Lu Yang really wanted to know: now that nine Golden Crows had returned, how were the ten Jade Rabbits supposed to be divided? Were they going to mate all together, or was the odd one out roasted by the Immortal Fairy to poison the Four Ancient Celestials?
He felt there was no need to know so much dark history. Not only was it useless for cultivation, but knowing it would also make it harder to survive if he ever ran into the Four Ancient Celestials in the future.
Lu Yang didn't have a single positive image of the Four Ancient Celestials in his head right now. If he met them and tried to cozy up by saying, "I have a wonderful relationship with the Immortal Fairy and listen to her tell stories about you every day"—
He feared no one would be able to save his life.
"Well? After listening to this Immortal's story, hasn't it been a tremendous help in comprehending the Golden Crow True Flame?"
Understanding the story behind a technique allowed for a deeper grasp of its underlying essence—this was a universally accepted truth in the cultivation world. Unfortunately, the history behind the techniques and divine abilities available on the market was far too ancient to trace, leaving people in the dark about what had actually transpired back then.
For Lu Yang, however, listening to the Immortal Fairy tell the stories behind techniques only diminished his comprehension of them.
"Golden Crow True Flame..."
He drew over a small wisp with magic power, letting it bloom at his fingertip. Even though it was just a tiny spark, the energy contained within was immeasurable.
Lu Yang stared at the Golden Crow True Flame and slowly closed his eyes, sensing the inner essence of the True Flame.
"Which flame should I choose?" Man Gu was deeply torn. For him, it would be best if he could learn Three-Flavor True Fire. He had tried learning it from Lu Yang, but hadn't managed to pick it up—or rather, he simply had no idea where to even begin.
"Should I choose Nirvana True Fire like Brother Meng?"
Watching Meng Jingzhou steadily refining the Nirvana True Fire, breathing wisps of fiery Qi in and out, Man Gu shook his head. "No good, no good. That's a true fire of the demon race. Not only does it not match my bloodline, but my comprehension isn't as high as Brother Meng's, either. I can't cross species barriers to comprehend a true fire."
"True Lunarfire? No good. My vitality is too vigorous; comprehending True Lunarfire would suppress my vitality and reduce my strength."
"Chaos True Fire? No good. I know nothing about chaos, so I can't comprehend it."
"Ziwei Heavenly Fire? No good. Now that the stars are no more, the Ziwei Heavenly Fire originating from the Ziwei Star is a rootless fire. Even if it's immensely powerful, it would be hard to sustain for long."
"This flame looks somewhat familiar. I can give it a try." Man Gu brightened with joy and sat cross-legged before a cluster of flame.
That was Samadhi True Fire.
Tao Yaoye was also torn over which flame she should choose. She walked past Golden Crow True Fire, True Lunarfire, and Great Yan True Fire one by one, but felt nothing from any of them; none were a true fire suited to her.
In the end, she sat cross-legged before a cluster of flame echoing with the cries of birds.
Nanming Li Fire.
Lu Yang's comprehension hit its stride. He felt as if he had become the sun, hanging high in the heavens, illuminating the earth and bestowing grace upon all living things—when suddenly, a gigantic hand snatched him up and placed him right next to a rabbit...
"Everyone, look at Lu Yang! He's clearly comprehending the Golden Crow True Flame, yet the two powers of the moon and the sun are manifesting around him, and they even show faint signs of merging!"
The Five Elements Sect disciples drew in sharp breaths at the sight. Comprehending the power of the moon from the power of the sun—what kind of monstrous comprehension was this?!
Not to mention merging two extreme powers together!
This person's mastery over True Flames was downright terrifying!
Even the elders of the Five Veins and Qiu Jin'an were visibly moved by this scene. Such talent had probably appeared only two or three times throughout history!
"Old Song, this kid's talent is terrifying beyond measure!" the Metal Vein Elder transmitted mentally to Song Duantian. They harbored a deep grudge against Daoist Buyu. Now that Lu Yang had fallen into their hands, wouldn't they want to teach him a harsh lesson to vent their anger?
