Chapter 215: Phoenix Blood Stone

On the street, a group of men and women drew frequent glances from passersby. The two women, one older and one younger, were particularly striking, each possessing a unique charm that seemed to embody the best of every age, sparking various imaginations.

What provoked the most envy was one of the three men in the middle; he had an ordinary appearance and only a Foundation Establishment cultivation level, yet the stunning beauty was clinging to his arm.

Li Haoran remained expressionless. Though Su Yiren appeared delicate and weak, she was a genuine Integration stage cultivator. If she wanted to hold him, he had no chance of breaking free.

He calmly turned his head and met Su Yiren's gaze. "I know you really want to go shopping with me, but please control your strength," he said. "This is the third time you've broken my arm."

Li Haoran dangled his arm, signaling how severely he was injured.

Su Yiren quickly pulled out a healing elixir from her storage ring to set Li Haoran's bone.

Given Su Yiren's cultivation level, such a lapse in strength control shouldn't have occurred. Li Haoran could only conclude that she was overly excited to be with him, causing her power to go awry.

"You didn't even cry out when your bone broke?" Qin Yanyan looked at Li Haoran in surprise. "Does this person not feel pain?"

Li Haoran chuckled. "Ever since I soaked in magma for a year," he said, "I haven't known what pain is."

Recalling being thrown into magma by his master when he first joined the sect, Li Haoran felt his survival was purely a matter of luck.

"Ma-magma? Soaked for a year?" Qin Yanyan's eyes widened. "Is that even possible for a human?"

Li Haoran said with a wistful tone, "Back then, when I first entered the magma, I screamed my lungs out. The pain was unbearable, truly inhuman. I screamed until my throat was hoarse, but it still hurt."

"My master wouldn't let anyone help me; he made me overcome the ordeal by myself. At that time, Senior Sister Zhou Lulu couldn't bear to see me suffer. While Master was away, she secretly brought me a cup of water infused with heavenly materials and earthly treasures, saying it would alleviate my condition."

Qin Yanyan shivered, imagining what it would be like to be soaked in magma herself. Hearing this, she couldn't help but ask, "Did it help you adapt to the magma faster?"

"It was water infused with a hundred-year-old Monk Fruit. Senior Sister Zhou Lulu saw my throat was hoarse from screaming and told me to soothe it."

Qin Yanyan was speechless.

Ever since Lu Yang learned that Li Haoran had been immersed in magma by Fifth Elder Zhou Xin for a year, he no longer thought that Senior Sister's method of bathing him with boiling water was anything remarkable.

On that note, if Li Haoran hadn't possessed a Fire Spirit Root, Elder Zhou Xin wouldn't have dared to immerse him in magma. This was a cultivation method unique to Fire Spirit Roots.

All single Elemental Spirit Roots have exclusive cultivation methods. For instance, Fire Spirit Roots are immersed in magma or scorched by fire, allowing cultivators to comprehend fire-related spells or abilities. Li Haoran, for example, comprehended artifact refining techniques.

For Earth Spirit Roots, being buried in soil allows them to comprehend Earth Evasion techniques.

For Water Spirit Roots, being thrown into water allows them to comprehend Water Control arts.

There were exceptions, however.

For example, Lu Yang heard that Senior Brother Dai Bufan possessed a Water Spirit Root. The Grand Elder once threw Senior Brother Dai Bufan into a pond, preventing him from breathing, hoping he would comprehend Water Control arts or underwater breathing spells in that life-or-death situation. Unfortunately, things went contrary to expectations: Senior Brother Dai comprehended spatial spells and drank all the water in the pond.

"My dear niece, what catches your eye? Your uncle will buy it for you," Meng Jingzhou teased Qin Yanyan. He had nothing in abundance but money.

Qin Yanyan was furious when Meng Jingzhou called her "niece," stamping her foot in frustration, but she was helpless.

"What's this?" Qin Yanyan, trying to divert attention, casually pointed to some stones being sold by the roadside.

The stones were blood-red, vivid and bright, appearing naturally formed, refracting breathtaking light under the sun.

