Chapter 61: House Lost Again

"Cinderflame Heaven Incineration!"

Utilizing the invisible Cinderflame Heaven Fire, it instantly ignites the air, then incinerates everything within a controllable range!

According to the jade slip, this was the most difficult step.

After painstakingly completing all previous steps, cultivators still needed to perceive the spirits of all things in heaven and earth to ignite them from a distance.

Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes, attempting to find the spirits of all things in heaven and earth.

The next second, he opened them.

"What's going on..."

"I've already completed the 'painstaking' cultivation step, and perceiving all things..."

"Why is it also so simple?"

He didn't even need to use his 'Perception' passive ability; simply using the Sword Intent of 'All Things Are Swords' allowed him to detect the spirits of all things in heaven and earth, thereby controlling everything within a radius of over ten zhang.

Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin, wondering if it could really be that simple...

"It shouldn't be possible. How could the jade slip be wrong?"

"It also contains the experiences of two other cultivators. Though I don't know who they are, their insights shouldn't be far off."

"They spent several months on it. No matter how talented I am, I can't possibly master it in a second!"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and closed his eyes to sense again.

This time, he used his second method: the 'Perception' passive ability.

A second later, he opened his eyes again.

"How strange. I have that illusion of success again..."

Xu Xiaoshou, no longer believing in his luck, simply skipped the perception step and went directly to the final step described in the jade slip.

He instantly compressed the Cinderflame spiritual energy within his body, hunched over, then suddenly straightened up. From a distance, it looked as if he was about to self-destruct.

Of course, he wasn't actually going to explode. However, the invisible "Cinderflame Heaven Fire" could follow this momentum and attach itself to the spirits of all things in heaven and earth.

"Whoosh!"

Ripples of air spread through the void.

Xu Xiaoshou looked around, but nothing seemed to have changed...

Had it really failed...?

His expression darkened, and he was about to try again when he suddenly heard a familiar sound.

"Flutter! Flutter!"

This was...

Success?

Looking around, he saw tiny flickering white glows; this was the Cinderflame Heaven Fire!

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed, but the next moment, his face suddenly darkened.

"Crackling!"

Tiny white flames rose from everywhere in the house, and fluttering sounds erupted all around.

Though these flames appeared as mere scattered points, Xu Xiaoshou could already sense that the fire had engulfed the entire house!

Unlike ordinary flames that burn systematically, these immediately burst apart upon appearing.

The table, the windows, and even the bed frame he hadn't yet dared to step on...

All crackled and instantly shattered into pieces.

On each small fragment, tiny white glows reappeared, and the invisible flames flickered again, incinerating everything until not even a speck of ash remained.

"Oh my god!"

Xu Xiaoshou staggered, almost collapsing to his knees on the spot, but he forced himself to gather his wits and scrambled out the door, rolling and crawling.

"Boom!"

The moment he left, an explosive sound erupted behind him. The house blew apart, leaving behind a complete mess.

"Flutter! Flutter! Flutter!"

On the shattered wooden debris, faint white flame glows shimmered. Though no color or shape of fire was visible, Xu Xiaoshou's house was utterly destroyed.

"Drip... drip..."

Fine rain drizzled, chilling him to the bone.

Xu Xiaoshou stared blankly at the scene, feeling his heart clench.

This was a newly built house, for crying out loud!

It hadn't been long since the Spirit Affairs Pavilion issued the quest. This house had cost him a lot of spirit crystals to build, and now it was just gone?

His hair was soaked by the rain, and the bloodstains from his previous cultivation were gradually washed away, as blood spread beneath his feet.

Although his physical injuries had long since healed, he still felt a faint ache...

He clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, house, I'm so sorry!"

"I promise there won't be a next time!"

Xu Xiaoshou was truly on the verge of tears. If he had known this would happen, he should have refined the 'Cinderflame Seed' on the bed frame earlier.

He had thought there would be plenty of time, never imagining that a momentary separation would become eternal!

"Flutter... flutter..."

Right before his eyes, the house was incinerated until nothing remained. The rain wasn't heavy enough to extinguish the terrifying Cinderflame Heaven Fire.

Xu Xiaoshou watched in horror, as without careful perception, the transparent flames were completely invisible; one could only see the wooden planks rapidly turning to ash.

"Not even ash left behind...?"

Watching until the very last second, Xu Xiaoshou was stunned; truly, not a single trace remained!

The ground before him was bare, with no black burn marks, as if the house had never existed in this world.

"If this were unleashed on an enemy..."

Xu Xiaoshou shivered in the rain, a chill running down his spine.

Even he himself felt intimidated...

This spiritual skill was truly terrifying!

He tilted his head back, letting the rain patter on his face, then suddenly pointed angrily at the night sky.

"Damn you, heavens! Give me back my house!"

"Sizzle!"

As he spoke, the accumulated water in the courtyard instantly vaporized. What was originally a cool, rainy night suddenly became hot and dry.

"Ahhh!"

Xu Xiaoshou let out a long howl heavenward. Now, the falling raindrops evaporated in the air before even reaching the ground.

The youth in the courtyard stopped his childish antics, seemingly awestruck by the scene. Fine, moist raindrops intertwined with ethereal rising mist in the air, creating a fairyland-like spectacle.

"So powerful... so cool..."

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists. This was it!

This was exactly like the passionate anime he watched as a child; a single burst of anger could change the very color of heaven and earth.

"Rumble!"

A flash of lightning streaked across the dark blue night sky, followed by thunderous roars. Xu Xiaoshou jumped in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong..."

He hunched his body and quickly pattered towards the guest room.

***

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Cinderflame spiritual energy surged, and his clothes and hair instantly dried.

"This is incredibly convenient!" Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed, grabbing his clothes, his face full of amazement.

The only regrettable thing was that some bloodstains from refining the 'Cinderflame Seed' still remained on him, and the rain couldn't completely wash them away.

Xu Xiaoshou pinched his collar and sniffed, detecting a faint foul odor.

"I still need to take a bath..."

He looked around, then helplessly sat on a small wooden stool.

The guest room was cramped; an old wooden plank bed took up most of the space, without even bedding.

All that remained was a small wooden stool and a low table with a missing corner.

With such furnishings, there was naturally no private bathroom. To bathe, he would have to fetch water from the ancient well by the spiritual pond in the courtyard.

Xu Xiaoshou now deeply missed his main house. He swore he would never act impulsively again!

If he ever needed to cultivate or experiment with uncertain things again, it would be better to do so in the courtyard.

No, not even the courtyard. It would be best to go to Swan Lake...

Xu Xiaoshou recalled his cultivation sessions at Swan Lake a few days prior. He had clearly damaged the white jade railing, yet it was repaired by the next day.

"As long as I don't get caught, that's a free cultivation spot!"

He lightly tapped the wooden table with his fingertips, considering this a good option. As for whether to bathe now...

He looked at the night. It was still raining, and dawn was approaching.

He certainly needed a bath, but before that, there was a very important matter to attend to.

He rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation, and his mind's eye saw the red interface in his mind.

"Passive Points: 81032."