Back in the dilapidated shack, Xiao Ning stood still, sitting on what was supposed to be his mattress. With a thoughtful expression, he reflected, murmuring unconsciously, as if talking to someone:

  "What should I do? Go out to look for ingredients, or train the Essence Flames Technique?" he asked. And he answered himself. "Maybe it's better to go look for ingredients. Find some Herbs... but the Herbs are in the higher parts of the Ancestral Jade Mountain, and even though there aren't many, there are still monsters there, and I doubt I can use a strong Combat Technique right now. I don't even have a weapon. So... yeah... that's it. I'd better practice some Combat Techniques and the Essence Flames Technique."

  Having reached a decision, Xiao Ning stood up and left the shack. He decided he would start with a Combat Technique and then, at night, move on to the Essence Flames.

  Even though Xiao Ning, in his past life, never dedicated himself to the cultivation of Spiritual Energy or Combat Techniques, in battle he was very powerful. Defeating people a Realm above his own, or destroying an army of a lower Realm, wasn't impossible for him.

  And it was no wonder; after all, he spent more than five thousand years fighting an endless war against the God of Desolation's army. Thousands of enemies had already perished by his hands. He experienced countless hideous battles, where the indescribable smell of blood was a sweet perfume compared to the putrid and fetid odor of corpses piled in mounds of flesh. His power wasn't something that could be related to such a simple thing as the level he was at. And the experience he had acquired over the years, without a shadow of a doubt, proved invaluable.

  Therefore, it didn't take long for him to choose which technique he would start training.

  Due to the fact that he was only at the 3rd Layer of the Mundane Realm, he couldn't start using something very powerful. Unfortunately, he didn't possess other techniques as convenient as the Eternal Sleeper. Thus, he would have to start with something basic that didn't require much effort or a large amount of Spiritual Energy.

  And this technique would be the Electric Palm. Something as basic as the Flaming Palm.

  Standing in the middle of his yard, which looked more like a piece of jungle due to the high grass growing freely, Xiao Ning concentrated his Spiritual Energy in the palms of his hands, which suddenly began to release bluish sparks. For a while, the sparks flickered and disappeared. But then, after a few attempts, a blue glow danced between Ning's fingers, charged with energy.

  Electric Palm was a basic technique based on condensing Spiritual Energy in the palm of the hand and transforming it into electricity. There was nothing surprising or powerful about it. It couldn't even be launched to hit an enemy at a distance. But if used correctly, the lack of power wouldn't make that much difference, and he knew it.

  Ning looked at both hands and murmured:

  "With my current level, this is the maximum energy I can generate. But it's enough to practice."

  Finishing saying this, Xiao Ning did a few little hops while shaking his hands. Next, he threw a sequence of punches in the air. He breathed deeply and, with his right heel, kicked as high as he could.

  But...

  Bang!

  He fell on his butt on the ground.

  "OW! OW!" he groaned in pain as he rubbed his buttocks.

  Despite all his five thousand years of experience, he ended up forgetting a very important thing: He is, and always has been, a slacker! So, why should a slacker like him exercise his body?

  When he tried to kick the air, due to the lack of flexibility and a body that hadn't been stretched since birth, Xiao Ning accidentally lifted both feet, which resulted in a spectacular fall. If he were near the Combat and Training Arenas, there would now be an endless wave of laughter, well justified.

  "Damn, I need to exercise my body!" he cursed at himself. "Ah, damn it! I hate exercising!" Soon after, he howled in lamentation. In his past life, his exercise came naturally, sneaking into small holes to hide from demons, or running marathons across valleys, deserts, and oceans, fearing capture. But now, he would have to practice willingly and not because he had a horrendous monster on his heels, and that seemed more terrible than death.

  After realizing he couldn't move as he pleased, Xiao Ning sat in a corner where the grass was lower and began to stretch with much reluctance, while letting out some lazy grunts. Afterward, he would get up and throw a few punches in the air, grumbling like a grumpy old man picking on those damn noisy brats who insisted on playing their games at his doorstep. From time to time, he would stop and lie down, right there on the dirty ground, and sigh, depressed.

  It was something he hadn't thought about until then, but now that he stopped to reflect, to be able to help the Xiao Family escape the disaster that would occur in four and a half years, a great effort would be necessary, since time was short and the things to be improved were many. Of course, he could try to tell everyone to flee as fast as possible because a disaster was coming. But who would believe him? According to common knowledge, the God of Desolation, as well as the demons, was just a myth, and he, in turn, a vagabond.

  Glimpsing the future work, arduous and tiring, Xiao Ning let out a heavy sigh:

  "I should just let everyone die," he grumbled, throwing a tantrum.

  Thanks to this totally unmotivated training, the afternoon dragged on. When night arrived, he slid his dying body into the cabin and collapsed onto the old rags that made up his nap corner, dirty clothes and all. He stayed there for a long time, almost sleeping. But there was still one thing he needed to do...

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  And that was to practice the Essence Flames.

  The Essence Flames wasn't a Spiritual Cultivation Technique nor a Combat Technique, although one could use it for the latter part. In fact, it could be said that the Essence Flames Technique is the basis for all Alchemy, for without it, it wouldn't be possible to practice this art.

  To be able to practice Alchemy, four things are necessary:

  A cultivator: To provide the Spiritual Energy.

  An Enchanted Cauldron with magic runes: The place where the transformation of Energy and inputs into something new, like a pill, among other things, will occur.

  Ingredients: Which will be the base of what one wishes to create.

  And lastly, the Essence Flames: Which will be used to heat the cauldron and thus cook the ingredients and fuse the Spiritual Energy.

