Chapter 55: This Fire is Perfect for Cooking

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: This Fire is Perfect for Cooking

Lu Wu, cowering in a corner, was looking for a place to hide. This was not a fight she could get involved in.

The ever-cautious Lu Wu had already picked a direction.

She had just taken a step when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flower bud completely open. Before Lu Wu could even admire the sight of the blooming lotus, a flame resembling golden glaze engulfed her.

’I’m going to die!’

That was Lu Wu’s first reaction.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own gruesome death.

’I still wasn’t careful enough.’

"Chirp chirp?"

Huohuo tilted its head.

’Humans are so strange. Why close their eyes? They’re not as easy to understand as birds.’

Huohuo hopped on Lu Wu’s head, chirping as it looked down at the motionless human.

"I’m not dead."

After waiting for what felt like an eternity without being received by King Yama, she instead felt the peck of Huohuo on her head.

Lu Wu opened her eyes and found herself completely unharmed.

Instead, there was now a Golden Glaze Flame in her Dantian.

It seemed the beautiful flame nurtured within that lotus had acknowledged her as its master.

With a thought, the flame floated into her palm. When she touched it, her hand wasn’t burned; instead, it felt warm.

But Lu Wu had a gut feeling that if she threw this flame, it could incinerate everything.

"This fire..." Lu Wu stroked her chin, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "It would be perfect for cooking."

’A flame with automatic temperature control. Top chef Lu Wu deserves this.’

Lu Wu’s thoughts made the flame flicker as if protesting her intention to put it to such mundane use.

Having obtained a treasure, Lu Wu was in high spirits.

Then she was kicked out of the grotto.

Back outside, Lu Wu touched the stone monument again and found she was now barred from re-entry.

"So stingy."

Lu Wu grumbled. Seeing that no one else was around, she found a flat spot and set up her tent.

’Looks like I’ll be sleeping here tonight.’

While Lu Wu was setting up her temporary shelter, the other Cultivators in the Fire Secret Realm noticed a change in the realm.

To put it simply, the temperature was rising rapidly.

The intense heat was unbearable for some Cultivators with lower cultivation, forcing them to retreat to the outer areas.

Qin Zhan, who was rushing to meet up with Lu Wu, felt the pressure on him increase dramatically as he approached the center of the Secret Realm.

The protection of the cold air provided by his longsword, Ruxue, was no longer enough to resist the high temperature.

He touched his forehead; it was covered in sweat.

His sharp intuition told him that a major change had occurred within the Secret Realm.

And the source was in the central area.

’It couldn’t be related to Boss Lu, could it?’

Qin Zhan’s heart pounded with anxiety.

On the One World Communication, Boss Lu had just replied to his message, saying she was safe.

But Qin Zhan was far from safe.

After passing through a forest of stone pillars, he encountered a lake of lava.

The lava in the lake churned, and the sparks that shot out landed on the ground, burning slowly and distorting the air.

The vast lava lake blocked his path. Qin Zhan was assessing the situation and about to force his way through when he met the massive head of a behemoth in the lava lake.

Its huge mouth opened, fire brewing in its throat.

It was the demon beast, the Dragon Fire Crocodile. Legend said it possessed the bloodline of a Divine Dragon, and it had a strong sense of territory. It would attack any intruder without a second thought.

The moment Qin Zhan made a move, the Evil Dragon’s breath descended from the sky, nearly scorching the hem of his clothes.

’Can’t beat it, can’t beat it.’

Qin Zhan could only humbly raise his hands and start backing away.

Since he couldn’t force his way through, he had to take a detour.

As he walked on, night fell.

Along the way, Qin Zhan had endured countless hardships.

There was an Evil Dragon in the lava lake, a giant serpent in the swamp, fierce tigers in the dense forest, and hunting hawks on the high mountains...

By the time he walked from night into dawn, the prodigy of a generation had become a quail skilled in the art of surrender.

He was suffering, but he didn’t say a word.

