other hand, the toxic energy Xiao Yan absorbed came from a massive energy source.
With the condensation of the two Heavenly Flames, the sun had now risen, its warm rays dispelling the darkness of the night.
Thanks to the Netherworld Poison Flame, the poison within Xiao Yan's body had reached the same level as the toxins in Little Medical Fairy's body. The poison no longer circulated, and both of them simultaneously ended their cultivation, slowly withdrawing their energy.
Exhaling a turbid breath, Little Medical Fairy sensed the abundant seven-colored Dou Qi within her body and was utterly astonished.
In just one cultivation session, her strength had reached the nine-star Dou Practitioner level!
Even Yao Lao was dumbfounded.
If this continued, wouldn't she reach the Dou Zong level in just a few years?
Although he wasn't as proficient in Dou Qi cultivation as he was in alchemy, his advancement speed was still rare on the continent.
The thought of being surpassed by a young girl in just a few years was somewhat hard to accept.
He knew a bit about the cultivation speed of the Calamity Poison Body, but it was nowhere near as fast as Little Medical Fairy's current progress.
Aside from her current cultivation conditions, this was likely due to the technique Xiao Yan had taught her.
"One little monster wasn't enough, and now he's found a companion…" Yao Lao shook his head slightly as he looked at the two, then flew out the window.
After watching their cultivation all night, he had a headache!
Little Medical Fairy looked at Xiao Yan, whose eyes sparkled with a sharp light, and smoothed her hair with her jade-like hands. "How was your cultivation?"
Xiao Yan's gaze shifted from Little Medical Fairy's beautiful face to her budding chest, and he smiled. "I'm hungry."
Little Medical Fairy shot him a reproachful look. "You're so shameless."
"You may have filled up on poison, but I barely ate anything last night," Xiao Yan said, stretching his neck.
"Who told you to keep staring at me with those eyes?" Little Medical Fairy kicked Xiao Yan lightly with her fair foot, then put on her socks and got up to wash.
After freshening up, Little Medical Fairy looked at Xiao Yan, who was still in bed. "I'll go heat up last night's leftovers. You should get up soon too."
With four and a half Heavenly Flames now within his body, Xiao Yan stroked his chin. "Although these are nascent Heavenly Flames, I've condensed two of them this time. My technique should undergo some changes."
Xiao Yan had thoroughly researched the cultivation of the Flame Mantra.
Heavenly Flames were energy sources, while techniques were the methods to harness them. The cultivator acted as the vessel for both.
If the vessel couldn't withstand the energy, it would be destroyed. But if it could, the technique would allow the cultivator to wield the power of the Heavenly Flames.
A single Heavenly Flame was terrifying enough, making it difficult to handle. When multiple Heavenly Flames were combined, their power would naturally increase exponentially.
However, nascent Heavenly Flames had extremely low energy and were far from mature, making it difficult for significant evolution to occur naturally. Some manual refinement was still needed.
After the meal, Xiao Yan looked at Little Medical Fairy, who was clearing the table.
"The Three Paths Poison Scripture is extremely profound. In future battles, you'll rely heavily on the poison-derived Gu techniques you've comprehended. You need to carefully reflect on this. I'll give you more poison to cultivate with tonight."
Little Medical Fairy hadn't realized that the technique she was cultivating was somewhat flawed. She smiled and said, "My strength has already reached the nine-star Dou Practitioner level. Even if I don't cultivate for ten days or half a month, it won't matter."
"Your Calamity Poison Body has been fully activated. Not cultivating is not an option. Reflect deeply on the technique."
Xiao Yan walked out of the room. While Little Medical Fairy needed to gain insights, he, as her teacher, also needed to research his own cultivation.
In the tranquil valley, Little Red lay lazily on the ground. The energy contained in the pill from yesterday was excellent, and it still hadn't fully refined it.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the grass, taking a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, which cleared his mind.
Noticing the obvious changes in Xiao Yan compared to yesterday, Yao Lao coughed twice. "What changes occurred during your cultivation last night? Show me."
Following the voice, Xiao Yan finally noticed the mechanical bird standing on Little Red's head. "Teacher, you're here."
"Your eyes are only on Little Medical Fairy now. Do you even remember your teacher?" Yao Lao said with a hint of sourness. "Little Medical Fairy is already a nine-star Dou Practitioner. How about your cultivation? Don't let that little girl surpass you, or you'll embarrass me."
