Xiao Family Residence.
After bidding farewell to Xun Er, Xiao Yan headed toward the mountainside at the back of the mountain.
On the mountainside behind the Xiao Family, there was an extremely hidden cave, inside which lay a hot spring.
Unfortunately, there was no mysterious stone talisman.
This place was considered Xiao Yan's secret base, discovered by him while running around the back mountain and tempering his Dou Disciple.
Even Xun Er had never come here with Xiao Yan.
However, due to Ling Ying's influence, Xun Er actually knew about this place. But although it was called a secret base, it was more like Xiao Yan's personal bathhouse, so Xun Er wasn't particularly eager to visit.
Taking off his clothes, Xiao Yan jumped into the water and carefully washed himself. Only when he could no longer smell the scent of blood on his body did he climb out, retrieve a set of clean clothes from his Storage Ring, and put them on.
Too weak—the level of those guards was too poor!
In his mind, Xiao Yan replayed the battle from earlier, frowned, and sighed with dissatisfaction in his heart.
Fighting such insects couldn't possibly improve his strength.
After Yun Yun left, his cultivation had returned to its routine state.
During the day, he tempered his Dou Skills; at night, he cultivated Dou Qi. Apart from going shopping with Xun Er and handling other necessary matters, Xiao Yan was almost always cultivating.
He could be called the number one cultivation fanatic in the Xiao Family.
He didn't even forget to circulate his Cultivation Method while eating.
In addition, he would also ponder matters related to Yao Lao.
However, there had been no news about medicinal herbs or Spiritual Liquid that could repair the soul. They were expensive and exceedingly rare. Even if they did exist, they were far beyond the reach of a young master like him from the Xiao Family.
But could he really let Yao Lao absorb his Dou Qi for three years?
Glancing down at his ring, Xiao Yan frowned, suppressing the slight anxiety in his heart, and prepared to leave the cave.
By now, the bloodstains in the hot spring pool had already disappeared, something Xiao Yan had grown accustomed to.
Although he didn't know the exact structure of this hot spring, he knew that within three minutes of him stepping out of the water, the spring would miraculously clean itself, becoming spotless.
This was also why he liked coming here to bathe.
A fully automated, self-cleaning bath—how satisfying!
"Hmm?"
However, in the next moment, the hot spring in the pool suddenly began to boil.
Huh?
Xiao Yan was stunned.
When he first discovered this place, he had thoroughly inspected it and found no treasures or Natural treasures, which had left him somewhat disappointed.
But now, this situation clearly indicated that there was something in the pool.
However, could something revealed by that blood really be a treasure?
Xiao Yan instinctively retrieved a long sword from his Storage Ring, warily watching the center of the pool.
Bubbles as large as Xiao Yan's palm continuously rose and burst in the boiling water.
"What's going on?"
Xiao Yan frowned.
The water in the pool boiled even more violently, and the originally clear hot spring water took on a strange dark red hue. Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the sword, quietly channeling Dou Qi to his palm.
This abnormal phenomenon gave him an extremely ominous premonition.
"Gurgle!"
A dark shadow suddenly burst out of the water, sending a spray of droplets into the air. Xiao Yan took half a step back, raising his sword to block, only to see the object hovering a zhang above the pool's surface. It was a crimson bone fragment, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, slowly rotating amidst the rising mist.
"What is this?"
Xiao Yan was puzzled, wishing he could ask some knowledgeable elder. But the old man inside the ring was clearly still asleep and wouldn't be answering any questions.
"It feels like something from the Magical Beast clan."
Xiao Yan carefully sensed the aura emanating from it and found it somewhat similar to that of a Magic Core.
As the bone fragment flew out, the pool water instantly calmed, no longer boiling, and its color returned to clear and transparent.
"Never mind, I'll take it for now!"
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan decided to store it away and ask Xun Er about it later. She loved reading ancient texts and might know something.
However, the moment the bone fragment touched his palm, a searing pain, as if from a flame, shot through his hand.
The crimson patterns writhed like living creatures, transforming into a wisp of blood-red flame that surged through his meridians. The Dou Qi within his Qi Cyclone instantly boiled over.
"Hiss—"
Xiao Yan gasped sharply, trying to fling the fragment away, but it clung to his palm as if glued.
Is this... fire?
His heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, the Dou Qi from his Dou Qi Vortex surged forth, enveloping the wisp of flame and instinctively guiding it into the circulation pathway of his cultivation method, the Fire Origin Art.
Even this tiny wisp of flame contained a scorching energy far beyond Xiao Yan's expectations. His meridians twisted and contorted from the heat, and a burning sensation filled every part of his body. Instinctively, he leaped into the pool.
The water instantly boiled!
But Xiao Yan felt slightly more comfortable.
Within his meridians, the small flame continuously morphed into various beast-like shapes, carrying an ancient, oppressive aura that made his very Soul tremble.
His Dou Qi was depleting rapidly. Xiao Yan had no choice but to retrieve some Elixirs for restoring Dou Qi from his Storage Ring, stuffing them into his mouth. In an instant, he refined them into Dou Qi to sustain the circulation within his body.
Even so, the seemingly insignificant flame still possessed terrifying destructive power. Xiao Yan now understood that even if this wasn't a Heavenly Flame, it was undoubtedly an extremely formidable fire!
But once inside his body, it showed no intention of leaving. Either he would refine the flame and advance his cultivation, or he would be refined by it, becoming its vessel.
Just as Xiao Yan was struggling desperately, with the pool water evaporating into a dense mist, the dark, ancient Storage Ring on his finger suddenly flickered.
A wisp of pale white flame abruptly emerged!
With its appearance, an icy, bone-chilling cold swept through the entire cave. The wisp of flame inside Xiao Yan instantly retracted its heat, becoming extremely docile as it submitted to his refinement.
Simultaneously, a powerful surge of Soul Power erupted from the Storage Ring, carrying a trace of gray light that shot into Xiao Yan's Dou Qi Vortex.
"You reckless boy! Even though it's just a newly born Origin Fire Seed, it's still a Heavenly Flame after all. How dare you touch it without any preparation! If I hadn't sensed the aura of the Heavenly Flame and awakened, you would have surely died today!"
An aged voice, filled with strong reproach, sounded in Xiao Yan's ear.
Hearing this voice that was unfamiliar to his ears but not to his mind, Xiao Yan felt a surge of immense joy in his heart:
"Great, it's Yao Lao! I'm saved!"