Blue Silver Grass and Evil Fire

Morning.

The first rays of sunlight streamed through the window into the little wooden cabin.

Ye Liuyun sat cross-legged on the bed. Rather than cultivating Soul Power, he was trying to guide that faint golden energy toward his right arm.

The "Immortal Azure Emperor Armor" on his left arm had already taken shape. With experience now, the rest would only go faster.

Knock, knock, knock!

Urgent knocking interrupted his thoughts.

"Cousin Liuyun! Get up! The sun's already shining on your butt!"

Xiao Wu's energetic voice came from outside, followed by Tang San's somewhat helpless attempt to stop her.

"Xiao Wu, be gentler. Maybe he's cultivating."

Tang San had no desire to see Ye Liuyun. He only wanted to be alone with Xiao Wu.

Ye Liuyun sighed helplessly and got up to open the door.

"Come on, come on! Let's go eat breakfast!" Xiao Wu grabbed Ye Liuyun by the arm.

Ye Liuyun truly wasn't good at dealing with people who were this enthusiastic, so he could only agree.

The three of them left the academy and headed out along the village path.

They had not gone far when an argument broke out ahead.

"Cuihua! You can't leave! I treated you so well, why are you breaking up with me?"

"Let go! Ma Hongjun, I can't stand you anymore! I really can't!"

Beside a haystack by the road stood a plump little fat man who looked like a red sweet potato. He was gripping a village girl's hand tightly and refusing to let go.

The village girl looked terrified, her eyes red-rimmed.

"No! You have to come back with me today! My fire is acting up again, and you have to help me put it out."

A sinister gleam flashed in the fat boy's eyes. His tone was overbearing; clearly, this was not his first time doing something like this.

"Forcing yourself on a woman in broad daylight?"

Xiao Wu's sense of justice flared up, her brows rising sharply.

"What a shameless bastard! Little San, Cousin, beat him up!"

Tang San glanced at the fat boy and thought to himself.

Though the man had not summoned his Martial Spirit, his aura was unsteady and his steps heavy. He seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary person with some brute strength.

Perfect. He could show off in front of Xiao Wu.

"Let that girl go!"

Tang San stepped forward and flicked his hand.

"First Spirit Skill, Bind!"

Several Blue Silver Grass stalks shot out like venomous snakes, instantly wrapping around the fat boy's waist and trying to pull him away.

"Huh? A Spirit Master?"

Ma Hongjun froze as the vines tightened around him, then immediately flew into a rage.

"You dare meddle in my business? You're courting death!"

"Phoenix Fire Line!"

Boom!

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and spat out a stream of purplish-red flames.

The flames were incredibly domineering, carrying a sticky, corrosive quality.

Sizzle—

Tang San's prized Blue Silver Grass, infused with Datura Snake venom, turned to ash the instant it touched the flames, like dry kindling meeting a blaze!

The flames spread along the vines and nearly burned Tang San's hand.

"What?!"

Tang San staggered back in shock. Looking at the charred Blue Silver Grass on the ground, his expression turned incomparably grim.

How could this happen?

Hadn't his teacher said that after his Blue Silver Grass absorbed a Beast Martial Spirit Ring, its toughness was already comparable to a vine-type Spirit Beast?

Why... had it shattered at a touch?

"Hahahaha! Blue Silver Grass?"

Seeing this, Ma Hongjun doubled over with laughter, the fat on his face jiggling wildly.

"You're killing me! You think you can play the hero and save the beauty with such a trash Martial Spirit?"

"Don't you know fire restrains wood? As long as it's grass, it's trash before my Phoenix Evil Fire!"

Tang San clenched his fists tightly as the inferiority he felt toward his Martial Spirit surged up again.

Could it be... Blue Silver Grass really was a useless Martial Spirit?

According to the Grandmaster's theory, there were no useless Martial Spirits, only useless Spirit Masters.

But in reality, a Martial Spirit's innate strength and elemental counters were like an insurmountable chasm.

Weakness was weakness.

Fire restrained grass. That was simply the natural order.

No amount of cultivation could change its essence.

Blue Silver Grass really was useless.

Seeing Tang San fall silent, Ma Hongjun became even more arrogant.

His beady eyes shifted and landed on Ye Liuyun, who stood behind them with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, another pretty boy."

"I heard there was a Rebirth named Ye Liuyun yesterday who was really arrogant, even daring to provoke Boss Dai. Don't tell me that's you?"

Ma Hongjun wanted to vent Dai Mubai's anger and regain some face in front of Cuihua with a little performance.

Ye Liuyun gave him a sideways glance, his eyes indifferent.

"Boring."

With that, he turned to leave.

