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**
One Month Later
The silent world of magma.
At the edge of a lava lake, atop a stone platform.
Wei Yang sat cross-legged at the platform's edge, extending a long, slender hand.
In his palm, a dark-red flame danced playfully.
This was the beast flame of the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent—or rather, a separated sub-flame from its core essence.
At this moment, the flame had already been refined into his body, completely under his control. Its color had changed from deep red to dark red.
Wei Yang named it: Lava Earth Core Flame.
"Go!" Wei Yang flicked his hand.
Whoosh!
The dark-red flame surged forth, spreading like a fan. The searing heat distorted the air before him.
Under the infusion of his Dou Qi, the fire's power seemed even more intense and violent than when wielded by the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent itself.
Nearby, Ye Xian'er was also playing with flames, waving her delicate hands.
In her palms, a deep-red fire flickered, tinged with a faint trace of ashen-white.
She was completely engrossed in her newfound ability, playing with the fire like a child discovering a new toy.
A few days ago, Wei Yang had finally helped Ye Xian'er refine and absorb three Green Lotus Seeds.
Spending nearly a month, her cultivation skyrocketed from a One-Star Da Dou Shi all the way to Nine-Star Da Dou Shi!
Then, just yesterday, Wei Yang helped her refine the beast flame into her body.
With her Fire Poison Dou Qi and Nine-Star Da Dou Shi cultivation, she could have refined the peak Rank 4 beast flame on her own.
It would have been difficult, painful, and time-consuming—but still achievable.
Since he was there, Wei Yang figured he might as well help her finish the process swiftly.
Now, Ye Xian'er not only possessed fire poison attributes but also carried an exceptionally pure strand of wood attribute energy.
This single strand of wood attribute was even purer than that of most alchemists born with a wood affinity.
Using this pure wood attribute to drive her flames enhanced their power, making them even more ferocious and domineering.
"You're actually more suited for refining poison pills—you'd get an extra boost from your attributes."
Wei Yang looked at Ye Xian'er and chuckled.
"Your Dou Qi carries fire poison. When you use it to control flames, the fire naturally inherits the poison. If you refine normal pills, you'll have to constantly suppress the fire poison to avoid contaminating the medicine—it'll be a hassle."
"I'm not afraid of trouble!" Ye Xian'er shook her head, looking determined. "I'll refine poison pills and normal pills. I want to master both!"
Becoming an alchemist had been her lifelong dream—now that she had achieved it, she was completely satisfied.
A little extra trouble? Who cared?
Seeing her enthusiasm, Wei Yang didn't say any more.
If she liked it, why stop her?
At worst, she'd just waste a few herbs—not a big deal.
The Next Day
It was time to leave.
"We've been in the Tagore Desert for nearly three months. It's about time we left." Wei Yang said.
"Huh? We're leaving already?" Ye Xian'er looked around at the magma-filled world, a trace of reluctance in her eyes.
"I think this place is perfect for cultivation. Why don't we stay a little longer?"
She was naturally quiet and gentle, never fond of lively or bustling places.
So, staying in this silent, lifeless environment didn't bother her at all.
In fact, compared to the outside world, she preferred it here.
She didn't want to leave.
After all, the cultivation environment here was just too good, and the fire poison was even more of a tonic for her.
Sure, she could still absorb fire energy from nature outside or even consume poisonous herbs to enhance her strength, but it wouldn't compare to training here.
This place provided an endless, concentrated supply of pure fire poison.
"This place is great for cultivation," Wei Yang admitted, glancing at the magma world.
But then he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it's still in the Tagore Desert."
"We need to return to the empire's. If you want to become a true alchemist, staying here isn't an option."
"We need a large supply of low-grade herbs to start learning from Tier 1 pills and gradually improve step by step."
"Mm." Ye Xian'er nodded.
Indeed, if the two of them wanted to become true alchemists, staying in this magma world wouldn't be enough.
