Tempering Wu Feng, A Promise to Them

Huo Chen quietly watched the two visibly moved girls before him. His brows and eyes were gentle, with not a trace of teasing in his gaze—only absolute certainty and sincerity.

"Since I began teaching, I have never made empty claims without confidence, nor would I ever joke about a student's future."

The brief sentence was steady and forceful, ringing with conviction as it instantly calmed the restless atmosphere.

Ning Tian's fingertips trembled uncontrollably. Her chest rose and fell sharply as overwhelming surprise and excitement surged within her, refusing to settle for a long while.

More than anyone, she understood what the Qiluo Tulip represented.

It was the supreme treasure that every gifted descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had dreamed of for countless generations—the sole opportunity to break the fate of their martial soul and shatter the seven-layered shackles.

Countless sect ancestors had spent their entire lives traveling across the continent, crossing mountains and rivers, exhausting every resource and manpower available to them, only to die with regret in the end.

A hopeless deadlock that had remained unsolved for ten thousand years, an inheritance's regret spanning ten thousand years—yet this young Teacher Huo before her had revealed the means to break it with a single sentence.

The immense surprise had struck without warning, leaving even the usually calm and restrained Ning Tian too overwhelmed to control herself.

"Teacher Huo..."

Ning Tian's voice trembled slightly, filled with barely concealed unease and anticipation. Disbelief still lingered in her eyes.

"You... you aren't just comforting me, or joking with me, are you?"

"I never make pointless jokes."

Huo Chen slowly returned to his desk and sat down again. His expression was serious and solemn as he spoke clearly, one word at a time.

"But I must make the pros and cons clear to you in advance. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is no safe place."

"That secret realm nurtures the world's finest immortal herbs. It is uniquely blessed by nature, and its spiritual energy is richer than anywhere else on the continent. But its dangers far exceed ordinary imagination. Not only is it filled with extreme forces of cold and heat, but countless high-level soul beasts also dwell within it, guarding that treasure ground. They are immensely powerful and exceptionally ferocious."

"With your current soul power level and combat ability, if you went alone, it would be a near-certain death sentence. You would have almost no chance of surviving."

The light in Ning Tian's eyes dimmed for an instant, and a flicker of disappointment passed through her heart. Yet it lasted only a moment before being replaced by utter persistence and resolve.

She raised her eyes to Huo Chen. Her gaze was clear yet stubborn, every word ringing with conviction. "It's fine! I can wait! I'll cultivate desperately, steadily improve my strength, and build a solid foundation! Once I'm strong enough to withstand the dangers of that secret realm, I'll go there myself and obtain the immortal herb!"

Seeing the girl's refusal to submit to fate, Huo Chen gave a faint shake of his head, a gentle smile resting on his lips.

"There is no need to wait that long, nor do you need to risk it alone."

His tone was calm, but it carried unquestionable confidence.

"When the time is fully ripe, I will personally take you to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, keep you safe, and help you obtain the Qiluo Tulip."

The words were like thunder, softly exploding beside the two girls' ears.

Ning Tian froze completely. She sat blankly in her chair, her pupils shrinking as her mind went utterly blank. She even suspected that she had misheard him.

Wu Feng, standing beside her, also stiffened completely. Her eyes widened, and her face was filled with shock as she stared blankly at the composed Huo Chen, utterly speechless for a moment.

In the quiet office, only the gentle wind outside and the rustling of the parasol tree leaves could be heard.

Only after several breaths did Ning Tian slowly find her voice again. Her tone still trembled uncontrollably. "You... you'll personally take me there? Teacher Huo, you're willing to enter such a dangerous secret realm and take such an enormous risk for me?"

In her understanding, a teacher imparting knowledge, teaching skills, and resolving doubts was already the utmost kindness. She had never imagined anyone would risk their own life and venture into a place of near-certain death for a student.

"You are my student."

Huo Chen's gaze was gentle, his tone open and matter-of-fact. The simple words carried a weight greater than a thousand pounds.

