Breaking the Masked Man

"?!"

Yao Lao's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in Yao Yan's palm. He was momentarily lost in thought, and memories buried deep in his mind began to surface, causing his expression to become slightly ferocious, and his previous cheerful demeanor vanished.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 119 Trading

Burn them alive.

This was the name that the old master named the unnamed martial arts manual. It was because of this manual that his disciple, whom he regarded as his own son, betrayed him and, together with his former junior brother, severely injured him, leaving him in this state of being worse than dead. All the things that had happened before surged into his mind at this moment, making him feel an indescribable grief.

He had raised Han Feng from childhood, yet Han Feng betrayed him for a martial arts manual. Perhaps, as his friend Feng Xian said, he had neglected Han Feng's character because he loved him too much.

He pondered for a moment.

The ferocious expression on Yao Lao's face turned into a bitter look. He looked at Yao Yan with complicated eyes and said in a low voice, "I never thought that someone could actually master the Burning Technique... Ever since I obtained this technique, I have felt that it is too dangerous, or even a technique specifically designed to deceive people. It is ridiculous to think that a low-level Yellow Rank technique can be used to refine a strange fire, let alone devour and evolve it."

The strange fire is such a violent thing that even a Dou Zun expert would not dare to say that he could refine it successfully. Not to mention that a cultivator who started from Dou Zhe and began to cultivate the Yellow Rank low-level technique, the Burning Technique, might not be able to break through to Dou Wang in his entire life. To subdue a strange fire below the Dou Wang level is undoubtedly a gamble with one's life, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death and only a chance to try one's luck!

I'm betting that the strange flame is compatible with you and is willing to be refined by you...

"Successfully by chance."

Yao Yan smiled upon hearing this and said modestly.

If he hadn't known the original plot, he probably wouldn't have chosen the Burning Technique, because apart from a few madmen and greedy people, no one would actually practice this technique.

"I have never believed in luck in this world. The fact that you can do it shows that you have the ability. However, I am very curious. With your talent, you should be a member of a great family in Zhongzhou. How did you end up in such a remote place and even cultivate the Burning Technique?"

The old doctor stroked his beard, looking at Yao Yan with curiosity and a touch of amazement.

Yao Yan looked to be under twenty years old. To possess a soul at the Spirit Realm level and Dou Qi at the Dou Wang level before the age of twenty was a talent that was considered monstrous even in his former family. Logically speaking, such a genius would not be able to go out alone or even cultivate an unknown and dangerous technique.

The elders in the family are not just for show.

Even when they go out to gain experience, they will be protected by strong individuals.

The path of cultivation will be planned out in advance, including foundation building, cultivation techniques, combat skills, and so on. Everything will be prepared properly, so the other party will not be allowed to act recklessly.

Just like his past training of Han Feng, he devoted almost all his efforts to building a perfect foundation for him in the early stages, but unfortunately the other party...

"Speaking of which, I am also related to Venerable Medicine by blood."

Yao Yan looked at Yao Lao and suddenly said something.

"?!"

The old doctor paused in stroking his beard, staring blankly at Yao Yan.

Before Elder Yao could ask, Yao Yan continued, "My surname is also Yao, and my full name is Yao Yan. I am a member of the Yao clan, but not a direct descendant. My parents died when I was young, and I entered the clan school in Dan Ding City to study. Later, I became a disciple of an elder in the clan school. After completing my studies, I unexpectedly learned the truth about my parents. In a fit of rage, I slaughtered their entire family. With the help of my teacher, I escaped from the Yao Realm. I originally intended to go to the Black Corner Region, but I encountered a spatial storm and fell into the Jia Ma Empire, where I found Venerable Yao's ring..."

In a few words, he recounted his past experiences, but omitted many key details, such as the story of Hun Xuzi.

"..."

The old doctor tugged at the beard of the soul body, but since the beard was not real, it could not provide him with any pain. However, everything the old doctor said made him feel as if he were listening to some legendary story.

Regardless of whether Elder Yao was shocked, Yao Yan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I also have some connection with you. Because I had no family to help me when I was young, and I had heard about the story of Venerable Yao's rise to power, I chose the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique when selecting the clan's martial arts method."

After speaking, he raised his hand and condensed three flames of essence, energy, and spirit. The three flames were clearly distinct from each other, yet they circulated and transformed, clearly showing signs of the mastery of the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique.

