People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 197 Refining, Strength Soars

While swallowing the source of the strange fire, Chen Xiao also took out the spirit-gathering device prepared by Cao Ying and absorbed it into his body.

This is an essential item for refining different flames; it can be regarded as a container for different flames.

The process of absorbing spiritual energy into the body does not require attention; at this moment, Chen Xiao's entire focus is on the source of the strange fire.

The moment the Bone Spirit Cold Fire essence entered his stomach, Chen Xiao was already mentally prepared to face the pain.

But to his utter surprise, after a long while, the pain still did not appear.

As he focused his mind on his body, a clear sensory interface immediately appeared in Chen Xiao's mind.

At this moment, within the many meridians of the body, the original source of the strange fire that had previously entered the body had differentiated into wisps of tiny white flames. These white flames, containing terrifying energy, wandered haphazardly through the meridians, like a lost flock of sheep searching for an exit.

The white flames emitted terrifyingly high temperatures, but Chen Xiao's battle qi, having fused with the Purple Spirit Cold Qi and Heavenly Cold Qi, posed no threat whatsoever to him, despite the extreme heat that would be fatal to ordinary people.

His fighting spirit was like an extremely heat-resistant and insulating material, completely blocking the heat emitted by the white flames and preventing them from damaging his internal meridians in the slightest.

"It can't be that simple, can it?"

Looking at the scene inside his body, Chen Xiao felt uneasy.

But in any case, this doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Quickly banishing distracting thoughts, Chen Xiao hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique, channeling his internal fighting spirit and carrying the wisps of white flame along the technique's path, attempting to take a solid step before the Bone Spirit Cold Fire caused any further unforeseen changes.

Maintaining in this state, after an unknown amount of time, those wisps of white flames had circulated through the meridians of his body for hundreds of cycles. Strangely, Chen Xiao could clearly feel that these white flames showed no signs of merging with his battle qi.

They are like two liquids with completely different densities; they appear to be mixed together, but in reality, they are clearly distinct.

In other words, the essence of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame posed no threat to Chen Xiao in the slightest, but similarly, he did not refine even a trace of it, and his progress remained at zero.

"It's because the attributes don't match..."

After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiao immediately made a guess.

Realizing this, Chen Xiao was no longer in a hurry.

For someone with an ice attribute to attempt to refine the bone spirit's cold fire in its extremely hot state, it would be a pipe dream. It's already fortunate that they weren't burned to nothingness.

To refine it, one must wait for its origin to transform into an extremely cold state. Only when the attributes are compatible will there be a chance of success.

Unfortunately, the source of this strange fire has now broken away from the Yin-Yang Harmony Formation, and its attribute transformation is no longer under control. No one knows how long they will have to wait for the opportunity to come.

Suppressing his eagerness, Chen Xiao simply ignored it, took out a Zongyuan Pill from his storage ring and put it in his mouth, then began to cultivate silently, focusing his mind on two things at once.

Inside the stone tablet space, Saintess Qiwu watched Chen Xiao's changes in condition throughout the entire process and noticed the problem he was encountering, so she frowned slightly.

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame had lost its mind, and its state changes were completely unpredictable. It might change dozens of times a day, once every ten days or half a month, or even once every few years or decades. Theoretically, any of these were possible.

Anyway, Bone Spirit Cold Fire has no concept of being in a hurry.

Chen Xiao was not a member of the Bai clan and could not truly understand their crisis. He was not in a hurry either. He could wait a year or two, or if all else failed, he could simply leave this small world and let the source of the strange fire stay in his body. As long as it behaved itself and did not cause any damage, he would have plenty of time to wear down the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, even for a lifetime.

However, the Bai people don't have that much time left.

With the Bone Spirit Cold Fire's origin stripped away, the Yin-Yang Harmony Array began to spiral out of control. The Dream Realm now possessed the concepts of day and night, and everyone realized that this world had changed.

Saintess Qiwu and Venerable Bailong were well aware that at most a year and a half would be enough to suppress the out-of-control formation. At that time, they would have to rely on its power to break through the Dream Realm, which would be the only opportunity for the Bai Clan to take the initiative to emerge into the world.

If Chen Xiao and Bone Spirit Cold Fire continue to drag things out like this, they will have to change some of their plans.

"White Dragon, what do we do now?" Saintess Qiwu looked up at the sky.

"Minor problems, leave them to me."

In response to Saintess Qiwu's words, Venerable White Dragon's voice transmission suddenly rang in Chen Xiao's ears.

