In the rear courtyard of the Ye residence—
Thick steam rose into the air.
At the center of the courtyard sat a massive iron cauldron, forged entirely from refined blacksteel. When Ye Qingxian commissioned it at the blacksmith's shop, people had jokingly wondered if she planned to cook humans in it.
They weren't entirely wrong.
She wasn't planning to eat anyone…
But she did plan to boil someone.
Staring at the blacksteel tub before him—its form reminiscent of an ancient torture vessel—Lin Xiao couldn't help but think: So the old "human stew" legend from Blue Star might actually come true on me…
If the northeast had its famous dish, Goose Stewed in an Iron Pot, then perhaps in Douluo Continent, they'd one day talk about Lin Xiao Stewed in a Cauldron.
"What are you spacing out for? Take your clothes off."
Ye Qingxian carried over a newly modified medicinal meal and placed it on the side table. She then dumped the ingredients for the medicinal bath into the cauldron with a large iron scoop, and barked another order at Lin Xiao.
What's with this brat—why so shy?
He was taking forever to undress. She was already tempted to do it for him.
So troublesome!
Lin Xiao reluctantly removed his upper clothes, leaving only a pair of loose shorts, and walked toward the iron cauldron.
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan stood to the side, pale-faced and nervous—like wilting eggplants—visibly uneasy at the scene before them.
"Mom… is Lin Xiao really going in there?"
"The water's boiling! Are we sure this won't kill him?"
Ye Qingxian, busy as ever, shot her daughter a sideways glance and sneered:
"Didn't you always rave about body tempering through the corrupted flame?"
"If you want it so bad, when do you want to start? Just name the time and I'll set it up for you right away."
Ye Lingling shuddered and muttered:
"Let's… not. Honestly, I think regular extreme training works just fine."
From that moment on, Ye Lingling vowed never to complain about hard training again.
What was a little fatigue, anyway?
Tiring workouts were good, actually!
Dugu Yan pointed at the glowing red underside of the cauldron, her voice trembling:
"A-Aunt Ye… Lin Xiao won't get boiled alive, right?"
"He'll be fine. His corrupted flame is scarier than this."
Ye Qingxian sounded impatient.
These two little girls—so sheltered! Was this enough to make them panic?
They hadn't even seen the real horror yet.
Once Lin Xiao began the true corrupted flame body tempering, the sheer brutality of it might leave them traumatized.
Honestly, Ye Qingxian didn't want either of them watching.
They'd just get in the way—overreacting and being dramatic.
But she worried they might try to do something reckless on their own later. Better they see the truth now and understand what kind of suffering this method entailed.
What would she even write on the death report?
Cause of death: Boiled? Or pain-induced shock?
More likely: Death by stupidity!
Besides, she wanted to show them a hard truth: in life, every reward comes at a cost. If you crave strength, you must also be prepared to endure unimaginable hardship.
The benefits of becoming stronger were certainly alluring—but were they ready for the price?
—
As Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan gasped in shock, Lin Xiao had already jumped into the cauldron. After drinking the medicinal tonic, he closed his eyes and began silently reciting the Tranquil Heart Formula while performing the Five Beasts Exercise within the boiling water.
The bath, of course, contained ingredients to stimulate desire.
Before long, Lin Xiao felt intense heat spreading throughout his body. The corrupted flame surged up from the depths of his meridians like a flood, his organs seemingly ignited from within, the pain crashing over him like a tidal wave.
It was worse than last time.
"Bite down on this!"
Ye Qingxian tossed him a thick towel. After learning from the last session—where Lin Xiao had bitten through his cloth—this one was reinforced, woven from hundred-year ice silkworm thread, both fire-resistant and incredibly strong.
She simultaneously summoned her Nine-Heart Begonia spirit, overlaying soul skills onto Lin Xiao in quick succession—healing him just as his body was being destroyed, keeping him teetering on the edge between life and death.
Lin Xiao's body turned scarlet. Veins bulged across his forehead. His handsome features were twisted into a contorted grimace, muscles straining across his frame, agony gripping every inch of him.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were pale as paper.
Their knees trembled. They could barely stand.
"Yanyan…" Ye Lingling whispered faintly before collapsing against her friend.
Dugu Yan scrambled to catch her.
She could hardly muster the strength, but after a moment of fumbling, she managed to hold Ye Lingling up.
Ye Qingxian gave them a cold glance and scoffed:
"You're falling apart just from watching? You're not even the ones being burned."
"Lingling, if you collapse just by watching, what would happen if you were in there instead? You'd probably get Lin Xiao killed."
"M-Mom…"
Ye Lingling whimpered, tears falling uncontrollably.
She was truly frightened by what she'd seen.
And her mother's sharp words struck a nerve.
Ye Qingxian was right. Lin Xiao had trusted her—had asked her for help. If she backed down like this, wouldn't that just betray his faith?
Guilt surged within her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks like falling pearls.
Dugu Yan thought she was just scared and patted her gently, comforting her:
"Lingling, don't be afraid. Lin Xiao will be okay."
"He got through it last time, didn't he? Look at Aunt Ye—she's totally calm."
Ye Lingling wiped her tears.
"Yanyan, you don't have to hold me. I'm fine."
She used her arms and legs to push herself upright.
Though her legs wobbled, she took unsteady steps toward the cauldron.
She silently summoned her Nine-Heart Begonia spirit.
Without hesitation, she began casting healing soul skills on Lin Xiao, over and over again, as if they cost her nothing. Ye Qingxian glanced sideways and rolled her eyes.
With me—a Soul Emperor of Nine-Heart Begonia—right here, what can a mere Soul Grandmaster like her possibly add?
Her help is basically redundant.
And yet, a flicker of warmth welled up inside her.
Even a seasoned warrior like Ye Qingxian had only grown strong through pain and hardship. Ye Lingling was still a child, but if this experience helped her mature, it would be a valuable step forward.
Ye Qingxian turned her attention back to Lin Xiao.
She focused completely on his condition.
Her lips moved slightly as she murmured to herself:
"To be honest, sometimes I wonder… is this corrupted flame really a defect?"
"There's an old tale. Even after becoming a phoenix, the bird must endure rebirth through fire—again and again."
"And every rebirth makes the phoenix stronger, more noble—caught in a cycle of endless refinement."
"It never ends. And because there's no final form, it can keep growing, becoming ever more powerful."
"So maybe… this corrupted flame isn't a flaw at all."
"Maybe it's the crucible that forges the phoenix anew."
The phoenix soars among the peaks, nesting only in parasol trees.
A noble creature, untouched by filth—
It eats only bamboo shoots, drinks only pure spring water—never tainted, never lowly.
When faced with suffering, perhaps only a phoenix would choose to endure torment—seeking rebirth through flame, rather than wallowing in the muck.
Maybe that's what made the phoenix what it was.
"Ah!"
Ye Lingling cried out suddenly.
Ye Qingxian's thoughts were cut short.
Her eyes snapped back to Lin Xiao—flames now poured from his body.
But this time, the fire wasn't its usual crimson hue.
It had darkened—muted and deep—slowly shifting toward a mysterious black.
In the distance, one could almost hear the cry of a phoenix.