On the street, the group of men and women drew frequent glances from passersby. This was especially true of the two women, one mature and one young, each possessing her own distinct charm as though showcasing the finest grace of their respective ages, leaving onlookers daydreaming.
What drew the most envy and hatred was the man walking between the three males. He looked completely ordinary, and his cultivation was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet that stunning mature beauty was actually clinging to his arm.
Li Haoran wore a deadpan expression. Though Su Yiren looked gentle and delicate, she was a genuine cultivator at the Body Integration stage; if she wanted to hold onto him, there was no chance he could ever break free.
Calmly turning his head, he met Su Yiren's gaze. "I know you really want to stroll down the street with me, but please control your strength. This is the third time you've broken my arm."
Li Haoran dangled his limp arm back and forth to show how severely injured it was.
Su Yiren hurriedly retrieved healing pills from her storage ring to set Li Haoran's bone.
Given Su Yiren's realm, failing to control her strength should have been impossible. Li Haoran could only conclude that she was simply too excited being around him, causing her grip to slip out of control.
"Your bone snapped and you didn't even cry out?" Qin Yanyan stared at Li Haoran in shock. Did this guy feel no pain?
Li Haoran let out a dry chuckle. "Ever since I soaked in magma for a whole year, I forgot what pain even feels like."
Looking back on being tossed into magma by his master right after joining the sect, Li Haoran felt it was pure luck that he had survived to this day.
"M-magma? Soaked for a year?" Qin Yanyan's eyes went wide. Was he even human?
In a wistful tone, Li Haoran said, "Back then when I was put into the magma, I screamed my lungs out. The pain was beyond what any mortal could endure. By the end, I had screamed myself completely hoarse, yet the agony never stopped.
"My master wouldn't allow anyone to help me, insisting I get through the trial on my own. Back then, Senior Sister Zhou Lulu couldn't bear to see me suffer. While Master was away, she secretly brought me water infused with heavenly treasures, saying it would relieve my condition."
Qin Yanyan imagined what it would feel like if she were the one soaking in magma and shuddered. Hearing this, she couldn't help asking, "Did it help you adapt to the magma faster?"
"It was water steeped with century-old monk fruit. Senior Sister Zhou Lulu saw that I'd screamed my throat raw, so she brought it to soothe my voice."
Qin Yanyan: "..."
Ever since Lu Yang learned that Li Haoran had been soaked in magma for a full year by Fifth Elder Zhou Xin, he no longer felt that Eldest Senior Sister bathing him in boiling water was such a big deal.
Then again, if Li Haoran hadn't possessed a Fire Spiritual Root, Elder Zhou Xin wouldn't have dared to dip him into magma. This was a cultivation method unique to Fire Spiritual Roots.
Each of the single spiritual roots of the Five Elements had its own exclusive cultivation method. For instance, a Fire Spiritual Root was soaked in magma or roasted with flames to comprehend fire-related spells or abilities; Li Haoran, for example, had comprehended artifact forging techniques this way.
An Earth Spiritual Root was buried in the soil to comprehend the Earth Escaping Art.
A Water Spiritual Root was thrown into water to comprehend the Water Control Art.
However, there were exceptions.
For example, Lu Yang heard that Senior Brother Dai Bufan had a Water Spiritual Root. The Grand Elder had thrown him into a pool and kept him from breathing, hoping Senior Brother Dai would comprehend the Water Control Art or an underwater breathing spell between life and death. Unfortunately, things hadn't gone as planned—Senior Brother Dai comprehended a spatial spell and drank the entire pool bone-dry.
"Good niece, see anything you like? Uncle will buy it for you," Meng Jingzhou teased Qin Yanyan. If there was one thing he didn't lack, it was money.
Hearing Meng Jingzhou call her "niece," Qin Yanyan stomped her feet in annoyance, completely helpless to stop him.
"What's this?" Qin Yanyan tried to change the subject, pointing offhand at some stones being sold by the roadside.
The stones were blood-red, vivid, and lustrous, looking entirely naturally formed as they refracted a breathtaking brilliance beneath the sunlight.
