Phoenix Empress: Rise of the Fallen

In the following days, Ling Qianxue and Xiao Hanye went to the Demon Beast Forest for training almost every day.

There was no choice - Ling Qianxue's cultivation consumed far too many resources. The amount of spirit stones she needed each day was enough for an ordinary cultivator to use for a month. Even with the resources left by her master and aunt, they wouldn't last long.

"We must become self-sufficient," Ling Qianxue was determined.

As their experience accumulated, they were no longer satisfied with hunting low-level demon beasts in the outer areas. After all, low-level demon cores had limited value. To maintain the resources needed for cultivation, they had to hunt stronger demon beasts.

"Sister Qianxue, let's try the edge of the middle layer today," Xiao Hanye suggested.

"Alright, but we need to be even more careful," Ling Qianxue nodded. "The demon beasts in the middle layer are not only stronger but also more cunning."

The two made thorough preparations. Besides regular equipment, they specifically prepared materials for making traps.

"Head-on confrontation isn't a long-term strategy," Ling Qianxue said. "We need to learn to fight with wisdom."

After entering the forest, they quickly reached the edge of the middle layer.

The trees here were even taller, with branches and leaves so dense they almost blocked all sunlight. A dangerous aura permeated the air.

"Shh," Ling Qianxue made a silencing gesture.

Something was moving in the bushes ahead.

Through the gaps, they saw a massive wolf-like demon beast. Its fur was dark red, with sparks occasionally bursting from between the hairs.

"It's a Flame Wolf!" Xiao Hanye whispered. "An Awakening Stage eight-star demon beast."

The Flame Wolf was feeding and hadn't noticed their presence.

"This is a rare opportunity," Ling Qianxue thought for a moment. "Let's set a trap."

The two quietly retreated and began setting up on the Flame Wolf's inevitable path.

"First, dig a pit," Ling Qianxue directed.

Xiao Hanye immediately got to work. His strength was considerable now, and he dug very quickly.

"Deeper, at least three meters," Ling Qianxue said while arranging spikes at the bottom of the pit.

These spikes were specially made, coated with paralyzing toxin.

"Sister Qianxue, can this trap it?" Xiao Hanye asked worriedly.

"Of course not," Ling Qianxue smiled. "This is just the first step."

She took out several bottles containing various powders.

"What's this?"

"Explosive Flame Powder - it explodes when exposed to high temperatures," Ling Qianxue scattered the powder around the pit. "Flame Wolves are fire-element demon beasts with high body temperature. Once it falls into the pit, this powder will be triggered to explode."

"Brilliant!" Xiao Hanye admired.

"We're not done yet," Ling Qianxue took out another net. "This is woven from Ice Silkworm Thread, specifically restraining fire-element demon beasts. We'll disguise it over the pit."

The two worked together to complete the trap setup, then covered it with leaves and dirt.

"Now we need bait," Ling Qianxue said.

"I'll go!" Xiao Hanye volunteered.

"No, it's too dangerous," Ling Qianxue shook her head.

"Sister Qianxue, trust me," Xiao Hanye said seriously. "I'm fast enough and have strong defense."

Looking at his determined eyes, Ling Qianxue finally nodded. "Be careful. Once you lure it over, retreat immediately."

"Don't worry," Xiao Hanye smiled and left.

Moments later, a provocative shout rang through the forest.

"Awoo!"

The Flame Wolf was enraged and abandoned its food to give chase.

Xiao Hanye's figure darted through the trees, occasionally turning back to taunt: "Come on, you big stupid wolf!"

"This guy..." Ling Qianxue was both annoyed and amused.

The Flame Wolf grew angrier as it chased, the flames on its body intensifying. It completely failed to notice the trap ahead.

"Now!"

Xiao Hanye made a sharp turn, running past the side of the trap.

The Flame Wolf couldn't turn in time and stepped directly onto the disguised net.

"Crash!"

The trap instantly collapsed, and the Flame Wolf fell in.

"Boom!"

The high temperature triggered the Explosive Flame Powder, causing violent explosions in the pit.

"Awoo awoo awoo!"

The Flame Wolf howled in pain, trying to jump out but was tightly entangled by the Ice Silkworm Net. The more the flames burned, the tighter the net constricted.

"Success!" Xiao Hanye ran back excitedly.

