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**
Nightfall descended, and the sky was filled with countless stars.
Brilliant starlight dotted the void above Holy Pill City, twinkling beautifully, creating a breathtaking scene.
Wei Mansion — this was the name of the newly purchased residence belonging to Wei Yang and his group within Holy Pill City.
The entire mansion was shrouded within an invisible spatial barrier, as though it existed as a small, separate world of its own. From the outside, however, one could hardly notice any difference with the naked eye.
Only experts at the Dou Zong level and above, when getting close enough, could faintly detect that the entire mansion was enveloped by a layer of faint spatial power.
Yet even if someone managed to notice it, no one dared to casually approach and disturb. A residence guarded by such power… clearly, its master was anything but ordinary.
Inside a secret chamber, a faint green flame flickered, casting a lively glow within.
Qing Lin sat cross-legged upon a stone platform, her eyes closed, her entire body surrounded by a flowing, liquid-like emerald-green flame.
As the flame burned, wisps of mist rose and coiled into the air, faintly manifesting visions of countless medicinal herbs sprouting and growing rapidly, creating an almost mystical scene.
This was naturally the Life Spirit Flame, but its spiritual intelligence and power were rather limited, clearly only a sub-flame. Beside her, Wei Yang sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, quietly observing.
This was a sub-flame he had painstakingly coaxed, tricked, and negotiated to separate from the main Life Spirit Flame, before handing it over to Qing Lin for her to tame and refine.
For the sake of obtaining this sub-flame, which only possessed the power of a low-level Dou Huang, Wei Yang had spent tremendous effort, nearly causing the Life Spirit Flame to erupt in a complete rampage.
This was the downside of strange fires that weren't nurtured from birth — they simply lacked a natural sense of closeness toward him.
Especially when a strange fire had already developed a trace of spiritual intelligence and was far stronger than oneself, yet hadn't been fully refined and was only forcibly subdued.
And when you already possessed another strange fire within your body as your life-bound flame, it became incredibly difficult to foster genuine mutual trust and connection with another. It was as though there was always an invisible barrier in between.
Just like with the current Life Spirit Flame.
No matter how hard Wei Yang tried to communicate and build rapport with it, the Life Spirit Flame still harbored a faint but undeniable hostility toward him, as though an instinctive rejection existed between them.
Because of this, Wei Yang gradually lost interest and motivation in forming a deeper bond with it.
In the end, it was only through a mix of veiled threats and generous compensation that he managed to reluctantly obtain a single sub-flame from the Life Spirit Flame.
He also faintly sensed that the Life Spirit Flame's hostility wasn't just aimed at him — it was even stronger toward the Death Life Flame.
Likewise, the Death Life Flame seemed equally indifferent and dismissive toward the Life Spirit Flame. The two flames seemed inherently incompatible, as though destined to clash.
This situation was completely different from that between Death Life and Xiao You. Although Death Life and Xiao You often bickered and quarreled, theirs was more like playful rivalry between children rather than true enmity.
But the relationship between Death Life and the Life Spirit Flame felt entirely different — as though they were natural-born enemies.
Wei Yang couldn't quite understand the reason behind this.
Could it be because Death Life had absorbed some of the Life Spirit Flame's characteristics, causing an instinctive conflict?
Time quietly passed.
Gradually, the emerald-green flames around Qing Lin's body were slowly retracted back into her. Her eyes slowly opened.
Deep within her pupils, three petal-shaped emerald-green light spots appeared in each eye, faintly radiating a mysterious glow.
The three green petals within each pupil now seemed even deeper and more mysterious, as though they had undergone some unique transformation — almost as if they had come alive, exuding a vibrant surge of life force.
Seeing this, Wei Yang raised his brows slightly.
He could clearly sense that the strange wood-aligned energy within Qing Lin's body had increased by a full ten percent.
Originally, her Dou Qi was primarily cold and yin-aligned, yet it carried a faint trace of vigorous wood energy.
Previously, her Dou Qi ratio was roughly eight parts yin-cold attribute to two parts wood attribute. Now, however, it had shifted to seven parts yin-cold and three parts wood attribute.
As expected of a flame that represented the very laws of life.
Just refining a single sub-flame into her body had actually altered Qing Lin's Dou Qi composition, increasing her wood affinity by one part.
"Qing Lin, how do you feel?" Wei Yang asked softly.
"Young Master." Upon hearing Wei Yang's voice, Qing Lin's gaze gradually regained clarity, and the emerald petals deep within her pupils slowly faded away.
She tilted her head slightly, thought for a moment, then softly said, "I feel great… hmm. Warm, and very comfortable."
"Comfortable, huh?" Wei Yang nodded.
"Young Master, I feel like this flame really suits me," Qing Lin added.
She stood up, walked over, and knelt beside Wei Yang, hugging his arm and leaning softly against him, her bright eyes blinking as she looked up at him.
