Inside the Garden, a high-pitched laugh could be heard in the surroundings.
Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, Goddess Yu Yan, Chen Linlin, and the trio of girls stood not far away from the source of the commotion, looking helpless.
They watched with beaded sweat on their foreheads as the two people wrestled on the grassy field.
One was cackling uncontrollably while the other grunted in annoyance as he painstakingly swept the paintbrush he was holding across the little girl's skin, careful not to make a mistake as he connected all the runes together.
The task proved to be difficult, as his canvas wouldn't stop squirming under the ticklish sensation brought by the bristles.
"Hehehe... Master, stop... that tickles... I'm... I'm gonna pee myself if you continue... hehehe..." Unfortunately for the teary-eyed Moi Ca, her plea for respite was deliberately ignored as Xue Hui's paintbrush continued to glide over her flat stomach.
"Stop moving so much. I'm almost done. Don't make me knock you out just to finish this array."
Xue Hui reprimanded her. He could feel a massive headache coming on.
In order to protect everyone from the catastrophe that the God Phoenix Flame could bring upon them, he ended up accepting Moi Ca as his very first disciple, fully intending to help her fuse with the God Phoenix Flame and teach her how to control it.
But not even a day had passed, and he was already regretting his decision.
'How can this disciple of mine be so shameless? She went from promising she would do anything to being a pain in the ass to work with as soon as I accepted her.' Xue Hui thought indignantly.
"Done!"
With a long horizontal stroke running across her belly, Xue Hui successfully completed the Soul-Fusing Refining Array on her petite body.
Forming hand seals, he activated the array beneath them, causing it to shine with dazzling light. This was followed by the runes drawn all over Moi Ca's body glowing as well, making Chen Linlin and the others stare in amazement.
Before Moi Ca could exclaim in surprise, Xue Hui's hand moved. He held her chin and made her look at him.
He needed her full attention to make her understand how great a commitment it was to ignite a fire core within her body.
"I laid this array to fuse your soul realm with the God Phoenix Flame. This will allow you to hatch a fire core within your body.
That is the first step you must take in order to walk the path of Medicine Dao.
Moi Ca, understand this carefully. This process is irreversible. Once you hatch a fire core, you can no longer back down from it. If you stop pursuing the Medicine Dao, your fire core will weaken, and you along with it will eventually fizzle out.
If you want to back out, this is your only chance to do so. I wouldn't blame you. You can still become a great alchemist without a fire core."
Her body trembled. That was far too much to throw at her all at once. She looked terrified, unsure how to respond.
She looked at Xue Hui. Only then did she notice the understanding gaze in his eyes.
"C-Can... can I still become an Alchemy Sage if I don't have a fire core?"
She bit the inside of her cheek when she saw Xue Hui shake his head.
"Only an expert who possesses a fire core can become an Alchemy Sage. Without a fire core, you simply cannot reach that realm, no matter how hard you work."
"T-Then, Master, please help me create a fire core."
He didn't immediately begin. His gaze lingered on her for a long moment, trying to see if there was any doubt hidden in her eyes. Alas, all he saw was a look filled with resolve.
He smiled at her, inwardly praising her for having such a resolute heart.
The tension in her body eased. For the first time since they had met, Xue Hui smiled at her.
"Very well. You have made your choice, and as your master, I can only wholeheartedly support your decision. Meeting me is your greatest stroke of luck, but from here onward, you'll have to work your hardest to achieve your dream."
"Mm, I-I will work hard, Master. I-I will make you proud of me."
With that said, Xue Hui broke the seal on the God Phoenix Flame and quickly guided the golden wisps toward her delicate body.
As soon as the golden wisps of fire entered her body, the array activated. Her expression became blank, and she began to emit a golden glow as she was forced into a meditative state.
Over time, the God Phoenix Flame did its work, gradually devouring her soul realm and transforming it into a fire core.
"What a powerful fire aura. Even my Law of Fire cannot see through its structure," Yu Yan muttered in astonishment. Her eyes were glued to the golden blaze enveloping Moi Ca.
Despite having lived for so long, she had just realized that the world was far larger than she had imagined.
She knew nothing of the God Phoenix Flame, fire cores, or Xue Hui's Origin of Fire. For the first time, she truly felt like a frog at the bottom of a well.
More than ever, she now wholeheartedly followed Xue Hui, knowing that he was someone who could help her see the greater world beyond.
Seeing that the merging process was underway, Xue Hui pushed himself to his feet.
Looking around, he noticed the worried expressions on everyone's faces.
"There's nothing to be worried about, Moi Ca is fine. She is undergoing a rebirth under the God Phoenix Flame. All we can do now is wait for everything to be done"
His words somehow eased their worries.
