Word Count: 2,737 Words
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Although Xiao Yan's title of 'Venerable' was somewhat inflated, he did possess Peak Mortal Spiritual Strength, six Heavenly Flames, a High Di Class Soul Skill he had begun to grasp, and supreme treasures like the Soul Command Token. While he couldn't sweep away all soul bodies, he had some confidence when facing a half-crippled Dou Venerate soul body.
Venerable Tian Huo gazed silently at Xiao Yan in his Soul Robe. This black-robed man who had subdued the Fallen Heart Flame was simply too calm.
Earlier, Venerable Tian Huo had deliberately allowed the Fallen Heart Flame to approach him as a show of strength. This was to prove that despite his current weakness, he still possessed considerable power and to reveal the fact that he was once a Dou Venerate.
At the same time, he had lowered his stance to inform Xiao Yan that he was already near death and lacked the ability to harm him.
All of this was aimed at negotiating terms with Xiao Yan. After all, he didn't want to die or remain trapped in this magma world forever.
However, Xiao Yan remained utterly composed. Whether it was when he summoned the Fallen Heart Flame or mentioned that he was a Dou Venerate, Xiao Yan acted as if he had everything under control. This made it difficult for Venerable Tian Huo to fathom the depth of this black-robed man.
Of course, much of the credit went to the Soul Robe. Protected by this Heaven Grade Protector's Soul Robe, Venerable Tian Huo naturally couldn't sense Xiao Yan's true strength.
Although Venerable Tian Huo was the soul body of a Dou Venerate, his Spiritual Strength hadn't reached the Soul State. He had achieved the Dou Venerate realm in cultivation but wasn't an 8th-tier alchemist.
Xiao Yan saw Venerable Tian Huo's silence, raised his hand, and said, "Since this is Venerable Tian Huo's domain, I apologize for the intrusion. I'll take my leave now."
Venerable Tian Huo couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard that Xiao Yan was leaving without even wanting the immature Fallen Heart Flame.
He hurriedly waved his hand, glanced at Xiao Yan, then pointed to the formless, immature flame, and said calmly, "You don't want this Fallen Heart Flame?"
A sly smile appeared under Xiao Yan's hood. He chuckled and said, "That is something Venerable Tian Huo discovered. I came here only because the Fallen Heart Flame led me."
Trying to play mind games with me?
Of course, Xiao Yan wouldn't leave so easily. He was actually negotiating with Venerable Tian Huo.
Xiao Yan was bargaining, and so was Venerable Tian Huo. Both were probing each other's bottom lines and hidden cards.
Venerable Tian Huo needed something from Xiao Yan. He wanted Xiao Yan to take him away, but the price he would have to pay was what needed negotiation.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was calculating how many soul points a Dou Venerate's soul body could bring him!
However, Xiao Yan wasn't necessarily planning to take Venerable Tian Huo's soul body back to the Hall of Souls in exchange for soul points. For him, the Hall of Souls was merely a place to trade for benefits. As long as the other party offered more value than the Hall of Souls, he wouldn't fight.
After all, there were risks involved. Even if the other party was just a soul body with incomplete Spiritual Strength, he was still a Dou Venerate. Such an existence definitely couldn't be underestimated.
'This Venerable Tian Huo's Spiritual Strength doesn't seem very strong. It feels similar to Yao Ao's soul body; probably also at Peak Mortal State. But Yao Ao was from the Yao Clan; his value was naturally much higher.'
'This Dou Venerate's soul body might be worth only around 100,000 soul points.'
Venerable Tian Huo probably never imagined that Xiao Yan was already contemplating how to sell him off!
Venerable Tian Huo saw that Xiao Yan remained unmoved and sighed inwardly. The immature Fallen Heart Flame floated into his palm with a wave of his hand.
"Back then, when I found this place, I discovered traces of the Fallen Heart Flame for the first time. After spending several years, I finally managed to subdue it with great difficulty. The Fallen Heart Flame I subdued is exactly the one inside your body now."
Xiao Yan didn't interrupt and patiently listened to Venerable Tian Huo's story.
"Relying on some abilities, I felt I could roam the world freely. So, after subduing the Fallen Heart Flame, I didn't leave but instead ventured deeper into this magma world out of curiosity," Venerable Tian Huo said with a hint of regret in his voice, seemingly remorseful of his recklessness back then.
"After delving deeper into the magma world, I discovered another Essence Flame seed of the Fallen Heart Flame. This discovery delighted me greatly, so I greedily sought to acquire this Essence Flame seed as well. As a result, when the two Heavenly Flames merged within me, they not only failed to merge perfectly but repelled each other like mortal enemies. That clash of Heavenly Flames left me severely injured, and at that critical moment, I was attacked." Venerable Tian Huo sighed, recounting the cause of his downfall.
