Su Yang wanted to roar, but his body was out of his control. He could feel his flesh starting to burn. The golden eye of the white Phoenix was locked on him. That’s why he couldn’t move or feel the outside world, but he could feel his own body.
’Too much pressure.’ He couldn’t even think properly, but his will to live forced him to keep his thoughts. Yet, he was still unable to regain control of his body, much less control the flames. Just when he felt he was doomed to die, he recalled that the art mentioned that if one felt too tired or was unable to control the Phoenix’s power, they should just breathe.
’Yes, take a deep breath.’ He tried to control his breathing rhythm, one deep inhale, and the same exhale. He was able to slowly gain control over his nose.
And his cheat activated.
His breathing pattern changed, and the flames on his body started to change. They started to move in a specific pattern matching his breathing under the cheat’s control.
’One inhale... Go on.’ He screamed in his mind.
His cheat didn’t fully show him everything or control him. It was like when fingers moved automatically after touching a hot object. It would correct one thing, and when he learned it, another correction would appear. He needed to learn on his own and change accordingly, as per the suggestions from his cheat.
Just when he did one inhale, his nose exhaled. He followed it. One inhale, one exhale. Then, under his cheat’s guidance, he discovered a full breathing technique.
It was one, two, three, two, one, with the inhale and exhale following the same number.
’I’m yet to control...’ He paused as he sensed that he was starting to gain control of his flames. He tried wiping them out, and whoosh! They vanished.
Slowly, he regained control over his body.
He opened his palm and checked his surroundings. The room was dim and dark. He yanked open the windows as moonlight rushed in.
"What a beautiful moon..." He muttered as he had never seen a white moon as refined as today’s. It might have been because he was close to death that he momentarily lost himself in the celestial body’s light.
He lightly slapped his cheeks. He tilted his head and lowered it to check his upper body.
"Nothing?" He yelled in disbelief.
Even his rough mattress and quilt were not touched by the flames. Even his robe was untouched. ’I clearly felt I would be burned to death.’
He rubbed his face. It was covered in sweat. His neck and entire body reeked of it, yet there were no visible burns as he checked himself over.
"What happened?" He covered his mouth as he couldn’t understand. He swiftly pulled over the scroll and read it again.
[ After visualizing the Undying Phoenix, one generates the Nirvana Flames. If the cultivator is talented, the Undying Phoenix itself would test the cultivator! ]
’I was evaluated by the great Undying Phoenix?’ His mouth hung open in surprise.
Indeed, he was!
Had he done nothing in such a state, he would’ve failed. But with his body losing control and feeling the end was near, he managed to recall the breathing technique and used his nose as the Phoenix allowed him to regain control of his nose when he thought about it.
Actually, those flames weren’t real. They were virtual and were meant to create only a burning sensation, making him experience being close to death.
He suddenly held his head as he felt it getting heavy, and a lot of information appeared in his mind.
"Undying Phoenix Stance!" His eyes gleamed with excitement. "This is the reward."
He glanced outside as he noticed a white Phoenix covered by white-golden flames in the sky. It had covered the entire sky. The moon lost its beauty in front of it. It was majestic, radiant, yet beautiful.
Its gaze was locked on him. While before it had been cold and stern, now it was kind, and he knew it had manifested because of him.
Just a few seconds later, it vanished like fog.
"Just the technique caused it to descend..." He ran a hand down his hair. "Just how powerful is Master?"
His eyes widened in shock. "Did I become a disciple of some supreme cultivator?"
He covered his mouth. His lips curled up, but his palm couldn’t hide it as he broke out laughing crazily.
"Hahahaa, what incredible luck I have!"
Outside, just a few hundred metres away.
The gang and Bai Ruo were munching on chicken legs. They sat around a burning pot filled with food, which was soup made of many vegetables, while another small grill filled with chicken legs was placed next to it. Delicious juice leaked out of them.
"Did junior brother go crazy?" Jia Xin stood up as they all heard Su Yang’s laughter, which sent a chill down their spines.
"What if your art broke his mind?" Lei Feng backed away from his Master. He didn’t forget to pick a few legs.
Bai Ruo scowled as her disciples were a few metres away from her. It wasn’t that which made her furious. "Leave a few pieces for me."
She swiftly flashed in front of Lei Feng and pulled them away from his hands. When she turned over, Jia Xin was licking six pieces with her tongue, saliva dripping from them.
