Within the star field,
Cao Ying and the others gazed into the distance with a mixture of anxiety and confusion. There, Chen Guan suddenly ceased all movement, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, as if in meditation. There was no movement at all.
Even more surprising was the massive purple-black dragon before Chen Guan. Just as Chen Guan had reached out to touch its scales, its giant head visibly trembled.
But just as they worried that the Three Thousand Flames would awaken and erupt, the enormous dragon shuddered briefly before, like Chen Guan, lapped into an eerie silence.
Man and dragon faced off at close range, their bodies eerily suspended in mid-air. If it weren't for the sense of life still lingering within them, anyone would have mistaken them for statues.
"Brother Guan, what's going on?"
Cao Dan asked, glancing at Cao Ying with confusion. Perhaps because Chen Guan had saved a life once before, his relationship with Cao Ying had eased somewhat, less antagonistic than before.
Cao Ying didn't reply, her autumn-water eyes fixed intently on the 'battlefield'.
Qinghua, however, took up the conversation, explaining things to everyone like a good friend.
"Young friend Chen and the Three Thousand Flames have changed their fighting style. I can sense he's mobilizing immense soul power, surpassing even mine. It's incredible, considering he's only in his early twenties. Our loss at this alchemy conference is well deserved."
"The Three Thousand Flames are also making similar movements. I suspect they're engaging in a soul battle. This is the most dangerous confrontation. Failure means, at best, severe soul damage, leaving irreparable damage, or even death."
"Also, this is the most direct and effective method. If we can suppress the Three Thousand Flames, subduing him will be infinitely easier!"
Qinghua said, glancing at the nervous Cao Ying.
From her expression, it was clear that Cao Ying was aware of the situation.
"Soul battle?!"
The entire alchemist room paled at the words.
As experts, they knew the dangers of soul battles. Generally, only those with souls that had reached a certain level of strength could engage in such a conflict. However, such a battle was incredibly fierce; a single mistake could cause irreparable damage to the soul. Therefore, even those with truly powerful souls hesitated to engage in soul battles.
And that was even more dangerous than battling a human, or battling the violent alien fire.
Shocked, their eyes shifted to a touch of respect as they looked at Chen Guan.
No wonder he had achieved such feats at such a young age. He had risked his life and limb to achieve it!
They would hardly have had such courage.
Meanwhile, within the flaming world formed by Chen Guan and the Three Thousand Flames Spirit, Chen Guan's condition was far superior to what outsiders imagined!
There was no back-and-forth, life-or-death struggle, no unyielding wounds. Everything was completely different from what outsiders imagined.
At this moment, Chen Guan sat cross-legged on a lotus throne, a shroud of strange flames swirling around him, forming an impenetrable protective layer.
Beyond this protective layer, a vast sea of spiritual energy condensed and remained, tightly enveloping him, forming another, even stronger barrier.
These two layers of protection obscured Chen Guan's awareness of the threat posed by the Three Thousand Flames. Watching the fire dragons charging furiously and repeatedly hitting obstacles outside his mental shield, Chen Guan felt a profound calm. He even had the leisure to study the rewards from the alchemy conference,
namely, the soul cultivation technique given by Xuan Kongzi.
He quietly practiced according to the technique, feeling a warmth in his mind as his depleted spiritual energy recovered at a perceptible rate.
The results were not bad!
However, that was all.
Concluding that this soul cultivation technique was inferior to his original, Chen Guan abandoned it and instead practiced Master Shu Tianhe's technique to improve his condition.
Maintaining his soul shield, he cultivated, moving in and out, settling into a relatively steady rhythm.
In this state of mind, time and space seemed to vanish. An unknown amount of time passed until Chen Guan felt his energy and spirit reach their peak. Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
Glancing sideways, he saw the massive fire dragon, formed from the Three Thousand Flames, still attacking relentlessly, hissing incessantly.
But upon closer inspection, Chen Guan could detect that the purple-black flames on the dragon's body had dimmed slightly, and even its pupils, the size of a small room, betrayed a hint of fatigue.
Now, who said humans don't tire?
With the power of the stars to replenish it, the Three Thousand Flames' strength could be continuously replenished, but in a battle of souls, it wasn't about sheer force alone; it was the strength of the soul that mattered!
No matter how ferocious the Three Thousand Flames, their power will fade after a burst of force, and then eventually exhaust themselves. A prolonged attack on a flawless 'turtle shell' will tire them...