"A teacher must pass on knowledge, teach, resolve doubts, protect a disciple's path ahead, and ease a disciple's troubles. That is only natural."

It was a simple sentence, without ornate wording or deliberate sentimentality, yet it instantly shattered all of Ning Tian's restraint and strength.

Born into the highest circles of power within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she had seen all the warmth and coldness of human relationships, all the exchanges of interest.

Everyone around her treated her with gentleness, tolerance, esteem, and favor—but all of it came with conditions and purposes.

People respected her, cherished her, and nurtured her because she was the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's leader, the sect's future heir, and the possessor of a top-tier support martial soul.

Every kindness was bound to the sect's expectations, future responsibilities, exchanges of benefit, and clearly defined restrictions.

But Huo Chen's kindness was pure and clean, without any attached condition or entanglement of interest.

Simply because she was his student. Nothing more.

A warm ache surged into her eyes, instantly wetting them. A crystalline mist gathered in her gaze, and with the slightest blink, tears nearly rolled down her cheeks.

Ning Tian pressed her lips tightly together. Her heart was burning and aching at once, and a thousand words clogged her throat. Any expression of gratitude felt pale and shallow at this moment, utterly insufficient to describe the emotions in her heart.

"There is no need to be so moved, and no need to thank me."

Seeing her reddened eyes, Huo Chen smiled and handed her a clean handkerchief. His relaxed, gentle tone eased the emotional atmosphere in the room.

"After you return, focus on cultivation. Build your foundation steadily and securely; do not grow impatient or rush ahead recklessly. Just wait for my notice. Once the time comes, I will seek you out myself."

Ning Tian solemnly accepted the handkerchief with both hands and nodded firmly. All confusion faded from her eyes, leaving only determination.

In the end, her countless thoughts became a single weighty promise. "This disciple will cultivate diligently and never disappoint Teacher's expectations and guidance!"

Watching her friend's emotional appearance, Wu Feng also felt a subtle warmth quietly rise in her heart.

She had always been sharp-tongued and proud, never readily revealing her softer emotions, much less offering thanks directly. She merely hid the feeling away in her heart.

A moment later, she deliberately cleared her throat, breaking the gentle atmosphere in the room. Pretending to be casual, she changed the subject in an attempt to conceal her discomfort.

"Ahem, speaking of which, Teacher Huo, you said earlier that you'd take a look at my old injury while you were at it. You weren't just brushing me off, were you? This old injury has plagued me for a long time, and many teachers haven't been able to find its root cause."

"When have I ever been perfunctory with my students?"

Huo Chen turned his gaze toward the awkward-looking Wu Feng and spoke calmly.

"Hold out your right hand."

Wu Feng hesitated for a moment. Curious yet suspicious, she ultimately obediently extended her fair right hand, spreading her palm before Huo Chen.

Huo Chen extended his index and middle fingers, pressing them together as he lightly rested them on her wrist pulse.

A thin strand of pure, gentle golden reincarnation soul power silently slipped into Wu Feng's meridians.

The power was mild and soft, without the slightest edge to it. Like a warm current in spring, it slowly traveled through the meridians of her arm, all the way to the site of her old shoulder injury, before finally flowing into the martial soul core in her dantian, where it slowly circled and nourished it.

Wu Feng could clearly sense this special power. It was completely different from her own violent, blazing Fire Dragon soul power.

Her soul power was fierce and unruly, crashing about recklessly, while this strand of golden soul power was obedient and gentle. Like a babbling stream, it softly washed through her dry, sluggish meridians. Warmth spread everywhere it passed, soothing the accumulated strain and hidden injuries deep within them.

After several breaths of examination, Huo Chen slowly withdrew his fingers and gave his conclusion softly.

"Just as I predicted. Your Fire Dragon Martial Soul is of exceptional quality—a top-tier assault-type beast martial soul with tremendous talent and potential."

"But your usual cultivation is far too impatient and forceful. Your methods are extremely crude."

