“Combat is glorious!”
After falling into a deep sleep, another bright morning arrived. Ding Nan sat on the edge of his bed in the bedroom.
He leaned his face on one hand, reading a book.
It was the Danxia Manual.
To be honest, if possible, Ding Nan wanted to continue practicing the Flowing Cloud Manual.
However, he could not do so—Luo Yao was sitting at the round table in the bedroom, busily embroidering and mending Ding Nan’s clothes.
Ding Nan could only study the Danxia Manual for now.
If the Flowing Cloud Manual focused on integrating a hundred scriptures to eventually break through to a higher realm, the Danxia Manual was a relentless pursuit of the absolute limit of one’s current realm.
The cultivation method of the Danxia Manual was simple and crude.
It required the cultivator to refine Soulfire to serve as Five Elements Spiritual Fire, thereby increasing their own realm.
Soulfire was not actual fire, nor was it the nether fire associated with the undead; rather, it was a composite representation of life and soul.
Every living creature had its own soul state. When a creature projected its life form and soul state through Spiritual Qi, the result was Soulfire.
After refining Soulfire, a cultivator could simulate a portion of the Soulfire owner’s power.
Because Soulfire displayed the life-soul form and even the will of its source, it had another ancient name—Beast Fire.
However, this name was technically incorrect because humans could also produce such flames.
Were humans also mindless ‘beasts’ then?
Similarly, the Five Elements Spiritual Fire was a philosophical designation.
Qi is divided into Yin and Yang, and humans possess the Five Qi.
Humans are born with all Five Qi. Almost no one lacks them.
If the Five Qi were missing, one would be sickly at best and short-lived at worst.
The Five Elements Spiritual Fire used the Five Qi as a foundation to catalyze the power of a living being.
That was the essence of the Danxia Manual: absorbing Soulfire to strengthen oneself.
It seemed that as long as a cultivator kept refining Soulfire, their power would become infinitely great.
Unfortunately, that was merely a nice theory.
This cultivation method placed great importance on the cultivator’s own foundation.
If the Five Elements Spiritual Fire was a potted plant, then the cultivator was the clay pot.
If the clay pot was not large enough, the Five Elements Spiritual Fire could not grow very big.
Furthermore, as a potted plant, the Five Elements Spiritual Fire had no way to make the clay pot beneath it grow larger.
If it could make the pot grow, it would not be the Danxia Manual, but the Burning Decree.
This was the limitation of the Danxia Manual.
However, the author of the Danxia Manual might have realized this, as the manual included a set of cultivation methods and pill recipes to improve physical strength.
Therefore, the Danxia Manual itself had no flaws and was considered a first-rate technique.
It was a treasure, especially for factions and military warfare.
This was due to one specific advantage: compared to the Flowing Cloud Manual, which focused on abstract concepts and read like a philosophy book, this was easy to understand.
As long as there was enough Soulfire, one could mass-produce cultivators.
As a first-rate technique, this Danxia Manual was sufficient to help someone practice until the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.
Mass-producing the Tribulation Transcendence Stage… the mere thought was terrifying.
The Luo Family was not to be underestimated. No wonder they did not fear the Xishan Sect.
Ding Nan closed the book.
The first stage of learning was complete. Next came the introductory practice.
To enter the threshold of the Danxia Manual, one had to absorb a type of Soulfire.
Although Luo Yao was doing needlework, she was restless, constantly stealing glances at Ding Nan while he read.
When Ding Nan looked toward her, Luo Yao immediately put on a facade of intense concentration.
“Luo Yao, do you have any Soulfire you can give me?”
Ding Nan asked.
“I… I do!” Luo Yao appeared very excited.
‘?’
Ding Nan was confused.
“For your first time refining Soulfire, use this.”
Luo Yao raised her hand, and the Spiritual Qi in her palm rose, eventually turning into a burning energy body shaped like a lotus.
Ding Nan looked at the ghostly blue Soulfire. Its aura was entirely saturated with Luo Yao’s scent.