"Was it those Flame Lizards?" Xiao Yan frowned and asked tentatively.
"It seems you've also encountered them," Venerable Tian Huo was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
"It wasn't too bad; I avoided them," Xiao Yan smiled, not explaining how he had done so.
A strange light flashed in Venerable Tian Huo's eyes upon hearing that Xiao Yan could avoid them.
Maintaining a neutral expression, he said, "Those Flame Lizards seem to be the indigenous creatures here. Their numbers are vast, and among them are super experts capable of rivaling Dou Venerates. That time, I encountered a Lizard Tribe expert at the Dou Venerate level."
Dou Venerate!! Xiao Yan's heart trembled. A magical beast at the Dou Venerate level would be equivalent to a Rank 8 magical beast! That was even stronger than Medusa in her complete form!
'This Headmaster is really unreliable, building an academy here!' Xiao Yan inwardly complained about the elusive Headmaster.
"Had I been in peak condition, I certainly wouldn't have feared it. But unfortunately, the conflict between the two Heavenly Flames had already left me severely wounded. You can guess the outcome. I was fatally injured after that great battle. Fortunately, those Lizard Tribe experts didn't understand Spatial Strength, so they couldn't find my hiding place." A hint of vivid recollection flashed in Venerable Tian Huo's eyes, as if that battle had left a deep impression on him.
"However, I was unable to leave this place due to my severe injuries, and my physical body gradually collapsed. In my final moments, I released the mature Fallen Heart Flame I had subdued, and my soul attached itself to that Essence Flame seed, hoping to preserve myself this way. But after so many years, my soul has gradually become unsustainable. If no one enters this place within two years, perhaps my soul will completely dissipate."
Xiao Yan sneered inwardly upon hearing this, 'As expected, the reason Venerable Tian Huo released the Fallen Heart Flame back then was to lead the next person who subdued it to dive into this magma world, find this place, and take him away.'
As long as the person who subdued the Fallen Heart Flame knew there was treasure beneath the magma world, they would definitely go to great lengths to dive in. This way, there would be a chance to leave this place.
The Fallen Heart Flame was the bait!
After listening, Xiao Yan maintained a calm demeanor. He held the little Fallen Heart Flame serpent in his left hand, gently stroking it with his right fingers like teasing a pet snake, showing no interest in Venerable Tian Huo's past.
Venerable Tian Huo understood when he saw that Xiao Yan remained unmoved. The black-robed man before him was an old fox who wouldn't release the hawk without seeing the rabbit.
"Sigh, although I don't know who you are, since you have the ability to dive to the bottom of the magma and reach this place, you naturally have the means to leave. I wish to ask you for a favor. Rest assured, besides this immature Fallen Heart Flame, I will give you sufficient compensation," Venerable Tian Huo sighed. He had no choice but to release the rabbit.
A smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth. Hearing there was a 'rabbit,' he finally stopped his actions, slowly looked toward Venerable Tian Huo, and said calmly, "Please, go ahead."
"I hope you can take me away from here and help me find a medicinal pill to repair my soul. With my current soul, I'm afraid I won't last another two years before dissipating," Venerable Tian Huo said helplessly.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. No wonder they say that the Dou Venerate realm was a dividing line. Such an old monster had been dead for who knows how many years, yet even though his soul had consumed much power, he still had a chance for resurrection.
Moreover, he truly had the means to restore Venerable Tian Huo's Spiritual Strength. He even possessed a Secret Technique that could use three kinds of Heavenly Flames to condense a physical body, allowing a soul body to perfectly merge and be resurrected.
"Heh heh, rest assured. As long as you can help this old man repair his soul, I swear on my soul that I will never act against you in the future." Seeing Xiao Yan in contemplation, Venerable Tian Huo smiled and spoke slowly. Then, with a wave of his hand, a snow-white storage ring flew up from the white bones beside him and landed in his palm. With a flick of his finger, a pale scroll appeared before him. On the scroll were illustrations of various birds and beasts enveloped in flames.
"This is the Dou Technique that made this old man famous back in the day. It is called the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique." Venerable Tian Huo tossed the scroll to Xiao Yan and said, "As long as you can help this old man, this will be yours. I can even pass on all I've learned in my life to you. If you doubt my sincerity, you can take the scroll first. Once you find there are no issues, it won't be too late to help me repair my soul."
Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before cautiously unrolling the scroll. Instantly, a stream of spiritual information flowed into his mind.
He silently recited in his heart: 'Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, High Di Class. The technique is divided into five levels, each corresponding to a beast: Wolf, Leopard, Lion, Tiger, and Dragon. Each level has its own Fire Spirit. When the technique reaches perfection and the five beasts gather together, it can form the Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation, possessing immense power capable of evaporating seas and scorching the sky.'
