The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

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Chapter 23 Half for you, half for me

"What a loser! You're so easily swayed by a mere storage ring?" Yao Lao said with a hint of disdain.

"Isn't this the first time I've seen this?" Xiao Yan put away his playful thoughts and took out the medicinal herbs from his storage ring.

"Put the herbs away first. It's not time to refine them yet. Are you sure no one's coming to find you?" the old medicine master said jokingly, then directly entered the pitch-black ring.

"Knock knock knock!" A knocking sound rang out on the door.

"Yan'er, are you there?" Xiao Zhan's somewhat deep voice sounded from outside the door.

"Father, is there something you need?" Xiao Yan asked, opening the door.

"Hehe, didn't we auction off a bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir today? I discussed it with the three elders and we decided to divide it into two parts, one for you and the other for the rest of the family. I can't be too biased, can I?" Xiao Zhan said with a smile.

"Uh, actually..." Xiao Yan originally wanted to say that he no longer needed the Foundation Establishment Elixir, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

Seeing Xiao Yan's hesitant expression, Xiao Zhan said somewhat embarrassedly, "There's no way around it, this time it cost a lot of gold coins, if I give it all to you..."

"Father, what are you thinking? I was just saying that I don't really need the Foundation Establishment Elixir anymore. You should give it all to others!" Xiao Yan said helplessly.

"You brat, everyone else is scrambling for it, and you're complaining. Fine, here you go with the Foundation Establishment Elixir, do what you want with it!" Xiao Zhan took out half a bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir and tossed it to Xiao Yan.

Looking at the half-empty bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir in his hand, Xiao Yan felt a mix of emotions. Although he didn't need it, he put it away because it was his father's kind gesture.

"Haha, I won't bother you any longer. Focus on your cultivation and strive to reach the Dou Zhe level as soon as possible." Seeing that Xiao Yan had accepted the Foundation Establishment Elixir, Xiao Zhan gently patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, offered a few words of encouragement, and then turned and left with a smile.

Seeing Xiao Zhan leave, Xiao Yan sighed softly and turned to enter the room.

"Teacher, there shouldn't be anyone coming now, right?" Xiao Yan asked softly, gazing at the jet-black ring on his hand.

However, the ring did not react at all. Just as Xiao Yan was wondering, another footstep sounded outside the door.

"Is Brother Xiao Yan here?" Xun'er's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Is there something wrong, Xun'er?" Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, opened the door again, and asked softly.

"Of course, good things should be shared with Brother Xiao Yan. Xun'er doesn't need this half bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir anymore, so let Brother Xiao Yan use it!" Xun'er smiled and handed the small white jade bottle to Xiao Yan.

"Half of you, half of me, you are my other half." Xiao Yan said subconsciously, looking at the half-bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir that had reappeared in his hand.

"What other half? Brother Xiao Yan, what nonsense are you talking about? Xun'er is ignoring you!" Xun'er blushed and turned to run away.

Seeing Xun'er leave, Xiao Yan didn't chase after her. He shook his head helplessly, turned around and went into the room, gently closed the door, placed the half bottle of Foundation Establishment Elixir that Xun'er had given him on the table, and then took out the half bottle that his father had given him and placed it on the table as well.

"Alright, now I have a whole bottle." Xiao Yan looked at the Foundation Establishment Elixir on the table.

"Hehe! Little guy, you have quite a few people who care about you!" Yao Lao floated out of the ring and said with a smile.

"Teacher, you should hurry up and refine the medicine! Only by becoming stronger can you repay this kindness!" Xiao Yan waved his hand, put the Foundation Establishment Elixir into his storage ring, then took out all the medicinal herbs and placed them on the table. He then turned around, walked to the bedside, took off his shoes, and sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate.

The old physician glanced at Xiao Yan, who was cultivating, stroked his beard, and nodded slightly. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he extended his right palm, opening it to reveal a ball of white flame. With a gentle wave of his left hand, a medicinal herb on the table fell into the flame in his right palm, and in a short while, it transformed into a pale red liquid.

Repeating the previous actions, the medicinal herbs on the table were continuously refined, and the originally light red liquid in his palm became increasingly thick, eventually turning dark red. The old medicine master gently waved his hand again, and a small jade bottle appeared in his hand. He controlled the drop of red liquid in his palm to put it into the jade bottle, and then picked up another set of medicinal herbs on the table to begin refining.

As the last batch of medicinal herbs was refined, dawn gradually broke. Xiao Yan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating, slowly opened his eyes, a fleeting pale white light flashing in his pupils.

Behind the Xiao family, at the mountain peak, the mountains were shrouded in mist, the air was fresh, and there was a peaceful scene.

"Ah..." A scream suddenly rang out, startling the birds that had been sleeping in the trees. They instantly took flight, soaring into the sky to find the source of the sound. When they saw the boy tied to the tree and being beaten, they all flew towards him. They stopped above his head, chirping incessantly. It was as if they were saying, "Can't you just leave us alone for a couple of days? We haven't had a good night's sleep since you came to the back mountain. We thought it was finally over after two days of peace! But it's started again."

After circling above Xiao Yan's head for a long time, seeing that he had no reaction, the birds continued to howl in despair. They transformed into fighter jets and began dropping bombs on Xiao Yan to express their dissatisfaction.

Xiao Yan suddenly felt something warm on his body, and looked up slightly. He saw that the birds circling overhead were defecating on him.

"I'll catch you and roast you sooner or later... Ah!" Before Xiao Yan could finish speaking, he was whipped again and screamed in agony once more.

Seeing that Xiao Yan was still screaming in agony, the birds in the sky had no choice but to fly away after running out of ammunition, to look for any early-rising insects.

The screams continued until there wasn't a single unscathed spot on Xiao Yan's body. Only then did Yao Lao put Xiao Yan down. At this point, Xiao Yan was like a lump of mud, unable to muster any strength.

Yao Lao dragged the blood-covered Xiao Yan into the prepared wooden tub. As soon as Xiao Yan entered the tub, he let out another pig-like scream. After his body had adjusted a little, Xiao Yan forcibly endured the pain and washed off the blood and bird droppings as if taking a bath before beginning his cultivation.

As Xiao Yan cultivated, the pale red gas emanating from the wooden barrel enveloped him. The energy contained within continuously strengthened the surface of his body. When Xiao Yan inhaled the pale red gas, part of it was refined into Dou Qi and stored in his Qi Sea, while the other part was used to strengthen his bones and tendons.

After Xiao Yan refined the last wisp of pale red gas around his body, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the red light in his pupils flashed and disappeared, making him look extremely eerie.

He leaped out of the wooden barrel, stood on a boulder, and dressed. Then, Xiao Yan turned to Yao Lao and asked, "Teacher, do you think my physical strength, trained like this every day, can really compare to that of a magical beast?"

Monsters are far stronger than humans, and no matter what level of expert they are, they are unwilling to engage in close combat with them. Even a powerful Dou Huang like Yun Yun did not dare to get close when fighting the Amethyst Winged Lion King, because the Amethyst Winged Lion King almost tore Yun Yun to pieces with just one claw. If it weren't for the Sea Heart Armor, Yun Yun would probably have been killed on the spot.

(End of this chapter)