Chapter 55: The Next Lead on a Spiritual Flame

Xiao Yan did not enter the Treasure Hall of the Soul Sovereign, but exited the test directly.

Now that he had Soul Points, he could first check the goods outside to see if anything suited him; if not, it was still not too late to exchange for a Cultivation Method to refine his Spiritual Soul.

With a rustling sound, Xiao Yan stepped out of the dark passage, gazing at the dilapidated Soul Sacrifice Old Shop outside, feeling as if he had finally returned to the real world.

"I never expected you'd come back."

Hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Yan knew it was Hun Lao Gui and asked, "How long was I inside?"

In the Soul Path, there was no concept of time, no sunrise or sunset to mark its passage; Xiao Yan only knew he had spent a considerable amount of time inside.

"Hehehe, less than two days."

Hearing Hun Lao Gui's reply, Xiao Yan frowned and questioned, "Impossible. Though I didn't count precisely, I was inside for at least four days. Could the time flow in the Soul Path differ from the outside?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Hun Lao Gui bared his yellowed teeth and chuckled as if mocking him: "Why panic over a minor time-slowing trick? The time differential in the Heavenly Tomb is far greater."

"The Heavenly Tomb?"

"Hehehe, when you reach a certain level of strength, you'll know naturally."

Hearing that ghostly cackle, Xiao Yan muttered, "Has no one ever told you your laugh is strange?"

Hun Lao Gui slowly opened his eyes, grinned with his rotten teeth, and said, "It's a tradition of our Soul Sovereign. The secret behind it is beyond your understanding."

Xiao Yan could only shrug; he had no interest in delving into others' customs—he was here to spend.

Xiao Yan walked around several shelves in the old shop, carefully examining the items, and asked, "Do you really have so little here?"

"This is the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop of the Black Horn Region. As long as you have Soul Points, the Soul Sovereign can accomplish anything for you—even unify the entire Black Horn Region. Moreover, this shop connects directly to the Treasure Hall; if you wish to exchange for items from the Treasure Hall, you may do so here."

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened—it matched his suspicion. Soul Points were the Soul Sovereign's circulating currency; with enough of them, you could even command their people to act.

The Soul Sovereign's influence in the Black Horn Region surely extended far beyond this single shop; many factions there likely bore its shadow, and any item could be obtained through the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop.

On the surface, this was merely an old shop, but its network of connections across the Black Horn Region was probably intricate and complex—even Jia Nan Academy might harbor Soul Sovereign agents.

With a clatter, Xiao Yan casually tossed the Soul Token onto the table and asked, "What can I buy now?"

Hun Lao Gui's withered hand slowly picked up the Soul Token, pinched it between two fingers, glanced at its rank and Soul Point count, then looked at Xiao Yan and said, "Earth-Rank Low-Level. To achieve such a high rank on your first entry into the Soul Path is rare even among the Soul Sovereign."

Xiao Yan flashed a bright smile and asked, "Do you have any Spiritual Flames here?"

Hun Lao Gui shook his head. "Spiritual Flames are rare treasures of heaven and earth. Those who seek them expend great effort to find them, and once obtained, they immediately refine them—no one would ever bring them here for trade."

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. Spiritual Flames were too scarce; even if someone in the Black Horn Region obtained one, they would never trade it.

"However, I do have information on Spiritual Flames," Hun Lao Gui said, setting the Soul Token down.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled inwardly—he had deliberately not spent all his Soul Points in the Treasure Hall because he suspected Spiritual Flame information would be available.

Most items in the Treasure Hall were inanimate: Cultivation Methods, Dou Techniques, Magic Cores, Elixirs, weapons, and so on.

These things could wait indefinitely, but something alive and ever-changing like a Spiritual Flame could never be stored in the Treasure Hall.

What Xiao Yan truly needed was information on Spiritual Flames.

"How much information can I get for ten thousand Soul Points?" Xiao Yan calculated—he needed to reserve one thousand Soul Points to exchange for the Soul Gathering Spiritual Heart Technique, leaving him only ten thousand to spend.

"I know there is a Spiritual Flame in the Inner Court of Jia Nan Academy—likely the Falling Heart Flame. Ten thousand Soul Points could hire three or four Dou Huangs to help you seize it."

The fact that Jia Nan Academy possessed a Spiritual Flame was hardly a secret; many powerful cultivators had sensed it, but they refrained from acting due to the academy's strength.

Hun Lao Gui glanced at Xiao Yan—he knew Xiao Yan was a student of Jia Nan Academy—and said deliberately, "But someone in the Black Horn Region is also eyeing the Falling Heart Flame."

Xiao Yan's heart jolted. He knew of the Falling Heart Flame in Jia Nan Academy, but its rank of fourteen was too high for him to refine. What he hadn't expected was that someone else was also targeting it!

"Who?"

"Han Feng—a Six-Grade Peak Alchemist. He is not of the Soul Sovereign, but has ties to us. I advise against competing with him; ten thousand Soul Points are insufficient, and Jia Nan Academy is not as simple as it seems."

A Six-Grade Alchemist! The most powerful Alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire was Gu He, known as the Dantian Alchemist—but even Gu He was only Six-Grade, and not necessarily Six-Grade Peak.

A Six-Grade Peak Alchemist possessed methods and influence enough to obliterate the entire Jia Ma Empire!

"Hehehe, if you truly want a Spiritual Flame, you could spend ten thousand Soul Points to put a bounty on his head," Hun Lao Gui suddenly chuckled.

"Why?"

"The Sea Heart Flame is on him. My Soul Sovereign possesses a Secret Technique to strip the Spiritual Soul and extract the Spiritual Flame."

The Sea Heart Flame—ranked fifteenth on the Flame List!!!

Legend said this Spiritual Flame was born deep in the ocean, forged by the constant collision of underwater volcanic eruptions and the crushing pressure of the sea. The Sea Heart Flame glowed a deep blue, exuding a mysterious aura; as it rose, it spread slowly like clear seawater, its faint ripples resembling ocean waves.

This Spiritual Flame could even ignite through water and spread upon contact with it—truly Shen Mi Zhi Yi.

The Falling Heart Flame was ranked fourteenth, the Sea Heart Flame fifteenth. Even if Xiao Yan obtained it, with his current strength, he'd likely be burned to ash.

"Your Soul Sovereign's methods are truly vile—to strip the Spiritual Soul and transfer a Spiritual Flame," Xiao Yan said slowly, shaking his head in refusal.

"Hehehe, vile? The Soul Sovereign recognizes no good or evil—only strength and weakness. Strength makes you right."

Xiao Yan continued, "Any others? Preferably a weaker Spiritual Flame."

"Yes. Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame."

!!!!!!!!

Xiao Yan forcibly suppressed his inner excitement—the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, ranked twenty-second!!!

For his current Dou Shi level, this was the perfect Spiritual Flame—ranked twenty-second, nearly the lowest. If this wasn't suitable, he'd have to wait until his strength increased further.

Xiao Yan asked calmly, "Where?"

"Hehehe, boy, that'll cost Soul Points. But I'll warn you—your current strength means you could die at any moment in the location of the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame."

"Just tell me. Does your Soul Sovereign always speak so circuitously?" Xiao Yan glanced at Hun Lao Gui.

Hun Lao Gui traced a finger across the Soul Token, deducted the Soul Points, and sent a Soul Sound into Xiao Yan's mind: "Mo Shou Shan Mai."