Burning Flame Valley - The Young Master's Palace.
The room was vast, carved directly into the obsidian rock of the central volcano.
Veins of magma flowed behind reinforced crystal glass in the walls, providing both light and a terrifying amount of ambient Fire energy. The bed was made of Fire-Silk from the Southern Border, soft as water but warm to the touch.
Tang Chen sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs. He was wearing fresh, clean robes of deep crimson, embroidered with the flame emblem of his clan.
He looked like a proper Young Master again. The dirt, the blood, and the beggar clothes of the last few months felt like a fever dream.
He tapped the black ring on his finger.
'Teacher. Coast is clear. My father has returned to the Main Hall.'
Silence.
Tang Chen sighed. He poured himself a cup of tea from a jade pot. "If you don't come out, I'm going to throw this ring into the magma river behind the wall. I wonder if a spirit form enjoys swimming in molten rock?"
Hum.
A reluctant vibration came from the ring. A wisp of white mist seeped out, condensing into a very small, very faint figure of Yao Lao. He wasn't floating grandly like usual; he was hovering inches above the bedsheets, looking like a thief caught in a treasury.
"You..." Yao Lao pointed a trembling finger at Tang Chen. "You deceitful little brat."
"I never lied," Tang Chen blew on his tea. "I said I ran away from a strict family. Is Tang Zhen not strict?"
"Strict?!" Yao Lao hissed, his voice a hushed whisper as if afraid the walls had ears. "Your father is the Burning Sky Venerable! One of the top ten experts in the Central Plains! If he sneezes, a Dou Spirit dies! And you brought me—a soul body—right into his lair!"
Yao Lao paced back and forth on the bedsheet.
"Do you know how dangerous this is? If he senses my soul fluctuation, he won't ask questions. He'll think I'm a Hall of Souls spy trying to possess his son. He will turn me into nothingness with the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame!"
"He won't sense you," Tang Chen said calmly. "Because you are the legendary Yao Venerable. Your soul control is perfect. Unless you try to refine a Tier-8 pill in my bedroom, he won't notice a dormant soul."
Tang Chen set the cup down and looked Yao Lao in the eye.
"Besides, look at the bright side."
"Bright side?" Yao Lao looked around the room, sensing the terrifyingly dense Fire Qi.
"I am the Heir," Tang Chen spread his arms. "Do you know what that means? It means we don't have to hunt boars for a single core. It means we don't have to scrape moss off cliffs for herbs. We are sitting on a mountain of resources."
Tang Chen leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"You need herbs to recover your soul strength? I can order the treasury to bring them. You need rare materials for my cultivation? I just have to ask. This isn't a prison, Teacher. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet."
Yao Lao paused. He looked at the boy, then at the magma flowing in the walls. He sensed the concentration of fire energy in the air. It was at least ten times denser than the outside world.
"You..." Yao Lao stroked his beard, his fear slowly being replaced by greed. "You intend to use the sect's resources to practice the Flame Mantra?"
"Why else did I come back?" Tang Chen smirked. "The Flame Mantra swallows fire. The Burning Flame Valley is fire."
Yao Lao floated higher, regaining his composure. A sly grin appeared on his face.
"Fine. You win. Having a wealthy disciple does have its perks. But listen closely, Tang Chen. While I am in the Valley, I will be in deep hibernation most of the time. I will only wake up when you are absolutely alone. Do not speak to the ring in public."
"Deal," Tang Chen nodded. "Now, let's get to work. I need to reach Dou Fighter (Dou Zhe) before my dad lets me leave this room."
The Greenhouse Grind.
The next morning, the servants of the Young Master's palace were confused.
Usually, the Young Master requested toys, rare sweets, or time to play. Today, he handed the Head Steward a list.
"I want three barrels of Fire Python Blood," Tang Chen read from the list Yao Lao had mentally dictated. "Fifty stalks of Bone Burnout Grass. Ten Crimson Lotus Seeds. And... tell the kitchen to prepare meals using only Class-2 Magic Beast meat."
The Head Steward, an old man named Mo, blinked. "Young Master? Fire Python blood is extremely caustic. It is used for forging weapons."
