Devourer of Flames

As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the trees, Flender's voice broke the silence of the morning, rousing Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun from their slumber. They stirred groggily, blinking away the remnants of sleep.

As Sheng Jun emerged from the tent facing the sunlight, he couldn't shake the strange sensation coursing through his body. It was as if an unknown energy was gathering within him.

His eyes narrowed in concentration as he focused inward, trying to discern the source of the mysterious sensation. And then, it hit him, the Sun's Essence. Despite the excitement of this realization, Sheng Jun couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. The condensation process was agonizingly slow, each drop of essence gathering at a snail's pace. According to his calculations, it would take at least a year for the essence to fully materialize into a physical form.

As another day of fruitless searching came to an end, Ma Hongjun couldn't hide his disappointment. His shoulders slumped, and his normally cheerful demeanor was replaced by a sense of dejection. Sensing his disciple's mood, Flender couldn't help but offer some words of encouragement.

Flender said, his voice gentle yet firm. "Xiao Hongjun this is normal when you're searching for suitable spirit rings. Some spirit masters spend months, even years, seeking out the perfect match for their abilities"

Ma Hongjun nodded weakly.

Finally the following day, they stumbled upon an Azure Fire Sparrow, a majestic bird spirit beast with a trace of phoenix bloodline. Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up with joy and excitement at the sight, his heart pounding with anticipation.

Flender's expression fell as he surveyed the spirit beast before them. "Xiao Hongjun, I'm not sure about this" he began, his voice tinged with caution. "This Azure Fire Sparrow appears to be at least 600 years old. It might be too powerful for you to handle"

Ma Hongjun and Sheng Jun exchanged glances, with persuasive arguments and the fact that Ma Hongjun's vitality far surpassed that of Sheng Jun, who had successfully absorbed a 500-year-old spirit ring, they managed to sway Flender's opinion. Reluctantly, Flender agreed to their plan, albeit with a hint of hesitation. After a while, Flender brought an unconscious Azure Fire Sparrow over. 

As Ma Hongjun sat cross-legged, the yellow spirit ring floated towards him, with a deep breath, he prepared himself for the absorption process.

As the ring merged with his body, a sudden surge of power coursed through him, causing blood to gush from his pores. Despite the pain, Ma Hongjun's large vitality allowed him to keep healing, even as the spirit ring's energy tore at his flesh. Flender's eyes widened in alarm at the sight, instinctively moving to intervene, but he was stopped by Sheng Jun's firm grasp.

"Trust him, Teacher" Sheng Jun urged, his voice filled with conviction. "Ma Hongjun knows what he's doing. He's stronger than you think"

Reluctantly, Flender nodded, placing his faith in Ma Hongjun's abilities as he watched the grueling process unfold. Hours passed like eternity, around Ma Hongjun's body his blood formed a pool of blood as he endured the intense transformation. Flender's face grew pale with worry, but he forced himself to remain calm, trusting in Sheng Jun's judgment.

As the hours stretched on, Ma Hongjun's body underwent a series of remarkable changes. First, he began to swell, his form expanding until he resembled his former overweight self. But then, just as quickly, he began to shrink again, his body returning to its usual appearance.

This cycle continued for what felt like an eternity, each moment filled with tension and uncertainty. But finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ma Hongjun's eyes fluttered open, a fierce phoenix-like shriek escaping his lips. A fiery red ring spun around him, its energy crackling with power, before finally settling on his back and transforming back to its original yellow hue.

With a relieved sigh, Flender watched as Ma Hongjun's transformation came to an end. However, his relief was tinged with surprise when he saw the fiery red spirit ring briefly appear before settling into its original yellow hue. His mind raced with possibilities, but he quickly came to a conclusion.

"Xiao Hongjun, did your Heavenly Dao Sutra also break through to the 2nd level?" Flender asked, seeking confirmation of his suspicions.

