CHAPTER 213: IDIOT OR GENIUS? CHAOS FLAME

The odd-looking skeletons closed in around her. One was barely a foot tall, shaped like a squirrel; another resembled a tiny turtle. Others ranged up to four feet, but none exceeded that height.

A panda with a bony belly, a hamster, a pirate crew, a crow, a goose — each was composed entirely of bones, yet the chaotic energy around them sculpted their forms into something appearing alive.

All of them converged on the old woman, rushing forward with unsettling coordination.

Then, from the back, a bizarre figure appeared: a fat, robotic cat. It waddled forward, its round hand slipping into the pocket on its stomach. From the pocket emerged a torch, it clicked the ON button.

"Very big light," the robot cat announced proudly.

A warm, glowing light flared from the torch, washing over the skeletons that encircled the old woman. The bones shivered and rattled as if awakened by the illumination.

Without another word, the robot cat pulled a door from its pocket, stepped through, and vanished entirely, leaving the surroundings strangely quiet.

The old woman looked around, startled, as the previously tiny skeletons began to grow. Bones elongated, limbs stretched, and their forms swelled, now looming over her with surprising menace.

"Is she an idiot... or a genius?" the old woman muttered under her breath and looked at Lingluo strangely.

She had witnessed the strange creature unleash its light, and now the chaotic minions had become far more formidable than she could have imagined.

Then the massive panda lunged first, performing a sweeping kung-fu strike. Its punch tore through the air, generating a concussive air cannon that slammed toward the old woman — but still, she remained unscathed, her expression unreadable.

Then the pirate crew attacked.

One crew member stretched its limbs impossibly long, another mimicked Yu Xuan’s sword technique, while a female pirate manifested a leg to strike at the old woman.

Just as it swung, the goose honked, startling the leg, which veered off and smashed into another pirate crew member, who promptly melted — likely out of sheer joy or shock, no one could tell.

Then the crow cried out, "Caw-caw!"

From the purple mist, dozens of miniature crows emerged, each with red eyes and strange patterned .

They kamikazed the old woman relentlessly, and each time one was destroyed, it reappeared but it’s one eye lost the red color and appeared lifeless.

The chaos raged on for a long stretch, and the old woman grudgingly retracted her earlier remark about Lingluo being a "dumb girl."

"Alright, stop. Now I’ve seen quite enough," she finally said, addressing Lingluo.

Lingluo, pale from overextending her energy, managed a faint smile.

"Master... did I manage to surprise you?"

The old woman exhaled, her lips curling into a hint of amusement.

"Yes... you did surprise me."

Her expression shifted instantly, sharp and authoritative.

"But that does not mean you are spared from your punishment."

A jagged bolt of lightning struck from above Lingluo’s head.

"Kyaaa!" she shrieked before collapsing into unconsciousness.

With a simple wave of her hand, the old woman lifted both Yu Xuan and Lingluo into the air behind her. A moment passed in silence, and then she surrounded herself with a searing, writhing Chaos Flame.

With meticulous precision, she unleashed it upon the two of them.

The Chaos Flame engulfed their bodies, purifying every layer, their physical forms, their spirits, their very souls.

"I wonder what the result will be?" she murmured as if having some experience.

Then after a while, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"It’s... taking root. In both of them?!"

The Chaos Flame, has it’s own will and it was willingly establishing itself inside Yu Xuan and Lingluo.

"Did I just increase the trouble in the sect?" she muttered under her breath, a rare note of concern in her voice.

The old woman vanished from the white realm, taking Lingluo and Yu Xuan with her, still enflamed in the sentient, purifying Chaos Flame.

Oh! and the Chaos flame did not burn their clothes, the Peak Master of the Chaos Heaven Peak had full control over the flame.

***

Yu Xuan woke from his deep slumber, his body tingling with a strange vitality. His limbs felt lighter, his breathing smoother, and his mind clear.

"Where am I?" he muttered groggily.

The last thing he remembered was being struck unconscious by that old woman. Blinking, he realized he was back in his own cottage atop the peak.

Sitting upright, he crossed his legs into a meditative pose. A peculiar energy hummed inside him, it was unfamiliar.