"I know, I know." Wei Yang chuckled lightly and reached out to pinch her cheek. "Little minx."
"Hehe~" Qing Lin giggled sweetly, wrapping her arms around Wei Yang's neck as she nestled into his chest. Her eyes carried a faint, alluring charm as she gazed at him.
"You little seductress, behave yourself." Wei Yang scolded her with a laugh and lightly patted her soft bottom. "With this sub-flame as your foundation, your Dou Qi will gradually merge with its aura over time. When you eventually reach high-level Dou Zun, refining the main Life Spirit Flame will be much easier."
"Mm." Qing Lin nodded obediently.
"Also, the Life Spirit Flame is extremely significant. To avoid drawing the attention and greed of some ancient races, you mustn't reveal this sub-flame to outsiders for now. Later, I'll give you a sub-flame of the Sea Heart Flame. If you need to play with fire in front of others, just use that one instead," Wei Yang instructed.
"I understand, Young Master." Qing Lin's expression also turned solemn.
The Fifth-ranked Heavenly Flame was no ordinary thing, and its implications ran deep.
Just think about it — even the ancient Gu Clan's inherited flame was the Fourth-ranked Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame. That alone spoke volumes.
Any Heavenly Flame ranked within the top five was something that every ancient clan would treat with extreme importance.
Especially a flame like the Life Spirit Flame, capable of accelerating the growth of medicinal herbs — the Yao Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans, would never let such a treasure slip away.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, given their current strength, it was far too early for them to openly display this treasure.
"Still, even though you now have a sub-flame as preparation, I'm not entirely at ease about you refining the Life Spirit Flame in the future."
Wei Yang sighed softly, gently rubbing her head as his expression turned serious. "After all, it's the fifth-ranked Heavenly Flame. Refining it will be extremely dangerous unless you have absolute suppression over it. Otherwise, a single mistake could be fatal."
"Young Master, if you're worried, I'll wait until after reaching the peak of Dou Zun before attempting to refine it, alright?" Qing Lin suggested softly.
"Silly girl, there isn't a huge difference between high-level Dou Zun and peak Dou Zun… but yes, waiting until peak Dou Zun might increase your success rate a little," Wei Yang nodded in agreement.
Since following Wei Yang, Qing Lin's path had been smooth sailing — she had hardly faced any setbacks or trials.
In other words, Wei Yang and Xian'er had protected her far too well.
This suddenly made Wei Yang realize that, when the time came for Qing Lin to face the deadly challenge of refining the fifth-ranked Heavenly Flame on her own, he wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it.
"Young Master, I'll definitely succeed."
Qing Lin hugged his neck tightly, pressing her face into the crook of his neck, taking in his familiar scent as if greedily absorbing strength from it. Her voice, however, was firm and resolute: "I want to become much, much stronger, so that I can protect you, Young Master."
"You little fool, you're still thinking about that?" Wei Yang was momentarily stunned before laughing softly. "What, do you actually want me to get into danger just so you can protect me?"
"That's not it at all!" Qing Lin shook her head hard, pouting adorably. "Sister Xian'er has become so strong and powerful now. I can't afford to fall too far behind. I want to become as strong as Sister Xian'er so you won't find me useless."
"When have I ever thought you were useless?" Wei Yang said helplessly, half amused and half exasperated. "Hah, so it's you who wants to compete with Xian'er, yet somehow you drag me into this as your excuse?"
"Uuu, I'm not! You're just making things up, Young Master!" Qing Lin twisted her waist playfully, pouting and acting spoiled.
Wei Yang could only shake his head and laugh bitterly.
He finally understood — this was just a bit of subtle rivalry between women.
Was Qing Lin feeling a sense of crisis because of Xian'er's rapid growth? Or was it simply her competitive nature?
Women… truly were mysterious creatures.
On the surface, Qing Lin and Xian'er always seemed incredibly close, caring deeply for each other, like true sisters. Yet beneath that, there was still this quiet, hidden rivalry.
"Young Master, you're not allowed to secretly laugh at me in your heart," Qing Lin pouted playfully, gazing up at him with teasing eyes.
"How could I be laughing at you?" Wei Yang lowered his head and smiled, his breathing gradually becoming heavier.
"You totally are." Qing Lin giggled softly, her slender waist twisting slightly. Her charming eyes shimmered like liquid, her rosy lips slightly parted, the tip of her tongue lightly peeking out. Her fingers gently traced circles across his chest.
Such seductive allure.
"You little temptress!" Wei Yang suddenly lowered his head.
"Mm~"
A jade-like hand flicked gently, sending a few strands of sheer silk fluttering into the air, draping over the moonstones embedded in the walls.
In an instant, the gentle glow within the secret chamber became soft and hazy, shrouding the room in a dreamlike atmosphere.
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