After a few minutes, Bai Ruo slumped back into her chair, unable to think of any good name.
She closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing her lower lip with the quill. "Improve talent and strengthen the body?"
"Wait, Master?" Jia Xin raised her voice. "The first realm is Blood Qi. All Blood Qi cultivation techniques are about strengthening the body to generate Blood Qi..."
Lei Feng cut her off, raising his hands. "So, how can the fourth junior brother improve his talent?"
"And all Blood Qi techniques only increase speed, strength, and other attributes, but not talent." Li Ming chimed in, rubbing the back of his head doubtfully.
Bai Ruo straightened, her eyes glowing. "Good guy." She smiled at Li Ming. "I got it." She began to think. ’Which beast would be better?’
"Master?" Lei Feng waved his hand in front of her face. "Did you think of something?"
Bai Ruo found all three of her disciples glaring at her deeply without blinking. Their expressions directly suggested that if she didn’t reply, they wouldn’t leave her alone.
"Types of Blood Qi," Bai Ruo explained. "In fact, the first realm is all about strengthening the body so it can generate Blood Qi. And everyone’s is the same... so I thought, what if it were different?"
"Different?" The two male disciples muttered, tilting their heads. "How can it be?"
Jia Xin smiled lightly.
"Idiot." Bai Ruo yelled, "Of course, because..."
"It’s a fake." Jia Xin slapped Lei Feng’s head lightly.
"Now..." Bai Ruo grinned as she licked her lips. "I got it. Its name is Undying Phoenix Blood Qi Forging Art."
"Phoenix?" Li Ming asked. "Why not dragon? Or tiger?"
"Because of regeneration." Bai Ruo started to write down randomly and rapidly.
[ Undying Phoenix Blood Qi Forging Art!
Among all beasts, phoenixes possess the strongest regenerative power. And the Undying Phoenix is the strongest among all phoenixes. It has Nirvana Flames from birth. An ordinary phoenix might take time to rise from its ashes, while the Undying Phoenix? It never dies in the first place!
This art uses the Undying Phoenix as its basis.... ]
"What the!" The disciples opened their mouths wide. They even rubbed their eyes as they couldn’t believe their master was writing complete bullshit without even a momentary pause.
"Done!" Bai Ruo wiped the sweat off her forehead as she glanced at the parchment filled with words.
"Master... Do Undying Phoenixes really exist?" Jia Xin questioned, her eyes still locked on the art as she read it again and again.
"Do you know about them?" Bai Ruo asked back, folding the scroll.
"Undying Phoenix, what is it?" Li Ming turned his head towards them.
"If you don’t know about it..." Lei Feng pointed his finger. "Why were you so shocked?"
Li Ming felt everyone’s gaze on him.
"Undying Phoenix... doesn’t it sound powerful?" He answered, swallowing his saliva under everyone’s eyes.
"I read about them in many novels, but whether they are real or imaginary is just unknown." Jia Xin spread her hands. "That’s why I want to know."
"I also don’t know." Bai Ruo plainly shook her head.
Everyone almost fell.
In Su Yang’s room.
Su Yang took the technique with trembling hands as Jia Xin handed it over. He swiftly opened it, feeling the wet ink. He raised his brows. "Did Master create this technique on the spot for me?"
His eyes were wavering in astonishment. "For a nominal disciple?" He almost broke down. In his life, everyone had rejected him from cultivating. He tried his best to sneak out or get his hands on one, but failed. Now, his Master had created one on the spot, and it was specially made for him!
Su Yang cupped his hands, holding the scroll between them. "Convey my thanks to Master." His tone was a bit hoarse.
"Hehe..." Jia Xin laughed awkwardly, her lips positioned a bit weirdly. Lucky for her, Su Yang’s mind was on the scroll. She quickly left, closing the door.
Su Yang sat cross-legged on his bed and began reading the technique.
"Undying Phoenix!!!" He almost stood up in joy. "In many stories, I came across this Phoenix. An ordinary Phoenix is the king of birds, while the Undying..." He almost yelled excitedly. "Undying Phoenix is the king of Phoenixes!"
He took a deep breath as he glanced at the panel in the corner of his eye.
[ You can cultivate any kind of technique irrespective of the talent or physique required. Once started, you won’t lose the progress! ]
He knew he lacked the talent to cultivate this powerful technique, so he could only hope his cheat worked.
