Fighting: I am Han Feng, I respect my teacher

Yao Chen was delighted.

"What's that for?"

Han Feng sighed; in truth, he himself had no answer.

Saying that personal matters should be considered only after the overall situation is settled and peace is achieved is just a reason and an excuse.

The real reason has not yet come to light.

Those who enter the world are destined to seek the absence of their true nature.

The words the Buddha spoke to Han Feng back then still seem to hold true now.

"If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it."

Yao Chen's expression became somewhat silent, even serious, completely unlike his casual joking manner just now.

"In matters of the heart, there is never a choice that is always right."

"If you pursue perfection, the end result might be like me, all alone."

Yao Chen's eyes were slightly unfocused.

He was reflecting on his life, but he always felt as if he had missed something, something very important, and he felt a great sense of regret.

"Teacher, do you... feel the same way?"

Yao Chen gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Feelings can never be the same. Everyone has their own reasons, but sometimes, they may not even be able to see them clearly themselves."

"In short, if you can't figure it out, don't overthink it. Just focus on doing your best in the present moment."

"As for your point about settling down and starting a family, given the current situation, it does seem a bit premature to talk about that."

If we win the battle against the Soul Clan in the future, that would be the best outcome.

But if we fail, are we going to let our loved ones die one by one?

Or should we allow children to be enslaved by the Soul Clan at an age when they should be exploring on their own?

From this perspective, Han Feng's resistance to settling down and starting a family seems to have its reasons.

But this is an outsider's interpretation, and it cannot reveal Han Feng's own inner thoughts.

Yao Chen patted Han Feng on the shoulder and said nothing more.

The master and apprentice stood together in the courtyard, watching the sun gradually set and enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

"Teacher, I still don't understand this question... Senior brother!"

Xiao Yan walked in while looking at the scroll, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Han Feng standing next to Yao Chen.

He quickly threw down the scroll and ran towards Han Feng.

"When did you get back, senior brother?"

"Just now."

Yao Chen gently tapped Xiao Yan's forehead.

"Stop making such a racket, don't you even know how to knock!"

Xiao Yan touched the bump on his head, feeling wronged.

That was quite a bit of force!

"Alright, I'm getting ready to leave with Xiao Yanzi. You can go back and take care of your business."

Yao Chen waved his hand.

"Are we going to the Starfall Pavilion?"

Xiao Yan's eyes widened, somewhat excited.

In fact, he had already made arrangements with his family two weeks ago and was ready to set off.

However, Yao Chen chose to stay in Fengcheng, saying he was worried about her, and so he waited until now.

"Junior brother, remember to work harder after you go to the Starfall Pavilion. You also have a junior sister whose cultivation level is now higher than yours."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Junior sister, I remember you, you're the petite one from the party."

Han Feng's lips twitched slightly.

"Junior brother, you must not say that when you see junior sister."

She'll beat you to death.

Mu Qingluan's attitude towards Xiao Yan was already rather indifferent. If she were to hear Xiao Yan speak rudely to her again, she would probably suffer a lot.

Xiao Yan awkwardly touched his nose.

"I see, brother."

"Teacher, then I'll take my leave."

Han Feng said.

"Ah."

Yao Chen nodded slightly.

Chapter 272 Refining Essence and Blood

After leaving the Xiao family, Han Feng returned to the city lord's mansion.

I need to make some careful plans for the next few years.

Finding the strange fire takes time.

Seclusion and spiritual practice require time.

The most urgent task is to go into seclusion and refine the essence and blood of the Demon Saint.

The search for the strange fire can only be attempted by sending puppets to try their luck.

Although strange flames are rare, they are relatively easy for a Dou Sheng to find.

However, most of the powerful individuals who have become Battle Saints do not particularly value Strange Flames.

They have plenty of ways to fight against the strange fire, and they can even produce rare and precious items that are in no way inferior to the strange fire.

In ancient times, strange fire was not in a class of its own; it was only through the fame of the ancient emperor Tuoshe that it gradually became renowned throughout the continent.

Moreover, in this era, as the status of alchemists continues to rise, strange flames have also been elevated to a sacred position.

A treasure that even esteemed alchemists would fight over—could it be ordinary?

Some cultivators obtain strange flames by chance, but most of them choose to offer them to alchemists in exchange for precious pills.

On the one hand, strange fire has little effect on cultivators other than those with fire attributes. Even if strange fire is very precious, if the attributes are not compatible, it is a thankless task to refine it with great effort, which goes against the path of future development.

This is especially important among large clans. If a water-attribute cultivator refines a different kind of flame, but not a flame like the Sea Heart Flame, then he will be quite lost on the path to becoming a Dou Zun.

Strange fires are powerful, but this power can sometimes become a distraction, causing cultivators to forget their true path.

Therefore, only fire-attribute cultivators and alchemists would be interested in strange fire.

On the other hand, these cultivators and alchemists must also consider the risks of refining strange flames.

That's a real life-or-death situation; even with supplementary pills, the chances of failure and death are still high enough to deter 90% of cultivators.

The remaining small group, although still numerous, pales in comparison to the entire population of the Dou Qi Continent.

