Chapter Forty-Seven: Vermilion Bird Ignites the Blood

No matter when, the judge always holds the highest authority. And at this moment, Zhou Yi was undoubtedly that judge.

Su Ziye nodded with a look of partial understanding, gazing at Zhou Yi, “What about my young lady?”

Zhou Yi smiled at her. “You don’t need to worry about your young lady. Among everyone here, she’ll definitely be the strongest.”

...

If Liu Ru knew about the conversation between Su Ziye and Zhou Yi, she would be the first to object. Though she was unaware that countless screens in the hall were monitoring her, for now, Liu Ru was utterly at a loss.

Despite the special training Su Ziye had given her before the exam, Liu Ru had yet to see any results from it. In fact, Su Ziye had not given her any advance tips. On the other hand, since Su Ziye had already secured admission to Ye Night Academy, this third trial was, in some sense, also a test of Liu Ru by Su Ziye—to see the outcome of half a year’s training.

Thinking of this, Liu Ru couldn’t help but lower her head and sigh. Then she raised it again, her gaze growing more resolute. No matter what, she wanted to keep moving forward. So for this third trial, she not only had to win, but win beautifully.

With this in mind, Liu Ru closed her eyes and gently touched the branch of a blossoming white plum tree before her. Why were plum blossoms in full bloom during summer? It was as strange as the chrysanthemums blooming nearby, yet since this was the third trial, all of it became acceptable.

As soon as she closed her eyes and calmed her mind, the moment Liu Ru touched the trunk of the plum tree, a bone-chilling cold surged through her fingers, sharp as steel needles piercing to the bone, making her instinctively withdraw her hand.

“What is this…” Liu Ru murmured, glancing around to see if anyone else had reacted as she had. But with only twenty minutes passed since the trial began, most participants were still lost in confusion or deep in thought, a few stubbornly grappling with the problem.

Liu Ru closed her mouth again. She shut her eyes, then firmly grasped the plum tree. Instantly it was as if she were holding a block of ice, her hand glued in place, her body’s warmth plummeting. In a heartbeat, Liu Ru felt as if she were naked upon a glacier. She began to shiver violently.

...

“Someone’s caught on,” a voice said quickly in the monitoring hall, having noticed the scene.

“Who is it? So fast? Such acute perception of energy,” someone else asked in surprise.

“Who else could it be? It’s Liu Ru,” came the confident reply. “She’s touching a grade-C plum tree, but from her reaction, she seems to be struggling.”

“A grade-C plum tree is equivalent to minus fifty degrees Celsius. That’s tough, but for Liu Ru, it shouldn’t be a big deal,” said another. “Though we don’t have detailed information on her, she’s probably at the Manifestation Realm.”

“Tempering the body at the Object-Refining Realm, mastering the mind at the Enlightened Knowledge Realm, and at the Manifestation Realm, making the intangible tangible—this kind of cold should be nothing.”

“But from her reaction, she’s having a hard time.”

“Is there another possibility?” someone mused.

“What possibility?” asked another.

“That she’s deliberately suppressing her cultivation, so she can fully experience these additional powers,” came the reply.

“But what’s the point of that?” the other questioned. “For someone at the Manifestation Realm, this level of power is negligible.”

“But after all, this is power drawn from a Sky-Realm being,” the first sighed. “Aside from the academy, where else can you find a Sky-Realm existence doing such menial work?”

...

Liu Ru had no idea this cold equaled minus fifty degrees. But she could feel her limbs growing numb. A voice nagged within her, urging her to let go, to return to the world of warmth and comfort.

Three hundred and sixty days a year, beset by sharp winds and bitter frost. When Liu Ru first began her cultivation, Su Ziye had placed her amidst icy mountains, using the cold to aid her Object-Refining practice. But back then, the cold was meant to cool her, for she herself was a blazing furnace.

Recalling this, Liu Ru shifted her focus, instantly beginning the breathing technique Su Ziye had taught her. With each inhalation and exhalation, her skin grew red and hot. The invisible, frigid energy shattered before the searing aura radiating from her skin.

This interplay of ice and fire was a domain Liu Ru was deeply familiar with. She breathed steadily, actively drawing in the icy energy from the plum tree. As she did so, she felt the meridians in her body subtly changing with each breath. Only days ago, she had barely entered the Circulating Meridian Stage, but under this stimulus of ice and fire, she sensed her meridians loosening.

Sensing the change, Liu Ru became even more eager to absorb the icy energy. It was purer than even the cold of mountain glaciers, and as it seeped into her, her meridians subtly shifted, taking on the form most suited to her. Yet, at this critical moment, Liu Ru suddenly felt the plum tree before her lose all vitality.

She opened her eyes in surprise, gazing at the blooming plum tree. The white blossoms swayed gently, as if nothing had changed, but Liu Ru could clearly sense something had vanished from it.

Almost instinctively, Liu Ru gripped the plum tree and gave it a gentle tug. Though light, her pull carried considerable strength, and with a sharp sound, the once unyielding tree was wrenched from its pot, roots and all.

