Chapter 235: Xie Biyan: He Should Be Thanking Me!
Xiao Yuan let out a soft breath, his expression a bit solemn as he turned to Yao Lao beside him.
"Teacher, it looks like he didn't know much."
Yao Lao gradually revealed himself, nodding thoughtfully.
This Iron Protector was from the lowest tier of the Soul Hall. Naturally, what he could access was limited. In hindsight, they should've spared Wu Protector—at least as an Earth-ranked Protector, he would've known more.
"Mhm. The 'Elders' he mentioned are likely Dou Venerate-level experts. With my current state, dealing with powerful Dou Venerates would still be tricky."
Yao Lao nodded seriously.
Back in his prime, even Dou Venerates had to show him respect. But now, without a physical body, many of his skills were inaccessible. And Soul Hall's unique soul-manipulating techniques truly made them a difficult foe.
"Looks like I'm still not strong enough."
Xiao Yuan went quiet for a moment and sighed.
"For someone your age to have already reached Dou Huang, your progress is exceptional."
Yao Lao shook his head, slightly exasperated. As master and disciple for quite some time now, he had long noticed Xiao Yuan's near-obsessive drive to grow stronger.
Just like Yao Lao himself in his youth, when he madly pursued the pinnacle of alchemy.
But Xiao Yuan? Sure, he enjoyed getting stronger—but Yao Lao suspected that if he ever did become overwhelmingly powerful, he'd just spend all day fooling around with the many young women he had ties to.
This disciple wasn't exactly shy about his lecherous nature.
And yet, he poured almost all his time into cultivation. There was a heaviness in his heart—as if he lacked a sense of security.
"It's not enough, Teacher. If every Soul Hall branch has a Dou Venerate guarding it, how strong must their main hall's leader be? A Dou Saint, perhaps?"
Xiao Yuan shook his head with a sigh.
At that, Yao Lao fell silent.
Xiao Yuan's reasoning was sound. If just a branch in the Northwest had a Dou Venerate, then the main branch...
Mu Gu, that old bastard, was reportedly a respected Elder of one of Soul Hall's branches. If that were true, then even regaining his full strength might not be enough.
In that case…
He could only hope that when the time came to restore his body, he'd be able to advance even further.
Of course, that would also raise the difficulty and requirements for his resurrection materials.
He had originally thought that merely reviving himself would be enough. But the way Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan were progressing now... they had far exceeded his expectations.
Maybe... maybe it really is possible to go even further.
A rare glimmer of hope sparked in Yao Lao's heart.
"Teacher, I want to try refining the Demon Venom Mark."
Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring at the snake-shaped seal in his palm with determination.
"Oh?"
Yao Lao raised an eyebrow, curious.
"I was thinking… That old man was strong, but my own Dou Qi foundation isn't lacking compared to a five- or six-star Dou Huang. And with the Heavenly Flame's power, breaking apart and refining a portion of the mark shouldn't be difficult."
He nodded, gazing at the flickering Serpent Flame Seal.
"Your Heavenly Flame changed again—did you refine a new one?"
"More or less," Xiao Yuan replied.
"Your cultivation method really is mysterious. Even though your Heavenly Flames are based on your own strength, they're still real flames. Three working together should be enough to attempt refining the mark…
Wait. I just remembered—you helped Xiao Yan refine his Heavenly Flame before, didn't you?"
Yao Lao's eyes lit up, recalling the scene from the Alchemist Convention when Xiao Yan refined the Three-Marked Green Spirit Pill.
"Yes, and I'm quite confident in handling my flames."
Xiao Yuan nodded seriously.
"In that case, we don't need to concoct a matching prescription. With my Bone Spirit Cold Flame added, that gives us four flames. If we combine them, not even a peak Dou Zong's Demon Venom Mark can withstand the heat."
Yao Lao smiled while stroking his beard.
Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Right! I've got three flames now—and with Teacher's Bone Spirit Cold Flame, the power might rank in the top ten of the Heavenly Flame List. That Demon Venom Mark won't last long!"
He said excitedly.
"Still, with your current strength, you can't merge four flames without the Flame Mantra. Lend me your flames—I'll do the refining."
Yao Lao summoned the bone-white flame in his palm.
"Alright."
Xiao Yuan passed over his cyan-brown fusion flame.
Yao Lao's expression turned solemn. Under Xiao Yuan's tense gaze, he began to merge the two.
Space power emerged in his palm, swallowing every stray spark of the raging combined flame.
The temperature in the room rose rapidly, and waves of destruction rolled through the air. Without Yao Lao's earlier preparations, the barrier Xiao Yuan had set up would've already been destroyed.
Xiao Yuan watched in awe as Yao Lao used terrifying precision to merge the flames.
