Chapter 33: Heaven-defying Epiphany, Transformation into the Emperor Flame

"Teacher, the Heavenly Flames are too far out of my reach for now. Shouldn't you prepare a Beast Flame for me? Who knows, maybe this Beast Flame could also help the 'Flame Mantra' evolve." Xiao Yan seized the opportunity to say.

Yao Lao pondered for a moment, then replied, "That's possible. However, Wutan City is too small. Even the largest auction house here might not have a cauldron for alchemy, let alone a rare Beast Flame."

"No worries, they'll send it to us eventually," Xiao Yan wasn't in any hurry.

Yao Lao waved his hand, "We'll discuss this later. This time, I only prepared gold coins for the storage ring, medicinal cauldron, and herbs."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yao Lao picked up a Purple Leaf Orchid with his left hand, and the Bone Chilling Flame in his palm suddenly surged.

In an instant, the temperature in the room rose significantly.

Yao Lao's expression remained calm. Refining Foundation Elixir was a simple task for him, as easy as flipping his hand.

One by one, the medicinal ingredients were tossed into the flames. Yao Lao also began introducing the detailed characteristics and the birth conditions of different Heavenly Flames, such as the "Profound Yellow Flame" and "Myriad Beast Spiritual Flame."

Xiao Yan listened attentively, his pitch-black eyes fixed on the Bone Chilling Flame. As he thought about the 'Flame Mantra' fusing with multiple types of flames to reach the pinnacle, he suddenly recalled something a sword cultivator once said—"He himself is the strongest sword."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but question himself: Why can't his own fire-attribute Dou Qi be cultivated into the strongest flame in the world?

In that instant, Xiao Yan's heart trembled violently.

A Heavenly Flame takes an immensely long time to be born in the world, and even after growing for a long period, it doesn't necessarily become invincible.

However, for a person to reach the pinnacle on the Dou Qi Continent, they only need enough fortune and opportunity, not necessarily a lot of time...

[Through your knowledge of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and the Bone Chilling Flame, and after deducing information about the Heavenly Flames, you have attained an epiphany. You have comprehended the "Flame Mantra 2.0".]

[Flame Mantra 2.0: This version retains the ability of the original to fuse with Heavenly Flames. However, it offers a new advantage by allowing the cultivator to transform into the world itself, nurturing their fire-attribute Dou Qi into a Heavenly Flame. The type and strength of the flame depend greatly on the cultivator's comprehension, power, and opportunities.]

"Heaven and Earth breed spiritual beings, the great furnace refines true gold. The stars shine, the ancient moon brightens, and the unknown chaos hides profound sounds..." Xiao Yan muttered to himself, standing motionless like a statue.

As Xiao Yan fell into a state of stillness, the surrounding air suddenly trembled. With a buzzing sound, the energy of heaven and earth began rushing towards him.

In a flash, Xiao Yan seemed to transform into a massive black hole, continuously absorbing the frenziedly surging heaven and earth energy.

"What... is happening?" Yao Lao was stunned. He was in the middle of giving a lecture, and then Xiao Yan just... broke through?

Seeing the scale of the energy influx, it seemed even greater than the breakthroughs of a Great Dou Master, Dou Ling, or Dou Wang!

Yao Lao was truly shocked. If Xiao Yan absorbed enough energy for a peak Dou Wang to break through to Dou Huang, he could easily be overwhelmed and explode.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni, the two in charge of the Mittel Auction House, were also staring in shock at the room where Xiao Yan was.

"What is this energy of heaven and earth? What's happening?" Ya Fei, not knowing much about cultivation, asked in surprise.

Gu Ni had never witnessed such a terrifying energy fluctuation. "Could it be an alchemist advancing? Or is he refining some terrifying pill?"

Even Yao Lao couldn't comprehend this strange phenomenon, let alone Gu Ni.

"Quickly, make sure no one approaches this room," Gu Ni ordered before retreating.

No matter the reason, this kind of energy from heaven and earth was of utmost importance to the one inside. Their duty was to do their part at the Mittel Auction House.

The moment Xiao Yan attained his epiphany, the surge of energy from heaven and earth was like a massive boulder thrown into a tranquil lake, causing monstrous waves.

The Flame Mantra technique operated at a terrifying speed, unleashing a powerful suction force from within Xiao Yan's body.

With the simultaneous effects of this frenzy of inflow and crazed absorption, the energy in the vicinity of Xiao Yan coalesced into a lustrous energy light screen within a few feet around him, dazzlingly bright.

Hovering in mid-air, Yao Lao observed the situation with tightly furrowed brows.

"What is this kid up to now? Absorbing such mottled energy directly?"

The amount of energy present was beyond description, filled with impurities. It had to be refined and purified through the meridians before it could be thoroughly absorbed. Otherwise, it would contaminate the Dou Qi painstakingly cultivated.

Currently, Xiao Yan clearly did not possess the capability to refine this excessive amount of heaven and earth energy.

Yao Lao exhaled slowly, suppressing his anxiety, and silently observed Xiao Yan, ready to intervene and save him at any moment.

While Yao Lao was filled with doubts and worry, Xiao Yan remained completely unaware of the external changes. He was determined to elevate his Dou Qi to the level of Heavenly Flames, eventually reaching the realm of the Emperor Flame, and surpassing it one day.

Countless streams of heaven and earth energy circulated along the path of the Flame Mantra technique. Amid the high-speed cycles, an inexplicable, mystical sensation surged in Xiao Yan's heart, as if it originated from his very soul.

As his consciousness further immersed in this feeling, the energy around the Mittel Auction House started to rush madly.

It swirled rapidly, forming a spiral funnel in the air above Xiao Yan's head, with the smaller end connecting to his crown, pouring a torrent of energy into his body.

With this enormous energy infusion, Xiao Yan's soul power compressed the rapidly expanding Dou Qi in his body, bringing about a noticeable transformation.

Within the star-like Dou Qi cyclone, a thread of profound yellow flame rose. The flame flickered like a candle in the wind, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

However, the searing heat carried by this tiny flame was nothing to scoff at, even affecting Xiao Yan's robust physique.

The instant this flame was born, Xiao Yan's body temperature spiked, and his flushed face resembled the prelude to self-immolation.

"What on earth is happening?" Yao Lao was bewildered, having completely lost the mindset for alchemy.

Momentarily distracted, the wild energy released by the magic core and the medicinal liquid extracted from the herbs reacted violently. Sensing this, Yao Lao quickly raised his hand to create a protective barrier around Xiao Yan, isolating him from all external sounds.

As soon as Yao Lao finished this, the Foundation Elixir he was refining exploded with a loud bang.

The powerful explosion caused the entire room to tremble.

Hearing the noise inside the room, Gu Ni's eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured, "Seems like a three-tier alchemist failed at refining a pill."

*(End of Chapter)*