Ultimately, it's just that other rare and precious things in the world are not as famous as the Strange Fire in the Dou Qi Continent.

In his early years, when Han Feng was still a Dou Huang, he also obtained a metal-attribute spiritual object, the innate magnetic field.

At that stage, the innate magnetic field was of great help to Han Feng, but now that his fire law has matured, the innate magnetic field can only be used as an auxiliary tool in weapon refining.

Unless Han Feng is fortunate enough to obtain a metal-attribute strange fire later, such as the fourth-ranked Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame or the seventh-ranked Nine Nether Golden Ancestral Fire, he will not be able to refine the innate magnetic field into a part of the Flame God Body and thus comprehend the Law of Metal.

Han Feng took out a complete map of the Dou Qi Continent and examined it carefully.

Generally speaking, the appearance of strange flames is traceable. For example, the Sea Heart Flame appears in the ocean, and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame appears in underground magma.

The most likely place for a metallic-attribute strange fire to appear is a place with abundant metallic energy.

The art of weapon forging is prevalent in the Southern Li Empire, and its metal element is quite strong.

The Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion in the Eastern Region of Central Plains equips its members with precious swords. The forging of these swords requires a large amount of precious metals, so their metal content is also quite high.

However, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame is already in the ancient clan in the center of the Eastern Region, so this strange flame is definitely not something I can touch.

As for the Nine Nether Golden Ancestral Flame, the only known one is in the hands of Yan Jin, the patriarch of the Yan Clan.

Although that person's strength was not as great as Gu Yuan's, it was still extremely powerful. He was an eight-star Dou Sheng in the late stage and was enough to defeat everyone except for Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan.

Only Lei Ying, the patriarch of the Lei Clan, could stand against him.

It was almost impossible to obtain a different kind of fire from the other party, so Han Feng had no choice but to find a newly generated different kind of fire.

The Southern Continent has Sikong Chan's connections, making it easier to find them, but the probability is still extremely low.

Han Feng circled several places where the golden energy was abundant.

There will definitely be deviations, and there's a good chance that all your efforts will be in vain.

Fortunately, he now has puppets to help him, so he doesn't have to do everything himself.

The layout we made when we were searching for the medicinal dust has not been wasted and can be reused.

Besides the Nine Netherworld Golden Ancestral Fire, there is also the Tortoise Spirit Earth Fire, Fire Cloud Water Flame, Volcanic Stone Flame, Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and Yin Yang Twin Flames.

These strange flames are not ranked very high, and each has its own characteristics, so the chances of finding them are relatively greater than those in the top ten.

The top ten strange flames are all extraordinary. They have withstood the test of time and gradually become a kind of authority.

In contrast, while the lower-ranked Strange Flames also possess enormous potential, this potential needs to be developed. Before they truly transform, they cannot compare to the top ten Strange Flames.

Therefore, these strange flames became the only opportunity for ordinary cultivators to scavenge them.

If you obtain a strange fire with a very high ranking, but your own background isn't strong, then you really need to be careful that you don't get knocked out and kidnapped one night.

The top ten different flames were almost all divided up by the upper echelons and cultivated as inheritance flames.

Even Han Feng couldn't shake it.

As the sun set, Han Feng remained busy at his desk, marking out all the places where strange flames might appear, drawing upon his past life's experiences.

In his previous life, Han Feng traveled across the continent twice, the second time after breaking through to the Dou Zun level.

At that time, he was already the Xuanhuang Venerable, possessing the Xuanhuang Flame, which was ranked last, and no one coveted it.

During his journey, Han Feng heard about other strange flames and was very interested in them, but he never had the idea of ​​refining a second strange flame.

Curious as he was, he didn't delve any deeper, so he could only recall the general outline, and he didn't even verify the authenticity of the information he had initially received.

For example, the raging dragon flame once appeared in the Tas Desert of Central Continent, and was recorded by the locals as a wonder, described as a giant dragon flying in the desert.

In the Oasis Tavern, the locals recounted the experience vividly, but since the Windfury Dragonfire left no trace after it passed, everyone treated it as a joke.

There are many similar stories, but Han Feng knows that most of them are fake because many of the details sound reasonable, but they can't stand up to scrutiny. Only cultivators who truly possess a different kind of fire can see through the tricks of the trade.

Many people like to tell these adventure stories, but it's just a way to attract customers' attention.

It's all passed down by word of mouth, so no one can say for sure.

Han Feng gathered up the map and handed it to the puppet hidden in the darkness beside him.

The rest of the work is now in their hands.

----------

Back in the bamboo forest, Lin Xian'er and Ye Qingyun were already resting in their respective rooms. Han Feng didn't disturb them, but instead returned to his own room to begin his studies for the day.

Even a powerful warrior accumulates strength bit by bit; there is no such thing as instant glory. The accumulation of experience in the early stages is crucial.

Han Feng condensed the spiritual energy in his soul, nourishing a small, jet-black sword above his sea of ​​consciousness while it slowly rotated, devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth like the mouth of nothingness.

The late stage of the Heavenly Realm is Han Feng's current soul realm.

The next level is the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm.

This is also the only soul realm that Han Feng is confident he can reach within the next ten years.