*Chapter 23: Countering the Wolf Head Mercenary Group*

"Quite a nice mark." Xiao Yan touched the flame imprint on his forehead and smiled at his reflection in the mirror.

"Is this a matter of looking nice?" Yao Lao finally couldn't hold back, "Do you know how much Heaven and Earth energy you absorbed last night? That amount of energy would have been enough for a Dou Practitioner to advance to the next level!"

"I was genuinely afraid you'd explode during cultivation and die without even knowing how you died. That would have been too unjust."

Xiao Yan's smile faded as he spoke earnestly, "Whether it's to resurrect Teacher in the future or to strengthen the Xiao family, those are responsibilities I must shoulder. I won't fall that easily, so you needn't worry too much."

This boy seems to know a bit more than he lets on. With such a clear goal driving him, it can certainly push his cultivation potential. Reaching such heights, however, is no simple task.

A gleam flashed in Yao Lao's aged eyes. He raised his hand and dismissed the mirror formed by the Bone-Chilling Flame. "Who's worried about you, you brat? I'm concerned about myself."

"Even if I had a physical body, having a disciple who surprises me like this would probably shorten my lifespan by a hundred years." Yao Lao sighed deeply.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly. He picked up the water pouch beside him and took a few sips before calmly explaining the flame imprint's origin to Yao Lao.

"After cultivating the low-tier Yellow Flame Mantra, I began pondering how to address the problem of insufficient Dou Qi. This issue stems from the level of the cultivation method, so it's not something that can be solved overnight."

"So, I thought of a way to create a second Dou Qi vortex, allowing my body to possess another Dou Qi source. And it worked. I call it 'Flame Seal!'"

A lie is most convincing when mixed with seven parts truth.

Right now, the Flame Seal is indeed just a simple secondary Dou Qi vortex, but it can be upgraded in the future.

"A second Dou Qi vortex?!" After Xiao Yan's explanation, Yao Lao glanced at the flame imprint on Xiao Yan's forehead again, recalling his worst-case scenario.

As Xiao Yan's strength increases, encountering the Hall of Souls is inevitable. He could hide for a while but not forever.

If he were ever captured by the Hall of Souls, the Bone-Chilling Flame and the Bone Flame Ring would be the resources left for Xiao Yan to grow strong enough to oppose them.

The flame imprint on Xiao Yan's forehead was where the essence of the Bone-Chilling Flame was stored.

For someone who has controlled the Bone-Chilling Flame for many years, this was a trivial task.

But who would have thought that Xiao Yan could establish a second Dou Qi vortex in such a special location within a single day?

This was probably the only option available to Xiao Yan.

The evolution of the Flame Mantra requires Heavenly Flames, which many people search for their entire lives, only to never even catch a glimpse of.

Talented cultivators usually start with high-tier Mysterious rank methods, so they never need to worry about exhausting their Dou Qi. Ordinary folks often struggle to even comprehend their own techniques, let alone think of opening a second Dou Qi vortex.

Even geniuses who think about the second vortex might need years to comprehend it.

Yao Lao himself had no clue how to create a second vortex; at the very least, it would take him three years to figure it out.

For Xiao Yan to create one in a single day was indeed a heaven-defying feat of comprehension!

Yao Lao's heart surged like a stormy sea, unable to calm down for a long time.

After a while, Yao Lao finally spoke, "Go find the medicinal ingredients. If luck is on our side and we can acquire two Tier 2 fire-attribute magic cores and gather the herbs, I can refine something to aid your cultivation in the next two days."

"Teacher, there's no need to trouble ourselves. Someone has already prepared everything for us," Xiao Yan said with a grin, rubbing his hands.

Even Yao Lao was momentarily stunned before realizing what Xiao Yan meant.

"Are you talking about the mercenaries from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?!" Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan in astonishment, then chuckled bitterly. "I'm starting to feel sorry for them. They've gotten themselves into trouble with you, the bane of their existence."

Xiao Yan shrugged indifferently, "If not for yesterday's Fire Bomb and having you, Teacher, as my last resort, those mercenaries would have faced a mere Two-Star Dou Fighter. They wouldn't have spared me. Power is the only way to grant someone the chance to show mercy."

Yao Lao nodded in approval and closed his eyes to sense the mercenaries' location.

A couple of breaths later, Yao Lao opened his eyes and said, "Their camp isn't far from here. There are more than ten of them, and each is at least at the Dou Fighter level, making their overall strength quite formidable."

"If you had attacked them suddenly yesterday, you could have gained a significant advantage due to their underestimation. Now that they know your strength, those mercenaries, used to living on the edge, will fight with all they've got. Even with your hidden cards, victory is not guaranteed."

"There's no such thing as absolute certainty in this world. Opportunities are fleeting. If these mercenaries leave, obtaining such a large amount of resources in one go will become difficult. Furthermore, knowing that the enemy is powerful can sometimes be an advantage."

Xiao Yan stepped out of the cave, heading toward the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's camp.

As his soul returned to the Bone Flame Ring, Yao Lao's final words echoed in his ears, "I look forward to your victory, little one. Don't come begging this old man for help later. I've already told you, unless you face a life-and-death crisis, I won't intervene. If I act a moment too late, your little life might… perish."

Ignoring Yao Lao's warnings, Xiao Yan's eyes remained firm as he quickened his pace.

With the "Flame Seal" now established, he no longer had to worry about Dou Qi depletion. Xiao Yan began contemplating upgrading his cultivation method.

After all, the low-tier Yellow rank "Flame Mantra" was not only the root cause of his limited Dou Qi but also the reason for his current slow cultivation speed.

Only by solving the root issue could the problem be truly resolved.

Ordinarily, the evolution of the "Flame Mantra" requires a Heavenly Flame to make a significant leap.

However, his current strength was too low, and he lacked the necessary tools to fuse with a Heavenly Flame.

Even if he knew the location of a Heavenly Flame, attempting to merge with it now would be futile.

However, while a major upgrade was out of reach, a minor one was possible.

Beast Flame, a unique flame born within magical beasts, though vastly inferior to Heavenly Flames, is safer to merge with and currently the best option.

Moreover, fusing with a Beast Flame would only be the beginning.

The Earth Demon Old Ghost from Demon Flame Valley had created a scroll called the "True Flame Art."

Despite its name being similar to some other techniques, it allowed one to cultivate a 'False Heavenly Flame' comparable in power to genuine Heavenly Flames.

Xiao Yan believed that if he focused on comprehending, creating a secret method for a true Heavenly Flame wasn't too far-fetched.

The Earth Demon Old Ghost had spent his entire life never touching the threshold of Dou Zun, so his comprehension could be imagined.

His heaven-defying comprehension far surpassed Dou Di. If he couldn't surpass what the Earth Demon Old Ghost created, then he might as well call himself a simpleton.

*(End of Chapter)*