Bai Ruo turned to Li Ming. He quickly filled his mouth with all his drumsticks.
Bai Ruo’s eyes twitched. "Don’t worry, that kid might be tired from the mental visualisation."
"After eating, let’s check on him." Jia Xin suggested as she waved her stick in front of Lei Feng, whose expression was dark.
In Su Yang’s room.
"Stance?" He was going through the technique again. "I got it from the Undying Phoenix directly, while Master’s art also has them..." He scratched his forehead. "But both are different."
"Let’s ask Master." He got out. He felt a nice smell the moment he stepped out. "Later." He wasn’t interested as he was more focused on cultivation now.
Reaching the group, he asked, "Master, did you see the Phoenix in the sky before?"
Everyone except Su Yang exchanged glances. Jia Xin’s eyes were filled with sympathy.
The sect disciples bit hard into their food as their eyes turned furious at their Master. Bai Ruo coughed. "Yes, it’s just a Phoenix. Why bother with puny things?"
’Just a Phoenix...’ Su Yang’s expression twitched. Even the disciples’ eyes turned wide.
"Seniors, did you also spot it?" He enquired.
They nodded blankly. "Yes."
"Once, I even rode a celestial Phoenix with Master." Lei Feng grinned. "Junior brother, don’t be surprised if you spot a Phoenix..."
He stopped as Jia Xin threw a rock at him.
He dodged it and coughed.
"You used a Phoenix as a mount?" Su Yang uttered. He turned towards Bai Ruo and pleaded, "Master, can you let me mount it as well?"
"Hmm." Bai Ruo choked on her chicken. Jia Xin silently patted her back.
Bai Ruo shook her head. "Su Yang, you cannot even stand properly on my carpet..." She raised her voice. "If you climbed on a Phoenix, you would die."
Su Yang’s lips turned downcast in disappointment.
"Now? Any problem?" Bai Ruo questioned, munching on another piece.
"It cannot be hidden from Master." Su Yang praised her as she stayed calm and nodded plainly.
"I want to ask, these stances in the Undying Phoenix Art, are they fixed?"
His words caused everyone to stop chewing.
Bai Ruo shook her head. "They’re not. I’ve written down the universal ones. Everyone has a different body, so they might have their own suitable movements."
"Good." Su Yang smiled as he rushed to his room.
Su Yang stood with his back straight. He took a deep breath and muttered, "Undying Phoenix Stance." He decided on the one given by the phoenix.
He spread his arms like wings and bent his thighs, keeping them parallel to the ground. He stood for a few seconds and switched into another movement. He imagined flames surrounding him as he flapped his arms like wings, with his back bent a little. He controlled his breathing.
There were ten movements. He controlled the flames to surround him as he shifted between them from the first to the tenth. His cheat corrected him whenever he made a mistake.
After completing one round, Thud! He fell to the ground with the flames vanishing, his breathing rough and even. His already thin body had lost some flesh.
"Damn it. It’s been only a few minutes, and I’ve only completed one round." He cursed. He pulled out a bottle of pills from his black storage bag around his waist.
There were ten crimson-coloured pills inside, tightly sealed, and each one had a twelve-line pattern on it.
"Blood Strengthening Pills. Let’s test it out." He twisted the cap to open it and threw all ten into his mouth.
"One pill would keep me strong for one day. Now I took ten at once. Let’s go." He got into the stance, pushing himself up.
From the first to the tenth movement, he surrounded himself with flames. With the breathing pattern, he kept going.
After half an hour, he took another bottle of pills. The cycle repeated.
After a few hours.
"These flames..." He murmured. "Even with pills, I should’ve fainted, but I’m going on."
He felt those white-golden flames were the reason. With each movement of the stance, he could feel his body growing stronger.
Suddenly, after one more round, he felt hot and strong. Some kind of warmth was born in his chest. It felt like his body was cheering.
’Did I take a drug?’ He wondered as it felt like a far superior version of drinking alcohol... in simple words, having a dopamine rush directly.
A new energy was born in his heart!
[ Undying Phoenix Blood Qi Forging Art
Introduction 1/100 ]
[ Su Yang
First Realm: Blood Qi {Entry}
1 Undying Phoenix Blood Qi Wisp! ]
"Hahahaha." He grinned. "I finally entered the first realm."
He controlled the energy running through his body, the newly born energy.
White fog emitted from his palm. His face paled as his body lurched.