Chapter 21: Devouring the Green Lion Demon Flame
Time passed. It took Xiao Yan nearly half an hour before he managed to sit up again.
"Nope... still weak."
Feeling the stark contrast between his current strength and his former power, Xiao Yan sighed in frustration.
"But once I devour the Green Lion Demon Flame, this technique should advance a little," he thought, summoning his cauldron with a wave of his hand.
With a flick of his finger, the green flames roared to life. Xiao Yan gestured, and a variety of herbs flew out of his storage ring, falling neatly into the cauldron.
"Still missing a magic core," he murmured, tossing a white magic core into the cauldron.
The blazing green flame enveloped the ingredients, beginning to refine them with intense heat. However, after half an hour, just as the pill was about to form, there was a loud bang! from inside the cauldron.
"Am I so weak now that I can't even refine a fourth tier pill?" Xiao Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead. The drastic drop in both the quality and quantity of his Dou Qi had significantly hindered his control over it.
"Good thing this was just a fourth tier pill," he muttered. After steadying his mind, Xiao Yan circulated his Dou Qi a few times to regain better control before reigniting the flames.
Refining the Iceheart Vitality Pill
This time, Xiao Yan worked carefully.
A fourth tier ice elemental magic core, jade marrow herb, vitality grass, and evergreen flower...
Under the scorching heat of the Green Lion Demon Flame, the dozens of ingredients were quickly refined. Some turned into powder, others into crystalline liquids, while the magic core melted into a cluster of pure ice energy.
Now for the final step.
Xiao Yan steadied himself, focusing his mind entirely. One by one, the refined materials fused into the ice energy core, following a precise sequence.
The mixture, now a muddled mass of colors, was slowly roasted under the flame. Eventually, it transformed back into a pristine snow white sphere, about the size of a fist.
The next step was to condense the pill.
Xiao Yan remained motionless, his powerful soul force guiding his unstable Dou Qi with precision.
The green flame within the cauldron flickered and churned, gradually shaping itself into the form of a lion's head. The fiery lion engulfed the nascent pill in its jaws, shielding it as it solidified.
After another thirty minutes, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed sharply. The fiery lion contracted, revealing a brilliant, crystalline white pill.
A fourth tier pill, the Iceheart Vitality Pill!
This was an essential preparation for refining Beast Flames or Heavenly Flames.
Preparing for the Devouring
Once the pill was completed, Xiao Yan slumped down, wiping sweat from his brow.
In the past, he could have refined ten such pills in a single session without breaking a sweat. Now, the process had left him drained.
"I need to devour this flame as soon as possible," he murmured. After consuming another Six Flavored Earth Emperor Pill, Xiao Yan meditated for half an hour to recover his strength.
Finally, it was time.
Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with anticipation. Every step he had taken from apprenticing under Yao Chen, to cultivating the Burning Art, to enduring his current weakness was for this moment.
If he could successfully devour this Beast Flame, it would all be worth it. And if this led to the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's inheritance someday, even more so.
"Let's begin."
He swallowed the Iceheart Vitality Pill in one gulp.
The pill melted instantly, turning into a cooling, snow white liquid that flowed down his throat.
It felt like drinking an icy beer on a sweltering summer day, sending shivers through Xiao Yan's body.
"Refreshing!" Xiao Yan exhaled, a frosty breath escaping his lips. A thin crystalline layer formed over his meridians, fortifying them for what was to come.
Devouring the Green Lion Demon Flame
Xiao Yan closed his eyes, focusing inward. Within his Qi Sea, his vast reserves of Dou Qi churned unstable and faint. Among them, a cluster of green flames roamed freely, taking the form of a winged lion cub.
"Time to stop playing around," Xiao Yan thought.
With a command of his mind, the flame lion was yanked out of his Qi Sea, hovering in front of him.
It wriggled and snarled, as if aware of what was about to happen.
Xiao Yan's expression turned stern. With a sharp intake of breath, he activated the Burning Art. The crystalline layer around his meridians shone brilliantly, as if welcoming the arrival of something powerful.
The green flames roared fiercely, resisting as Xiao Yan began to draw them into his meridians.
"Submit!" Xiao Yan growled, his soul force pressing down on the rebellious flame.
The flame lion struggled violently, its heat surging wildly in defiance. Xiao Yan's crystalline coated meridians absorbed the searing heat, shaking under the immense strain.
"Come on!"
