Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Heavenly Phoenix Step

Lin Zhao sat on her meditation cushion and examined her inner dantian. Spiritual energy surged, full and restless. She could feel the next barrier trembling.

Second layer of Enlightenment.

It had only been 10 days since she broke into the first. It seemed fast, but lately all she’d done was travel, rest, and cultivate. With the Phoenix Pulse Art advancing to a sixth-grade method and her foundation already deep, this speed wasn’t strange.

She didn’t consider using pills again. Below Golden Core, relying too heavily on pills to raise cultivation was asking for hollow strength.

After a moment, she followed the urge without hesitation.

Her spiritual energy surged, condensed, settled.

She stepped cleanly into the second layer of Enlightenment.

Lin Zhao stood, stretched, and looked at the darkening sky outside. “Granny, what now?”

“First, look at a body-tempering technique,” Granny said. “Night is coming. The overlord of this forest will appear soon. Going out now isn’t wise.”

Lin Zhao nodded and accepted the technique scroll.

Indestructible Golden Body Art.

“This is an eighth-grade technique,” Granny said. “If cultivated to the limit, it rivals a ninth-grade technique.”

Lin Zhao’s eyes widened despite herself.

“But its requirements and training process are extremely harsh,” Granny continued. “Your soul, body, and will all need to reach a certain level.”

Lin Zhao read the description and clicked her tongue. An eighth-grade technique that could rival ninth naturally came with a price.

Indestructible Golden Body was a body-tempering method. Once mastered, the golden body would not perish. Within 100 meters, all Evil Wraiths would die. It could even improve barrier-breaking ability to a certain extent.

Setting aside how terrifying “golden body not perish” sounded, Lin Zhao’s gaze snagged on one line.

Within 100 meters, all Evil Wraiths die.

Granny laughed at the spark in her eyes. “Eager, aren’t you?”

Lin Zhao didn’t deny it.

“But if you train it now, you’ll die,” Granny said flatly.

Lin Zhao’s expression stiffened. If she couldn’t train it, why show it to her?

Granny snorted, as if reading her thoughts. “Don’t rush. Indestructible Golden Body isn’t easy. You must reach mid-stage Enlightenment before you’re qualified to cultivate the first strand of Indestructible Golden Light. Otherwise, before the golden light even forms, the golden energy will burn you from the inside out.”

Lin Zhao rubbed her nose. “Then you have something I can train now.”

Granny nodded. “Heavenly Phoenix Step. Also eighth grade. Its quality is far below Indestructible Golden Body, but it’s stronger than ordinary eighth-grade techniques—because only someone bearing Phoenix Fortune can cultivate it. For you right now, it’s enough.”

“Enough,” Lin Zhao repeated, mouth twitching.

Granny continued calmly. “With your Heavenly Phoenix wings, you’re already faster than ordinary Enlightenment cultivators. But against true prodigies, that advantage won’t be enough. Push speed to the extreme. At the very least, within your realm, you must be untouchable.”

Granny had the confidence to say it. As a Heavenly Phoenix descendant, the Hong Hu clan excelled most in speed and flight.

Lin Zhao opened Heavenly Phoenix Step and studied it carefully.

A night passed in a blink.

—

At dawn, a sky-blue figure flashed between trees.

Behind her, a pack of Spirit Beasts above third rank chased in a fury, eyes burning to tear her apart.

The runner was Lin Zhao.

Hearing the roars behind her, even Lin Zhao’s scalp went numb.

“Granny,” she shouted as she fled, “why did you make me steal the spiritual herbs they guard? Do you need them for pill refining?”

“No,” Granny said, floating beside her with infuriating leisure. “Heavenly Phoenix Step trains best when you erupt with survival instinct at the most dangerous moment. Good luck, little girl.”

Then the little chick winked out of existence.

Lin Zhao was left alone—being hunted by dozens of third- and fourth-rank Spirit Beasts.

She spread her Heavenly Phoenix wings and forced herself to use the newly learned Heavenly Phoenix Step.

Since she’d only read it last night and was using it today, the results were… ugly.

Her legs didn’t listen.

She slammed face-first into a tree.

Rubbing her reddened nose, Lin Zhao propped the fallen trunk back upright like it was an offended elder. “Brother Tree, sorry. First time on the road. Still getting used to it.”

Another wave of roars rolled closer.

Lin Zhao shuddered, patted the bark, and bolted. “We’ll talk later. Bye!”

Boom.

Another tree went down.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Lin Zhao shoved it upright and ran. “I’ll watch it next time!”

Bang.

This time she smashed a rock into fragments.

“Sorry… bye!”

It happened too many times to count.

By nightfall, the chase finally eased enough for her to breathe.

Back in her cave, Lin Zhao sat bruised and soot-streaked, chewing dry rations without tasting them.

Dust Cleansing Art could wash dirt away, but it couldn’t fix wounded pride.

Since she began cultivating, she’d never felt so clumsy.

Heavenly Phoenix Step had three stages. The first stage—Wen Wu—demanded extreme coordination. It was a footwork art, yet it required all four limbs to move together.

It was misery.

Granny floated out and clicked her tongue. “Wen Wu is supposed to be wild and beautiful—attack or retreat like wind and flame. Today you looked like a duck that could fly, honking and smashing into everything.”

Lin Zhao took another bite and refused to dignify that with a response.

Who could be wild and beautiful while running for their life?

The fact she only looked like a duck on the first try meant she was doing fine. At least her limbs still obeyed her.

She shoved the thought away, wiped her mouth, and sat upright. “Enough. I’m cultivating. We try again tomorrow.”

Granny watched her enter meditation so quickly and nodded, satisfied.

Even with the complaints, Lin Zhao had managed to use Heavenly Phoenix Step immediately after reading it. That comprehension exceeded Granny’s expectations.

Granny could have demonstrated, but Heavenly Phoenix Step demanded enlightenment at the edge of life and death.

With Lin Zhao’s talent, Granny wasn’t worried.

After a night of cultivation, Lin Zhao’s bruises healed cleanly. She stepped outside, stretched, and faced the pale morning light.

“Don’t be afraid,” she told herself. “So what if I’m being chased? If I can’t win, I can run. Come on.”

The moment her aura brushed the forest—

The Spirit Beasts she’d stolen from roared and surged.

The chase began again.

After three days of this, Lin Zhao rubbed her red nose, counting silently.

“Fewer trees today,” she muttered. “I’m improving.”

“Improving my ass,” Granny laughed. “You still flee like a mess. You just learned the route.”

Lin Zhao’s skin tightened.

“Go,” Granny said brightly. “Put on the Spirit Evading Cloak and steal the Crimson Spirit Fruit from the gorilla.”

Lin Zhao’s face changed. “Teacher, that’s a fifth-rank Spirit Beast! Comparable to a Fusion cultivator. Are you trying to send me to my death?”