An abstract trainer who taught Charmander the Incinerate move

Chapter 224 Rebirth of the Azure Lotus Flame, Recreating Divine Skills and Earth-Rank Battle Techniques!

With the help of the Dream Theater, everyone has a bright future.

Lucario unleashed its Armament Haki on the railway tracks, making Pokemon move as if it were nothing.

Sniffer snakes coiled on the sleepers, and silver grass vines transformed into efficient construction machinery, enjoying special treatment from the foreman.

Xiao Huolong, who was assigned to the quarry team, fell into an unprecedented low in his life.

Smoke and dust filled the air at the quarry, and the clanging and hammering sounds were incessant.

Xiao Huolong, the Red Dragon General who once transformed his arms into cannons, unleashed endless bullets, and stood his ground against a sea of ​​berserk elves in the warehouse battle, now sits listlessly beside a huge rock like a useless can of peaches.

"Useless! Utterly useless!"

There was a burly overseer, his face flushed with anger, brandishing a leather whip.

"Look at what you've done! All day long! You haven't even cracked a single decent rock! You fat lizard, you're a disgrace to our rock-breaking team! You're not eating tonight! Keep smashing!"

Xiao Huolong's huge bald head was almost tucked into his neck from being scolded so much, and Tang's big eyes were filled with tears of grievance.

Looking at its own claws, which couldn't even break a rock, it let out a helpless whimper.

The setting sun stretched its lonely shadow long, making it appear even more desolate and pitiful.

The heroes who once protected everyone can no longer even break a rock.

The stark contrast filled his simple mind with immense pain and helplessness.

The thought of everyone being forced to work fills it with deep self-blame, making it feel useless for failing to protect them...

My stomach started growling at the worst possible time, and dinner was ruined again because I hadn't finished my work.

Hunger and deep exhaustion washed over him like a tide. Xiao Huolong's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He shrunk his plump body, leaned against the cold rock, and his consciousness gradually blurred as he sank into a deep sleep...

[Xiao Huolong! Xiao Huolong! Wake up! What are you dawdling for?!]

Amidst a series of urgent and familiar urging sounds, Xiao Huolong weakly opened his heavy eyelids.

As the mist gradually dissipated, it discovered that it was not in a cold quarry, but standing in a familiar forest.

Then it saw the familiar figure of Old Man Chi.

It still wore that bright red hat and fiery red trainer's uniform, and had that enigmatic smile on its lips, hovering ethereally in front of it.

"Old Man Red! Waaaaah...Old Man Red!!!"

Upon seeing his mentor who had given him a second chance, and recalling his own dejected state—having lost all his power, with weak arms, and unable to even break a stone—Xiao Huolong could no longer contain his emotions.

Tears welled up in Tang's large eyes like a burst dam, and she scrambled to the feet of the illusory Old Chi, tearfully recounting her current situation to him.

"Old Red! I'm ruined! My Extreme Eight is ruined! I'm now a useless dragon, unable to even break a rock, and I can no longer protect everyone!"

The phantom formed by the power of the soul of the old man stared intently at Xiao Huolong, who was crying like a three-hundred-pound child.

The gaze seemed to pierce through its massive body, reaching deep into its arms the meridians that had completely severed the Eight Great Daos.

"Alas, do you know that during your final battle with that monstrous strength mercenary group, in order to protect everyone, you recklessly used your ultimate technique, 'Unwavering Power,' its power was indeed earth-shattering and incredibly awesome, but the price was... incredibly awesome!"

"Awesome...absolutely awesome?"

Xiao Huolong lifted Tang Shi's large, tear-filled face, looking completely bewildered.

Old Chi's words struck Xiao Huolong's heart like a heavy hammer.

[Now that the meridians in both arms are completely destroyed, the Burning Qi can no longer flow to your fingertips, and the foundation for unleashing the power of Extreme Eight Collapses has been utterly destroyed. You can say you're now a crippled dragon! It's highly unlikely you'll ever be able to use Extreme Eight Collapses again in this lifetime!]

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huolong was struck dumb, overwhelmed with grief that choked him, preventing him from even uttering a cry.

