Chen Xi gazed at Yan Zhen with gentle eyes.
“The three techniques each have their strengths and weaknesses. Naturally, as your master, I hope you’ll inherit mine. The Great Void Sword Saint is renowned as the top offensive art within the same realm—if you wish to learn the sword, you can choose its sword formula. However, Zhen’er, your bloodline and physique lean toward fire. Perhaps the Emperor Flame Technique is the most suitable for you. Think it over carefully. No matter which you choose, I will teach you with all my heart.”
“No need to think, Master. I choose the Emperor Flame Technique!” Yan Zhen’s eyes burned with resolve. “The best technique is right in front of me—naturally, I have to seize the opportunity. If I’m too scared to try because of the difficulty, I might as well give up cultivation and live as an ordinary person!”
Chen Xi smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.
These were exactly the words he had said in her previous life. As expected, Zhen’er was still her Zhen’er. He wouldn’t lose that courageous heart just because she showed him a bit more tenderness.
“Since you’ve made your decision, I’ll pass the Emperor Flame Technique to you.”
“Thank you, Master!”
“Mm. The core scripture of the Emperor Flame Technique contains immense imperial pressure that your current self can’t withstand. I must share my memories directly with you. Zhen’er, relax your mind.”
“I understand, Master.”
Yan Zhen closed his eyes. Soon, the faint, elegant fragrance from the beautiful master drifted closer as her forehead gently pressed against his.
—Hm? Does sharing memories require this? Can’t it be done remotely?
A doubt flickered in Yan Zhen’s mind.
—Whatever. How it’s done is the beautiful master’s business. No point overthinking it.
“It’s starting, Zhen’er.”
At such close range, her words came with a warm breath brushing his face, carrying a subtle sweet scent.
Ripples stirred in Yan Zhen’s calm heartlake, but he quickly suppressed them.
A soft glow lit up where their foreheads touched, growing brighter and brighter. From afar, it looked as if they were clasping a dazzling star between them.
As the light intensified, Chen Xi’s memories of the technique flowed into Yan Zhen’s mind like a warm current.
It took a full half hour before Chen Xi fully transmitted the Emperor Flame Technique to him.
Once finished, she pulled away and noticed that the mystic power in his body was already beginning to change in nature.
Having been reborn, Chen Xi knew just how perfectly the Emperor Flame Technique matched Yan Zhen—like it had been tailor-made for him.
Another half hour passed. Yan Zhen successfully condensed the technique fire seed of the Emperor Flame Technique in his dantian. Under its forging, all his mystic power transformed into fire mystic power, radiating a domineering, flashy platinum hue.
He slowly withdrew from his cultivation state and opened his eyes.
He had only advanced to One-Star Mystic Practitioner yesterday, but after cultivating the Emperor Flame Technique, his mystic power was now incredibly stable and even denser.
His cultivation level hadn’t changed much from yesterday, but his combat strength had likely more than doubled.
A system prompt chimed in his ear, announcing 100% plot completion. Yan Zhen casually claimed the reward—another useless special trump card that he tossed into his system backpack without a second glance.
“Master, I succeeded!”
“Very good. Your aura is steady and abundant. You might soon break through to Two-Star Mystic Practitioner—provided you’ve refined a Heavenly Extreme Flame to elevate your technique fire seed to the Mystic Practitioner level. Otherwise, your cultivation will be forever stuck at One-Star.”
Yan Zhen grinned cheekily, buttering her up. “Master taught me the Emperor Flame Technique, so you must have prepared a Heavenly Extreme Flame for me in advance, right?”
“You clever little devil.” The coolness on Chen Xi’s face melted away as she looked at him with Mystic meaning in her eyes. “Besides the Starlight Glazed Fire, I do have another Heavenly Extreme Flame I can pass to you.”
“Heh heh, Master is the best to me.” Yan Zhen kept flattering her, curiosity piqued. “What kind of extreme flame is it?”
Chen Xi flipped her jade-like hand, and a fierce gold-and-silver flame erupted in her palm. Intense heat descended at once, making Yan Zhen feel as if he were inside a furnace.
“This is the first extreme flame I ever refined—Gold-Silver Fire. Though it’s not on the Extreme Flame List and its power is relatively weaker, its utility is extraordinary. Highly malleable, it can transform into a sword or armor. It also corrodes Mystic artifacts made of metal or jade, giving it a huge edge against sword or blade cultivators.”
Whoa. Yan Zhen’s eyes reflected the gold-and-silver flames, his face screaming “I want it.”
He might have known the plot inside out, but who wouldn’t drool over the cool treasures in a novel?
In this no-female-lead power fantasy, the Heavenly Extreme Flames were what made Yan Zhen the most envious—one more powerful and badass than the last!
“Gold-Silver Fire is so awesome. Thank you for the gift, Master. I’ll take good care of it.”
Yan Zhen reached out, only for the beautiful master to swat his hand away.
“Keep your paws off if you value your life. Gold-Silver Fire might not compare to the famous ones on the list, but it’s still far beyond what you can touch right now.”
“Uh… if I can’t even touch it, how do I refine it?”
Yan Zhen played dumb with a perfect innocent, wide-eyed expression.
“With your current cultivation, refining Gold-Silver Fire is impossible. The instant the flame enters your body, you’d turn to ash. I have to use a special method to pass it to you.”
“What method?”
Seeing Yan Zhen’s eager, puppy-dog eyes, Chen Xi’s lips curved into a lovely arc, her heart beating a touch faster.
But she couldn’t smile now, lest she give herself away.
Tightening her expression again, she said coolly, “This Fire Refining Starry Sky exerts extreme suppression on Heavenly Extreme Flames. As the world spirit here, if I activate the array disk plaza beneath our feet, I can greatly reduce the flame’s ferocity. Even so, refining an extreme flame carries huge risks. One misstep, and you’ll explode. Moreover, the pain as the flame enters your body is excruciating—few can endure it.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhen felt a shiver of apprehension.
The novel described the refinement process in vivid detail over two thousand words, all about his agony and how he passed out for a day and night afterward. Terrifying just to think about.
It was probably to showcase the protagonist’s extraordinary willpower. After all, this was a no-female-lead upgrade-and-slaughter power fantasy.
But now, with System-chan’s “skip” function, he just had to endure the initial pain, then skip ahead. No sweat.
“I’m not scared, Master. I can take it!”
“But I’m scared. I’m scared of losing my foolish disciple by accident.”
“Uh, no choice, right? We have to try.”
“There’s an even safer method.”
“An even safer method? Really?”
There wasn’t, right? This arc relied on him gritting his teeth through the protagonist halo.
“There is.”
“What is it?”
Yan Zhen was baffled, furrowing his brows in feigned thought.
Chen Xi paused for a long moment, then sighed softly, as if steeling herself. With resolve, she said, “It’s for you and me to unite in body—dual cultivate. I’ll refine the Gold-Silver Fire for you.”
Yan Zhen froze, then his eyes widened slowly, shock hitting him like he’d seen a ghost.
—Unite in body, dual cultivate…? When did the plot have this?!?!
