One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chen Duo was originally a descendant of the Phoenix True Fire, a profound technique originating from the mythical power of the phoenix's rebirth. However, the Phoenix True Fire is extremely yang and strong, making it the nemesis of most evil and poisonous creatures in the world, and thus it clashes violently with the Gu poison techniques she had learned and trained in since childhood.

For the past few days, she had been unable to use these two powers simultaneously—she couldn't activate the Phoenix True Fire when using Gu, and when she used the Phoenix True Fire, the Gu worms would shrink back, as if water and fire were incompatible. It felt like holding ice in one hand and fire in the other, trying to combine them, but they repelled, tore at each other, and devoured each other in her palm, leaving her powerless on both sides.

During this week of seclusion, she finally found that delicate balance.

It was late on the third night. Moonlight streamed in through the window, tracing a white square on the floor. She sat in that moonlight, cradling the ball of Phoenix True Fire in her hands, watching it dance between her palms. The clone of her natal Gu King—a tiny, transparent worm smaller than a grain of rice—was crawling out from her fingertips, slowly approaching the flame. With each inch it drew closer, the flame dimmed; with each inch it retreated, the flame brightened.

They were testing each other. Like two people meeting for the first time, they sized each other up and probed each other, neither daring to take the first step.

Chen Duo closed her eyes. She didn't try to control the Phoenix True Fire, nor the Gu worm. She simply calmed her mind, so calm that she couldn't even hear her own heartbeat, so calm that she couldn't even feel her blood flowing. Then she said to herself: You are the same.

Phoenix True Fire is "born from death"—destruction gives rise to new life. Gu worms are "living in death"—growing from venom and teetering on the edge of death. They are essentially the same thing: both have found a way to live in the most unlikely places.

The flames dimmed, and the Gu worms stopped retreating.

They both took a step closer to her at the same time.

She discovered that while the Phoenix True Fire was incredibly powerful, capable of incinerating everything, it also consumed a great deal of energy and was difficult to control precisely. Once, she tried to ignite the Phoenix True Fire to burn a fallen bamboo leaf, but the fire was too intense; the entire leaf instantly turned to ash, even burning a crater in the soil beneath it. She wanted it to "burn only the leaf and not the soil," but she couldn't achieve that.

Many of the Gu worms she cultivates possess various unique toxicities or abilities. If the power of the Phoenix True Fire could be attached to these Gu worms, wouldn't it allow her to unleash the powerful force of the flames while also leveraging the Gu worms' flexibility and low energy consumption to achieve more efficient attacks and control?

This idea was bold and audacious. The Phoenix True Fire, being extremely yang and powerful, was the nemesis of most evil and poisonous creatures in the world. Her Gu worms—those highly venomous insects raised in poisonous environments from a young age—were like paper meeting fire before the Phoenix True Fire. In her first experiment, she channeled a wisp of Phoenix True Fire onto a small silver beetle. The beetle lasted less than two seconds before turning into a puff of green smoke with a "poof," leaving not even ashes behind.

Forcibly fusing them could easily result in the destruction of the Gu worms and a backlash from within.

But Chen Duo didn't give up. She changed the Gu worm, then another, and then yet another. Within three days, she lost nearly twenty carefully cultivated Gu worms, each one having taken her months or even longer to raise. Did it hurt? Yes, it hurt. Her hands trembled, her lips were tightly pressed together, but she didn't stop. Because she knew that if she succeeded, it would be a qualitative leap.

On the fourth day, she changed her approach. Instead of trying to make the Gu worm "endure" the Phoenix True Fire, she made the Phoenix True Fire "accept" the Gu worm. She lowered the temperature of the flame to a minimum, almost extinguishing it, and then placed the Gu worm inside. The flame enveloped the Gu worm, without burning or repulsion, as if embracing it.

In that instant, she saw the color of the flames change from crimson to a new color—a golden-red with a wisp of iridescent light.

That was the first time that the Phoenix True Fire and the Gu Poison were no longer in opposition. They coexisted.

With her profound understanding of the Phoenix True Fire, her exquisite knowledge of the habits of Gu worms, and her pure state of mind forged on the edge of life and death, Chen Duo actually succeeded!

At this moment, the "Phoenix Gu Glazed Fire" leaping in her palm is the product of this fusion.

At the heart of the flames was a clone of her meticulously cultivated natal Gu King. The Gu King itself was smaller than a grain of rice, completely transparent, only revealing a faint golden sheen under strong light. Its clone was even smaller, almost invisible to the naked eye, but within the flames, it resembled a miniature star, burning steadily and continuously. The outer shell was composed of highly condensed Phoenix True Fire. This fire shell was incredibly thin, almost translucent, yet extremely dense, like a layer of magma compressed a thousand times. It enveloped the core Gu worm clone, creating a delicate, dynamic balance between them—the fire shell provided heat, the Gu worm clone controlled direction; the fire shell provided power, the Gu worm clone provided precision.