"Young friend, do not resist. I will first pass on the inheritance of the Array Master to you, which includes the Yin-Yang Harmony Array. Neither of us can set up the complete array, but the simplified version is not difficult. It only requires ninety-nine talismans to set up. You should first condense the talismans and, using yourself as the foundation, place this array in your meridians."

"The Bone Spirit Cold Flame has been controlled by this formation for a long time. In the past, whenever this formation was activated slightly each day, it would change its state. Over the years, this has become an instinct. You only need to make good use of this instinct to keep it in an extremely cold state. Once you have successfully refined it, this formation will be useless, and you will be able to control its state at will."

Hearing the White Dragon Venerable's telepathic message, Chen Xiao nodded slightly in understanding.

This is a better approach than relying on luck.

A wave of soul energy emanated from the sky, causing Chen Xiao's body to tremble slightly. Immediately afterward, he sensed countless pieces of information flooding into his mind.

This is a complete legacy, and the amount of information it contains is beyond imagination.

Before he could dwell on his emotions, Chen Xiao suppressed his shock and quickly searched for relevant information.

At the same time, he also noticed that every time he finished reading the contents of a formation, the progress of the subsequent completion of the pre-drawn cultivation technique would increase by one, which was an unexpected bonus.

With a smile playing on his lips, Chen Xiao quickly filtered through the temporarily irrelevant information and soon found the simplified version of the Yin-Yang Harmony Array diagram that the White Dragon Venerable had mentioned.

Having firmly imprinted it in his heart, Chen Xiao then began to condense new runes.

This is a very tedious task, and the difficulty increases as more and more runes are condensed.

In the previous two trials, Chen Xiao only spent a few days to condense thirty-two talismans. But this time, it took him three months to condense ninety-nine talismans, meeting the basic requirements of the rudimentary Yin-Yang Harmony Array.

It is worth mentioning that Chen Xiao's cultivation technique had been running continuously during this period. With the assistance of the Ice Spirit Jade and the Zongyuan Pill, his strength was steadily improving, and he had naturally advanced to the mid-level Dou Zong, reaching the four-star level.

Without the slightest delay, following the method instructed by Venerable White Dragon, Chen Xiao placed a series of talismans onto the meridians of his body according to the array diagram. There was no need to actually circulate them; just a slight circulation was enough to cause the unchanging white flames to react instantly. The extreme heat subsided, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

The extreme heat of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire did not cause Chen Xiao any discomfort. On the contrary, the current extreme cold made him feel a long-lost stinging pain.

Chen Xiao didn't have a masochistic streak, but the extreme cold he felt at that moment brought him an uncontrollable joy.

Only because the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is in this state can it be refined!

Chen Xiao quickly stopped the operation of the incomplete Yin-Yang Harmony Array and smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, which finally showed signs of being refined.

Ultimately, we have to thank that master of array formations for training the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to be so obedient.

"Come on, let me see if you can achieve the effect I expect!"

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao dared not be careless in the slightest. He mobilized all his internal fighting spirit, guiding the wisps of white flames along his meridians. Perhaps because these white flames had become accustomed to this route over the past few months, they offered no resistance whatsoever to Chen Xiao's manipulation, cooperating with incredible ease, as if going with the flow.

This is undoubtedly another piece of good news, as this state can greatly accelerate the speed at which Chen Xiao refines it.

The stinging pain was everywhere, and the extreme cold made Chen Xiao's body stiffen. A thick layer of frost covered his entire body until it condensed into a layer of solid ice, enveloping Chen Xiao inside.

From the outside, Chen Xiao appeared lifeless, as if everything was frozen in time.

However, his mind was perfectly clear, and he tirelessly urged the white flame to operate.

Day after day, month after month…

Two more months have passed in the blink of an eye!
Finally, on this day, Chen Xiao was able to clearly perceive that even if he no longer deliberately pushed it, the white flame would flow along his meridians on its own.

From passive to active, a single word makes all the difference!

At this stage, the refining of the strange fire can be declared more than half successful!
Chen Xiao's consciousness sank into his body, where he could see that the wisps of white flames had all gathered together, like a white ribbonfish, drifting with the current in the battle qi.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao immediately began the final and most important step.

Under his deliberate control, when the white flame swam to his lower abdomen, it 'unexpectedly' discovered a tiny gray dot of light.

Seeing the slightly bright spot of light, the white flame was instantly attracted, like a child who had found a new and interesting toy, and kept moving closer, as if it wanted to find out what was going on.

