My Arts Evolve When Perfected

The flames consumed the body of the Transformed Great Demon [Ai], its ashes scattering with the black smoke. With a CLINK, a crystalline pebble, like White Jade, dropped from where its abdomen had been.

Jiang Qiu bent down to pick it up. A curious sense of connection touched his fingertips, as if it contained a familiar aura, remotely connecting him to some distant entity.

’Another Pebble. The Demon King must have scraped the bottom of the barrel for this. The dense Fiery Flame Spirit Charm in the hot spring pushed me straight to Ninth Rank Jade Sinews and even filled the embryonic orbs in my eyes to the brim.’

As he murmured to himself, he blinked. Golden patterns emerged within his scarlet, vertical pupils, as exquisite as Blood Jade inlaid with gold. Wisps of Fiery Flame Spirit Charm spilled out like streams of light, accentuating the sharp look in his eyes.

With a mere thought, a throbbing pain would emanate from his pupils, as if the lifeform gestating within was about to break out of its shell but lacked the final trigger, still busy digesting the immense amount of Fiery Flame Spirit Charm.

One could say that all the Spirit Charm in the entire hot spring had gone into his [Flood Dragon Tong], while he himself had only used a drop in the ocean to forge his Jade Sinews and temper his physique.

Even so, his status panel had undergone a major transformation.

[Status: Reincarnated Medium, Fiery Flame Spirit Charm]

Not only was [Fiery Flame Spirit Charm] added, but his Metamorphosis Talent, [Steel Body], had also advanced to [Initial Dragon Form].

[Features: Fiery Immolation, Foundation of the Golden Body] 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

At present, his [Initial Dragon Form] Talent gave him faster reflexes, more explosive power, and the ability to ignore his own flames—surpassing a low-Realm Transformed Great Demon like [Ai]...

BUZZ—

Suddenly, the Pebble in his hand trembled. A thought transmitted from the other side, instantly piercing through Jiang Qiu’s mind: "Luo Beixing, the strongest expert of the Human Race in the Northwest Province, has appeared at the Celestial Armor Hall. The Palace Guardian Demon General has been slain. The hot springs and their elixirs are about to be plundered. Martial Arts Grandmasters have appeared outside the Tianyi, Celestial Bing, and Celestial Soldier Halls. All members of the Demon Race are to leave their halls and fight to the death immediately."

The ancient, emotionless voice was like a cold thought stating facts and issuing commands. Every word struck Jiang Qiu’s heart, and for a moment, his composure wavered.

He shook his head sharply to clear it, his eyes filled with astonishment. "The strongest expert, Grand General Luo, is on the attack? There’s a Martial Arts Grandmaster at every hall?!"

Those who held a general’s rank were all Martial Arts Grandmasters, and Luo Beixing was the only active full general in the Northwest Province. Over a decade ago, during the battle for Gao Yuan City, he had become famous overnight; when the outer city fell, his reinforcements ensured the Inner City stood strong.

His existence was a deterrent to the Demon Race on par with a nuclear weapon. News reports had said he was preparing to take command of the increasingly desperate situation in Tianshan City; no one expected him to show up at a college entrance exam testing site.

’The higher-ups must have predicted the Demon Race would make a move.’

Jiang Qiu took a deep breath, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ’The battle outside must be desperate. If I leave now, I might run into powerful Demon Race reinforcements. I’ll get Liu Zili and the others out of the water first.’

With a SPLASH, he jumped into the hot spring, diving toward the bottom where the Spirit Charm was thin.

By now, the red hue in the water had faded, and its tempering effect on the body was negligible. Thanks to this, a small number of students had not been refined to death.

When his feet touched the bottom, he saw at a glance that swathes of students had shrunk. Their bodies were smaller, their skin as smooth as jade, and the padding of their Armor had naturally peeled away. They lay with their eyes closed as if in sleep, showing no signs of life, yet an orange-yellow flame of Qi Blood still burned over their bodies, making them resemble Treasures of Heaven and Earth.

The ones who had died earliest in the hot spring had all broken through to the Steel Bone Realm. Those who had survived until now had even stronger physiques, the effects of the tempering far more pronounced.

Many of the students who had just regained consciousness were now staring, dumbfounded. The image of Jiang Qiu killing the demon was still replaying in their minds. Their worldviews had been shattered like glass struck by a hammer.

The water of the hot spring gurgled into their noses and mouths, making them choke as they watched the peerless prodigy, wreathed in streams of red light, gently take Liu Zili by the calf and shoulder and shoot out of the water with a WHOOSH.

THUD.

Landing with bent knees, Jiang Qiu set Liu Zili down on the White Jade floor and breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good. She just got overstuffed with Spirit Charm. She’s still breathing.’