Thanks to his passive ability of his skill [Ultra Instinct], he could sense subtle changes within his body that might have gone unnoticed otherwise.

He pushed his spirit sense inward and froze.

"What?!" His eyes widened.

His muscles, bones, and blood were more refined than before.

But what truly shocked him was in his lower dantian: a small purple star hovered there, like a radiant sun suspended in an endless night sky.

Curiosity overcame caution. He extended his spirit sense toward it.

The star pulsed in response, its surface rippled. He willed it into different shapes, molding it like clay. Each form it took radiated a faint chaotic aura.

Welling with excitement, Yu Xuan lifted his palm.

Carefully, he guided the star’s energy through his meridians. To his surprise, they welcomed the energy as if a star was already a part of him.

Then—

Fwoosh!

A small flame bloomed in his hand. It burned purple, its light strangely mesmerizing.

"What the—?!" His heart raced as he realized his Qi was draining at an alarming rate just to sustain it. Still, he couldn’t help but stare in awe.

Tentatively, he touched the flame with his other hand. Astonishingly, it did not burn him. Instead, it felt warm, alive, almost as if the fire was breathing with him.

"Wow..." Yu Xuan muttered.

"Playing with fire just got real."

He dispelled the flame before his Qi could bottom out completely, watching as the purple fire winked out of existence. His reserves were nearly half-empty, far faster than he expected.

Shaking his head, Yu Xuan stood and stepped outside his cottage. The sun was dipping toward the horizon.

He stretched, feeling strangely at peace, before turning his steps toward Lingluo’s cottage. Whatever the old women had done to him... surely she had experienced it too. And he wanted to see what kind of changes she had gone through.

When he arrived, faint noises echoed from inside.

"I’m coming in," Yu Xuan called out before pushing open the door.

The sight that greeted him was pure catastrophe.

Lingluo stood in the center of the room, brandishing a sword entirely composed of purple flame.

The blade burned with chaotic energy, its aura unstable. Furniture was smoldered and the walls were scorched black.

And amidst this disaster, Ming Tianmei sat cross-legged on a chair, looking she were enjoying an afternoon show. Her expression suggested she had seen such things happen.

"You’re here!" Lingluo shouted with a wild grin, swinging her flaming sword recklessly.

"I was just about to drag you out myself! Look at this, hahaha!"

Yu Xuan pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Because of your tantrum yesterday, we missed the auction. And I missed food. So let’s go today, before you burn this cottage."

At his words, Lingluo blinked, then finally calmed.

She clapped her hands once, and the roaring flames instantly died down, leaving behind only smoke and wreckage.

Yu Xuan’s eyes marveled at her control.

’That control... maybe it’s because of her physique and the bloodline she mentioned too.’

Even though her chaos was wild, she commanded it far more intuitively than he did. Heck, he didn’t even wield those flames freely.

"Yes, Lingluo, let’s depart," Ming Tianmei chimed in lightly, brushing off imaginary dust from her robes.

"I was bored out of my mind this whole half day, just cultivating while you two were napping."

Yu Xuan and Lingluo exchanged a look, then sighed in unison.

’Does my master hold a grudge against her?’ Lingluo couldn’t help but think.

"But the auction doesn’t start until night," Lingluo said suddenly, her mischievous grin returning.

"Until then, why don’t I try out some of my new moves — hehe..."

Before she could finish, Yu Xuan and Ming Tianmei flashed to either side of her. Each grabbed one of her arms, trapping her completely.

"Let’s go," they said in perfect synchronization.

Lingluo could only pout helplessly, her flaming sword dissipating as she was dragged away.

***

The three of them strolled down the familiar streets of the Main Peak. With time to spare before the auction began, none of them felt like wasting it idly. Instead, they shared a wicked idea, why not seek out a little trouble to pass the time?

It was undeniably sadistic, but for them, watching chaos unfold among others was far more entertaining than quiet conversation. After a short walk, they even agreed to swing by The Arena later, once they’d had their fill of mischief.

"Let’s go there," Lingluo suddenly said, her finger pointing toward a bustling crowd up ahead.