Soon after, Lin Ximeng brought Fang Yang back home.
"Yang'er, go play in your room for now. Mommy's going to cook something delicious for you," she said gently, then turned toward the kitchen.
Fang Yang returned to his room.
There, his mind stirred faintly, and he summoned his martial soul, carefully sensing the flow of soul power within his body.
Suddenly, a vision flashed through his consciousness—sky and earth shattered under a blazing sun, the entire world engulfed in an endless sea of fire!
At the heart of that inferno bloomed a resplendent, multicolored lotus of flame, radiating an overwhelming and heart-stopping aura.
"What… is this?" Fang Yang murmured, eyes fixed on the fiery lotus.
Within its petals, he faintly discerned twenty-three distinct flames, each unique and powerful.
In the next instant—
The lotus transformed into a small flame-colored orb and shot straight toward him, vanishing into his body in a flash.
Moments later, Fang Yang snapped out of his daze, feeling a subtle yet unmistakable shift inside him.
He focused inward—and to his astonishment, discovered a crimson-red flame orb nestled deep within his body.
No larger than a thumb, it nonetheless exuded a terrifying pressure that sent chills down his spine.
"Could this orb be…" Fang Yang muttered instinctively.
As the words left his lips, the orb within him suddenly flared with fiery light.
Immediately, an ancient-looking plaza materialized before his eyes. Towering above it stood twenty-three colossal pillars stretching into the heavens.
Each pillar was wreathed in a different flame—some blooming like azure lotuses, others coiling like golden dragons, and still others flickering like ghostly fires from the netherworld…
This was the Heavenly Flame Plaza!
"The Heavenly Flame Plaza—home to all twenty-three Heavenly Flames!" Fang Yang gasped in realization.
At the same moment, a familiar cultivation technique imprinted itself into his mind.
"The Flame Mantra!"
"Huh?" Fang Yang was stunned. He hadn't expected this technique of all things.
After all, the Flame Mantra was no ordinary art—it could evolve infinitely by devouring flames, its origins shrouded in legend.
One of its famed practitioners bore the title "Flame Emperor," ruler of the Endless Flame Domain, whose power once scorched the heavens themselves with the cry: "Ten Thousand Fires, Burn the Firmament!"
Now that the Flame Mantra had manifested, Fang Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
'Thank heavens I've got a cheat… Otherwise, I'd really be doomed to "Blue Silver Bind"…'
"Hasn't it always been said? 'Heaven leaves no man without a path.' So long as I choose to walk, the road lies beneath my feet!"
Without a doubt, he would cultivate the Flame Mantra. And the Heavenly Flames?
Here before him stood all twenty-three—enough to evolve the Mantra into a Heaven (Tian)-Tier technique… or even beyond.
While Fang Yang was still lost in thought, an invisible force suddenly shoved him out.
"Huh?!"
Before he could react, the vision vanished, and he found himself back in his room.
"Did I just get kicked out?" he wondered, startled—but quickly composed himself.
Right now, his priority was clear: begin cultivating the Flame Mantra.
He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and stilled his mind.
Focusing on the soul power coursing through his meridians, he began guiding it along the pathways described in the Flame Mantra.
At first, the flow was agonizingly sluggish—as if swimming upstream. Every inch forward demanded intense concentration.
But Fang Yang remained patient, cycling through the technique again and again. Gradually, the resistance eased. His soul power flowed more freely, like trickling streams merging into a mighty river, until a stable circulation was finally established.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
At last, Fang Yang's lashes fluttered, and his eyes slowly opened.
"Hah!" He exhaled a long breath, his eyes gleaming with sharp vitality.
After cultivating the Flame Mantra, he looked noticeably more spirited than before. A soft, jade-like luster shimmered on his refined features, radiating vigor and clarity.
"Is this the marvel of the Flame Mantra?" he murmured, keenly aware of the surging soul power within him—and the strikingly heightened sharpness of his senses.
He rose to his feet, stretched his limbs, and felt an unprecedented surge of energy and mental lucidity course through his entire being.
What astonished him even more was this: merely practicing the initial, Huang-Tier stage of the Flame Mantra already yielded results far surpassing the famed Mysterious Heaven Technique—the very technique Tang Sect's "God-King" relied on to achieve his legendary status!
