After concluding the battles at Fire God Mountain several days ago, Lin Tian had gained a deeper understanding of the Fire Element Mystery.
Since Porter had already visited every Fire Saint Domain expert he was close to, there were no new Saint Domain experts left to spar with Lin Tian. Moreover, because they had only been exchanging pointers, Lin Tian could only rely on his profound understanding of the Fire Element Mystery to exploit weaknesses in his opponents' Fire Profound Mysteries of the Laws. He had always been defending passively and had yet to launch an active attack. In his future training, Lin Tian wanted to demonstrate his offensive abilities more.
Lin Tian and Porter told Laun about his idea, and the three of them headed to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to seek out Saint Domain magical beasts and fight them, further tempering Lin Tian's strength.
The three hurried onward and soon arrived at the edge of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Towering trees filled the area, and amid the dense aura of nature lingered a faint scent of danger. Porter said gravely, "Lin Tian, there are many Saint Domain magical beasts in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and each possesses unique insights into the Laws and innate abilities. You must be extremely careful on this journey."
Laun nodded in agreement. "That's right. These Saint Domain magical beasts will not show mercy. Every battle is a test of life and death, but it is precisely this sort of tempering that will allow you to grow faster."
Excitement and determination shone in Lin Tian's eyes. "Grandfather, Teacher Laun, don't worry. I'm ready."
After entering the mountain range, Lin Tian headed toward the depths where Saint Domain magical beasts were known to roam. Before long, he encountered the first one—an Iron-Mane Rock Bear. This enormous bear was as large as a small mountain, covered in black fur as hard as stone, and emanated the heavy aura of the Laws of Earth.
When the Iron-Mane Rock Bear saw the three of them, it let out an angry roar like rolling thunder, making the surrounding trees rustle. It said, "Humans, you have crossed the boundary!"
Lin Tian said nothing. He stepped forward and unleashed his aura.
The Iron-Mane Rock Bear flew into a rage. It stomped hard with its forelimbs, and the earth immediately trembled as sharp rocks erupted from the ground, stabbing fiercely toward Lin Tian.
Lin Tian's gaze sharpened as he took the initiative to attack. He unleashed the Fire Element Mystery, and raging flames ignited around him. Like nimble spirits, the flames swiftly gathered into streams of flaming sword qi and shot toward the protruding rocks. The fiery sword qi collided with the rocks in a series of booms, shattering them one after another.
The Iron-Mane Rock Bear grew even angrier. Its massive body flashed forward like a black cannonball, and it raised a bear paw high before smashing it down with immense force. Lin Tian showed no fear. In an instant, he transformed into a Fire Element life-form, drifting lightly beneath the bear paw like a wisp of flame.
Good opportunity! Lin Tian rejoiced inwardly. Taking advantage of the Iron-Mane Rock Bear's missed attack, he condensed a fireball compressed to the extreme with the Fire Element Mystery and fired it toward the bear's abdomen. The instant it struck the Iron-Mane Rock Bear's body, the fireball exploded. The powerful impact made its enormous body sway slightly.
The Iron-Mane Rock Bear roared repeatedly in pain. Opening its huge maw, it sprayed forth a dense yellow glow that instantly formed a thick layer of jade armor over its body. Lin Tian frowned slightly, realizing that this rock bear possessed a deep understanding of the Laws of Earth. Simple flame attacks would have difficulty breaking through its defenses.
As the fierce battle continued, Lin Tian constantly considered a way to break the deadlock. Then inspiration struck, and he tried compressing the Fire Element Mystery to the extreme while continuously rotating it, forming a spinning drill.
Lin Tian fired the spinning drill at the jade armor. Under its assault, the jade armor gradually cracked apart. The Iron-Mane Rock Bear watched in terror as its jade armor shattered and turned to flee. How could Lin Tian let such an opportunity pass? He unleashed the Fire Element Mystery again, and flames coiled around the Iron-Mane Rock Bear's limbs like ropes, leaving it unable to move.
Immediately afterward, Lin Tian condensed a powerful flaming blade and viciously stabbed it into the Iron-Mane Rock Bear. With a miserable scream, the Iron-Mane Rock Bear crashed to the ground and lost all signs of life.
"Lin Tian, well done! Your use of the Fire Element Mystery has become increasingly skillful, and your combat ability is truly formidable. This method of using rotation to break through defenses is very innovative," Porter praised.
Laun nodded and smiled as well. "Indeed. You can respond swiftly in actual combat and continuously uncover the potential of the Fire Element Mystery. Given time, you will surely rise to an even greater level."
Lin Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "Thank you, Grandfather and Teacher Laun."
After Lin Tian finished dealing with the Iron-Mane Rock Bear's corpse, the three continued deeper into the mountain range. Not long after, they encountered a Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix radiating an icy aura. This ice phoenix had a slender body, and her feathers shimmered with crystalline blue light. Each feather seemed to contain endless cold. She was an expert in the Laws of Water.
When the Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix saw the three of them, she let out a clear phoenix cry. The sound was like countless icy blades slicing toward Lin Tian and the others. Lin Tian quickly unleashed the Fire Element Mystery, forming a flaming barrier before him that blocked the ice blades. The ice blades collided with the flames with sizzling sounds and turned into droplets of water.
Seeing this, the Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix spread her wings, and countless ice spikes fell from the sky in a dense downpour. Lin Tian did not retreat. He used the Fire Element Mystery to transform into a Fire Element life-form, weaving freely through the gaps between the ice spikes. At the same time, he continually condensed flames and fired them at the Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix.
The Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix nimbly evaded the flames. Suddenly, she spat out a blue ice flame. This ice flame was unimaginably cold, freezing the air into ice crystals wherever it passed. Feeling its formidable power, Lin Tian quickly condensed the Fire Element Mystery into a massive flaming vortex before him.
The flaming vortex spun wildly, drawing the ice flame into its center. Ice flame and fire collided and canceled each other out within the vortex, erupting in a dazzling radiance. Lin Tian seized the chance to attack again, pushing the Fire Element Mystery to its limit as flames pounced toward the Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix like Fire Dragons.
The Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix sensed the danger. She beat her wings and formed a thick layer of ice before herself. The Fire Dragons slammed into the ice layer with resounding booms. Lin Tian knew that breaking through this layer of ice would not be easy, and he began considering how to further increase the power of his flames.
Then a flash of insight struck Lin Tian. He thought of the ability he had previously comprehended: Fusion at Will. He concentrated and fully displayed the transformative ability of the Fire Element Mystery. The flames instantly underwent a wondrous change. They became more dispersed, and the scattered flames displayed their agility as they continuously slipped through the nearly nonexistent gaps in the ice, undermining the integrity of the ice layer.
Lin Tian attacked again. This time, the flames easily pierced through the ice layer and struck the Snow-Feather Ice Phoenix. She let out a mournful cry and fell from the sky.
Lin Tian panted lightly, excitement shining in his eyes. "Through my battle with this ice phoenix, I have gained a deeper understanding of Fusion at Will within the Fire Element Mystery. It feels like my control over flames has risen to another level."
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