That evening, Shui Shengxiao brought Shui Bing'er's mother to meet Lin Xiao.
Unlike Shui Shengxiao's complicated emotions, Bing'er's mother was far more enthusiastic toward Lin Xiao—especially the moment she saw his face. Her fondness skyrocketed.
Women, it seemed, had no resistance to adorable young faces. Several times she almost reached out to pinch Lin Xiao's cheeks but barely held back each time.
There was also Bing'er's younger sister, Shui Yue'er.
This girl seemed far more lively and carefree. Yet upon seeing Lin Xiao, she turned shy—peeking at him from behind her sister like a bashful rabbit.
That night, Lin Xiao stayed in a guest room arranged by the Shui family.
"I've already spoken with Bing'er. Tomorrow, Uncle Shui will personally take her to hunt a spirit ring. Once she returns, we'll attempt a Martial Soul Fusion."
"Looks like I'll be staying at the Shui estate for a little while longer."
The next morning.
After saying her goodbyes, Shui Bing'er left with her father to begin her spirit ring hunt.
Lin Xiao, meanwhile, strolled leisurely into the courtyard and began his training.
He continued practicing Five Animal Frolics and Eight-Section Brocade—methods that not only increased spirit power but also refined the body. Lin Xiao never slacked.
Unbeknownst to him, a girl had quietly appeared at the edge of the corridor, watching him in silence.
It was Shui Yue'er.
Her eyes were fixed on the red-haired boy as he moved with measured, fluid grace. Every step and turn carried a mysterious rhythm that left her mesmerized.
When Lin Xiao finished his form, he turned and smiled.
"Miss Shui Yue'er, have you had breakfast?"
Shui Yue'er's cheeks flushed red.
She said nothing—just turned and ran away in a flurry of footsteps.
Lin Xiao didn't mind. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel, took a cold rinse, and after breakfast, went with Uncle Li to the outskirts of Tianshui City.
Snow blanketed everything—heaven and earth cloaked in white.
Even soul masters, able to resist cold with spirit power, avoided wandering out in this kind of weather. The world was silent save for the whisper of wind and snow.
But Lin Xiao hadn't come out here just for the scenery.
He hadn't forgotten about refining his Flame Burst Technique.
Perfecting this technique would boost his combat power—and help Shui Bing'er develop her Ice Burst, and Dugu Bo his Poison Burst.
Currently, his second spirit skill, Flame Burst Phoenix Form, could only be activated at close range.
What Lin Xiao wanted was to develop a version that could be triggered remotely—a flame bomb, in essence.
He also hoped to boost its destructive power.
"Second Spirit Skill—Flame Burst Phoenix Form!"
As he shouted, his body expanded slightly. His muscles grew more defined—powerful, yet not bulky. His form remained sleek and graceful, filled with explosive force.
A flame-shaped mark bloomed on his brow. Crimson flame patterns appeared across his arms, legs, and back—making him look both majestic and dangerous.
Flame Burst was the result of compressing fire-attributed energy to its limit, then unleashing it in a confined space.
It was similar in principle to Xiao Huo Huo's Buddha Fury Lotus Flame, though different in design.
Lin Xiao focused.
He directed spirit power into the flame markings across his body. As they absorbed energy, his skin began to radiate heat—a clear sign the technique was fully charged.
He raised a single finger and tapped a massive, frost-covered boulder nearby.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The boulder shattered instantly. The shockwave echoed through the valley, knocking snow loose from the surrounding cliffs.
Uncle Li, who had been half-dozing nearby, jolted awake.
"Young Master Lin Xiao!"
"What the heck are you doing?!"
Uncle Li panicked when he couldn't see Lin Xiao. He summoned his spirit rings and prepared to search.
"Cough, cough."
Suddenly, flames flared from a snowdrift as Lin Xiao crawled out, grinning sheepishly.
"I'm fine, Uncle Li. Just working on a new soul technique."
Uncle Li stared at him.
This wasn't developing a soul technique.
This was suicide.
But then again… he was used to it.
A few minutes later, Uncle Li stuffed cotton into his ears and reclined in a chair far away, observing from a safe distance.
BOOM!
Another explosion.
Uncle Li shook his head, muttering:
"Tsk, still no good. That blast was weaker than the last one."
"Lin Xiao, you've got a long way to go."
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao pulled himself from yet another snowdrift, spitting out icy grit.
"Something's off…"
"The flame markings compress fire-attribute spirit power along a specific structure before release. That should be enough…"
"But every time I tweak the formula, it either fizzles out or blows up in my face."
Still, each self-detonation taught him something new.
Lesson learned: don't use too much spirit power at once. Better to master the technique with small doses first—or risk turning himself into a pile of ash.
Master the skill. Then raise the output.
And so, Lin Xiao spent the entire day blowing himself up in the snowy wilderness.
By the time he returned home, his clothes were in tatters, and Uncle Li had to help him walk.
Day One of Flame Burst Research: No progress.
Days passed.
Lin Xiao's ability to handle explosions improved dramatically, if nothing else.
By day, he exploded.
By night, he analyzed.
Eventually, he discovered a breakthrough.
Flame Burst required three key components:
Extremely pure fire-type spirit power.
A precise, stable structure to compress that energy.
A detonation trigger.
It turned out Lin Xiao was lacking the last two.
But he had an idea.
He could mimic the flame markings from his Phoenix form to create the internal structure. And if one was weak… he'd just create hundreds, even thousands of them.
As for the trigger—
Was there anything more suitable than his own Evil Fire?
His Evil Fire had already reached near-ultimate purity.
Lin Xiao had been saving two immortal herbs—Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and Blazing Apricot Delicate Branch—to push that fire even further. But first, he wanted his body to be ready.
No time to waste.
Day N of Flame Burst Research.
Lin Xiao returned to the snowy fields.
He took a deep breath and opened his hand, compressing fire-attribute spirit power into overlapping structures. Gradually, it formed a miniature fire phoenix.
Its internal design was perfectly stable.
Then, Lin Xiao inserted a small amount of Evil Fire into the core.
Even outside his body, he could control the Evil Fire's temperature precisely.
With a push of his palm…
The little phoenix leapt into the air—
Like it was alive.