The Flame Manipulation Art

Chapter 298: The Flame Manipulation Art

“Hmph! Sneaking into someone’s room in the dead of night—you’re either a thief or worse! And now you try to play ghost? This humble priest will—!”

The old Daoist, perhaps spoiled by days of flattery from the Wang household staff, had begun to shout without thinking.

But when he habitually cast the Celestial Eye Technique on Han Li, his indignant expression instantly froze. Then his face paled.

“Y-you… you’re a Foundation Establishment senior?”

The old Daoist stuttered, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“Didn’t you already see with your spell?” Han Li’s smile faded as he spoke flatly.

“Senior, please don’t blame me! I’ve never met a Foundation Establishment cultivator before—the highest I’ve ever encountered was at Qi Condensation layers eleven or twelve. I truly couldn’t discern your cultivation level! I only know that your magic power is unfathomably deep!” The old Daoist seemed to finally snap out of his shock, hurriedly extinguishing the fireball in his hand, stepping forward to bow, and explaining in rapid succession, his face full of fawning caution.

Han Li was slightly taken aback. The old Daoist did not show the same terror as the Xiao clan elder had, but instead seemed to be suppressing a hidden excitement.

But after a moment’s thought, he understood the other man’s petty calculation.

This white-haired Daoist was advanced in age yet still wandering at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation. Chances were high he was a rogue cultivator with poor talent, who had never been able to gain access to powerful cultivators. Even among rogue cultivators, one only associated with those of similar cultivation.

Now, encountering a Foundation Establishment high-stage cultivator, the man naturally treated it as a rare, fortuitous meeting. Most likely, he hoped to extract some benefit from the encounter.

Having figured this out, Han Li allowed himself a small smile. If the man proved satisfactory, he would not mind giving him a small reward.

With this, Han Li looked at the old Daoist and spoke slowly.

“You guessed correctly. I am indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

Hearing this, the white-haired Daoist’s manner grew even more respectful, though the joy in his eyes became even more apparent.

“Senior, may I ask why you have appeared here? Is there something you wish to command of this junior?” the Daoist said deferentially.

This fellow knew how to play the game. He understood that to extract a reward from Han Li, he would naturally have to do something first.

Han Li looked satisfied with this and spoke with a light laugh.

“First, tell me about your background. I saw your flame control performance at the Wang residence today—it was quite good.” Han Li offered a small compliment, which was genuine enough.

The old Daoist flashed with surprise.

He hadn’t expected that this senior had witnessed his performance, but he quickly replied with humble deference.

“You flatter me, Senior. Please don’t laugh at me. I only have my fire-manipulation technique to show off. The rest of my arts are a complete mess. As for my background, there isn’t much to tell. When I was young, I accidentally obtained a copy of the Blazing Sun Art from a dying cultivator. That was how I entered the cultivation world. Unfortunately, my talent was too poor, and with no one to guide me, I could only barely cultivate to the sixth layer.”

“Is your flame manipulation technique from that book as well?” Han Li felt a glimmer of interest and asked casually.

“No, it’s not. That flame manipulation art was something I developed out of desperation when I hit a bottleneck and could make no further progress. I spent decades refining and perfecting it. It’s the thing I take the most pride in.”

“You developed it yourself?” Han Li was inwardly startled. He looked the white-haired Daoist over again, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Yes, Senior. I even wrote these insights into a manual called the Flame Manipulation Art. If you don’t mind, Senior, please take it and give me a few pointers!” Seeing that Han Li seemed genuinely interested in his flame techniques, the old Daoist had a moment of inspiration and hastily produced a thin booklet from his robes, respectfully offering it to Han Li.

Han Li blinked in mild surprise.

To be honest, while Han Li found the man’s flame transformation tricks intriguing, he had no intention of forcibly taking the man’s technique manual. He didn’t think such trivial fire-control tricks would be of much use to him at his current level.

But the old Daoist’s sudden, voluntary offering caught him off guard. He accepted it and flipped through a few pages.

At first, Han Li skimmed the book with an indifferent attitude.

But as he read, his expression remained calm, while his mind gradually grew shocked.

