"Original flame source?" Hearing the Elder's words, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and said, "I feel like you're describing something more like raising livestock—feeding them until they're fat, then dragging them out and slaughtering them." "Haha, that's exactly the principle," the Elder nodded with a smile. Xiao Yan lowered his eyelids, his gaze fixed steadily on the delicate purple flames dancing atop his fingers—his current only hope for advancing his cultivation techniques. To him, the concept of heteroflame seemed incredibly distant, but the purple flame drawn from the amethyst crystal source was perfectly suited to his current condition and strength. "How do I incorporate and refine it?" Xiao Yan exhaled softly and looked up. "Don't worry," the Elder smiled. "This strand of purple flame is naturally unclaimed, so it won't resist you much. The process of integrating it into your original flame source will be quite safe and straightforward." With that, he extended his finger and gently touched Xiao Yan's forehead, saying, "Just follow what I've just explained." Feeling the flood of information surging into his mind, Xiao Yan细细 savored it, then slightly nodded, slowly closing his eyes and assuming the meditative posture with his legs crossed. He formed the hand seals for cultivation, focusing his gaze on his nose, his nose on his heart, and gradually drawing his spirit inward. His spirit circulated along the meridians, eventually reaching just outside the qi vortex in his lower abdomen. Though the volume of the qi vortex had become somewhat smaller than before, upon close inspection, it was evident that the qi within now was denser and more concentrated. After circling the vortex once without detecting any issues, Xiao Yan began his actions as instructed by Yao Lao. His spirit gently wrapped around the vortex and then slowly descended into its core, while his soul's perception continuously resonated with the previously controlled purple flame. As Xiao Yan carefully scanned the spiraling energy with his mind, after a while, a slender strand of purple energy finally emerged faintly. As soon as the purple energy appeared, Xiao Yan swiftly directed his consciousness to envelop it with lightning speed. "Create a small space within the spiraling energy to contain the purple flame," he recalled what the medicine elder had previously said. His soul perception rapidly enveloped the entire spiraling energy, then, after a brief stillness, surged forward to drive the spiraling energy into a high-speed rotation. With the spiraling energy rotating at high speed, the qi flowing through his meridians began to surge vigorously. Yet at this moment, Xiao Yan had no time to attend to them—his entire focus was on the small, empty region that had formed at the center due to the high-speed rotation. Watching this prove effective, Xiao Yan gradually intensified the soul force enveloping the spiraling aura. As his soul perception grew stronger, the rotational speed of the spirals accelerated continuously, until the pale yellow spirals were almost imperceptible in their motion, emitting a constant, undulating wind howl that resonated beyond their form. With unwavering focus, he monitored the steadily widening hollow space at the center of the spirals. Only when this hollow area had expanded to the size of a fist did Xiao Yan exhale in relief and slowly withdraw his soul perception from the spirals. After his soul perception had fully withdrawn, the rotational speed of the spirals gradually diminished. Yet, due to the precise control exerted by Xiao Yan's mind, the central hollow space maintained a peculiar equilibrium with the outside environment, and thus did not vanish as the spirals slowed down. Staring at the still-unresolved void, Xiao Yan finally exhaled a long, steady breath, his mind gradually enveloping the strand of purple energy, pushing through the surrounding aura barriers, and finally penetrating into the small hollow space. As soon as the purple energy entered the void, Xiao Yan immediately felt the entire vortex tremble violently, prompting him to swiftly enhance his soul perception to stabilize the vortex. With the sustained effort of his perception, the vortex gradually settled down, and at the junction where the vortex met the central void, Xiao Yan noticed streams of fire-type aura continuously flowing out of the vortex and being infused into the purple energy within the void. Keeping his mind tightly focused on that strand of purple energy, as more and more fire-type aura poured into it, the purple energy suddenly emitted a soft hum. A moment later, under Xiao Yan's attentive observation, it began to transform. The purple energy grew deeper and deeper in hue. When it had deepened to a certain point, it suddenly trembled violently, and then, faint flames rose from within the energy—within a moment, the purple energy had transformed into a delicate strand of purple flame. Within the pitch-black void, the purple flame swayed alone, radiating a gentle warmth that gradually seeped into the surrounding aura of qi spirals surrounding it. When that gentle warmth seeped into the aura vortex, Xiao Yan noticed the vortex's rotational speed had automatically accelerated significantly. At first, he was taken aback, then a surge of exhilaration washed over him. With the vortex now capable of self-accelerating, even if he no longer needed to consciously control it, the qi from the surrounding world would continuously flow into his body, allowing him to be constantly bathed