Effects of Fire Control

The Fire Bullet Art, enhanced by [Fire Control], gave off an extraordinarily dangerous feeling.

With a flick of his hand, he fired it at the small pool inside the cave dwelling.

Boom!

Lin Changheng's eyes suddenly lit up. This fire bullet shot from his hand far faster than before, whistling forth with a crimson tail of flame and exploding in the middle of the pool—

Sizzle—!

The pool water instantly boiled and churned, while steaming white mist surged into the sky like a mad dragon. It truly caused quite a commotion!

When the thick mist dispersed, three fish-shaped lumps of charcoal floated to the surface.

"This power is more than twice what it was before! And with the improved casting and flight speed, it'll be much easier to hit the target!"

"Even... if I layer the Fire Control Art on midway and suddenly accelerate it! I might be able to catch an enemy off guard and pull a fast one on them!"

Lin Changheng was very satisfied with this power. He had even thought up the right moments to use it.

It was only a pity that he had yet to master any other fire-element spells. Otherwise, he would certainly have tried a few more.

"Still, there'll be no need to devote excessive effort to practicing such spells in the future. With the enhancement of various [Demon Beast Treasure Seeds], perhaps I'll be stronger than the results they gain from years, even decades, of cultivation!"

What Lin Changheng did not know was that the Fire Bullet Art he had previously spent considerable time cultivating to the proficient stage now surpassed even the Fire Bullet Arts cast by others at the mastery stage, thanks to the enhancement of the [Fire Control Art]!

Beginner spells were rather easy to learn, but each step from proficient to mastery, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and beyond was incomparably difficult. It severely tested one's affinity for the spell and cultivation talent, and also required time to hone!

Yet Lin Changheng alone possessed a new road—a shortcut!

He could gain entry in an extremely short time, then enhance it with Treasure Seeds and become stronger than them!

"Oh, right, my Spirit Root!"

Lin Changheng suddenly remembered something and hurriedly cast the [Spirit Inspection Technique] on himself.

"Sure enough, my Fire Spirit Root's spiritual resonance has reached... ten strands!"

"This is the limit of a mixed Spirit Root. As long as it increases by one more strand, it can break past ten strands and become a Lower-Grade Spirit Root!"

A low starting point was not frightening. The greatest promise for the future was being able to improve steadily!

The road of immortality was long. How many heavenly prodigies had dazzled at first, only to perish halfway through due to their hunger for quick success? And how many mediocre people had claimed to be late bloomers, only to waste a hundred years and achieve nothing?

But he was different.

One step, one imprint; neither greedy nor hasty.

Today, his Fire Control would grow one degree stronger. Tomorrow, his Spirit Root would rise by another strand. One day—

He abruptly raised his head.

The fiery clouds on the horizon suddenly roiled, reflecting in his eyes like burning flames...

They shone with startling brilliance!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, knocking came from the door.

His lofty ambitions interrupted, Lin Changheng frowned slightly. It was already nearing evening—who would come looking for him now?

He held the hand seal for the Fire Bullet Art, ready to unleash it at any moment. With his other hand, he opened the door a crack and peered outside through the gap.

He was incomparably vigilant!

At the slightest sign of anything amiss, he would immediately hurl the Fire Bullet Art down upon them without another word.

A female cultivator stood outside the door.

She was strikingly pretty, with a delicate oval face, cherry lips, and peach-blossom cheeks.

Without a trace of makeup, her natural figure was still enchantingly graceful.

She was none other than the female cultivator living next door,

Su Shuangjiang.

At the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, she possessed considerable skill and was a demon beast hunter.

She had once had a fiancé, also a demon beast hunter. The two had been childhood sweethearts and had come together to make their way in Zichuan Market, intending to build up a household fortune before marrying.

Thus, they had often gone to the edge of the Wilderness to hunt demon beasts.

