Chapter 15: When Did I Break Through?

The next day, Li Xuan was dazzled by the morning sunlight and opened his eyes.

"Oh my... it hurts so much!" Li Xuan lay on the ground, lifeless, and even moving a finger was painful.

He lay on the ground for a while before the pain finally eased.

"It's okay, I'm alive. No wonder that guy from the other side of the river after thirty years is so strong; absorbing flame is extremely painful, so he deserves it," Li Xuan said, leaning against the wall, panting heavily and sounding weary.

Then Li Xuan mobilized the soul power within his body to nourish and repair his flesh; with soul power moistening the injured body, the pain vanished quickly.

Feeling less pain, Li Xuan finally got up, only to discover that he wasn't wearing a single thread of clothing—his pants were gone.

"What the—! Where are my clothes? A Flower Slave only has one set! This... I... this..." Li Xuan stared in shock at his naked body, unable to form words.

Every Flower Slave who enters the Flower Sea has only one set of clothes, and they aren't given new ones for years; now his breakthrough somehow burned the only outfit away.

If he can't find new clothes, Li Xuan fears he'll have to wander the Flower Sea naked, delivering Flower Seedlings.

Suddenly, Li Xuan's gaze was drawn to his own body.

It's not that Li Xuan is perverse; his skin at this moment was exceptionally flawless—crystal clear, as delicate as blown glass, even finer than a maiden's.

"What does the Burning Heart Divine Flame do?" Li Xuan didn't mind the skin change; he could feel his skin looking better and his defense greatly increased.

Then Li Xuan closed his eyes and sensed that his muscles, meridians, bones, and organs had all been enhanced.

It must be the ability granted by the Burning Heart Golden Chrysanthemum as an Immortal Grade spirit plant—purging the meridians and marrow! Moreover, the filth expelled from his body was instantly burned to ash by the Burning Heart Divine Flame and fell away, otherwise the stench would have been overwhelming.

A gentle breeze brushed him, making his lower half feel cool. Without thinking further, Li Xuan hurriedly retrieved the clothes of the three dead people from his Void Pearl and put on the smallest piece.

Li Xuan certainly doesn't like streaking naked...

After dressing, Li Xuan thought about what his greatest gain from taking the Burning Heart Golden Chrysanthemum might be.

Burning Heart Divine Flame! Li Xuan slowly extended his hand; with a shift of his mind, a flame hidden in his heart traveled through his meridians and arrived at his palm.

"Puff!"

A blaze appeared on Li Xuan's palm, emitting a golden‑red radiance that felt noble and elegant, compelling one to stare.

Although Li Xuan had never touched the Burning Heart Divine Flame before, the moment he summoned it he knew everything about it and could wield it as easily as his own arm, mastering the flame with great skill.

The Burning Heart Divine Flame, one of the world's top‑tier flames, has an extremely high temperature; its ability is to draw heart fire to scorch the mind, burn the soul, and also cleanse the spirit, unaffected by illusionary realms! Li Xuan paused briefly, then used his mind to command the flame to unleash its power on himself.

The next second, Li Xuan felt an intense heat in his chest, the scenery before his eyes transformed dramatically, and dozens of different emotions flooded his mind simultaneously.

The clash of these emotions made Li Xuan feel extremely agitated.

Just as Li Xuan's emotions were about to spiral out of control, the Heart Fire vanished, and the soul power in his dantian surged upward, forming a cool sensation that calmed him.

"This flame can manipulate emotions, and it's that simple," Li Xuan gasped twice, looking at the flame in his hand with a hint of dread.

Li Xuan was shocked not by the flame's ability to control a person's mind, but by how effortlessly it worked! He had only thought a single thought for it to affect himself, and that one thought could make his mind lose control! Against an opponent, he could fight while manipulating the enemy's emotions.

Could this not easily crush opponents, making over‑level challenges a breeze?

After fiddling with the Burning Heart Divine Flame for a while longer, Li Xuan finally drew the flame back into his body.

"Not bad, getting a flame like this makes the suffering worthwhile!" Li Xuan nodded satisfied, recalling the intense pain of being burned by raging fire last night, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He stretched his body, left his room, and was greeted by brilliant sunlight.

He looked up at the sun; it was already high in the sky, and Li Xuan hadn't expected he'd slept so long.

Suddenly, Li Xuan's stomach rumbled loudly.

It must be hunger from the excessive nutrient consumption after he passed out last night.

"System, tally today's points," Li Xuan yawned and said to the system.

【Opening today's point settlement…】

【Soul power level 16, earned 16 points!】

【…】

【No other bonus items detected…, no additional points earned, total 16 points】

"Huh? Soul power level 16?" Li Xuan stared, his tone incredulous, then glanced again at the Light Screen before him.

He hadn't even absorbed a soul ring yet, so how could his soul power level have jumped to 16? A system bug? Li Xuan paused briefly, then opened his attribute panel.

【General Attributes】

【Name: Li Xuan】

【Age: 6 years】

【martial soul: Heaven‑Grasping Bottle, Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus】

【Soul power level: 16】

【soul bone: none】

【Survival points: 37】

The attribute panel shows Li Xuan has absorbed a soul ring, yet he doesn't know which soul ring he absorbed.

Li Xuan paused briefly, reasoning that past soul rings could only have been the Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus, so he slowly extended his right hand and gently infused his soul power into the Soul Seal.

The next second, a cyan lotus blossomed in his hand, but unlike before, one of the nine Lotus Petals had turned golden‑red.

Each time the Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus absorbs a soul ring, one petal changes to the flame's color.

He had actually absorbed his first soul ring.

But why does he have no memory of it at all?

Yet seeing the familiar golden‑red hue, Li Xuan boldly made a guess.

"Could my first soul ring be the Burning Heart Golden Chrysanthemum? But didn't the Burning Heart Golden Chrysanthemum not produce a soul ring? How could it become my soul ring?" Li Xuan squinted at the golden‑red petal of the Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus, recalling last night's events.

Dear readers, happy weekend; I was delayed by something today.

(End of chapter)