Among the many cultivation tasks—studying techniques, condensing Heavenly Flames, improving alchemy—soul force training was undoubtedly the most tedious.
Having experienced the explosive growth in soul power after devouring the Iron Protector, Xiao Yan had set his sights on these pure soul energy entities.
If the Soul Palace knew what he was thinking, what would they feel?
They, who had always been the "soul scavengers" of the Dou Qi Continent, would one day be treated as food by someone else!
Leaping out of the cave, Xiao Yan flashed a harmless smile at Yun Yun, who looked as if she was facing a great enemy. "Have you made your decision?"
Seeing Xiao Yan emerge safely without any intention of explaining what had just happened, Yun Yun rolled her eyes and landed on the ground, annoyed that she had worried for nothing.
Xiao Yan didn't mind—after all, women had their difficult days every month. He followed her down, blasted a few fish out of the pond with a palm strike, and deftly prepared them.
Soon, a campfire was lit. With one hand roasting fish and the other holding a blood-red scroll, Xiao Yan looked like a diligent scholar.
Watching his strange behavior, Yun Yun grew even more puzzled.
This morning, he exuded the sanctity of a divine monk, yet now he's holding an obviously sinister technique or skill—completely at odds with his refined appearance and his demeanor from earlier.
Suppressing her curiosity, she could only categorize him as an eccentric among eccentrics.
The blood-red scroll in Xiao Yan's hand was no ordinary item—it was the Blood Soul Art, the very technique cultivated by the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate's ancestor, Scorpion Bi Yan.
The Blood Soul Art was an Earth-rank technique. If placed in an auction, it would start at tens of millions of gold coins, and even then, money alone might not secure it.
Having witnessed the terrifying power of this technique at its peak, Xiao Yan had long been eyeing it.
The Blood Soul Art allowed the user to fuse with the sealed soul of a magical beast, drastically increasing their combat strength.
After activating it, Scorpion Bi Yan's power had surged from four-star Dou Zong to the peak of five-star Dou Zong.
The only comparable techniques Xiao Yan knew of were the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Changes and the secret arts practiced by the Snake-People Tribe.
Of course, the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Changes was not exactly the same.
The Snake-People were different from humans. Shortly after birth, they underwent a secret ritual to implant the soul of a serpentine magical beast into their bodies.
As they grew in age and strength, this companion soul would gradually merge with them until they became one.
When facing a powerful enemy, a Snake-Person could summon this soul, drastically boosting their strength—a final trump card.
This was also why Queen Medusa, after her evolution, ended up with two souls in one body.
Xiao Yan wasn't reading this technique to seal a soul inside himself. Instead, he was contemplating an alternative use for Heavenly Flames.
The foundational version of his cultivation method, the Flame Mantra, treated Heavenly Flames as a massive energy source, with the cultivator acting as the vessel.
During cultivation, the Heavenly Flames also strengthened the user's physique—essentially upgrading the vessel.
Thus, Heavenly Flames played a crucial role in the entire process.
After seeing the effects of the Blood Soul Art, Xiao Yan wondered:
What if I could extract a portion of a Heavenly Flame to replace the magical beast soul required by the Blood Soul Art?
If I could seal it into an object and activate it with a secret method, I could create an equipment that enhances strength.
Deriving a pure power-boosting technique like the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Changes from this wouldn't be difficult, but Xiao Yan had no intention of going down that path.
First, the first stage of the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Changes was located in the capital of the Jia Ma Empire—easy to find.
Second, its rank and effects surpassed the Blood Soul Art. If he could just mitigate the damage caused by the flames' violent energy, it would become an even superior technique.
Modifying the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Changes directly would be far more efficient than starting from scratch with the Blood Soul Art.
Moreover, creating equipment that could safely enhance strength now would save effort for future endeavors.
Finally, Xiao Yan's main goal wasn't to strengthen himself—it was for his father, Xiao Zhan, whose cultivation talent was mediocre.
Thanks to the fetal nourishment, his mother, Qin Yueyao, had rapidly reached the peak of the Dou Ling level, and her aptitude had risen to genius-tier.
Even without precious pills, the Earth-rank high-level technique gifted by Gu Yuan had allowed her to reach the Dou Zong level over the past decade.
His grandfather, Xiao Lin, was already a talented individual. With Yao Lao's guidance, he was likely close to breaking through to Dou Zong as well.
But his father?
While his talent was decent in the Jia Ma Empire, it was unremarkable on the scale of the entire Dou Qi Continent.
Even with Qin Yueyao's guidance, he probably only reached the Dou Ling level by now.
If the Xiao Clan were just an ordinary family, this wouldn't matter. But the Soul Palace—a behemoth of the Dou Qi Continent—had already set its sights on his weak father.
After all, he was the family head…
In the Soul Palace's eyes, only he held the secrets of the Tushe Ancient Jade.
Having already eliminated the Soul Palace protector in the Chu Yun Empire, Xiao Yan had no idea when the Jia Ma Empire's Protector Wu would receive the news. He had to prepare in advance!
For rapid strength growth, talent and top-tier techniques were indispensable.
After reviewing Yao Lao's collection, Xiao Yan had found a few precious pill recipes that could enhance aptitude—but the lowest-ranked one was peak seventh-tier.
By the time he gathered the materials and refined the pill, it would be far too late.
As for giving his father a better technique, Xiao Yan doubted it would make much difference.
Without sufficient talent, even the strongest technique would be hard to master fully.
Many disciples of great clans had similar techniques and skills, yet their strength varied—all because of innate aptitude.
If simply handing over a high-level technique could trigger a qualitative leap, Xiao Yan would have done so long ago.
The first plan was too time-consuming, and the second was unfeasible.
Thus, Xiao Yan had no choice but to seek an external solution for his father.
(End of Chapter)
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