"I'm taking a bath," Tang Chen said with a straight face. "Just bring it."
"Yes, Young Master."
When you are the son of the Valley Master, you don't get questioned. Within an hour, a massive wooden tub was filled with bubbling, red liquid.
Tang Chen stripped naked and stood before the tub. The smell of sulfur and iron was overpowering.
"In the cave, we used water and herbs," Yao Lao's voice echoed in his mind. "Here, we use blood. This is the Python Blood Forging Body method. It is painful. It will feel like your skin is being peeled off. But it will push you from 6-Star to 9-Star in record time."
Tang Chen didn't hesitate. He stepped in.
"Hsssss!"
Tang Chen sucked in a breath of cold air. His skin instantly turned lobster red. The violent energy of the Fire Python attacked his pores.
He sat down, submerging himself to the neck. Tears pricked his eyes, but he didn't scream.
'Compared to the future where the Hall of Souls hooks my soul and drags me to hell, this is nothing,' Tang Chen told himself.
He closed his eyes and began to cycle his Qi.
SIx Months Later.
The routine was brutal. Tang Chen was no longer a child; he was a machine.
Morning: Soak in Python Blood.
Afternoon: Cultivate Qi in the magma chamber.
Night: Study Alchemy theory with Yao Lao (mental transmission).
His progress was terrifying.
Month 2: He broke through to 7-Star.
Month 4: He reached 8-Star.
Month 6: He stood in his room, radiating a heat that distorted the air around him.
Tang Chen punched the air. A distinct crack sounded, like a whip.
"9-Star Dou Disciple," Tang Chen whispered. "And my meridians are filled to the brim."
The door opened.
Tang Zhen walked in. The Valley Master looked at his son. He felt the fluctuation of Qi—wild, aggressive, and incredibly dense.
"9-Star," Tang Zhen observed, hiding his shock behind a stoic mask. "You advanced three stars in three months. This speed... even I was not this fast at your age."
Tang Zhen walked over and squeezed Tang Chen's shoulder. The boy's muscles were hard as rock.
"Your foundation is stable," Tang Zhen nodded approvingly. "I feared you were using drugs to boost your level, but your Qi is pure. Good."
Tang Zhen placed a small jade box on the table.
"Inside is a Top-Grade Qi Gathering Powder. It was refined by Elder Huo, a Tier-5 Alchemist. Consume it tonight. Break through to Dou Fighter."
Tang Chen looked at the box. "Thank you, Father."
Tang Zhen lingered for a moment. He looked like he wanted to say something fatherly, but struggled with the words. Finally, he just grunted.
"Don't fail. If you fail, you start over."
He turned and left.
Tang Chen waited for the footsteps to fade. Then he grabbed the box.
"Top-Grade?" Yao Lao scoffed, floating out. "Tier-5 Alchemist? Garbage. The Qi Gathering Powder I brewed for you in the cave is superior."
"Can I use both?" Tang Chen asked.
"Greedy," Yao Lao chuckled. "No. Just use mine. Keep your father's pill as a decoy to show him empty bottles later."
Tang Chen sat in the center of the room. He took a deep breath.
"This is it. The real start."
He swallowed Yao Lao's pill.
The Breakthrough.
The sensation was different from the breakthroughs before. This wasn't just filling a bucket with water; it was compressing a cloud into a diamond.
The energy in his body rampaged. The 9-Star gas-like Dou Qi swirled in his dantian, refusing to condense.
"Crush it!" Yao Lao commanded.
Tang Chen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He used his Di State Soul Perception to wrap around the gas, squeezing it with mental force.
Squeeze.
The gas resisted. It burned.
Squeeze harder!
Tang Chen poured every ounce of his will into his dantian.
Drop.
Suddenly, a single drop of red liquid formed in the center of the gas cloud.
That one drop started a chain reaction. The rest of the gas rushed toward it, condensing rapidly.
Hummmmm.
A red light exploded from Tang Chen's body, illuminating the room. The magma in the walls seemed to pulse in resonance.
When the light faded, Tang Chen sat there, breathing calmly.
In his dantian, the gas was gone. In its place spun a beautiful, crimson vortex of liquid energy.
