Li Xiaoyao took out a mirror and examined himself. The phoenix mark on his forehead shimmered beneath the shifting light and shadow, forming a peculiar contrast with his temperament.
"Now that the Phoenix Universe Cover has successfully recognized me as its master, it doesn't matter even if our attributes don't match. One day, the Phoenix God King's inheritance will be mine to use!"
Li Xiaoyao put away the mirror and saw that everything in the room had been completely melted by the flames. The facilities and decor on the top floor of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel had been utterly destroyed.
Li Xiaoyao secretly rejoiced that he had activated the domain, "City of Eating Time," beforehand and enveloped the entire top floor.
Not only had it prevented the Fire Attribute divine power from leaking out, but it had also concealed every sound and flash of fire. Even that piercing phoenix cry had not leaked out in the slightest, and no one noticed anything amiss.
Otherwise, if anyone had seen what had just happened—the flames and the phoenix phenomenon—it would probably have caused another round of trouble.
"Let's go find the hotel manager and switch rooms for the night!"
"It'll save me the trouble of using Time Reversal over and over again!"
After glancing at the devastated floor, Li Xiaoyao turned and left.
Fortunately, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel belonged to Ning Rongrong's family, and the two of them had been staying on the most luxurious floor. The losses within were indeed considerable.
Had it been someone else, they would inevitably have had to pay a hefty sum in compensation and might even have been held accountable by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel.
Fortunately, Ning Rongrong was his girlfriend, so naturally he did not need to pay for the damages. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel would be even less likely to hold him responsible, saving him quite a bit of trouble.
"Mr. Li! Hello!"
As Li Xiaoyao stepped out of the hotel's top floor, the staff in the corridor immediately came forward and bowed in greeting.
Catching sight of the devastation across the entire floor, a trace of surprise flashed through the staff member's eyes, but he did not dare ask a single question.
Li Xiaoyao remained composed and went straight to find the hotel manager, getting directly to the point.
"Hello, Manager Ning!"
"I had a small problem while cultivating just now and accidentally burned down the entire floor. I'll have to trouble you to arrange another place for me to stay."
Manager Ning immediately nodded upon hearing this, his tone respectful.
"Young Master Li, rest assured. I'll arrange it for you right away. You need not worry about anything."
The manager's surname was Ning, and he was a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
He knew about the relationship between Li Xiaoyao and Ning Rongrong. Never mind that Li Xiaoyao had merely accidentally burned down one floor—even if he had torn down the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel, it would not have mattered.
Their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lacked nothing but wealth.
Under Manager Ning's arrangements, a residence no less luxurious than the previous one was quickly prepared.
Li Xiaoyao pushed open the door and entered. The room's furnishings were refined and lavish, no different from the previous room.
After washing up, he obediently lay down on the bed. His fingertips rubbed the Phoenix Universe Cover in his palm, while the mark on his forehead flickered faintly as he thought to himself.
The Fire Attribute divine power within the Phoenix Universe Cover is even stronger than I imagined. Perhaps it will be of great help on my trip to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow.
If possible—
He wanted to take care of Tang Hao and the Titan Giant Ape while he was at it.
After all, as the saying went—
Strike first, or suffer later.
Rather than constantly guarding against Tang Hao in the future, and preventing the Titan Giant Ape from sacrificing itself to Tang San, he might as well get rid of these two hidden threats early. That would prevent future trouble and endless consequences.
As he was thinking, Ning Rongrong hurried into the room, her face full of anxiety.
"Brother Xiaoyao, are you all right?"
Ning Rongrong ran her hands over Li Xiaoyao again and again. Only after confirming that her beloved was not injured did she softly ask.
"Brother Xiaoyao, Uncle Ning told me that something went wrong with your cultivation and the whole floor was destroyed. You scared me to death."
"What exactly happened?"
"Did something go wrong during your cultivation?"
"Were you hurt?"
Ning Rongrong's anxiety and concern warmed Li Xiaoyao's heart. His feelings for her had not been in vain.
Holding Ning Rongrong's hand, Li Xiaoyao gently reassured her.
"Sister Rongrong, don't worry!"
"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt either!"
Only after confirming that Li Xiaoyao was truly all right did Ning Rongrong pat her barely budding chest, then ask with deep concern.
"Brother Xiaoyao, tell me honestly. Have you been secretly practicing some dangerous Martial Arts Manual behind Rongrong's back?"
"Brother Xiaoyao, you're already outstanding and incredibly talented. For Rongrong's sake, you can't gamble with your own safety. If anything happens, you have to tell me. We'll face it together, all right?"
Li Xiaoyao gently wiped away the tears in Ning Rongrong's eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Sister Rongrong, don't worry!"
"You haven't even married me yet, nor have you borne me any children. How could I let anything happen to myself so easily?"
"From now on, I'll be careful when cultivating and never act rashly. I'll discuss everything with you and never make you worry again."
After thinking for a moment, Li Xiaoyao continued.
"The reason the hotel's top floor was burned down was because the elders of my family were worried about me being out here alone, so they specially sent a divine beast, the Fire Phoenix, to protect me."
"It was because the Fire Phoenix failed to properly control its Fire Attribute divine power when it emerged from spatial travel that the flames accidentally leaked out and burned down the entire top floor."
"Fortunately, I used Chronos's domain, the City of Eating Time, in time to contain the disturbance. That prevented any casualties and avoided the danger of the entire Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel being burned down, so it didn't cause even greater trouble."
Ning Rongrong waved it off carelessly, her tone utterly domineering.
"It's only the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Hotel!"
"So what if it burned down!"
"As long as Brother Xiaoyao is fine, that's all that matters!"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was not short of money.
Compared with a hotel, she cared far more about her beloved.
Besides, Brother Xiaoyao had not intentionally burned down the top floor.
There had been a reason for it. His family elders had been worried, so they sent a divine beast, the Fire Phoenix...
Hmm???
Wait!
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
A divine beast, the Fire Phoenix???
She knew of Fire Phoenixes.
They were incredibly powerful beings capable of contending with true dragons.
But this divine beast...
Could it be the legendary existence from the Soul Master world—
A being that became a god upon reaching level one hundred?
"Bro... Brother Xiaoyao!"
"The divine beast Fire Phoenix you just mentioned..."
Ning Rongrong's lips parted slightly, but she hesitated to continue.
If her guess was correct, then the divine beast Fire Phoenix was a genuine Deity.
What did that mean?
It meant Li Xiaoyao's family was a legendary Deity family!
A family capable of commanding Deities must possess an ancient inheritance and profound foundations.
She was merely the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Though her sect was prestigious, it paled in comparison to a Deity family. Was she truly worthy of Brother Xiaoyao, whose origins were so extraordinary?
At that moment, a sense of inferiority welled up in Ning Rongrong's heart. Her fingers tightened slightly, and she was filled with unease. She only felt that the gap between herself and Li Xiaoyao, who came from a Deity family, was far too great. She simply was not worthy of him.
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