"Old man, what kind of flame is that?"
"Shut up! I shouldn't have taken you as a disciple!"
"Weren't you just telling me about the Heavenly Flames?" Xiao Yan cautiously peeked outside through the skylight.
"That white flame, is that a Heavenly Flame?"
"This..." The voice from the ring fell silent for a moment. "There's no such flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Judging by its appearance, it should be a beast flame from a top-tier magical beast!"
"Beast flame?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up with a sense of longing. He imagined himself one day being able to control flames and defeat Nalan Yanran.
Suddenly, a golden flame appeared in the white sea of fire floating in the sky, intertwining with it.
Xiao Yan swallowed hard. He wouldn't stay here if it weren't for the older man above using Dou Qi to shield him.
Sweat as big as beans dripped from his forehead to the ground, his lips cracked, and his skin dried. Xiao Yan wished he could dive into the lotus pond.
"This is bad!" Yao Lao's voice emanated from the ring. He hadn't used his soul power because he feared a misunderstanding.
"Xiao Yan, quickly close the skylight!"
At this moment, almost faint from the heat, Xiao Yan returned to reality. He hastily knocked down the wooden support, causing the skylight to shut.
Xiao Yan plopped down on the ground, and a cool breeze seeped into his body.
A small jade bottle floated from the ring, and Yao Lao's voice came through: "Drink it!"
Groggily, Xiao Yan grabbed the jade bottle, pulled out the stopper, and cold mist immediately surged out.
Without Yao Lao's urging, Xiao Yan downed it in one gulp. The icy liquid slid down his throat, sending a shiver and making him feel much better.
Xiao Yan smacked his lips and turned the bottle upside down to ensure he got every drop.
"Master, do you have more? I..."
"Now you call me Master?"
Xiao Yan awkwardly chuckled. Yao Lao said, "There's no more, only this bottle!"
"Ah? You call yourself an alchemist, yet you're this poor!"
"You brat! Trying to provoke me won't work. You should think about how to explain this to those two girls."
"Explain?" Xiao Yan was puzzled, scratching his head. "Explain what? I was sleeping soundly, got woken up by fire, and now I have to explain?"
Before Yao Lao could respond, Xiao Yan's eyes brightened. "I can just ask Cousin Mo'er! About that flame..."
"Don't even think about it." The old voice from the ring floated out, "Those two girls have powerful backing, and that flame..."
"And what?" Xiao Yan was sceptical. "Didn't you just say it was a beast flame from a top-tier magical beast? Now it's a Heavenly Flame?"
"Are you even an alchemist? Do you know what you're talking about? Can you really teach a disciple?"
Hearing the last part, Yao Lao's thoughts drifted to Han Feng, and he felt a surge of anger.
Trying to keep his voice gentle, he said, "Xiao Yan, didn't you see there were two types of flames in the sky?"
"Two types?" Xiao Yan was stunned, but upon reflection, he recalled two flames: milky white and golden!
"This..." Xiao Yan's voice stretched, "It's not impossible to understand. After all, Cousin Mo'er and Cousin Xun'er each have a flame..."
As Xiao Yan babbled on, Yao Lao decided to ignore him. Talking to a layperson this much was pointless; letting him experience it himself was better.
Though Yao Lao had never seen the milky white flame, he knew it wouldn't be much weaker than a Heavenly Flame.
As for the golden flame!
Yao Lao recalled ancient records. The Gu Clan had been strong since ancient times and had never declined.
Most importantly, the Gu Clan, the Yao Clan, and the Yan Clan were among the few clans with a heritage Heavenly Flame!
And this heritage Heavenly Flame was none other than the fourth-ranked Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!
It's said that this flame was mainly used for killing and rarely for alchemy. Given its ability to quickly burn through space, it was the most formidable flame for combat.
Yao Lao had no comments on the second—and third-ranked flames. They hadn't appeared for many years, and no one was known to control them.
Looking outside, Yao Lao was shocked!
'It's actually working!'
The milky white Divine Flame and the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame intertwined and merged, forming a pale gold flame. The surrounding white flames were utterly devoured. The flame hovered quietly, but Lin Bai didn't dare to relax for a moment!
In Yao Lao's view, the milky white flame was a top-tier beast flame, and its power wasn't far behind the lower-ranked Heavenly Flames.
But the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame could merge with it!
Even if that little girl successfully cultivated the Flame Mantra, she shouldn't have succeeded in one go, right?
Then again, as a young master of the Gu Clan, with exceptional talent, superior bloodline, and strong support from a powerful clan... Yao Lao felt bitter. Only such a person could bear the cultivation of the Flame Mantra.
And his new disciple... should he tell him about the Flame Mantra?
The soul in the ring was conflicted. Fortunately, he didn't know that Kurumi's Divine Flame was no less than the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame in terms of characteristics!
Regarding its growth potential and devouring nature, the Divine Flame had hints of the ancient Tuo She Ancestral Flame and Void Swallowing Flame from the Doupo world.
The flames in the air split again, and Kurumi guided the Divine Flame to advance the Flame Mantra.
With the Divine Flame infused with the aura of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, it was no longer rejected by the Flame Mantra. The advancement was smooth, and the cultivation method instantly rose from high-level Xuan rank to mid-level Di rank.
Kurumi opened her eyes, flames shooting out from her pupils. Feeling the doubled speed of Dou Qi circulation in her body, she sighed again.
She was still too eager.
The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame had only six parts of its essence left, barely pushing the Flame Mantra to high-level Xuan rank. This made Kurumi very frustrated.
That feeling of being just one step away...
Now, she had successfully ignited the Divine Flame, but its power wasn't at its peak. The advancement of the Flame Mantra was also compromised again.
"Mid-level Di rank..." Kurumi muttered.
Faster Dou Qi cultivation meant more waste blood.
She needed to maintain high-quality Dou Qito and refine her divine bloodline continuously. With abundant Dou Qi support, the refining speed was mutually beneficial.
The only headache... was the resource issue.
"Miss."
The older man who appeared quietly before her bowed slightly, saluting Kurumi sitting amidst the flames.
"What's the matter?"
"This old servant failed in my duty. Medicine Dust has noticed your anomaly..."
"Do you want to kill him?"
Lin Bai bowed lower. "I await Miss's decision."
"Forget it." Kurumi stood up and stretched. "Don't disturb that master and disciple duo without reason."
"Yes, old servant obeys."