"Don't worry. With Tian Ge's guidance, I'm quite skilled at this now. There won't be any problems."
Xiao Yan nodded firmly.
He still remembered how hesitant he had been when he first suggested the idea to Xiao Jietian, only to discover that the latter had already been doing it for a long time. In the end, Xiao Jietian had even taken out a thick notebook filled with detailed experiences and insights on controlling flame fusion, maintaining balance, and handling multiple different flame combinations, along with all the necessary precautions.
After flipping through just a few pages, Xiao Yan realized the contents seemed written specifically for him. He had been so moved that his eyes turned red, convinced that Xiao Jietian had compiled the entire book just for him based on his own experiences and knowledge.
After all, in the entire Eternal Heaven World, among all the people Xiao Jietian knew, very few even possessed fire-attribute energy, let alone those who played with multiple flames at once.
Every time he thought about it, Xiao Yan felt deeply touched and endlessly grateful for Xiao Jietian's help. This Dou Technique, in particular, had become his greatest trump card and the source of his confidence to challenge experts far above his own realm.
Xiao Jietian's voice echoed in his mind: "See? Give him his own stuff, and he still thanks us sincerely."
"Don't worry. With this old man here, nothing will go wrong," Yao Lao's calm voice rang out as well.
"Thank you, Teacher Yao!" Nalan Yanran bowed slightly to Yao Lao before turning to Xiao Yan with a gentle smile. "I'll wait for you."
With that, she turned and headed toward the mountain peak Xiao Yan had pointed out earlier.
Once Nalan Yanran had left, Xiao Yan nodded slowly to Yao Lao. "Teacher, I'm starting."
But right after speaking, he suddenly stood there scratching his head, looking hesitant.
"What's wrong?" Yao Lao asked in confusion. His disciple had never been indecisive or overly soft-hearted. Why was he hesitating now that he had already made up his mind?
"Teacher, how many flames do you think I should fuse?"
"Fuse them all. With me here, there's nothing to fear."
"I'm not afraid," Xiao Yan replied. "I'm just wondering… if I fuse them all, will it blow up the storage ring as well?"
Yao Lao's brows twitched. He had assumed Xiao Yan was struggling to choose which flames to use, but it turned out his black-bellied disciple was actually worried about not having enough space left for the spoils of war.
Truly worthy of being his disciple—the kind who would pluck feathers from a passing goose.
In his mind, the earlier scene of Xiao Yan sticking his butt out while desperately licking up every last drop of scattered Amethyst Companion Source replayed automatically.
You really haven't changed at all.
"Then just fuse two different flames. The power should be more than enough. If anyone survives, we can just finish them off afterward." Yao Lao suddenly remembered something else and added, "Also, don't use that sub-flame the brat Xiao Jietian gave you, or there really won't be even dregs left."
Xiao Yan was richer than ever before. He possessed the Golden Crow Burning Heaven Holy Flame sub-flame, the Fallen Heart Flame, the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's beast flame, and that mysterious Life-forming Flame.
"Got it!"
Xiao Yan immediately got to work.
...
"What's going on? Why do I feel such a powerful fire-attribute energy fluctuation?"
The Wind and Thunder Southern Pavilion Master looked toward a spot about twenty li away, his eyes filled with doubt. Soon, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face. He knew that the appearance of ancient ruins often triggered powerful energy surges.
He turned to the few remaining elders and disciples behind him. "Everyone, follow me."
With that, he took the lead and flew toward the source of the energy eruption.
But just as they began to move, a figure in black robes suddenly appeared in the sky above them.
"None of you are going anywhere."
The moment he heard that unforgettable voice, the Wind and Thunder Southern Pavilion Master's expression twisted with rage. "Damn dog! If you have the guts, come out! If I, Yuan Lei, don't kill you today, then I'm not a man!"
Before he could finish speaking, he didn't see the person—but he did see an exquisite Fire Lotus with a long trailing tail shooting straight toward their group.
"Pavilion Master, what is that? Is it some kind of treasure meant to compensate us?" a core disciple asked curiously, staring at the rapidly approaching Fire Lotus.
"Compensate your mother!" Yuan Lei cursed and kicked the idiot disciple flying. He had already sensed a terrifying, fatal threat from the lotus. The aura it emitted was exactly the same as the powerful energy fluctuation he had felt earlier.
"Unleash the Luo Tian Lightning Net!"
At Yuan Lei's command, his fingers rapidly formed seals. A clone identical to himself appeared beside him, though its aura was noticeably weaker. The elders behind him also hurriedly circulated their Dou Qi and began forming the same hand seals.
The Fire Lotus with its trailing tail swelled with the wind, growing from the size of a washbasin to over three zhang in diameter. It descended with a terrifying whistling sound, twisting and shattering the space in its path.
Several beams of light shot upward from Yuan Lei and the Wind and Thunder Pavilion elders, intertwining in mid-air to form a massive lightning net in an attempt to block the horrifying Fire Lotus.
"Boom——!"
An earth-shattering explosion erupted. The giant Fire Lotus bloomed beautifully in the sky before instantly engulfing the entire valley.
The moment it detonated, the temperature soared to a terrifying several thousand degrees, twisting and tearing even space itself.
The lightning net cast by the Wind and Thunder Pavilion members shattered like thin paper under the overwhelming energy and heat of the Fire Lotus explosion.
The massive energy shockwave and scorching heatwave flattened the entire hillside. The elders and disciples of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion didn't even have time to scream before they were blasted into fragments by the shockwave, then rapidly evaporated by the terrifying temperature.
On a distant cliff far from the explosion site, Xiao Yan's sleeves were torn, and he was breathing slightly heavily. Condensing this Fire Lotus had consumed nearly half of his Dou Qi and soul power.
"Yan'er, well done. You condensed it much faster this time, and the consumption was also much lower," Yao Lao praised, flicking several pills into Xiao Yan's mouth—some to restore Dou Qi, others to replenish soul power.
"Indeed, but I still need more practice. I'm still far from the level Tian Ge mentioned—where you can shove a Fire Lotus into an enemy's mouth the moment you meet them."
Condensing a Fire Lotus consumed a lot of energy, but who was he? An alchemist! Zhao Zilong might have been full of courage, but Xiao Yan was full of pills!
Yao Lao helplessly covered his face, silently cursing Xiao Jietian. What kind of crazy person teaches their little brother to start with such a big move? How are normal people supposed to play this game?
"That brat is just fooling you."
"Impossible," Xiao Yan said, pulling out a book and turning to a folded page. He pointed at a particular sentence and said, "Teacher, look. Tian Ge must have played like this too, otherwise he wouldn't have come to such a conclusion."
Yao Lao leaned over and read the line:
"Too lazy to talk so much nonsense with you. Go talk to my Thunder's Wrath."
He glanced at the excited Xiao Yan and could only shake his head. For a moment, he even pictured his direct disciple stuffing Fire Lotuses onto his opponents while earnestly asking them why they wanted to be his enemy.
Still… it didn't sound half bad.
After all, he was a civilized person who always preferred to convince others with virtue. If one Fire Lotus wasn't enough, then two. Eventually, the opponent would quietly sit down and listen.