The Wondrous Uses of the Arts, Qing Lin's Problem

"I choose the Inheritance Jade Slip."

With a slight thought from Lu Yu, a fiery-red jade slip appeared in his hand in an instant.

As his soul power slowly swept over the jade slip, the information regarding the three arts immediately surfaced in his mind.

The Heavenly Fire Forging God Art used Strange Fire to temper the soul. With each tempering, it could purge impurities from the soul and raise the quality of the soul, until one finally transformed into a mass of Soul Fire. So long as the flame did not go out, the soul would not perish.

It was divided into two major realms: Soul Forging and Fire Transformation.

Soul Forging corresponded to cultivation in the Mortal Realm.

Fire Transformation corresponded to cultivation in the Spirit Realm.

However, the step of transforming the soul into fire was extremely dangerous. The slightest carelessness would cause one to spontaneously combust into ash. According to the art, it required the assistance of a fifth-grade spirit pill called the Soul Illuminating Pill.

If converted to the pill grades of the Dou Qi Continent, that would be an eighth-tier pill.

As for the Sky Burning Spirit Incineration Technique, it was a secret art that temporarily increased one's strength by burning the Strange Fire within the body. The degree of the increase depended on the strength of the Strange Fire and its compatibility with the user.

The stronger the Strange Fire, and the higher its compatibility with the user, the greater the increase.

However, after it was used, the Strange Fire within the body would become dispirited for a short time and would need to be nourished for a period before it could be used again. But it caused the user no harm whatsoever.

It could be said that the price for using this secret art was almost entirely borne by the Strange Fire inside the body.

The final Ancestral Flame Scripture required one to possess the bloodline of the Fire Spirit Clan in order to cultivate it. To Lu Yu, this art could only serve as reference and had little practical use.

And exchanging for this art in the simulation was merely to avoid making those Heaven Supreme remnant souls of the Fire Spirit Clan suspicious.

"The Heavenly Fire Forging God Art and the Sky Burning Spirit Incineration Technique both count as Earth-tier high-grade arts and secret arts, but even among Earth-tier high-grade techniques, they're top-quality goods."

"Those old fellows of the Fire Spirit Clan really do have good things..."

Lu Yu praised them, then swept over the jade slip again. He shook his head and said, "It's just that the difficulty of cultivating them is also high. To even get started, I'm afraid it'll take several months of effort..."

He pondered for a moment, and a decision had already formed in his heart. "I'll cultivate the Sky Burning Spirit Incineration Technique first. After all, cultivating a secret art should be easier than a soul art..."

After making up his mind, Lu Yu immediately sat cross-legged with his five centers facing the sky and began to comprehend it.

Several days later, at the Xiao Family's Back Mountain.

"Whoosh—"

Lu Yu's figure flickered like a phantom, several crimson Afterimages appearing beneath his feet. His fingertips trembled slightly, and dozens of Fire Threads as fine as hair suddenly shot out, weaving into a net of fire in midair and enveloping the White-clothed Young Girl opposite him.

"So fast!"

Little Fairy Doctor's pupils shrank slightly. With a light tap of her dainty foot against the ground, she rapidly retreated. As her fair hands fluttered, Colored Butterflies wreathed in purple Poison Mist flew gracefully from her sleeves, meeting the oncoming fire net head-on.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The poisonous butterflies collided with the Fire Threads and instantly burst into clouds of purple mist. Yet the crimson Fire Threads did not slow at all, piercing through the Poison Mist and continuing to rush toward her.

In that split second—

"Boom!"

The Afterimages beneath Lu Yu's feet suddenly exploded, and his figure abruptly accelerated. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the blockade of Poison Mist, closed in before Little Fairy Doctor, and thrust his right palm straight toward her centerline, wrapped in scorching waves of heat!

"Condense!"

Little Fairy Doctor remained calm in the face of danger. Her hands swiftly formed seals, and layer upon layer of purple poison barriers condensed in front of her, attempting to block this thunderous strike.

