Chapter 116: Fire Cloud Transformation (Crimson Blaze Change), Unexpected Fortune

Chapter 116: Fire Cloud Transformation (Crimson Blaze Change), Unexpected Fortune

Night fell.

"Help! Master Ge is injured!"

A piercing cry shattered the night at the Ge residence. Guards and servants rushed out, supporting the critically injured Ge An as they hurried him inside.

Ge An waved off the commotion and retreated to his study, ordering no interruptions. Though his wife and steward fretted over his wounds, they dared not defy his command.

This "Ge An" was none other than Su Chen in disguise.

Once inside the study, Su Chen began searching for treasures. Rumors suggested Ge An spent much time here—perhaps hiding secrets within. Unlike common martial arts tropes where masters hide manuals in secret chambers, Su Chen's hunch paid off after half an hour. A hidden compartment clicked open from a bookshelf.

The small compartment held several items: Secret Manuals, bottles, silver notes, and jewelry.

"Sometimes, movies aren't entirely unreliable!" Su Chen chuckled, emptying the contents onto the desk.

Five Secret Manuals, meticulously preserved, included a musical score. "Hiding behind decoys—do they think others are fools?" He smirked, recognizing the score as a typical ruse. While others might miss the hidden manual, Su Chen effortlessly uncovered its secrets.

Setting aside the manuals, he tallied his haul: twenty-five Vital Energy Pills, four thousand silver notes, and jewels. The modest Vital Energy Pill count surprised him—only twenty-five, far fewer than expected. Clearly, Xuan Shui Sect tightly controlled their distribution.

Hours later, he deciphered the manual's true name: Fire Cloud Transformation—a four-stage cultivation technique. Each stage—Starfire, Crimson Blaze, Furious Flame, and Scorching Cloud—corresponded to early cultivation realms, leading up to the Bone Tempering Realm.

"Progress Panel, activate Gold-Fueled Enhancement—Easy Mode."

The familiar voice chimed:

[Easy Mode Activated: Spend ten minutes by the fire to master the basics of Fire Cloud Transformation.]

Even proximity to a candle counted as "by the fire." After ten minutes, Su Chen shivered briefly as warmth suffused his body. Further enhancement revealed:

[Easy Mode Activated: Twenty minutes by the fire to unlock the first transformation.]

This time, a fiery cloud flickered faintly over his heart, his pulse surging with vitality. Vital energy coursed faster—not subtly, but like a heart flooded with hormones, accelerating blood flow and energy circulation. The effect faded quickly.

"Second transformation requires ten Vital Energy Pills—better save them for later", Su Chen decided, wary of overloading his body.

As he packed, footsteps interrupted him. A Black-Cloaked Man entered calmly.

"Master Ge forgets old friends so easily?" the man taunted.

Su Chen feigned indifference. "What business?"

"Five days hence, a noble from Yunzhou's Chu Clan arrives in Big Feng City. Facilitate their stay at Hex Union", the man ordered.

Su Chen frowned. Why would a prestigious Yunzhou family seek Hex Union? Before he could ponder, the man tossed him a vial.

"Nine Mystic Essence Pills", Su Chen whispered, eyes narrowing. Why would Ge An need these? Had he secretly cultivated Xuan Shui Sect techniques? Or was he a mole? Yet Su Chen recalled Ge An's fiery aura—clearly from Fire Cloud Transformation, not Xuan Shui's water-based arts.

"Perhaps he used them to balance his cultivation", Su Chen mused, pocketing the vial. "Could I get more?"

The man scowled but tossed another vial with three pills. "Enough for a month."

Su Chen stifled a cough, hiding his satisfaction.

Before Su Chen could even speak, the Black-Cloaked Man’s voice cut through the air: “This is your monthly allocation.”

Facing such an unyielding figure, Su Chen merely offered an awkward smile. Next month? he mused. You might not even live to see Ge An by then.

“Wait…”

As Su Chen pocketed the pills, the Black-Cloaked Man turned to leave. But Su Chen’s voice halted him mid-step.

“What is it?” The Black-Cloaked Man paused without turning, his tone edged with impatience.

“Do you have any Vital Energy Pills left?”

The faint hope in Su Chen’s voice snapped the man around, his gaze piercing like a hawk’s.

After a long silence, the man sneered, “Why do you need Vital Energy Pills?”

He actually has some. Su Chen’s heart leapt. Composing himself, he replied, “You know how things have been lately. My cultivation suffered from Vital Energy imbalance, so I need to replenish it.”

“Here,” the man growled, his jaw tight as he tossed Su Chen a bottle. Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the shadows.

