The reason for coming to a conclusion contrary to my past life is actually understandable.
"First, alchemy and artifact refining are essentially like cooking with a pot; the chef needs to control the heat well, but does not need to start the fire."
What does this mean?
"It means that as a mortal, I can control the array under the alchemy furnace to manage the Spiritual Flame. With a bit of simple learning, I can understand how the alchemy furnace works, and then through skillful control, research the ratios of various herbs, which is the key."
Looking closely, this aligns with logic.
By activating Spirit Stones through arrays, one can finely tune the rate of Spiritual Qi emission, then ignite it with other arrays, to finally adjust the size of the flame. This method is surely more reliable than extracting flames from a cultivator's body.