His gaze slowly swept over this somewhat brief introduction, and then his eyes settled on the last line of small text.
'If among the five beasts, three are condensed from Heavenly Flames, its power will be unrivaled among Di Class Dou Techniques. If four are condensed from Heavenly Flames, it can rival Tian Class Dou Techniques. If all Fire Spirits are condensed from Heavenly Flames, its power equals that of a Low Tian Class Dou Technique.'
'Hmm?! Equal to Low Tian Class?!'
Xiao Yan stared intently and took a deep breath. Although there were a few Low Tian Class Dou Techniques in his mysterious storage ring, those techniques either required specific Qi Methods to cultivate or had incompatible Dou Qi attributes. Not a single one was suitable for him.
Among all the high-level Dou Techniques he had come into contact with, aside from the unranked method 'Breaking Through the Heavens' given by his ancestor Xiao Xuan, perhaps the highest was the High Di Class 'God Seal Technique' given to him by Xun Er.
After his mind calmed from the initial shock, Xiao Yan pursed his lips slightly and asked, "Venerable Tian Huo, if this technique requires five kinds of Heavenly Flames to unleash its maximum power, how could a person possibly possess so many Heavenly Flames?"
Xiao Yan instantly spotted the problem with this technique. Unless one cultivated something like the Flame Mantra as he did, how could anyone simultaneously possess five kinds of Heavenly Flames? Could it be that the creator of this technique also possessed five kinds of Heavenly Flames?
Seemingly anticipating Xiao Yan's question, Venerable Tian Huo smiled slightly and said, "You misunderstand. The Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique requires the Fire Spirits to be condensed from a Heavenly Flame, but it doesn't need different Heavenly Flames."
"Back then, after I subdued the Fallen Heart Flame, the first four Fire Spirits were all condensed from it. The difficulty of the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, aside from needing to condense perfect Fire Spirits, lies in learning how to split the Heavenly Flame into two, and then split it further into four. Back then, because I couldn't split the Fallen Heart Flame into a fifth Fire Spirit, I took the risk of absorbing a second Fallen Heart Flame, leading to my current predicament."
Xiao Yan suddenly understood. Indeed, where would an ordinary person find five kinds of Heavenly Flames? Forget five; even two was extremely difficult.
In a deep voice, he asked, "Then, what if a person has five kinds of Heavenly Flames?"
Venerable Tian Huo chuckled and shook his head as if hearing something amusing. "Generally, one would use the fire seeds of five Beast Flames to substitute for Heavenly Flames. If a person could simultaneously obtain five kinds of Heavenly Flames, then for the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique, they would only need to learn how to condense Fire Spirits and cultivate the technique to entry level to exert its full power."
Xiao Yan finally understood. The entry level of the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique involved learning how to refine five different fire seeds into distinct Fire Spirits. At minor mastery, fewer fire seeds would be needed, and reaching perfection allowed a single fire seed to substitute for all five.
In other words, as long as one possessed a single Heavenly Flame and cultivated the technique to perfection, the power of this Dou Technique would be equivalent to a Tian Class Dou Technique. Without a Heavenly Flame, it would be merely High Di Class.
This was somewhat similar to the God Seal Technique. When the five seals were combined, they unleashed the power of a Tian Class Dou Technique.
'This is indeed a profound technique, able to make one fire seed serve as five,' Xiao Yan muttered to himself.
"Don't be greedy like me and try to subdue multiple Heavenly Flames. Even if they are of the same kind, Heavenly Flames will conflict and erupt. Moreover, how could anyone possibly possess five kinds of Heavenly Flames? Even a Dou Saint couldn't simultaneously possess five kinds of Heavenly Flames," Venerable Tian Huo waved his hand, advising Xiao Yan not to aim too high and to cultivate steadily.
Xiao Yan merely gave Venerable Tian Huo a faint smile without saying a word.
I'll just smile and say nothing.
After carefully rolling up the scroll, Xiao Yan fell into contemplation. He didn't immediately give Venerable Tian Huo a response. He could sense that there was a seal on the scroll; without Venerable Tian Huo unlocking it, merely possessing the scroll wouldn't allow him to cultivate the technique.
Undoubtedly, the value of this Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique had already exceeded 150,000 soul points. Moreover, Venerable Tian Huo had cultivated it to perfection. With his guidance, Xiao Yan's cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Furthermore, Xiao Yan possessed five complete Heavenly Flames. This Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique was simply a perfect fit for him. He only needed to reach entry level to unleash Tian Class power, without needing to cultivate it to perfection.
However, Venerable Tian Huo had a second condition. He needed help refining medicinal pills to repair his soul.
This was the soul of a Dou Venerate! Repairing a Dou Venerate's soul would require at least a tier 7 medicinal pill, perhaps even a tier 8. That would be a loss.