Well then, ‘Luo Yao brand Soulfire.’
Ding Nan was not particularly surprised. According to the technique, a cultivator’s strength is initially weak, so they truly should not refine a violent Soulfire.
However, the moment this clump of Soulfire appeared, it burned fiercely and flew toward Ding Nan, sinking into his body in the blink of an eye.
‘?’
Ding Nan was baffled.
This could no longer be described as violent; it was clearly impatient.
Looking at Luo Yao again, her eyes were wide, her face was flushed, and the tips of her ears were red.
She looked as if she wanted to pounce on Ding Nan and devour him, making him shiver.
Ding Nan thought of the yandere culture from his previous life: ‘Oh no, I think I’ve triggered some strange switch.’
But soon, Ding Nan’s thoughts were interrupted.
He stood up and sat cross-legged on the bed.
As the Soulfire entered his body, Spiritual Qi that did not belong to him began to run wild.
The energy it contained almost reached the limit of what Ding Nan’s current physical body could endure.
Following the Danxia Manual’s method, Ding Nan circulated his internal Spiritual Qi and attempted to absorb the Soulfire within him.
Luo Yao’s Soulfire was very gentle and did not damage Ding Nan’s meridians, but it was extremely active inside him.
For a moment, it felt as if his body was being occupied.
Well, it was Luo Yao’s energy, after all.
Fifteen minutes later, Ding Nan had completely absorbed Luo Yao’s Soulfire and felt refreshed.
His cultivation broke through once more to the 6th Stage Body Tempering Realm.
‘Only the 6th Stage?’
Ding Nan felt a bit regretful.
When he practiced the Flowing Cloud Manual, he could reach the 8th Stage Body Tempering Realm in a single morning.
Ultimately, his body simply could not handle any more Soulfire.
“How is it? Do you feel any problems?”
Luo Yao sat beside Ding Nan, asking with concern.
“It feels fine.”
Ding Nan raised his hand.
A ghostly blue lotus bloomed, burning like a flame.
This was exactly the form of Luo Yao’s Spiritual Qi, and its aura closely resembled hers.
However, it was ultimately just a flame simulated by Ding Nan.
Before long, he could no longer control the disguise.
The state of the flame did not change, but the aura of the Spiritual Qi shifted back to his own, though it remained mixed with Luo Yao’s scent.
“Good, that’s wonderful, heehee.”
Luo Yao cupped her face in her hands.
Agitation, shyness, and excitement—all these emotions were displayed on her face.
‘Am I being marked? No wonder Luo Yao is so excited. I see.’
“Um, Young Master, can you give me your Soulfire? I want it.”
Luo Yao looked at Ding Nan expectantly.
Her eyes were like a pool of spring water.
Seeing this, Ding Nan felt a slight itch in his heart—he began to understand why Luo Yao had been so restless.
He cleared his throat, straightened his expression, and raised his hand.
Through the Danxia Manual, he condensed his own Soulfire.
A black-gold flame burned.
He handed the Soulfire to Luo Yao.
Luo Yao used a glass bottle to hold Ding Nan’s Soulfire.
“Young Master, please practice hard. I’ll go make something delicious for you.”
Luo Yao clutched the glass bottle with both hands and hopped away, looking exactly like a little sister.
Ding Nan let out a soft chuckle.
After seeing Luo Yao off, he returned to his studies, completely failing to notice that the expression on Luo Yao’s face as she stepped into the courtyard was becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
Luo Yao returned to her own bedroom with Ding Nan’s bottle.
Her bedroom was about the size of a woodshed.
Because the window was narrow, the bright sunlight created sharp contrasts of black and white.
Luo Yao stood in the darkness, cradling the glass bottle containing Ding Nan’s Soulfire.
Her face was flushed, and her smile was anything but kind.
Luo Yao was grinning wildly.
“It’s the Young Master’s Soulfire, not some fake I made myself. And my Soulfire is inside the Young Master… I’m sorry, Young Master. Luo Yao just doesn’t want to be apart from you.”
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