"Don't let your guard down," Ling Qianxue warned. "Flame Wolves have strong vitality."

Sure enough, the Flame Wolf in the pit was still struggling. Its eyes turned blood red, and the temperature of the flames on its body rose sharply.

"Not good, it's going berserk!"

Berserk demon beasts would lose their rationality, but their strength would surge.

"We must finish it before it breaks free," Ling Qianxue made a quick decision. "Hanye, block the pit entrance with boulders. I'll deliver the final blow."

"Understood!"

Xiao Hanye lifted a huge rock and accurately threw it into the pit.

At the same time, Ling Qianxue condensed her strongest fire-element spell: "Phoenix's Wrath!"

A small fire phoenix flew from her palm, diving into the pit.

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion shook the forest, the ground trembling.

When the smoke cleared, the Flame Wolf in the pit was motionless.

"Phew..." Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sister Qianxue, that move just now was so powerful!" Xiao Hanye looked at her with admiration.

"Just used a bit of Phoenix power," Ling Qianxue wiped sweat from her forehead. "The consumption was quite large."

Actually, she could have instantly killed the Flame Wolf, but she had to pretend to be at the level of an Awakening Stage three-star. That strike just now, she had deliberately controlled its power to make it look like it could barely defeat the injured Flame Wolf.

'Can't expose my true strength,' she reminded herself internally.

"Sit down and rest quickly," Xiao Hanye hurriedly helped her to a nearby rock and took out a water flask. "Have some water."

Ling Qianxue took the flask and sipped slowly.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating her profile, making her so beautiful it was hard to look away.

Xiao Hanye stared, somewhat entranced.

"What's wrong?" Ling Qianxue noticed his gaze.

"N-nothing," Xiao Hanye hastily looked away, his face reddening. "I'll go extract the demon core."

Watching his flustered retreat, Ling Qianxue couldn't help but smile.

This fool was really too innocent.

After processing the Flame Wolf's corpse, they harvested a high-quality fire-element demon core and a complete wolf pelt.

"This harvest is worth a week of hunting in the outer areas," Xiao Hanye said happily.

"But the risks are also greater," Ling Qianxue reminded. "If the trap hadn't succeeded, we would have had a hard time defeating it."

"So wisdom is important," Xiao Hanye deeply agreed.

After resting for a while, the two continued exploring.

"Sister Qianxue, what's that?" Xiao Hanye pointed ahead.

It was an open area with some peculiar plants growing. The plants bore pale blue fruits that emitted an enticing fragrance.

"Spirit Fruits!" Ling Qianxue's eyes lit up.

Spirit Fruits were formed from the condensation of heaven and earth spiritual energy, greatly beneficial to cultivators.

"Great!" Xiao Hanye was about to go pick them.

"Wait," Ling Qianxue held him back. "When things are abnormal, there must be demons. Why are such precious Spirit Fruits unguarded by demon beasts?"

Xiao Hanye calmed down. "Sister Qianxue is right, it is rather strange."

Ling Qianxue carefully observed the surroundings and suddenly noticed something unusual. "Look at those trees."

Xiao Hanye looked in the direction she pointed and saw many claw marks on the surrounding trees, all very fresh.

"There's a demon beast nearby!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a black shadow pounced from a tree.

"Watch out!"

The two quickly dodged.

It was a Lightning Leopard, its body wreathed in electrical light, incredibly fast.

"Another Awakening Stage nine-star demon beast!" Xiao Hanye's expression turned serious.

The Lightning Leopard was too fast; they could barely track its movements.

"It's waiting for us to show an opening," Ling Qianxue said.

"Then let's turn the tables," Xiao Hanye had a flash of inspiration. "Sister Qianxue, pretend to go pick the Spirit Fruits. I'll ambush from the shadows."

"Good idea."

Ling Qianxue pretended not to notice the Lightning Leopard and slowly walked toward the Spirit Fruits.

The Lightning Leopard indeed took the bait, silently approaching, preparing to ambush.

Just as it pounced, Xiao Hanye charged from another direction: "Diamond Break!"

His fist gleamed with metallic luster, striking hard at the Lightning Leopard's waist.

"Roar!"

The Lightning Leopard cried in pain, stumbling.

"Fire Dragon Bind!"