in aura, a benefit of immense value to his cultivation. Once the purple flame appeared in the hollow, it seemed as though a great circulating machine had been activated and began to operate smoothly. The purple flame required absorbing fire-based aura from the vortex to grow, while the heat it emitted in turn enhanced the vortex's ability to absorb aura. This mutually beneficial collaboration brought substantial advantages to both the purple flame and the vortex. Xiao Yan once again carefully observed the cyclone, and only after confirming that everything was indeed flawless did he slowly withdraw his hand. ... Inside the mountain cave, Xiao Yan gradually opened his eyes. In his dark pupils, Zhihua suddenly flashed, then swiftly faded away, and the eyes once again returned to their deep, profound blackness. "How about now? Did it work?" asked the elderly doctor, who had been waiting patiently by the side since the beginning. "Yes, it has been fully integrated into my fundamental fire seed," Xiao Yan nodded slightly, extending his palm. With a gentle rub of his fingers, a crisp sound echoed, and a slender strand of purple flame rose and burned gently from the tip of his fingers. Curious, Xiao Yan played with this unique purple flame. After a while, he lightly touched the mountain wall beside him, and instantly, a scorched, blackened patch appeared on the wall. "This thing seems quite weak compared to Master's Bone Spirit Cold Flame..." said Xiao Yan, smiling wistfully as he gazed at the traces left by the purple flame. "Nonsense! My Bone Spirit Cold Flame is a genuine heteroflame—ranked eleventh on the Heteroflame List—and if your rather ordinary flame can simply match it, then why did I go through all that trouble, nearly being incinerated back then, just to seek it out?" Upon hearing this, Yao Lao immediately rolled his eyes and chided him. Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly—those words truly did sting. The thing he had worked so hard to obtain, now reduced to just a mere ordinary item in his words. "Alright, don't dwell on it. Your purple flame is still in its infancy right now—how powerful can it be at this stage? Once you've nurtured it properly, it'll certainly no longer be weak. Didn't you see the impressive power displayed by the Purple Crystal Wing Lion King when he used his purple flame to attack?" Even the woman of Duke-level strength named Yunzhi dared not easily withstand it—this clearly demonstrates its exceptional nature. Observing Xiao Yan's troubled expression, Yao Lao smiled and offered reassurance. With a sigh, Xiao Yan nodded wearily and chuckled, "To cultivate this modest purple flame into the strength of a Purple Crystal Wing Lion King, I believe it would take at least a dozen years—perhaps even more. I don't see how it could be accomplished in just a few years." "By normal standards, that's absolutely true," Yao Lao agreed, nodding slightly. Seeing Xiao Yan's sudden slump, he couldn't help but sigh, "But you do have your companion Purple Crystal Source, don't you? That's the ideal catalyst for the purple flame. As long as you can endure the pain it brings, the flame will grow at an astonishing pace." "Companion Purple Crystal Source?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then burst into joyful excitement. He quickly fumbled in his storage pouch, pulling out a small jade bottle. He unscrewed the stopper, and a warm, cool fragrance immediately diffused throughout the air. Inhaling deeply the rich, fiery aroma, Xiao Yan suddenly noticed that the streak of purple flame on his fingers was rising and swirling more vigorously within the scent. "Such a strong fire essence," Xiao Yan remarked in admiration. "For future cultivation, it would be best to choose days under the blazing sun. Also, take the purple crystal essence alongside, but don't consume too much—of course, if you'd like to experience the same painful ordeal as last time, feel free to disregard this advice." The Elder spoke with a teasing tone. Recalling the searing agony of the previous time, Xiao Yan shivered involuntarily; he most certainly didn't want to relive that experience. "With your current strength, during cultivation, simply touch your fingers to the essence and incorporate a small amount into your body. If you take too much, you might have to endure another self-burning ordeal," the Elder added seriously. "Understood," Xiao Yan nodded promptly, determined not to take this matter lightly—such suffering, once endured, was more than sufficient. "Using the companion amethyst source to accelerate the growth of the purple flame—how long will it take before it can be consumed?" Xiao Yan tightly held the jade bottle in his hands, lifting his head with a wry smile. "A few years? If I had that much time, I'd rather go searching for other types of flames." "With the amethyst source, you won't need that long. After all, you don't have to reach the level of purple flame within the body of the purple crystal lion king. With your current strength, if you truly cultivate the purple flame to that point, you'll likely be incinerated instantly. Without sufficient strength, playing with fire is simply self-immolation." The elder pharmacist shook his head and pondered. "Perhaps, by the end of one month, you'll be able to employ the Burn Technique and begin attempting to consume the purple flame." "One month?" Xiao Yan licked his lips, softly murmuring the words, then nodded firmly. "Very well. One month from now—consume the purple flame and evolve the cultivation technique!"