"I don’t have much knowledge," he muttered. "But I heard from guards and Sister that all Blood Qi energies are the same except for quality." His eyes shone. "However, they wouldn’t know that I found a hidden sect."
It was his half-baked knowledge that made him feel the Undying Phoenix Blood Qi Forging Art was so powerful. Had he known everything, he would’ve figured out it was fake with a glance.
It took him just more than half an hour to fully understand it. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
"Master, what if he cultivates this and blows up?" Lei Feng asked, biting his right-hand nails.
While Su Yang was feeling happy, others weren’t. Bai Ruo and the others were peeking in from the corner of the door. Jia Xin had left a little gap.
"Don’t worry." Bai Ruo raised her head. "Who do you think I am?" She folded her hands arrogantly.
The disciple trio looked at each other. They grouped up as Bai Ruo blankly stared at them. They walked past her as if she didn’t exist.
"Why do you think?" Lei Feng rubbed his chin, as Li Ming and Jia Xin wondered.
"Is it because of his weak body and talent?" Jia Xin felt she had solved the puzzle.
"Weak?" Lei Feng and Li Ming mumbled.
"We require only four disciples, so it doesn’t matter if he’s trash." Jia Xin explained, "I purposefully suggested Master scam a disciple with almost no talent."
Indeed, Bai Ruo didn’t just pick Su Yang randomly. She was in the sect recruitment area long before Su Yang arrived. She was hidden inside, and when she heard that Su Yang’s talent had just touched the inferior level, she knew he was the one.
"Stop acting like I’m not here." Bai Ruo couldn’t tolerate it anymore. They didn’t even turn towards her.
"If he has no talent, he would break his muscle fibres if he tried exerting Blood Qi-realm art movements!" Li Ming’s face paled.
The disciples froze, falling silent.
"Tch!" Bai Ruo clicked her tongue. "Beginning of technique?" She gritted her teeth. This got the attention of everyone.
"Yes, the beginning is visualising the Undying Phoenix." Jia Xin clapped her hands, with her lips curved. She patted her chest. "Junior brother is safe for now."
They believed Su Yang would fail at the very first step. How could one who had never seen an Undying Phoenix in their life picture it?
"What if junior brother still tries Master’s randomly written movements?" Li Ming’s words made everyone pause.
"No, no." Bai Ruo shook her head hurriedly. "I clearly mentioned in the art that without a perfect image, they would die." She folded her hands behind her back. "If Su Yang believed I was a powerhouse, he would follow the technique properly."
"We can only hope." They nodded bitterly. They peeked in again.
A few hours later.
Su Yang was meditating. He lost all his senses. He couldn’t feel or hear the outside world. In his mind, a mighty Eastern crimson Phoenix materialised. It was constructed by him. It was burning with bright red flames.
The head of a rooster, the neck of a snake, the back shaped like a tortoise, the flowing tail of a peacock, two crane legs, and elegant wings with a span of a few metres.
Just when he felt it was perfect, the Phoenix changed shape. Its colour changed from crimson to a bit of white, and the flames’ properties also shifted from burning to regeneration.
’Incredible cheat.’ Su Yang mused. He had pictured the Phoenix according to the instructions from the art, but they were too cryptic.
It just mentioned a bird with traits from many animals, glowing feathers, bright colours, and a majestic aura while erupting with flames. The colours of the flames were left to the cultivator.
’Any powerful Phoenix can match it.’ He groaned as the Phoenix kept slowly changing. However, his cheat finally took effect when he randomly visualised a crooked, bald bird with two legs. It suddenly grew feathers, making him almost lose his concentration.
’My cheat corrects all the imperfections and errors I make.’ He couldn’t stop his grin.
Time ticked by.
The shining white moon rose up.
"We should stop," Bai Ruo declared as their eyes dried up. They had kept watch on Su Yang from the afternoon to night.
"Let’s go eat." She waved her hand.
"What about junior brother?" Jia Xin asked as everyone took steps towards their Master’s dwelling.
"He’ll forget about eating for today." Bai Ruo smiled lightly. "Recall what happened when you received the cultivation technique for the first time."
They didn’t mention junior brother as they calmly entered Bai Ruo’s wooden chamber.
Su Yang’s forehead was filled with sweat as slow, golden-white flames flickered on his body.
Time ticked by. The flames increased. Soon, zzz! His entire body was covered with a small layer of white-golden flames.