Catching the bottle, Su Chen stared at the spot where the man had disappeared, then glanced at his palm, his expression hardening. Though the Black-Cloaked Man had never drawn a weapon, Su Chen could sense his lethal aura—a presence that mirrored Ge An’s, yet felt even stronger.

“I thought there’d be more,” Su Chen muttered, inspecting the five pills. Still, he tucked them away with the rest of his haul, slipping out of Ge Manor under cover of darkness.

Back home, he changed into his night robes, washed up, and collapsed onto his bed. With his current capacity, he could consume five Vital Energy Pills daily. Within two days, he pushed his Fire Cloud Transformation to the second layer—Lieyan Bian. A searing current of Vital Force now coursed through his body, its heat lingering like embers.

As he’d suspected, Ge An had indeed used the Mystic Essence Pills to counteract this very side effect. The Fire Cloud Transformation’s Vital Force burned the body subtly at first, but over time, the heat intensified, eventually tormenting the cultivator like a living inferno. Ge An had relied on the Mystic Essence Pills to suppress this agony, lest it destroy him from within.

But Su Chen had no such worries. The Xuan Yuan Qu technique neutralized the Fire Cloud Transformation’s toxicity, and having cultivated it to the second layer, he was immune to the scorching backlash.

“Thirty Vital Energy Pills and eight Mystic Essence Pills remain,” he calculated. “Enough to advance either technique. Perfectly balanced.”

Originally, he’d planned to pour all the pills into his Iron Shirt cultivation, sensing that reaching the sixth layer would propel him into the Bone Tempering Realm. Yet, prioritizing Fire Cloud Transformation made more sense now—even with every pill, he’d still fall short of Iron Shirt’s threshold.

“Third-layer Xuan Yuan Qu and third-layer Fire Cloud Transformation will complement each other nicely,” he decided.

With his cultivation strategy solidified, his thoughts turned to other pursuits. “I’ve refined my lungs with Iron Shirt, kidneys with Xuan Yuan Qu, and heart via Fire Cloud. That leaves liver and spleen. Tomorrow’s the Black Market opening—I’ll search for the missing techniques there.”

Even fragmented manuals could be fused into a cohesive whole, as he’d done with Iron Shirt. He’d also need to upgrade his Draw Cut Art. Against Ge An, the second layer had proven insufficient—not just in technique, but in weaponry. Steel Saber and Crane Feather Saber had barely pierced Ge An’s defenses, even with Vital Force enhancement.

“I’ll commission new blades at the Blacksmith Shop tomorrow,” he resolved. “Something worthy of Bone Tempering.”

---

That night, in Cai Manor:

“Senior Zhu, rest for a moment,” Cai Xiaoyue coaxed, setting a bowl of bird’s nest porridge beside Zhu Yan, who pored over the Medical Secret Manual by candlelight. “It’s still hot.”

“Marvelous! Ingenious!” Zhu Yan slammed his palm on the manuscript, oblivious to the porridge. “How could I have missed this before? The ancients’ wisdom eclipses my ignorance!”

Cai Xiaoyue sighed, leaving the bowl as Zhu Yan ranted on. Sitting nearby, she watched him, entranced, until a soft thud drew her gaze—a crumpled paper at her feet.

Her eyes narrowed. Picking it up, she hurried to her father’s study.

“Father,” she said, handing Cai Liuliu the note. “This appeared in the courtyard.”

Cai Liuliu scanned the message, brow furrowing. “A Chu clan heir in Big Feng City? No intelligence reached me.”

“Is the Hex Union under threat?” Cai Xiaoyue asked.

“Unclear,” Cai Liuliu muttered, dismissing her. “Rest. We’ll investigate.”

---

The next day, Su Chen visited the Blacksmith Shop, ordering twin blades forged from refined steel for two thousand taels. Returning home, he buried himself in the Medical Tome, awaiting the Black Market’s opening.

At dusk, he slipped into the bustling underground market. The Vital Energy Pill vendor was absent, as expected. Shrugging, he approached a stall offering a Crescent Blade Art Secret Manual.

“Ten thousand five hundred taels,” the seller declared.

Su Chen turned to leave.

“Wait—negotiable!” the merchant called. “Name your price.”

“No deal. Fifteen hundred taels.” Su Chen halted, glancing back.

“Done! A pleasure doing business with a man of your caliber,” the seller beamed, holding out the manual.

Su Chen’s eyes flicked to the book. “Fifteen hundred taels,” he repeated.

The merchant’s face twitched. “...Fine!”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end