Chapter 309 – Child of Flame

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“Only if what?” Lin Ming asked, puzzled.

“Mm… nothing, forget about it.” Mu Qianyu awkwardly said as she shook her head, “Let’s start.”

Mu Qianyu tried to switch topics, but Lin Ming could actually see a faint pink blush creeping up behind Mu Qianyu’s ears, causing him to be surprised. However, Mu Qianyu seemed to only reluctantly mention this so-called ‘what if’. It was best if he didn’t press her on the topic.

“This is a jade slip that contains the first layer of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. First, look at the cultivation method and then I’ll help you get started. Afterwards you can officially begin practicing.”

Mu Qianyu took out a flame-colored jade slip from her spatial ring. Creating a cultivation method jade slip was a very difficult task. First, one had to reach the Large Success stage of the cultivation method and personally master and create it in order for it to work. The fact that Mu Qianyu could carry around a jade slip of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ and look through it at any time was naturally because of her status as a Saintess.

Lin Ming received the jade slip and extended his soul force into it. Suddenly, his heart stirred. This was an ancient manual that unified cultivation methods and martial skills. But the first secret skill caused Lin Ming’s to burst with joy. This was a technique to control fire!

The Heretical God Seed was astoundingly strong, and it had the ability to absorb fire. It could even grow strong by hunting other Flame Essences. However, the method to manipulate fire was actually up to Lin Ming to research on his own.

Although Lin Ming had great perception, it was still impossible for him to naturally self-learn how to manipulate fire. With the inspiration he obtained from the Thunderbolt Devilfire Bead, Lin Ming was able to create his own skill, Thunderfire Annihilation. But, his other methods of controlling fire were of the most superficial and basic kind, and that was mostly to use a flame and directly burn the enemy.

But this jade slip actually contained a great deal of methods to control fire.

For instance, there were methods to create flame armor, flame shields, flame guards, flame ropes, flame compression, and many other techniques. In addition to directly controlling fire, there were also special methods such as using fire to place seals on treasure, increase the power of treasure, and many other secret skills that were of great interest to Lin Ming.

This part of how to control fire was enough to make Lin Ming’s heart move just thinking about the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’.

While Lin Ming focused his time on studying this jade slip, Mu Qianyu sat in meditation on the side and practiced. She occasionally had some strange feelings well within her.

If one wished to cultivate the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ or the ‘Blue Luan Abstract Phantom Code’ to the highest level, then one needed to have an extremely rich and pure bloodline of either the Vermillion Bird or the Blue Luan.

But Divine Phoenix Island’s special method of transplanting bloodlines, in truth, was only drawing blood from the body of the Vermillion Bird or Blue Luan Saint Beasts and then using a special arcane skill to inject it into someone’s body. In addition, this blood of the Vermillion Bird or Blue Luan was very diluted and weak, it was far from being of sufficient purity.

But, there was an exception…

That was to take up intimate relations with those of Divine Phoenix Island who had the richest bloodline of the Saint Beast, and obtain their Primordial Yin energy. By doing so, they could obtain a very pure and rich Saint Beast bloodline and gain the ability to cultivate the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ or the ‘Blue Luan Abstract Phantom Code’ to the highest level.

But this so-called ‘individual’ with the richest Saint Beast bloodline was in truth the Saintess of Divine Phoenix Island. In other words, it was Mu Qianyu and her little sister, Mu Bingyun.

This matter was known only to a select few. Divine Phoenix Island would do anything in order to avoid this secret from spreading, because if it did, it would certainly invite a bloody disaster upon their sect. Once, long ago, there was a demonic man who used a fire attribute cultivation method. He captured the Saintess of Divine Phoenix Island, and had wished to violate her and obtain her Primordial Yin energy so that he could cultivate the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. Because of this, a calamity was brought down upon Divine Phoenix Island.

This ‘only if’ was something that was unspeakable for Mu Qianyu.

Like this, the two of them fell into their monotonous cultivation. Lin Ming was deeply immersed within the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, while Mu Qianyu quietly meditated, absorbing the rich fire origin energy.

Mu Qianyu estimated that with Lin Ming’s monstrous perception, it would take him maybe less than half an hour to completely memorize and comprehend a small part of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. It was a pity that Lin Ming’s fire origin energy fusion compatibility was his constraint; there was no way to make up for this no matter how high his perception was.

‘Such a pity… I hope that he doesn’t give up on the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’. That would be nice…’ Mu Qianyu subconsciously hoped that Lin Ming was able to cultivate the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’ to the highest level. Like this, he would truly become a disciple of Divine Phoenix Island.

But this was impossible.

Only if…

Thinking this, Mu Qianyu automatically blushed. Although she had experienced some ambiguous and strange experiences with Lin Ming, in her eyes, she had never thought of Lin Ming like that. In her eyes, Lin Ming was just too young.

Mu Qianyu was 27, and Lin Ming was 16. To those Revolving Core masters that had an prolonged youth, an 11 year difference was nothing. But to the current Mu Qianyu, Lin Ming was simply a young boy.

Not only that, but Mu Qianyu had never thought that she would involve herself with the intimate matters between men and women. Maintaining her pure virgin body and Primordial Yin energy was also of great benefit to her own cultivation.

Maybe it was because the room was too hot, or she had sat for too long, but Mu Qianyu felt a bit uncomfortable. She readied herself to go and take a bath. Mu Qianyu was a woman who loved to stay clean, bathing daily was already a long formed habit of hers.