Fortunately, he was now very close to Boss Lu’s location.

Wiping away a tear of bitterness, Qin Zhan rushed toward Lu Wu’s direction.

While flying on his sword, Qin Zhan saw a small black dot moving on the ground not far away. It was Lu Wu.

He saw that Lu Wu was safe, but before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw a massive flock of birds from another direction heading straight for her.

It was a dense, dark mass, their feathers wreathed in flames.

Fiery Fire Sparrows, a flocking demon beast, were extremely vengeful.

If you killed a single Fiery Fire Sparrow, its entire flock would hunt you to the ends of the earth.

Their specialty was a relentless, life-or-death pursuit.

"Boss Lu, watch out!"

Qin Zhan cried out in alarm, his heart pounding in his throat. He could only accelerate again.

"This bowl is ready. Please enjoy, customer."

Lu Wu placed a bowl of ice powder in front of a Fiery Fire Sparrow. The little bird glanced at Lu Wu, then hopped forward, opened its beak, and spat out a small stone.

It was a Fire Rock Crystal, the same kind Huohuo had used as payment yesterday.

’A Fiery Fire Sparrow that pays on its own initiative is a good customer.’

Lu Wu delightfully accepted it.

With this one leading the charge, perhaps they all figured out that this human liked these stones.

The other Fiery Fire Sparrows flew over to Lu Wu one by one and began spitting out stones.

Receiving this sudden fortune from the heavens, Lu Wu scooped up all the stones with the front of her robe.

The total value of all these Fire Rock Crystals was enormous.

With these alone, Lu Wu had already made a huge profit from her trip to the Secret Realm.

"Huh?"

Qin Zhan, who had just charged over ready to defend Boss Lu to the death, was stunned into place by the sight of the Fiery Fire Sparrows feeding her. He let out a sound of existential doubt.

’How is this any different from meat pies falling from the sky?’

’Have I entered an Illusion Realm?’

’These explosive-tempered Fiery Fire Sparrows are actually fawning over a human.’

’Has the world really gone this crazy?’

Qin Zhan’s head was spinning. He hesitantly reached out and pinched his own arm.

"HISS!"

He had pinched hard, and the pain made him suck in a sharp breath.

Everything before his eyes was really happening.

"Oh, you’re here."

Lu Wu happened to see Qin Zhan’s act of self-harm. Unfazed, she greeted him casually.

"Wait for me for a bit. I need to finish making their ice powder first."

This flock of Fiery Fire Sparrows had left and returned today, and even paid for their meal. As a stall owner, Lu Wu diligently continued making ice powder.

Only then did Qin Zhan notice that Lu Wu had also set up a stall on the side.

"Bone-chilling, Spirit-soaring Ice Powder, one bowl for one Mid-grade Spirit Stone."

Seeing the sign, and then looking at the Fiery Fire Sparrows queuing up obediently, Qin Zhan raised a hand and slowly closed his gaping jaw.

’How come I feel like Boss Lu and I entered two completely different Secret Realms?’

’I was out there fighting for my life, nearly dying here, while Boss Lu is safely running a stall in the central area where most people can’t even reach, and she’s even getting a fortune rained down on her.’

He was green with envy just looking at those Fire Rock Crystals.

Qin Zhan’s sour, envious gaze was too palpable. Before Lu Wu could say anything, Huohuo, perched on her shoulder, let out a chirp.

’This human doesn’t smell or taste good. Birdie doesn’t like him.’

Receiving Huohuo’s command, in an instant, all the Fiery Fire Sparrows queuing on the ground turned to look at Qin Zhan in unison.

Mung-bean-sized eyes aren’t very intimidating on their own, but when there were over a hundred of them, Qin Zhan felt he wasn’t quite that tough.

"I surrender."

He expertly raised his hands to show he had no hostile intent and stood obediently to the side, shooting a wronged look at Lu Wu.

’Boss Lu, help me!’

’The birds are going to kill someone!’