Wan Lei looked up and gazed at the donkey in the distance.
This look nearly caused the old man to storm off on the spot.
"It's not a donkey!"
"Oh, so what do you mean, then? Stop beating around the bush and just say directly that you can save yourself.
At worst, we can run away now, recover from our injuries, break through our cultivation, and then come back to fight them, letting them weaken each other first."
As Wan Lei spoke, he prepared to help the old man escape.
The old man was severely injured, but he could still be saved.
The best method was to find a secluded place, ignore him, and let him try to achieve a state of mental tranquility and calm his mind on his own.
However, even for those with exceptionally strong will, the probability of extinguishing the heart's fire was no more than ten percent.
But, as the old man said, even if he were saved, he would not recover his previous combat power.
"It's useless. By then, the Sacred Fire Legacy will have already been taken by others, and you will still die for failing the mission."
The heart fire on the old man's chest continued to spread. Outside, the three great experts were still bombarding the formation, but they had all seen that the old man was not going to make it, so they were now conserving their strength for the ensuing competition amongst the three of them.
The old man smiled.
"I said that the year I spent with you was the happiest year of my life.
I am a cowardly person, with poor aptitude and no ambition. Even those two girls who have just become Great Experts are better than me.
But this time, I am no longer cowardly. I feel that I am old and won't live much longer.
I have lived a life of timidity. Before I leave, I don't want the world to not even know what Li Mei Xian looks like when they mention the name.
Therefore, this time I came out, on one hand, it was for you, and on the other hand, it was for myself.
I have been cowardly my entire life, and I don't want to be a coward in the last moments of my life."
The old man's mentality was simple. There are too many people in the world who live mediocre lives and, when they reach old age, realize they have nothing memorable in their lives. Thus, they wish to do something spectacular before they die.
An old man, indulging his youthful spirit.
"Li Mei Xian is not one person; it has never been one person.
This is a title, a legacy. Anyone who cultivates the Samadhi True Fire can be called Li Mei Xian.
My Li Mei Xian lineage has been passed down for four generations.
The first ancestor founded the Samadhi True Fire lineage and passed away of old age not long after.
The second ancestor did not cultivate the Samadhi True Fire to its peak and, in his life, could be considered unremarkable.
The third generation... *cough cough*... was my master. He was the strongest and most outstanding of his generation, the one who cultivated the Samadhi True Fire to its peak and ascended to the ranks of the Great Experts.
The name Li Mei Xian was forged by him.
I was merely a donkey attendant by my master's side.
Before my master died, he could not find a suitable disciple. In the end, he could only pass on the Samadhi True Fire to me.
He passed it to this... child he always looked down upon, thought to be cowardly, honest, and incapable, yet who followed him for a lifetime.
Alas, this child, despite following him his entire life, only had a strength slightly below that of the Great Experts, roughly similar to that of Xi Ren Yuan.
By the time I completed the inheritance of the Netherworld Cold Flame, my master had already passed away.
The four most powerful flames, after completing the inheritance, would automatically boost the inheritor's cultivation by one major realm.
Xi Ren Yuan Jun and Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu were both like this.
As for me, I had no hope of entering the ranks of the experts in this life, but because I completed the inheritance of the Samadhi True Fire, I broke through that realm.
Therefore, I have always felt very weak. I possess the strength of an expert but not the heart of an expert, nor the experience of fighting against experts of the same level.
My life has been muddled, disgracing the Li Mei Xian lineage.
Wandering the world, appearing carefree and joyful, in reality, I was also searching, selecting, looking for an excellent successor.
I have already disgraced the title of Li Mei Xian. I cannot let the next Li Mei Xian be like me."
At this point, Wan Lei and Fang Xiao Yu understood. They were the old man's chosen inheritors.
"This past year, while I appeared to be taking you around to search for the so-called Li Mei Xian, I was actually observing the two of you.
Please do not resent me. I admit I had selfish motives and deceived you. Therefore, to compensate for my apologies to you...
*Cough cough*...
Your aptitude and character, I have seen them with my own eyes, both are top-notch. Choosing the two of you as the next Li Mei Xian is the correct choice.
When I walked into the battlefield, I already had a will to die. Fortunately, I did not die directly, otherwise, the Li Mei Xian lineage would truly be severed.
In truth, I should have passed on the Samadhi True Fire to you before the Martial Arts Tournament, but alas, at that time, I was still afraid of death. I was too cowardly.
The two of you are exemplary. And you are from another world; this is wonderful, it makes me excited. My Li Mei Xian lineage can actually leave the Great Jin World, this tiny place, leave the Sacred Fire Continent, and spread to other worlds.
Hahaha, the third generation of Li Mei Xian did not achieve my feat. By choosing the best inheritors, I have done them justice.
Now, I will pass on the Samadhi True Fire of Li Mei Xian to you, allowing your cultivation to advance by another layer.
With your aptitude, you will surely be able to defeat those three fellows, obtain the true Sacred Fire Legacy, and become even stronger.
This is... my compensation to you for deceiving you, from this old man."
The old man smiled, a very happy smile.
This cowardly old man, who feared death, chose to sacrifice himself in the final moments of his life, fulfilling others and allowing his ancestor's flame to be passed on.
"You didn't have to die."
Wan Lei gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his lips.
He died for them.
"It would be enough if you remember that in a small world you visited, there was a ridiculous old man."
The old man struggled to stand up. The heart fire on his chest had already consumed his chest.
"Master! Your little attendant has lived up to you!"
In an instant, bright yellow flames blazed from the old man's body.
In the distance, the donkey saw this and let out a mournful cry, galloping towards them.
Seeing this, Bu Zhi Huo Qing Wu directly flicked her hand and threw a fireball towards the donkey.
However, before the fireball could even hit the donkey, the donkey itself burst into flames. Within a few breaths, it turned into a ball of bright yellow fire.
This donkey, named骡子 (Luózi, meaning Mule), chose to die alongside its master without hesitation.
The greedy and cowardly donkey was gone.
The cowardly old man was gone.
The two Samadhi True Fires merged, transforming into two lotus-like flames, radiating supreme power, purity, and righteousness, entering Wan Lei and Fang Xiao Yu's brows.
Inheriting the True Fire, I am the Li Mei Xian of this era!