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**
On the flat stone platform—
The four—Xian'er, Qing Lin, Ah Da, and Du Jiao—looked up, smiling as they watched Wei Yang in the sky.
At that moment, he was curiously playing with the void, constantly stirring and prodding at space itself.
It was perfectly natural to be fascinated after touching a brand-new, mysterious power for the first time. They had all experienced this phase themselves, so they understood.
Therefore, none of the four stepped forward to interrupt. Instead, they simply smiled and quietly watched Wei Yang as he toyed with the void.
After a long while—
Wei Yang finally stopped, though a hint of longing still lingered in his eyes.
It was only then that the four figures flickered, moving to gather beside him.
"Brother Yang."
"Young Master."
"Master."
"Great Master."
All four greeted him at once—each using their own preferred title.
"Mm." Wei Yang turned his head, smiling and nodding in reply.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit amused. The four people before him each called him something different… and none of them planned on changing it, apparently.
He shook his head, letting it go. Looking at them, he laughed and said, "Haha! I've broken through to Dou Zong!"
"Congratulations, Brother Yang!"
"Congratulations, Young Master!"
"Congratulations…"
"But that's not all." Wei Yang turned his gaze to Ah Da, grinning. "My soul realm has also broken through during this process—I've reached the Mid Spirit Realm now. I've caught up with you, Ah Da."
"Master's talent in the soul path is truly astounding. Ah Da is sincerely impressed!" Ah Da bowed slightly, his tone filled with admiration.
And it was genuine.
A twenty-four-year-old at the Mid Spirit Realm of soul cultivation—Ah Da had lived for so many years, yet this was something he had neither seen nor heard of before.
"Hearing you say that… I feel a bit better," Wei Yang nodded with a chuckle, his voice tinged with relief.
This breakthrough had made him realize that, on the path of Dou Qi, his potential was approaching its limit.
If no great fortune came his way in the future, then reaching Dou Zun would likely be the peak of his lifetime.
And if he couldn't gain much from the opportunity with the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree in the future…
Dou Sheng?
Hard. So hard!
A tinge of disappointment inevitably crept into his heart.
That feeling—when you see the end of the road looming just ahead—is indeed disheartening.
Fortunately, at least on the soul path, he had reclaimed a small victory. It brought some consolation to his mind.
At least I'm not completely talentless.
In fact, thinking about it carefully—this was a huge advantage.
Because the further one progressed in cultivation, the more everything returned to the essence of things. The soul—it would always be the most fundamental foundation.
As long as one's soul was strong enough, the opportunities and possibilities were endless. One could even reach a form of alternative immortality.
The body was merely a shell.
Even if one lost their physical body, as long as the soul remained, it wasn't true death—there was always a chance to start again.
As for things like innate physique or high-grade bloodlines—those could be acquired through other means.
If one could overcome the psychological hurdle, then when there was no way forward, it was even possible to abandon the current body altogether, or transplant superior bloodlines to improve one's physical aptitude.
Only the essence of the soul—that was innate, nearly impossible to alter through external means.
And as one progressed in cultivation, physical talents and bloodline advantages would gradually lose importance, becoming minimal or even shackling factors.
Whereas the soul would grow increasingly crucial.
For example, if your soul wasn't at least at the Spirit Realm, it was almost impossible to reach the Nine Change Dou Zun realm.
——
Wei Yang opened his arms and pulled Xian'er and Qing Lin into an embrace. Looking toward Ah Da, he asked, "Still no news from Jia Nan Academy?"
"Reporting to Master, none at all," Ah Da shook his head. Then, with a bit of hesitation, he softly added, "Master… considering the ferocity of the Fallen Heart Flame, even though it was wounded by your Lesser Black Sun Burning Heaven Palm and only escaped with its core essence, once it dove into the depths of the magma… that's its home turf..."
"In a place like that, the Fallen Heart Flame can replenish its energy endlessly—it's practically an infinite resource."