Wu Feng immediately raised her brows, her face full of defiance. "What do you mean by that? My cultivation speed is among the best at my level. What's wrong with it?"

"The Fire Dragon Martial Soul's strength lies in its dominance and purity, in its blazing refinement—not in brute force and reckless aggression."

Huo Chen's gaze remained calm as he carefully broke down the root of her problem.

"You have always been eager for quick results. Every breakthrough, every cultivation session, you forcibly drive all your soul power to violently batter your meridians, trading the depletion of your body and meridians for rapid increases in rank."

"This method does indeed produce swift gains in the short term, but its hidden dangers are immense. Years of violent cultivation have continuously damaged and excessively worn down your meridians, while the source of your martial soul's flames has become mixed and impure, accumulating more and more impurities."

"It is like a pile of firewood mixed with gravel and weeds. When it burns, the flames may look fierce and imposing, but they are actually hollow and weak, with terrible endurance. They will go out in an instant and can hardly gather any real destructive power."

The pride and defiance on Wu Feng's face gradually faded, and her expression slowly turned solemn.

Every word Huo Chen said precisely struck at the flaws in her cultivation that had persisted for so long.

Teacher Zhou Yi had also repeatedly commented that her cultivation "was too wild, with an unstable foundation," but Wu Feng had never taken it seriously. She had believed that as long as her rank was high enough and her combat strength great enough, a few minor flaws did not matter.

Only now, after Huo Chen precisely exposed the core danger, did she fully realize that the rapid cultivation she had always taken pride in had long since buried a massive hidden risk.

She put away all her arrogance and lowered her stance for once, asking with genuine sincerity, "Then... then how should I cultivate to make up for these flaws and refine my flames?"

"Abandon brute force. Cultivate purity."

Huo Chen raised his palm. A strand of black soul power edged in gold surged forth, and an exquisitely beautiful, ethereal Reincarnation Other Shore Flower slowly appeared. Its petals unfurled, carrying an arcane and sacred aura.

"The path of the Fire Dragon's assault has never been about flames reaching the heavens or being flamboyant and domineering. It lies in the purity and refinement of the fire's source. Flames refined to the utmost can melt gold, sever iron, and pierce through all things. Chaotic, impure fire is merely impressive on the surface; it cannot even burn through solid stone."

He raised his eyes to Wu Feng, whose expression had turned serious, his tone seeking her consent.

"I can use the power of reincarnation to thoroughly sort out the source of your martial soul, wash away the impurities in your meridians, repair the accumulated damage from years of strain, temper your body, and refine the blazing flames of your Fire Dragon."

"The process will bring soreness, swelling, and a stinging pain. It will not be easy, but the results will be immediate. Are you willing to try?"

Wu Feng stared at that incomparably mystical Other Shore Flower for three seconds. All hesitation in her heart vanished. She suddenly gritted her teeth, fighting spirit blazing in her eyes. "I'll try! As long as it improves me, I'm not afraid of pain! Do it!"

Huo Chen smiled slightly and raised his hand, gently pressing the Reincarnation Other Shore Flower against the martial soul core at Wu Feng's chest.

Vast, gentle reincarnation power instantly swept out, wildly spreading through Wu Feng's entire body along the source of her martial soul.

Wu Feng's body abruptly tensed, every muscle instinctively tightening.

There was none of the sharp agony she had imagined. Instead, an extreme sensation of soreness and fullness replaced it, as if her parched meridians were being gently stretched open and filled. Every inch of her channels was being tenderly nourished and reshaped by power.

The Fire Dragon Martial Soul slumbering within her suddenly awakened, letting out a low, majestic martial soul roar filled with reverence and excitement as it frantically absorbed the nourishment of reincarnation power.

Warm power traveled through her limbs and bones, repairing hidden injuries and washing away impurities. Her once sluggish, rigid meridians became broader and more resilient at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Wu Feng instinctively activated her martial soul, and a crimson fire dragon phantom rose into existence behind her.

In the past, this fire dragon's scales had been dim and dull, while faint gray-black impurities clung to the edges of its flames. It looked ferocious, but its source was actually hollow and unstable.

