The morning sunlight was gentle and warm, not too harsh.
Soft rays filtered into the guest room of the Ye household.
After waking up and freshening himself, Lin Xiao sat down to write a letter.
Bing'er,
If this letter reaches you, I hope it finds you well.
As I mentioned before, I've been staying in Heaven Dou City and have made two very good friends: Dugu Yan, granddaughter of the Poison Douluo, and Ye Lingling, heir to the Nine-Hearted Begonia.
Thanks to Auntie Ye (Ye Lingling's mother), I've learned how to suppress—and even harness—the evil fire within me. So please don't worry about my safety anymore.
Soon, I'll be going on a journey with the Poison Douluo. It's for training, and also for something very important. There's no danger involved. I may not be able to reply to your letters right away, but once I return, I promise I'll respond to every one of them. I'll even bring you back a special gift—something really precious. Look forward to it.
By the way, how are things in Tianshui City? How's life at school? Is Granny Shuiyuehua doing well? Write back and tell me—I want to know.
Wishing you happiness, always.
—Lin Xiao
After signing his name, Lin Xiao carefully sealed the letter and prepared to send it later to Shui Bing'er.
Stretching lazily, he stepped outside into the courtyard, staring in thought at the artificial mountain in the center.
The date for their trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been set.
They would depart in three days.
Lately, he and Ye Qingxian had been studying his condition together, and they came to a likely conclusion—the evil fire within him would not disappear. Not simply because it was growing stronger or evolving.
Ye Qingxian had proposed a bold idea:
"Perhaps the evil fire isn't a flaw at all,
but rather a seed of evolution—
a trial by fire necessary for the phoenix to be reborn."
"Destruction... as the path to rebirth."
Lin Xiao believed she was right.
He and Ma Hongjun were already walking completely different paths.
The phoenix was the bird of hope—reborn through destruction.
In the original story, Ma Hongjun's evil fire had to be vented regularly. Though it never put his life at risk, it kept his body in a weak state, robbing him of any chance to evolve.
Even after Ma Hongjun consumed a celestial herb and purified his flame, turning his spirit into a pure Fire Phoenix, he also cut off all other possibilities. His growth became limited.
Based on what Lin Xiao had learned in recent days, he was convinced: even after Ma Hongjun's evolution, his spirit still wasn't a true Extreme Flame Phoenix.
"A phoenix has no 'limit.'
Each rebirth surpasses the last, endlessly.
To declare something as 'ultimate' is to accept stagnation.
But the phoenix is not meant to stagnate—it is meant to rise."
The Extreme Flame Phoenix wasn't just a title—it was a threshold. Once that threshold was passed, it marked the beginning of infinite growth.
Recently, Lin Xiao had come to understand the distinction between Extreme Attributes and Extreme Spirits. Possessing an extreme attribute was not the same as having an extreme spirit.
"Both Ma Hongjun and I possess extreme flame attributes,
but neither of us has reached the level of an Extreme Flame Phoenix.
Yet I'm already much closer to that threshold than he is."
"After the Dark and Destructive Phoenix...
What's the next evolution?"
He was excited to find out.
He was sure now—his evil fire was no longer something to "remove with celestial herbs." He was already on the path of phoenix evolution. It could not be reversed. This was his path.
"The True Dragon can rise or hide, great or small.
The True Phoenix, too, can scour away sin with divine destruction,
or ignite the heavens and boil the seas with its flame."
"One day, I will soar beside the True Dragon…
as the True Phoenix!"
A young man's ambitions burned bright.
As small as an ant,
yet with a heart vast as the cosmos.
Tianshui City — Shui Clan Residence
"Young Miss, a letter has arrived."
Granny Shuiyuehua squinted with a kind smile, her wrinkled hands holding a letter up for Shui Bing'er to see.
"From who?" Bing'er asked instinctively, then noticed the bright red maple leaf pressed into the seal.
It was Lin Xiao's signature.
Every time she saw that leaf, she would picture that gentle, clean, red-haired boy—the same color as the maple itself.
Beaming, Shui Bing'er took the letter and carefully opened it.
She read slowly, savoring every word.
It felt as if she could see the gentle youth behind the ink, smiling faintly as he wrote by lamplight.
When she finished, she ran to her study and began writing a reply immediately.
Dear Lin Xiao-gege,
I know you probably won't see my reply right away, but that's okay. You can read it when you get back. I'm doing great here in Tianshui City. I've enrolled in the Tianshui Noble Girls' Academy. Everyone here is really pretty and kind. Granny Shuiyuehua is healthy and doing well too.
I'm so happy to hear your spirit defect is under control. Go do your important things—I'll be cheering for you. Whenever I miss you, I'll write a letter. So don't get mad when you come back and find a whole stack waiting!
If it's too much trouble… then you don't have to read them all!
Also… I really want to hear more of your stories. Granny misses your grilled fish too. When the holidays come, can we meet again?
Wishing you all the best!
Love,
Bing'er
Holding the envelope tight, Shui Bing'er ran to send the letter herself.
By all rights, a servant could've done it—but she insisted on mailing it herself every time. To her, it was sacred. Having someone else do it would ruin the meaning… and feel disrespectful to her Lin Xiao-gege.
Granny Shuiyuehua followed behind her, smiling warmly.
"Bing'er, slow down…"
Morning — Ye Household
Frost clung to the grass. Autumn had deepened.
Ye Qingxian stood at the gate in a white fur coat, her face veiled as always.
Dugu Bo, as usual, wore only a simple robe.
At the level of a Title Douluo, spending soul power to stay warm was effortless.
Outside the gate, Lin Xiao waved goodbye to Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan.
"We're off!"
Both girls looked reluctant to part.
Ye Lingling had only her mother. Dugu Yan, only her grandfather.
And the one friend they shared in common—Lin Xiao—was leaving with them both.
All three would be gone now.
"You're this sappy after one goodbye?" Ye Qingxian scoffed, giving her daughter a sideways glance.
"So clingy—you sound like a lovesick girl."
Ye Lingling puffed up her cheeks.
"Mom, I am a girl!"
Everything had already been arranged. Whether it was the Nine-Hearted Begonia's powerful network or the Poison Douluo's fame, there was nothing the girls needed to worry about.
The only hardship was the ache of parting.
Lin Xiao walked toward Ye Qingxian and Dugu Bo.
Then turned back, smiling brightly.
"Leave the hard work and danger to us."
"Ladies—just wait for the good news."
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling stood frozen in place.
By the time they snapped out of it… he was already gone.