The early sections described various small tricks for shaping flames—nothing particularly meaningful to Han Li at his current stage, purely flashy and impractical. However, in the final pages, the old Daoist proposed a vague concept for the flexible application of spells and several practical training methods that made Han Li feel as if a light had suddenly dawned. He found them extremely enlightening.

A moment later, Han Li gently closed the book.

Now was not the time to study techniques. He would savor the contents during his leisure hours.

He was certain it would elevate his understanding and application of spellcasting to a higher level.

“I’ll accept this book. I know you claim to want my ‘guidance,’ but in truth, you intend to give it to me. As your senior, I naturally won’t take it for nothing. I have a few Dao technique manuals, magical tools of various grades, and several pills that are highly useful for Qi Condensation cultivators. You may choose one of these categories as repayment for your book. I’ll give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to think it over carefully.”

After giving the old Daoist a deep look, Han Li spoke words that sent the man into ecstatic excitement.

“Thank you, Senior! Thank you for your kindness!” The white-haired Daoist’s face flushed red as he trembled with excitement.

Han Li smiled faintly, said nothing more, and lightly closed his eyes, resting in his chair.

The old Daoist, on the other hand, began to pace back and forth in the room like an ant on a hot wok, clearly torn and unable to make a decision.

“Have you decided?”

After a while, Han Li judged enough time had passed, opened his eyes, and asked calmly.

“I’ve made my choice, Senior. I would like some pills that can help a Qi Condensation cultivator break through a bottleneck,” the old Daoist said firmly, having finally settled on his decision.

Han Li showed no surprise. He had expected the other to choose pills. After all, magical tools and technique manuals could be obtained later once one’s cultivation advanced.

With a slight nod, Han Li swept his sleeve across the table. When the sleeve passed, two identical small celadon bottles appeared on the red wooden surface.

“These two bottles contain Yellow Dragon Pills. They have a clear effect on cultivators below the tenth layer of Qi Condensation. Take them.” Han Li said, his voice expressionless.

“Qi Condensation layer ten… Thank you, Senior, for your generosity! Thank you…” The old Daoist’s gaze was scorching hot as he fixed on the two pill bottles. He repeatedly voiced his thanks before excitedly stepping forward and taking them into his hands.

Then, unable to wait, he uncorked one bottle, brought it to his nose, and sniffed lightly. A look of complete satisfaction spread across his face.

“I came to you today for another matter I need you to handle. If you do a good job, I will reward you handsomely again.” Han Li only spoke to the main purpose of his visit after the other had carefully stowed the pill bottles into his bosom.

With such a heavy reward dangling before him, Han Li did not believe the other would be unmoved.

And indeed, after a moment of stunned silence, the old Daoist immediately grinned from ear to ear.

“Whatever Senior commands, this junior will carry out. I would gladly die in the attempt!”

Hearing this, Han Li smiled faintly and said:

“It’s nothing major. I just want you to keep an eye on the movements of two people over the next few months—your disciple, the young prince, and the Wang household steward. If anything unusual occurs, inform me.”

Although Han Li said this lightly, the old Daoist felt a bit dumbfounded.

He truly had not expected this senior to ask him to spy on two mortals—one of whom was about to become his beloved disciple.

Baffled, the Daoist cautiously glanced at Han Li and ventured a tentative question:

“May this junior know the reason? Is there something wrong with these two?”

He asked very carefully, afraid that an unintentional word might offend the high-stage cultivator.

Han Li’s face showed no displeasure, but he did not immediately answer. After a moment of deliberation, he said in a deep voice.

“I am actually a cultivator of Yellow Maple Valley, one of the Seven Great Sects. You should be aware that the demonic path is invading our Yue Kingdom. I suspect that these two may have ties to the demonic path. That is why I need someone to keep watch on their movements at all times, just in case.”

Although Han Li himself did not believe that the Wang steward and the young prince were demonic cultivators, it was better to err on the side of caution. These two men remained suspicious in his mind, so he had sought out the Daoist ahead of time to have him keep an eye on them.

Of course, he could not reveal his true reasoning. Instead, he deflected by invoking the demonic path, saving himself the trouble of having to explain the matter.

After all, his suspicion that they were dangerous was based purely on instinct—a conclusion that could not be openly disclosed.