"Oh, this is Phoenix Blood Stone," Li Haoran explained. "It's a specialty of our Falling Phoenix County."

"Phoenix Blood Stone?" No one present, except Su Yiren, had heard of such a stone.

Li Haoran explained, "You must have heard of the origin of our Falling Phoenix County. Legend has it that a long, long time ago, a pure-blooded phoenix soared freely between heaven and earth. But it grew too old to fly, so it found a place to rest, intending to sleep for a while. That sleep became eternal."

"The old phoenix's bones and flesh transformed into the hills of the earth." Li Haoran pointed to the distant mountains vaguely semi-encircling Falling Phoenix County. "Look at these mountains; don't they resemble a phoenix when connected?"

"The old phoenix's feathers transformed into forests, which is why there are many red-colored plants on the hills."

"The old phoenix's blood dyed the stones red; these are the Phoenix Blood Stones you see now."

Lu Yang thought to himself, *Is this a phoenix or Pangu?*

"When I was a child, I heard this story and thought it was just a legend. Only when I came to the Dao Inquiry Sect and my master taught me artifact refining knowledge did I realize that the Phoenix Blood Stones from my hometown were truly dyed by phoenix blood, and they are excellent artifact refining materials."

"Phoenix..." The Immortal Fairy heard the long-unheard word and recalled some things.

"Back then, it wasn't just the Qilin; individuals from the Dragon and Phoenix clans also had the potential to become Immortals. The Dragon and Phoenix clans meticulously cultivated two peerless demon clan prodigies with unparalleled talent. With strong support from both clans, their hopes of becoming Immortals were very high."

"In contrast, the Qilin, though called a darling of heaven and earth, actually meant he had no strong backing. He was solitary and weak, and most demon clans didn't think highly of him."

"The Qilin had faced many powerful enemies and was no match for them. Yet, he defeated many seemingly unconquerable foes, rising rapidly among the demon clans. The Qilin's Dao Fruit philosophy was similar to that of the Dragon and Phoenix clan prodigies. If he were to become an Immortal, a life-and-death battle was inevitable and unavoidable."

"The Qilin, blessed with great fortune, fought one against two, defeated the Dragon and Phoenix clan prodigies, successfully attained his Dao Fruit, and became the Qilin Immortal."

"Did the Qilin Immortal kill the Dragon and Phoenix clan prodigies?" The Immortal Fairy's tone was flat, but Lu Yang still detected a cruel implication in her words.

Indeed, becoming an Immortal was no child's play. The winner took all, while the loser lost everything, and possibly even their life.

"No, they got married."

"Huh?"

"Demon clans admire strength. After the Dragon and Phoenix clan prodigies lost to the Qilin Immortal, they fell in love with him. In the end, the three successfully married. I originally wanted to attend the Qilin Immortal's wedding, but he said I was too beautiful and would steal their thunder, so he didn't let me go."

"What a pity! I was planning to show off my skills at the Qilin Immortal's wedding."

"What did you want to do at the Qilin Immortal's wedding?"

"Cook the banquet, of course! Let me tell you, the Qilin Immortal and the other three were utterly useless and knew nothing about practical matters. I was the only one who could cook." The Immortal Fairy looked disdainful, clearly embarrassed by the four of them.

Lu Yang thought it was entirely reasonable that the Qilin Immortal hadn't invited the Immortal Fairy.

After all, for a wedding, a large number of people would be invited. If the Immortal Fairy cooked, there wouldn't be enough antidote to go around.

"Later, I thought that since it was a friend's wedding, it wouldn't be right not to give a gift. So I sent an immortal fruit blessed by me, and thoughtfully wrote, 'To the most beautiful demon clan.'"

"I heard this gift caused quite a stir. Perhaps they had never seen such a precious gift before."

Lu Yang was silent for a few seconds before asking, "How many immortal fruits did you send then?"

"One."

Lu Yang let out a long sigh. "You really seem to enjoy stirring up trouble," he said.

"Huh? Why?"