Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree

"Uncle Tao, you're going to have your work cut out for you later! Help me fill the waterskin with water. We'll use it up fast, so you'll need to keep fetching more. I'll stay here and restrain the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree!" Ye Lan instructed Su Yuntao.

He then took a folded animal-hide waterskin from his backpack. Once unfolded, it could hold twenty liters of water.

After that, he pulled out a logging axe, preparing to deal with the Sun-Chasing Tree.

"Can't we just chop it down directly? Even if the Flame Core heats up, we have axes—we won't get burned!" Su Yuntao asked Ye Lan.

"It's not that simple. The trunk of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree is as hard as refined iron. Its only real weakness is its roots. Uncle Tao, wait until you bring the water back. Then just sit back and watch the show." Ye Lan explained the key point to Su Yuntao.

"Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Tao. Hurry back!"

Before long, Su Yuntao returned with several dozen jin of water. He found Ye Lan chopping at the roots of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree, axe strike after axe strike.

The Sun-Chasing Tree had an extensive root system, but its roots were not used to absorb water. Instead, they were used to drain away accumulated water. The tree's base formed a rounded arch, like a gigantic pot lid.

The Sun-Chasing Tree only needed to absorb a small amount of water. Most of its roots existed to block groundwater and rainwater from accumulating.

Whenever it rained, the Sun-Chasing Tree's Flame Core would fall dormant. Its roots would then crawl up its trunk, sealing it off from the heavy rain.

What Ye Lan was doing now was digging out its roots. With each swing of his axe, he carved a circular hole into the protruding root system.

Ye Lan then took the water-filled waterskin from Su Yuntao and poured the water directly into the roots.

With its roots damaged, the broken areas instinctively absorbed the water being poured in.

The absorbed water traveled upward from below, heading toward the Flame Core of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree.

The instant the cold water came into contact with the Flame Core, it produced a massive amount of violent steam.

As the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree continuously absorbed the spring water, hot and cold collided within its trunk, sending out billows of white smoke. Its leaves shook violently while its roots burst from the ground and flailed wildly.

Seeing this, Su Yuntao stopped asking questions. He simply grabbed the empty waterskin and continued fetching water.

The dancing roots of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree kept crawling toward the hole Ye Lan had chopped open, trying to cover the damaged opening.

Ye Lan, meanwhile, continuously attacked the flailing roots, preventing them from flooding and filling in the hole he had dug.

And so, Su Yuntao made more than twenty trips.

The trunk of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree swelled larger and larger, while its yellow glazed surface filled with thick, rolling white smoke.

Seeing this, Ye Lan hurriedly grabbed Su Yuntao and ran into the distance!

Once they had run several hundred meters away, a tremendous boom sounded behind them.

When they turned around, they saw a gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud of vapor forming in the sky above where the Sun-Chasing Tree had stood.

Without stopping to admire the spectacle, Ye Lan led Su Yuntao swiftly back to the scene.

A huge amount of steam filled the area around the scene. It was as stifling and hot as a sauna.

Many of the nearby low shrubs and weeds had been blasted everywhere by the steam explosion, leaving the ground in a complete mess.

At the center of the steam explosion lay a Sun-Chasing Tree that had been blown into pieces.

Among the orange glazed fragments scattered across the ground was a Flame Core that was gradually dimming.

Seeing this, Ye Lan picked up his axe and rushed toward the core of the dying Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree.

Ye Lan leaped high into the air and brought his axe down with all his strength upon the fiery-red crystal.

Crack!

The Flame Core shattered, and Ye Lan successfully killed the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree.

The damp fragments and remains of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree around them began to spontaneously combust. Ye Lan was quite puzzled by the sight.

A yellow Soul Ring rose from the flames—the century-old Soul Ring of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree.

Without dwelling on it, Ye Lan reached his right hand toward the Soul Ring in the fire. The moment he touched the yellow Soul Ring, all the Soul Skill information of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree surfaced in his mind as usual. Several of the skills caught Ye Lan's attention; most of them were red- and gold-grade.

Soul Skill Name: Sun Immolation

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbs the devout trait of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree and evolves into Blue Silver Grass—Azure Flame. Blue Silver Grass transforms into a fire attribute. It can absorb True Sun Fire from the sun every day, increasing fire damage daily. Fire damage increases by 1% each day. For every 100% increase in fire damage, the rate of fire damage increase is reduced by 30%.

Active Soul Skill: Absorb a large amount of Solar Rays and condense them into a sphere of flame. Absorb Soul Ring energy, then detonate the Soul Ring. Deals ten times fire damage. Soul Power consumption: 90%. Restriction: Noon only.

Sun Immolation was a particularly special Soul Skill, a growth-type Soul Skill. It could increase one's fire damage attribute through the sun every day, while its active effect was a self-destructive ultimate move. If it failed to blow the opponent to death, the user would be left in dire straits due to Soul Power depletion.

But ten times fire damage! What more could he ask for? It was absolutely a Divine Skill for defeating stronger opponents. Its only drawback was that it detonated the Soul Ring, meaning it could not be used every day.

The true core of Sun Immolation was still its passive effect: increasing fire damage. If his later Soul Rings were paired properly, it would be easy to evolve into Ultimate Fire. This was absolutely a core skill for fire-element Soul Masters. If Huo Wu of Blazing Academy got this Soul Skill, she would not trade it even for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

Soul Skill Name: Born Towards the Sun

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Sun-Chasing Trait of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree and evolves into Blue Silver Grass—Light. Blue Silver Grass evolves into a light attribute. It can draw light attributes from light, gradually increasing Light Affinity. Light Affinity increases by 1% each day, with a maximum of 200% Affinity.

Active Soul Skill: Consume a percentage of Soul Power to restore an equal percentage of Health.

This Soul Skill was the foundation of the light attribute. The higher one's Light Affinity, the greater the bonuses gained from future Soul Skills. It was equivalent to a final buff attribute.

For example, if "Born Towards the Sun" consumed 10% of Soul Power to restore 10% of Health, then with 100% Light Affinity, it would restore not 10%, but 20%.

Likewise, for a light-attribute damage Soul Skill, with 100% Affinity, the damage of that light-attribute Soul Skill would be doubled.

Light Affinity was even more outrageous than the fire damage boost from Sun Immolation. It could enhance not only damage, but support skills as well. Unfortunately, there were trade-offs—Light Affinity had an upper limit.

Soul Skill Name: Blazing Nirvana

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbed the deathly intent of the Sun-Chasing Incineration Tree and evolved into Blue Silver Grass—Deathfire. All destroyed Blue Silver Grass would be reborn amid the flames.

Active Soul Skill: Create a Flame Domain. As long as the flames did not go out, the Blue Silver Grass would be reborn through nirvana. Within the Flame Domain, fire-element Soul Skill damage increased by 30%, while enemies' fire resistance decreased by 30%.

Blazing Nirvana was simple and brutal—a Flame Domain skill! If the opponent had no domain to counteract it, the Blue Silver Grass could be reborn endlessly. It was a Soul Skill focused on immediate combat power, with an additional fire damage boost that could provide teammates with an excellent damage-dealing environment.

If Ye Lan chose this skill, he would definitely become Blazing Academy's most treasured favorite!

All of these Soul Skills were immensely powerful, enough to serve as one of the core skills of an entire system.

Although Ye Lan coveted them, improving his cultivation talent was still the most urgent matter. He could only reluctantly turn his gaze toward the other skills.