Its massive body collapsed to the ground with a thud, its mouth agape, tears streaming silently down its face like broken pearls. An overwhelming sense of despair threatened to completely engulf its simple Down syndrome brain.

At this moment, seeing its utterly despondent state, Old Chi sighed again, then changed the subject, his voice seemingly infused with a glimmer of hope.

However, the world is vast and full of wonders. The mysteries of creation are beyond our comprehension. As far as I know, deep within the remote and scorching Tagh Desert, grows an extremely magical grass-attribute flame! This flame contains boundless life energy and the essence of plants, and is said to possess the miraculous power of regeneration! If you can overcome all difficulties and successfully subdue and refine it, you might be able to reshape your meridians and regain the power in your arms!

"Really...really?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huolong immediately stopped crying, abruptly raised his head, and Tang's large eyes burst forth with an unprecedented brilliance, as if a drowning person had grasped the last straw!
It was so excited that its scales trembled, and it immediately struggled to get up, ready to rush into the great desert.

"Elder Chi! Let's set off now! Immediately to the desert! To find the Strange Flame! I must regain my strength!"

However, Elder Chi waved his sleeve, and an invisible force stopped Xiao Huolong, pouring cold water on him.

【Foolish boy, what's the rush! Do you think the Tagh Desert is your backyard? From here to the edge of the desert is more than ten thousand miles! It's a desolate and treacherous place, teeming with monsters. At your current pace, how long would it take to get there? Besides…】

Old Chi's voice suddenly became serious and solemn.

The location of that strange fire is in the deepest part of the desert, the sacred ground guarded by the Snake-People for generations—the Temple of Queen Minas! There, powerful Snake-People warriors abound, Battle Spirits are as common as dogs, and Battle Kings are everywhere! Even…rumor has it that Queen Minas herself is a genuine peak Battle Emperor, only one step away from the legendary Battle Ancestor realm!

Old Chi shook his head, glanced at Xiao Huolong, and said coldly.

[You're not even a Grand Battle Master yet, and with both arms crippled and your strength greatly diminished, if you just barge in like this... you probably won't even see the outer snake-man guards before you're turned into a 'roasted lizard tail' for the snake-man's dinner table! It's pure suicide!]

"Battle Spirits are as common as dogs? Battle Kings are everywhere? And there are even Battle Emperors?"

A barrage of terrifying terms rained down on him, and Xiao Huolong, who had just been full of enthusiasm, deflated visibly like a punctured balloon.

It shrank its neck, its plump body trembled slightly, its straightened back bent down again, and large tears welled up in its eyes once more.

Ugh... It still didn't work... I'm just a lowly Battle Master whose power has been completely depleted. How could I possibly obtain a strange fire in this den of dragons and tigers? It's over, everything is over. My life is utterly ruined...

Seeing Xiao Huolong fall into despair again, looking as listless as a piece of trash soaked in water, Elder Chi shook his head, but a smile of complete control appeared on his face, and he changed the subject again.

"While your current strength makes a direct assault on the Serpent People's sacred ground certain death, since I've brought this up, I naturally have a way to help you. I possess a secret [Concealment Pill Recipe]. If you can gather the necessary ingredients and successfully refine it, consuming it will greatly conceal your aura and movements. Combined with the desert environment, there's a slight chance you might be able to silently infiltrate the sacred ground and approach the Strange Flame!"

"Elder Chi! You...you're telling the truth?!"

Xiao Huolong's emotions were like those of someone riding a fire-breathing dragon, rising and falling wildly. It became excited once again, staring longingly at Old Chi, its tail unconsciously slapping the ground.

Old Chi smiled and shook his head, his illusory hand stroking his non-existent beard.

"Of course it's true. However, the desert is far away, and it will take time to gather the ingredients for the elixir. We can't waste any time along the way. Although your arms are crippled and your Eightfold Collapse technique is completely gone, I see that your tail is quite strong and powerful, and it seems to contain untapped potential!" As he spoke, Elder Chi reached for his wide sleeves and took out a crimson scroll.