"I haven't even made a move yet, and you're already exhausted?"
Chen Guan smiled faintly. His mocking words instantly enraged the Three Thousand Flames, and their attack intensified once again.
"Not enough, still not enough."
"Roar!"
"Human, I will knock your turtle shell apart and use my blazing flames to sear your soul for a thousand years!" The fire dragon roared, speaking in human language.
"Yes, I'm both afraid and excited."
His flat smile was full of provocation. Before the Three Thousand Flames could speak again, Chen Guan waved his hand to reinforce a soul barrier.
Too loud, blocking out the sound.
Outside the barrier, the Three Thousand Flames roared incessantly, clashing and cursing. Inside, however, silence was eerily quiet. The barrier separated them, as if they were in two different worlds.
Without paying any attention to the Three Thousand Flames, Chen Guan flipped his hand, and dozens of flames of various colors suddenly emerged, floating in the relative darkness like a sky full of stars.
These were all beast fires.
And the lowest was a sixth-grade!
After a moment's deliberation, Chen Guan selected a seventh-grade beast fire to use in the Five-Wheel Separation Fire Technique. Without further hesitation, he used the rest to fuel his technique.
Chen Guan hadn't originally hoped to use the Three Thousand Flames to elevate his technique to the Heavenly Stage.
From the Earth Stage to the Heavenly Stage, it's no exaggeration to say there's an insurmountable chasm between them!
However, because of the Void Devouring Flame, Chen Guan suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.
Perhaps there was a chance!
Once the thought formed, it was hard to let it go. Chen Guan immediately began preparing, which was why he had gathered so much beast fire.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Guan, without hesitation, immersed himself in nurturing his cultivation technique.
In just two days, nearly a hundred beast fires had been consumed, yet his technique had barely improved.
This didn't surprise Chen Guan.
These were just appetizers.
With a flick of his hand, another streak of eerie white flame emerged.
Strangely, this flame didn't emit the scorching heat of the others, but instead possessed a strange chill.
Even the fire dragons outside the barrier were drawn to it, their attack stagnating for a moment.
"Another strange fire?!"
The Three Thousand Flames' remaining sanity was overwhelmed by this strange fire.
It now knew only that it had to breach this barrier and devour the abominable human within. With the strange fire within it and the flower in its hand, it would surely usher in a terrifying transformation!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Desire fueled endless motivation. To this end, the Three Thousand Flames, regardless of consumption, accelerated their attack once again!
Within the barrier, Chen Guan briefly sensed the Bone Spirit Cold Fire seed in his hand, then immediately placed it in his mouth.
This time, he waited nearly half a second before opening his eyes, a fleeting look of joy on his face.
It was just as expected. While the Bone Spirit Cold Fire ranked lower, the effectiveness of this seed fire still surpassed that of dozens of beast fires combined.
After feeding on this seed fire, Chen Guan could finally feel a noticeable improvement in his internal cultivation.
This was enough, a worthwhile exchange!
Nodding with satisfaction, Chen Guan looked up at the fire dragon outside, which was constantly approaching like a teddy bear, and leisurely stood up.
The appetizers were complete; now it was time for the main course!
With a wave of his hand, he removed the outermost barrier. Chen Guan's brows relaxed, his eyes clearing.
"That's all you have. You possess immense power, but you only know the simplest, most crude forms of attack. That's not how you use spiritual energy."
Three Thousand Flames' eyes blazed with fury, yet also a hint of unspoken frustration.
As Chen Guan had said, the clash of soul forces wasn't its strongest suit.
But didn't you use that talisman to drag me in?
If you've got what it takes, go out and fight again. I'll let you all come at me together!"
Looking at the massive dragon's body, heaving slightly with anger, Chen Guan spread his hands, his spiritual power radiating out like a gentle breeze, pervading everything.
"Watch carefully, I'll only teach you once!"
As he finished speaking, a chill washed over Three Thousand Flames.
Suddenly looking up, he saw a long vine of spiritual power descending from the sky, entwining itself with agility and cunningness.
His vision was quickly blocked as a massive, soul-stirring handprint, tens of feet long, struck his forehead!
The whistling sound continued incessantly, and soul storms raged wildly, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, approaching and converging in one direction.
There was no way to ascend to heaven, no door to descend into the earth. This place was already a desperate situation, surrounded by ambushes from all sides!