Chapter 21: The Cunning Scheme Succeeds

After returning to his own courtyard, Xiao Yan held the Little Medical Fairy and lay down on the bed for a good sleep, not getting up to stretch until noon the next day.

Xiao Yan was indeed quite exhausted these past few days.

Looking at the Little Medical Fairy still fast asleep beside him, Xiao Yan couldn't help but poke her delicate, breakable-looking cheek with his finger; feeling the soft body and peaks still pressed against him, the just-awakened Xiao Yan couldn't help but have a reaction.

Hurriedly suppressing the lust in his heart, he thought that for the first time, it couldn't possibly start while the other person was asleep, could it?

Xiao Yan took care not to wake the Little Medical Fairy and carefully climbed out of bed.

Looking at the Little Medical Fairy's slender and beautiful curves on the bed, and recalling the hidden, surging depths, Xiao Yan calculated their ages; in the generally precocious Dou Qi Continent, many people already had children who could run errands.

"Perhaps it is about time?" Xiao Yan couldn't help but think.

He took several deep breaths, forcibly shaking off the romantic thoughts in his heart.

"Creak."

Just as Xiao Yan had finished clearing his evil thoughts, the bedroom door was pushed open by a small figure.

"Young Master, you're awake. Shall I call for food?" The little person who entered was Qing Lin, who had bumped into Xiao Yan yesterday.

"Good, I am indeed a bit hungry after sleeping all day; have the servants send it over. But remember to keep the noise down, Xian'er is still sleeping," Xiao Yan instructed, then realized another question: "Have you been guarding here the whole time? How did you come in just as I woke up?"

"Replying to Young Master, according to the group's arrangements, someone must always be guarding the side of each leader and vice-leader when they are resting. Qing Lian and two others are responsible for guarding here at the Young Master's place. It just happens to be Qing Lian's shift right now." Qing Lin—no, she should be called Qing Lian now—answered still somewhat timidly. Her little emerald eyes looked up subconsciously, peeking at Xiao Yan's expression.

"I see." Xiao Yan smiled gently, one hand lightly rubbing Qing Lian's little head: "Do you like the name Qing Lian?"

"Mm." Qing Lian nodded like a chick pecking at rice, answering softly.

"That's good." Xiao Yan took a bag of gold coins from his storage ring and handed it to Qing Lian: "Give this to the other two people on guard, and tell them to arrange your shifts during the day from now on. You are still young, you need to get enough sleep at night."

"Ah, this, how can this be! Qing Lian cannot accept this!" Qing Lian waved her hands repeatedly, pushing Xiao Yan's gold coins back.

"There is nothing that cannot be done. These gold coins are not just for you; those two have also worked hard guarding for so long, and this bag of gold is my reward for them. Take it!" Xiao Yan forcibly stuffed the gold coins into Qing Lian's hand, and before she could refuse, he said again: "Alright, go quickly and have them bring the food; I'm starving to death. Don't forget, tell them to be a bit quieter."

Saying this, Xiao Yan pushed Qing Lian out the door.

With a bang, he locked the door.

"Finished talking to the little girl?" Just as Xiao Yan closed the door, he heard the Little Medical Fairy, who had woken up at some point, lying on the bed and saying with a smile.

"Uh—when did you wake up?"

"Just when you said to keep it down, Xian'er is still sleeping." As she spoke, the Little Medical Fairy looked over with some resentment: "Really, you know how to tell others to be quiet, yet you spoke so loudly yourself."

"Uh—this, wasn't that just an accident?" Xiao Yan said with some shame: "Then you don't know about what happened before this, right?"

"What happened before? What are you referring to?" the Little Medical Fairy asked suspiciously, her eyes carrying a trace of scrutiny as she looked at Xiao Yan, as if asking if he had done something to wrong her. But her little hand under the quilt couldn't help but clench, and a layer of imperceptible shyness appeared on her pretty face.

"Oh, nothing, it's just—it's just that I changed my clothes, and I wanted to know if you saw it," Xiao Yan said without blushing or skipping a beat.

"Pah, who would watch you change clothes!"

Although the clothes on Xiao Yan were exactly the same as before he went to sleep, the two tacitly did not continue to dwell on it.

Having rested for a whole day, the previous fatigue had completely faded, and naturally, there was no reason for the Little Medical Fairy to linger in bed.

She got out of bed, changed her clothes under Xiao Yan's straight gaze, and finally gave him a glare of feigned anger, just as the servant arrived to deliver the meal.

Having quickly finished their lunch, the two who had wasted a day needed to get down to some real business.

"I plan to take the afternoon off to adjust my state, and refine the Green Lotus Core Flame tonight," Xiao Yan said.

Hearing this, the Little Medical Fairy gave him a worried look: "I have always heard that a person can only refine one Heavenly Flame; will there really be no problems with you refining two at the same time like this?"

"Rest assured, I have said before that the cultivation technique I practice is quite special and can refine multiple Heavenly Flames for my own use; there won't be any issues." Xiao Yan held the Little Medical Fairy's small hand with one hand, comforting her. But seeing the Little Medical Fairy's still worried, charming eyes, the lust he had finally managed to suppress earlier began to rise again.