The flames can not only burn enemies directly like ordinary flames, but also silently lurk and spread through the medium of Gu worms. For example, they can attach themselves to an enemy, not burning immediately, but only exploding when Chen Duo gives the command—like a time bomb. They can also unleash terrifying power at crucial moments, or split into countless tiny sparks that scatter like fireflies, attacking simultaneously from different directions.

More importantly, because the Gu worm absorbed most of the energy consumption and control burden—the Gu worm clone acted like a small, intelligent "energy management chip," automatically adjusting the intensity and direction of the flames—Chen Duo now consumes at least 60% less energy when using this flame compared to simply activating the Phoenix True Fire. Her ability to sustain combat is greatly enhanced! From now on, she no longer needs to choose between Gu poison and Phoenix True Fire; the two complement each other, multiplying their power.

"call--"

Chen Duo slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The breath she exhaled formed a thin white line in the air, extending about two feet before slowly dissipating. It wasn't the cold weather; rather, the Phoenix True Fire within her body heated the water vapor she exhaled, causing it to condense into white mist upon encountering the cold air outside.

The "Phoenix Gu Glazed Fire" in her palm seemed to possess a spirit, spinning and disappearing into her palm. The moment the flame touched her skin, it did not burn or sting, but rather seeped in silently like a drop of water falling into a sponge, leaving only a small patch of faint, barely perceptible warmth in her palm.

She opened her eyes.

A flash of seven-colored fire seemed to pass through her eyes—the light was so brief that it would be easily missed without careful observation, but it was undeniably there. It was the mark left deep within her pupils by the Phoenix True Fire, as if someone had lit a small lamp in her eyes.

Her entire demeanor seemed to possess a newfound brilliance and sharpness, like a blazing fire. The former Chen Duo was like a still pond, calm, transparent, and undisturbed. Now, ripples occasionally spread across the surface of that pond, and beneath those ripples shines light—not reflected light, but light emanating from its depths.

But it quickly regained its composure, returning to its usual calm. Like a knife drawn an inch from its sheath, showing you its sharpness before closing it again.

"You've made rapid progress."

A calm voice came from the courtyard gate.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear, as if it were speaking right next to your ear. It carried a reassuring, familiar warmth.

Chen Duo turned her head.

There stood Nie Lingfeng, seemingly out of nowhere. He leaned against the doorframe, holding a cup of hot tea. A small wisp of steam rose from the white porcelain cup. His thumb rested on the rim, while his four fingers supported the bottom. His posture was casual, like an ordinary person sunbathing in front of their own house.

He was looking at her, a hint of approval in his eyes. The approval was faint, as if he wasn't very good at praising people, but felt he should, so there was a little something extra in his eyes.

He was wearing a loose-fitting white training uniform. The clothes were made of soft cotton and linen, and the collar was slightly open, revealing a small section of bandage wrapped around his collarbone. The sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing arms with well-defined muscles but still somewhat pale skin.

His complexion was much better than a week ago. When he first came out of the underground base, his face was as white as paper, his lips were bluish, and he looked like an ice sculpture. Now, although he was still somewhat pale—the kind of pale that comes from not seeing sunlight for a long time, with a slight translucency—he had regained his color, his lips were pale pink, and the bluish-black shadows under his eyes were gone.

His eyes had regained their former depth and tranquility. That tranquility wasn't something he deliberately maintained; it emanated from his very being—like a deep sea, calm on the surface but turbulent beneath.

Only a fleeting glint of light occasionally revealed that his strength had not only fully recovered, but seemed to have undergone a qualitative leap. That glint was very brief, like a blade flashing in the sunlight; you weren't sure if you really saw it, but you knew that if it was, it meant he had become stronger again.

"Brother Lingfeng!"

A rare smile appeared on Chen Duo's face.

Her smile wasn't big; just a slight curve at the corners of her mouth and a slight brightening in her eyes. But if you knew her well, you'd know that this was already her most "passionate" expression. Like a flower, she didn't compete for attention, but simply bloomed quietly.

She quickly stood up, patted off non-existent dust from her clothes—in fact, the bluestone slabs were very clean; she wiped them every day—and walked up to Nie Lingfeng.

"You're out of seclusion? How are you feeling? Are your injuries all healed?"

Her gaze swept over him, from his face to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his arms, and from his arms to his waist—where the charred burn mark from the gray shadow had been. The mark had faded considerably, leaving only a faint, faded ring.

"Yes, not only are you better, you've taken a big step forward."