BTTH: From Genius to Invincible

Chapter 53: Meow~



"The Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame?!"

Xiao Yan looked at the small cluster of flame that was as black as ink in front of him and was certain it wasn't the true Nihility Devouring Flame.

Because if it were the actual Nihility Devouring Flame being born, it would be enough to turn an entire nation into nothingness, utterly incinerated into a land of emptiness!

However, what surprised him was that this was not a newly born Heavenly Flame. Through his Spiritual Strength, he could sense that although this dark flame was very weak and lacked the terrifying energy of the Bone Chilling Flame, its essence was just as mature. As such, it was certainly not a newborn flame.

Moreover, according to the Heavenly Flame Ranking, only one of each of the top three Heavenly Flames existed in the entire world. The Dou Qi Continent could not bear the heaven and earth energy required for another of the top three Heavenly Flames to be born.

"There really is such a thing as a Seed Flame... not even the mysterious Heavenly Flame Ranking has a record of it."

Initially, Xiao Yan doubted Hun Lao Gui's mention of a Seed Flame, thinking he was lying. After all, Heavenly Flames weren't living beings; how could they possibly have offspring!

Even if they were living beings, there would be a need for a mate for reproduction, right? The Nihility Devouring Flame was the only one of its kind throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent. Where would a second one come from to reproduce?

Yet, Xiao Yan was proven wrong in a spectacular fashion. Not only did such a thing exist, but a Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame appeared right before his eyes!

[Jie Jie Jie, I must say, your luck is extraordinary to have encountered it, kid. No one knows when a Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame will condense into existence. ]

Hearing Hun Huzi's spiritual voice, Xiao Yan looked at the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame in front of him and curiously asked, "How is this Seed Flame created? How can it be refined?"

[Jie Jie Jie, how the Nihility Devouring Flame produces a Seed Flame is a secret of our clan. As for how to refine it, even though it's called a Seed Flame, its essence is the same as any Heavenly Flame, and there's no difference. ]

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered. The production of a Seed Flame was a secret of the Hun Clan? Didn't that mean the Nihility Devouring Flame's ability to produce a Seed Flame wasn't due to its own power but because of the Hun Clan?!

With a trepidatious heart, he approached the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame step by step. He already knew the steps to refine a Heavenly Flame from a note in his storage ring and had memorized every step by heart.

Now, all he had to do was grasp the Seed Flame and then leave the Treasure Hall to begin the refining process.

Xiao Yan's throat moved up and down, his hands slowly coming together from either side, as careful as when he used to catch fish by the river in his childhood.

His movements were very gentle as he slowly lifted the Seed Flame. The first sensation he felt was warmth. The black flame wasn't scorching hot but had a soft, comfortable warmth.

For a moment, Xiao Yan even thought he was holding a newborn black kitten in his hands...

Suddenly, the mass of dark flames opened a pair of eyes, and from within the flames came a sound...

"Meow~~"

"Huh?! A cat?!"

Xiao Yan was utterly stunned. However, since he had already taken the reward, the Soul Command emitted a burst of light, directly sending him back before he had a chance to react.

...

"Ha!" Back in reality, Xiao Yan woke up with a jolt and hurriedly stood up to look around. "What's going on, was it all a dream?" He vaguely remembered that just as he was about to bring the Heavenly Flame back, he seemed to have heard a cat meowing?!

"Meow~"

"Aye, aye, it was exactly that sound..."

[(°°;) What the heck?!

Xiao Yan abruptly turned his head toward the source of the sound, only to see a little black cat, no bigger than a fist, lazily sprawled on his shoulder. After meowing softly and stretching in a languid yawn, the cat covered its cheeks with its paws and fell soundly asleep.

Upon closer examination, Xiao Yan discovered that the black fur of this little black cat was actually made up of strands of flame! Those black eyes were actually a strand of Nihility Devouring Flame flickering within.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan seemed to remember something and hastily took out a tattered old book from his storage ring and hurriedly flipped to a certain page.

"Heavenly Flame Spirit. It is a Heavenly Flame that has given birth to spiritual intelligence. Heavenly Flames are rare to begin with, and only those that have existed for an immeasurable amount of time may potentially develop spiritual intelligence. A Heavenly Flame with spiritual intelligence can control itself in a way that surpasses the control power over Heavenly Flames of an alchemist who has reached the Heavenly State soul."

