Support me at patreon for 60+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
"Hmm, no... Something's wrong with this flame!" Yao Lao suddenly said.
"What is it?" Xiao Yan asked in confusion.
"Feel it carefully—its spirit. The spirit is off," Yao Lao reminded him.
Hearing that, Xiao Yan immediately focused and sensed the flame more carefully—only to realize the problem as well.
"This… how can this be?! Judging by its fluctuation, it's clearly a Heavenly Flame, but why does its spirit feel so weak? No, it doesn't even possess the spiritual quality that a Heavenly Flame should have!" Xiao Yan was utterly shocked.
As someone who possessed the Green Lotus Core Flame, he could distinguish the difference almost instantly.
"This is a sub-flame," Yao Lao sighed.
"A sub-flame?" Xiao Yan finally understood.
"No matter what, once this competition is over, you must take me to find that Brat Wei! I suspect he's seen the true Wind and Thunder Fury Flame—or even that the main body of the Heavenly Flame is already in his hands… Otherwise, there's no way he could possess a sub-flame!" Yao Lao said seriously.
"Understood." Xiao Yan took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
His fists clenched slowly, and his eyes narrowed.
In his heart, Xiao Yan was already weighing his options. If Wei Yang really had the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, then how could he get it into his own hands?
If he could obtain the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, then Flame Mantra might even evolve directly into an Earth Grade technique!
Xiao Yan's heart was filled with anticipation.
The grade of his cultivation technique had always been his weakness.
At the same time, Yao Lao was also a little troubled—a kind of joyful trouble.
"Ugh… I don't seem to have any treasures on hand that could be used to trade for the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame… What should I do? Can I buy it on credit?" Yao Lao mused bitterly to himself.
...
"A Heavenly Flame—in this form? Is that the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame?!" In a corner of the arena, the gray-robed youth's pupils suddenly shrank, and he cried out in surprise.
But soon, he also noticed the flaw.
"No… the spirit is wrong. This situation... it's a sub-flame?" the gray-robed youth murmured.
"A sub-flame of a Heavenly Flame?" The youth let out a cold chuckle and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though a flash of greed crossed his eyes.
Even if it was only a sub-flame, its value undoubtedly exceeded the Azure Nether Flame he currently possessed.
If he could obtain this sub-flame and nurture it properly, perhaps one day it could evolve into a true Heavenly Flame and develop a trace of spirit. It wasn't impossible.
Of course, the odds were extremely low and the cost incredibly high.
Still, as long as there was even the slimmest hope, no one would give up so easily.
After all, who could resist the temptation of owning a Heavenly Flame?
Many of the contestants were now staring at the strange flame in Xian'er's hand, their eyes filled with envy and burning desire.
"Heavenly Flame…" Liu Ling murmured in shock.
He knew very well that even his own master—Pill King Gu He, renowned across the Jia Ma Empire and surrounding nations—had never obtained a single Heavenly Flame.
And Liu Ling also knew that his master had long yearned for one.
For this, Gu He had spent countless effort searching and inquiring for any news or clues about Heavenly Flames.
But after all these years, he had gained nothing.
...
After that brief interlude, the focus returned to the main event.
Xian'er ignored the countless fervent gazes and instead stared intensely at the cauldron before her, her expression extremely grave.
She suddenly withdrew the soul power that had been controlling the crimson flame, and as it retracted, the once-raging crimson fire quietly shrank.
Just as the crimson flame was about to dissipate, Xian'er waved her hand. The Wind and Thunder Fury Flame she held surged down through the flame inlet, pouring into the cauldron.
In the VIP section, Wei Yang straightened slightly, his gaze focused.
The most difficult part of refining a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill was precisely this moment of flame switching. It was the hardest point to control.
In the past few days, Xian'er had practiced flame switching specifically to prepare for refining the Three-Line Green Spirit Pill, but she still wasn't completely proficient.
If she failed the switch this time, she would have to start all over again.
Although she had three sets of ingredients, every failure would increase the pressure she faced.
And this was a competition—not an ordinary alchemy session.
Right now, time was extremely precious.
If she failed to produce a pill before the end of the competition, it would mean total failure.
Xian'er's gaze was fixed tightly on the cauldron before her. The deep crimson flame inside had now completely vanished, replaced by a whirlwind about the size of a washbasin, spinning rapidly.
