After three hours of Heavenly Flame refinement, a faint herbal fragrance drifted from the Black Demon Cauldron…
"Octagonal Mysterious Ice Pill—barely qualifies as Tier-5," Yao Lao declared. "Go ahead, open it!"
Yang Fan, who'd been waiting impatiently, rubbed his hands together.
The moment the cauldron lid lifted, a wave of bone-chilling cold engulfed him—freezing him from marrow to soul.
His skin instantly frosted over with thick ice crystals.
That old man is pure evil!
"You little fool!" Yao Lao snapped. "Have you already forgotten my teachings?"
"When refining pills, you must use Dou Qi to seal the essence inside. Otherwise, the pill's quality and potency are compromised."
"For low-tier pills, it's manageable. But for high-tier pills with spiritual consciousness? Open recklessly like that, and you'll never catch it again."
"Got it?"
Yang Fan nodded through chattering teeth.
Yeah… got it.
COLD!!!
With a casual wave, Yao Lao's Dou Qi melted the ice from Yang Fan's body. It took several minutes before he stopped shivering.
"Master… what do I do now?" Yang Fan asked, eyeing the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Pill in the cauldron—too afraid to touch it.
Refined into a pill, the divine herb felt even colder!
"First, use your Dou Qi to protect your heart meridian. Then swallow the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Pill. Within three breaths, consume the Infernal Delicate Apricot…"
Though the frost toxin had been purified, the herb's innate cold attribute remained.
Without the fire herb's explosive heat to counteract it immediately, Yang Fan's organs would freeze solid.
As Yao Lao spoke, he pulled out the second divine herb from his ring.
The moment the fiery Infernal Delicate Apricot appeared, the room's chill lessened by half.
"M-Master… I'm ready!" Yang Fan stammered.
This was his first time devouring flame—so nervous he could barely speak.
"Begin!" Yao Lao urged. "Just follow my instructions—you'll be fine."
Those words gave Yang Fan immense confidence.
He steeled his focus, channeling Dou Qi toward his heart.
Once his heart meridian was fully shielded, he used Dou Qi to lift the pill into his mouth.
COLD!!!
His body locked up instantly, intricate ice flower patterns blooming across his skin.
Master… are you sure it's three breaths?
He felt like he'd turned to ice sculpture in less than one.
He worried that if he moved even slightly, a brittle limb might snap off.
A single breath felt like swallowing ten thousand mint candies followed by a gulp of Antarctic water.
"Now! Quick!" Yao Lao's voice cut through his panic.
Yang Fan didn't know how many breaths had passed—but he dared not hesitate.
He grabbed the Infernal Delicate Apricot with both hands and shoved it into his mouth without thinking.
At this point, he'd drink molten lava by the bowlful if needed.
The divine herb slid down his throat—
The piercing cold vanished instantly, replaced by a torrent of fire surging down his esophagus.
Yes—a literal fireball!
His insides burned like a forge, making him nostalgic for the earlier chill.
"Cross your legs! Focus!" Yao Lao commanded. "Start cultivating the Flame Mantra—use it to tame the flame inside you!"
Though Yao Lao had preserved the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass's cold attribute, it was still weaker than the Infernal Delicate Apricot's fire.
This imbalance ensured the fire herb's essence remained intact—unneutralized by the ice.
Yang Fan's task? While the ice pill protected his meridians, he had to devour the fire herb—making it a stepping stone for the Flame Mantra's evolution.
How does the Flame Mantra devour flames?
Yang Fan had always wondered.
But the moment he swallowed the herb and activated the technique, he understood.
It was about taming the wild fire with Dou Qi.
If the Infernal Delicate Apricot was a wild stallion, his Dou Qi was the reins.
Just force it into submission!
"It's not that simple, you foolish boy," Yao Lao warned. "Force it, and the flame will devour you."
Though he didn't know Yang Fan's thoughts, he could predict his next move.
"Remember why I went through all that trouble to refine the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Pill for you."
Epiphany struck Yang Fan.
His Dou Qi alone couldn't possibly subdue the fire herb—that was delusional.
He immediately redirected the lingering cold energy from the ice pill—using it as an ally to help tame the flame.
Though he no longer felt the cold, the ice pill's energy still permeated his body.
After all, before refinement, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had been the Infernal Delicate Apricot's equal.
Focus! Concentrate!
Yang Fan inched his Dou Qi forward, bit by bit.
Time blurred…
When he opened his eyes again, it was already deep in the night. The first face he saw was his master's.
Yao Lao hovered in the room, his ancient eyes glistening with moisture, his soul trembling faintly.
He'd watched Yang Fan walk this path step by step.
Before the trial, he'd warned: the Flame Mantra's evolution existed only in theory.
He'd never practiced it himself—never seen anyone else succeed.
But today—his beloved disciple had devoured flame and triggered the technique's first evolution.
"…Did I succeed?!" Yang Fan gasped.
He circulated the Flame Mantra, expending a fistful of Dou Qi.
He really had done it!
The technique's circulation speed had undergone qualitative change. His Dou Qi recovery was visibly faster.
"You succeeded!" Yao Lao confirmed. "The Flame Mantra is no longer a lowly Yellow-Tier low-grade technique—it's now Yellow-Tier mid-grade."
Though still Yellow-Tier, its capacity to evolve filled them with boundless hope.
If Heavenly Flames didn't exist here, they'd seek beast flames—evolving again and again.
"Is this what Yellow-Tier mid-grade feels like?" Yang Fan mused.
He couldn't precisely gauge the upgrade—but he felt his Dou Qi capacity expand.
Where he once managed two-and-a-half techniques, he could now unleash four—a perfect combo!
Beyond the technique's evolution, his cultivation rank had also surged—from Five-Star Dou Zhe to Eight-Star Dou Zhe!
He suspected the Infernal Delicate Apricot could've granted even greater gains—if not for Douluo Planet's thin Dou Qi.
Since becoming a Dou Zhe, Yang Fan had grown acutely aware of this world's limitations:
Slower cultivation
2. Power suppression (as seen with Yao Lao)
But as long as he had sufficient Dou Qi, his techniques' power remained unchanged.
He checked his soul power next…
Without a soul ring, he couldn't quantify the boost—but it was definitely there.
In the original story, Tang San gained no rank increase from consuming these herbs—likely because their opposing natures neutralized each other's effects.
Yang Fan's method preserved their full potency.
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