Battle Through the Heavens: Marry Cao Ying, Reward is Devouring Ancestral Symbol

Chapter 316 Comprehending the Flame of LifeIn the days that followed, Shen Wen remained in the Shennong Mountain Range.

Old Man Shennong’s teaching was eclectic, covering all manner of subjects.

Sometimes it was ideas for improving the soul restoration pill, sometimes it was other Medicinal Pills for repairing the Soul, and sometimes it was simply some seemingly insignificant refinement techniques.

Shen Wen noted down each one and then pondered over them himself.

His speed of digestion was startlingly fast.

The insights Old Man Shennong had accumulated over hundreds of years were, to him, like water droplets falling onto parched earth, absorbed completely in the blink of an eye.

With any Pill Formula, as long as Shen Wen got his hands on it and pondered for less than a day, he would inevitably Revered Master it thoroughly. Not only could he refine it, but he could also apply the principles elsewhere, suggesting several ideas for improvement.

Some of these ideas were so fresh that even Old Man Shennong, upon hearing them, couldn’t help but follow the train of thought and ponder them further.

One day, Shen Wen suddenly spoke up and asked, ”Revered Master, may your Disciple observe the Living Spirit Flame?”

Old Man Shennong raised an eyebrow but did not refuse.

He raised his hand and opened his palm.

A cluster of emerald-green flame surged from his palm. That flame was starkly different from ordinary fire; it lacked a searing temperature and instead emanated a gentle vitality. As the flame flickered, the surrounding medicinal herbs, which were already lush, seemed to be nourished, growing even more vigorously.

The Living Spirit Flame, ranked fifth on the strange fire ranking list, was said to possess the purest life force.

However, the moment that cluster of flame appeared, a sudden change occurred.

The Living Spirit Flame trembled violently, then detached directly from Old Man Shennong’s palm and floated before Shen Wen. Like a well-behaved pet, it circled him twice, its flames dancing exceptionally joyfully.

Old Man Shennong was stunned.

He looked at his empty palm, then at the cluster of Living Spirit Flame frolicking before Shen Wen, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

This flame had been with him for hundreds of years, and they had long been of one mind. But now, it actually refused to listen to him?

What left him even more speechless was that the Living Spirit Flame had no intention of returning at all. Instead, it drew closer and closer, its flames gently nuzzling the back of Shen Wen’s hand in a clear display of fawning.

If he hadn’t been companions with the Living Spirit Flame for centuries and could sense that the imprint belonging to him was still there, he would have thought the flame was defecting.

Shen Wen was also somewhat surprised.

He looked at the Living Spirit Flame before him, then at Old Man Shennong’s complex expression, gave a dry cough, and took a step back.

The Living Spirit Flame followed him a step.

Shen Wen retreated again.

The Living Spirit Flame followed again.

Old Man Shennong took a deep breath and beckoned with his hand.

Only then did the Living Spirit Flame reluctantly float back. When it landed in his palm, the flame flickered twice as if expressing dissatisfaction.

Old Man Shennong stared at it for a moment, then looked at Shen Wen, his gaze filled with complex meaning.

”You brat, what exactly do you have on you?”

Shen Wen smiled and did not explain.

What could make ten thousand fires submit was, naturally, the Flame Ancestral Symbol.

That object was the source of all fire; any flame before it had to bow its head and submit.

Although the Living Spirit Flame possessed high spirituality, it was still fire in essence and would naturally be affected.

However, these were things he could not easily state plainly.

Seeing that he didn’t want to explain, Old Man Shennong didn’t press the matter.

He looked down at the Living Spirit Flame in his palm; the flame was still flickering gently, faintly conveying a sense of grievance.

Old Man Shennong shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of emotion: ”It’s been with me for hundreds of years, yet today I’ve truly had my eyes opened.”

He pointed a finger, and a tiny wisp of fire separated from the emerald-green cluster, floating toward Shen Wen.

”This is a sub-flame, enough for you to comprehend,” Old Man Shennong said.

Shen Wen took the sub-flame, and sensing the vigorous life force contained within, he was also satisfied.