As the saying goes, when Arceus closes a door, he opens a window. I happen to possess a divine skill here that seems destined for you. Perhaps you could try a different approach and cultivate it using this tail!

As he spoke, Old Man Chi waved his sleeve, and a seemingly ancient scroll slowly floated out and hovered in front of Xiao Huolong.

Xiao Huolong respectfully extended his paw to take the scroll. The moment he touched it, the scroll transformed into a stream of light and surged into his mind!

In an instant, a massive amount of information surged out like a flood bursting its banks!

[Low-level Earth Rank Combat Skill: Flame Splitting Wave Tail]!
This fighting technique was created by the ancient master, Venerable Yangwei, upon observing the crashing waves of the ocean and the volcanic eruption that split the earth with lava! It requires using one's tail as a weapon, channeling fiery fighting energy into it; a single strike of the tail unleashes a raging torrent of flames, splitting rivers and seas, and devouring giant waves!

[Upon reaching the minor completion stage of cultivation, a single swipe of the tail can generate a scorching heatwave, shattering rocks and splitting monuments, breaking metal and refining iron!]

[Upon mastering this technique, the tail's movement is accompanied by waves of fire, sweeping across the land like a tsunami, powerful enough to instantly evaporate a lake!]

[If one can cultivate it to the perfect state, the power of a single tail will be comparable to the earth's fire scorching the sky; a single unleashed tail can cleave a vast ocean in two, devour towering waves, and even ignite the earth's core fire, causing a terrifying eruption of volcanic power!]

Low-level Earth Rank!

The four large characters resonated like a great bell in Xiao Huolong's simple mind, making him instantly dizzy!

It could hardly believe its senses. A level-one combat skill! This was a legendary level-one combat skill!
It's important to know that even the heaven-defying divine skill [Extreme Eight Collapses], which previously allowed it to wreak havoc and challenge opponents of higher levels with ease, is merely a high-level Xuan-rank combat skill!

Earth-rank combat skills—that's practically a legendary existence, a supreme treasure that it never dared to even dream of before!

However, now, such a powerful Earth-rank combat skill, which is enough to be the treasure of a major power, has appeared before it without any reservation, just like a cabbage on the street!
Xiao Huolong was so shocked by the overwhelming joy and disbelief that it stood frozen in place, mouth agape, completely speechless, drooling unnoticed.

Soon, it snapped back to its senses, and an unprecedented light of excitement and gratitude burst forth in its enormous Tang eyes. It frantically kowtowed to the illusory figure of the Red Elder, making loud thuds, its voice incoherent with extreme excitement.

"Waaaaah! Elder Chi! You...you have truly...truly given me a second life! You are the sun that illuminates my useless life! You are the guiding light that leads me astray! You are the greatest benefactor in my life, Xiao Huolong! Your kindness is deeper than the sea! Higher than the mountains! I can never repay you, I can never repay you!"

Old Chi smiled slightly, as if he had only done a trivial matter. The illusory figure gently raised his hand, and a gentle force supported Xiao Huolong, who was constantly kowtowing.

"Alright, no need for that. Since we are master and disciple, I naturally want to help you. This scroll, 'Flame Devouring the Wave's Tail,' is an Earth-rank combat technique, incredibly profound and not so easy to learn. You must practice diligently day and night, studying it carefully, and thoroughly understanding the combination of 'flame' and 'wave' to achieve anything. Remember, avoid arrogance and impatience, and be down-to-earth."

Xiao Huolong hurriedly wiped away his tears and snot with his claws, nodding his huge head like a pestle being pounded, and swore an oath with unwavering determination.

"Rest assured! I, Xiao Huolong, will do my utmost, cultivating day and night! Even if it means breaking my tail and wearing down my buttocks, I will definitely master and promote this [Flame Dividing Wave Tail] technique! I will never let you down!"

Seeing the renewed fighting spirit in Xiao Huolong's eyes, Elder Chi nodded in satisfaction, and the illusory figure gradually faded away.

"Hmm... It's good that you have such ambition. As for the elixir, I will come to find you again when the time is right... Go, go and cultivate, don't waste the time on this journey..."