Xiao Yan clenched his teeth as beads of sweat poured down his face. His mind, body, and soul strained to their limits as he wrestled with the wild flame, forcing it into submission.
As the flame began to integrate into his meridians, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi started to change. The once pale yellow Dou Qi slowly regained its luster, glowing faintly green with the essence of the Beast Flame.
Triumph
After what felt like an eternity, Xiao Yan let out a roar, his body surging with energy.
When he opened his eyes, they gleamed with a green hue. On his arm, a faint lion shaped flame mark appeared proof of his successful refinement.
"Finally..." Xiao Yan exhaled, his voice trembling with exhaustion and satisfaction.
The Burning Art advanced to Yellow tier Advanced. Though far from its full potential, this was just the beginning of its evolution.
"Next stop... a Heavenly Flame."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his determination burning as brightly as the flame coursing through his veins.
"Roar!" The small green lion struggled briefly, but Xiao Yan's soul force shattered it into a cluster of green flames. The flames were then enveloped by his Dou Qi, forming a slender, flaming line that began to flow along the meridian path prescribed by the Burning Art.
As soon as the green flames entered his meridians, Xiao Yan felt a sharp burning pain coursing through him. However, the Green Lion Demon Flame caused no real harm to him.
After all, this Beast Flame had been refined into his Life Flame when he was just ten years old. Moreover, his Crimson Refining Flame Demon Body was forged using the Green Lion Demon Flame, giving him an extraordinary resistance to it.
Even in his current weakened state as a one star Dou Emperor, Xiao Yan could have safely handled the flame without the Iceheart Vitality Pill.
But Xiao Yan had always believed in doing things thoroughly. Since he was determined to refine this Beast Flame, he would spare no effort to ensure the process went as smoothly as possible.
The Iceheart Vitality Pill soon proved its worth, significantly reducing the burning pain caused by the Green Lion Demon Flame. The searing pain, which would have been an intense 7 or 8 out of 10, was reduced to a manageable 3 or 4. Xiao Yan felt uncomfortable but entirely capable of enduring it.
Integration of Flame and Dou Qi
As the Green Lion Demon Flame flowed along the meridian path outlined in the Burning Art, Xiao Yan noticed something remarkable.
The Dou Qi enveloping the Green Lion Demon Flame began to merge with it.
No merge wasn't quite the right word. The Burning Art's Dou Qi was actively devouring the Green Lion Demon Flame!
"Wow, this is incredible!" Xiao Yan was overjoyed, carefully guiding his Dou Qi to continue absorbing the flame as it circulated.
After completing one cycle through the meridian path, the flame and Dou Qi had fused almost completely. The originally pale yellow Dou Qi had taken on a strange, ethereal green hue.
The surface of the green Dou Qi now flickered with faint green flames, which no longer harmed his meridians.
First Evolution of the Burning Art
"My Dou Qi is finally getting some strength back," Xiao Yan thought, his eyes still closed as he felt the enhanced energy coursing through him.
"The Burning Art has evolved from Yellow tier Low to Yellow tier High," he murmured with a sigh.
The Green Lion Demon Flame was excellent, but compared to true Heavenly Flames, it was far inferior. Even the weakest Heavenly Flame, such as the Mystic Yellow Flame, surpassed the power of this Beast Flame. Only by fusing many Beast Flames into the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame could one rival a low ranked Heavenly Flame.
"It seems my next goal is to head to the Northwest Continent and search for Heavenly Flames."
Xiao Yan's mind turned to the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Falling Heart Flame. Either of these could help him not only restore his strength to the Earth tier but potentially break through to the Dou Ancestor realm.
And, of course, there were people waiting for him on the Northwest Continent.
Thinking of the beauties awaiting him there, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a wave of excitement. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips.
"Time to prepare."
Farewell to Yao Chen
Three days later...
"Teacher, I'm leaving," Xiao Yan said, standing before Yao Chen.
The once proud and composed Medicine Venerable now looked disheveled, his hair unkempt and his expression somewhat crazed. Xiao Yan felt a pang of guilt as he observed his master, who had clearly been pushing himself to the brink in his quest to break through to the Half Saint realm.
"Leaving?" Yao Chen ruffled his messy hair, frowning. "Where are you going? You're a once in a century alchemy prodigy, and I am the greatest alchemist on the continent!
You're destined to become the brightest star in the world of alchemy under my guidance!"
Xiao Yan stared at him, feeling a mix of amusement and pity for his obsessed teacher.
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