Hiss!!! Xiao Yan looked at the little black cat the size of a fist. Could this be the extremely rare Heavenly Flame Spirit?

'Not quite... this isn't the true Nihility Devouring Flame and has just been born. The Nihility Devouring Flame has indeed existed for a very long time, so its essence being a Heavenly Flame Spirit isn't surprising... Could it be that because this is a Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, it has inherited some of its spiritual intelligence?!'

Undoubtedly, although this cluster of flames was a Heavenly Flame Spirit, its spiritual intelligence was probably that of a newborn kitten.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged and gently placed the Nihility Devouring Flame on his lap. With a regular Heavenly Flame, he would simply need to absorb its Essence Flame, place it into the Acceptance Soul, and then refine it with the Flame Mantra to succeed.

However, the fact that this little thing had spiritual intelligence posed a bit of a challenge for him.

"Hey, little one, how about finding a cozy spot inside my Acceptance Soul to sleep?" He attempted to persuade it in a gentle manner.

The Nihility Devouring Flame in its kitten form simply scratched its ear and ignored his words

entirely.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed and let out a sly smile, "If that's how it's going to be, then don't blame me."

If gentle persuasion didn't work, he was prepared to switch tactics... Courtesy first, action

second!

He took out a bottle of Icy Heart Pills and Vein Protecting Pills from his storage ring, popped two pills into his mouth, and placed the bottle on the ground just in case he needed more.

These were meridian protection pills that served as a lesser substitute for the various items needed to devour a Heavenly Flame. Even though the Seed Flame felt warm to the touch and didn't seem to have any malice or resistance toward him, he hadn't forgotten that its birth involved the absorption of numerous remnants of dark flames.

A chilling sensation that caused him to shiver slightly spread from his throat as the Icy Heart Pill entered his body. This coldness quickly melted away the rising restlessness in his heart, much like snowflakes melting away before a blazing fire.

Xiao Yan slowly circulated the Flame Mantra, releasing a surge of yellow Dou Qi from his palm that enveloped the Nihility Devouring Flame. As the Flame Mantra operated, the Nihility Devouring Flame turned into a stream of black flame that smoothly entered his Qi cyclone through his meridians and was effortlessly drawn into the Acceptance Soul, where it was quickly refined and even imprinted with his soul mark.

The process was so smooth that Xiao Yan himself could hardly believe it. The refinement was successful so quickly?! Without a little bit of resistance?!

But he was left dumbfounded in the very next second. With a "meow," the Nihility Devouring Flame in its kitten form nonchalantly sauntered away from the Acceptance Soul and strutted out of his body with great swagger!

It didn't even forget to shake its tail to mock Xiao Yan, as if to say, 'Did you really think your little Acceptance Soul could hold this lord meowjesty captive?'

Xiao Yan learned the first ability of the Nihility Devouring Flame: the freedom to traverse between the void and reality.

Meow? The Nihility Devouring Flame meandered over to a bottle of pills on the ground. Seeing the round pills inside, it scooped one out with its paw and began munching on it.

!!! Its eyes suddenly brightened. It grabbed all the Icy Heart Pills with one swipe of its paw and gobbled them down.

"Oh ho, you like eating pills, huh?" Xiao Yan placed the remaining Vein Protecting Pills into his storage ring, his eyes filled with the mischievous gleam characteristic of a 'bad uncle'. Xiao Yan was secretly thrilled when he saw that the Nihility Devouring Flame Seed didn't rush into his storage ring to snatch the pills. 'In fact, even though the Nihility Devouring Flame itself is the second-ranked Heavenly Flame, this newly born Seed Flame is still far from being as formidable as the real Bone Chilling Flame and does not dare to approach the storage ring.' Ordinary Heavenly Flames lacked spiritual intelligence, so it was enough to refine the Essence Flame. However, Heavenly Flames with spiritual intelligence couldn't be refined by merely absorbing their Essence Flame. Even though refining the Essence Flame was the equivalent of possessing the Heavenly Flame, if the Heavenly Flame had spiritual intelligence and roamed around, it might become troublesome.

"From now on, listen to me and don't wander off. I promise you will live the good life and enjoy the finest and spiciest."

Xiao Yan then took out a Rank 2 Magical Beast Monster Core. Sensing the vast energy within

the core, the previously hesitant Nihility Devouring Flame could no longer resist and clutched the core to start nibbling on it.

After all, it had already accepted Xiao Yan as its 'caretaker,' so there was no sense in feeling

aggrieved!