*Chapter 34: Accumulating Strength for a Burst, Power Soaring*

No alchemist can guarantee a 100% success rate. Cauldron explosions during pill refining are far too common for alchemists.

Benefiting from years of Dou Qi cultivation that expanded and strengthened his meridians, Xiao Yan had terrifying experience in foundational training.

Surpassing even the comprehension of a Dou Emperor, Xiao Yan had practiced Dou Qi for many years, gaining extensive experience in basic training during the early stages of cultivation.

However, since he hadn't cultivated a specific technique before, these abilities hadn't been fully manifested.

Today, that experience finally showcased some of its effects.

It allowed Xiao Yan to condense a formidable, pure Dou Qi fire—the Xuan Huang Flame!

Although this wasn't a naturally occurring Heavenly Flame, its effects were not inferior in any way.

Moreover, even among the same type of flame, there were varying degrees of strength.

The Fallen Heart Flame sealed within the Jia Nan Academy was terrifyingly powerful, while the seed of the Heart Flame in the magma world of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower was extremely weak.

Absorbing pure Dou Qi, the Xuan Huang Flame pulsed within Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cyclone, growing stronger.

As the Xuan Huang Flame matured, it slowly spread throughout Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cyclone and, following its circulation, flowed into Xiao Yan's meridians.

If it were a wild Xuan Huang Flame, even if it were just a seed of a Heavenly Flame, entering the meridians like this would undoubtedly severely burn and injure Xiao Yan's meridians.

However, this Xuan Huang Flame was a product of Xiao Yan's self-realization and was like a part of his own body.

For Xiao Yan, this Xuan Huang Flame provided nothing but pure benefits.

The Xuan Huang Flame flowed like a warm ribbon, gently brushing over his skin.

His meridians felt this warmth, like spring rain nourishing parched land, bringing comfort and joy.

A warm current surged from the Xuan Huang Flame, circulating through his meridians, nourishing every muscle, bone, and cell.

Under the nourishment of the Xuan Huang Flame, Xiao Yan's body further strengthened and improved.

When the Xuan Huang Flame completed a circulation through his meridians, its aura suddenly surged to the surface of Xiao Yan's body. The pale yellow flame completely enveloped him.

After this flame appeared, it began to writhe slowly, eventually transforming into a dense Xuan Huang flame.

The Xuan Huang Flame cloaked Xiao Yan like a garment of fire. Meanwhile, the vast energy surging crazily into his body from the surrounding heavens and earth momentarily paused in the face of the scorching temperature.

Protected by the Xuan Huang Flame, the slightly mixed energy of heaven and earth was refined by the Heavenly Flame when passing through the layer of flames, allowing Xiao Yan to absorb the energy even more quickly.

When Xiao Yan refined the heavenly energy into Dou Qi and channeled it into his Dou Qi cyclone, it would be tempered once again by the Xuan Huang Flame, further purifying the already refined Dou Qi.

"This flame…" Yao Lao's eyes suddenly narrowed. "It's not an ordinary Dou Qi flame."

"Its color is mysterious and profound. The flame scorches the heart of the heavens. Refining the body and returning to its origin, the Xuan Huang Flame shines across the sky."

"This is the twenty-third-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame List—Xuan Huang Flame!"

Yao Lao was dumbfounded.

He had been with Xiao Yan since birth and knew better than anyone what opportunities Xiao Yan had.

But now, Yao Lao was baffled...

Where did this Xuan Huang Flame come from?

Could it be due to that heaven-defying physique?

Yao Lao had always known that compared to others, Xiao Yan's physique was exceedingly extraordinary.

Even his cultivation effects from the womb were unheard of, even for Yao Lao.

And now, it was actually starting to produce a Heavenly Flame on its own!

What kind of terrifying physique is this?

The power of the Xuan Huang Flame was certainly beyond the reach of the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body.

With the blessing of the Xuan Huang Flame, the heavenly energy seeping into Xiao Yan's body from all directions was left utterly powerless, scattering in fear like stray dogs.

As the Xuan Huang Flame chased the heavenly energy, wisps of the flame merged into Xiao Yan's flesh and bones.

Every time a trace of yellow flame merged into his flesh, the area would slightly glow with a faint yellow hue, as if marked.

Under the surrounding pursuit, after a short while, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body was cornered with nowhere to escape, forced to huddle into a fist-sized mass of pure white energy, trembling as it watched the encroaching Xuan Huang Flame.

Sensing the imminent danger, this energy mass suddenly shuddered violently and rushed into the Dou Qi cyclone.

However, it had just entered the heartland of the Xuan Huang Flame.

The enormous energy, upon entering the cyclone, immediately caused a great commotion.

Not only did the rotation speed abruptly increase, but the cyclone, which was originally less than the size of a palm, began expanding rapidly.

The mysterious yellow cyclone spun faster and faster. During its rotation, strands of energy were broken down into their most fundamental forms, merging into the Xuan Huang Flame at the cyclone's center.

The Xuan Huang Flame continued to strengthen with the infusion of pure energy.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cyclone expanded continuously during this process. It stopped only after its volume doubled.

As the cyclone ceased its expansion, streams of even more powerful fire-attributed Dou Qi flowed from Xiao Yan's cyclone, circulating orderly throughout his body.

As Xiao Yan concluded his cultivation, everything outside gradually returned to normal.

Yao Lao watched in stunned silence. "He jumped three stars at once, reaching the level of a Five-Star Dou Practitioner!"

Keep in mind that Xiao Yan had only been cultivating this technique for less than three days. When did a low-tier Huang class technique like the Flame Mantra possess such an overpowered cultivation speed?

Even with a high-tier Xuan class technique and countless heavenly treasures, it would be difficult to achieve such a solid foundation and terrifying cultivation speed as Xiao Yan!

However, thinking of the enormous amount of heavenly energy Xiao Yan had absorbed, Yao Lao couldn't help but feel at ease.

A three-star increase seemed almost low for Xiao Yan.

This was also a drawback of the upgraded technique.

The advantage of the Flame Mantra 2.0 was the ability to condense a Heavenly Flame within oneself, sparing the cultivator the trouble of searching for an external flame in the future.

However, the downside was equally apparent, as shown by Xiao Yan just now.

Even after absorbing a vast amount of heavenly energy, it would not result in a heaven-defying power boost.

The Heavenly Flame does not come into existence out of thin air.

It requires the condensation of an immense amount of heavenly energy.

And this was only the beginning.

To unleash the full power of the Heavenly Flame, one must continue to infuse it with energy and nurture its growth.

Otherwise, even if the Heavenly Flame is condensed, it would be as weak as the Fallen Heart Flame seed found in the magma world beside the spirit of the Heavenly Flame Master—a pitifully fragile existence.

Only through meticulous cultivation could it develop into the terrifying power of the Fallen Heart Flame sealed in the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

*(End of Chapter)*