Swallowing his saliva, Xiao Yan said somewhat unnaturally: "Mm, however, there will indeed be a small side effect when refining multiple Heavenly Flames."

"Side effect?" Hearing this term, the Little Medical Fairy's worry deepened instantly, and she asked somewhat anxiously: "What kind of side effect?"

"This, I'm not very sure either, I just have a premonition there will be a little bit. How about you help me guard the pass when I refine the Heavenly Flame tonight?" Xiao Yan's eyes drifted somewhat.

The Little Medical Fairy felt something was wrong, sensing that Xiao Yan was inexplicably guilty, but she didn't think too much about it and agreed directly.

"Okay."

At night, in the courtyard's dedicated cultivation room.

At this time, Xiao Yan had already adjusted his physical state to its peak. Looking at the green fire lotus in the Bone Flame Ring, a trace of hesitation flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes.

Is it not very good for me to do this? But then he thought again, it's just a matter of time, what is there to hesitate about.

"Creak!"

The door to the cultivation room was opened from the outside, and accompanied by a fragrant breeze, the Little Medical Fairy's slender figure walked in from outside.

The Little Medical Fairy was exceptionally beautiful today; the bright moonlight spilled through the newly opened door crack onto her slender, delicate body.

Tonight, the Little Medical Fairy wore a pure white gauze dress with no other decorations, save for a thin waist cord that cinched the garment, outlining her slender willow waist and her curves. Her hair, which was usually tied up slightly, was completely let down, and there seemed to be undried water droplets on it.

"You bathed?" Xiao Yan asked in astonishment.

"Mm." The Little Medical Fairy's voice was quite soft, and Xiao Yan almost didn't hear it. Seeing Xiao Yan's somewhat dazed expression, the Little Medical Fairy reached out and closed the door, and suddenly only the two of them were left in the room.

"Are you not ready to refine the Heavenly Flame yet?" The Little Medical Fairy walked to another meditation cushion in the room, sat down cross-legged, and asked somewhat urgently.

Her wind-chime-like voice pierced through Xiao Yan's spine like lightning, making him shudder.

At this moment, Xiao Yan's heart suddenly calmed down.

He took the Green Lotus Core Flame out of the green lotus in the Bone Flame Ring; the moment the flame appeared, it spontaneously condensed into the shape of a green lotus.

Quiet, beautiful, and moving, yet carrying a high temperature capable of evaporating steel, it instantly turned the originally cool cultivation room into a large furnace. The water droplets left on the Little Medical Fairy from her bath evaporated instantly, followed by beads of sweat that flowed down from her cheeks to her neck and into the cleavage below.

Although Xiao Yan had only refined one kind of Heavenly Flame before, the Volcanic Stone Flame, because it was refined in multiple stages, Xiao Yan's experience in refining Heavenly Flames was extremely rich at this time. Moreover, this time he had a stronger Heavenly Flame protecting his body than the Green Lotus Core Flame he was about to refine, so Xiao Yan's refining process could be described as extremely bold.

Without any precautions, Xiao Yan directly reached his right hand into the scorching green flame, fiercely thrusting it in front of the small wisp of Green Lotus Core Flame seed within the scorching fire, and grasped it without hesitation. Even as the extreme flame burned his flesh and blood, burning his bones to ash, he only furrowed his brows tightly and let out a soft groan.

"Hah!" With a light shout, Xiao Yan pulled his hand back along with the seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame, and then directly stuffed it into his mouth.

The violent fire seed began to rampage the moment it entered Xiao Yan's body; blood, bones, meridians, everything seemed as if it had to be burned to ash before it would settle down. But how could Xiao Yan let it run wild? A crimson flame, stronger and hotter than the green flame, rose from Xiao Yan's dantian and rushed over to surround the green flame mass.

If it were in the outside world, the Green Lotus Core Flame might have been able to use its massive Heavenly Flame energy to resist, but here, the Green Lotus Core Flame, which only had a single source of Heavenly Flame left, was by no means a match for the Volcanic Stone Flame, which was ranked two places higher, not to mention that Xiao Yan was also operating the Burning Mantra to tip the scales.

Not long after, the Green Lotus Core Flame, which had been arrogant and domineering just a moment ago, was defeated, and like a defeated prisoner, it was escorted by the Volcanic Stone Flame to circulate along the path of the Burning Mantra. Soon, the Green Lotus Core Flame was escorted through one cycle and finally returned to Xiao Yan's dantian together with the Volcanic Stone Flame.

A feeling of spiritual enlightenment spread from the depths of Xiao Yan's soul; the Burning Mantra evolved automatically at this moment, and many circulation paths that had not existed before emerged at this moment, expanding continuously, starting from the Profound Tier Intermediate level...

Profound Tier High-Grade, Earth Tier!

But just as the Burning Mantra was about to reach the Earth Tier, it suddenly lacked follow-up strength, and the evolution of the cultivation technique came to an abrupt halt. Even though Xiao Yan prayed with all his might, it was of no use; in the end, it remained stuck at a level higher than Profound Tier High-Grade but lower than Earth Tier. If one had to define it, it would be a Half-Step Earth Tier cultivation technique.

