Chapter 101

As Xu Xiaoshou finished speaking, the compressed fire seed in his palm vanished. The next moment, a far more volatile one rose above his thumb.

Old Sang's eyes flashed with surprise. The energy of this fire seed was incredibly agitated, like a wild horse, poised to explode at any moment. It was many times more terrifying than the last. Yet, Xu Xiaoshou's control over it was miraculous; he somehow managed to suppress its imminent explosion.

Old Sang knew Xu Xiaoshou was a genius, but he hadn't expected him to be *this* much of a genius. It was one thing to be able to create compressed fire seeds, but to control them so freely was a bit excessive!

"The Five-Finger Seed Imprint Art..." The name suggested there was more to it than just one.

*Whoosh!* As he pondered, another fire seed materialized on Xu Xiaoshou's index finger. The two fire seeds, barely a finger-width apart, interacted and almost exploded out of control. He immediately switched to a "gentle simmering" state, and the two fire seeds instantly quieted down.

Old Sang's eyes showed approval. "Good, keep going!"

Xu Xiaoshou wiped a bead of sweat, straightened his middle finger, and another fire seed appeared.

*Sizzle—* The magnetic attraction of the three fire seeds was far more terrifying than he'd imagined. Even in his "gentle simmering" state, Xu Xiaoshou struggled to maintain control. The fire seeds fluctuated violently, leaving trails of black lines above his fingernails.

Old Sang clicked his tongue in wonder, now convinced that Xu Xiaoshou's "Five-Finger Seed Imprint Art" could indeed shatter the windows of the Spirit Repository Pavilion. With only three fire seeds, their combined energy already surpassed most innate spirit skills. If this were thrown into someone's mouth, the consequences would be truly unimaginable. He was about to tell Xu Xiaoshou to stop, but seeing his focused expression, he held his tongue.

Xu Xiaoshou had initially just wanted to bluff his way through, but he hadn't expected his sudden idea to actually be quite impressive. The inspiration for this came from the earlier fusion and explosion of two fire seeds. He hadn't realized that at such close proximity, their destructive power seemed to increase exponentially.

"Let's give it a try. The old man is here, so nothing too serious should happen." He "sensed" Old Sang, noticing his genuine interest, and felt completely at ease. If this spirit skill could be successfully developed, it would be many times more powerful than the "Small Fireball Art." It might even become his strongest ultimate move to date.

A fourth one! Xu Xiaoshou concentrated fully, and as his ring finger trembled, another fire seed materialized.

"Yes!" He looked closely, only to find that this compressed fire seed was significantly smaller, and its energy was much weaker than the others.

What was going on? Xu Xiaoshou was puzzled, then suddenly felt a weakness within him, realizing his spiritual essence was depleted. *Damn it!* He'd completely forgotten about that! The next second, he discovered in horror that the appearance of this unstable fire seed severely disrupted the balance among the other three. The four fire seeds at his fingertips simultaneously spiraled out of control, trembling violently and emitting a terrifying aura of destruction.

"Oh no!" Xu Xiaoshou shuddered and instinctively tried to throw the volatile seeds out the window, only to find Old Sang enthusiastically blocking the way and watching... The four points of fire rapidly approached, instantly right in front of his face!

Old Sang: ???

Curse Received: Passive Points +1.

He had been watching perfectly well, marveling at the kid's incredible ingenuity. This technique, developed through alchemy, was truly novel and had completely captured his attention, leaving him somewhat anticipating the fifth fire seed. He hadn't expected the boy to just throw them directly at him. He wasn't afraid of them, but a warning, some preparation, would have been nice!

What was he trying to do? A sneak attack? Attempted master-killing?

Old Sang executed a tactical lean back, his straw hat instantly flying off. Three of the higher-flying compressed fire seeds pierced right through it and shot out the window. The straw hat instantly disintegrated into ash, leaving not a trace. The last remaining fire seed, weaker and flying lower, coincidentally shot right into Old Sang's nostril.

Old Sang: ???

Curse Received: Passive Points +1.

At that moment, his face turned green, but he didn't immediately erupt. *Of course,* his life was more important! Although the situation was critical, it wasn't hopeless! Since the "Ashen Heavenly Flame" was of the same origin, as long as he refined it instantly, he would surely be fine!

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoshou watched with wide eyes as the fire seed entered Old Sang's nostril, and instantly felt terrible. Old Sang hadn't dodged it, which was entirely unexpected. What was the old man doing? Spacing out? Xu Xiaoshou, himself, didn't dare to space out when testing moves, yet Old Sang was?

But this wasn't the time to ponder. Before the fire seed could go deeper into the nostril, he suddenly leaned forward and took a sharp sniff.

*If I'm fast enough, the fire seed won't escape...* "Oh my, what is that smell! So stinky!"

"Ugh~" He gagged, but then he noticed Old Sang's body suddenly shook, and a muffled rumble emanated from his stomach.

Exploded?

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to fall silent for a second. Xu Xiaoshou saw the old man's cheeks puff out slightly, then retract, but the sound of his Adam's apple bobbing was incredibly clear.

*Damn it!* He's not bleeding, is he?!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were filled with disbelief. He had actually injured Old Sang – how was that possible?

Old Sang was trembling all over, not from pain, but from sheer rage! With his cultivation, he should have been able to instantly refine the fire seed even if it entered his stomach. However, Xu Xiaoshou's "ghostly sniff" had caused his spiritual essence to momentarily lose control, just for an instant, but it was enough to miss the chance to refine the fire seed. If he hadn't also cultivated his physical body, the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace might have just lost its vice-dean!

"Are you hurt?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, full of doubt and surprise.

Old Sang took a deep breath, stopped his trembling, and forcibly held back his reaction. What else could he do? He had to endure it! What kind of master nearly gets killed by his disciple on their very first meeting? Wouldn't that only prove his own inadequacy? He silently turned around, pulled a new straw hat from his ring, and slowly placed it on his head.

"Nothing happened, don't talk nonsense."

As he spoke, a gentle breeze blew in through the window, and Xu Xiaoshou distinctly smelled blood... The air was thick with awkwardness. Xu Xiaoshou ultimately didn't dare expose him; it was best to let this wound heal on its own. It was better for one person to bear the pain; forcing it open would likely lead to his own suffering too.

"Heh." Xu Xiaoshou forced a slight smile, attempting to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Heh heh." Old Sang also seemed to be trying to save face, echoing with a chuckle.

The air fell silent, and the atmosphere... became even more awkward!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyelid twitched, and he still couldn't find his voice. Normally, he was quick to quip and mock, but when facing Old Sang, he never quite dared. Well, sometimes, he unknowingly overstepped, and situations like this arose...

"What was that just now?" Old Sang didn't turn around.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart fluttered. Had the old man noticed his "Breathing Technique"? "A cultivation method," he replied vaguely.

"Oh, a cultivation method..." Old Sang fell silent again.

Xu Xiaoshou almost laughed. It seemed the old man was also trying to ease the awkwardness and hadn't paid any real attention to his "Breathing Technique." He tentatively asked, "So, shall I start refining the raw liquid now?"

"Oh, refining..."

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou was at a loss for words.

Old Sang finally snapped out of it, no longer facing away from him. He turned around and said, "Don't refine it yet. There's another very important matter I need to tell you first."