The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

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Chapter 44 The Mysterious Clan Mark

"What are you looking at in the mirror for?" Yao Lao was speechless when he saw Xiao Yan looking at himself in the mirror.

"Looking for the mark you mentioned!" Xiao Yan said matter-of-factly.

"You haven't even activated your mark, how could you see it?" Yao Lao couldn't help but chuckle.

"Uh... how do I activate it?" Xiao Yan scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

"Ahem... This is how to activate the mark." Yao Lao awkwardly extended his right finger and lightly touched Xiao Yan's brow.

Following the method given by Yao Lao, Xiao Yan activated the mark and discovered two flame marks on his forehead, one black and one white, intertwined.

As the marks were activated, Xiao Yan's aura grew stronger and stronger. Once all the marks were activated, Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with black and white light.

"I've reached the three-star Dou Zhe level now? But I've only increased my strength by one star, it's a bit weak!" Xiao Yan said after sensing the changes in his body.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's somewhat Versailles-like words, Yao Lao immediately gave Xiao Yan a sharp rap on the head.

"You brat, you're not satisfied with just one star? Besides, this isn't the end; there will be more upgrades in the future." Xiao Yan's words left Yao Lao speechless.

Xiao Yan scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, realizing he had been too greedy.

"Why do I feel like I can keep activating this mark indefinitely?" Xiao Yan discovered that after activating the mark on his forehead, his strength increased, but he didn't feel any discomfort in his body.

"How is this possible? This kind of mark is called a clan mark. Clan marks are a symbol of the bloodline inheritance of some ancient families. Generally speaking, the stronger a person's bloodline, the higher the level of their clan mark, and the stronger the increase in strength. But no matter how much it increases strength, it is only temporary. After using it, one will fall into a weakened state. Therefore, clan marks are generally only used as a means of self-preservation..." Elder Yao said in astonishment.

"Uh... but I feel like I can keep it running forever!" Xiao Yan shrugged and said helplessly.

"Then you should turn off your clan mark first! See if you feel any discomfort in your body!" The old doctor shook his head helplessly. It would be too strange if the clan mark could stay open forever.

"It seems like I'm really alright!" After hearing what Yao Lao said, Xiao Yan put away the clan mark, and then checked his body again, finding that he didn't feel any discomfort.

The old apothecary felt like he'd been hit with a critical strike, his mentality instantly crumbling. However, still somewhat unwilling to give up, he said, "Then try again and see if you can still activate it?"

After listening to Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan wisely activated his clan mark again. Immediately, the black and white flame mark on his forehead reappeared and lit up, and Xiao Yan's strength once again reached three stars.

Xiao Yan found the flame mark on his forehead quite attractive, and began turning it on and off repeatedly, having a great time.

When Yao Lao saw Xiao Yan actually playing around, he was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he gave him another hard flick on the forehead.

"Why are you hitting me again?!" Xiao Yan covered his head, howling in pain.

Xiao Yan naturally knew why Yao Lao was angry. It was because Yao Lao's talent and bloodline were too weak, so he couldn't activate the clan mark, which made his childhood very tragic.

"Having been tempered by the strange fire for so long, the benefits you gained are more than just activating the mark, right?" Yao Lao slapped Xiao Yan, his anger subsiding, and looked at Xiao Yan as he spoke.

Xiao Yan sensed the changes in his body and found that his strength seemed to have increased significantly, his injuries seemed to have completely healed, his skin was incredibly smooth, and his defenses had obviously improved as well.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground and once again sensed the changes inside his body. He found that the speed at which his fighting spirit circulated within him had increased significantly, and his meridians had also become much stronger and thicker.

Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and said happily, "I feel like my strength has improved a lot! Now, if I face five demonic beasts alone, I definitely won't be as pathetic as before."

"Hmm! My goal for you is to defeat an attack by ten Tier 1 magical beasts without removing the black greatsword, and that's without using kiting tactics."

"Ah! Teacher, you're not joking, are you? Although my strength has improved a lot, I can only handle a three-headed monster at most now. Ten? Are you afraid I won't die fast enough?!"

"Hehe, who's joking with you? We'll know if we try it tomorrow!" Yao Lao seemed to be looking forward to Xiao Yan's performance.

"I'll find you a few powerful magical beasts tomorrow, so you can show off in front of me," Yao Lao thought to himself.

In a dense forest, a young boy carries a massive black sword on his back. He is dressed in black, and his brows are filled with determination and resolve. Behind him, the black sword stands as steady as a mountain, emitting a faint, cold light.

The boy kept looking around, paying attention to everything happening around him.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from all directions, and one after another, magical beasts rushed out from every corner of the forest. The powerful aura emanating from them seemed to create invisible ripples in the air. Now, three magical beasts appeared in total: a fiery hound, a rock-armored giant elephant, and a gray wolf. They attacked Xiao Yan together, their sharp eyes and claws revealing their danger.

First came a ferocious demonic wolf. It opened its blood-red maw and roared as it pounced on Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan hurriedly dodged, but it still managed to grab the hem of his clothes, tearing a large hole in his robes.

"Sigh! Carrying this giant sword is a bit too much of a suppression of my strength! If it weren't for that, I could have perfectly dodged the wolf's attack." Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.

Just as Xiao Yan was distracted, a fiery hound opened its mouth and spewed a scorching flame at him.

"Bang!" The flames violently struck Xiao Yan's body, burning a huge hole in his clothes and scorching his chest red.

"Damn! This dog can actually attack from a distance? Luckily, the flames aren't too hot, or it would have torn me to shreds. But its defenses have definitely increased a lot; it didn't even bleed. In that case, I'll have some fun with you guys!" Xiao Yan said in surprise.

Xiao Yan did not remove the black giant sword; he wanted to try out the feeling of hand-to-hand combat directly, because that's how a real man should act.

"Moo!"

A colossal rock-armored giant, its skin covered in hard rock armor, its two enormous tusks gleaming with a metallic sheen.

The giant rock elephant brandished its powerful tusks, letting out a deafening roar. Its entire body was covered in skin as hard as rock, seemingly impenetrable to any attack.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his muscles tensing. He moved swiftly, charging towards the roaring rock-armored elephant. Grabbing the elephant's two tusks with both hands, a powerful force erupted from Xiao Yan's body, and with a forceful slam, he threw the rock-armored elephant directly to the ground.

After being thrown to the ground by Xiao Yan, the giant rock elephant struggled to get up. However, due to its immense weight, it was unable to stand.

(End of this chapter)