Initial Fire Resistance, Fatty's Gratitude

"Tang San, what happened to your hand?"

Xiao Wu helped him into the room. The moment she lowered her head, she saw black light seeping from his left palm.

Tang San immediately clenched his fist and hid his hand behind his back.

"It's nothing. I was hit by a burst of fire energy just now."

Xiao Wu did not believe him and reached out to grab his hand.

"Let me see."

Tang San dodged her hand, his face looking even worse than before.

"Xiao Wu, it's really nothing."

Dai Mubai stood at the doorway, staring at Tang San's left hand with a frown.

"You used your left hand when you fought Teacher Zhao yesterday too. What exactly is that?"

Ning Rongrong had already sat by the bed, but immediately looked up when she heard that.

"You still had another trump card? Tang San, you've hidden yourself well."

Tang San offered no explanation.

He could not reveal the Clear Sky Hammer.

Ji Yuan, hidden in the compartment beneath his shoe sole, likewise did not want this matter exposed.

The evil fire had stirred the Clear Sky Hammer's origin because he had used Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill inner force and the remnants of the hammer's origin to suppress the fire, causing the two powers to come into brief contact.

If Dai Mubai kept pressing, the trouble would only grow.

Ji Yuan immediately drew away the Soul Power around Tang San's left hand, forcing the black light back into the depths of his palm.

Tang San's body swayed, and he took the opportunity to sit on the bed.

Xiao Wu hurriedly supported him.

"Look at you, and you still say you're fine!"

Tang San said softly, "I'm just exhausted."

Dai Mubai watched him for a while before finally asking no more.

"Fine. If you don't want to say it, forget it. Everyone has secrets."

Ning Rongrong gave a soft snort.

"With so many secrets, how are your teammates supposed to trust you?"

Xiao Wu turned back and glared at her.

"Didn't you also leave out plenty about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Ning Rongrong rose to her feet.

"My martial soul is right there for everyone to see."

Xiao Wu replied bluntly, "And your young lady temper is written all over your face. Who can stand that?"

Ning Rongrong's expression changed.

Dai Mubai quickly spoke up.

"Enough, both of you. Today has already been chaotic enough."

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the doorframe and said coldly, "Resting is better than arguing."

Only then did the room fall silent.

Tang San sat cross-legged and tried to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill to calm his left hand.

Ji Yuan did not keep drawing too much away. He merely intercepted the lingering fire energy produced by Tang San's circulation and sent it all back to the demon vine's main body.

Late at night, the others went to rest one by one.

Tang San's breathing gradually stabilized.

Only then did Ji Yuan unfurl the charred vines within the compartment beneath the shoe sole.

He suppressed the evil fire origin beside the core. On the outside, White Tiger blood energy formed a tough membrane; inside, Seven Treasure Glazed essence maintained the energy balance, while the cold energy from the water source handled the cooling.

He began refining it.

Layers of charred outer skin fell away, and fiery red patterns emerged beneath the newly grown vine bark. Fibers that had once curled up at the slightest heat could now actively absorb small amounts of heat.

Ji Yuan extended a thin vine and brought it close to the oil lamp on the table, which was nearly burnt out.

The flame licked the vine tip.

There was no scorched smell.

The vine tip merely reddened before slowly swallowing the heat into its body.

Ji Yuan silently stretched his roots.

It worked.

Although he still could not withstand intense flames head-on, ordinary fire could no longer harm him.

This fire-attribute blood pack, Ma Hongjun, had to be kept around for the long term.

Whenever his Evil Fire backlash struck in the future, Ji Yuan could draw away a portion of the flame essence.

Ma Hongjun would have it easy.

Ji Yuan would evolve.

Tang San would take the blame.

Perfect.

Early the next morning, Ma Hongjun came as expected.

He carried a bag of steaming buns in one hand and several pieces of smoked meat in the other. When he reached Tang San's door, he wore a fawning smile.

"Tang San, are you awake?"

The moment Xiao Wu opened the door and saw him, she immediately blocked the entrance.

"What are you here for?"

Ma Hongjun raised the bag.

"To apologize. I'm treating you to breakfast."