  The Essence Flames are different from other types of flames because they are composed of an energy that exists only within living beings in general and which differs from Spiritual Energy. To some, this energy is known as the soul; by others, essence, core.

  Because of this, for someone who has never practiced it or doesn't possess the basic knowledge, it can be difficult to learn and use. Xiao Ning himself, who was able to rise to the highest level of Alchemy in his past life, took more than fifty years to produce the first sparks of this technique.

  And without the Essence Flames, it is impossible to heat the Enchanted Cauldron correctly, as well as mix the Spiritual Energy with the ingredients. And that is why this skill is so special and necessary for Alchemy.

  Because of the great difficulty in practicing it, there is a misconception that it is necessary to possess a high level of Spiritual Energy to produce the first flames, but the truth is that a high cultivation is only needed to refine and improve certain stages, because yes, there are seventeen types of Essence Flames. A number much larger than the realms in cultivation. And even in this case, it isn't essential to strengthen oneself to the point of reaching the highest levels of cultivation.

  But to start practicing it, even someone at the first layer of the Mundane Realm can do it. After all, all the necessary energy is inside oneself. One just needs to know the secrets surrounding it and unravel its mysteries. And that, Xiao Ning had already done a long time ago.

  He sat cross-legged, with his back against the cold wall, and concentrated. For a long time, he remained with his eyes closed, still in the same position. It even seemed he had fallen asleep, a deep and unreachable sleep by the mere whim of resting his eyelids, and no matter how many minutes passed, there were no signs he would open his eyes anytime soon.

  Suddenly, he made a movement. He extended his hands close to each other, palms vertical, facing one another, but his eyes remained closed. And in this position, he remained for some more time.

  After what seemed like hours, out of nowhere, between his two hands, a spark—shining less than a firefly during the day—appeared. However, just as it appeared, it disappeared.

  It was only a few minutes later that the spark appeared again. But this time, it didn't disappear immediately. It continued floating timidly, crackling, as if it had nowhere to go. Until its brightness increased, transforming into a spark full of life, which continued to grow. Then, a mild light, orange in color, manifested itself.

  At this moment, Xiao Ning opened his eyes. His forehead was soaked with sweat, which ran down like a waterfall. His chest rose and fell in an accelerated motion, accompanying the exhausted course of his lungs, which desperately tried to recover lost air. However, despite the exhausted and unhealthy appearance, a cheerful and excited countenance covered his face.

  He gasped a few times and, with a satisfied smile, uttered:

  "To think that last time it took me fifty-seven years."

  Xiao Ning looked at the orange-colored fire—which didn't seem different from any other and flickered weakly, one step away from extinction, giving the impression it could go out at any instant—with extreme pride and excitement.

  When he thought he would have to start all over again, with his cultivation almost at zero, he felt like crying. But seeing this weak flame, which seemed like it could be extinguished by a simple breath, he felt animated. It was a jovial sensation, the kind one only feels when they are a child and receives a new toy from their parents.

  Being able to start from scratch, knowing everything he knew and having the opportunity to discover what was unknown, about something he loves from the heart—is it or is it not exciting?

  While he felt a growing heat burn in his chest and the excitement increase more and more, the Essence Flames flickered and went out.

  "Ah! Damn it!" he cursed.

  The next morning, Xiao Ning had no difficulty waking up. Despite having stayed up late into the night practicing the Essence Flames Technique, he didn't feel tired or fatigued, and that was thanks to the Eternal Sleeper, which allows its practitioners to stay awake for several days.

  After getting up, he wanted to start practicing Alchemy right away. But he restrained himself. After all, the Enchanted Cauldron hadn't arrived yet, and it was decided that he would only train the Essence Flames during the night.

  Thus, what he started doing was something that made him lazy just thinking about it. And that was: exercise.

  After pondering a lot, Xiao Ning concluded that he would need more than stretching and practicing martial arts. It would be necessary to work the muscles, or rather, create them, as well as improve endurance. And although Spiritual Energy also increases bodily strength, there are certain things that need to be done the old-fashioned way.

  So, the first thing he did was start with a run through the woods, which was near the shack and extended to the mountain. But not before a good stretch. Generally, someone at the 3rd Layer of the Mundane Realm would be able to run for six or seven kilometers without any problem. However, for Xiao Ning, it was different...

  He ran for a few hundred meters before throwing himself chest-first onto the ground, his clothes soaked in sweat and breathing so heavy it seemed more like the air had fled from him, intending to play a very mischievous prank on him.

  And so he stayed for a long time, before babbling with difficulty:

  "Running... for today... is enough!" Finishing babbling these words, he dragged himself back to the shack, like a worm crawling through the dirt.

  In the cabin, he stretched once more, and the instant he caught his breath, he began practicing martial arts, which was basically a style of body fighting. And at night, which he anticipated with excitement and had as a reward, he practiced the Essence Flames Technique.

  Xiao Ning, with much effort, maintained this training routine in the following days. It didn't take long for improvements to start appearing in his physical conditioning. After a week, he could already return to the shack without much difficulty, which amounted to more than two kilometers running, following the pre-established trail. Now, when he kicked the air, did somersaults, among other things, he no longer fell on his butt on the ground... well, not always.

  This sudden improvement might even seem strange, but he was using a very effective method he learned once, which was even better and more practical compared to some Body Strengthening Techniques; it consisted of making Spiritual Energy circulate through the body to speed up the strengthening process and the restoration of fatigued muscles a bit.

  Thanks to this method, which was efficient only in the initial stages of cultivation, he was showing significant improvements.

  As for the Essence Flames, they no longer went out so easily, and their glow was more vivid and strong than before.