"…And that Xiao Yan, he was just a mere Dou Ling back then. Even with the Green Lotus Core Flame protecting him, in the depths of the magma, he couldn't possibly survive for two full years—let alone dream of devouring the Fallen Heart Flame,"
"Now that two years have passed… he's probably already…" Ah Da didn't finish his sentence, but he lowered his head.
Still, the implication in his words was obvious.
Ah Da truly didn't believe that, under such circumstances, Xiao Yan had any chance of survival.
"You don't understand." Wei Yang shook his head, replying calmly, "He won't die that easily. Otherwise, he wouldn't be called Xiao Yan. If it were anyone else, even me—under those conditions, there really would be little hope of surviving… but if it's him, then maybe not."
"Uh…" Ah Da could only bow his head again in silence after hearing that.
He genuinely couldn't understand why his master had so much faith in that Xiao Yan.
In Ah Da's opinion, rather than sitting around waiting passively for news of Xiao Yan, why not just storm back into Jia Nan Academy and personally make a trip down into the magma world?
Of course, it wasn't because he wanted to look for Xiao Yan—Ah Da had no such good intentions. Frankly, he couldn't care less whether Xiao Yan lived or died.
What he truly cared about… were the Heavenly Flames.
That magma world beneath Jia Nan Academy currently held both the Fallen Heart Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame!
Well, maybe now it was down to just one.
After all, two Heavenly Flames in the same place would undoubtedly end up devouring each other.
At that thought, Ah Da clutched his chest.
His heart ached—literally.
Such a waste! Such a crime!
——
"Brother Yang, do you really have that much faith in Xiao Yan?" Xian'er leaned into Wei Yang's embrace and looked up curiously.
Qing Lin also looked at Wei Yang, eyes filled with doubt.
Even in their hearts, they found it hard to understand why Wei Yang placed so much confidence in Xiao Yan.
In a place as close to absolute death as that… they didn't believe anyone could survive.
It had already been two full years, and Wei Yang's view hadn't changed at all.
If not for his stubbornness, the two women would've already persuaded him to make another trip to Jia Nan Academy to retrieve the Heavenly Flame that was left behind.
"Faith? Maybe," Wei Yang said, not bothering to explain too much. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright. Let's wait another half year. If Xiao Yan still hasn't come out by then, we'll consider him dead. At that point, we'll return to Jia Nan Academy and retrieve the Heavenly Flame."
"Yes!" Ah Da was the first to respond, respectfully acknowledging the order.
Inside, he was practically cheering and applauding his master's wisdom.
After all, Ah Da had been salivating over that Sea Heart Flame for a long time now.
He dreamed of it—literally drooling at night.
Unfortunately, Wei Yang had never shown any intention of taking it out, which left Ah Da scratching at his heart like an itch he couldn't reach.
But if they really did go and take the newly evolved Fallen Heart Flame, which had devoured the Green Lotus Core Flame and undergone a transformation, then perhaps Wei Yang wouldn't care too much about the Sea Heart Flame anymore.
And if that happened, maybe—just maybe—with some pleading and help from the two madams, he might actually get it for himself!
At the thought, Ah Da couldn't help but start fantasizing.
Half a year?
No problem. He could wait.
After all, Ah Da didn't believe Xiao Yan was still alive.
——
And almost at the exact same moment…
Deep beneath Jia Nan Academy, within the magma world beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Training Tower—something was changing.
Two years ago, ever since Wei Yang left this place, Jia Nan Academy had completely sealed off the lowest level of the Qi Training Tower.
From that point on, this magma world had fallen into total silence and lifelessness.
But today—
Boom!
The deathly still magma suddenly exploded upward. Fiery red lava surged, and two figures burst up from beneath it.
"Hahaha! I, Xiao Yan, have finally come out!" Xiao Yan soared into the air, laughing heartily as he took a deep breath of the scorching air, voice full of emotion.
But before he could even finish laughing—
Swish!
A multicolored beam of energy lashed out behind him, abruptly cutting off his laughter.
"This crazy woman!" Xiao Yan muttered through gritted teeth.
Then—
The two figures resumed their chase, one fleeing in front, the other chasing relentlessly from behind.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
One multicolored beam of terrifying energy after another blasted forward, each one carrying lethal intent.
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