Xiao Yan smiled. "There haven't been any major changes. If you want to see, I'll show you and get your guidance."
Slowly extending his hands, Xiao Yan focused his mind, and two extremely hot flames suddenly rose from his palms.
One was entirely purple-black, with faint starlight flowing within it. The other was dark green, exuding a sinister aura that could chill one's soul.
The moment the flames appeared, Little Red's fur bristled as if it had been electrocuted. It crouched low, staring in horror at the flames in Xiao Yan's palms.
Although the flames didn't look like much, the beast's keen instincts could clearly sense that either of those flames could reduce it to ashes in an instant.
"Calm down," Yao Lao said, patting Little Red's head with his claw before flying over to Xiao Yan.
Little Red slowly backed away a few steps before finally settling down.
Yao Lao's eyes widened as he looked at Xiao Yan's palms.
"Netherworld Poison Flame! Three Thousand Flaming Flame!"
"These are famous flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and you say there haven't been any major changes?"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and retracted the flames.
Since they were condensed from his own Dou Qi, simultaneously using them consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
"Nascent Heavenly Flames don't have much power. They'll need vast amounts of energy to grow in the future. At this stage, it's indeed difficult for significant changes to occur," Xiao Yan said, sighing. "As for being surpassed by Little Medical Fairy, it's probably only a matter of time."
"Huh?" Yao Lao initially found this reasonable, but when he heard the last part, he looked up sharply. Xiao Yan's talent wasn't lacking, and now he had four Heavenly Flames. How could he not compare to Little Medical Fairy?
Xiao Yan explained, "Each additional Heavenly Flame divides the energy I absorb, so the amount I ultimately receive decreases."
"So, by condensing Heavenly Flames, you're actually hindering yourself?" Yao Lao's soul left the puppet and floated in mid-air.
Xiao Yan waved his hand. "In the early stages, the condensed Heavenly Flames don't have much effect. But once they grow, like the Xuanhuang Flame and the Yin-Yang Dual Flame, they provide significant benefits for alchemy and cultivation."
"However, the Netherworld Poison Flame and the Three Thousand Flaming Flame far surpass the Xuanhuang Flame and the Yin-Yang Dual Flame. Cultivating these two Heavenly Flames will be much more difficult."
Looking up at the dwelling in the valley, Xiao Yan said solemnly, "In contrast, Little Medical Fairy can now freely devour poison without any constraints. I can't compare, I can't compare."
Yao Lao nodded thoughtfully. Xiao Yan had spent half a year nurturing the Xuanhuang Flame and the Yin-Yang Dual Flame, and only now had the fused flame begun to take shape.
The Netherworld Poison Flame was ranked higher than the Yin-Yang Dual Flame, and the Three Thousand Flaming Flame, ranked ninth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, was even more formidable.
Cultivating these two Heavenly Flames would undoubtedly be even more challenging.
"Kid, work hard on your cultivation. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble in the future," Yao Lao said with a smile.
"What trouble?" Xiao Yan shook his head with a laugh.
"You don't know?" Yao Lao returned to the mechanical bird. "You're always flirting around. When Little Medical Fairy's strength far surpasses yours in the future, what will you do?"
Xiao Yan touched his nose. Teacher, you're mistaken.
The Netherworld Poison Flame grows by absorbing poison. Little Medical Fairy's techniques are deadly to ordinary people, but for me, who controls the Netherworld Poison Flame, every move she makes is an excellent supplement.
Closing his eyes, Xiao Yan cleared his mind of distractions, formed a cultivation seal with his hands, and began circulating the Flame Star Art.
As the technique activated, Xiao Yan's body became like a black hole. The space around him rippled slightly, and faint strands of energy emerged, continuously pouring into his body.
The serene valley was suddenly swept by a gust of wind, and even the clouds in the sky were affected.
In this small valley, where the energy of heaven and earth was already dense, it didn't take long for the energy around Xiao Yan to become increasingly concentrated.
Xiao Yan accepted all this energy without hesitation. His body was like an unfathomable abyss, rapidly refining the incoming energy.
Watching Xiao Yan devour energy like a whale, Yao Lao couldn't help but doubt Xiao Yan's earlier words. "How could his cultivation speed be slow?"
With four Heavenly Flames within his body, Xiao Yan's speed of refining the energy of heaven and earth was faster than before, and his absorption rate naturally increased as well.
Of course, the two additional Heavenly Flames didn't just have this effect.
