BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

'The Bone Chilling Flame was too powerful to be directly devoured by the Flame Mantra. If there were a lower-ranked Heavenly Flame, I could first devour the weaker flame to strengthen myself, and then attempt to devour the Bone Chilling Flame.'

The Flame Mantra was both immensely powerful and mysterious. It was capable of leveling up by devouring Heavenly Flames and incorporating them into the body as a part of oneself to rapidly increase one's cultivation level. However, the issue was that Xiao Yan's body could not withstand the terrifying energy of the Bone Chilling Flame.

Simply put, his cultivation level was too low, his body too weak, and the energy of the Bone Chilling Flame too strong. Before the Flame Mantra could even begin to devour the Heavenly Flame, his body would be incinerated first.

Xiao Yan opened the Heavenly Flame Ranking, whose author he did not know. The ranking detailed the twenty-three kinds of Heavenly Flame on the Dou Qi Continent with extensive illustrations and explanations.

Ranked 23rd in the Heavenly Flame Ranking was the Mysterious Yellow Flame. It was born between the Yin and Yang energies of the world. It merged into one, formless yet overwhelming, carrying the weight of the cosmos upon its manifestation.

Taking the 22nd position was the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. It was born in lands teeming with the vitality of myriad beasts. It was a fusion of the strength and spirit of countless creatures and had a hue that encompassed the essence of all wildlife. It served as a guardian flame that promoted the vitality and prosperity of all beasts.

Positioned on the 21st was the Yin-Yang Twin Flame. It originated in the void between the netherworld and the mortal realm and displayed black and white tones akin to the Yin-Yang symbol floating through the void. These flames embodied the natural laws of creation and destruction, with the Yang Flame capable of saving life and fostering endless growth, while the Yin Flame brought death as it left nothing but ashes.

Ranked 20th was the Ghostly Poison Flame. It was born in the ancient poisonous swamps of the netherworld. Over millennia, it absorbed the endless poisonous miasma. It took centuries for its spirit to form and manifest. When fully developed, its greenish hue resembled ghostly fires piercing through the poisonous vapors. Its deadly, poisonous nature made it untouchable by most, and only those with a Woeful Poison Body were able to absorb it.

The 19th on the ranking was the Green Lotus Core Flame. It was formed deep underground and had undergone the polishing, fusion, compression, and carving of the planet's flame. It formed a spirit in ten years, took shape in a hundred years, and transformed into a lotus in a thousand years. When it was fully formed, its color would tilt toward the green side, and the lotus core would form a cluster of green flame called the Green Lotus Core Flame. The power of this flame was unpredictable, as it was capable of controlling the power of volcanoes and forming a destructive force of nature.

Xiao Yan focused on the descriptions of the last five kinds of Heavenly Flame. If he wished to quickly devour a Heavenly Flame to increase his strength, these last five would undoubtedly be the best options.

He didn't know who had compiled the Heavenly Flame Ranking, but it was organized according to the strength of the Heavenly Flames.

In the storage ring, Xiao Yan found a record, or rather a diary, that detailed the previous owner's process of subduing the Bone Chilling Flame. The previous owner had consumed a 5th-tier Blood Lotus Essence Pill, and even with his Dou King cultivation realm, he was almost reduced to ashes. It was at the last moment that he managed to subdue the Bone Chilling Flame.

This meant that if he wanted to completely devour the Bone Chilling Flame with the Flame Mantra, he would have to refine a 5th-tier Blood Lotus Essence Pill and possess at least the cultivation of a Dou King to stand any chance.

The Blood Lotus Essence Pill could form a protective scab of blood within the body that could protect both the interior and exterior from the damage caused by the flames.

Xiao Yan had always asked Ya Fei to keep an eye on the medicinal ingredients for the Blood Lotus Essence Pill. The storage ring that Ya Fei had given him contained all the auxiliary ingredients except for some of the main ingredients for the Blood Lotus Essence Pill.

'If I had the Blood Lotus Essence Pill, would I have a chance to devour the last ranked Mysterious Yellow Flame when I become a Dou Spirit? Maybe as a Dou Grandmaster? No, it might even be possible as a peak Dou Master. After all, there's a trace of the Bone Chilling Flame within my body. If I use it to protect myself, it might just work.'

Xiao Yan kept mulling over this, but soon, he was lying on the ground with a face full of dejection.