She turned around to glance at Lin Ming, he was completely engrossed in the jade slip. Then Mu Qianyu quietly left…

………………

“Martial artists cannot directly control fire… they must unify the fire origin energy that can control fire with their own true essence, and through this combination control fire…”

As Lin Ming thought aloud, he clasped his hands together and then slowly opened his palms. A small fire snake appeared in his palms. As he revolved his true essence according to the methods inscribed within the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, the fire snake in Lin Ming’s palms began to become slimmer, longer, and more condensed. Finally, it was like a real-life snake.

Under the absolute suppressive power of the Heretical God Seed, the normally savage fire origin energy had become surprisingly docile. Lin Ming was able to knead it and move it around just like a ball of dough.

“Just a bit more…”

Lin Ming continued to revolve the true essence in his body. Finally, the two fire snakes within his palms turned into red flaming chains that linked together.

In the next moment, the flames completely converged together, and the chains seemed to gain substance. There was almost no difference between these flame chains and red hot iron chains!

“I did it!”

Lin Ming was extremely joyous. He withdrew the Heavy Profound Soft Spear from his spatial ring, and then attached the flame chains directly onto the end of the spear. Suddenly, his Heavy Profound Soft Spear had turned into a chained spear!

“Go!”

Lin Ming used his strength and threw the 1200 jins Heavy Profound Soft Spear. The spear flew out like an arrow, and the chains suddenly tightened.

Peng!

With a bang, the Heavy Profound Soft Spear smashed into the cave mansion wall’s protective array formation, causing a shimmering light curtain to appear.

The array formation that Ancestor Chi Yan had laid down in his cave mansion was naturally not something that Lin Ming was able to damage.

At this moment, Mu Qianyu finished bathing and returned to the room. As she walked in, she just happened to see with her own wide eyes the flaming chain in Lin Ming’s hand that looked no different to a real chain. Mu Qianyu’s eyes went perfectly round. It she didn’t feel the rich fire origin energy coming from the red chains, she would have thought that they were true chains.

“You… you already learned how to form flame chains?”

Mu Qianyu found this difficult to believe. Creating a flame chain was much more difficult than forming a flame shield or flame armor. Even Mu Qianyu had spent an entire day in order to learn how to do this, but Lin Ming had actually done it in the time that she had bathed?

How could this be so quick!?!?

Lin Ming’s fire origin energy fusion compatibility was far inferior to hers!

“Mm…” Lin Ming nodded. Seeing Mu Qianyu’s shocked expression, he figured that he probably did something extraordinary and amazing. But he had done this sort of thing often enough, so he didn’t think it mattered if he did it a few more times.

In truth, a flame chain was just true essence manifestation, similar to thunder manifestation where energy itself was condensed into substance. Lin Ming knew that his ability to easily control fire origin energy stemmed from the overwhelming power of the Heretical God Seed. This Heretical God Seed could even suppress an earth-grade Thunder Soul like the Purple Flood Dragon Divine Thunder; forcing some fire origin energy into submission was just a joke.

Mu Qianyu was left speechless. She had personally determined Lin Ming’s fire origin energy fusion compatibility. She had thought that Lin Ming would encounter many difficulties and problems in learning the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’, but she didn’t imagine that in just less than half an hour, Lin Ming would already be playing around with flame chains…

Heavens!

What a monster!

This sort of monstrous perception simply couldn’t be rationalized through common sense. Mu Qianyu could only attribute Lin Ming’s ability to control flame to his terrifying perception. After all, the technique for controlling fire was still a skill, and it would depend on one’s own perception to comprehend it.

As Mu Qianyu thought this, she eliminated the doubt in her heart. But then a series of matters happened that caused her mouth to twitch over and over again.

Half an hour later, the flame in Lin Ming’s hand turned into a crimson shield.

Then, after another half an hour, a deep ruby red armor appeared around Lin Ming.

Then, after another hour, Lin Ming turned a ball of flames into a series of mystical runes, branding them onto the Heavy Profound Soft Spear, turning the originally silver long spear into a luminescent red.

………….

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

At this time, Mu Qianyu was already numbed senseless.

She didn’t know what expression to make to express her feelings. She finally understood why Lin Ming was able to comprehend ancient array formations at a tender age of 16, to a degree at which he formed theories that made even that crazy kook Ancestor Chi Yan dance with happiness.

Lin Ming’s perception was something that a human shouldn’t have.

She had thought that she would let Lin Ming take a look at the jade slip first and then help direct him into her sect and smooth the path of cultivation for him. Now, it seemed that her thoughts were just a funny joke.

However, what Mu Qianyu didn’t know was that these awe-inspiring miracles had just begun.

Two days later, when Lin Ming began to truly start practicing the source cultivation method of the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Record’, his practice speed bamboozled Mu Qianyu once more.

As Lin Ming sat in meditation, a thick twisting vortex of origin energy had already started to swirl around him, and all of the incomparably rich and pure fire origin energy in the surroundings was continuously gathered into this vortex. It was just like a giant whale sucking in water!

A terrifying amount of fire origin energy flowed into Lin Ming’s body, without even a tiny bit leaking out. It was as if Lin Ming’s body was a bottomless pit; once it went in, nothing came out. How much fire origin there was, was how much was absorbed.

This fearsome origin energy absorption rate caused Mu Qianyu to be shocked. How could Lin Ming’s fire origin energy fusion compatibility only be a measly inferior sixth-grade?

‘Something’s not right. The technique to control fire partially depends on one’s perception. If one has good perception, then having a fast practice speed isn’t strange. But, to cultivate the source cultivation depended only on one’s fusion compatibility with fire. If the fusion grade isn’t high enough, then it’s useless even with amazing perception! But Lin Ming’s current cultivation speed…’

Mu Qianyu was alarmed. Lin Ming’s cultivation speed violated the rules of the world. It was just like the legendary child of flame that was born within the ashes of infernos. A martial artist had to use their true essence to control fire, but a child of flame could suppress fire itself into submission.