Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension

No alchemist can guarantee a 100% success rate; cauldron explosions during refining are extremely common occurrences for them.

Thanks to years of cultivating Dou Qi, which expands and strengthens the meridians, Xiao Yan had accumulated an incredible amount of experience in basic training.

With comprehension far surpassing that of a Dou Di, his years of training had already given him a deep understanding of foundational cultivation techniques.

However, since Xiao Yan had never practiced an advanced cultivation technique before, his potential hadn't been fully realized.

Today, all that accumulated experience finally bore fruit.

Xiao Yan successfully condensed an exceptionally pure and potent flame—the Xuanhuang Flame, an exotic fire.

Although it was not naturally born from heaven and earth, its effects were no less powerful.

Even among exotic flames of the same type, there were varying degrees of strength.

For instance, the Fallen Heart Flame currently sealed within Jia Nan Academy was terrifyingly powerful,

while the Heart Flame Seed in the magma world of the Sky-Burning Refining Tower was considerably weaker.

As Xiao Yan absorbed the pure Dou Qi, the Xuanhuang Flame flickered within his Dou Qi whirlpool, growing stronger with each passing moment.

As the flame matured, it slowly spread throughout Xiao Yan's entire Qi whirlpool, circulating alongside his Dou Qi and gradually flowing into his meridians.

If this had been a naturally occurring Xuanhuang Flame—or even an exotic flame seed—entering his meridians so directly, it would have severely burned them, causing immense internal injuries.

However, since this Xuanhuang Flame was a product of Xiao Yan's own epiphany and cultivation, it was as if it were a natural part of his body.

For Xiao Yan, this flame provided nothing but pure benefits.

As the Xuanhuang Flame coursed through him, it felt like a warm silk ribbon brushing against his skin.

His meridians, nourished by this comforting warmth, felt akin to parched earth being revitalized by spring rain—soothing and invigorating.

A gentle warmth flowed from the Xuanhuang Flame, circulating through his meridians and nourishing every bit of his flesh, bones, and cells.

Under the flame's nurturing influence, Xiao Yan's body underwent further enhancement and strengthening.

As the flame completed its cycle through his meridians, it unexpectedly surged to the surface of his body. A faint yellow flame enveloped him completely.

Once the flame appeared, it began to shift and writhe, gradually transforming into a richer and more intense Xuanhuang Fire.

The flame cloaked Xiao Yan like a suit of armor, and the vast torrents of heavenly energy rushing into him suddenly slowed in the face of the searing heat.

Under the Xuanhuang Flame's protection, the impure energy from the heavens and earth was refined as it passed through the flames, allowing Xiao Yan to absorb it at an even faster rate.

Furthermore, once the purified energy entered his Qi whirlpool, the Xuanhuang Flame tempered it once more, further enhancing the already pure Dou Qi.

"This flame..." Yao Lao's eyes narrowed sharply. "This is no ordinary Dou Qi flame."

"Its color, a profound yellow mystery,

Its fire burns the heart of heaven and earth.

Refining the body, returning to the origin,

The Xuanhuang Flame shines across the skies."

"This is the Xuanhuang Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"

Yao Lao was utterly dumbfounded.

He had been by Xiao Yan's side since birth and was well aware of all his opportunities and fortunes—yet this was something beyond his expectations.

But now, Yao Lao was utterly bewildered...

Where did this Xuanhuang Flame come from?

Could it be due to that heaven-defying physique?

Yao Lao had always known that Xiao Yan's physique was extraordinary, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

Even prenatal cultivation—something as miraculous as this—was unheard of, even to him.

And now, he was witnessing the spontaneous birth of an exotic flame!

What kind of terrifying physique was this?!

The power of the Xuanhuang Flame was far beyond what Xiao Yan's Dou Qi could compare to.

With the flame's influence, the vast heavenly energy that infiltrated Xiao Yan's body from all directions was utterly powerless. It was relentlessly chased down like a frightened stray dog, fleeing desperately.

As the Xuanhuang Flame pursued the energy, traces of its essence seeped into Xiao Yan's flesh and bones.

Each time the yellow flame merged into his body, the affected area would take on a faint yellow hue, marking it as if branded.

As the chase continued, in a matter of moments, all of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was forced into a tight, fist-sized ball of pure white energy, trembling in fear at the encroaching Xuanhuang Flame.

Sensing the impending crisis, the energy trembled violently before surging into the Dou Qi whirlpool.

However, this only led it directly into the heart of the Xuanhuang Flame's stronghold.

The moment this vast energy entered the whirlpool, an enormous commotion ensued.

Not only did the whirlpool's rotation speed drastically accelerate, but its size, originally no larger than a palm, began expanding rapidly.

Within the spinning whirlpool of Xuanhuang energy, the rotation continued ceaselessly, refining and converting the energy into its purest form before merging it into the Xuanhuang Flame at the core.

With the infusion of pure energy, the Xuanhuang Flame grew stronger.

Simultaneously, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi whirlpool expanded continuously, only halting once it had doubled in size.

As the whirlpool's expansion ceased, streams of even more robust fire-attributed Dou Qi began flowing from it, coursing through Xiao Yan's meridians in an orderly cycle.

As Xiao Yan concluded his cultivation, everything in the outside world gradually returned to normal.

Yao Lao stared in disbelief. "He jumped three stars at once and reached a five-star Dou Practitioner!"

To think that Xiao Yan had been practicing this technique for less than three days!

When did the training speed of this low-level Yellow-rank Burning Technique become so heaven-defying?

Even an advanced Xuan-rank technique, combined with countless rare treasures, would struggle to achieve such a terrifying growth rate with such a solid foundation!

However, considering the immense amount of heavenly energy Xiao Yan had absorbed, Yao Lao found some solace.

In fact, gaining just three stars seemed rather modest.

This highlighted one of the drawbacks of advancing to a higher-tier technique.

The advantage of the Burning Technique 2.0 was that it allowed the user to condense their own exotic flame, eliminating the need to search for one externally.

However, the downside was also evident—just like what had happened earlier.

Even after absorbing an enormous amount of heavenly energy, Xiao Yan's strength did not skyrocket beyond belief.

Exotic flames are not born out of thin air.

They require the condensation of vast and terrifying amounts of heavenly energy to take shape.

And this was only the beginning.

To unleash the full potential of an exotic flame, it must continuously be infused with energy to foster its growth and evolution.

Otherwise, even if an exotic flame is successfully condensed, without careful nurturing, it would end up weak—comparable to the Fallen Heart Flame Seed lingering in the magma world beside the spirit of the Heavenly Flame Venerable.

Only through meticulous cultivation could an exotic flame reach the terrifying power of the great Fallen Heart Flame sealed within the Sky-Burning Qi Refining Tower.

(End of Chapter)

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