Xiao Wu eyed him suspiciously.

"You didn't poison them with fire toxin, did you?"

Ma Hongjun pulled a long face.

"My lady, I'm already like this, and you're still giving me a hard time?"

Oscar poked his head out from behind her.

"Fatty, where did you get those buns? The cafeteria doesn't have these today."

Ma Hongjun glared at him.

"I bought them with my own money, to help my big brother recover."

Oscar immediately clutched his chest.

"You call Tang San big brother, but what about me? After all these years of friendship, you won't even give me a bun?"

Ma Hongjun stuffed a bun into his mouth.

"Shut it."

Oscar was immediately satisfied.

Tang San got down from the bed, his complexion not yet fully restored.

"Ma Hongjun, you don't need to do this."

Ma Hongjun handed him a bun and said seriously, "If it weren't for you yesterday, I definitely would've caused trouble again. It's good that Cuihua left. At least she wasn't hurt even worse by me."

Tang San took the bun.

"When your Evil Fire flares up in the future, go find the Dean or Dai Mubai first. Don't go to the village again."

Ma Hongjun nodded.

"I know, but the Dean can't keep an eye on me every day. Tang San, can you teach me some of that technique?"

Tang San shook his head.

"That requires long-term practice. It's not something you can learn in a day or two."

Ma Hongjun was a little disappointed, but he still smiled. "Then when I feel bad in the future, can I come to you for help? I won't ask for it for free—I'll treat you to meals."

Xiao Wu immediately cut in.

"Tang San isn't your fire-extinguishing tool."

Ma Hongjun hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, no, that's not what I meant."

Listening from the shadows, Ji Yuan had already reinforced the flame nodes through the water-source spores inside Ma Hongjun's body.

The fact that Fatty was willing to approach Tang San on his own was exactly what he wanted.

This was what they called delivering a stove right to his door.

Dai Mubai also walked over and patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder.

"Don't cling to him too tightly. Tang San was hurt badly yesterday too."

Ma Hongjun scratched his head.

"I know. That's why I bought breakfast."

Ning Rongrong came out of the room. Seeing the bag of buns, she raised a brow. "You know how to apologize too?"

Ma Hongjun glanced at her.

"Miss, are you going to eat or not?"

Ning Rongrong had wanted to refuse, but the aroma made her hesitate.

Xiao Wu picked one up and stuffed it into her hands.

"Eat. Stop putting on airs, or you won't have any strength left for training later."

Ning Rongrong accepted the bun and gave a light snort.

"It's not that I don't have any strength. I just don't want to eat such coarse food."

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing. She took a bun and stepped aside.

Seeing her eat, Ma Hongjun let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, good. Zhuqing ate one too, so I didn't buy them for nothing today."

Dai Mubai had just been about to chime in when Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes.

"Don't act like we're that close."

The words at Dai Mubai's lips were cut off, leaving him no choice but to turn and look at the sky.

Oscar bit into his bun, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Just as the lively atmosphere began to build, Flender's voice rang out from the training ground.

"Everyone out here, assemble!"

By the time everyone arrived at the training ground, Zhao Wuji was there as well.

The swelling around his eyes had not fully gone down, and he wore his sunglasses even more tightly.

Xiao Wu glanced at him and barely held back her laughter.

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly.

"Rabbit girl, laugh again and I'll add more laps."

Xiao Wu immediately looked elsewhere.

Flender swept his gaze over the group, pausing briefly on Ma Hongjun.

"Fatty, we'll settle yesterday's score later. Class first today."

Ma Hongjun shrank his neck.

"Dean, I already know I was wrong."

Flender ignored him and turned to Oscar.

"Little Ao, step forward."

The moment Oscar heard that, he immediately puffed out his chest.

"Dean, is it finally my turn to show what I can do?"

Flender adjusted his glasses.

"Today's lesson is simple. Every one of you must eat a sausage made by him."

Ning Rongrong's face immediately fell.

"Didn't we already eat them yesterday?"

Flender looked at her.

"Yesterday was to let you know they were edible. Today is to get you used to them."

Xiao Wu also pulled a miserable face.

