When Xiao Yan awoke from his daze, his body still throbbed with a faint, needle-like pain. He touched the Nalan ring on his finger, and a small jade bottle appeared in his hand. Tipping the bottle, he poured a few drops of pink liquid into his mouth. After taking the pink liquid, which had a pain-relieving effect, the stabbing pain gradually subsided. Getting up, Xiao Yan picked up the black scroll and found that all the text and eagle-wing diagrams had disappeared.
Looking at the empty scroll, Xiao Yan blinked and suddenly took off his shirt. From the Nalan ring, he retrieved a crystal mirror. Using the reflection, he noticed a new pair of palm-sized, black eagle-wing tattoos on his back. “Is this the Purple Cloud Eagle Wing?” he muttered in confusion. Channeling his Dou Qi, he directed it through the two small meridians and into the tattoo on his back.
Upon receiving the Dou Qi, the black tattoo emitted a faint purple light and eventually transformed into a substantial wing. The area of the black eagle wings expanded from palm-size to about half a foot. Curiously, he examined the eagle wings with their purple patterns and tried to control them. A slight buoyancy appeared beneath him, but it was too weak to lift him off the ground.
“Using the Purple Cloud Wing requires a considerable amount of Dou Qi. Given your current strength and proficiency, you can only glide for short distances,” said Medicine Elder, laughing at Xiao Yan’s comical actions.
Grinning, Xiao Yan nodded. He hadn’t expected to fly immediately, so he was satisfied with this progress. He stopped the Dou Qi flow, and the eagle wings returned to being a black tattoo on his back. Stretching, he put away the now-empty black scroll and took out another ancient-looking scroll from the Nalan ring.
He examined the slightly yellowed, ancient scroll with excitement. It must be something extraordinary to be hidden in such a concealed place. Unrolling the scroll, he saw a piece of parchment made of some unknown material, with seemingly random patterns drawn on it. Tracing one pattern with his finger, he followed its course until it disappeared off the edge of the parchment, finding nothing else.
“What the heck is this?” Xiao Yan frowned, looking at the cryptic, talisman-like object.
The black ring on his finger trembled, and Medicine Elder emerged, scanning the ancient parchment. “It seems… like a fragment of a map.”
“A map? And it’s incomplete?” Xiao Yan’s eyes rolled, and his interest waned.
Ignoring Xiao Yan’s lack of enthusiasm, Medicine Elder carefully examined the parchment. When his gaze fell on a vague lotus-like image in the corner, his expression changed. He leaned in to examine the lotus, which, due to the passage of time, appeared somewhat faded and blurry. Still, the outline was clear enough. The lotus was black, with a thin layer of black flame clinging to its surface, giving it an eerie, demonic appearance.
“Teacher, what did you find?” Xiao Yan asked, surprised by Medicine Elder’s reaction.
“Could this be the ‘Pure Lotus Demon Flame’?” Medicine Elder murmured, staring intently at the black lotus.
“Pure Lotus Demon Flame?” Xiao Yan blinked in confusion. “Is it a variant flame?”
“Yes, it’s a variant flame, and the most mysterious one on the Flame List, ranking third. It has a purifying effect, turning anything it touches into nothingness. Its power is terrifying. This variant flame is extremely rare, and no one knows where it is or who recorded it. I recognized it because I found a hint about it while searching for variant flames. Could this map be a clue to finding the Pure Lotus Demon Flame?” Medicine Elder said, gazing at the ancient parchment in awe.
“Unfortunately, it’s just a fragment. With such vague information, we can’t find it,” Xiao Yan sighed, his interest piqued.
“Getting even a hint of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame is a good start. Even if you could find it now, your strength wouldn’t be enough to handle it. Take it step by step. Maybe we’ll find other fragments later. If you can successfully devour the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, who knows how high your ‘Burning Decision’ will evolve?”
“Isn’t the highest level Heavenly Rank?” Xiao Yan shrugged.
“That’s not necessarily true,” Medicine Elder said with a mysterious smile. “The Dou Qi Continent is vast. You’ll understand its size as you progress. For now, start from the bottom. Don’t forget, even a small Wolfhead Mercenary Group has given you a hard time.”
Xiao Yan sighed, nodding. “Who doesn’t start from the bottom?”
Medicine Elder smiled, his body shimmering and disappearing into the ring. “Take a day off. Starting tomorrow, the hard training begins!”
Xiao Yan rubbed his face, grinning. “I’m looking forward to it!”
…
The gentle sunlight illuminated the earth, and a massive waterfall thundered down the mountain, turning into a silver dragon and plunging into a small valley, creating a resonant roar.
Standing beneath the waterfall, Xiao Yan took a deep breath of the moist air and gazed up at the towering waterfall, feeling a shiver. Behind him, dozens of wooden stakes were planted in the ground, with several hanging from tree branches two meters above. A strong gust of wind caused them to sway.
Medicine Elder emerged, examining the stakes with a satisfied nod. His eyes glinted mischievously as he pointed at the stakes and said, “Every morning, you will train here. I will command the floating stakes to attack you, and you must dodge them without removing the heavy sword from your back—oh, you call it the Black Heavy Ruler now. You cannot remove the Black Heavy Ruler, and you cannot use the Suction Palm or Blowing Fire Palm.”
Xiao Yan nodded, eager to try, confident in his dodging speed.
“Wanna give it a shot?” Medicine Elder smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
“As you wish.” Xiao Yan leapt onto a stake, his graceful form exuding a lofty aura. “Come on, let me see how you make me suffer.”
“Good spirit. Let’s see how long you can last,” Medicine Elder said, waving his sleeve. A strong gust of wind sent the stakes swaying, and one of them lunged at Xiao Yan.
The pressure from the approaching stake made Xiao Yan serious. He bent his body, and the stake narrowly missed. As he rose, another stake flew at him. He stepped on the stake, but his foot felt stuck. Startled, he quickly channeled Dou Qi to free himself, dodging the stakes.
Although he evaded the first attack, he was hit by a barrage of five stakes, toppling him over. Medicine Elder chuckled, “How was it?”
“What did you do to the stakes?” Xiao Yan, rubbing his chest, groaned.
“I coated them with ink glue. You must use Dou Qi to counteract the stickiness, or you’ll be hit. So, you must keep your Dou Qi flowing constantly. Over time, you’ll gain significant benefits,” Medicine Elder explained.
“This exercise will improve your agility and control of Dou Qi,” he added, pointing at the stakes.
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