Although it was ultimately a bit lacking, Xiao Yan did not lose heart. After all, the Volcano Stone Flame, ranked seventeenth, was a full three places lower than the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame, so it was reasonable that it could not reach the Earth Tier.

Putting aside the regret in his heart, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the two Heavenly Flames he had already refined.

Inside his dantian, two Heavenly Flames, one green and one red, stood facing each other. The red Heavenly Flame was relatively stronger, but it had not reached the point of being able to crush the green Heavenly Flame. Although both Heavenly Flames had been refined by Xiao Yan, they were still at odds and restless, wanting to have a fight inside Xiao Yan's dantian; it was the Burning Mantra separating them in the middle that stopped this impulse.

But continuing like this was not a solution. To eliminate the hidden danger of the two Heavenly Flames coexisting and to utilize their strongest power, he had to completely fuse the two Heavenly Flames into one.

Xiao Yan shifted his focus, and the Burning Mantra within his body circulated rapidly, with a continuous stream of Burning Mantra Dou Qi being poured into the space between the two Heavenly Flames.

With a thought, the Burning Mantra's restraint on the two Heavenly Flames vanished instantly. The Green Lotus Core Flame and the Volcano Stone Flame collided fiercely as if they had met a mortal enemy. The green and red Heavenly Flames constantly clashed and crushed against each other, continuously pushing their own power to the limit.

The Green Lotus Core Flame was, after all, slightly weaker than the Volcano Stone Flame and was also a newcomer here, so it was eventually suppressed bit by bit by the Volcano Stone Flame. But the temperament of Heavenly Flames had always been irritable; even if they couldn't win, they would rather perish together with you!

The collision and slaughter of the two Heavenly Flames soon stirred up a monstrous storm in the dantian, and scorching storms swept through continuously, causing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi vortex to become somewhat unstable. Xiao Yan quickly concentrated his mind, running the Burning Mantra with all his might to condense Dou Qi, pouring a large amount of Burning Mantra Dou Qi into it, carefully reconciling the conflict between the two Heavenly Flames, and soothing their emotions as if coaxing a child.

The originally violent two Heavenly Flames gradually calmed down under Xiao Yan's soothing, and they no longer seemed as repulsed by the other side as they were at the beginning. Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to push forward the fusion of the two.

Perhaps the function of the Burning Mantra was even more miraculous than Xiao Yan had expected, as there were no more major mishaps in the subsequent fusion.

Just when Xiao Yan thought that the great task was about to be completed, a terrifying and violent aura emerged from the two Heavenly Flames and expanded rapidly.

Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately urged more Burning Mantra Dou Qi to reconcile them, but it was still of no use. The two Heavenly Flames were like a couple that had already decided to divorce and could not get together no matter what. Helpless, Xiao Yan could only separate them first.

Just when Xiao Yan was feeling somewhat frustrated, he suddenly discovered that the confrontation between the two Heavenly Flames seemed to have lessened a lot.

This discovery made Xiao Yan's spirits lift.

After resting a little to recover some Dou Qi and energy, Xiao Yan tried to fuse them again. Although he still failed at the final step this time, Xiao Yan could feel that the repulsion between the two Heavenly Flames had lessened by another fraction.

Cultivation was never smooth sailing; much of the time, it relied on persistent, grinding effort.

A long time passed quietly. It was unknown how many times he had tried to fuse the Heavenly Flames, when another wisp of Burning Mantra Dou Qi was injected by Xiao Yan into the two Heavenly Flames.

Hum!

A strange ripple suddenly spread out, waking Xiao Yan, who had been somewhat dazed.

In the center of the dantian, above the Dou Qi vortex, a fused fire lotus, streaked with green and red, emitting a terrifying high temperature but without any intent of violence, stood atop an illusory volcano.

Success?

Xiao Yan's heart was filled with joy as he controlled this beautiful Heavenly Flame to enter the Spirit Receiver within the Dou Qi vortex.

As the Heavenly Flame entered the Spirit Receiver, a strange evil fire surged out from the Spirit Receiver, instantly spreading throughout Xiao Yan's entire body.

Xiao Yan had long anticipated this and did not put up much resistance, allowing this evil energy to permeate his whole body.

Slowly opening his eyes, a scorching ray of fire flashed out, leaving a mark on the ground in front of Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan did not pay attention to this.

Due to the permeation of the evil energy, Xiao Yan's eyes presented an unhealthy blood-red color, and driven by desire, he looked at the fresh and elegant beauty not far away.

Xiao Yan walked toward Little Fairy Doctor step by step. Little Fairy Doctor seemed to have anticipated this scene as well. Although her face was so flushed that it seemed as if it were about to drip blood, she still took the initiative to throw herself into Xiao Yan's arms.

The remaining flames burned away the dress on Little Fairy Doctor's body, leaving only a perfect, delicate body presented before Xiao Yan's eyes.

"Xian'er."

"Mm."

"Roar."

"Ah~"

As a beast roar sounded, a high-pitched melody rang out, lasting through the sleepless night————