"Dean, can't we change the lesson?"

Zhao Wuji sneered from the side.

"Would you still be picky about the flavor on a battlefield?"

Ma Hongjun did not mind at all.

"I'll go first."

Oscar was deeply moved.

"Fatty, when it matters, you're still the one who gives me face."

Ma Hongjun held out his hand.

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up."

Oscar cleared his throat.

"I have a big sausage!"

Ning Rongrong turned her face away.

Xiao Wu covered her ears.

Zhu Zhuqing's brow twitched slightly, but she did not retreat.

Ma Hongjun took the sausage, finished it in a few bites, and patted his stomach.

"Not bad."

Oscar immediately looked at Ning Rongrong.

"Rongrong, look, even Fatty says it tastes good."

Ning Rongrong's face went cold.

"He isn't picky."

Flender called out a name.

"Tang San."

Tang San stepped forward and took the sausage.

Having eaten one yesterday, he could now suppress his psychological aversion and bite into it directly.

The sausage melted away, and life energy entered his body.

Ji Yuan had been waiting for this.

His spore network spread open, intercepting most of the restorative energy and sending it first to the areas scorched by evil fire last night.

Crimson patterns intertwined with the life energy, and the charred remnants quickly faded.

Ji Yuan's regenerative foundation was raised once more.

Tang San felt his injuries recovering, but it clearly did not reach the level Oscar had claimed.

He frowned.

Oscar grew anxious.

"Tang San, don't tell me it's only average again. I'll really start questioning my whole life."

Tang San thought for a moment.

"Better than yesterday."

Only then did Oscar breathe a sigh of relief.

Ji Yuan coldly swallowed the life energy.

Of course it was better than yesterday.

Yesterday, he had been busy suppressing the fire and had not left much for Tang San.

Today, in order to keep Oscar producing more, he had deliberately left a few scraps behind.

Xiao Wu took the sausage, glaring at Oscar as she ate.

"Can you keep your incantations down in the future?"

Oscar answered seriously, "I'll try."

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and finished it, her face filled with resistance.

Zhu Zhuqing ate last, her movements crisp and decisive.

Through the nodes within everyone's bodies, Ji Yuan siphoned off most of the sausage's energy while also observing the Martial Soul fluctuations when Oscar created the sausages.

Food-type Soul Power gathered in Oscar's palm. Unlike ordinary Soul Skills, it converted Soul Power into life-restoring energy that the body could directly absorb.

This was not medicinal herb.

This was a renewable regenerative resource.

Ji Yuan firmly committed Oscar's fluctuations to memory.

If he could break down the recovery principles within it, then after his demon vine was severed, its recovery speed could rise another level.

Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Flender nodded in satisfaction.

"Starting today, Oscar's sausages will be part of all your training. Whoever dares refuse will receive extra training."

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth.

"Dean, this is torture."

Flender looked at her.

"You can understand it that way."

Ning Rongrong was so angry that she could not speak.

Ma Hongjun, however, leaned close to Tang San and whispered, "Big Brother, if you don't like eating them, I can eat yours for you."

Xiao Wu stomped on the top of his foot.

"Who's your big brother?"

Ma Hongjun hopped from the pain.

"Can't I just call him that?"

Tang San looked at them helplessly, a rare sense of relief easing through his heart.

But he failed to notice that more than half of the restorative energy he had just consumed had already been devoured by the demonic vine deep within the sole of his shoe.

Ji Yuan's fiery red patterns completely stabilized.

He extended a thin vine and quietly drew close to the wooden stake at the edge of the training ground that Ma Hongjun's flames had scorched black.

He absorbed the lingering heat into the vine without suffering any damage.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to retract his roots, Oscar raised his hand again to create another sausage.

This time, through the water-source spores inside Oscar's body, Ji Yuan saw deeper ripples of life.

Those ripples were repeatedly taking shape within the core of Oscar's martial soul.

Ji Yuan's feeding pore silently opened.

Before the next sausage could even leave his hand, Oscar's face had already gone pale. Looking down at his palm, he suddenly muttered, "Strange. Why do I feel like this sausage is missing something?"