Thus, under Elder Chi's guidance and greatly inspired by the Earth-rank combat skills, Xiao Huolong seemed to have rediscovered his purpose in life, his fighting spirit was rekindled, and he embarked on a long journey to the Tager Desert to find the Strange Flame and to diligently practice new combat skills...

[Cut! - Act 5 of "Battle Through the Heavens: Spirits" comes to an end!]

As the dream ended, Xiao Huolong suddenly woke up from the pile of rubble in the quarry.

The cold dew dampened its scales, but an unprecedented flame burned in its large, Tang-like eyes!
It scrambled to its feet, ignoring its hunger and exhaustion, and immediately began practicing the Earth-rank combat technique taught to it by Elder Chi in the empty quarry, eagerly cultivating the [Flame Dividing Wave Tail].

It tried hard to recall the key points of the technique and mobilized the Burning Technique Battle Qi that could only circulate in the meridians at the tail end of its body.

Then it began to wriggle its fat rear end frantically, trying to channel its pitiful fighting spirit into its bald tail, and then swung its tail violently, slamming it against a huge rock beside it!

"Snapped!"

A soft sound, like swatting a fly, rang out in the quiet night.

Its tail slapped softly against the rock, leaving the rock completely still except for getting a little dust on it.

Instead, because he used too much force, he twisted his waist and fell on his butt with a cry of "Ouch!"

But it didn't give up. With a determined look in its eyes, it got up and kept twisting and turning! Keep filming!

Pah, pah, pah, pah—

In the silent quarry, the sound of its tail weakly slapping against the rocks echoed continuously, along with its occasional cry of pain as it tripped and fell due to improper exertion.

At this moment, Xiao Mengzi, who had been observing from the sidelines, looked at Xiao Huolong's silly yet unusually persistent appearance and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

It secretly transmitted its thoughts to Mo Zhen using its mental power.

【Lord Mo Zhen, is this really going to work? Xiao Huolong is in such a state now, even its tail is limp. Can it really learn something as profound as an Earth-rank fighting technique? I feel like it's even less reliable than teaching Magikarp Hydro Pump…】

Mo Zhen crossed his arms and calmly watched the orange tail that was persistently wriggling and flapping under the moonlight, a smile of complete control playing on his lips.

He punched Xiaomengzi in the face and replied confidently.

"What's the panic? You pig-brain, what do you know! A genius like Xiao Huolong, a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy, can easily learn any skill! Don't let his current foolishness fool you, it's called great wisdom appearing as foolishness! Believe it, just believe it, the potential of an elf is limitless, just wait and see, soon it will surprise everyone!"

Under Mo Zhen's confident gaze, Xiao Huolong began to wiggle his hips even more vigorously, sweating and displaying his passion.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the construction site.

The Tang Snake was coiled in its designated workstation, its body surrounded by several shimmering silver grass vines that seemed to possess a mind of their own, moving with incredible efficiency as it precisely laid out the sleepers at an astonishing speed.

However, deep within its serpentine eyes, the faint light of the "Mysterious Heaven Technique" was constantly flashing, quietly absorbing strands of heaven and earth energy and the essence of plants and trees, and its level was steadily advancing towards the level 20 mark.

Its gaze would occasionally sweep coldly over the orange figure holding a camera in the distance, its tongue flicking out as if measuring the size of its prey.

On the other side, Luca moved like a ghost between the tracks.

As it pressed the road spikes again and again, it immersed its entire mind in honing its Armament Haki.

Occasionally, it would swing its claws at the air, the claws sharp and carrying a faint metallic sound; or it would suddenly stop, a deep, dark luster flashing across its body before quickly disappearing.

It is trying to integrate this newborn steel power into every move and every stance. Although it is still immature, its enterprising spirit is completely different from the past.

The three young masters of the Tang family, each possessing unparalleled fortune gained from their dreams, persevere in their chosen paths amidst the seemingly arduous and ordinary labor reform.

The noise of the construction site and the shouts of the supervisors seemed to become the background noise for them to hone their skills.

Time slipped away quietly in this daily effort, and in the blink of an eye, the destined week had arrived!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The month is over, welcome back the monthly pass!

(End of this chapter)