But four years ago, during the "Small Reclamation" organized by the upper sect, Purple Extreme Sect, her fiancé had let down his guard for a moment. A demon beast ambushed him and bit off his head in a single bite, ending his life.

From then on, Su Shuangjiang had regarded herself as a widow and often wore plain white clothes.

After all, they had been neighbors for years. They saw each other whenever they looked up or down—how unfamiliar could they possibly be?

"Fairy Su, may I ask what brings you here?"

Lin Changheng put away his outward vigilance and pushed the door open wider. His other hand was now free, but he remained ready to form a hand seal at any time.

Su Shuangjiang's lovely face blanked for a moment. Then she came to her senses and repeatedly shook her head. "Nothing, nothing. I only heard a huge commotion coming from your home just now and thought something might have happened, so I came to see whether you needed help."

He had not expected this neighbor to be such a warmhearted person.

Lin Changheng immediately understood why she had come.

With his previous cultivation and abilities, he had likely never caused such a disturbance at home. No wonder she was surprised. Perhaps she had thought a thief had broken into his house?

"Thank you for your concern, Fairy Su. Lin merely tested a spell at home just now; nothing else happened. I simply did not expect to disturb you. I hope you'll forgive me."

Su Shuangjiang glanced at Lin Changheng, a trace of surprise flashing through her beautiful eyes, but she still nodded. "It's nothing. Neighbors should help one another. Since Fellow Daoist Lin is unharmed, this little woman shall not disturb you further."

"Would Fairy Su care to come in and sit for a while? Have a cup of spiritual tea?"

Lin Changheng faintly caught a trace of blood in the scent of the female cultivator before him. Though it was concealed by the delicate fragrance of a maiden after bathing, it could not escape his nose, which was exceedingly sensitive to demon beast essence blood. His heart stirred, and he invited her with a smile.

"I only returned from the Wilderness at noon, and I'm still somewhat tired. I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Lin another day."

Su Shuangjiang smiled faintly and revealed a suitably weary expression.

"Very well."

Lin Changheng naturally did not press her and watched the graceful female cultivator leave.

Yet inwardly, he began considering whether he could obtain demon beast blood through this female cultivator.

At the same time,

Su Shuangjiang was also filled with doubts.

There were two in particular.

First, from the day this Fellow Daoist Lin had moved in, he had always seemed burdened by heavy thoughts. This had been even more apparent over the past two years—his brows tightly furrowed, his demeanor exceedingly gloomy.

But during this period, she had either been out hunting demon beasts for long stretches or recuperating at home. She rarely went out and had never encountered him.

Yet when she saw him this time, Fellow Daoist Lin seemed like an entirely different person.

His whole bearing was completely different, no longer so withdrawn or gloomy.

It left her quite astonished.

One must know that rivers and mountains may change, but one's nature is hard to alter. It was difficult for people to change unless they suffered a great upheaval—and generally speaking, they changed for the worse, sinking lower and lower...

Second,

The power of that spell... had truly been somewhat excessive.

It was something only the Qi Refining Middle Stage could produce, unless someone had smashed out a first-rank mid-grade talisman.

But a mid-grade talisman was worth at least three or four spirit stones. Would anyone truly waste one like that? Unless their brain had been clawed by a demon beast.

After ruling that out, the answer was obvious.

Yet she had clearly sensed that Fellow Daoist Lin's cultivation was still in the early stage of the Qi Refining Realm...

That led into a dead end.

That neighbor, whose state had changed so drastically yet who possessed such an impressive appearance, truly had something mysterious about him.

Perhaps he could not be judged by ordinary reasoning...

Unaware of Su Shuangjiang's thoughts, Lin Changheng had already cooked a pot of spiritual rice porridge, its fragrance intensely spiritual.

As he drank the porridge, he counted on his fingers.

"In three more days, the [Origin Treasure Seed] will continue drawing essence blood. I'll fall into a state of depleted vitality and blood then, and I no longer have any [Blood Replenishing Pills] in hand. I need to acquire a few more as soon as possible..."