"Julin, don't disturb her, okay?"
"Kay!"
Xue Hui smiled upon hearing the little girl's quick reply. As usual, she spent her days munching on food. Lately, she had been feasting on the herbs growing in the Garden, making her quite heavy in her halberd form.
At this rate, with how quickly she was gaining weight, he wouldn't be able to wield her much longer. He might need to find a way to strengthen his physical body.
"Go and make some preparations. Big Sister Yu Yan and I will enter the huge tree. Once we're inside, I'll let everyone out so we can all delve deeper into it."
Everyone nodded.
"Okay, Xue Hui."
"Be careful out there, Hui-Hui."
Receiving everyone's responses, he and Yu Yan returned to the real world, appearing above the Ancient Furnace Clan.
They flew toward the huge tree, tearing through the wind like arrows and leaving trails of light behind them as they disappeared into the distance.
Time passed. Just like before, Xue Hui and Yu Yan found themselves high above the skies, looking down at the huge tree below them.
"Big Sister Yu Yan, watch my back. I'm going to force my way in."
"Mm, leave it to me," Yu Yan replied in her original form. She was hiding within Xue Hui's clothes to prevent her aura from being discovered.
Xue Hui took a deep breath. Summoning his Origin Spheres, he dove straight toward the giant tree.
As he descended, the entire area shook.
Seemingly sensing the danger, the demon beasts around the area let out terrified howls and frantically fled, creating a massive wall of dust that engulfed the surroundings.
Woosh!
Woosh!
Multiple vines as thick as buckets shot toward Xue Hui.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, all of the Origin Spheres unleashed tremendous power. They were enveloped in the aura of the Origin of Piercing and shot forward like arrows released from a bow, tearing through the tangled mass of vines like grinders and shredding them to pieces.
Disappear!
Xue Hui's body blurred from existence as ten more vines pounced on him from every direction.
The next moment, he reappeared much closer to the tree. This seemingly angered it, causing it to unleash an entire wall of vines like giant waves attempting to slam into him.
With a huff, Xue Hui released an extreme chill from his body. Waving his sleeve, he transformed the surrounding area into a frozen hell, freezing everything around him.
Crack!
Shatter!
Xue Hui burst through the frozen wall and emerged on the other side, closing in on the huge tree.
Rumble!
The ground shook.
Xue Hui heard a tearing sound before a massive root erupted from the ground, towering over him.
Sensing the threat, Xue Hui sent all of his Origin Spheres toward it, attempting to pierce through it with the Origin of Piercing.
Bang!
The collision produced a high-pitched metallic sound.
Not only did he fail to destroy the root, but his Origin Spheres exploded, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood from the resulting soul backlash.
"So tough!"
Xue Hui was dazed, his vision blurred and his ears ringing. He had not expected the huge tree to possess such a durable body.
"Not good, Xue Hui! We're surrounded!" Yu Yan's panicked cry sounded in his ears.
Using the Origin of Space and the Origin of Piercing, Xue Hui teleported out of the root prison.
The moment he appeared, he was besieged again by a cluster of vines.
Woosh!
Yu Yan's flames burst forth, turning the skies into a fiery inferno and reducing all the vines to ashes.
"Xue Hui, are you okay? We need to move now! I can't hold back all these vines any longer!"
Just as she said, it didn't take long before her flames were overwhelmed by the endless flood of vines. Worse, she could see three more roots sprouting from the ground around them.
Their world gradually darkened as they became enclosed.
Yu Yan's flames fizzled out.
She was genuinely terrified. Being only at Black Gold Rank, she found herself severely limited in how much of the Laws she could wield. Her expression turned grim as she contemplated burning her life force to escape their predicament.
"Lowly tree, you dare be presumptuous before me."
Yu Yan heard Xue Hui speak. His voice carried a killing intent that made her pause.
With a huff, Xue Hui summoned the yellow-colored Origin Sphere.
"Rot."
Tearing sounds flooded Yu Yan's ears, followed by patches of light appearing one after another.
She watched in abject horror as the prison of vines around them began to crumble under its own weight.
As the vines completely collapsed, Yu Yan quickly turned to look at Xue Hui.
Her breath hitched.
Xue Hui's entire complexion had turned charcoal-black. His hair had become white, and both of his eyes were as black as ink.
When he opened his mouth, a grayish mist escaped his lips, carrying an ominous aura of destruction.
Yu Yan's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.
The aura surrounding Xue Hui was something she knew all too well.
It was the same Law that had destroyed her spirit body many years ago.
"L-Law of Rot."
End of Chapter 87
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