The Fire Bomb Skill, enhanced by Fire Control, felt extremely dangerous.
He raised his hand and launched it at the small pool inside his cave residence.
"BOOM!"
A bright flash exploded before Lin Changheng's eyes. The Fire Bomb shot from his hand far faster than before, whistling through the air with a crimson tail of flame before detonating in the center of the pool—
"HISSS—!"
The pool water instantly boiled and churned. Steaming white mist shot upward like a furious dragon. It was quite a commotion!
When the thick mist dispersed, three fish-shaped lumps of black charcoal floated to the surface.
'This power... it's more than twice as strong as before! And with the increase in casting and flight speed, it'll be much easier to hit my target!'
'I could even... use the Fire Control Technique mid-flight for a sudden burst of acceleration! I might be able to catch an enemy completely off guard and get the drop on them!'
Lin Changheng was very satisfied with this power and had even thought of the perfect time to use it.
It was just a pity he hadn't mastered any other Fire Magic yet, or he would have definitely given them a try.
'But in the future, I won't need to excessively practice this kind of Magic. With the enhancements from various Demon Beast Treasure Seeds, my results might be even stronger than what others achieve after years, even decades, of Cultivation!'
What Lin Changheng didn't know was that his Fire Bomb Skill, which he had spent considerable time cultivating to the Skilled stage, was now, with the enhancement of the Fire Control Technique, superior to the Fire Bomb Skill of others who had reached the Mastery stage!
The Entry-Level for Basic Techniques was quite simple, but progressing through each subsequent stage—Skilled, Mastery, Minor Achievement, Great Success—was incredibly difficult. It heavily tested one's affinity for the Magic and their Cultivation Talent, and it also required a great deal of time to polish!
But Lin Changheng had a new path all to himself, a shortcut!
He could reach the Entry-Level in a very short time, then enhance it with a Treasure Seed to become stronger than them!
...
'Right, my Spirit Root!'
Lin Changheng suddenly thought of something and hurriedly cast the Spirit Detecting Skill on himself.
'Just as I thought! My Fire Spirit Root's Spiritual Charm has reached... ten wisps!'
'This is the Limit for a Mixed Spirit Root. Just one more wisp, and I'll break through the ten-wisp barrier to become a Lower Grade Spirit Root!'
A low starting point wasn't scary; being able to improve steadily was the greatest promise of a bright future!
The path of Cultivation was long. Countless prodigies had shone brightly at the start, only to fall midway due to their rush for quick gains. And how many mediocrities, claiming to be late bloomers, ended up wasting a century, accomplishing nothing.
But he was different.
One step at a time, without greed or impatience.
Today, his Fire Control grew a fraction stronger; tomorrow, his Spirit Root would gain another wisp. One day—
He suddenly raised his head.
The fiery clouds in the sky suddenly surged, reflecting in his eyes and making them seem to burn...
They were astonishingly bright!
"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
His lofty ambitions were interrupted. Lin Changheng's brow furrowed slightly. 'It's almost evening, who would be looking for me now?'
With his fingers forming the hand seal for the Fire Bomb Skill, ready to launch at a moment's notice, he opened the door a crack with his other hand and peered through the gap.
Incredibly vigilant!
If anything seemed amiss, he would unleash the Fire Bomb Skill straight at their face without a second thought.
A Female Cultivator stood outside the door.
She was pretty, with a delicate, oval-shaped face, cherry-like lips, and rosy cheeks.
She wore no makeup, yet her figure was naturally alluring.
It was none other than his next-door neighbor, the Female Cultivator.
Her name was Su Shuangjiang.
Her Cultivation was at the Sixth Layer Qi Cultivation, and with her impressive skills, she was a Demon Hunter.
She once had a fiancé, who was also a Demon Hunter. They were childhood sweethearts who had come to make a life for themselves in Purple River District, planning to save up and get married.
Because of this, they often went to the edge of the Wilderness to hunt Demon Beasts.