The gray dot of light floated silently, and within it was endless, deep darkness. At the end of the darkness, it seemed as if another space was hidden, making it look extremely mysterious.

The white flame hovered around the gray dot of light, seemingly quite curious about it, attempting to touch it several times, but always stopping abruptly at the last moment.

Perhaps it was a sense of unease, or perhaps it was something else, but that sight made Chen Xiao anxious.

Finally, after the white flames had tried to leap out more than ten times and then hurriedly turned back, Chen Xiao could no longer hold back.

Immediately, Chen Xiao mobilized all the fighting spirit within his body, concentrated his mind, and fiercely crashed into the retreating white flames.

It was as if it had been pushed into an abyss; the moment the white flames and gray light touched, it vanished completely.

Or to be more precise, it was absorbed into that dark space!
After absorbing the white flames, Chen Xiao stopped circulating his cultivation technique, and his body fell into complete silence.

The answer to this small gray dot is obvious: it was formed by the Naling that had been previously ingested.

The final and most important step in refining the strange fire into the original fire seed is to forcefully compress the strange fire into the space formed by the spirit storage. Only by completely absorbing the strange fire into the spirit storage and refining it can perfection be truly achieved!
Normally, this step is extremely difficult.

The more powerful the strange fire, the higher its intelligence. It has an instinctive resistance to dangerous things, and if it fails to drive them away by force, it will suffer a backlash.

This is the fundamental reason why the spirit of the strange fire must be stripped away before it can be refined!

The reason why the Bone Spirit Cold Flame that Chen Xiao is refining at this moment does not have this step is because its intelligence has long been lost.

...

Inside the dimly lit space of the stone tablet.

Saintess Qiwu looked at Chen Xiao, who was enveloped in a thick layer of mysterious ice, and gently flicked her fingers. After a while, she frowned slightly and whispered, "Why hasn't it ended yet after so long? Could something have gone wrong?"

Just as the Holy Maiden Qiwu was muttering to herself, she heard a 'crack' sound.

Saintess Qiwu suddenly looked up and immediately saw a crack appear on the thick layer of ice, followed by a second, and a third…

Until the ice surface became densely covered with cracks.

"boom!"

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the ice shattered, revealing a figure sitting cross-legged inside.

The Holy Maiden of Qiwu looked over and saw that Chen Xiao's eyes were closed, and the exposed skin on his face and arms was returning to normal at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the frozen, cold white color was quickly fading away.

At the same time, waves of energy ripples suddenly appeared rapidly, followed by a powerful aura that suddenly spread out from Chen Xiao's body, wave after wave, becoming stronger and stronger!

Sensing this rapidly rising aura, Saintess Qiwu was taken aback.

It is common knowledge that refining different flames can enhance combat power, as using different flames to fight is a valid method.

Normally, refining a strange fire does not have the effect of increasing one's level.

Chen Xiao's current appearance clearly showed a surge in strength, which did not conform to her understanding.

"It's because of the Yin-Yang Harmony Formation!"

"The great array of the Dream Realm has been drawing energy from the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, which is why, even after so many years, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame still cannot break free from its control."

"Perhaps it's because habit has become instinct. Right now, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame is channeling energy into the incomplete array within his body. Even though most of the energy accumulated by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame over the years has been extracted by the Yin-Yang Harmony Array in the Dream Realm, leaving only a tiny fraction of energy, it is still comparable to some of the top ten Strange Flames on the Strange Flame Ranking."

"And he, who is only a four-star Dou Zong, was infused with such a huge amount of energy, it would be difficult for his strength not to increase."

In the void, the voice of the White Dragon Venerable dispelled the doubts of the Holy Maiden Qiwu.

Clearly, Venerable White Dragon is also paying attention to this place.

Hearing his explanation, the Holy Maiden Qiwu finally understood.

Turning their gaze back to Chen Xiao, they could clearly sense that Chen Xiao's aura was surging wildly.

Four-star Dou Zong, five-star Dou Zong, six-star, seven-star...

In just a few minutes, he had already stepped into the advanced Dou Zong level.

Moreover, there is no sign of it stopping.

"It really was a lucky accident."

Saintess Qiwu sighed, then smiled, a hint of anticipation on her face.

"Bai Long, how far do you think he can improve?"

"The remaining energy of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire could easily propel him to the Dou Zun level, but for him, this might not be a good thing. Let's see how he chooses to proceed."

(End of this chapter)