He glanced at her jade-like face and rosy lips, but his gaze was drawn slowly downward to her abdomen. He could perceive a dazzling Fire Lotus suspended within her, formed from Fiery Flame Spirit Charm.

’Forging Jade Sinews with Fiery Flame Spirit Charm?’

’Aren’t you supposed to forge Jade Sinews to *store* Spirit Charm?’

After a moment’s pause, Jiang Qiu shook his head. ’I’ll worry about that once we’re safe.’

SPLASH.

He dove back into the water, grabbing the desperately waving Sun Yongsheng with his left hand and the dazed-looking Zhang Shan with his right, pulling them both out of the hot spring.

One by one, Jiang Qiu dove into the hot spring, pulling out over six hundred survivors. Without exception, their bodies had all shrunk. Most of them had been around six-foot-three before, but now they had been tempered down to five-foot-eleven.

"*Gasp... huff...* Thanks, Brother Jiang, thank you..."

"Brother Jiang Qiu... *huff... huff...* thank you for saving our lives..."

When Jiang Qiu emerged from the water again, faint words of gratitude rose and fell around him. The students he had rescued lay on the floor, their Armor scattered about like shed skins, their chests heaving.

He set down the two unconscious people he was holding and turned back toward the hot spring.

BUZZ—

Suddenly, the Pebble in his pocket vibrated again. A thought shot through him like a paralyzing bolt of lightning, and his outstretched right leg froze mid-stride. "The Demon Marshal [Beiming], who was sent to the Celestial Armor Hall, has been grievously wounded by Luo Beixing. The antechambers of four great halls have already fallen. However, the plan to birth a new king cannot be abandoned. I have recalled one Demon Marshal and twelve Demon Generals from Tianshan Mountain, Dongqi Mountain, Shaxin State, and other areas to defend the Twelve Great Halls and the Nine Great Hot Springs to the death."

The voice was neither male nor female, seeming to press down from the vast dome above. Its undeniable power struck Jiang Qiu’s soul, causing it to resonate like a great bronze bell.

HUMMM—

Suddenly, a wave of killing intent pierced down from the dome above, feeling like a vast tsunami about to crash down. The cold pressure made the hair on the necks of every survivor, including Jiang Qiu, stand on end.

BOOM—

A flash of golden light split the ceiling open. The aftershock of a blade’s edge, wreathed in Chenjin Spirit Charm, slammed down, carving a ten-meter gash down the high wall before dissipating. The entire White Jade floor trembled as rubble rained from the sky, plopping into the hot spring and kicking up splashes of pale red water.

Jiang Qiu’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up, his pupils contracting sharply.

The stone dome, carved with dragons and phoenixes, had been split open down the middle. Deafening roars, the clamor of battle, the clash of metal, and the whistle of Spirit Charm poured down from the opening. Dark shadows flitted past the crack as the ground shook and the walls trembled.

A dark lump fell from the edge of the fissure.

"Croak~"

Hearing the familiar cry, Jiang Qiu’s facial muscle twitched and his eyebrows knitted together. ’It’s still alive?!’

The little toad landed on the White Jade floor with a THUMP. It clutched its head with its webbed feet and took a huge gasp of air. Suddenly sensing that it had grown dark, it looked up. A pair of blood-red, vertical pupils, like an Azure Dragon from the High Heavens, stared down at it. The toad’s heart stopped. "Holy crap, why is it you?! Where’s Lord [Ai]?!"

SQUISH. The little toad found itself squeezed in Jiang Qiu’s right hand. Its webbed limbs went rigid as a strange cry was forced from its mouth.

"CROA—AAAH!"

"How are you still alive?"

Jiang Qiu frowned and snorted coldly. His five fingers gradually tightened as if squeezing a squeaky toy. "What’s the situation up there?"

"Croak... I have an innate talent, [Spawning], that’s how I survived. B-Big boss, a Demon General is already up there! They’re in a pitched battle! The Human Race won’t be taking this place any time soon. Th-they might even kill us by mistake! You should run! Don’t worry about me!"

Staring at the little toad’s bulging blue eyes, Jiang Qiu’s mouth twitched. "So why did you appear here?"

"I... I, uh, you know, I already used that special Pebble Lord Spider Mother gave me... I came here to ask Lord [Ai] to use its special Pebble to get me out of here..."

Tears squeezed from the corners of the little toad’s eyes. It never would have dreamed that Lord [Ai] would be gone from the hot spring, and that it would be caught yet again by this vertical-pupiled boy.

’There’s no chance to escape. I’m probably going to have to lose another life.’

HUMMM...

Suddenly, a familiar Pebble was pulled from Jiang Qiu’s pocket, emitting a soft glow. The toad’s thoughts raced, its pupils dilating.

’Holy crap, how did he get Lord [Ai]’s Pebble?!’