Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Meow)

Looking at that massive skull, Xiao Yan could not help but tremble.

It turned out that what was born in this place was not Earth Fire at all, but this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire!

When a living being does not perish, its spirit condenses into fire; it lacks any sensation of heat, yet it is piercingly cold—this is the Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

However, the Bone Spirit Cold Fire in the Bean Meal Firmament is born at the intersection of extreme yin and extreme cold, yet this place can hardly be considered a frigid zone. Ten thousand years ago, this was still a volcano; how could it possibly give birth to Bone Spirit Cold Fire?

Unable to fathom the reason, Xiao Yan could only temporarily name this flame the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire. After all, this flame was merely not hot, and it was still far from reaching the "ice that burns" appearance of true Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

"So, the source of this Earth Fire phenomenon is this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire. But why would this cold fire cause such a scene?"

Xiao Yan frowned. Although this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire was a strange fire, it lacked any scorching sensation, as if it did not exist at all. Even if he placed his hand upon it, he could not feel the slightest warmth.

If it didn't actually cause burns, Xiao Yan would have thought it was an illusion. But since the flame truly existed and yet contained no heat, how could it form the scene outside of Burn Heaven Boil Sea and the emergence of Earth Fire?

"There must be something else. Only when the two are combined can they constitute that scene of burning heaven and scorching earth outside."

Xiao Yan was certain that the opportunity here was definitely more than just this flame. He looked around, searching constantly, until he finally discovered a strange red spot at the center of the giant skull's brow.

It was not magma, nor was it a burning flame, but a fragment.

It was a fragment that was vermilion throughout, like fire, presenting a circular arc. One could barely discern that it must have been a spherical object in its former life, and one could faintly see the dark gold color upon it, resembling flowing magma.

"This... could this be a fragment of the Red Orb?"

Xiao Yan widened his eyes in disbelief.

The Red Orb, a precious item that allows Groudon to undergo Primal Reversion—if this truly was a fragment of the Red Orb, it would explain the origin of the terrifying scene outside.

The orb fragment possessed the status but, like water without a source, it would constantly leak energy; the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire had just been born, possessing immense energy but lacking the status. Only when the two combined did they create the terrifying scene outside.

"This item is meant for my use."

Xiao Yan chuckled as he pried this fragment from the skull and placed it into the arms of Little Fire Dragon, letting the creature hold the orb to feel the energy within.

As for himself, he reached out toward the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire, preparing to absorb it.

"If my guess is correct, once I begin absorbing this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire, the external phenomenon will gradually weaken. However, with two soul beasts fighting, they might not notice the change in the phenomenon."

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan did not hesitate; he manipulated his soul power and channeled it into the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire.

The process of refining the flame was very different from what Xiao Yan had imagined. This newborn spirit fire was full of vitality, likely because it had previously borrowed some of the power from the Red Orb fragment. The Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire was extremely arrogant, like a poised ice beauty.

And Xiao Yan was like a suitor to this beauty, needing to constantly offer soul power to win her heart.

But Xiao Yan's soul power was too weak—only at level 15—and compared to the Red Orb, how could it be anything but feeble?

Having tasted the power of the Red Orb, the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire was naturally unwilling to be refined by a weakling like Xiao Yan.

However, the Red Orb was now controlled by Little Fire Dragon, and its power no longer overflowed. No matter how much the spirit fire craved that power, it would eventually be stained, bit by bit, by Xiao Yan's soul power.

The spirit fire refused to be refined by Xiao Yan's soul power and fought back fiercely. Waves of flame surged; though they lacked any heat, they constantly scorched Xiao Yan.

"Heh, quite stubborn!"

Xiao Yan would not sit still and wait for death. He simply increased his soul power output, pulled out a bottle of Essence Replenishment Pill, and sat in meditation to circulate the Burning Technique.

The Burning Technique was both a cultivation method and a means to absorb strange fires. At this moment, Xiao Yan's soul power constantly permeated the strange fire, while the dual recovery of the Burning Technique and the Essence Replenishment Pill allowed him to rest while the enemy tired. As one waned and the other waxed, the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire was soon branded with Xiao Yan's mark.

At the same time, because the strange fire had already been partially refined by Xiao Yan, the Burning Technique began to devour it. Under this pressure, the Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire quickly became weak and began to beg for mercy.

But having gone to such lengths, how could Xiao Yan let the opportunity in his grasp slip away?

The Burning Technique circulated like a hungry beast, constantly tearing at the body of the strange fire and converting it into flames that Xiao Yan could use.

Simultaneously, Little Fire Dragon fed back a stream of pure fire-attribute soul power. Xiao Yan looked back and saw Little Fire Dragon holding the Red Orb, looking at him excitedly; it had clearly gained something from the energy leaking from the Red Orb fragment.

And because this soul power was obtained after sensing the Red Orb fragment, it was actually tainted with a trace of its aura. Xiao Yan tried to use this soul power to refine the strange fire and found it exceptionally easy.

"I suppose it's because this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire spent so much time with the Red Orb fragment that the soul power tainted with the fragment's aura can easily bypass the strange fire's defenses and refine it."

The Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire had thought its big brother was coming to help, but it never expected that after the big brother entered its body, it would actually help that soul power refine it. Suddenly, sorrow welled up, and a feeling of grief emanated from the spirit fire.

Xiao Yan knew the flame was about to be refined. The Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire and he were now mentally connected, and he could faintly feel that he was only one step away.

And this soul power, tainted with the aura of the Red Orb, happened to make up for that final gap, helping Xiao Yan completely master the spirit fire.

The blue flames in the skull's eyes gradually vanished, but this flame ignited within Xiao Yan's dantian, flowing along his soul power through his limbs, bones, and meridians.

"Sure enough, as I absorb the first strange fire, not only can I use it to fight, but the cultivation speed of the Burning Technique has also increased."

Xiao Yan did not want to delay; he drove his soul power to strike at the bottleneck of his level 15.

His soul power surged like waves crashing against the shore, constantly battering the bottleneck, and Xiao Yan gradually gained a glimmer of realization.

"No wonder. My level is tied to Little Fire Dragon. I haven't been able to break through in the few days I've been at school because I haven't been grinding monsters..."

Yes, Little Fire Dragon enjoyed the rules of Pokémon; it couldn't level up by cultivation alone. It either had to rely on refining and consuming pills, or go outside to grind monsters to gain experience points.

"However, absorbing this Pseudo Bone Spirit Fire is a great supplement, so my soul power will also increase."

"Then, to break through this bottleneck, I only need to..."

Xiao Yan moved swiftly, pulling out the Purple Sun Pill and pouring them into his mouth like beans from a bamboo tube.

Bit by bit, his soul power accumulated, and the bottleneck was finally shattered by the vast ocean of soul power. At the same time, a dazzling white light erupted from Little Fire Dragon's body!

The light of evolution!!