As the poison of the Netherworld Poison Flame flowed through his body, it damaged Xiao Yan's meridians—something that would be fatal for someone without the Calamity Poison Body. The damage could even penetrate his bones and flesh.
However, with the Three Thousand Flaming Flame, these injuries were quickly repaired.
In the cycle of destruction and repair, Xiao Yan's physical constitution improved noticeably.
Fully focused on the changes within his body, Xiao Yan couldn't help but think of the body-refining technique he had created, the Flame Body Refinement Art.
Originally, it was created to absorb the medicinal power of Flame Blood, maximizing its effects to temper his body.
Now, even the upgraded Flame Blood provided by Yao Lao could only match the growth brought by the destruction and repair caused by the two Heavenly Flames.
The body-refining effects of the Heavenly Flames sparked an idea in Xiao Yan's mind.
With four fully formed Heavenly Flames—the Xuanhuang Flame, the Yin-Yang Dual Flame, the Netherworld Poison Flame, and the Three Thousand Flaming Flame—and a half-formed Ten Thousand Beast Spiritual Flame in his storage, cultivating these Heavenly Flames was already extremely difficult.
Instead of focusing entirely on researching new Heavenly Flames, it would be better to consolidate his current gains.
Adding more Heavenly Flames would only further slow down his leveling speed.
Now, solidifying his current achievements was the top priority!
As the technique circulated, the contents of the Flame Body Refinement Art appeared in Xiao Yan's mind, complementing the Dou Qi technique Flame Star Art.
Once fully immersed in cultivation, Xiao Yan became as still as a meditating monk.
The sun gradually set, and the evening glow cast a golden veil over the valley.
[Using the Flame Body Refinement Art and the Flame Star Art for deduction, you have gained enlightenment and comprehended the Great Flame Star Transformation!]
[Great Flame Star Transformation: The flow of Dou Qi has a remarkable body-refining effect. With the support of four Heavenly Flames within the body, the speed of absorbing and refining the energy of heaven and earth is greatly increased. The technique's rank has advanced to Earth-level low-grade.
The triple effect of increasing the number of Heavenly Flames, enhancing the technique's characteristics, and the boost from comprehension cannot be directly applied to a second person.]
As soon as the technique was comprehended, Xiao Yan naturally began cultivating with this new technique.
Instantly, the surrounding space rippled violently. Streams of fiery red, scorching energy surged around Xiao Yan, coiling around his body like fiery snakes before entering his body with each breath.
The dense energy of heaven and earth in the small valley shifted toward fire-attribute energy due to Xiao Yan's cultivation.
As Xiao Yan's cultivation deepened, the energy around him seemed to form a massive energy vortex.
Influenced by the Great Flame Star Transformation, this energy vortex rapidly turned fiery red, resembling a flaming dragon coiling within the valley.
Yao Lao, who had almost fallen asleep, was instantly jolted awake by the commotion.
"My heavens!" Yao Lao was utterly stunned by the sight before him. "Is this a breakthrough, or…"
The Flame Mantra was already an incredibly mysterious technique, and Xiao Yan, who cultivated it, was even more enigmatic. From the very first day Xiao Yan started cultivating, Yao Lao had found it hard to understand.
The energy of heaven and earth in the small valley was exceptionally dense, so Xiao Yan didn't need to worry about energy depletion during his cultivation.
As more and more fire-attribute energy entered Xiao Yan's body, his skin gradually turned red. Wisps of white mist rose from his head, and veins bulged on his skin like earthworms, making him look somewhat terrifying.
With the continuous infusion of external energy, the diamond-shaped Dou Crystal within Xiao Yan's Dou Qi vortex began to grow slowly.
Yao Lao narrowed his eyes. With his strength, he could naturally sense Xiao Yan's rapidly rising aura.
However, Xiao Yan's aura had surged many times before, often accompanied by more than just a breakthrough in strength.
Thus, even Yao Lao couldn't immediately determine what changes Xiao Yan was undergoing.
However, one thing was certain: Xiao Yan's strength had broken through to the two-star Great Dou Practitioner level, and the momentum showed no signs of stopping.
"I don't believe a word you say," Yao Lao couldn't help but recall Xiao Yan's words from this morning about his cultivation speed slowing down due to the Heavenly Flames.
If this speed was considered slow, then ninety-nine percent of the geniuses on the Dou Qi continent would die of shame.
(End of Chapter)
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