The Living Spirit Flame was indeed different from ordinary flames. It lacked a searing temperature, feeling like a piece of warm jade in his palm, and it emanated an aura that calmed the mind. That life force seeped into his body through his palm, and wherever it passed, his Meridians felt slightly more active.

”Thank you, Revered Master.”

Old Man Shennong waved his hand and turned toward the bamboo hut: ”Ponder it yourself. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come and ask. This old man needs to water those medicinal herbs; I’ve been delayed half the day by you brat.”

As his voice fell, that thin figure had already disappeared into the bamboo forest.

Shen Wen did not delay, sitting down cross-legged on the spot, cradling the sub-flame in his palm and beginning to comprehend it seriously.

In the days that followed, he almost never moved from that spot.

The sub-flame of the Living Spirit Flame burned quietly in his palm, its emerald-green light unceasing day and night. Shen Wen kept his eyes closed, his Soul Power entirely immersed within, dissecting the essence of this strange fire bit by bit.

Where exactly did that life force come from?

How did it repair injuries? How did it nourish the Physical Body? And how did it resonate with the Soul?

Every question required repeated pondering, and every deduction required countless verifications.

Fortunately, Shen Wen possessed the bodhi heart plus the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, along with the Future Non-Existence Sutra. The combination of the three made his deduction speed startlingly fast.

Those Profound Truths that would normally require long years to grasp were, to him, merely a matter of simulating them in his mind over and over, verifying them repeatedly, and then finding the optimal solution.

Half a month later, he finally opened his eyes.

The sub-flame in his palm was much dimmer than before. Half a month of comprehension had nearly exhausted the essence of this wisp of Living Spirit Flame in his hand.

But Shen Wen’s gains were far greater than this small consumption.

He looked down at his hand and opened his palm; a cluster of pale gold light slowly emerged.

That light contained a gentle life force. Although it could not compare to the purity of the Living Spirit Flame, it already bore a slight resemblance.

This was his greatest gain from the past half month.

Using Chaos Dou Qi to simulate the power of the Living Spirit Flame.

It could be integrated into Medicinal Pills, granting them stronger restorative capabilities.

Shen Wen called it ’Living Spirit Qi’.

It could also be injected directly into an injured person’s body to help them recover.

If he integrated this rhyme of life into the soul restoration pill and made some adjustments targeting Fire Cloud Old Ancestor’s soul poison...

Shen Wen closed his eyes and began to deduce a new Pill Formula in his mind.

The framework of the soul restoration pill would remain unchanged, but components targeting the soul poison had to be added.

soul poison was essentially a type of insidious energy that eroded the Soul and devoured life force.

To root it out completely, repair alone was not enough; there also had to be a means of ’expulsion’.

This train of thought was feasible.

For the next half month, Shen Wen went almost without sleep or rest.

He repeatedly deduced the new Pill Formula in his mind, simulating the refinement process over and over.

Every simulation would reveal some subtle issues, which he then modified, perfected, and deduced again.

When the one-month period was up, he finally opened his eyes.

It was done.

A brand new top-tier Tier 8 Medicinal Pill had completely taken shape in his mind.

He didn’t give it a name, waiting until it was time to give it to Fire Cloud Old Ancestor to see the effects.

Shen Wen stood up, put away the sub-flame that had dimmed until it was almost invisible, and walked toward the bamboo hut.

Old Man Shennong was sitting in the room drinking tea. Seeing him enter, he raised his eyelids.

”Finished?”

Shen Wen nodded and handed the sub-flame back to him.

Old Man Shennong took the sub-flame, sensed it for a moment, and his brow twitched slightly.

”Consumed quite thoroughly.” He glanced at Shen Wen. ”It seems you’ve truly put in the effort.”

Shen Wen smiled and didn’t say much.

Old Man Shennong didn’t press further either. He simply stood up, leaning on that staff covered in jade bottles, and walked toward the door.

”Let’s go. This old man will send you to Pill City. I cannot break my promise to that old fellow Xuan Dan.”