After lying on the cold stone floor for a long while, Xiao Yan finally managed to catch his breath. The joy on his face was almost impossible to conceal. Moving his slightly numb legs, he once again assumed the posture for cultivation. Exhaling softly, Xiao Yan closed his eyes slightly, his mind gradually sinking into his body. Internal vision, an auxiliary skill that only a Dou Zhe (Warrior) could master. The stronger one’s strength, the more thoroughly they could explore their internal condition. As his mind sank to the position of his lower abdomen, he saw a palm-sized milky white vortex slowly rotating. Surrounding the vortex was a layer of nebulous, milky-white energy gas. Observing this tiny vortex, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. Although the vortex was currently small, the energy it contained was absolutely ten times or more powerful than the ninth-stage Dou Qi (Combat Qi) he had before! The difference between a Dou Zhe and the ninth-stage Dou Qi was essentially fundamental. The energy absorbed by a pre-Dou Zhe was called Dou Qi, but after becoming a Dou Zhe, the energy absorbed was called true Dou Qi! Although the terms differed by only one character, the gap between them was like the difference between heaven and earth, with no comparison at all. Controlling the vortex, Xiao Yan’s heart stirred slightly. A wisp of milky-white Dou Qi rapidly separated from the vortex and surged out as directed by his mind. Continuously controlling the vortex’s intake and release, Xiao Yan stopped his playful actions after becoming more proficient and slowly withdrew his mind from his body. His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and the milky-white light in his dark pupils lingered for about ten seconds before gradually fading. Opening his mouth, he expelled a somewhat drowsy, impure breath. After expelling this impure breath, Xiao Yan’s complexion appeared noticeably more radiant. Twisting his neck, the sound of bones cracking made Xiao Yan grin. Raising his head and looking at the ghost-like floating figure of the Pharmacist Elder at the cave entrance, he smiled brightly, “Success.”
“Uh, you had quite good luck; you managed to form the vortex on your first try,” the Pharmacist Elder nodded and said calmly.
“Isn’t it because of my strength?” Shrugging, Xiao Yan’s face suddenly showed a hint of flattery. Reaching out, he said shyly, “Teacher, now that I’ve reached the Dou Zhe level, shouldn’t you give me a Dou Qi technique?”
Hearing this, the Pharmacist Elder rolled his eyes, floated into the cave, and slowly sat down in front of Xiao Yan. After pondering for a moment, he spoke with a slightly serious face, “What technique do you want?”
“Cough, I mean… that thing that’s even stranger than a Heaven-rank technique, the one that can… evolve.”
Xiao Yan scratched his head and said sheepishly. Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, the Pharmacist Elder’s face showed a strange expression, and he fell unexpectedly silent.
“Teacher, what’s wrong? Is it not real?” Looking at the Pharmacist Elder’s expression, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but ask anxiously.
“This technique can indeed evolve; I didn’t lie to you about that,” the Pharmacist Elder said softly.
Seeing the Pharmacist Elder confirm it again, Xiao Yan’s face lit up with joy. Rubbing his hands, he asked carefully, “Can I cultivate it then?”
“This technique is extremely strange, and it can indeed evolve, but the danger is extremely high!” After a brief silence, the Pharmacist Elder sighed.
Feeling uneasy from the Pharmacist Elder’s sighing, Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his hand and asked weakly, “How high?”
The Pharmacist Elder gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying helplessly, “Since obtaining this technique, I have never seen or heard of anyone who has cultivated it. So, I don’t know the real answer. But from my experience over such a long time, the success rate of cultivating this strange technique to its peak seems to be less than 20%…”
“20%?” Xiao Yan’s face froze, and he laughed dryly, “It can’t… be that low, right?”
Sighing and nodding, the Pharmacist Elder said bitterly, “I’m afraid it really is that low.”
Rubbing his forehead with a bitter smile, Xiao Yan still wasn’t willing to give up. The temptation of evolving into a Heaven-rank technique was just too great.
“Can you tell me about the general method of cultivating this technique?” The Pharmacist Elder rubbed his dry palms together, hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, “The evolution conditions of this technique are also related to the ‘Mysterious Flame’ I told you about a few days ago.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and he listened quietly.
“Ah, I obtained this technique by chance. It originally had no name, but I gave it one: ‘Fen Jue’ (Flame Judgment).” At this point, the Pharmacist Elder’s face showed a complex expression, suggesting that the process of obtaining this technique was not as simple as he had described.
“Fen Jue can indeed evolve, but the prerequisite for its evolution is the use of ‘Mysterious Flame’ as raw material. Each evolution requires the consumption of one type of ‘Mysterious Flame!’ The Pharmacist Elder’s voice was slightly hoarse, “You should know that ‘Mysterious Flames’ are inherently destructive and ferocious. Not only are they rare, but even if you find one, who can guarantee that you can successfully consume it? Back then, I almost got burned to nothing trying to get the ‘Bone Spirit Cold Flame’…”
“The most terrifying part is that this technique requires consuming various types of ‘Mysterious Flames’… Heavens, just one type of Mysterious Flame can torment a Battle Emperor (Emperor) level expert, and I can’t even imagine what would happen if someone had two or even more types of Mysterious Flames inside them…”
Looking at the Pharmacist Elder’s incredulous face, Xiao Yan was also shocked. Evolving by consuming Mysterious Flames? Damn, it’s not even clear who would consume whom! The person who created this technique must be a madman.
“Although the danger of this technique is extraordinarily high, I don’t doubt its potential. If it were truly mastered… in the entire Dou Qi Continent, apart from those few exceptional individuals, I doubt many could match it,” the Pharmacist Elder remarked.
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. If someone could easily control several types of Mysterious Flames, even a Dou Sheng (Saint) level expert wouldn’t dare to provoke them. Of course, the premise was that the person wouldn’t be consumed by the Mysterious Flames themselves…
Looking at Xiao Yan, the Pharmacist Elder hesitated and asked, “Now, do you… still want to learn it?”
Xiao Yan’s body trembled slightly, and he fell silent.
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