In Hu Fangyuan's view, wide-area flame attacks were good for nothing but clearing out foot soldiers and destroying buildings. Against opponents of comparable strength, they accomplished nothing at all and could easily drain his own soul power.
In this world, flames were not merely gas, but a gaseous form of energy generated by soul power.
Under these circumstances, as long as soul power kept flowing, the flames would keep coming.
Their malleability was therefore extremely high!
"Large means hollow, fine means venomous; form means slow, formless means lethal."
Hu Fangyuan told Gu Yue the twelve-character principle he had devised, getting straight to the point.
He extended a finger and explained casually, "Take the fireballs commonly used by fire element soul masters. They look big and fierce, but their energy is dispersed, they're slow, and they make large targets, so they're easy to dodge or block. Even if one actually hits you, it'll only give you a burn, not a fatal wound. That's what 'large means hollow' means."
"But a Fire Needle is different."
Hu Fangyuan flicked his fingertip, and a fire needle as fine as an ox's hair shot out, piercing a blue brick in the courtyard wall with a soft thud. It left only a tiny scorched dot on the surface, yet penetrated more than half an inch into the brick.
"A fire needle is small, with concentrated energy, high speed, and excellent concealment. As long as your control is precise enough, aim exclusively at the enemy's vital spots, pressure points, and joints. One hit can throw their movements out of shape, and several successive hits can breach their defenses and injure them. That's what 'fine means venomous' means."
Gu Yue stood to one side, looking thoughtfully at the tiny scorched dot on the brick wall.
"'Form means slow' refers to flames with a fixed shape. A wall of fire, for example, or a fire serpent. They look impressive, but because their shapes are fixed, they have plenty of openings and move slowly. An expert can see the path of your attack at a glance and dodge in advance."
Hu Fangyuan paused, his tone growing a little more serious. "As for 'formless means lethal,' that's the highest realm of flames. No fixed shape, no fixed path, everywhere at once, impossible to guard against completely. Fire mist, for example, or currents of superheated air. You can't see or touch them, but once they enter the respiratory tract, they can burn the internal organs and kill without a visible trace."
He had worked out this twelve-character principle himself by combining knowledge from his previous life with the characteristics of this world's soul skills.
Gu Yue pondered with dawning understanding. Standing where she was, she repeated those twelve characters under her breath, light flashing in her eyes as realization struck again and again. Many things she had previously failed to understand seemed to fall into place in an instant.
Seeing this, Hu Fangyuan simply stopped disturbing her.
With something like elemental manipulation, the master led you through the door, but cultivation depended on the individual.
No amount of explaining principles could compare to trying it yourself a couple of times.
He turned and went into the kitchen to begin preparing a simple dinner.
The kitchen was small, with just a stove, a pot, and a few basic utensils. Having lived alone for so long, Hu Fangyuan had long since become proficient at cooking. He took rice from his Storage Bag, rinsed it clean, and put it in the pot to cook.
Then he took out some greens and a piece of soul beast meat, deftly slicing the vegetables and meat.
"It's getting late. Stay for dinner," Hu Fangyuan called to Gu Yue in the courtyard, poking his head out.
Gu Yue came back to herself and hurried a few steps forward, stopping at the kitchen doorway, looking somewhat ill at ease. "I... let me help."
"No need, no need."
Hu Fangyuan waved a hand, his cleaver flying up and down as he chopped the vegetables quickly and evenly. "Go practice in the courtyard. Practice yields true knowledge! Just listening to me won't help. Trying it yourself a couple of times beats anything else."
He knew perfectly well that Gu Yue was undoubtedly a promising prospect.
A born elemental envoy, affinity with six elements, and high spiritual power to boot.
Someone like her would definitely achieve no small amount in the future. Showing goodwill now and befriending her certainly would not be a losing proposition.
Of course, Hu Fangyuan wanted no part of pseudo-geniuses like Xie Xie, who looked talented but actually lacked any broader vision.
And then there was Tang Wulin, whose mysterious bloodline most likely involved some earth-shaking affair. Hu Fangyuan kept a respectful distance from him as well.
At least, if there was nothing in it for him, he could not be bothered to approach Tang Wulin.
Better one less complication than one more.
Cultivating steadily, practicing Gu Refining, and increasing his strength beat anything else.
In the kitchen, Hu Fangyuan worked deftly. He heated oil in the pan and tipped in the sliced meat. With a sizzle, its aroma instantly drifted out. He stir-fried it a few times, then added the greens. The seasonings were simple, but the result smelled delicious.
Before long, three dishes and a soup were ready.
A plate of stir-fried greens, a plate of pork stir-fried with green peppers, a plate of braised beast meat, and a bowl of egg drop soup.
They were all home-style dishes, yet each had color, aroma, and flavor.
He carried the dishes to the stone table in the courtyard, then brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
"Come on, let's eat," Hu Fangyuan called.
The aroma had long since drawn Gu Yue's attention away from cultivating. She walked over and looked at the simple spread of three dishes and a soup on the stone table, somewhat surprised.
The two sat down and picked up their bowls and chopsticks.
Hu Fangyuan first picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. As he ate, he asked, "Classmate Gu Yue, what I'm about to ask might be a little presumptuous. You can choose whether to answer."
Gu Yue raised her head and looked at him with her black eyes, then nodded. "Go ahead."
Hu Fangyuan looked at her earnestly, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "I wanted to ask, do you really have innate full soul power?"
"What? I don't understand."
Gu Yue frowned, the hand holding her chopsticks pausing slightly. A trace of wariness instantly flashed through her eyes, as though he had touched upon some secret.
Hu Fangyuan paid no mind to the wariness in Gu Yue's eyes and went on with his analysis. "Xie Xie has innate full soul power because of his pseudo-twin martial souls. You could even say his doesn't count as genuine innate full soul power. At least, I've never seen anyone with proper innate full soul power fail to reach two rings after graduating from a junior Soul Master Academy."
Xie Xie was nine years old with rank-eighteen soul power, still two ranks short of two rings.
That already put him among the best of the ordinary new students, but measured against someone with genuine innate full soul power, it was not enough.
Hu Fangyuan continued on his own. "I come from a soul master family in a small city. This might sound a little arrogant, but my knowledge is still somewhat broader than that of the vast majority of students at this academy."
"Your background is extraordinary. Don't rush to deny it."
Hu Fangyuan looked into Gu Yue's eyes, his tone certain. "First of all, there's your martial soul. A martial soul like the elemental envoy is exceedingly rare in this world. If it didn't come from an extraordinary bloodline, then it must have resulted from an unimaginable opportunity."
"So?"
Gu Yue's expression cooled. She set down her chopsticks and narrowed her black eyes slightly as she looked at Hu Fangyuan across from her, her tone carrying a measure of distance. "So? What are you trying to do, telling me all this?"
Hu Fangyuan did not mind, nor did he get angry. Instead, he smiled. He had expected this reaction from Gu Yue. After all, no one would be happy to have their background exposed right off the bat.
"I want to become friends with you." Hu Fangyuan leaned forward slightly, his gaze earnest, without the slightest hint of a joke.
"Friends?"
Gu Yue suddenly laughed, as though she had heard something amusing. She looked lovely when she smiled, the corners of her mouth curving upward, yet her eyes remained cold. "I don't think what you just did is something a friend should do. You stripped my background bare right off the bat. Is that how you go about making friends?"
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