But Lu Yu's lips curved upward. The Afterimages beneath his feet exploded with a boom, and he shot into the sky. In midair, he flipped gracefully, then his entire body transformed into a crimson meteor, diving down with a fierce palm wind!

"This..."

Little Fairy Doctor looked up at the figure descending from the sky and froze in place for a moment.

Just as the palm wind was about to reach her, the Purple Cloud Wings on Lu Yu's back suddenly unfurled. With an elegant sideways spin, he swept past her and landed lightly on the ground.

"You lost again."

Lu Yu turned around and smiled. "Tonight's dishes are yours."

"Not fair!"

Little Fairy Doctor stamped her foot in anger and snapped, "You have both an Earth-grade movement technique and a Flying Dou Skill. Your movement is unpredictable—I can't even touch the corner of your clothes! Even if we're in the same realm, it still isn't fair!"

Lu Yu shook his head and cut her off. "You're already a Five-star Great Dou Master now, but you have a cultivation realm with no real combat experience. If you're not convinced, I won't use my movement technique or Flying Dou Skill this time. Shall we go again?"

"Good!" Little Fairy Doctor's eyes lit up.

Not long after...

"That one doesn't count!"

"You cheated!"

"My hand slipped..."

An hour later, Little Fairy Doctor sat dejectedly on the ground and said in frustration, "We're clearly in the same realm, so why is the gap so big?"

If you'd been chased down in every possible way by an old-school Dou Huang for several months, you'd be this strong too...

Lu Yu thought this to himself, but on his face, he merely smiled without saying a word.

His combat skills had all been beaten into him by Hai Bodong, tempered through countless trials. Even among his peers, he could be called outstanding.

"All right. Starting today, you'll train with me during the day. When it comes to Dou Techniques, only practice makes perfect. If you only keep your head down and cultivate bitterly, you'll suffer for it sooner or later."

Lu Yu patted the dust from his robes and spoke with a serious expression.

Hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor blinked. "What about Qing Lin? Doesn't she need to train with us?"

"She's still only a Dou Practitioner."

Lu Yu looked toward Qing Lin, who was cultivating in the distance, and sighed softly. "What matters most right now is solidifying her foundation. It won't be too late to temper her actual combat skills after she breaks through to the Dou Master realm."

A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes. "Besides, her path of cultivation is different from ours..."

As a soul-type talent, the Jade Serpent Three Flower Eyes, in his view, meant that nurturing Qing Lin had to begin with Soul power. Originally, he had planned to pass the Heavenly Fire Forging God Art to Qing Lin, but after thinking it over, he found it rather inappropriate. The prerequisite for cultivating this soul technique was possessing an Exotic Flame.

And Qing Lin carried the bloodline of the Snake-human Race. Her constitution was cold and yin in nature, innately clashing with something like an Exotic Flame...

Even the Method for Shaping Exotic Flame Spiritual Meridians probably could not be applied to her...

So, as for exactly how to nurture Qing Lin, he was actually quite troubled.

Lu Yu thoughtfully stroked his chin, a contemplative light flickering in his eyes as he thought to himself, Perhaps... I shouldn't limit my vision to developing ocular techniques alone.

He raised his head and gazed into the distance, as if he could see that vast, boundless Great Thousand World. "In that broader world, the fields those with powerful Soul power can set foot in are incredibly varied. It's far from being like the Dou Qi Continent, where the only path available is refining medicine..."

"Medicine refining, artifact refining, spiritual formations, insect control... each has its own strengths. It could be called a hundred flowers blooming at once."

Lu Yu pondered silently. "If I can find a secondary profession suited to bringing out the characteristics of the Jade Serpent Three Flower Eyes..."

At this thought, he could not help revealing a faint smile. With the simulator's ability, obtaining a basic inheritance would not be difficult. The true key lay in—

"Just what kind of path can bring out Qing Lin's potential to the greatest extent?"