"No wonder you were able to switch to the Burning Flame Technique. The Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique is very special. Once you cultivate it to perfection, you can perfectly switch to any fire-attribute technique without any side effects!"

Suppressing his inner shock, Yao Lao looked at the three flames swirling and merging in Yao Yan's palm and slowly said.

At this moment, he believed Yao Yan's words. Other things could be faked or pretended, but the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique was one of the three basic techniques inherited by the Yao Clan. It was impossible to fake, and he himself had cultivated this technique since childhood, so he was very familiar with it.

However, to be fair, this kid's talent is too amazing. At such a young age, he has cultivated the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique to this level. You must know that he could only barely condense the three fires back then, and he was far from being able to do what Yao Yan did so smoothly and freely, converting the essence, energy and spirit fires at will.

To achieve this, one's own essence, energy, and spirit must reach a certain level, but his blood and energy were somewhat weak back then.

"The Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique is indeed quite good."

Yao Yan nodded in agreement with Yao Lao's words, then changed the subject and said softly, "Now that we've finished our small talk, let's talk about the transaction. Since Venerable Yao knows about the Burning Technique, he should also know the importance of the Strange Flame to him."

"Actually, I'm also curious whether the Burning Technique can be compatible with several different flames. However, with your current Dou Qi cultivation, you're still a bit lacking in strength to devour my Bone Spirit Cold Flame. This Bone Spirit Cold Flame has been with me for a hundred years, and its origin is no weaker than before. You need at least the strength of a Dou Zong to perfectly control it."

The old doctor chuckled and offered his advice in a gentle tone, appearing to be considering Yao Yan's feelings.

Yao Yan's gaze remained calm, unmoved by Yao Lao's words. His tone even sharpened slightly: "I respect your character, which is why I address you as Venerable Yao. If you're trying to play tricks, then I can only call you an old fool. Don't try to fool me with these kinds of words meant to deceive newbies. Even if I can't absorb the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, I can still refine it into my body. It's just a matter of whether you're willing or not."

If he didn't know the original plot, that would be fine.

Before Yao Lao was captured by the Soul Palace Protector in the original novel, he placed the original seed of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame into Xiao Yan's body, so there's no reason why it wouldn't work for him.

In summary: the old doctor was just playing tricks on him!

"Hehe, these kids these days are really hard to fool."

Upon hearing this, the old doctor showed no shame at being seen through. Instead, he stroked his beard and chuckled as he remarked.

Yao Yan, without blushing or skipping a beat, calmly said, "Please don't treat me like a clueless young man. I'm not naive; I've cultivated to this level on my own."

The old man's smile faded as he glanced at the Bone Flame Ring on Yao Yan's finger. A flash of heartache crossed his eyes as he slowly said, "Indeed, otherwise you wouldn't have used the Soul-Devouring Grass to erase my soul imprint on the Bone Flame Ring. Such cunning methods are beyond the capabilities of ordinary youths. I even suspect that if I didn't have the Bone Spirit Cold Flame protecting me, you would have refined my soul as well."

Yao Yan said softly, "Since we have no enmity, no grudges, and no conflict of interest, I won't kill innocent people indiscriminately. At most, I'll throw your soul into a cave."

What a ruthless kid!

The old doctor's lips twitched. A soul in a coma was exposed like this, truly dying without even knowing how it died. After pondering for a while, he sighed softly: "Fine, I can give you the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, but you must prepare a body for me to help me revive."

Yao Yan shook his head, looked at Yao Lao, and said, "You were a Dou Zun level expert in your lifetime. If I help you revive, I can hardly guarantee that you won't turn against me. However, if you are willing to wait until I become a Dou Zun, we can fulfill the agreement. If you are not willing, I can hand you over to your friend."

The old doctor smiled and said, "I can wait. The prerequisite for the resurrection method is three different flames. Only you in this world can help me to be perfectly resurrected. No one else can do it."

As he said this, the smile on his lips deepened. He inexplicably felt that he was quite lucky. As soon as he woke up, he encountered Yao Yan, a 'clan member' who had successfully cultivated the Burning Technique. Thinking that both of them had been expelled from the Yao Clan, his gaze towards Yao Yan became more affectionate.

However, Yao Yan is really bold. He actually dared to wipe out an entire family in the medicine world, and most importantly, he managed to escape. Presumably, the other party's teacher will be severely punished by the clan.

"it is good."

