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**
Several days later, Qing Lin and Ah Da returned.
At this moment, Qing Lin had already successfully stepped into the Dou Zun realm.
"Ah Da, here are the herbs needed for Fuling Azure Pill and First Start Pill. You're responsible for gathering them, two sets of each."
In the main hall, Wei Yang tossed out two sheets of paper and a storage ring, sending them flying toward Ah Da. Inside the storage ring were items Wei Yang had sorted out to be exchanged for herbs.
"Yes." Ah Da hurriedly caught them, then asked with delight, "Master, you've obtained the pill formula for Fuling Azure Pill?"
"Mm." Wei Yang smiled and nodded, "Xiao Yan came to Holy Pill City, and we just met a few days ago."
"Master, don't worry, I'll gather the herbs as quickly as I can." Ah Da said happily.
With a single Fuling Azure Pill, he would be able to swiftly restore his strength to its peak.
Wei Yang waved his hand, letting him get to work.
Qing Lin, carrying little Shuo'er, walked over curiously and asked, "Young Master, this First Start Pill, isn't that the pill you mentioned before, the one that can give Da Bao and Xiao Bao a solid foundation?"
"Mm." Wei Yang smiled and nodded.
"That's wonderful. With a Tier 8 pill as their foundation, Da Bao and Xiao Bao will definitely become extraordinary in the future." Qing Lin said excitedly.
"Talent is just the base, it only gives them a slightly higher starting point than others."
Wei Yang shook his head and said, "Later on, what truly matters is soul and comprehension."
Compared to natural talent of the body, he valued soul and comprehension far more. After all, when it came to physical talent, at his level, there were many ways to solve it.
For example, First Start Pill, or the Supplementing Deficiency Secret Art, and so on.Only soul and comprehension were truly rare.
Time flowed by.
The start of the Pill Gathering was drawing closer and closer. And as it approached, more and more terrifying waves of people surged into Holy Pill City.
Across this vast region, nearly every place was crowded with countless figures. Inns and guesthouses in Holy Pill City were completely packed. This place had become the very center of attention for all of Central Plains.
Night.
Deep inside the Ye Mansion.
In a quiet little courtyard.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a stone chair, his eyes closed. His hands were slowly forming one obscure and profound hand seal after another.
This was a soul skill. He had secretly learned it not long ago, when helping the Ye Clan stabilize their position among the Five Great Clans, by watching Cao Ying.
Now, though his seals were still a bit slow, the clumsiness from the beginning had already disappeared.
As his hand seals shifted, soul power spread from the center of his brow without him even needing to guide it, flowing naturally along a special trajectory and winding around the seals.
The sequence of seals continued for about ten minutes before slowly coming to a stop.
Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, releasing a soft exhale of turbid air.
He rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and then turned around. His dark eyes locked on a spot of empty space within the courtyard as he said faintly, "Since you're here, why bother hiding?"
"As expected of Yao Chen's disciple. To have a Spirit Realm soul at such a young age… even I can't help but feel a bit envious."
As Xiao Yan's voice faded, the void rippled slightly.
A moment later, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe slowly emerged from the twisted space. Xiao Yan's gaze was locked tightly on the newcomer. From that person's body, he sensed a faintly familiar aura.
"People from the Hall of Souls?" His voice was like ice, filled with killing intent.
The hand hidden within his sleeve stirred slightly, and a jade token quietly appeared in his palm.
"Hehe, I am an old acquaintance of Yao Chen. Back then, he took something from me. Now that I've heard it has fallen into your hands, I've come to take it back." The black-robed figure laughed softly.
As his voice fell, a mysterious black flame suddenly rose from within his body. This flame looked exceedingly strange—formless and intangible. Though it was clearly visible to the naked eye, it gave off a bizarre illusion, as if it didn't exist at all.
As it burned, the surrounding space silently dissolved into darkness, as though the very void itself was being devoured by this flame! Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted the moment he saw that black fire.
"This flame…!"
The four-colored fire inside his body erupted with violent fluctuations.
He knew this feeling well—for whenever Heavenly Flames encountered one another, such resonance would occur.
There was no doubt. This black, formless, void-like flame was also a Heavenly Flame! One he had never seen before.
His mind raced, sifting through everything he knew about Heavenly Flames.
Moments later, his gaze locked firmly on the black flame swirling around the black-robed man. Drawing a sharp breath, he spat out each word with solemn weight: "Nihility Devouring Flame?!"
Within his sleeve, his palm clenched tightly—and without hesitation, he crushed the jade token.
"Hehe, sharp eyes." The black-robed man chuckled, not denying it.
Beneath his hood, a pair of eerie glowing pupils stared at Xiao Yan with burning heat. "I know you carry more than one Heavenly Flame. But I haven't come to drag you back to the Hall of Souls—that's someone else's business. My goal is your cultivation technique."
"The one that allows Heavenly Flames to merge! You should know exactly what I'm talking about."
At those words, a surge of killing intent erupted in Xiao Yan's heart.
The Flame Mantra—his greatest secret and forbidden domain. Whoever dared covet it… must die!
"This is the Holy Pill City. Your Hall of Souls really does stretch its claws far," Xiao Yan sneered coldly, though his Dou Qi surged like a roaring flood, pushing his body into full alert.
This black-robed man had appeared without a sound—his strength must be terrifying. Xiao Yan felt a suffocating danger emanating from him, and he could not afford the slightest carelessness.
What made him most tense, however, was that black flame. The Second Ranked Heavenly Flame—Nihility Devouring Flame!
They had yet to even exchange blows, but the name alone pressed down on Xiao Yan like a mountain.
"That cultivation technique was mine to begin with," the black-robed man said lightly. "Yao Chen merely stole it from me in secret back then. I've come now only to reclaim what was rightfully mine."
He tilted his head slightly upward. Under the faint moonlight, one could glimpse a pale chin.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's gaze darkened.
Yao Lao had once told him that the Flame Mantra came from a broken ancient ruin, one that had lured countless experts. Though Xiao Yan hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he could well imagine the brutal slaughter that must have erupted over such a treasure.
"I know there's a Dou Zun in this city," the black-robed man continued calmly. "But a mere One-Star Dou Zun can't save your life. Besides, this courtyard is already sealed by my soul barrier. That One-Star Dou Zun won't notice a thing for some time."
With a flick of his sleeve, a shriveled, skin-and-bone hand emerged, slowly clenching. In his palm, a black flame vortex swirled into existence, spinning rapidly.
"Hand over that cultivation technique, and tonight, I'll spare your life."
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