Chapter Eleven: Startled Myself, Startled Grandfather

While the other brothers and sisters were fiercely competing to advance, Gu Xiaopang was not idle either. He took out the Blazing Fire Manual given to him by Old Master Mu after he had rescued Mu Wan’er, and began a new round of training.

According to Old Master Mu, the Blazing Fire Manual was his most treasured technique. If Gu Xiaopang hadn’t saved Mu Wan’er, not even if Old Man Gu himself had come to beg, would he have passed it on. In fact, Old Master Mu was convinced that giving it away was as good as giving it for nothing; he was certain Gu Xiaopang would never be able to practice it. Having dispatched Gu Xiaopang so easily, Old Master Mu felt quite pleased with himself.

After leafing through the key points of the manual, Gu Xiaopang cursed Old Master Mu’s ancestors in his heart. Still, he figured that even if he couldn’t master the whole technique, at least he could try to learn the basic fireball spell—it would be handy for roasting some meat in the future.

The manual was not long but was rather profound. Paired with the oral instructions on the Flame Heart Method that Old Master Mu had imparted, Gu Xiaopang’s fingers danced through a series of seals. The true qi circulating within him became unruly, and he felt as though his meridians were being painfully battered by torrents of wild energy. Yet, he found it entirely bearable, not even furrowing his brow. Compared to the three years he had suffered as an invalid, how could this pain even count?

Gradually, Gu Xiaopang noticed something that defied his expectations. Under the repeated washing of true qi, his meridians seemed to be growing more fragile, but in reality, they were becoming tougher and more resilient. After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, his meridians felt thicker and sturdier than before.

As he shifted his hand seals, more and more fire attribute spiritual energy gathered within him. Had it been a low-level disciple with a non-fire constitution, he would have collapsed by now, possibly even gone mad as the fire burned him from within. But at that moment, a small flame formed above Gu Xiaopang’s palm, wavering at first, then gradually solidifying and growing stronger.

Just as the fire attribute true qi reached a critical point and sweat streamed down his forehead, Gu Xiaopang was about to give up when the stone pendant at his chest flashed with light and entered his body.

In an instant, the chaotic fire energy seemed to find a center. Guided by the light, it spun into motion, converging toward his dantian. There, the light transformed into a circular plane, forcibly wrapping the energy and condensing it into a bright red bead, which floated and shimmered at his core.

Stunned, Gu Xiaopang released his hand seal and opened his eyes. For a moment, two flickers of flame seemed to dance in his pupils before fading away. Looking down at the solid little fireball before him, then inward to the newly formed red bead beside the yellow earth attribute bead in his dantian, Gu Xiaopang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His scalp tingled. Was he actually a dual earth-fire attribute? Wasn’t he supposed to be earth only? What was happening?

Just then, Old Man Gu returned from a meeting and happened to see Gu Xiaopang in a daze, and the little fireball floating before him.

“Xiaopang, what’s going on here?”

“Oh—ah!” Startled awake, Gu Xiaopang darted to his grandfather’s side as if seeing a savior.

“Grandpa, something’s wrong with my body. Do you see this fireball?”

“Of course I see it. I’m not blind,” Old Man Gu grumbled before Gu Xiaopang could finish.

“No, Grandpa, look inside me—” Gu Xiaopang implored.

Old Man Gu released his spiritual sense, scanning Gu Xiaopang’s body until it paused at the dantian.

“What? Dual attributes? When did you get a fire attribute as well?” Old Man Gu’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

“Just now! I was practicing Old Master Mu’s Blazing Fire Manual, about to give up, and then this happened...”

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