Flames of Life and Death

Chiba understood somewhat. If he wanted to improve the quality of these Ninjutsu, he needed to use more similar Ninjutsu to improve his Chakra control and elemental transformation abilities.

Because the main aspect still requires training and cultivation techniques.

With this display of progress, he can more clearly know what level he has reached in his cultivation.

Although it has little practical significance... it's basically just quantifying the level of one's Ninjutsu training.

He sat on the stool, spun the Rasengan a few times, and then tried to compress the Demon Flash a few times, all of which ended in failure. He then lay down on the bed.

"Squeak~"

The bathroom door opened, and Mira and Feiyin walked out in their pajamas, chatting and laughing, their hair still wet.

Chiba felt his heart race instantly. He touched his nose; thankfully, he wasn't bleeding.

I tidied my clothes, then went into the bathroom. I changed the water in the tub, and finally stepped into the water.

It's unlikely I'll be able to learn the Demon Flash anytime soon, but with Demon Flash Rasengan already in hand, there's no rush. As for the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu, I'll probably be able to work on it for the next few days.

The Water Dragon Bullet has forty-four hand seals, making it arguably the Ninjutsu with the most seals. Chiba felt that with his current hand speed, this move was fine for dealing with regular enemies, but it would be somewhat useless against truly skilled opponents.

However, if one's proficiency reaches a certain level, simplifying the hand seals can make it a very practical Ninjutsu.

So, out of boredom, he started fiddling with hand seals and using Chakra in the pool.

At first, he only made some small noises, but later, when he created a water flow in the shape of a dragon, the whole bathroom was shaking. If Feiyin hadn't told Mira that he was researching magic, the latter probably would have rushed in.

After putting on the clothes he had bought beforehand, he came out of the bathroom. Perhaps because he had been showering for too long, Mira and Feiyin on the other bed were already asleep in each other's arms.

Never mind, time for bed.

The next day.

As dawn broke, Chiba woke up from her drowsy sleep. Everyone was eager to finish their mission as soon as possible so they could go home for the New Year, so they shortened their rest time and sped up their journey.

Crossing this wilderness, you arrive at a mountain range called "Wenrubl." This is also the most dangerous place for the mission. Not only are there frenzied, bloodthirsty monsters here, but there are also mages from some dark guilds who frequent the area.

"Chiba, I feel like something's wrong," Mira said suddenly, sitting behind Chiba.

"What's wrong?" Chiba asked, a thought striking her.

Mira whispered, "That wilderness clearly doesn't have many creatures living there. But why did so many monsters suddenly appear last night?"

She continued, "Furthermore, the monsters we fought were almost all creatures that lived in various types of natural environments. I think it's unlikely that they gathered together on instinct."

Chiba understood the implication in her words and couldn't help but ask, "You mean... someone deliberately arranged for those monsters to attack us? Someone is targeting us?"

"But that's unlikely. Those monsters are so weak; the two of us could easily take them down."

Mira rolled her eyes at him and said, "Are you stupid? Who said those monsters were the main force? To tame so many monsters, the tamer's strength must be above theirs. They're probably just testing our strength."

"When we first arrived above the monsters last night, I noticed they seemed to be searching for something. But you were in such a rush that you didn't think much of it."

Chiba stared wide-eyed. "You were the one who threw me off the sky last night, weren't you?"

"Is that so?" Mira narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming extremely dangerous.

Chiba trembled. "No, it was I who insisted on jumping. It was my fault."

"That's more like it..." Mira's lips curled into a smile.

"Should we tell them?" Chiba asked, turning the question around.

Mira nodded. "Go ahead, but this is just my guess."

"Um..."

Chiba rode up to Ailong and the others and told them what had happened.

Ailong frowned and said, "So... we're already being watched?"

"Well... it's just a possibility. We just wanted to remind everyone to be more vigilant," Chiba said.

Ailong smiled. "Of course, and besides, the area we're heading to next is dangerous. We have no reason to be careless."

"Um!"

The group continued their journey towards their destination.

The Wenlubu Mountain Range are an extremely dangerous region within the territory of the Kingdom of Fiore. Not only are powerful monsters lurking here, but it also appears to be a stronghold of the "Shadow Skull," an affiliated guild of one of the Balam Alliance.

"The smell here... it's kind of pleasant..." Mira said, but her brows were furrowed.

What smells pleasant to her might not be pleasant to others. After all, she has accepted the Satan Soul and is already partly demonic.

Because the faces of Ailong and the others, who were not far away, all showed solemn expressions.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, an unidentified object fell from the sky onto the mountain road ahead of the caravan, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"All personnel on high alert!" Ailong's pupils constricted sharply, and he immediately shouted.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from the dust. A red-haired youth dressed in a black robe stepped out, a defiant smile on his face.

"Labi, no wonder you didn't ask us to escort the 'goods,' tsk tsk... to actually send someone from a legitimate mage guild to escort something so precious, really..."

"How foolish..."

Ailong frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"You ants! Shut up!" the young man snapped.

Ailong's face turned pale and then flushed. Although he was gentle by nature, he also had his pride as a mage. To be honest, being reprimanded like this made him a little angry.

Labi stepped out of the carriage, his face contorted with rage. "Kamuer," he declared, "I have nothing to do with your 'Flames of Life and Death' anymore! This is my last shipment. After delivering it to Lord 'Water King,' I'm ready to retire from this business."

The young man Kamuer burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke.

"Labi, should I call you stupid? Or should I call you stupid? When you chose to walk the same path as us, it meant you had no chance to turn back. Retire from crime? Do you even have the right to retire from crime? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

Rabbi's face Labi ashen, as if a sore spot had been touched, and he roared, "Kill him... kill him right now!"

Chiba and Ailong exchanged a glance, then immediately dismounted.

"Lava Release: Lava Armor!"

"Rain of Wind Arrows!"

Two low shouts rang out simultaneously, Chiba's entire body was covered in a layer of high-temperature lava before he charged directly at Kamuer.

A blue magic circle formed in front of Ailong, and then beams of blue light attacked Kamuer.

Kamuer was not far away, seemed not to see the sky full of blue beams of light. His eyes were fixed on Chiba, whose body had turned into lava, and his face was almost distorted.

"I never expected... I really never expected... that the legendary 'Lava Monster' would actually appear here!"