The miniature fire phoenix flapped its wings and flew off into the distance.
In its eyes burned a strange and seductive glint of evil fire, which formed its pupils—adding a lifelike, almost dangerous charm to its expression.
It soared toward the distant mountains, disappearing among the ridges and peaks. Though Lin Xiao could no longer see it, he could still sense its presence through their lingering connection.
"That should be far enough, right?"
To test the power of his improved Flameburst Technique, Lin Xiao had poured nearly all his spirit power into this one fire phoenix—crafted entirely from his extreme fire-attribute spirit energy.
He was certain it would be far stronger than any previous attempt—especially those that had blown himself up.
Naturally, he sent it far away, to a remote and uninhabited mountain range, before triggering the detonation.
Once the phoenix was in place, Lin Xiao focused on controlling the evil fire at its core, raising its temperature—higher, higher—until it reached its peak, nearly approaching the essence of extreme fire.
"BOOM!"
A sudden thunderclap echoed across the land.
Because the blast was distant and obscured by terrain, Lin Xiao only heard a muted rumble. Compared to the explosions that had flattened him personally, this one sounded far tamer.
Reclining in a rocking chair nearby, Uncle Li, who had been half-napping with his eyes closed, blinked and looked up.
"Thunder? In this weather? That's odd…"
But then—
RUMBLE—RUMBLE—
From the mountains came a long, low roar—the sound of boulders crashing down the slopes, reverberating across the valley.
Uncle Li frowned.
"Who the hell just… blew up a mountain?!"
Lin Xiao: "…"
He tried to make himself small and inconspicuous.
But no luck—his flaming red maple-colored hair stood out against the snowy white like a beacon.
Uncle Li's eyes locked onto him.
"It was you, wasn't it?!"
"Why the hell would you blow up a mountain?!"
"…Wait a minute—how did you even do that?!"
Lin Xiao said nothing.
Uncle Li also fell silent.
He already knew Lin Xiao wasn't normal. After all, before they left, both Ye Qingxian and Poison Douluo Dugu Bo had spoken to him personally. Their message was clear:
"Protect this boy. Not a hair on his head must be harmed."
He also knew Lin Xiao, despite his age, had already reached the level of a Grandmaster—a terrifying achievement.
But even so—
Blowing up a whole mountain?!
That was something only a Soul Sect or maybe even a Soul King could pull off!
The two stared at each other.
After a long pause, Lin Xiao scratched his head and mumbled:
"I didn't expect it to be… quite that powerful."
Turns out, one thousand fire bombs detonating at once is way more dangerous than a thousand going off one by one.
Thank goodness he'd sent it far away.
Blowing himself up while testing a soul skill would've been humiliating beyond words.
Uncle Li sighed.
"Young Master Lin Xiao… You've truly given me more than enough surprises."
(He almost said "heart attacks," but held back out of respect for Ye Qingxian and Dugu Bo.)
In a gentler tone, he added:
"Young Master, this soul technique of yours… the power is a bit excessive."
"Even I couldn't survive a close-range blast. Please, don't test it without a strong escort next time."
Lin Xiao nodded obediently.
But inside, he was thrilled.
He had done it.
The refined Flameburst Technique—success!
Back in Xiao Huo Huo's world, there was a famous move called the Buddha's Rage Lotus Flame.
Lin Xiao figured his own attack deserved a proper name, something bold and iconic.
"Buddha's Rage Phoenix? Ugh, no."
"Phoenix Fire Lotus? …Still not right."
"Let's just call it… Flameburst Phoenix."
That felt good. Fitting. Powerful.
Still, just because he'd created an upgraded version didn't mean the original was useless. In fact, the original was far more practical.
The new version was built for killing—a weapon of destruction.
But in the world of soul masters, most battles didn't go to the death. Killing someone outright would often bring huge trouble.
The old version, though…
He grinned.
In the middle of a fight, if he landed a punch to someone's face, or during close combat, if he triggered a point-blank explosion—
"Boom. Surprise!"
The power wasn't nearly as great as Flameburst Phoenix, but it was still enough to disable an opponent—or…
Fake death, then detonate when they leaned in for the kill.
"Explosion is art," Lin Xiao murmured with a satisfied smirk.
Uncle Li watched him, this boy talking to himself with a strange glint in his eyes, and shook his head.
For the first time, he began to suspect…
This wasn't such a great assignment after all.
If anything happened to Lin Xiao, he—Li Cangsong—was as good as dead.
He seemed obedient at first…
Who would've guessed he was such a little menace?
Li Cangsong's thoughts drifted to another "menace" from his past—the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. She wasn't even a soul master yet, and she had already run him ragged.
If Lin Xiao ever crossed paths with that little witch…
Now that would be entertaining.
"Master Lin Xiao," Li Cangsong sighed. "Looks like your soul technique development was a success?"
He glanced up at the sky. "Shall we head back early today?"
Lin Xiao quickly chimed in:
"Absolutely! Uncle Li, you've worked hard!"
But in his heart, he muttered:
Uncle Li really knows how to ruin a mood…
Old Poison would've been way more fun to bring along. He'd probably be begging me to teach him Poisonburst next!
Explosions are way more exciting than women anyway!
The success of the Flameburst Phoenix had Lin Xiao walking on air.
And he wasn't done yet.
That afternoon.
Returning to the Shui residence with Uncle Li, they found that Shui Shengxiao had already returned.
"Uncle Shui!" Lin Xiao greeted warmly.
"How did the soul ring hunt go for Bing'er?"
Shui Shengxiao laughed joyfully.
"Everything went perfectly—better than we imagined!"
Before Lin Xiao could ask more, Shui Bing'er herself came running up, lifting the hem of her dress, her eyes full of excitement.
"Brother Lin Xiao!"
"My second spirit ability is called Frost Invasion. It's a domain-type skill with both amplification and control effects!"
"Inside the domain, my spirit power recovers faster, and my attack power doubles. Plus, the frost invades enemy bodies—causing slowing and frostburn!"
Lin Xiao listened, his expression growing odd.
He was thinking…
Could he keep living off Bing'er's support?