Chapter 25: The Song of the Phoenix and the Cycle of Chaos

After completing the preparations, Tang Chun Xi examined all the gathered items. Carefully, she attempted to store them in her storage ring. To her surprise, she succeeded effortlessly, even though she still couldn't access its inner space again. Frustrated, she repeated the process several times, placing and removing objects to test the ring's limits. When she realized the vastness of the available space, she decided to transfer almost everything from her storage pouch to the ring, leaving only a few items as a decoy to mislead potential looters.

Satisfied with the organization, she called for Ah Tao, who had been patiently waiting outside.

 — "Ah Tao, I need you to prepare more spices and ingredients for future travels. Also, organize items that can enhance my comfort during cultivation."

Ah Tao nodded promptly, recognizing the urgency in Tang Chun Xi's request.

With everything settled, Tang Chun Xi headed to the meditation room adjacent to her quarters. There, she sat on a comfortable futon, adjusted her posture, and finally prepared to practice the technique Winged Phoenix Step before setting out on her adventure.

Tang Chun Xi opened the manual for the technique and carefully reviewed its instructions. Practicing it required spirit stones of specific attributes: fire or wind. These elemental stones, much rarer than neutral ones, carried specialized energies essential for elemental techniques.

From her ring, she retrieved a hundred fire-attribute spirit stones that she and her father had painstakingly collected, as they were originally intended for a wood-and-fire technique she had planned to practice. The stones glowed with an intense red hue, radiating heat. Unlike the translucent, slightly green neutral stones, these emitted an almost living aura, like pulsing embers.

Positioning the stones around her in a harmonious circle, Tang Chun Xi closed her eyes and began chanting the mantra of the technique:

"With wings that tear the firmament,

My step is flame and wind.

In the Phoenix's dance, I sublime the sky,

Speed and power, my trail is a veil…"

Mentally repeating the words, she felt the fire-attribute energy from the stones flowing into her body. Simultaneously, energy from the Qi-gathering matrix also entered. But suddenly, something unexpected happened.

As the fire energy entered Tang Chun Xi's body, it was immediately absorbed by her heart, activating the cycle of the five elements embedded in her constitution. To her astonishment, the energy didn't remain in its original form. Instead, it transformed, following the elemental logic through their associated organs:

Fire became earth.Earth transformed into metal.Metal converted into water.Water evolved into wood.Wood returned to fire, completing the cycle.

This cycle repeated countless times, each repetition refining and strengthening the energy. Tang Chun Xi felt her body enveloped by an extraordinary lightness, as if she were a leaf dancing in the wind. A distant song, like the cry of a phoenix, echoed in her mind, and for a brief moment, her body seemed to ignite with pure energy.

As the process continued, she sensed her cultivation level rising. On the verge of advancing to the fourth level of Body Tempering, Tang Chun Xi deliberately suppressed the progress. Advancing too quickly could compromise the solidity of her foundation—a mistake she wasn't willing to make.

When the cycle finally stabilized, she emerged from her meditative state, her body still warm with the residual energy of cultivation.

Tang Chun Xi pondered the events. Initially, she believed she would need to cultivate each elemental root separately. However, with the Harmonic Chaos Matrix technique, the cycle seemed to handle this for her, refining all five elements simultaneously and ensuring that no single element became disproportionately powerful.

 — "So this is what it means to possess the root of chaos…" — she thought, amazed. — "Even as an imitation of the perfect cycle, it's already incredibly powerful. Someone with the true root of chaos must be truly invincible."

Her heart raced as she contemplated the depth and complexity of the technique now at her disposal. If this was only the beginning, what more could the Harmonic Chaos Matrix offer in the future? Putting aside her musings, she focused on the immediate results of her training.

Though she had successfully suppressed her advancement, Tang Chun Xi knew she was just a step away from reaching the fourth level of Body Tempering. She decided to test the practical effects of the technique.

Concentrating, she analyzed her body. She felt lighter, more flexible, and agile. To confirm, she left the meditation room and headed to her personal training field, where she could push her limits uninterrupted.

As she began moving, she noticed an immediate difference:

Her speed had increased by about 25% compared to her previous state.Her movements were more agile and fluid, as if she had shed an invisible resistance that had previously constrained her.

Tang Chun Xi decided to test the ability that intrigued her the most: Offensive Impact.

Focusing, she moved swiftly, channeling her spiritual energy. As she moved, the technique activated, leaving trails of flaming energy behind her. The flames burned with far greater intensity than she expected—almost four times hotter and more potent than what an ordinary cultivator of the same level could produce.

Moreover, the trail's color wasn't merely red like ordinary flames. It shimmered, alternating between brilliant and deep tones—a characteristic she attributed to the starlight energy permeating her five-element cycle.

Tang Chun Xi smiled. "This will be a valuable surprise, whether for escape or battle."

Next, she attempted the secondary ability: Phoenix Wings.

Focusing intensely, she felt a surge of energy forming behind her. Suddenly, two spiritual projections of flaming wings appeared, nearly transparent, radiating heat and light. When fully activated, her speed increased dramatically—almost 50% higher than normal.

However, the wings weren't just for mobility. When fully activated, they unleashed a shockwave of flames, repelling anything nearby—something far beyond her level.

She experimented with short movements and found that, while incredibly useful, the wings consumed a significant amount of fire-attribute energy. — "I can only use them three times before completely depleting my fire energy," — she thought.

Reflecting on the technique's limitations, something in her body's energy flow caught her attention. The five-element cycle had been reactivated. Now, the fire energy consumed was being gradually replenished through the redistribution of the other elements in her body.

Tang Chun Xi realized something remarkable: the five elements' energies would always balance each other, ensuring none were fully depleted, regardless of individual consumption.

 — "This means I can use fire-based abilities without worrying about completely running out of this attribute," — she concluded, impressed.

Another detail stood out: the trail left by her Offensive Impact. It wasn't just hotter and more powerful but also had an unusual, mesmerizing glow. The shimmering color and part of its power came from starlight energy, which perfectly complemented the technique.

The remaining power, however, was a direct result of the Harmonic Chaos Matrix. "This technique… is on an entirely different level than I imagined. And this is just the beginning," she thought with determination.

Tang Chun Xi took a deep breath, feeling more prepared than ever. Though the road ahead was fraught with uncertainties, with such powerful tools at her disposal, she knew she was ready to face any challenge.

She prepared herself and went to sleep—after all, practice could not yet replace rest.