While the Profound Ice Cold Flame was undoubtedly precious, the memories of the Divine Realm martial artists it possessed, and its understanding of the Martial Dao, were infinitely more valuable to Shi Yan!

If the Profound Ice Cold Flame were truly willing to share the memories and martial insights of those Divine Realm experts in detail, wouldn't his gains be akin to the Summer Family’s Samsara Martial Soul?

The reason the Summer Family’s Samsara Martial Soul was so formidable was precisely because it inherited the memories and martial knowledge of past lives, allowing them to bypass many detours in their cultivation and significantly reduce or entirely avoid bottlenecks!

That was an exceedingly terrifying innate talent!

If he could gain the profound martial comprehension of Divine Realm powerhouses through the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Shi Yan could similarly bypass countless pitfalls on his martial path. To acquire the Profound Ice Cold Flame, he still needed the nine ultimate Yang and extreme Heat Heavenly Treasures, and his own realm had to ascend to a higher level.

For Shi Yan, these prerequisites were still distant, the timeline unknown, yet if he struck a deal with the Profound Ice Cold Flame, he could immediately benefit from its knowledge and possibly obtain the Heart of the Earth Fire, which was on the verge of transforming into a Heavenly Fire!

Weighing the pros and cons, Shi Yan decided this transaction was worthwhile.

"I agree to your terms!"

After a long silence, Shi Yan finally transmitted his assent to the Profound Ice Cold Flame within the Blood Patterned Ring. "Fine!"

The Profound Ice Cold Flame was even more exhilarated than he was. "You won't lose out! Trust me! With my knowledge, your martial cultivation will proceed much faster than others! With my guidance, your understanding of the Martial Dao might even surpass that of many current Divine Realm experts!"

"What do I do now? I mean, how do I collect the Heart of the Earth Fire?"

"The Heart of the Earth Fire is currently in the process of transforming into a Heavenly Fire. At this stage, its consciousness is extremely simple, like that of a newborn infant. All you need to do is continuously project warm and gentle thoughts toward it, keep communicating, and it will remember you deeply, regarding you as kin!"

Shi Yan was taken aback.

"You are very lucky," the Profound Ice Cold Flame continued. "Once its life form truly solidifies, your only path to collecting it will be through forceful subjugation. This requires your strength to completely suppress it—making it fear you so much that it never dares to resist. Only then can you claim everything it possesses, enslave it, and wield it as a power under your complete command."

"This method of acquisition is utterly tyrannical. Even if you manage to subdue it this way, if you are ever gravely wounded someday and lose control over it, it will immediately retaliate, striving by any means to break free or even finding a chance to kill you. This method has both merits and demerits, and given your current power, it’s not feasible—don't even consider it."

"Before its life form truly takes shape, use my method to constantly transmit benevolent spiritual signals, treating it as your dearest friend. Before its life form solidifies, you can leave an indelible mark upon its soul. When its life form finally forms, the imprint you left will never vanish. It will regard you as its closest family member. Afterward, you can draw upon its power through communication, having it aid you in battle. Furthermore, should you suffer a severe injury, even if it possesses the strength to break away from you, it won't, choosing instead to wholeheartedly assist you."

"Of course, this acquisition method also has drawbacks. Because you are on equal terms, it will be difficult for you to sacrifice it to save yourself at a critical moment. When it encounters its natural predator, it might not obey your command, potentially hiding away rather than engaging in battle. In short, you cannot truly command it arbitrarily, forcing it to die for you."

"I just released a probe of my spiritual power, and as soon as it detected it, it immediately counterattacked. I can't even get close to it!"

"That’s because your probing spiritual power carried a trace of my aura. My attribute is diametrically opposed to its nature, so it instinctively fears and loathes me. The next time you approach it with your spiritual power, do not attach my aura. Simply emit pure, friendly intent and advance slowly. Do not startle it; gradually, it will accept you."

"Is that so..."

Shi Yan paused for a moment, then immediately said, "I'll give it a try."

"Yes, remember, don't approach it too quickly. At this stage, it is extremely cautious and maintains strong defenses. You must proceed slowly; don't rush. First, let it become familiar with you, allow it to drop its guard against you, and continuously transmit gentle, benevolent thoughts. Spend more time until it genuinely feels you mean no harm, and it will lower its defenses..."

Shi Yan was inwardly astonished.

The method the Profound Ice Cold Flame proposed for obtaining the Heart of the Earth Fire was practically the same as taming a fierce young beast: it required a step-by-step, gradual process, allowing it to slowly accept you, gradually adapt, and only after it became accustomed to your entire being would it cast aside all wariness, ultimately approaching you willingly and viewing you as the most trustworthy companion.

After communicating extensively with the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Shi Yan felt he had benefited immensely. This entity had existed for countless ages, accumulating the life experiences of numerous Divine Realm powerhouses, granting it profound insight into the myriad anomalies of the world. Shi Yan held his breath, concentrated, and once again dared to let his spiritual power spread out, quietly creeping toward that area. This time, his spiritual projection carried absolutely none of the Profound Ice Cold Flame's aura; his mind was filled only with thoughts of friendliness and benevolence, harboring not a single malicious intent.