Arguing with a fat bastard who thought with his lower half was nothing but a waste of time.

When Ma Hongjun saw himself being ignored, he immediately got angry and cursed.

"Coward."

Ye Liuyun still couldn't be bothered to respond.

Seeing Ye Liuyun apparently eager to run away, Ma Hongjun laughed so hard he could barely close his mouth.

But he also found it only natural. After all, no Blue Silver Grass could withstand his Evil Fire Phoenix.

"Run if you want. I don't have time to deal with you anyway."

Ma Hongjun grabbed Cuihua, who was trying to flee, and snarled viciously.

"Cuihua, come with me!"

Cuihua screamed in fright, her face twisted in pain.

"Help! I'm not going! You'll kill me!"

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth furiously and immediately summoned her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Spirit.

"Today, I'm going to teach you, you pervert, a lesson."

Ye Liuyun paused, then slowly turned around.

He was a selfish pragmatist who only wanted to keep his head down and survive.

Besides, he had already known this part of the story and had long prepared himself mentally.

But seeing a woman being forced in the street like this with his own eyes...

Made him... sick.

He would lose his appetite for breakfast.

"Let go."

Ye Liuyun's voice was not loud, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Ma Hongjun's scalp prickled under that gaze, but once he remembered that the other party also had Blue Silver Grass, he immediately stiffened up again.

"What? You want to know what it feels like to be burned to ash too? Let me tell you, Boss Dai might fear you, but I don't! My Evil Fire perfectly counters—"

Buzz!

Before he could finish.

Three Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple—rose sharply beneath Ye Liuyun's feet.

The terrifying pressure of a level thirty-four Soul Elder bore down on Ma Hongjun like something tangible.

"Th-thirty-fourth level?!"

The fat on Ma Hongjun's body quivered, and he nearly lost his footing.

He was only level twenty-seven!

Seeing this, Tang San hurriedly warned him in a low voice.

"Ye Liuyun, don't act rashly. His flames are strange, with extremely strong adhesion. They perfectly counter our Blue Silver Grass. We're no match for him in a direct clash."

Not far away, Dai Mubai, who was secretly watching from a rooftop, curled his lips into a gloating smile.

Fight. Fight.

Ye Liuyun's Soul Power might be high, but this fat man's Evil Fire was a top-tier Mutated Martial Spirit, the nightmare of all plant-type Spirit Masters.

As long as Ye Liuyun dared use Blue Silver Grass, it would definitely be burned clean.

Then let's see how arrogant he could still be!

Ma Hongjun came to his senses as well and forced himself to put on a brave front.

"So what if your Soul Power is high! You have Blue Silver Grass too! I have the elemental advantage!"

"Second Spirit Skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix!"

Boom!

Purplish-red flames instantly enveloped Ma Hongjun's entire body. His aura surged, and he charged at Ye Liuyun like a fireball.

"Burn to ash!"

Ye Liuyun stood where he was, watching the heat wave rush toward him.

He raised his right hand and slammed it down against the ground.

"Third Spirit Skill: World of Trees!"

Rumble—!

The ground shook violently.

Under everyone's horrified gazes, countless enormous deep-green trees, thick as coiling dragons, erupted wildly from beneath the earth!

The giant trees swelled in an instant, carrying an overwhelmingly rich aura of life as they crashed toward Ma Hongjun like a tidal wave.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire was indeed formidable. The instant it touched the giant trees, it ignited their bark.

But... it was useless!

Burn through one layer of bark, and ten layers of new wood grew beneath it!

Burn through one trunk, and a hundred vines burst forth beside it!

That tiny cluster of purplish-red flames was like a match dropped into the ocean before the overwhelming green sea of trees. It was swallowed instantly, without even raising a bubble.

"Ah! My fire! Why won't it stop burning!"

"Help! Stop squeezing me! My bones are going to break!"

Ma Hongjun's screams came from deep within the forest of trees.

In the blink of an eye.

A dense little forest had appeared in the clearing.

At the center of the forest, Ma Hongjun was tightly bound by countless thick branches, arranged in a humiliating spread-eagle shape.

A stalk of Blue Silver Grass was stuffed in his mouth, leaving him able to make only muffled "Mmph, mmph" sounds.

Ye Liuyun withdrew his hand and brushed the dust from his sleeve.

He did not even look at Ma Hongjun, who was bound like a dumpling, nor did he spare a glance for the dumbstruck Tang San or Dai Mubai, who nearly fell from the roof.

"Boring."

Ye Liuyun turned around as though nothing had happened and called to Xiao Wu and Tang San.

"Let's eat."

Xiao Wu eagerly stepped forward and hugged Ye Liuyun's arm.

"Cousin, you did great. That was so satisfying."