1-Star Dou Fighter (Dou Zhe).
Tang Chen opened his eyes. The world looked clearer. He could feel the flow of air, the heat of the magma, the heartbeat of the servants outside.
"I did it," Tang Chen said, clenching his fist. He felt a power ten times greater than before.
"Congratulations," Yao Lao smiled proudly. "You have officially stepped onto the path of the strong."
Yao Lao waved his hand. A dark, ancient scroll appeared in his hand.
"Now," Yao Lao said seriously. "Since you have condensed your Vortex, you are qualified."
Tang Chen's eyes lit up. "The technique!"
"Yes," Yao Lao handed him the scroll. "This is the method that will allow you to surpass the heavens. Read it."
Tang Chen unrolled the scroll. He knew what was coming, but he had to act the part. He scanned the first few lines.
His smile froze.
"Mister Yao..."
"Yes?"
"Can you read?"
Yao Lao frowned. "Of course I can read. I am the Yao Venerable."
"Then what does this say?" Tang Chen pointed to the characters at the top. "Huang Class: Low Level."
Tang Chen looked up, his face a mask of pure betrayal.
"That's the lowest rank! Even the servants who clean the toilets in my clan practice a Huang Class Medium technique! You want me—the Young Master of the Burning Flame Valley—to practice trash?!"
Tang Chen threw the scroll on the bed.
"You scammer! I risked my life for this? You want me to ruin my future with a garbage technique?"
Yao Lao's face flushed red. He snatched the scroll back, dusting it off indignantly.
"You ignorant brat! Do not insult the Mantra! This is not trash! This is the most miraculous technique in the existence of the continent!"
"It's Huang Class Low!" Tang Chen shouted, standing up on the bed to look Yao Lao in the eye. "Do you know what that means? It means my Qi storage will be the size of a pea! It means I'll be slower than a snail! If I practice this, I'll be a Dou Fighter until I die of old age!"
"Listen to me!" Yao Lao roared, his soul pressure leaking out slightly, shaking the curtains. "It can Evolve!"
Tang Chen paused, freezing his tantrum. "Evolve?"
Yao Lao floated closer, his eyes gleaming with a manic, fanatical light. He looked like a mad scientist explaining his masterpiece.
"Yes. This mantra is unique. It can swallow Heavenly Flames. By consuming the essence of different Heavenly Flames, the technique evolves. From Huang to Xuan... from Xuan to Di... and eventually, to Heaven Class! And possibly... even higher!"
Yao Lao leaned in, whispering.
"Imagine, Tang Chen. A technique that commands all fire. A technique that allows you to control multiple Heavenly Flames without exploding. Is that not worth the risk?"
Tang Chen looked at the scroll. He let the silence hang in the air.
"Swallowing Heavenly Flames..." Tang Chen muttered. "My dad has the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame. It's Rank 12. He says if he loses control for even a second, it will burn him to ash. You want me to eat things like that?"
"High risk, high reward," Yao Lao shrugged. "If you want to be safe, ask your father for his Di Class technique. You will be a strong Dou Zun one day. But you will never stand at the absolute peak."
Yao Lao stared deep into Tang Chen's eyes.
"Do you want to be just another successor? Or do you want to be the Emperor?"
Tang Chen stared at the scroll. He knew the answer. He knew this was the only way to survive the future war with the Hall of Souls and the Ancient God Clans.
He took a deep breath and snatched the scroll back from Yao Lao.
"I'll take it."
"Oh?" Yao Lao raised an eyebrow. "You are not afraid of burning to death?"
"I'm more afraid of being weak," Tang Chen said, his voice dropping the childish act, revealing the cold resolve of a transmigrator. "If I practice a Di Class technique, I'm just another genius. If I practice this... I am unique."
Yao Lao smiled. It was a genuine smile.
"Good. Then prepare yourself. To practice the Flame Mantra, you must first shatter the Burning Flame Valley's foundation Qi you just cultivated and convert it."
"Shatter it?" Tang Chen winced.
"Yes. It will hurt," Yao Lao said cheerfully. "Start chanting. Tonight, we rebuild you from the ashes."
Tang Chen sat cross-legged. He held the scroll.
"Let's do it."