To become an alchemist, there were many things they needed to prepare—
A vast amount of low-tier medicinal herbs, pill recipes, alchemy cauldrons, inheritances from alchemists, and more…
Wei Yang stood up.
"The main storyline is about to begin soon… at most, three or four months from now. It's time to go back and take a look." He thought to himself.
Taking one last glance at the surroundings, Wei Yang withdrew his gaze.
"Let's go."
Ye Xian'er walked over and jumped into his arms, skillfully clinging onto him.
Wei Yang patted her small perky butt and teased, "You're already a Nine-Star Da Dou Shi, and you still can't run up the passage on your own? Such a lazy girl, making me carry you for just this short distance."
"I can't fly, and you'd have to carry me once we're outside anyway. So why not just carry me all the way out?" Xian'er snuggled into his chest, her delicate arms wrapped around his neck as she nuzzled against him comfortably, breathing in his scent. She closed her eyes with a contented smile.
Wei Yang chuckled.
"So once you reach Dou Wang, you won't need me to carry you anymore?"
"I'll still need you to carry me! You fly faster than me!" Ye Xian'er pouted playfully.
"This girl…" Wei Yang shook his head in amusement. He pecked her lips lightly, knowing full well that she was just making excuses for her laziness.
Holding Xian'er securely, his figure flashed as he reached the entrance of the passage and slipped inside.
As they raced through the tunnel, the wind whistled past their ears.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the exit.
Sweeping out with his soul power, Wei Yang detected the layers of yellow sand burying the passage entrance.
With a slight movement of his hand, the sand shifted and rolled away, allowing the sunlight to spill in.
Wei Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, adjusting to the brilliant daylight. Then, holding Xian'er, he shot out of the tunnel.
Whoosh!
The black wings on his back unfolded, suspending him in mid-air.
Glancing down at the sand-covered entrance, Wei Yang lifted his hand, initially intending to destroy it.
But after a moment of thought, he merely waved his palm, sweeping up massive amounts of sand to bury the entrance again.
After all, he might return here in the future—it wouldn't hurt to leave the passage intact.
With the sand concealing it, outsiders wouldn't easily discover this place.
Determining the right direction, Wei Yang gave his wings a powerful flap, transforming into a streak of black-red light as he sped away.
Back in the desert, the raging winds and shifting sands would soon erase all traces of their presence.
After more than a month underground, they were finally back on the desert sands.
Flying through the scorching sky, Wei Yang took a deep breath of the dry desert air—and surprisingly, it felt refreshing.
The desert was still the same as before.
The blue sky, the blistering heat, the blazing sun, the howling sandstorms—everything remained unchanged.
But after spending nearly two months in the magma world, the outside air now seemed cool and crisp in comparison.
Before long, the silhouette of Rock Desert City appeared in the distance.
Wei Yang slowed down slightly, pulled out a map from his storage ring, and adjusted his course.
Instead of heading toward the city, he flapped his black wings and flew around it from a distance.
"Brother Yang, aren't we going back to Rock Desert City?" Ye Xian'er asked curiously.
"No, we're heading straight for the inner region of the empire—I want to stop by Black Rock City first." Wei Yang smiled.
As he flew, he glanced one last time at the gradually shrinking Rock Desert City in the distance.
His thoughts drifted to Qing Lin, the little girl who, at this moment, was still somewhere in that city, completely unaware of his presence.
Shaking his head slightly, Wei Yang sighed.
"Since fate did not bring us together, then so be it."
They had lived in Rock Desert City for nearly a month, coming and going daily—yet he had never once encountered her.
Of course, it was partly because he hadn't actively searched for her.
But still, if fate truly intended them to meet, wouldn't they have run into each other by now?
Clearly, they were never meant to cross paths.
Since it was just a passing thought, Wei Yang didn't bother pursuing it further.
With that, he soared away—leaving the desert behind.
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