But four years ago, during a "Minor Expedition" organized by the Upper Sect Purple Extreme Sect, her fiancé had a moment of carelessness and was ambushed by a Demon Beast. It bit his head off, and he died on the spot.
From then on, Su Shuangjiang considered herself a widow and always wore plain clothes.
'After all, they'd been neighbors for years. They were bound to run into each other. How unfamiliar could they really be?'
"Fairy Su, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Lin Changheng relaxed his outward vigilance and pushed the door open wider, but he kept his other hand free, still ready to form a hand seal at any time.
Su Shuangjiang's pretty face went blank for a moment before she snapped out of it, shaking her head repeatedly. "Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing. I just heard a loud commotion coming from your home, Fellow Daoist, and I thought something might be wrong. I came to see if you needed any help."
'I didn't expect my neighbor to be so kind-hearted.'
Lin Changheng instantly understood why she had come.
'With my previous Cultivation and skill level, I'd likely never made such a ruckus at home. No wonder she was surprised. Did she think an intruder had broken in?'
"Thank you for your concern, Fairy Su. I was just testing some Magic at home; nothing else happened. I didn't expect to disturb you, please forgive me."
Su Shuangjiang's beautiful eyes glanced at Lin Changheng, a flicker of surprise in them, but she still nodded. "It's no trouble. As neighbors, we should help each other. Since you're fine, Mr. Lin, I won't disturb you any longer."
"Fairy Su, would you like to come in for a cup of Spirit Tea?"
Lin Changheng faintly detected a very light scent of blood on the Female Cultivator before him. Although it was masked by the faint fragrance of a woman who had recently bathed, it couldn't escape his nose, which was extremely sensitive to Demon Beast Essence Blood. An idea sparked in his mind, and he extended the invitation with a smile.
"I only just returned from the Wilderness this afternoon and am still a bit tired. I'll come bother you another day, Mr. Lin."
Su Shuangjiang gave a slight smile, opportunely showing a hint of weariness.
"Very well."
Lin Changheng naturally wouldn't insist, watching as the slender Female Cultivator departed.
His mind, however, was already pondering whether he could obtain Demon Blood through this Female Cultivator.
「Meanwhile.」
Su Shuangjiang was also filled with doubt.
Specifically, there were two points.
The first was that this Mr. Lin, ever since the first day she moved in, had always looked heavily burdened. This had become even more pronounced in the last two years, his brow constantly furrowed and his demeanor exceedingly gloomy.
But recently, she had been away on long Demon Hunting trips or resting at home, so she rarely went out and hadn't run into him.
But seeing him this time, Mr. Lin seemed like a completely different person.
His entire presence was different; he was no longer so withdrawn and gloomy.
This quite surprised her.
'You have to understand, a leopard can't change its spots. It's very difficult for someone to change unless they've experienced a major upheaval, and even then, the change is usually for the worse...'
The second point,
was the power of that Magic... It was truly a bit too strong.
It was the kind of power that could only be produced by someone at the Middle Stage Qi Cultivation at least, unless they were just throwing around a Tier One Middle Grade Talisman.
'But a Middle Grade Talisman costs at least three or four Spirit Stones. Would anyone really be that wasteful? Unless their brain was scrambled by a Demon Beast.'
By process of elimination, the answer was obvious.
But she had clearly sensed just now that Mr. Lin's Cultivation was still at the Early Stage Qi Cultivation...
This led to a dead end.
That neighbor of hers, whose demeanor had changed so drastically and who had a rather handsome appearance, was really quite mysterious.
Perhaps he couldn't be judged by ordinary standards...
...
Unaware of what Su Shuangjiang was thinking, Lin Changheng had already cooked a pot of intensely fragrant Spirit Rice Porridge.
As he ate the porridge, he was pinching his fingers together, calculating something.
'In three more days, the Origin Treasure Seed will continue to absorb my Essence Blood, and I'll fall into a state of Qi and Blood deficiency. I'm already out of Blood Replenishing Pills. I need to get my hands on a few more as soon as possible...'