Ma Hongjun nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Yes, teacher" he confirmed, his voice filled with pride. "My Heavenly Dao Sutra broke through to the 2nd level during the absorption process. It seems that, like Brother Jun, my spirit ring is also growable"

"Additionally, I also manifested a special ability called 'Devourer of Flames' Ma Hongjun began, his voice filled with confidence. "This ability allows me to devour flames weaker than or equal to my strength, slightly strengthening myself for a short period. I can even consume my own flames, although it requires a larger amount of soul power. However, if I were to devour flames stronger than my own, I would become weakened shortly afterward"

Flender's eyes gleamed with excitement as he grasped the implications of Ma Hongjun's ability. The prospect of devouring flames of equal strength was already formidable, granting Ma Hongjun a significant advantage against fire-specialized Spirit Masters of the same strength.

"Then what about your level, Xiao Hongjun, and what about your spirit ring skill?" Flender asked curiously.

Ma Hongjun shifted uncomfortably, feeling a bit embarrassed. "My spirit ring skill is called Phoenix Nirvana" he began, hoping to divert Flender's attention momentarily. "I can use it once a day to restore all my condition to my peak state and recover 100% of my soul power. Additionally, my fire attacks double in power after using the skill until the end of the battle, the additional times I can use this skill increases by 1 for every 2 spirit rings I obtain in the future"

However, although he was very content with Ma Hongjun's skill, Flender's curiosity lingered as he focused on the matter of Ma Hongjun's soul power level. "As for my soul power... it's Level 12" Ma Hongjun admitted.

Flender's brow furrowed in puzzlement at Ma Hongjun's response. "Level 12?" he questioned, his confusion evident. "But this spirit beast is at least 100 years older than Sheng Jun, who reached level 14. Why is it that you only reached level 12?"

As Flender and Sheng Jun exchanged puzzled looks, Ma Hongjun took it upon himself to explain his lower soul power level. "The truth is" he began "the side effect of my Martial Soul surfaced when I was absorbing the spirit ring" Ma Hongjun paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "Luckily, with the Devourer of Flames ability, I managed to identify the source of the side effect" he explained. "It seems like there are two kinds of flames in my body that are constantly in conflict. The one with the purple flame is the source of my desires when the side effect broke out, and the orange flame is the one responsible for my excess vitality"

Flender and Sheng Jun nodded as they listened intently to Ma Hongjun's explanation. "The side effect of my Martial Soul is the unstable flames produced by their clashes" Ma Hongjun continued "I've named the purple flame Evil Fire, while the orange flame is Phoenix Fire"

"As I mentioned earlier" Ma Hongjun added "using Devourer of Flames to consume my own flames requires a huge amount of soul power. During the absorption process of the spirit ring, I utilized the soul power contained within the ring to devour the unstable flames, thus lowering my overall soul power"

Listening to Ma Hongjun's explanation, Flender and Sheng Jun couldn't help but nod in understanding.

"It seems that his side effect is more dangerous than we thought" Sheng Jun remarked. "As he gets stronger, his flames will also grow stronger. If not controlled, his body won't be able to bear it, and he might explode"

Flender nodded solemnly in agreement, his expression filled with concern. "Brother Jun, is there a solution to this?" Ma Hongjun asked, looking at his brother hopefully. 

Sheng Jun pondered for a moment before he continued "The solution might be easier than you think" he suggested. "Every time the Heavenly Dao Sutra advances a level and every time you obtain a new spirit ring, you will become closer to your Martial Soul. By working with your Martial Soul, you can try to control the two flames inside your body, right now, you're not close enough with your Martial Soul to communicate with it" Sheng Jun continued. "So I suggest that you only start worrying about it once you get your second spirit ring. By then, you should be able to communicate with your Martial Soul more effectively. Focus on improving your mental strenght rather than soul power after obtaining your second spirit ring until you can somehow gain control over the two flames inside of you"

Flender and Ma Hongjun listened attentively to Sheng Jun's explanation, a sense of relief washing over them as they considered the possibility of finding a solution to Ma Hongjun's problem. With a weight lifted from their shoulders, Flender gently lifted them and flew toward Nuoding City, the city close to the Soul Hunting Forest, where they could rest before embarking to the Holy Soul Village.