'Alas, a 5th-tier medicinal pill... how am I supposed to train for that? In my head? I can't even refine a 3rd-tier medicinal pill right now.' Xiao Yan had gained a lot of insight into alchemy and had been able to refine 2nd-tier medicinal pills after witnessing Hun Huzi's alchemy technique once. However, 3rd-tier medicinal pills were too difficult for him.

The difficulty lay not in the refinement process, but in gathering the ingredients. In Wu Tan City, gathering the ingredients for a 3rd-tier medicinal pill was truly challenging for him.

Alchemists were like gold-eating beasts. Besides observing high-tier alchemists to learn from their alchemy, much of alchemy involved relentless practice and learning from failure. The higher the tier of a medicinal pill, the rarer the ingredients required. Even with the assistance of a Heavenly Flame, success was hard to come by.

Gathering a complete set of ingredients for a 3rd-tier medicinal pill was simply too difficult!

Xiao Yan lifted his right hand and looked at the Soul Ring on it. Currently, two paths lay before him. The first was to join Xun Er and the others at Jia Nan Academy to study and cultivate until he was strong enough to directly devour the Bone Chilling Flame.

Jia Nan Academy was the most prestigious advanced academy on the Dou Qi Continent. It was almost a sacred place in the hearts of all youths.

Located at the junction between the Jia Ma Empire and two other major empires, the Jia Nan Academy maintained an exalted status even in such a lawless area. This spoke volumes about the strength of the academy.

Had he not cultivated the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan would definitely have chosen to study at Jia Nan Academy.

The second path had to do with the Hall of Souls token inside the storage ring.

He had solved Hun Huzi's puzzle and detoxified the poison. According to Hun Huzi, he could now take that token to the Hall of Souls in the imperial capital.

The Soul Ring contained books with maps of the Dou Qi continent, one of which detailed the continent's major factions. They were described as "One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions." The Hall of Souls was considered to be one of the top organizations on the Dou Qi continent, and its influence spread across the entire land.

However, the problem was that according to the books, the Hall of Souls resembled more of an evil and terrifying organization!

They were constantly kidnapping talented alchemists and seizing powerful soul bodies.

Xiao Yan understood that Hun Huzi had likely given him the token because he saw the potential in his naturally strong soul and his talent as an alchemist.

Although the Hall of Souls was filled with unknown dangers, there was no denying that if he wanted to gather information about Heavenly Flames and learn more advanced alchemy techniques, entering the Hall of Souls was the best way to go.

Power was just like a knife; it depended on how the wielder decided to use it. Whether to cut people or vegetables was entirely up to the wielder.

'Where do I even start looking for Heavenly Flames?'

Xiao Yan glanced at the sky, noticed that it was getting late, and then left the cave.

He had just returned to the clan's entrance when he happened to spot a familiar silhouette. It was the delicate figure of a young girl, standing elegantly in the courtyard and exuding an exceptional beauty.

"Xun Er has finally decided to come back."

Xun Er heard Xiao Yan's voice and turned to look, just in time to see him returning from outside the gate. She stuck out her tongue and said with a soft laugh, "Xun Er just finished a closed-door cultivation session. All I heard after coming out of seclusion was about Xiao Yan ge-ge's glorious deeds."

Xun Er was referring, of course, to Xiao Yan's public display of alchemy and how he had nearly bankrupted the two major clans without shedding a drop of blood.

"It's nothing big, just refining a few medicinal pills. What's so great about that?" Xiao Yan shrugged nonchalantly.

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression that seemed to be begging for a beating, Xun Er's laughter was clear and sweet, "Then congratulations to Xiao Yan ge-ge. No matter what tier of alchemist you are or what your cultivation level is, Jia Nan Academy will surely make a special exception for you. Xiao Yan ge-ge, you don't even need to take the entrance exam to enter the academy."

Xiao Yan's expression showed a hint of hesitation upon hearing about Jia Nan Academy.

Xun Er keenly caught this subtle change and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Xiao Yan ge-ge? Don't you want to go to Jia Nan Academy for further studies?"

"It's not exactly that. Rather than cultivating Dou Qi at Jia Nan Academy, I'm now more interested in obtaining a Heavenly Flame right now," Xiao Yan didn't hide his desire, as a Heavenly Flame was something every alchemist dreamed of.

Xun Er blinked when she heard his words, "Heavenly Flame? But Jia Nan Academy has one. Didn't Cousin Xiao Yu mention it to you?"

"????"

"..."

"That blockhead!!!"