The sound was small but cut sharply through the hall. Instantly, all eyes turned to Liu Ru.

This… Liu Ru hadn’t expected the tree to come out so easily. For a moment, she even thought of putting it back.

A fellow candidate timidly approached Liu Ru and whispered, “Could you tell me how you did that?”

...

“Incredible. Liu Ru never disappoints,” came the chorus of admiration in the monitoring hall.

“She pulled out the first plum blossom in just twenty minutes, and so elegantly too. How many points should we award her?” someone asked.

“It was a grade-C plum blossom. Normally, that would be five points, but she did it so beautifully and was the first—seven points would be fair,” a student council member mused.

“No argument. It’s just a pity she picked a grade-C. From how easily she managed it, she could probably have pulled out a grade-A,” the first person said. “If she leaves it at this, she may get only seven points.”

“Or we could show some favoritism and give her the full eight. What do you all think?” Zhou Yi suggested.

“We know you like Liu Ru, Zhou Yi, and so do we, but rules are rules. Seven is the limit—eight would be too much,” someone countered.

“But speaking of which, it seemed Liu Ru was using her Object-Refining breathing technique. Did anyone recognize it?” someone at the screen asked.

“Did she? I didn’t notice. Can you replay that part for us to study?” With that, nearly everyone crowded around the screen, eyes glued as the footage was rewound and the moment Liu Ru activated her technique replayed again and again.

“Her skin reddened and her body temperature rose—plenty of fire-based Object-Refining breathing techniques have that feature. Qian Shu, you’re the expert—what techniques fit these traits?” Zhou Yi asked, studying the footage.

Qian Shu, scholarly in appearance, considered it. “Most fire-based Object-Refining breathing techniques share those signs: Red Sun Formula, Fire God Art, and the higher-tier Six Suns Snow-Melting Art. But what Liu Ru used is not any of those three.”

“Then what is it?” Zhou Yi pressed.

“I have a vague idea, but I can’t quite recall. Can we zoom in on the footage during her technique?” Qian Shu requested.

“We can, but Qian Shu, I can’t help suspecting your intentions,” teased the girl who first raised the question.

“It’s just for academic research, Lan Ying, hurry up,” someone else encouraged.

“All right, all right. You lot, try not to embarrass the academy,” Lan Ying muttered as she zoomed in on the screen, focusing on Liu Ru.

It was high summer, and though Liu Ru’s clothing was not revealing, it was somewhat thin. As the footage zoomed in, everyone saw the marked changes in her skin during the technique. At that moment, Qian Shu exclaimed, “I knew it! I knew it! It’s that one!”

“What is it? Tell us!” the others urged him.

“Did you see the pattern on her neck?” Qian Shu prompted.

All eyes turned to Liu Ru’s slender, swan-like neck, where crimson feather-like markings had appeared as she performed the technique.

“A breathing technique that causes markings?” Zhou Yi mused.

“It’s the Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Art!” Qian Shu announced.

“The Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Art?” Even the Ye Night Academy members took a moment to register the name.

“What is it? Explain,” Zhou Yi pressed.

“Zhou Yi, what breathing technique did you use at the Object-Refining Realm?” Qian Shu asked instead.

“Why do you ask?” Zhou Yi was momentarily at a loss.

“It’s nothing secret,” Qian Shu smiled, then answered first, “Mine is the family’s Seven Swords Heart Method—not top-tier, but with family techniques you can fully realize your potential.”

“Mine is the Ice Heart Method,” Lan Ying added.

With two people sharing, others chimed in with their own Object-Refining techniques. When it came to Zhou Yi, he flushed red. “Mine is the Supreme Response Manual—you all know it.”

No one laughed, for the Supreme Response Manual was the most basic of all cultivation techniques, the most commonplace. For Zhou Yi to enter Ye Night Academy with just that would actually be inspirational.

“The reason I ask,” Qian Shu continued, “is that Object-Refining techniques are important, but not all-important. The best one is always the one that suits you. Few people truly excel at this stage.”

“So what about the Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Art?” someone asked.

Qian Shu sighed. “I read about it in the Ye Tower library. To put it simply—in the realm of Object-Refining techniques, the Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Art is the best of the best.”

A collective gasp filled the room.

“It’s one of the top Object-Refining techniques on the continent. Even at the Enlightened Knowledge Realm, it has matching advanced methods. But it’s also much harder to master. Though I don’t have the exact diagram, I know one thing: when using the Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Art, all your blood is boiling.”

“Boiling?” Lan Ying shuddered. “That sounds agonizing.”

“Why else call it ‘igniting blood’?” Qian Shu sighed, looking at the beautiful blonde girl on the screen. “We all suspect Liu Ru comes from a top clan, but even among the greatest, few would choose such a powerful yet punishing technique.”

A hush fell over the room. Lan Ying gave a wry smile. “She has more talent, deeper roots, and even out-competes you in work ethic. People like this truly belong at Ye Night Academy.”

“Wait,” Lan Ying suddenly paused, looking at the screen. “Someone’s asking Liu Ru for her secret to clearing the trial.”