Slowly, Shi Yan's spiritual power neared that scorching, violent expanse of fire... An intense, blazing fire, resembling a dazzling miniature sun, continuously radiated astonishing thermal energy, within which dwelled an extremely faint consciousness.

Shi Yan proceeded with caution, following the Profound Ice Cold Flame’s instructions, inch by inch extending his goodwill-laden spiritual projection toward the fiery region.

The instant his spiritual power made contact with the flame's energy, the simple consciousness within the fire immediately became vigilant, appearing ready to launch an attack against Shi Yan’s spiritual awareness at any moment.

Shi Yan’s heart tightened, making him even more meticulous. He dared not rush, keeping his spiritual power at the initial point of contact with the flame, not venturing even an inch deeper. He merely continued to project the kind intentions emanating from his mind. The simple consciousness within the flame seemed momentarily confused, refraining from immediate attack. That faint awareness intensified slightly, apparently solidifying into a nearly invisible thread that enveloped Shi Yan’s spiritual projection, slowly absorbing the benevolent thoughts he was transmitting.

The Heart of the Earth Fire’s instinctual defense was even more careful than Shi Yan’s. Although the luminous sphere of awareness encircled his spiritual consciousness, it did not strike immediately, yet it remained poised for instant action. Shi Yan felt nervous, fearing the Heart of the Earth Fire might suddenly erupt in aggression. The tendrils of his projected spiritual awareness dared not move rashly, continuing only to broadcast friendly sentiments.

"Pull back for now, try again after some time. Give it space to contemplate. That way, it won't be so tense the next time your spiritual power enters. At this stage, its consciousness is incomplete; allowing it time for independent thought will also aid in the faster formation of its life structure," the Profound Ice Cold Flame advised.

Following the transmission, Shi Yan slowly retracted the strands of spiritual power. He clearly sensed that as his spiritual power receded, the Heart of the Earth Fire’s consciousness hesitated, seemingly debating whether to attack.

Shi Yan’s tension mounted, so he deliberately slowed the process of withdrawing his spiritual power, as if reeling in a fine thread inch by inch. He understood that the volatile energy of the Heart of the Earth Fire could utterly incinerate his entire spiritual projection and, furthermore, use the connection established through the spiritual link to trace back and assault his soul directly!

If the Heart of the Earth Fire truly acted on this impulse, his soul would likely suffer immediate grave injury, or even be incinerated outright!

This was perilously dangerous!

Shi Yan focused with absolute totality, daring not relax in the slightest, nor dare he become overly tense, fearing that withdrawing his spiritual power too quickly might be misinterpreted by the Heart of the Earth Fire as an aggressive move, provoking an attack. It was akin to threading a needle with a fine strand; the control required was incredibly precise. One careless misstep could lead to disaster, and failure might cost him his life.

Time silently slipped away.

Shi Yan felt as if a century had passed by the time the tiny slivers of spiritual power he had sent out finally drew clear of the Heart of the Earth Fire’s flames.

Throughout this entire process, the Heart of the Earth Fire’s consciousness never ceased its vigilance until Shi Yan had completely withdrawn his projection, at which point its pursuit finally ceased.

"Hoo!"

Within the strange, pliable ice structure constructed by the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Shi Yan let out a long breath. His spiritual energy was utterly depleted. He gasped, "That was terrifying. This required more mental exertion than sparring with a martial artist of a higher level than me."

"Not bad. The first step achieved the expected result. The next time your spiritual power approaches, it won't be as tense. When you withdraw your spiritual power next time, just maintain this same rhythm, and everything will be fine," the Profound Ice Cold Flame relayed. "Mm."

In the ensuing period, Shi Yan adhered to the Profound Ice Cold Flame's guidance. After certain intervals, he would release his spirit projection, imbued with friendly, gentle consciousness, slowly approaching the fiery mass containing the Heart of the Earth Fire. During the second attempt, it was indeed slightly easier. Although the Heart of the Earth Fire remained cautious upon sensing Shi Yan’s returning spiritual power, it seemed genuinely more relaxed.

When Shi Yan retracted his spiritual power, the Heart of the Earth Fire did not pursue it as relentlessly, nor did it maintain its constant readiness to strike.

The third time, the Heart of the Earth Fire was even more at ease.

When Shi Yan next projected his consciousness toward the Heart of the Earth Fire, the fire completely dropped its guard, showing no inclination whatsoever to retaliate.

Shi Yan was secretly thrilled. He continued this method, periodically transmitting his benevolent thoughts to the Heart of the Earth Fire. After an indeterminate number of repetitions—Shi Yan had lost count of how many times he had done this—one time, as he recalled his spiritual projection from the fire's radiant mass, Shi Yan sensed, for the very first time, a trace of reluctance emanating from the Heart of the Earth Fire!

Reluctance!

The feeling was so distinct that it seemed Shi Yan could visualize a child displaying genuine sorrow upon a friend's departure.

"Excellent! It has begun to acknowledge you. If you persist, we will be able to approach it closely soon enough," the Profound Ice Cold Flame confirmed.

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