The so-called "Burning Decree" — Xiao Yan truly did not want to give it up. A cultivation method capable of evolving into a Heavenly-tier technique was simply too tempting. Across the vast Dou Qi Continent, anyone who possessed a Heavenly-tier method practically held a ticket to the peak of power.
Yet for all its promise, a success rate of less than twenty percent was enough to make anyone hesitate.
His fingers interlocked tightly, and Xiao Yan's expression flickered between resolve and doubt, hesitation and frustration warring across his features.
Yao Lao watched the silent youth in quiet contemplation, a complicated look crossing his aged face. After a long pause, he sighed softly. "This choice is yours alone. I don't wish to interfere. But let me ask one thing — how do you feel about that girl, Xiao Xun'er?"
"Uh?" The abrupt, almost whimsical question caught Xiao Yan off guard. A faint blush crept across his cheeks. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally answered with a strained smile. "Why are you suddenly asking about that? Xun'er is my sister, isn't she? What feelings could I possibly—" His voice trailed off, lacking conviction.
"Sister, hmm?" Yao Lao's lips curved into a knowing smile. "You know perfectly well that you share no blood relation. That girl is barely fifteen or sixteen, and already every young man in the Xiao household is head over heels for her. Imagine what will happen once she grows up." He glanced sidelong at Xiao Yan. "If you can picture some day when another man holds her in his arms — how does that make you feel?"
The smile on Xiao Yan's face froze. His brows knitted together slowly, and he exhaled in a low breath. "That would be... somewhat hard to accept."
"Heh heh. If you find it hard to accept, then in your heart, you don't see her as just a sister." Yao Lao's expression was half-amused, half-serious.
The blush deepened. Xiao Yan stammered helplessly, then spread his hands in resignation. "What exactly are you trying to say, Master?"
"I'm saying all this so you can see your own feelings clearly. Since you harbor certain... let's call them ambitious thoughts about her, you ought to evaluate your own strength and potential." Yao Lao's face turned grave, and he clicked his tongue in puzzlement. "That girl's background is quite terrifying. I don't know how someone of her standing became entangled with your modest family, but it doesn't bridge the chasm between you. The gap in status between you and her is immense. Even if she harbors feelings for you, the people behind her would never permit it."
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. His clasped hands tightened involuntarily.
"This continent is a world where strength rules all. With strength comes dignity. You saw firsthand how Nalan Yanran treated you — the reason she could look down on you with contempt was that her background and power exceeded yours." Yao Lao's voice carried the weight of earnest counsel. "The forces behind Xiao Xun'er are far more formidable than the Misty Cloud Sect. In their eyes, you are nothing more than an ant. Even if you possess extraordinary cultivation talent, they won't value it. Having endured for so many generations, they have witnessed countless geniuses come and go. Only when you demonstrate power truly worthy of their respect can you hope to achieve your desires."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and shrugged lightly. "And cultivating the Burning Decree will give me that kind of power?"
"Only if you succeed in cultivating it." Yao Lao shook his head and added solemnly.
Xiao Yan sighed. He rested his chin on his palm, and unbidden, the image of the graceful young girl surfaced before his eyes — her every smile, her every gentle expression, accompanied by the echo of her bell-like laughter.
He exhaled a long breath and smiled ruefully. "Master, after saying all that, you still call this non-interference?"
"Heh heh..." Yao Lao rubbed his dry, weathered face, looking slightly abashed. "Fine, I admit I was doing a bit of nudging. But from my perspective, I truly hope you cultivate the Burning Decree."
"You should know that I currently exist only as a soul, right?" Yao Lao spread his hands.
Xiao Yan nodded.
"Under normal circumstances, I should be considered dead. But because my soul power happens to be stronger than most, I've persisted in this strange, spectral state." A self-deprecating smile crossed his face, tinged with bitterness. "I don't enjoy this illusory existence. There are matters I must see to in person. To do that, I need to break free from this soul-bound form."
"Master wants to resurrect?" Xiao Yan blinked in surprise. "Is there even anything in this world that can bring the dead back to life?"
"Under normal circumstances, no." Yao Lao nodded, and his eyes suddenly blazed with fervor. "However, according to certain cryptic passages in the Burning Decree, if one cultivates it successfully, it may be possible to forge a physical body capable of housing a soul using several complementary Heavenly Flames. With a new body, I would effectively be reborn."
"I endured all those years in the lightless void within this ring for one reason — that someday I might meet someone whose soul power met the requirement. I was fortunate enough to find you." Beneath the aged face, a trace of quiet sorrow lingered.
Yao Lao regarded Xiao Yan, who stared back with dark, attentive eyes, and smiled ruefully. "Consider these the ramblings of an old man. I said I wouldn't interfere, yet I couldn't help but talk too much. I suppose that's just who I am..."
Shaking his head with a self-mocking laugh, Yao Lao extended his withered hands. With a slight wave, two spectral scrolls materialized — one black, one crimson.
"The red scroll is a Fire-attribute Earth-tier Low-grade cultivation method. The black scroll is the Burning Decree." He held them up, a gentle softness in his aged features. "The choice is yours. Consider your own circumstances. Just remember — no matter what you decide, you remain my disciple. I will not hold it against you."
Xiao Yan stared at the two spectral scrolls before him, chin resting on his palm. After a long while, he licked his lips and shrugged with a lazy grin. "I may be a bit afraid of death, but without strength, there is no dignity. The humiliation Nalan Yanran dealt me — I don't intend to suffer it a second time. Besides, if it truly doesn't work out, I can always switch to another method later."
He shook his head, a brilliant smile breaking across his youthful face. Then, reaching out, he seized the black scroll — right before the faintly glistening, reddened eyes of his old master.
The moment his hand touched the scroll, it dissolved into a torrent of information that poured directly into his mind.