Lou Gao's burly body suddenly shuddered violently!
It was not pain—rather, an indescribable scorching sensation, as though his soul had been cast directly into the core of a cosmic furnace, instantly swept through his entire being!
He let out a muffled groan as his face turned blazing red in an instant. Beneath his skin, blood vessels bulged violently, clearly visible, as though molten lava were surging through them!
Almost instinctively, Lou Gao clutched his chest. There, an indescribable "heat source" was pounding wildly, each beat stirring his blood and soul power into a furious boil!
Lin Xia and Larvitar watched nervously.
On the inner side of Lou Gao's exposed left forearm, his skin rapidly turned translucent, like red-hot branding iron. A complex, profound, smooth-lined, lifelike crimson-gold phoenix imprint slowly emerged and solidified at a visible pace!
The imprint was almost identical in form to those on Lin Xia and Larvitar, yet its coloration was deeper and more restrained, as though it contained an older, heavier will of flame. The golden flames flowing along its tail feathers were far more condensed, carrying the texture of metal refined through countless hammerings.
The branding was complete!
The Phoenix God seemed to have finished the final task of Its descent.
That massive body formed of pure flame and Sun Essence slowly began to fade, becoming illusory and transparent.
The molten golden light composing Its form flowed back like a receding tide toward the core of the mineral vein. The eternally burning phoenix eyes cast one final glance downward, lingering briefly on the imprint on Lin Xia's arm, the one on Larvitar's armor, and finally on Lou Gao's freshly branded mark, still faintly radiating heat.
Just as Its figure was about to completely dissolve into nothingness, those enormous flaming wings seemed to give a casual yet meaning-laden gentle sweep toward the ground.
Whoosh—!
Inside the mine, piles upon piles of mineral fragments, shattered and scattered earlier when Lin Xia and Larvitar devoured the Sun Essence vein were suddenly stirred!
Though these fragments contained far less energy than the vein's core, every single piece still held pure fire-attribute energy and the unique aura of Sun Essence.
As if caught by an invisible tempest, countless fragments, large and small, flashing with golden-red halos rose into the air and surged toward Lin Xia and Larvitar!
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Both of them were completely stunned, even subconsciously stepping back half a pace.
In the next instant, a small mountain composed of Sun Essence companion ores of all shapes and sizes piled up before them!
The alluring heat and pure energy radiating from the minerals bathed the entrance of the mine in brilliant, flowing light.
The Phoenix God's vast yet increasingly ethereal voice echoed like a final decree, branded directly into their souls—carrying unquestionable authority and a hint of… barely concealed reluctance?
"My inheritance… must not be severed… this is the foundation…"
"Do not… further damage… the Sun Essence origin…"
As the words faded, the final wisp of flaming afterimage fully merged into the flowing molten light and vanished without a trace.
The suffocating, soul-quaking divine pressure within the mine receded like a tide, leaving behind only scorching air and the suddenly appeared, golden-red-glowing mound of ores.
A brief, stunned silence followed.
"Larvitar—!!!"
Larvitar's crimson eyes flecked with star-like golden flame cores, burst with brilliance even brighter than Sun Essence itself the moment it saw the glittering "snack mountain" before it!
All thoughts of divine majesty or soul-level interrogation were instantly flung beyond the clouds!
It leapt three feet straight into the air in excitement, its four stubby legs flailing wildly midair as it let out wildly off-key, incomprehensible cries of "Larvi! lar!"
Like a glutton who hadn't eaten in three days suddenly presented with an imperial banquet, it dove headfirst toward the mineral pile. Its tiny claws eagerly hugged a head-sized crimson ore radiating dense fire energy, and its lava-forged fangs crunched down with a sharp crack, blissfully steaming all over.
"Hah…"
Lin Xia let out a long, long breath of scorching air. His back was already drenched in cold sweat.
Facing a god's will head-on was countless times more terrifying than battling soul beasts.
Staring at the "heaven-dropped mineral mountain" before him, his lips twitched involuntarily, emotions surging within him.
"This… this Phoenix God senior… is way too… too righteous, isn't he?"
Clearly, He had personally descended in anger after they gnawed away nearly half of the mineral vein, yet before driving them off, He had even "considerately" packed up so many leftover fragments as rations for them?
This operation completely exceeded Lin Xia's understanding.
Still, Lin Xia ultimately remained clear-headed.
He forcibly tore his gaze away from the tempting ores and immediately turned toward Lou Gao, who was still standing rigidly in place, clutching his arm, his face flushed crimson, breathing heavy and uneven.
His teacher's condition was clearly off. The branding process had evidently been far more intense than what Lin Xia himself had experienced.
"Teacher!"
Lin Xia dashed forward in a single stride, carefully supporting Lou Gao's arm. The moment he touched it, heat like burning charcoal surged through his palm. He asked urgently,
"How do you feel? Has your body changed in any way? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Lou Gao seemed to still be immersed in the tremendous shock. His gaze was hollow, fixed on the crimson-gold phoenix imprint on the inner side of his arm, newly formed and radiating gentle warmth.
The imprint seemed alive, faintly pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Lin Xia's call made him slowly lift his head. The expression on his flushed face was impossibly complex, unbelievable ecstasy, lingering fear after surviving catastrophe, confusion toward the unknown, and a suffocating sensation of being tightly grasped by the hand of fate.
He opened his mouth. His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he finally forced out an extremely hoarse, violently trembling voice:
"L-Little Xia…"
Lou Gao's voice sounded like sandpaper scraping against raw iron.
"I… I think… I really… really received a divine trial!"
He suddenly raised the arm bearing the imprint, as though displaying an unparalleled divine embryo. The excitement in his voice was nearly overflowing.
"Th-that god he told me…He is the Phoenix God! The supreme existence who governs nirvana, eternal flame that has already transcended creation!"
"He… He gave me a trial! A Phoenix God Trial! There are… there are nine in total!"
Lou Gao's breathing quickened. His eyes shone with a fervent light Lin Xia had never seen before, one that only appeared when a peak blacksmith faced a peerless divine ore. Yet that fervor was quickly swallowed by immense confusion.
"But… but the first trial… He only gave me two words…"
Lou Gao took a deep breath, as though engraving those two words into his very soul, and spoke them slowly, one syllable at a time:
"Bathe… in fire."
Lin Xia's heart jolted violently, success! His teacher had indeed obtained the qualifications for a divine trial!
He immediately pressed on, his voice unable to hide his excitement and curiosity.
"Bathe in fire? Just those two words? Nothing else at all? No hints? No instructions? No required outcome? Time limit? Location?"
Lou Gao shook his head blankly, the confusion in his eyes deepening.
"No… nothing at all. Just those two words—'bathe in fire'—directly branded into my consciousness, crystal clear, yet utterly obscure."
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