But now, under the continuous tempering of reincarnation power, the gray impurities accumulated over the years rapidly faded away. The dragon's dull scales gradually became clear and brilliant, while its originally crimson flames slowly transformed into condensed, pure, gleaming red-gold. Its might surged severalfold.

Wu Feng stared fixedly at her transformed martial soul, her eyes filled with shock and wild joy. She was completely unable to say a word.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Huo Chen slowly withdrew his soul power, and the phantom of the Other Shore Flower dissipated with it.

"How does it feel?"

Wu Feng slowly relaxed her taut body, gently clenching and unclenching her fist as she repeatedly sensed the changes within herself.

The sluggishness, soreness, and dull pain she had once felt whenever she circulated her soul power had all vanished. Her meridians were clear and smooth, her soul power flowing as lightly as drifting clouds and running water. Her entire body was filled with an unprecedented sense of strength, and her physique had become firmer and more powerful as well.

For once, she did not stubbornly put on an arrogant front. Her voice carried irrepressible delight. "It really is different... My Fire Dragon has become brighter and purer, and its power is much steadier too!"

"This is only the effect of the initial tempering."

Huo Chen calmly instructed, "Refining a martial soul and repairing meridians cannot be accomplished in a single step. From now on, set aside half an hour every day to sit cross-legged in quiet meditation. Do not rush your rank, and do not cultivate soul skills. Simply circulate your soul power quietly and sense the temperature of your own flames and the rhythm of their flow. Only by steadying your heart and consolidating your foundation can you completely eliminate these hidden dangers."

"Got it."

Wu Feng answered softly, so obedient that she seemed unlike her usual fiery self.

Beside them, Ning Tian quietly watched the scene. Her brows and eyes were gentle, and a faint smile unconsciously rose on her lips.

She understood Wu Feng's proud and unruly nature better than anyone. The fact that Huo Chen could make her friend—who always held herself above others and never yielded to anyone—obediently listen and humbly accept instruction was enough to show just how formidable his strength and foundations were.

"That concludes today's cultivation guidance."

Huo Chen rose and tidied the documents on the desk, his tone light.

"Ning Tian, just wait for my further notice. Wu Feng, follow the training method faithfully. I'll inspect your progress again in a week."

"Thank you, Teacher Huo!"

The two girls bowed in unison, then turned and walked side by side toward the office door.

As she reached the doorway, Ning Tian suddenly stopped and slowly looked back, her gaze gentle yet solemn as it settled on Huo Chen by the window.

"Teacher Huo."

"Hmm?"

Ning Tian was silent for a moment before speaking with utter sincerity, her voice clear and earnest. "Whether or not I can obtain the Qiluo Tulip in the future, whether or not I can break through the limits of my martial soul, I am truly grateful to you. Thank you for being willing to brave danger for me. Thank you for lighting the road ahead."

Huo Chen smiled and waved. "Go on. Cultivate with peace of mind."

Ning Tian nodded lightly, turned, and walked out of the office.

Wu Feng followed close behind, but after taking several steps outside, she suddenly stopped as well and tilted her head. Her red hair fluttered gently in the evening breeze.

She did not look directly at Huo Chen. The tips of her ears reddened slightly, and though her voice was quiet, it came through with unusual clarity. "Hey, Teacher Huo... thanks for this."

Before she had even finished speaking, she hurried after Ning Tian ahead of her, her steps light, carrying a girl's bashfulness and awkwardness.

The sunset's lingering glow spilled down softly, stretching the two girls' side-by-side figures long across the ground. Their shadows overlapped and leaned against each other on the bluestone path, warm and tranquil.

Huo Chen stood by the window, quietly watching their retreating backs grow farther away, a gentle smile on his lips.

He lowered his head, picked up the student roster beside the desk, and held his fountain pen between his fingers as he placed a neat checkmark after Ning Tian's and Wu Feng's names.

All four targets had now been helped.

Only one blank name remained on the roster.