Xiao Tian stroked Han Yue's soft, silvery hair. "Yue'er, have you had any problems with your cultivation lately?"
"None at all. And my sisters are always guiding me." Han Yue's smile was genuine, her heart overflowing with emotion. Her strength had soared, her very fate had shifted—all of it bestowed by the man before her. The gaze she fixed on him grew impossibly tender.
"What's this? Afraid we'll bully your new favorite?" Yun Yun arched a playful brow at Xiao Tian.
"Sister Yun, please don't tease your little sister like that!" Han Yue's face flamed crimson, and she buried it against Xiao Tian's chest.
"How could I ever think such a thing? And there is no 'new favorite' or 'old love' with me. You are all my treasures. My heart's darlings. I treat every one of you the same." Xiao Tian gently pinched Yun Yun's cheek. Ever since the pregnancy, she had shed much of her aloofness and grown unexpectedly playful. Could it be she had picked up bad habits from a certain someone?
*Medusa: You're blaming me for everything now???*
"Oh, Young Master, that's so cheesy!" Qing Lin clutched at her cheek as though her teeth ached, but inside, her heart was drenched in sweetness.
After chatting with them a while longer, Xiao Tian rose and crossed to where Xiao Zhan and the others were gathered.
The moment Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng saw their father approaching, they stretched out their tiny hands, their entire beings radiating the desperate desire to be held. An uncontrollable smile split Xiao Tian's face the instant he saw it.
Beaming, he gently scooped his two daughters from Xiao Zhan's and Xue Lan's arms.
"Look at Little Brother Xiao Tian—he's already a complete daughter slave. His grin is about to split his face in two!" Ya Fei watched his expression and teased the other three women, though her own voice brimmed with joy.
The others heartily agreed, already picturing Xiao Tian's future as a father to these girls, and they dissolved into helpless laughter.
While bouncing his daughters in his arms, Xiao Tian's gaze drifted toward the calm and collected Xiao Ding. His eyes darted mischievously. "Big Brother… when will you let me hold a little niece?"
Xue Lan instantly turned so red she looked ready to burrow straight into the floor. Xiao Ding shot his younger brother a mock glare. "I'm in no rush. Xiao Li Zi and Xiao Yan Zi haven't even gotten married yet."
The words struck Xiao Tian as oddly familiar, as though some ancient phrase had been reversed. The hall soon filled with warm conversation, the atmosphere wrapped in quiet family bliss.
---
Jia Nan Academy. Underground magma world.
Xiao Yan, still acclimating to the Fallen Heart Flame, suddenly felt an itch in his nose. He rubbed it absently and murmured, "Is someone thinking about me?"
Nearby, Nalan Yanran caught the faint sound. She propped her chin on one hand and asked with gentle concern, "Xiao Yan, what did you say?"
"Nothing. Just sighing a little." Xiao Yan stood and stretched, his hand drifting unconsciously to his lower back. *Beauty truly is a boning knife.* Having tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time, the two of them had been utterly unrestrained these past days. And Nalan Yanran had completely exceeded his expectations—she was nothing like the aloof woman she appeared to be.
He sighed in relief that he was an Alchemist, that he had cultivated the Burning Technique, and that the Heavenly Flame constantly tempered his body. Then his thoughts turned to his Brother Tian. He himself found one so difficult to handle—yet Brother Tian had five, six, seven, or eight. *Next time, I must go to Brother Tian for advice.*
*Xiao Tian: You and I are not the same. I have extraordinary talent. (System rewards count as extraordinary talent, right?)*
"You stay here for now. Don't wander around. I have something to do. Hold onto this weapon—don't put it in your storage ring." Xiao Yan gave Nalan Yanran a brief instruction and moved toward the edge, ready to plunge into the magma below.
Nalan Yanran rushed to his side and threw her arms around him. She didn't ask what he was doing. Her voice was only thick with worry. "Alright. I'll listen. Please be careful. I'll wait for you here."
Xiao Yan turned, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and gently removed her hands. Emerald-green flames erupted across his body as the aura of a Dou Huang surged outward. He leaped. With a deep splash, he vanished from her sight. Nalan Yanran clutched the Xuan Heavy Ruler, worry clouding her eyes.
---
Guided by his own Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Yan sank through the magma for nearly twenty minutes. He consumed Qi recovery pills one after another—he had prepared thoroughly for this descent. At last, with the Flame's guidance, he saw it. The skeleton of Venerable Skyfire. And beside it, another Fallen Heart Flame.
Though he had entered the underground world sooner this time, he still encountered the Flame Lizardmen. After a fierce struggle, he killed more than ten of them and collected a number of fire pearls, much like monster cores. Pursued relentlessly by the survivors, he scrambled into a barrier of light at the place where Venerable Skyfire had fallen.
The pursuing Lizardmen halted in the distance, roaring at Xiao Yan in fury but not daring to take even half a step closer. After a long, frustrated chorus of snarls, they retreated. Xiao Yan let out a heavy breath of relief.
His gaze shifted. There, on the skeleton, rested the infant Fallen Heart Flame. Joy surged through him. He was finally about to complete the task Brother Tian had given him. He had no intention of absorbing this Heavenly Flame. It was still in its infancy—absorbing it now would yield little benefit. And more importantly, this flame belonged to the Academy. He wouldn't let Xiao Tian break his word to them. This infant flame was exactly what the Academy needed most.
His Brother Tian had made it very clear: if he failed to find this Heavenly Flame, he would be turned into a ruthless output tool for a man-made Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda. The memory of how seriously Xiao Tian had described that fate made Xiao Yan shiver.
He stepped forward slowly, his palm curving to capture the infant flame.
A blinding white light erupted from the skeleton. Xiao Yan shot backward. Under his wary gaze, the light twisted and coiled, slowly shaping itself into a blurry, ancient figure. White robes. Snow-white hair and beard. An aged face. Calm eyes that flickered with faint, knowing brilliance.
Venerable Skyfire. The one who, in the original story, would serve as Xiao Yan's protector through the middle stages.
Xiao Yan felt a crushing pressure radiating from him—stronger even than Old Wen's. Venerable Skyfire wasted no time putting on a display, effortlessly manipulating the very Fallen Heart Flame Xiao Yan had already absorbed.
The two introduced themselves and spoke for a time. When Xiao Yan learned that Venerable Skyfire had once been a Dou Zun, his heart slammed against his ribs. After the introductions, the negotiations began.