A yellowish-brown flame surged forth, taking the place of the crimson flame, wrapping itself around the green pill.
However, due to the sudden change in flames, the previously stable fire had become slightly chaotic, and its temperature had obviously risen.
This was the most common—and also the hardest to avoid—mistake during flame transitions.
It was also the most dangerous moment, because a slight misstep could lead to the pill being ruined and the cauldron exploding.
It was like trying to suppress the blast force of a bomb that had already gone off—forcing it back into a calm and stable state before detonation. That was undoubtedly extremely difficult.
"Hold steady, lower the temperature!" Xian'er bit her lip, and her immense soul power surged out, doing everything she could to suppress the flame's temperature and force it back under control.
Woooooo—
Whooosh—
The wind howled. The flames roared.
Roooar—
Dragon cries echoed intermittently, reverberating across the entire square.
The yellowish-brown flame raged violently, nearly bursting past the lid of the cauldron. The air around the stone platform shimmered and distorted from the intense heat.
Such a dramatic disturbance drew countless eyes.
The important figures and guild elders were all staring intently, watching with bated breath.
At this point, Xian'er's entire face was flushed red. Tiny beads of sweat formed across her forehead.
"The temperature is still a little too high. If she can't suppress it quickly, the pill could be incinerated in an instant," Wei Yang muttered with a frown.
For him, this would be a trivial task—something he could handle with a mere flick of the hand.
But clearly, for the current Xian'er, it was still a bit too difficult.
Right now, she was using her soul power to continuously shield the pill from the destructive heat of the flames.
Otherwise, the pill would have been destroyed already.
However, having to control the flame's temperature and protect the pill at the same time placed an enormous strain on her focus and stamina.
She wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
Finally, after about ten seconds...
The flame's temperature began to gradually fall under control.
The turbulent energy inside the cauldron also slowly calmed down, returning to the gentle nurturing phase.
"Whew… that was close. I barely made it…" Xian'er exhaled, panting softly as she whispered to herself.
Only now did she finally relax. She raised her hand and wiped the fragrant sweat from her face.
In the VIP section:
"Whew, she finally pulled it off!"
"Ha! That was really nerve-wracking."
"Miss Xian'er truly deserves to be personally instructed by Master Wei. Her fire control technique is absolutely superb!"
"Indeed, this old man is sincerely impressed—ha ha!"
The old fellows let out collective sighs of relief, then all burst into smiles.
Wei Yang's clenched fist slowly relaxed, and he nodded with a faint smile.
"So she's trying to refine a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill, huh?" The gray-robed youth narrowed his eyes, feeling an unexpected pressure.
Now that the second flame had been successfully switched in, it meant that a Two-Line Green Spirit Pill was basically already formed.
If she could switch in one more flame successfully, then a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill was just about to be born!
"Hmph, don't tell me her luck will keep holding out like this every time?" the gray-robed youth snorted coldly.
On the other side—
Xiao Yan, who had been watching all of this unfold, had a grave expression on his face.
"So you were refining a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill after all?" Xiao Yan thought to himself.
Now that Xian'er had already succeeded once, the pressure had shifted to him.
"I've got no choice but to go all in," he sighed softly.
Taking a deep breath of air faintly scented with medicinal aroma, Xiao Yan quickly retrieved a Qi Recovery Pill from his storage ring and swallowed it.
Then, his soul power that was controlling the purple flame suddenly retracted.
As his soul power withdrew, the once surging purple flame quietly shrank.
And just as the purple flame was about to disappear, Xiao Yan opened his palm. At that moment, a drifting green flame suddenly erupted from his hand.
In an instant, the temperature of the entire square skyrocketed.
A strange wave of energy swept through the arena like a soft breeze.
Immediately, the shocking scene that had just occurred not long ago played out once more—
A Heavenly Flame appeared—causing all other flames to bow and submit in worship!
In the arena, all flames except the one inside Xian'er's cauldron tilted slightly and trembled.
And the direction they tilted toward—was toward Xiao Yan.
Or more accurately—toward the ethereal green flame in the palm of his hand.
Without giving the crowd too much time to react, Xiao Yan flicked his hand, and the green flame was tossed into the cauldron.
Only then did the rest of the contestants' flames return to normal.
---------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 60+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk