In his spiritual perception, the glow of countless Alchemy Fires danced and flickered around him, ceaselessly leaping and pulsing. Though he had no idea what was happening, Yang Kai could sense that if he wished, he could easily collect any one of the Alchemy Fires in this place, whether Human-rank or Spirit-rank.
This discovery raised his eyebrows slightly.
Recalling Wu Zhengqi's words—that the more talented one was, the better the Alchemy Fire one could obtain from the Sacred Fire Cavern—he suddenly understood. Although he was only a Heaven-rank Alchemist in this Divine Weapon World, his true comprehension of the Dao of Alchemy far exceeded the scope of this world. These Alchemy Fires, despite lacking sentience, seemed to possess an instinct of sorts. They must have sensed something special about him, which was why they were drawn to him of their own accord.
Nearly every Alchemy Fire in the entire Sacred Fire Cavern had gathered around him, with but a single exception.
Several hundred zhang away, there was a glow belonging to an Alchemy Fire, flickering unsteadily. Judging by its brightness, it should be a Heavenly Fire, and even among Heavenly Fires, it was of exceptionally high quality.
Among the Heavenly Fires converging around Yang Kai, none surpassed it in color or purity.
Thinking of Alchemist Wei, who had entered before him, Yang Kai had a vague suspicion that Alchemist Wei was over there, and that the special Heavenly Fire had been restrained by some method, which was why it stood apart and had not been drawn to him.
He paid little attention to that side of things. Alchemist Wei had spent two years preparing for this Heavenly Fire and must have his own special methods. Moreover, a single Heavenly Fire was not enough to pique Yang Kai's interest.
What he cared about were the rare Spirit Fires.
Although Wu Zhengqi had previously warned him not to carelessly attempt a Spirit Fire if his strength was insufficient, lest he suffer harm, that caution was meant for ordinary people. Yang Kai was confident he could subdue a Spirit Fire.
A single Spirit Fire would be enough for his use all the way up to the Spirit-rank Alchemist level, saving him considerable time spent on upgrading his Alchemy Fire. Having come to the Sacred Fire Cavern, he naturally intended to take the very best.
With his decision made, Yang Kai carefully examined each of the Alchemy Fires flickering around him and quickly found his target.
It was a Spirit Fire of an orange-red hue, one of the brightest in the entire cavern. Barring any surprises, it was undoubtedly a Spirit Fire, and its aura felt gentle rather than wild—it should be well-suited for alchemy.
The orange-red Spirit Fire had originally been positioned toward the outer periphery, but after Yang Kai focused his will, it began drifting slowly toward him. Within moments, it had arrived three feet in front of him.
As it moved, the other Alchemy Fires parted on either side, as though they could sense Yang Kai's intentions.
The Spirit Fire drew closer, almost within reach, when suddenly it froze in place.
Yang Kai was bewildered, but in the next instant, every Alchemy Fire surrounding him transmitted an overwhelming wave of panic, as if some terrifying beast were about to descend. In the blink of an eye, they scattered in all directions, vanishing who knew where. The countless points of light that had filled his perception were extinguished in an instant.
The multicolored world became pitch black in a single heartbeat.
Yang Kai was stunned. He had no idea what he had done to frighten all those Alchemy Fires away.
He glanced around. The Heavenly Fire restrained by Alchemist Wei was also trembling violently on that side, but Alchemist Wei's techniques were impressive—Yang Kai couldn't clearly make out what he was doing. No matter how the Heavenly Fire struggled, it could not escape, remaining firmly bound in place. It would only be a matter of time before Alchemist Wei collected it.
Yang Kai collected himself and carefully reviewed his actions since arriving here. He found nothing out of place, yet the Alchemy Fires that had been swarming around him had simply vanished.
Just then, a flicker of light caught the corner of his eye, drifting leisurely toward him from nearby. The light was white and not particularly bright. Based on Yang Kai's earlier observations, this should be a Human Fire—a Human-rank Alchemy Fire.
But its glow was remarkably pure, something Yang Kai had not observed in any other Human-rank fire.
The Human Fire floated slowly in front of him, then gently settled down before him, perfectly still.
Yang Kai stood frozen on the spot, half caught between laughter and tears.
What was this supposed to mean? All those Alchemy Fires had disappeared in an instant, and all that remained was a single Human Fire. He was a Heaven-rank Alchemist now—in no world could he settle for collecting a Human Fire. It simply couldn't meet his alchemical needs.
So he gave the Human Fire only a cursory glance, confirmed that aside from its unusual purity there was nothing remarkable about it, and paid it no further mind.
He sank his awareness back into deep perception, hoping to lure those Alchemy Fires back.
Unexpectedly, this action provoked a subtle reaction from the Human Fire. Like a mischievous child, it bounced and darted through his perception, trying to draw his attention.
Seeing that Yang Kai ignored it, it began circling around him.
A moment later, it suddenly shot straight toward the Heavenly Fire restrained by Alchemist Wei, and this sudden turn of events finally pulled Yang Kai's attention over.
Through his perception, the Heavenly Fire bound by Alchemist Wei was shaking violently, and from that direction came Alchemist Wei's startled cry.