Soon, a blue-gray flame blazed in Yao Lao's hand, and its intense heat was palpable even to Xiao Yuan.
"This flame... could rank in the top seven."
Yao Lao remarked with some amazement.
He hadn't expected to ever wield such a powerful fire.
"Alright. Lift the seal. I'll handle the rest."
Yao Lao gestured to the Serpent Flame Seal in Xiao Yuan's palm and bound it with spatial force.
Xiao Yuan trusted him completely and lifted the seal.
The moment the serpent vanished, the black Dou Qi inside turned into a sharp arrow, aiming for Xiao Yuan's chest. But it slammed into the spatial prison and stopped.
Yao Lao remained calm, shifting the black energy into his flame.
Explosions echoed from within as Yao Lao added more Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
"This Dou Qi is pure—but too much at once would overwhelm your body. I'll refine it further and add some herbs to help you absorb it smoothly."
With that, he began pulling herbs from Xiao Yuan's storage ring, tossing them into the fire to be melted into liquid.
As the flame roared, the black Dou Qi bubbled, revealing glimpses of its vast energy.
Xiao Yuan spread his black ice Dou Qi across the room to keep the heat in check. His cold-type Dou Qi, a result of his yin-yang dual flames, was resilient enough not to melt.
Though Xie Biyan's poisonous energy remained, it was quickly being incinerated. And with Yao Lao's soul force at the level of a Dou Venerate, the mark had no chance to resist.
Watching Yao Lao's strength, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but dream—If I had this power, I'd go straight to Sky Burial Ravine and destroy the Soul Hall's branch myself.
He believed in his strength.
As his thoughts raced, the black Dou Qi finally began to pale. Eventually, a thick, nearly liquid-like energy emerged—pure Dou Qi.
"No wonder it lasted so long... This thing really did contain a Dou Zong's lifetime of energy."
Xiao Yuan sighed.
Two hours later, the refining was complete.
A semi-liquid orb of pure Dou Qi floated in Yao Lao's palm. He further compressed it with fire, shrinking it slightly, then infused it with medicinal essence.
The orb began to glow in seven colors.
Yao Lao performed intricate hand signs, combining the Dou Qi and liquid. Xiao Yuan watched attentively. Though this wasn't traditional pill crafting, the methods were deeply instructive.
"Your body's tough, but this energy is too dense. Refining it all at once would harm you. I'll divide it into three portions."
He summoned a fire blade, slicing the seven-colored orb into three equal parts—refining them into three multicolored, transparent beads.
"Even though they're pure, I don't recommend you take them all at once. You'd lose control."
Yao Lao handed over the flames and the beads.
"Understood. I'll take it slow. Since things here are handled, I'll return to the Jia Ma Empire for a few days, then head back to the academy. Black-Corner Region is closer to the center of the continent—better for gathering information."
Xiao Yuan stored two beads and swallowed the third.
Hua!
The bead melted instantly. Surging Dou Qi rushed down his throat into his stomach.
As he formed hand seals, his Yellow Earth Qi Palace lit up. The Dou Qi was pulled into his meridians, then channeled into all five Qi Palaces.
Yao Lao's plan worked perfectly. The Dou Qi flowed without resistance. Though his meridians ached slightly from the pressure, his Wind-Wood Qi from the Liver Palace healed him swiftly.
Finally, as the last bit of energy poured in, his aura surged.
Two-star... Three-star... Peak four-star Dou Huang!
"Hoo…"
He opened his eyes to find Yao Lao holding a teacup—untouched.
"Just as I predicted."
Yao Lao nodded.
Though Xie Biyan had immense energy, Xiao Yuan's five Qi Palaces required just as much. A normal person might've reached Dou Zong, but Xiao Yuan only just hit peak four-star Dou Huang. With supplements, maybe he'd hit eight- or nine-star soon.
"Peak four-star. That's manageable."
Xiao Yuan clenched his fists, satisfied.
"Alright, it's been a whole day. Time to head out."
Yao Lao dissolved the barrier and vanished into the ring.
"A whole day just to absorb that?"
Xiao Yuan blinked. It had gone faster than expected—but still, absorbing a Dou Zong's lifetime of energy in one day wasn't bad.
He opened the door and saw Xiao Yi Xiang leaning against the wall, waiting.
Zi Yan? Nowhere in sight. Probably off stealing herbs again.
"You refined the Demon Venom Mark?"
She raised an eyebrow, sensing his boosted aura.
"Mhm. Part of it."
Xiao Yuan nodded.
"Never thought that old bastard's final strike would end up helping you."
She shook her head, chuckling.
"My methods exceed his imagination."
Xiao Yuan lifted his chin proudly.
"Show-off."
She rolled her eyes—but smiled.
Now that the Demon Venom Mark was no longer a threat, she could finally relax.
(END CHAPTER)
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