A short while later, Long Zhen came bouncing out of Shen Haoran’s room, looking as if he’d just gotten his hands on some incredible treasure. Shen Haoran watched his naive, retreating figure and shook his head. ’This kid... He’ll believe anything I make up. He’s hopeless!’

But a moment later, a pained expression returned to Shen Haoran’s face as he stared at the giant black cauldron Long Zhen had left behind, unsure of what to do with it.

Shen Haoran had seen this giant black cauldron before; it was the same one from his bet with Elder Huo back at the Shen Family estate. Today, Elder Huo had brought it out again. According to him, if Shen Haoran wanted to practice the Fire Manipulation Technique, he first had to bring the water in this cauldron to a boil!

’Bring it to a boil?’ Shen Haoran felt a headache coming on. He had already tried, and this cauldron was like an ancient block of ice; even his Fire Spirit Black Obsidian found it tricky. ’Of course, if I could get the Fire Spirit Pearl and fuse it to form the true Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, couldn’t I melt this thing in minutes? The problem is, I can’t get the Fire Spirit Pearl right now!’

’I refuse to believe it! I have the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, and you’re telling me I can’t even boil a single, stupid pot!’ His stubborn streak flared. With a wave of his hand, a mass of pitch-black flame surged forth again, enveloping the large cauldron and beginning to burn.

Shen Haoran shut his eyes, carefully sensing the dance of the flames. Elder Huo had said that to bring the cauldron to a boil, he had to rely on himself. He had to break the flame down into countless particles, infiltrate the cauldron through imperceptibly small cracks, and burn it from the inside out. However, breaking a flame down into so many tiny particles was not something an ordinary person could accomplish. It required not only extremely strong control over fire but also a certain affinity for it.

’Affinity isn’t a problem,’ Shen Haoran thought to himself. After all, having consumed the Red Flame Jade Marrow and completed the Refinement of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, if he claimed his affinity for fire was second-best in the world, no one would dare claim to be first!

But when it came to controlling fire, aside from a few simple manipulations, Shen Haoran could only resort to brute force. After all, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian was famous for its raw, overwhelming power.

Carefully sensing the changes in the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, Shen Haoran began to infuse his powerful Spiritual Thought into it, attempting to divide the flames, but every attempt ended in failure.

"Kid, the Fire Manipulation Technique... the secret is in the word ’manipulation,’" Elder Yan’s voice advised from within Shen Haoran’s mind. "It doesn’t mean you should forcefully control the flames. You must understand that every flame has its own spirit, and this is even more true for the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, the emperor of all flames. Forcing it will only backfire. You must try to sense their will. You must become one with them, make them believe you are a part of them, and only then can you begin to influence their will. That is the true meaning of fire manipulation!"

’Become one with them, and then influence them.’ Shen Haoran lowered his head, lost in thought. Concepts that had been vague in his mind suddenly became crystal clear with Elder Yan’s words. It felt as if he had just grasped something crucial.

With this in mind, Shen Haoran calmed his Heart Spirit, concealed his aura, and immersed his consciousness into the mass of black flame.

Once his Spiritual Thought merged with the Black Flame, Shen Haoran no longer acted like its master. Instead, his consciousness simply sat down cross-legged, quietly observing the fire burn before him. He then closed his eyes, did his best to minimize his presence, and began to radiate waves of friendly intent toward the surrounding flames.

At first, his efforts were fruitless. But as time went on, the surrounding black flames began to slowly draw near him. Eventually, they even began to coil around his spiritual form, as affectionately as an infant clinging to its mother. Sensing the emotion coming from the flames, a smile touched the corners of Shen Haoran’s lips. Everything was heading in the right direction.

In the outside world, Elder Yan saw Shen Haoran smile and nodded in satisfaction. ’Such powerful insight. Not bad at all!’

And so, Shen Haoran remained immersed in a world of fire. He imagined he was a part of the flames, dancing and flickering along with them. Gradually, more and more of the flames gathered around him. They came to see him as their leader and began to move according to his will.

「Five days later.」

Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open, and two tangible black flames ignited within them. As the aura around him fluctuated, the black flames surrounding him began to dance in unison, as if the man and the fire had become one.

Then, Shen Haoran waved his hand again. The Black Flame flared violently, enveloping the cauldron. This time, within just a few breaths, the water inside was brought to a rolling boil!

Watching the water in the cauldron evaporate in an instant, a satisfied smile spread across Shen Haoran’s face. He had been immersed in that world of fire for five days, so deeply that he had nearly lost himself. Fortunately, his efforts had not been in vain. He could feel that his control over fire had improved immensely, and his attunement with the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian was now even greater.

Tossing the cauldron aside, Shen Haoran stood up and stretched his stiff limbs. He headed for the door, feeling terribly cooped up after five days of immobility.

When he opened the door, however, Shen Haoran froze. Shui Ruolan was standing right outside, seemingly waiting for him.

Hearing the door open, Shui Ruolan turned and met his gaze.

Staring at Shui Ruolan, Shen Haoran was momentarily entranced. Her skin was snow-white and lustrous, like silk. Her eyes were a boundless azure, the color of the clearest sky, shining with a dazzling brilliance. The lines of her cheeks were soft and smooth. Her jet-black hair fell with a natural wave and curl, inspiring a thousand fantasies of what it would feel like to run one’s fingers through those strands. ’Shui Ruolan is truly worthy of her title as the goddess of all the Five Elements Sect disciples!’

"Ahem..." Seeing Shen Haoran staring at her in a daze, Shui Ruolan blushed faintly and cleared her throat.

Shen Haoran snapped back to his senses, realizing his blunder. "What are you doing here again?" he said quickly. "Did you come back to see if I’m really a scoundrel?"

"You..." Shui Ruolan looked at his smug expression and felt a surge of anger, but thinking of her reason for coming today, she forced it back down.

"I... I’ve come to ask you for a favor!" Shui Ruolan said through gritted teeth, her voice low.

"Oh? A favor?" Shen Haoran said nonchalantly, looking at the reluctant Shui Ruolan before him. "It wouldn’t happen to be about that hidden illness of yours, would it?"

Hearing his words, the color drained from Shui Ruolan’s face. She stared at Shen Haoran in disbelief. "You... How could you possibly know?!"