"To think," Fang Yang chuckled softly, shaking his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "the mighty Sea God himself ascended to Godhood… using a mortal cultivation manual he stole. How utterly ironic…"
If the truth were revealed to the world, no one would believe it.
But if his Flame Mantra could devour Heavenly Flames and evolve—first into a Mystic (Xuan)-Tier, then perhaps even into the legendary Heaven-Tier technique—what unimaginable power might it unleash?
"If Tang San could reach divinity with a stolen mortal manual… then why can't I, Fang Yang, scale the peak with the Flame Mantra?"
At that thought, he clasped his hands behind his back, his expression serene, brows relaxed, eyes like moonlit springs gazing out the window.
He suddenly smiled. "After all… it's just a little wind and frost."
However—his moment of supreme badassery lasted less than a second.
"Fang Yang! Come eat!"
His mother Lin Ximeng's voice pierced through the room, instantly shattering the entire atmosphere.
Fang Yang's expression froze. In an instant, all the aura of a 'peerless expert' vanished without a trace.
"Coming, coming!"
He bolted out of the room in three strides, rushing into the dining hall where steaming hot dishes already filled the table.
His stomach chose that perfect moment to gurgle loudly. Without hesitation, he plopped down, grabbed his bowl, and began wolfing down food.
Lin Ximeng couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
"Slow down! No one's stealing your food."
"Mom, your cooking is the best!" Fang Yang declared through a mouthful.
Lin Ximeng promptly picked up a piece of braised pork with soy sauce and placed it in his bowl. "Yang'er, you're still growing. If you like it, eat more. Mom's not hungry."
To her, nothing brought greater joy than seeing her son enjoy her cooking.
Hearing this, Fang Yang's heart softened slightly. He certainly wasn't like that ungrateful wretch Tang San—the ultimate ingrate, the very ceiling of betrayal!
Tang San ate from the pot yet cursed the one who cooked for him.
Thinking of all those who had helped Tang San, Fang Yang's eyes darkened.
If he remembered correctly, none of them met a good end.
In fact… they all died.
And if you tried to argue otherwise—just answer this:
Yu Xiaogang, though he used Tang San to gain fame, didn't he treat him like his own son?
Didn't he even kneel before Empress Bibi Dong, begging her to spare Tang San's life?
And what was his reward?
Death.
And Tang San's own parents?
One was a Life Core. The other, a Plane Lord.
Yet in the end, Yu Xiaogang could only lament: "I, the so-called 'Useless Master'… am truly a clown."
As for the Shrek Seven Devils? Don't even get started.
What "brothers"!
Early on, it was "Boss Dai"—later, it became "Dai Mubai."
Attitude is the mask of the heart!
"Mom, I can't finish all this. You eat too," Fang Yang suddenly said, placing a piece of meat into Lin Ximeng's bowl, snapping himself out of his thoughts.
Lin Ximeng blinked in surprise, then her eyes glistened faintly. "Alright… Mom will eat too."
Halfway through the meal, Fang Yang suddenly remembered something. He set down his chopsticks, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a calling card.
Lin Ximeng paused mid-bite, chopsticks hovering. "This is…?"
"Mom, this is from Master Su Tao of the Spirit Pagoda," Fang Yang explained, handing her the card. "Today, during my Martial Soul Awakening, I tested as an innate full soul power. Master Su Tao personally invited me to join the Spirit Pagoda…"
Lin Ximeng took the card, eyes downcast, falling momentarily silent.
She never imagined that Fang Yang—the child she'd found by chance six years ago—would possess such extraordinary talent.
Yet… with innate full soul power, the resources needed for his cultivation were beyond anything her modest household could ever afford.
After a long pause, she spoke softly, "Yang'er… what do you want to do?"
Fang Yang had already given it deep thought. "Mom, I want to join the Spirit Pagoda. The resources required for someone with innate full soul power… our family simply can't provide them. But the Spirit Pagoda can."
Hearing his answer, Lin Ximeng looked at him, her voice steady yet filled with warmth:
"Yang'er, if this is your decision—then go for it. Mom will always support you."
—————
T/N: For those not familiar with the ranking system of techniques from 'Battle Through The Heavens' (BTTH), from lowest to highest:
- Huang Tier (Yellow)
- Xuan Tier (Mystic/Mysterious)
- Di Tier (Earth)
- Tian Tier (Heaven)
Each Grade is further divided into 3 grades: Low, Middle and High
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