As the saying went, a teacher for a day is a father for life; sons inherit their fathers' trades, and sons pay their fathers' debts. Making Lu Yang pay those debts was only natural!
Song Duantian's brow furrowed tightly. "If we don't eliminate this boy, he will certainly remember what we do today and become a grave disaster in the future!"
"He's a menace, all right."
"What should we do?"
The Metal Vein Elder stared intently at Lu Yang, agonizing in his heart, before finally putting on a fierce expression, as though he had reached a momentous decision.
"At worst... we just won't hold our grudge against Old Scoundrel Buyu anymore!"
...
"Look, only the power of the sun is left on Lu Yang!"
Lu Yang had no idea what the Metal Vein and Fire Vein elders were thinking. His urgent priority was to quickly purge his mind of that comprehension.
He had nearly been led straight into a pit by the Immortal Fairy, almost comprehending a method to merge yin and yang, sun and moon.
Too dangerous.
He resumed comprehending the Golden Crow True Flame, embodying the sun on its patrol across the sky, with all things bursting with life in a flourishing, vibrant scene.
The sun was like a balloon, constantly swelling and contracting, looking as if it could explode at any second and making the onlookers' hearts clench.
Suddenly, a bird's cry rang out from within the sun—melodious and brimming with vitality.
"It worked!" Lu Yang rejoiced and opened his eyes. Both eyes flared red, resembling two miniature suns.
He blinked once, and his eyes returned to normal, crystal clear like an innocent child's. Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion, leaving those watching in disbelief.
"You succeeded?" Bai Ming asked in astonishment. The true fire he had mastered was the Golden Crow True Flame, so he knew full well how arduous comprehending it was.
"Try it and see," Lu Yang replied with a confident smile. This time there was definitely no issue; his comprehension of the Golden Crow True Flame was thorough and complete.
Lu Yang opened his left palm. A cluster of flame emerged, and the surrounding temperature spiked drastically.
The flame swayed in the air, gradually settling into a fixed shape that already bore the preliminary outline of a bird.
"True Flame mimicry?" Bai Ming gasped under his breath. Flame had no fixed shape; shaping it into a desired form demanded extraordinary control, something ordinary cultivators could never achieve without fifty years of painstaking training.
Moreover, looking at Lu Yang's effortless ease, it didn't seem as though he were deliberately mimicking a form; it looked more like the True Flame naturally took this shape the moment it manifested!
A confident smile curved on Lu Yang's lips. He raised two fingers of his right hand before his lips and let out a theatrical, low shout: "True Flame, manifest!"
The True Flame transformed into a Golden Crow, lifelike down to the finest detail, as if it had come alive.
"The True Flame transformed into a Golden Crow?!" Bai Ming exclaimed once more, unable to suppress his shock this time as he cried out directly.
The Five Elements Sect disciples and elders had long turned their attention to Lu Yang.
"He can turn the True Flame into a Golden Crow on his very first try?"
"Wait, look! A Golden Crow has three legs, but Lu Yang's Golden Crow only has two legs!"
"Is there such a thing as a two-legged Golden Crow?"
"The greatest hallmark of a Golden Crow is having three legs! Can something with two legs still count as a Golden Crow?"
Lu Yang was also rather baffled. Why was the "Golden Crow" that the True Flame naturally formed different from what he had envisioned?
He clenched his left hand, extinguishing the True Flame, and opened his palm once more to let it bloom. It was still a two-legged "Golden Crow."
Refusing to give up, he tried several more times, hoping a third leg would sprout, but his wish went ungranted.
Lu Yang scratched his head. He had limited experience and had never encountered such a situation, so he turned to ask Bai Ming, "Do you know what's going on here?"
How could Bai Ming have ever seen anything like this? He was equally flabbergasted by the question. "Golden Crows all have three legs. Yours with two legs... should just be a golden bird."
"Then does mine count as Golden Crow True Flame?"
Bai Ming's expression grew increasingly strange. "It counts as Golden Bird True Flame."
Chapter 532