"Oh, those? That's Phoenix Blood Stone, a specialty of our Luofeng Commandery."
"Phoenix Blood Stone?" Aside from Su Yiren, no one present had ever heard of such a stone.
Li Haoran said, "You've probably heard about the origin of our Luofeng Commandery. They say that long, long ago, a pureblood phoenix soared freely between heaven and earth. But eventually, it grew too old to fly, so it found a place to rest and sleep for a while. And once it fell asleep, it never woke up again.
"The old phoenix's flesh and bones turned into the hills of the earth." Li Haoran pointed toward the distant mountains that vaguely semi-encircled Luofeng Commandery. "Look at those mountains. If you connect them, don't they look like a phoenix?
"The old phoenix's feathers turned into forests, which is why there's so much red vegetation across the hills.
"The old phoenix's blood dyed the rocks red, and those rocks are the Phoenix Blood Stones you see today."
Lu Yang thought to himself, *Are you describing a phoenix or Pangu?*
"When I heard this story as a kid, I thought it was just a legend. Only after I came to the Dao Seeking Sect and Master taught me about artifact forging did I learn that the Phoenix Blood Stones of my hometown really were dyed by phoenix blood. They're top-notch forging materials."
"A phoenix, huh..." The Immortal Fairy recalled some memories upon hearing the long-unheard word.
"Back then, Kirin wasn't the only one; both the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan had candidates with the potential to attain immortality. At the time, the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan meticulously nurtured two peerless prodigies of the demon race who possessed unmatched talent. Backed fully by the two clans, their chances of becoming celestials were very high.
"On the other hand, Kirin—though called a darling of heaven and earth—actually had no background or backing. He stood alone with little influence, and most demons didn't think highly of him.
"Kirin had faced many powerful foes, none of whom were his match. He overcame countless enemies deemed impossible to defeat and rapidly rose through the demon race. His Dao fruit concept was very close to those of the Dragon and Phoenix prodigies, so if anyone was to attain immortality, an unavoidable battle to the death was inevitable.
"Kirin possessed tremendous karmic fortune. Fighting one against two, he defeated both the Dragon and Phoenix prodigies, successfully attained his Dao fruit, and became Immortal Kirin."
"Did Immortal Kirin kill the Dragon and Phoenix prodigies then?" Lu Yang asked. The Immortal Fairy's tone had been calm, but Lu Yang could still sense the brutality beneath the surface.
Indeed, attaining immortality was no child's play: the victor took all, while the loser was left with nothing, likely paying with their life.
"No, they got married."
"Huh?"
"Demons revere the strong. After the Dragon and Phoenix prodigies lost to Immortal Kirin, they fell in love with him, and the three of them ended up happily married. Originally, I wanted to attend Immortal Kirin's wedding, but he told me I was too beautiful and that going would steal the spotlight from the brides, so he wouldn't let me come.
"Such a shame. I was planning to show off my skills for Immortal Kirin at the banquet."
"What did you want to do at Immortal Kirin's wedding?"
"Cook the feast! Let me tell you, those four, Immortal Kirin and the rest, couldn't lift a finger or tell one grain from another; I was the only one who knew how to cook." The Immortal Fairy looked utterly disgusted, thinking the four of them were a total embarrassment.
Lu Yang felt it made complete sense that Immortal Kirin hadn't invited the Immortal Fairy.
A wedding would certainly have a huge crowd of guests. If the Immortal Fairy cooked, there wouldn't be enough antidotes to go around.
"Later on, I thought that since it was a friend's wedding after all, it wouldn't do to not send a gift. So I sent an immortal fruit blessed by me, and even thoughtfully inscribed it: 'For the fairest of the demon race.'
"I heard that present caused quite a commotion. Probably because they'd never seen such a precious gift before."
Lu Yang fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "How many immortal fruits did you send?"
"One."
Lu Yang let out a long sigh. "You really just wanted to watch the world burn, didn't you?"
"Huh? Why?"
Chapter 221