Ultra-Miniature Fireball

The Black Cat had originally been lying on a tree branch. Now, it quickly stood up, staring unblinkingly at the light shining through the window.

It could vaguely make out an extremely blurry black shadow cast onto the glass, constantly changing shape as though someone were walking around inside.

A few breaths later, the light grew slightly brighter.

A snake-like black shadow abruptly appeared on the glass.

The Black Cat's eyes widened at once.

It recalled something Cheng Han had said—the school had several botanical gardens, yet the mastermind had specifically tampered with the Soft Silk Vine. He was very likely studying vines.

The Black Cat leaned its head forward slightly, becoming even more focused.

Could that snake-like shadow be a vine?

It thought the possibility was extremely high! After a while, the Black Cat noticed a new change.

The figure walked back and forth inside the room. It had no idea what he was doing, but patches bulged across the shadow's surface, rapidly expanding as though balloons were being inflated.

The shadow soon became completely unrecognizable, no longer resembling a snake.

The Black Cat was a little confused.

Had it guessed wrong? Was that not a vine? The next moment—

The Black Cat suddenly understood.

Leaves!

The vine had grown leaves! A trace of astonishment appeared in the Black Cat's eyes.

So the other party could make vines grow rapidly.

Another half hour passed.

The light vanished completely, and the window was once again swallowed by darkness.

The Black Cat waited patiently for a while, but there was no movement from inside the house.

It understood that the other party had probably gone to bed.

The Black Cat stood up, deciding to return home and report to its master.

Its master had said that tonight was only the first reconnaissance. It absolutely must not risk entering the house. They would figure out the other party's background first, then formulate the next step of the plan.

This was called "not fighting an unprepared battle."

It carefully climbed down from the tree and soon disappeared into the distance.

Two in the morning.

Cheng Han used the Eye of Omniscience to analyze the sun once more.

The Completeness of the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame increased to 1.88%, while the skill's Proficiency rose to 112/1000.

"Snap!"

Cheng Han snapped his fingers, and a wisp of orange flame sprang from his fingertip.

Compared to before, the flame's color had deepened considerably.

This meant its temperature had increased.

Its power had naturally become even stronger.

An idea occurred to Cheng Han. Right, I can test the flame's temperature.

He did not have a thermometer, but that was fine.

As an engineering student, how could such a minor problem stump him? Cheng Han found a pair of pliers, clamped a nail in them, and held it over the flame. The nail turned dark red at a visible rate.

Dark red iron had a temperature between 600 and 700 degrees.

Cheng Han grinned. "The nail turned red so quickly. The heating rate is abnormally fast. It truly deserves to be called Extraordinary Flame!"

He extinguished the flame and thought, Most people can only dream of extraordinary abilities, yet I use mine every day to cook and make fires. That's really a little too undignified.

This world contains Heretical Gods, and Heretical God Believers are causing trouble everywhere. I need to develop practical combat techniques for Extraordinary Flame so that I'll have some ability to protect myself.

Cheng Han immediately thought of one of the most common game skills—Fireball.

He chuckled. "When I run into enemies in the future, I'll hit them with a fireball first and let them experience This Young Master's warmth. Just thinking about it feels great."

However, ideals were plump, while reality was bony.

Cheng Han strained until his face turned red before he managed to condense a fireball the size of a sesame seed.

Well, perhaps calling it a point of light would have been more appropriate.

He tried several times in a row, but the "ultra-miniature fireball" only flew a little over two meters before it slipped out of his control and dispersed into a burst of flame.

Cheng Han shook his head helplessly. "Then I can only take the close-combat route."

He struck an exceedingly cringe-worthy pose and shouted, "Take a Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!"

Just then—

A small wooden board in the corner of the roof was suddenly pushed open, and a dark cat head poked out.

This was the small door specially made for Sheriff.

The Black Cat had returned at that very moment.

"Meow~"

It let out a puzzled cry, as if asking: What are you doing? Man and cat stared at each other, and the air froze.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Cheng Han had excellent composure. Without changing expression, he thrust his right palm forward and shouted, "Dragon Has Regrets!"

At the same time, he activated the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame.

With the motion of his palm, a sheet of brilliant firelight burst forth from thin air, instantly forming a dazzling arc of flame before vanishing completely.

The Black Cat's eyes widened round again at the sight.

Just moments ago, it had thought its master was acting rather foolishly. Now, however, it thought he was incredibly impressive.

Cheng Han asked with a smile, "Cool, right?"

This move was not merely flashy—its killing power was no weaker at all. If an ordinary person were struck by the flames, they would definitely be burned until their flesh split open. There was a high chance they would need funeral arrangements.

"Meow~"

The Black Cat's cry was full of disbelief.

Cheng Han beckoned to Sheriff. "Come down."

The Black Cat leaped, planting its two front paws against the opposite wall. Using the recoil, it sprang backward and landed on the ground with extreme steadiness.

To be fair, jumping down from nearly three meters high so cleanly and efficiently was quite cool as well.

Cheng Han asked, "Did you get anything?"

The Black Cat nodded. "Meow!"

Cheng Han held out one finger and instructed, "Focus and recall the information you think is most important."

After being completed, the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control could not only transmit information to the Black Cat, but also directly extract information from its mind. This was two-way communication.

The Black Cat jumped onto the sofa and cried, "Meow~"

It meant: I'm ready.

Cheng Han took a light breath, activated the imprint with his mind, and tapped Sheriff on the forehead with one finger.

In an instant, he received the Black Cat's memories.

From the moment the shadow appeared in the window of that house until the window went completely dark, every detail was included without any omissions.

Cheng Han praised it emphatically. "You did an excellent job!"

The Black Cat happily swished its tail.

Cheng Han rubbed the cat's head a few times and said, "Your judgment was absolutely correct. The shadow cast onto the glass really was a vine."

He sighed. "The Soft Silk Vine in the school's botanical garden turned into a Grass Hound, and vines have appeared at Qin Zi Cheng's home too. This definitely isn't a coincidence. It seems that guy really is the mastermind."

Previously, he had only suspected it and could not be completely certain.

Now, he had irrefutable evidence.

The Black Cat looked up at its master and meowed several times.

It was asking: Is there anything else you need me to do? After pondering for a moment, Cheng Han gave another instruction. "Help me catch a few birds tomorrow. I need smaller birds, preferably no larger than a palm."

The Black Cat was utterly baffled. "Meow~"

Yesterday, its master had clearly said not to catch birds. Why had he changed his mind?