Inside the Dean's office, Yu Xiaogang stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing outside, ever maintaining the demeanor befitting the Master.
"Xiaogang, just how do you plan to resolve Hongjun's Evil Fire problem?" Flender pushed up the crystal glasses on the bridge of his nose, looking at Yu Xiaogang's back as he asked.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about solving Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire issue, but he had always been at a loss. If there was anyone in this world who could solve this problem, it was only the theoretical grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang.
At least, that's what Flender believed.
Yu Xiaogang did not turn around. He cleared his throat slightly and spoke in his uniquely steady tone: "Old Flan, based on my in-depth research and observation these past days, the root of Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix spirit lies in incomplete mutation. Or rather, the mutation produced formidable power but also brought an uncontrollable side effect."
"This supremely Yang, intensely hot Evil Fire, if not properly guided, will not only affect his temperament and hinder his cultivation but, over time, might even backlash against him."
Hearing this, the corner of Flender's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He thought to himself: Nonsense! He was once my disciple, after all. Would I not know?
Despite his internal complain, Flender's face piled on a smile as he flattered: "Xiaogang, you truly live up to being the theoretical master, seeing through the essence at a glance. So, in your opinion, what is the solution?"
Facing Flender's flattery, Yu Xiaogang was rather pleased. He nodded slightly and continued elaborating: "As the saying goes, things turn into their opposites when they reach the extreme; Yin and Yang complement each other. Hongjun's Evil Fire is excessively fierce and must be balanced by introducing a counteracting force."
Pausing here, Yu Xiaogang turned to look at Flender. Seeing the surprise on his face, the corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth lifted slightly: "Therefore, my plan is... when his spirit power reaches level 30 and he obtains his third spirit ring, we will not seek a fire-attribute spirit beast. Instead, we will choose a powerful ice-attribute spirit beast!"
"Ice-attribute spirit beast?" Flender almost thought he misheard. His eyes instantly widened: "Xiaogang, this... if the spirit power attributes conflict, the best-case scenario is a useless third spirit ring; the worst-case is crippling his foundation!"
"Old Flan, you don't understand this."
Yu Xiaogang seemed to have anticipated Flender's reaction. Instead, a trace of confident, pleased smile appeared on his face as he explained: "An ordinary fire-attribute spirit master naturally couldn't. But Hongjun's spirit is the Fire Phoenix, a top-tier beast spirit possessing extremely strong inclusiveness and flexibility.."
"This Evil Fire is a product of mutation to begin with, not pure fire element. Using the extreme cold power of an ice-attribute spirit ring isn't meant to extinguish his Phoenix flames, but to purge the uncontrollable Evil Fire, leaving behind the most refined Phoenix Fire."
"This move may seem risky, but in reality, it's a desperate move to secure survival. Once successful, it will be the Fire Phoenix's true rebirth!"
Flender listened in a daze, thinking to himself: Can this really work? A fire-attribute spirit master absorbing an ice-attribute spirit ring? Isn't this nonsense?
But seeing Yu Xiaogang's confident look as the theoretical master, Flender could only forcibly suppress his doubts.
He mentally hypnotized himself: Xiaogang is the Master. If he says so, there must be a reason. Besides, Hongjun is his disciple now. He shouldn't mess around.
If Lin Mu heard Yu Xiaogang's theory, he would definitely exclaim, "Truly worthy of being the Master!"
First, there was adding poison-attribute spirit rings to Blue Silver Grass; now, adding ice-attribute spirit rings to the Evil Fire Phoenix. Anyone with a somewhat normal mind couldn't come up with such things.
Seeing Flender no longer refuted, Yu Xiaogang thought he had been convinced by his theory. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he made the decision:
"Rest assured, Old Flan. Once Hongjun absorbs the third spirit ring I've selected for him, you will witness a true Fire Phoenix spirit master! A true Fire Phoenix spirit should not be bound by mere Evil Fire!"
Flender opened his mouth, words on the tip of his tongue, but swallowed them back. Slightly helpless, he said: "Alright, Xiaogang, then... I leave it to you."
He rubbed his temples. Though it felt somewhat risky, at this point, he could only trust Xiaogang. After all, Xiaogang was a renowned theoretical master. There shouldn't be a problem, right?
On the other side, Lin Mu and the other two entered the Star Dou Great Forest. After a whole morning, they still hadn't found a suitable spirit beast.
Roar!
A deep roar sounded, accompanied by tremors in the ground. A spirit beast over five meters long, covered in dark red scales and resembling a giant lizard, charged out from the dense forest.
Without the slightest exchange, it opened its mouth and released a scorching breath. Fortunately, Lin Mu and the other two reacted promptly, swiftly avoiding the attack.
"A Great Earth Flame Lizard around thirty thousand years. Fire and earth dual attributes, combining attack and defense, slightly lacking in speed."
As soon as the words fell, Lin Mu's figure instantly vanished from Tang San and Xiao Wu's sight.
When he reappeared, he was already above the Great Earth Flame Lizard's head, having completed the armor fusion. His ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring lit up accordingly.
A massive Molten Lava Great Axe appeared in his right hand. Flaming spirit power instantly surged as he raised the Molten Lava Great Axe high.
Countless flames gathered, forming a gigantic flame blade over ten meters long in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
Accompanied by a thunderous detonation of air, the strike cleaved down fiercely upon the Great Earth Flame Lizard's back, effortlessly slicing through its scales.
With its defenses shattered, scorching flames surged inward, searing its flesh.
Under the relentless blaze, the Great Earth Flame Lizard convulsed violently several times before crashing to the ground, completely devoid of life.
Moments later, a deep black spirit ring slowly condensed and took form above its corpse.
"Master's strength is becoming more and more unfathomable," Tang San exclaimed in awe, his eyes filled with reverence.
Beside him, Xiao Wu's expression grew complicated—there was none of the joy or excitement she'd shown earlier upon returning to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Perhaps the sight had stirred memories of her true identity as a spirit beast.
"Brother... should spirit beasts just die?" she asked softly.
Tang San froze, astonishment flickering across his face. He reached out to touch Xiao Wu's forehead, confirming she wasn't feverish, then said seriously, "Xiao Wu, if spirit beasts shouldn't die, then should we die instead?"
At that, Xiao Wu fell silent.
While the two conversed, Lin Mu had already descended to the ground. His eyes remained calm and unshaken as he looked upon the charred corpse of the Great Earth Flame Lizard.
Ever since the age of his fourth spirit ring had been raised to ten thousand years, its power had increased dramatically—surpassing even the sixth spirit rings of other Spirit Sages.
He had once considered applying the enhancement to his fifth or sixth spirit rings, but the improvement wouldn't have been as significant.
Thus, even though possessing a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring was rather conspicuous, Lin Mu still chose the most rational path.
Power came first—everything else was secondary.
"The attributes of the Great Earth Flame Lizard are indeed compatible," Lin Mu murmured. "It's just that its age is a bit low, and the quality doesn't compare to the Hellfire Dragon's spirit ring."
He sighed softly. A spirit ring of this level was never truly among his options.