In the dark forest, a campfire emitted a faint glow, illuminating the area within a hundred meters with a soft red light. Beside the fire, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged. The firelight cast a layer of gentle red over his face, as if he were wearing a sheer, fiery veil. At this moment, his eyes were tightly closed, and the flame mark on his forehead was faintly glowing.
This silence lasted for a while before Xiao Yan’s eyes suddenly opened. An invisible energy surged out from his forehead, swirling around him rapidly. After a moment, it transformed into a human figure, one that bore an identical appearance to Xiao Yan himself.
Xiao Yan turned his head and looked at the doppelganger. Through its form, he could faintly see the flickering firelight from the campfire. “The strength of this doppelganger is probably still at the level of a Dou Ling, and because it was condensed too briefly, a discerning eye could easily see through it,” Xiao Yan mused, his brow slightly furrowed.
According to the cultivation method in his mind, the first step was to condense a doppelganger. If that was successful, the next step would be to refine and strengthen this doppelganger until it matched the power of his original body. Although this sounded simple, it was extremely difficult. Even with the capabilities of someone like Fei Tian, who had spent many years refining his doppelganger, he had only managed to reach a moderate level. True mastery was still far off. Now, having just completed the first step, the distance to true perfection was even farther.
“The cultivation method states that once the doppelganger is formed, one should gradually integrate the power of wind and thunder into it. This power conceals the soul fluctuations, providing both protection and concealment of the soul’s secrets,” Xiao Yan thought, his mind racing.
“Based on this, the lightning that appeared on Fei Tian’s doppelganger must have been for this purpose. Additionally, the power of wind and thunder became a formidable attack method for the doppelganger. However, I do not have the power of wind and thunder. The small amount I absorbed during the cultivation of the Lightning Movement Skill is far from enough to refine the doppelganger. What should I do?” Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed deeply. If the doppelganger lacked the protection of wind and thunder, it would be vulnerable to any energies that could directly harm the soul, like the Fallen Heart Flame. The fate of Fei Tian’s doppelganger served as a stark lesson.
“But where can I get the power of wind and thunder? It took me a long time to gather just enough to cultivate the Lightning Movement Skill.” Unconsciously, the bamboo stick in his hand turned to powder. Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. The Lightning Illusionary Body Technique was truly troublesome.
“Idiot, who said you need the power of wind and thunder? That’s just one way to refine it. You can use other energies as well. The power of the strange fire in your body is much stronger than the power of wind and thunder. Especially the Fallen Heart Flame; if you can integrate it into the doppelganger, you won’t fear any strange energy that harms the soul. This way, the only flaw of the soul doppelganger would be corrected, making it much more powerful than Fei Tian’s.”
As Xiao Yan pondered, the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s voice echoed from the storage ring. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was stunned. “But the cultivation method says to use the power of wind and thunder. Won’t other energies destroy the doppelganger? Particularly the Fallen Heart Flame, which can directly harm the soul. If the doppelganger touches it, won’t it be destroyed?”
“Life is a gamble. The Fallen Heart Flame has already been completely refined by you. When has it ever harmed your soul? As long as you control the balance during the refinement, the doppelganger will soon be perfected.”
Xiao Yan was not unintelligent. He was enlightened by the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s words. After a deep breath, he realized that since obtaining the power of wind and thunder was so difficult, he might as well try the more powerful strange fire. If he failed, there would be no loss, but if he succeeded, the doppelganager would be perfected, becoming a great asset in future battles.
“Then I’ll give it a try!” Xiao Yan made up his mind. With less than twenty days until the energy tide in the Heavenly Vision Mountains began, and with another five or six days needed to cross the mountains, this was the perfect time to make progress. A Dou Ling-level doppelganger would be of no use.
He pointed at the doppelganger, and it quivered, dissolving into light and entering his forehead. With a wave of his hand, the Earth Demon Puppet appeared to guard him. Then, he closed his eyes and entered the sea of souls in his mind.
In the sea of souls, the translucent figure of Xiao Yan slowly appeared. In front of him, soul power fluctuated, and a tiny light glowed, then the doppelganger reappeared.
Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yan summoned a Fallen Heart Flame. The soul sea immediately rippled, though the flame had been tamed, its effects on the soul were still potent, keeping the soul power at a distance.
Xiao Yan ignored the disturbance, threw the Flame towards the doppelganger, and engulfed it. The moment the doppelganger was enveloped, it trembled violently, and its already translucent form faded further.
“Lower the temperature. Keep the flame at a specific temperature. Stay calm and undisturbed, and you should be able to do it,” the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s voice resonated in the soul sea.
Xiao Yan’s fingers moved, and the flame dimmed, cooling down. As the temperature dropped, the doppelganger’s trembling slowed but didn’t stop.
Keeping focused, Xiao Yan gradually lowered the temperature. The doppelganger’s reactions were transmitted back to his mind, and he quickly determined the optimal temperature. This required precise control, as the Fallen Heart Flame strengthened the doppelganger, and Xiao Yan had to adjust the temperature accordingly, making it a taxing process.
Despite the exhaustion, Xiao Yan achieved a perfect control, gradually solidifying the doppelganger. Though the process was slow, the efficiency was astonishing compared to the wind and thunder energy used by others.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s progress, the Heavenly Fire Venerable smiled and faded away. In the soul space, two Xiao Yans sat facing each other, one solemn, the other enveloped in invisible flames. As the night receded, the doppelganger’s refinement continued, and Xiao Yan sighed. “Refining the doppelganger is indeed difficult. At this rate, it will take at least two months to reach a moderate level, and who knows when it will be perfected. The Lightning Illusionary Body Technique is truly the hardest to master.”
Rising, Xiao Yan chuckled self-consciously. The Venerable’s voice chided him. Collecting the Earth Demon Puppet, Xiao Yan headed north through the forest, determined to reach the Heavenly Vision Mountains.
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