Chapter 24: Is It a Flaw, or the Only Way to Nirvana?

The backyard of the Ye residence was thick with rising steam, the air heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs.

In the center of the courtyard stood a colossal iron cauldron, crafted entirely from fine black steel. When Ye Qingxian had ordered it from the local blacksmith, the poor man had stared at her in horror, half-convinced she was planning to cook someone alive.

He wasn't entirely wrong.

Lin Xiao, standing shirtless before the iron behemoth, couldn't help but feel the same sense of dread. The towering cauldron, with its thick, dark metal and ominous heat, resembled more a medieval torture device than a medicinal bath.

"In the future, maybe someone will name a famous dish after me—'Lin Xiao Stewed in an Iron Pot.'" He forced a weak smile, though the dread remained.

"What are you standing there for? Take off your clothes."

Ye Qingxian's voice snapped him back to reality. She set down an improved medicinal meal on a wooden board nearby and began shoveling herbs into the iron cauldron with an iron scoop.

Her tone was sharp and impatient, her hands deft and practiced.

Why is this little brat always so shy? She frowned. If he hesitates any longer, I'll strip him myself.

With a resigned sigh, Lin Xiao removed his shirt, leaving himself in a pair of loose shorts, and approached the bubbling iron cauldron with reluctant steps.

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan stood at a distance, pale and uneasy. Their eyes fixated on the searing cauldron as it boiled ominously.

"Mom… is Lin Xiao really supposed to bathe in that?" Ye Lingling's voice was thin, her hands trembling.

"The water's boiling. Won't he be scalded to death?" Dugu Yan added, her voice cracking with fear.

Ye Qingxian glanced at them with a look of thinly veiled annoyance. "Weren't you two obsessed with the idea of evil fire body forging?"

She scoffed, her gaze sharp. "If you're so eager, just say the word—I'll arrange your turn right after Lin Xiao's."

Ye Lingling visibly shuddered and quickly backpedaled. "I-I think… the extreme training methods are fine… No need for… boiling alive."

The Ritual Begins

Ignoring their protests, Lin Xiao climbed into the cauldron. The scorching heat hit him instantly, but he gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain.

He drank the prepared medicinal broth and began reciting the Heart Purification Sutra silently in his mind. His body eased into the Five Animal Exercises stance, trying to focus as the heat seeped into his bones.

Moments later, the first sign of trouble appeared—the aphrodisiac herbs in the bath worked their dark magic, and the evil fire within him surged to life, clawing its way from the depths of his meridians.

His organs felt like they were being devoured by wildfire.

This wasn't pain—this was torture.

"Towel! Bite down!"

Ye Qingxian's command was immediate. She tossed him a thick, reinforced towel made from century-old ice silk—tough and resistant to heat.

As the evil fire rampaged through his body, she summoned her Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit, stacking her healing soul skills layer upon layer to keep Lin Xiao's body from falling apart entirely.

Lin Xiao's face contorted, his handsome features twisted into a grimace of agony. Veins bulged along his temples as every muscle in his body strained under the relentless assault of the evil fire.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling watched in horror as Lin Xiao's body turned bright red, like molten metal being forged.

Ye Lingling's legs buckled beneath her.

"Y-Yanyan…" she whimpered as she collapsed, shaking uncontrollably.

Dugu Yan struggled to hold her up, though her own body felt weak and powerless.

Ye Qingxian cast them a cold glance. "You can't even watch this without collapsing? And you thought you could withstand it yourselves?"

Her voice was sharp as a blade. "If Lingling had been the healer today, Lin Xiao would already be dead."

The shame in Ye Lingling's eyes was palpable. She was right. I was too weak to handle this…

Gritting her teeth, Ye Lingling forced herself to stand, her legs shaking like a newborn fawn. She approached the cauldron with hesitant steps and summoned her own Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit.

"I-I can help too," she muttered, pouring her limited healing soul skills onto Lin Xiao's suffering body.

Ye Qingxian watched silently, her stern gaze softening just a little. Perhaps this will be the experience that helps her grow…

As she focused on Lin Xiao's condition, Ye Qingxian's thoughts wandered.

Is this truly a defect?

The legend says even the Phoenix must endure countless cycles of destruction and rebirth to reach its ultimate form.

Perhaps this so-called flaw—the evil fire—isn't a curse, but a necessary trial. Every outbreak brings Lin Xiao closer to true strength, just as a phoenix is only reborn stronger after being reduced to ash.

Her eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.

This isn't a flaw—it's the crucible for Nirvana.

Suddenly, Lin Xiao's body burst into flame—not crimson or orange, but black.

The fire was dark as the void, swallowing all light, radiating an aura of unfathomable power.

A faint sound echoed in the air, piercing through the heavy silence: the mournful, haunting cry of a phoenix.

Ye Qingxian's breath caught in her throat. This… isn't ordinary fire. This is something transcendent.

"Yanyan…" Ye Lingling whispered, her voice barely audible. "Did you hear that?"

Dugu Yan's eyes were wide with awe.

"I did," she said quietly. "It sounded like… the cry of a phoenix."

Ye Qingxian's heart pounded in her chest. This isn't the end. This is only the beginning.

Lin Xiao isn't just surviving the fire.

He's becoming the fire.