At the dinner table, Xiao Yan ravenously devoured his food, his teeth working ceaselessly. He glanced at Xiao Yu, who was pouting and snorting, and recalling that wonderful feeling, his right index finger unconsciously stroked his palm.
Across from him, Xiao Yu glared fiercely at Xiao Yan. Seeing his action, a blush immediately spread across her face.
With a strange look, Xun Er watched Xiao Yu grit her teeth, then looked at Xiao Yan beside her, who wore an expression of "it has nothing to do with me." She frowned in confusion, shook her head helplessly, and slowly swallowed the food in her small mouth.
Xiao Yan's gaze bypassed Xiao Yu and landed on Xiao Zhu, who stood nearby with a joyful expression, his mouth almost stretched across half his face. Xiao Yan lightly tapped the table with his finger, gloating inwardly as he thought, "This fellow must have obtained the Foundation Establishment Elixir, right? He doesn't seem to know that the elixir isn't very effective for Dou Qi beyond the eighth stage..."
Chuckling and shaking his head, Xiao Yan's gaze somewhat boredly swept around. Seeing the widespread smiles on his father and the others at the table, his heart was filled with bewilderment: "The family only holds banquets on certain holidays, don't they? Is there some great joy today? Is buying the Foundation Establishment Elixir at an auction really worth celebrating?"
Xiao Yan's mind wandered. Naturally, he didn't know that this family banquet was precisely because of his casual remark today, disguised as the mysterious black-robed man, about a potential collaboration.
Collaborating with an alchemist above the second rank, the Xiao family had an opportunity to reap huge profits. Perhaps, they could even rise with the tide and suppress those two great families. Therefore, it was no wonder that his usually calm and composed father was so joyful. And those elders were also smiling incessantly, their old eyes narrowed, clearly somewhat bewildered by this windfall.
The meal slowly concluded in a joyful atmosphere. Seeing his father wave his hand, Xiao Yan immediately jumped off his chair, rushed out of the main hall first, and then headed straight back to his room without looking back.
Not long after Xiao Yan left, Xiao Yu also gritted her teeth and chased after him, but only caught a glimpse of his retreating figure. Helplessly, she stomped her feet in frustration and left, seething with anger.
……
Back in his room, having eaten his fill, Xiao Yan was not in a hurry to ask Yao Lao to immediately refine medicine. He closed the door tightly, climbed onto the bed, and took a nap.
When it was late at night and all living things were asleep, Xiao Yan, lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes wide. He sprang out of bed, carefully took out the hidden medicinal ingredients and placed them on the table. Then he turned his head and looked at Yao Lao, who floated like a ghost about a foot above the ground, and softly asked, "Teacher, can we refine it now?"
"You've finally learned a bit of caution. Alchemy requires an extremely quiet environment. If disturbed, the consequences are very serious. I won't explain what backlash damage is now, but later, when you've learned alchemy, if you're still careless and negligent, it's only natural that you might lose your life." Yao Lao walked to the table, his illusory hand gently touched the various ingredients, and he nodded slightly, his tone faint but somewhat stern.
Xiao Yan scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and nodded in acceptance of the teaching.
Seeing Xiao Yan's obedient demeanor, Yao Lao finally let out a sigh of relief. Outside his palm, a white flame slowly ignited.
The soul's sensing power continuously controlled the flame's temperature. At this moment, the old alchemist glanced at Xiao Yan, who was curiously looking at the flame in his palm. After a slight hesitation, he softly said, "Alchemists can usually distinguish the grade of a flame by its color."
"For ordinary alchemists, the flame is usually light yellow. The higher the grade, the deeper the color, and the stronger its power."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes widened. He pointed at the flame in the old alchemist's hand and asked in surprise, "Then why is your flame white, Teacher?"
"Ah, ah, what I said was about the flames of ordinary alchemists. However, in the circle of alchemists, besides those who use abundant Dou Qi to propel their flames, there's another type..." The old alchemist smiled, a hint of pride in his expression.
"That is, borrowed fire!"
"Borrowed fire?" The term wasn't unfamiliar, but the meaning it contained made Xiao Yan look bewildered. Could fire for alchemy also be borrowed?
"Yes, it is borrowed fire." Nodding vigorously, the old alchemist chuckled, "In this vast world, there exist some Heaven and Earth Strange Flames. Perhaps they are flames carried by meteorites falling from the sky, or deep within volcanoes, or magma earth-fire that has burned for hundreds of thousands of years... These Strange Flames are several times more powerful than flames propelled by Dou Qi. When used to refine elixirs, they can even enhance the medicinal power. However, these Strange Flames are extremely violent and rarely encountered. Moreover, even if one sees them, obtaining them is incredibly difficult."
"Many alchemists search for Strange Flames their entire lives, never fulfilling their wish until death. After all, to control a Strange Flame, one must introduce the flame into one's own body. Yet, Strange Flames are violent and destructive. Even the notoriously sturdy magic gold diamond metal material cannot withstand Strange Flames, let alone such a fragile human body. It is undoubtedly impossible. Therefore, only a very few lucky individuals, encountering fortuitous circumstances, can refine a small portion of a Strange Flame and cultivate it into their own flame. And these people, without exception, are famous in the alchemy world..."
Listening with a somewhat dazed and mesmerized expression for a long time, Xiao Yan licked his lips, his gaze fixed on the white flame in the old alchemist's hand. As he carefully sensed it, he seemed to have a kind of icy illusion.
"This flame of yours, Teacher, must also be a type of Strange Flame, right?" Xiao Yan tentatively asked.
"Ah, ah." When speaking of his own flame, the old alchemist's aged face brightened slightly, and he said with fervent eyes, "The alchemy world of the Dou Qi Continent frequently collects information about Strange Flames, compiling it into a 'Strange Flame Ranking.' There are twenty-three types on the list. My Strange Flame is ranked eleventh, the 'Bone Chilling Spirit Flame.' This type of Strange Flame can only be encountered in extremely yin and cold places once every hundred years, when the sun and moon alternate (*)."
"Bone Chilling Spirit Flame?"
Gazing unblinkingly at the continuously rising white flame, Xiao Yan softly murmured.
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* The alternation of the sun and moon: I think it refers to a solar eclipse.