In the spacious cavern, the Pharmacist Elder floated in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the azure flame barrier below. His fingers gently tapped, and after a while, he frowned slightly, murmuring, “Why is it taking so long? Could something have gone wrong?” After waiting a bit longer and seeing that the azure flame barrier still showed no sign of dissipating, the Pharmacist Elder’s frown deepened. Muttering to himself for a moment, he prepared to forcibly break the azure barrier.
Just as the Pharmacist Elder was about to act, energy ripples suddenly began to rapidly appear on the surface of the previously quiet azure barrier. Following this, a powerful aura suddenly burst forth from within the flame barrier. Sensing this aura, the Pharmacist Elder was slightly taken aback, speaking with a hint of surprise, “This aura? How did it suddenly become so much stronger? While refining a different flame can enhance one’s combat strength, it doesn’t have the function of elevating one’s level…”
Shaking his head in confusion, the Pharmacist Elder sighed softly, murmuring, “Although it’s a bit strange, it seems the refinement of the different flame has succeeded.”
With a light chuckle, the Pharmacist Elder turned his gaze back to the azure flame barrier, which was now rippling with energy. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he waited quietly.
As the energy ripples on the barrier grew more intense, fine cracks began to appear on the round surface of the barrier. These cracks slowly spread until they covered the entire barrier, making it look like a cracked azure egg.
“Crack…crack…”
A crisp sound echoed through the cavern. A small fragment of energy from the azure barrier fell silently, landing on a rock and melting a small pit into it due to its intense heat.
“Crack… crack…”
After the first fragment fell, the azure energy barrier started to violently shake. This trembling continued for a moment before the barrier suddenly exploded with a loud bang. Countless tiny fragments of energy were blasted out in all directions, creating numerous small melted holes in the surrounding walls.
Floating in mid-air, the Pharmacist Elder squinted his old eyes. Any energy fragments that shot towards him dissipated into puffs of blue smoke when they reached within half a foot of his body, causing him no harm.
The energy fragments continued to explode for a while before gradually dissipating. As the energy fragments disappeared, a faint azure light rose from where they had been. A perfect azure lotus seat gradually ascended, finally levitating at the same height as the Pharmacist Elder.
On the azure lotus seat, a naked young man sat cross-legged. His closed eyes trembled slightly before slowly opening. His black-as-ink pupils were surrounded by a faint azure flame, which suddenly surged up, covering his entire eye, turning his irises a bright azure, giving him an eerie, otherworldly appearance.
The azure flame in his eyes did not last long, gradually fading away. When the flames completely disappeared, his eyes returned to their pitch-black color, but now, they seemed significantly brighter than before. Clearly, the refinement by the azure lotus flame had granted Xiao Yan some unknown benefits to his eyes.
Opening his eyes, Xiao Yan moved his neck slightly, and the bones made a series of crisp cracking sounds. Satisfied, he took a deep breath, feeling utterly refreshed and delighted.
Looking down, Xiao Yan saw his now pale skin and couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. The healthy tan he had finally achieved had now faded away.
Excitedly rubbing his hands, Xiao Yan grinned and then recounted his experience, including his fainting and the actions of the azure lotus flame.
“Tsk tsk… So that’s what happened. What a lucky fellow…”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s account, the Pharmacist Elder was astounded, finally exclaiming in amazement. Such good fortune was rare. Not only did the azure lotus flame heal and strengthen his body, but Xiao Yan’s luck in wandering near the spirit-absorbing place was also astounding. This critical and difficult step in refining the different flame had been completely safe, requiring no sacrifice except for a brief, intense headache.
Recalling his own efforts to drive the Bone Spirit Cold Flame into the spirit-absorbing place, the Pharmacist Elder sighed, remembering the great cost he had paid. If not for a stroke of luck, he would have been destroyed by the different flame in the final step.
“Isn’t the level increase a result of refining the different flame?” Seeing the Pharmacist Elder’s incredulous expression, Xiao Yan scratched his head, looking puzzled.
“Daydreaming…” The Pharmacist Elder rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan, noting his innocent expression. Inwardly, he sighed, comparing himself, “The benefits of refining a different flame are long-term and subtle. As you gain better control over them, the benefits will increase. But, your situation is an extremely fortunate one. Pity, if your current level was Dou Ling or Dou Wang, jumping several ranks would have been a real win…”
“Hehe, I’m content. Jumping to this level is already satisfying. Any higher, and my body might not be able to handle it. After all, I didn’t earn it step by step, so the foundation is a bit shaky. I might fall someday, and that kind of drop is hard to accept,” Xiao Yan smiled, his satisfaction genuine.
“Heh, the little guy knows when to stop. Impressive,” the Pharmacist Elder raised an eyebrow, surprised by Xiao Yan’s words. He was quite taken aback, as many people dream of drastically increasing their strength.
“Just being honest,” Xiao Yan shrugged, smiling.
“Alright, let’s try out your primordial fire seed. This is your first different flame,” the Pharmacist Elder nodded, curiosity in his voice.
“Okay.” Hearing this, excitement and novelty surged onto Xiao Yan’s face. Rubbing his hands, he slowly extended his right hand, closing his eyes. His mind flashed through his body, sending out a command.
As the command went out, his body responded immediately. At the center of the Dou Qi vortex, a small gray light point trembled, then after a momentary silence, a wisp of azure flame surged out.
The azure flame coursed through the vortex and rushed through his body’s meridians, entering his arm’s meridian in the blink of an eye.
Inside the cavern, Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open, and a faint azure flame flashed across them. Opening his palm, he shouted excitedly, “Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, show yourself!”
As Xiao Yan shouted, his right palm trembled, and a surge of azure flame erupted, quickly enveloping his hand.
In the cavern, the young man stood on the floating azure lotus, his slightly open palm emitting an eerie azure flame. The scene was stunning!
Xiao Yan’s eyes fixed on the azure flame in his hand, a slight smile forming on his lips. Gradually, the smile widened, and a soft laugh escaped his throat. Soon, the soft laughter turned into unrestrained, hearty laughter.
“Haha, I, Xiao Yan, finally have a different flame! Haha!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage