Chapter 13: Opportunities
After everything was ready, Xiao Fei lay in bed and carefully reviewed the novel Douluo Dalu he had read before, recalling some of the opportunities the protagonists had encountered, including the secret realms in the four-part Douluo series.
As everyone knows, throughout Douluo Dalu, there are three treasured locations: the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire, the Valley of Love and Inquiry, and the Dragon Valley. Currently, the only one that could possibly be found was the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire; the other two were simply impossible to find.
There was also some knowledge from later generations, which was Xiao Fei's greatest opportunity at this stage. For example, the rarity and price of precious metals, the effects of whale glue, and the cultivation of soul cores. All of these were underestimated in Douluo Dalu, and now was the perfect opportunity to pick them up.
Of course, all of this needed to be done covertly. Xiao Fei couldn't help but think of the face-changing technique, one of the four great Asian evil arts from his previous life. So, Xiao Fei bought some necessities from the market. He donned a fake beard, a potbelly, painted his face with some unknown paint, and dyed his hair red.
After a thorough grooming, he checked himself in the mirror to make sure there were no flaws. Then he slipped out the window and headed straight for the street. He headed to the auction house.
Inside, Xiao Fei spent 50,000 gold soul coins on a massive piece of whale jelly, approximately 30,000 years old. It was a real steal. He then went to a street selling iron materials and bought various materials, including a large piece of deep-sea sunken silver.
After browsing around, he spent another 300,000 gold soul coins, nearly filling up his entire soul storage device. The original soul device he'd acquired held a full 50 cubic meters. He wasn't satisfied yet and wanted an even larger one.
After buying everything, Xiao Fei started walking back. Sure enough, there were still a few rats behind him. He reached a deserted alley, crossed it, and unleashed his phoenix flames, incinerating his coat, fake belly, and paint. He then exited another alley and joined the crowd, leaving the rats behind him bewildered.
Back at the hotel, Xiao Fei gazed at the massive mass of whale jelly before him. He used a flame to dissolve the entire product, then swallowed it in one gulp.
A fishy smell wafted from his mouth, and Xiao Fei felt as if his entire body was on fire, a fire that seemed to penetrate every cell and pore. Simultaneously, his unholy fire seemed to be flaring up.
Xiao Fei resisted his urges and jumped into the bathtub he had prepared, constantly adding water. After a night of torment, the room gradually calmed down, and Xiao Fei fell asleep in the tub.
Waking up at noon the next day, Xiao Fei felt as if his limbs had been cleansed, as if he had taken a cold shower in the heat of summer. The water in the tub had turned black.
Xiao Fei carefully examined his body. He had reached level 29. His physical fitness and cultivation speed had also improved significantly. His cultivation speed should now be comparable to that of a person with full innate soul power.
After a day of rest, Xiao Fei changed into a new set of clothes and left Soto City. After two days of travel, Xiao Fei finally reached the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest. Seeing Xiao Fei walking into the Soul Hunting Forest, people would frequently approach him.
Some asked if he needed to hire soul hunters, others asked if he wanted to form a hunting team, and some even directly wanted to recruit him into a mercenary squad. Xiao Fei refused all of these offers. Knowing the brutality of the Douluo Continent, he preferred to be a lone ranger.
After another day of travel, Xiao Fei finally arrived at the Flame Bird's lair. Several small soul beasts within the lair had been hunted or driven away by Xiao Fei.
Looking at this familiar place, Xiao Fei suddenly thought, "This place is great! It's near the volcano and the Fire Separation, so it's great for the fire element. I'll stay here for the rest of my life."
After tidying up the lair, Xiao Fei began to meditate. Lately, with his intense soul fighting, he had found less time for meditation, and it wasn't as effective as at the blacksmith's shop.
For the next three months, Xiao Fei spent his days battling soul beasts in the forest and his nights meditating in the Fire Forest lair. He found this life very reassuring.
Finally, on this day, Xiao Fei broke through to level 30. The next step was to hunt for spirit rings, which was a rather cumbersome task. There was no one left to help.
Xiao Fei, the mercenary, was simply untrustworthy. Although the spirit beasts nearby were all fire-attributed, they were all too young, with the oldest being less than 2,000 years old. Xiao Fei, this time, his target was a 5,000-year-old spirit beast, and perhaps even a 6,000-year-old.
He glanced up at the crater, convinced there might be something he wanted inside. Gritting his teeth, Xiao Fei decided he had to explore the volcano. If nothing worked, he could just fly away.
Climbing up the crater, they reached the summit. Looking down, they were greeted by a truly spectacular scene. The ground below was filled with boiling magma, with water-shaped holes lining its edges, barely wide enough for a person to stand.
Suddenly, Xiao Fei's eyes flickered as he spotted a small figure nestled among the small holes. It was a Fire Lizard, a spirit beast that lived near the magma. While its offensive capabilities were limited, its body possessed an extremely intense flame, rumored to approach the pinnacle of fire.
A closer examination revealed the Fire Lizard to be only about 1.7 meters long. It had a lifespan of 7,000 years. It took a thousand years for a Fire Lizard to reach 1 meter, then grew 10 centimeters every thousand years.
At 2 meters, it became a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast, and Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Lizards began approaching the pinnacle of fire. Legend has it that a hundred-thousand-year-old Fire Lizard was the pinnacle of fire, capable of incinerating everything in the world.
Xiao Fei gazed at the Fire Lizard and felt a lingering desire within his Fire Phoenix spirit for it. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, convinced that this Fire Lizard was simply too old. It's almost as good as some people's fifth spirit ring.
After much deliberation, Xiao Fei decided he should give it a try. After all, this was the first time his Fire Phoenix spirit had felt a desire.
Xiao Fei sneaked up on the Earth Fire Lizard, but somehow the lizard sensed it and burrowed directly into its burrow. Xiao Fei had no choice but to wait at the burrow's entrance.
After all, the Earth Fire Lizard's habit was to regularly leave the burrow to breathe. Finally, after seven days, the lizard poked its head out, and Xiao Fei seized this unique opportunity.
His right hand transformed into a sharp claw, slashing straight for the lizard's head. This was Xiao Fei's most powerful attack yet, the External Spirit Bone Skill: Fiery Strike.
The flaming claws pierced part of the lizard's head, but it shrugged off the damage and bleeding and burrowed back. "Oh no! This lizard's trying to escape!"
Xiao Fei desperately rushed towards the lizard, desperately grasping its neck with both hands. Could the lizard still survive without a head? Xiao Fei was baffled. Suddenly, another head bit Xiaofei's arm. Xiaofei quickly slashed at the lizard's head with his wings. The other head was also seriously injured.
This wasn't the same lizard from before, but a two-headed lizard, a mutant. A stalemate ensued, with the lizard desperately trying to crawl back into the cave entrance, while Xiaofei desperately pulled it back. The entrance was too small, and the lizard's wings couldn't be used.
Xiaofei's left hand was severely burned, and his right hand was in unimaginable pain. A burning smell filled the air. Finally, after holding on for half an hour, the lizard had no strength left, and Xiaofei pulled it out of the cave. The lizard was already dying.
Suddenly, a low humming sound came from beneath the lava, and Xiaofei was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Xiaofei quickly grabbed the two-headed lizard, which was still alive, flapped his wings, and fled the lava hole as fast as he could.
Half an hour later, Xiaofei finally returned to the Moltres nest. He threw the still-living two-headed fire lizard aside and desperately tried to recover his body. He gasped for air at the same time.
(End of this chapter)