Yao Yan nodded and agreed.

Upon receiving Yao Yan's affirmative answer, Yao Lao's smile deepened. He floated beside the Black Demon Cauldron, looking at Yao Yan with great interest, and asked, "Boy, how old are you now, and what rank have you reached as an alchemist?"

"Just turned seventeen, a seventh-grade alchemist."

Yao Yan delivered a powerful blow to the old man, leaving him questioning his very existence with a single sentence.

The old apothecary had seen a lot in his life and had spent decades in the Pill Tower, where he had met many geniuses and prodigies. But he had never seen anyone as monstrous as Yao Yan. He couldn’t help but ask, “Who exactly is your teacher in the clan?”

The person who could teach Yao Yan to such a level must be quite strong, at least an eighth-grade alchemist.

Yao Yan smiled faintly, his handsome face becoming harmless, and said softly, "If there's a chance, I'll introduce you to him later."

"I'll be waiting for that day."

The old alchemist nodded. He was well aware of the status of an eighth-grade alchemist. Even in the world of medicine, the number of eighth-grade alchemists was extremely small, and their status was extremely high. Letting Yao Yan go was not a big deal. At most, he would be punished, but there would not be any serious punishment. It was not impossible for Yao Yan to return to the medicine clan after he had completed his cultivation.

The talent of this young man was the most outstanding he had ever seen in his life. If he was properly nurtured, he might actually reach the ninth rank in the future!

He was momentarily tempted to teach the other person.

"Let me help you restore your soul first."

Yao Yan raised his hand and took out several medicinal herbs that had a nourishing effect on the soul from his storage ring. He skillfully threw them into the Black Demon Cauldron and began to refine them with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

Seeing this, Yao Lao understood that the other party had deliberately restored him to this state before, in case they couldn't reach an agreement... However, this did not cause Yao Lao any resentment. On the contrary, he appreciated Yao Yan even more. In the Dou Qi Continent, only such a cautious personality could go further!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 120 Danfang

As Yao Yan threw one medicinal herb after another into the Black Demon Cauldron, Yao Lao determined what Yao Yan was going to refine.

Soul-Nourishing Saliva is a fifth-grade elixir.

Its effects are just as its name suggests: it can nourish the soul and restore it to a perfect state. The method of refining this pill is not difficult. The only drawback is that the medicinal materials required are too obscure. If Yao Yan had not previously plundered the treasures of the Yunlan Sect and the Mittel family, it would have taken a lot of effort to gather them all.

As Yao Lao watched Yao Yan's skillful alchemy techniques, he nodded from time to time, his eyes showing a hint of appreciation. At the same time, he became increasingly curious about Yao Yan's teacher, who had managed to cultivate Yao Yan to such an outstanding level. Even he himself would find it difficult to achieve this.

A seventeen-year-old seventh-grade alchemist is truly astonishing; even within the Pill Tower, he would definitely be considered a prodigy!

"There's actually a Purple Crystal Winged Lion King here?"

Soon, the old alchemist's attention was drawn to the enormous magical beast lying nearby, with a cub beside it. Driven by the alchemist's instinct to seek out rare and precious materials, his eyes lit up, clearly showing his interest in the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

Because he had searched many of the caves of the Amethyst Winged Lion King in Zhongzhou in search of the companion Amethyst Source, but to no avail. The Amethyst Winged Lion King in front of him was accompanied by a cub, so perhaps there was something in its cave.

That thing is a great item that can improve the aptitude of fire-attribute cultivators!

Yao Yan understood the other party's intentions immediately upon hearing their words, and said directly, "I have already taken its associated amethyst source."

"Kid, you're really lucky."

Upon hearing this, Yao Lao was taken aback, and then couldn't help but sigh. He recalled that he had ventured into more than a dozen caves of the Amethyst Winged Lion Kings back then, but had gained nothing. Yet Yao Yan was able to obtain this item so easily. Sometimes, luck really does play a role.

Yao Yan naturally wouldn't answer that question. While refining the medicinal herbs, he replied, "Everything is the result of my own efforts. What does it have to do with luck?"

Upon hearing this, the old doctor smiled and did not refute anything, because he knew that all opportunities required the strength to obtain them. Without strength, the so-called opportunities would become death warrants.

There is no shortage of such fools in this world, who lose their minds at the sight of an opportunity and end up dying in the wilderness.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Aren't you curious why I've ended up in such a state?"