Tai Lao looked at his disciple, a look of relief on his face.
After finishing the noodles, Tai Lao recounted the history of the Yan Huo Sect.
During the Ming Dynasty, a Taoist priest saved a fox. To repay the priest's kindness, the fox gifted him a secret manual.
Upon receiving the manual, the priest cultivated diligently, quickly gaining renown in the martial world. He also founded the Yan Huo Sect, and after a century, ascended to immortality.
At its peak, the Yan Huo Sect could rival the three great sects. However, due to internal issues, its strength declined, and it eventually vanished from the martial world.
Tai Lao sighed deeply as he reached this point, "Alas, now only I remain of the Yan Huo Sect."
Yu Daohen was about to speak when Tai Lao waved his hand, "Rest first. We'll train tomorrow morning. I don't have much time left."
Yu Daohen could only hold back his words.
That night, Yu Daohen sat cross-legged as usual and began to cultivate.
The next day, Yu Daohen woke up early and went to the main hall, finding Tai Lao staring blankly at a statue. "Tai Lao, let's begin."
Tai Lao nodded and led Yu Daohen towards the back mountain.
They arrived at a clearing in the back mountain.
Tai Lao scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally settling on a large tree. His eyes narrowed, he formed a hand seal and inhaled deeply, "Tun Yan Shu."
As soon as he spoke, torrents of flames erupted from Tai Lao's mouth, shooting directly towards the tree.
The tree instantly burst into flames.
Yu Daohen was stunned into silence by the scene before him.
He secretly rejoiced, thinking how fortunate he was to have knelt down, otherwise he would have missed out on such a powerful technique. This kneeling was definitely worth it.
Tai Lao looked at Yu Daohen, "How was it? This Tun Yan Shu is quite formidable, isn't it?"
Yu Daohen nodded repeatedly, "Indeed, worthy of rivaling the three great sects. It truly has its merits. Powerful."
Tai Lao stroked his greying beard, "Tun Yan Shu has another usage."
With that, he faced the burning tree and shouted, "Extinguish!"
The burning tree was instantly put out by a sudden burst of energy.
Yu Daohen looked at Tai Lao in astonishment. Merely shouting could extinguish such flames. He truly was the top expert on the Heavenly Rankings, and he also admired the profoundness of Tun Yan Shu.
"This is the other usage of Tun Yan Shu," Tai Lao said, looking at Yu Daohen. "I recall there's a fire technique in the Five Elements Art. Show me."
Yu Daohen nodded, assuming Elder Hua had already informed Tai Lao about his mastery of the Five Elements Art.
Yu Daohen found a branch and prepared himself. Unlike Tun Yan Shu, Huo Li Zhan required a medium to be cast.
"Strike at me," Tai Lao instructed.
"But..."
Before Yu Daohen could finish, Tai Lao interrupted, "With your current strength, you can't hurt me."
Yu Daohen nodded, his finger traced the branch, and a flame enveloped it.
He swung the branch, and a stream of flame shot towards Tai Lao.
Tai Lao shouted, and the flame was blown away by a surge of energy, heading back towards Yu Daohen.
Yu Daohen quickly dodged the flame, looking at Tai Lao with shock. He couldn't believe Tun Yan Shu was powerful enough to blow away a spell.
Tai Lao looked at Yu Daohen, as if anticipating his shocked expression. "When Tun Yan Shu is cultivated to its peak, it can blow away all spells."
Yu Daohen's heart leaped. If he could master Tun Yan Shu to its peak, combined with the Five Elements Art and his trump card, Reincarnation Blood Tears, wouldn't he be invincible?
Subsequently, Tai Lao began to teach him the cultivation method and hand seals for Tun Yan Shu.
The cultivation of Tun Yan Shu was similar to Huo Li Zhan. The difference was that Tun Yan Shu involved condensing Qi into the mouth, transforming it into another form, and then expelling it with a special hand seal.
Yu Daohen began practicing against the tree.
Time passed slowly. After a full day, Yu Daohen had only managed to grasp the knack of it.
At night.
Yu Daohen's throat was so sore he could barely speak.
Tai Lao glanced at Yu Daohen and walked into the kitchen.
A moment later, he emerged with a cup of honey water. "Drink this. It will soothe your throat."
Yu Daohen was taken aback, then took the honey water. "Thank..."
Before he could finish, Tai Lao interrupted, "Drink it and rest. Prepare for tomorrow's training."
With that, he walked back into the house.
Yu Daohen looked at Tai Lao, realizing he was a man of few words but a kind heart. If there was danger, Tai Lao would be the first to step forward.
Back in his room.
Tai Lao sighed, looking at the old man in the painting on the wall. "Master, your disciple is incompetent. I have failed to bring glory to the Yan Huo Sect. However, I have passed on Tun Yan Shu to my disciple, Yu Daohen. I hope he can carry on its legacy."
Before dawn, Yu Daohen was already in the back mountain, practicing.
The sun slowly rose, painting the sky with color. Tai Lao hid behind a large tree, watching Yu Daohen with a look of pleased satisfaction.
Time passed. By the time Yu Daohen took a break, it was already four in the afternoon.
Yu Daohen took a moment to recover, then stood up, formed a hand seal, inhaled deeply, "Tun Yan Shu."
Immediately, a stream of flame erupted from Yu Daohen's mouth. Though it was minuscule, it was enough to prove Yu Daohen's dedication.
Tai Lao looked at Yu Daohen, a look of surprise on his face.
It had taken him a full half-month to barely master Tun Yan Shu. He never expected Yu Daohen to grasp it in just two days. Calling him a genius would be an understatement.
Yu Daohen's lips curved upwards as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His clothes were soaked. He marveled, "This Tun Yan Shu is truly profound."
Before he could celebrate, dark clouds began to gather in the sky.
Yu Daohen looked up at the darkening sky. One moment it was sunny, the next it was overcast.
He turned to look at Tai Lao, noticing his furrowed brow and grim expression. Tai Lao's eyes were fixed in one direction. "Could it be earlier than expected?"
Yu Daohen felt something was wrong. "Could the seal have been broken?"
Tai Lao shook his head. "I don't know. Keep practicing."
With that, he ran off in a specific direction.
Yu Daohen watched the sky as the dark clouds began to converge like a tornado.
An instinctual feeling told him danger was approaching.
Yu Daohen pondered for a moment before deciding to follow.
Tai Lao was moving fast. With his current strength, Yu Daohen couldn't keep up. He could only head towards the area where the dark clouds were gathering to see what was happening.
The gathering of the dark clouds was not far. In about ten minutes, Yu Daohen arrived.
He found himself in an open space with few obstructions. In the center, a well with a radius of over two meters stood out starkly.
Yu Daohen looked over and saw six figures standing by the well. Weren't those Elder Hua and the others?
Just as Yu Daohen was about to approach, a black mist surged from the well.
It rose a hundred meters high.
The six figures retreated. Elder Hua's face turned extremely grim. "Prepare yourselves. That fellow has come out early."
An old woman among the six untied a rope from her waist and threw it. "Let's bind it first."
The rope flew into the black mist. Then, with a snap, the rope was shattered into pieces.