Ling Qianxue seized the opportunity as several flame-formed chains wrapped around the Lightning Leopard.

But the Lightning Leopard truly deserved its reputation for speed. Its body erupted with electrical light, actually breaking free from the flame chains.

"Chase!"

A pursuit battle began.

The Lightning Leopard fled ahead while the two chased behind.

"This won't work," Ling Qianxue frowned. "It's too fast."

"I have an idea!" Xiao Hanye took out his storage pouch and pulled out some rope and steel spikes.

While chasing, he set up tripwires between the trees.

"Sister Qianxue, drive it this way!"

Understanding his intent, Ling Qianxue used fireballs to block the Lightning Leopard's retreat routes, forcing it toward where Xiao Hanye had set the traps.

"Now!"

The Lightning Leopard stepped on a tripwire and lost its balance.

"Bang!"

It crashed heavily to the ground.

"Great opportunity!"

The two attacked simultaneously.

Xiao Hanye's heavy punch and Ling Qianxue's flames struck the Lightning Leopard almost at the same time.

The battle ended quickly.

"Huff... exhausting," Xiao Hanye sat on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Well done," Ling Qianxue handed him a Qi Recovery Pill.

"Hehe, fighting alongside Sister Qianxue isn't hard at all," Xiao Hanye grinned foolishly.

The two smiled at each other, that feeling of mutual understanding was truly wonderful.

After harvesting the Lightning Leopard's materials, they went to pick the Spirit Fruits.

"There are six total, three each," Ling Qianxue distributed them.

"No need, give them all to Sister Qianxue," Xiao Hanye shook his head. "You're a magic cultivator and need spiritual energy more."

"Don't be silly," Ling Qianxue forcefully gave him three. "You need to improve your strength too. Besides..."

She paused, her face slightly red. "I hope you can always stay by my side, so you must become stronger."

Xiao Hanye was stunned, then broke into a brilliant smile. "Yes! I'll definitely become stronger, strong enough to protect Sister Qianxue!"

"Fool," Ling Qianxue chided. "Isn't it better if we protect each other?"

"Right! Protect each other!"

As the sun set, it was time to return.

On the way back, both were in excellent spirits.

"Sister Qianxue, today was really enjoyable," Xiao Hanye said.

"Mm, the harvest was substantial," Ling Qianxue nodded.

"I don't mean the spoils," Xiao Hanye said seriously. "It's the feeling of being with Sister Qianxue."

Ling Qianxue's heart skipped a beat. "When did your mouth become so sweet?"

"I'm speaking from the heart!" Xiao Hanye became anxious.

Seeing his flustered appearance, Ling Qianxue couldn't help but laugh. "I know, I'm very happy too."

The two walked side by side on the forest path, their arms occasionally brushing against each other, each contact making their hearts race.

"Sister Qianxue."

"Mm?"

"After Sister Qianxue graduates from Tiandu Academy, shall we travel the world together?" Xiao Hanye said longingly. "Though I'm just an accompanying cultivation attendant, I'll work hard at cultivation and won't hold you back. I heard the outside world is vast with many wondrous places."

"Alright," Ling Qianxue agreed without hesitation. "We'll see all the beautiful scenery and taste all the delicious food in the world."

"And defeat all the demon beasts in the world!" Xiao Hanye added.

"All you know is fighting," Ling Qianxue laughed and scolded.

"Hehe, mainly to protect Sister Qianxue."

"Sweet-talker."

As they approached the city gates, they encountered a patrol of city guards.

"Halt for routine inspection," a guard said officially.

But when he saw Ling Qianxue's identity token, his attitude immediately changed. "So it's Miss Ling, please enter."

Mo Qianji's closed-door disciple - this identity still carried significant weight in Tiandu City.

"Sister Qianxue's identity is really useful," Xiao Hanye remarked.

"This isn't about identity, it's about strength," Ling Qianxue corrected. "If I didn't have strength, Master wouldn't have taken me as a disciple."

"That's right," Xiao Hanye nodded. "So we both need to work hard to become stronger."

Back at Ling Manor, Ling Tianhua was already waiting at the entrance.

"It's good you're back safely," he breathed a sigh of relief seeing them.

"Father, we brought back some Spirit Fruits," Ling Qianxue presented one like a treasure.

"Spirit Fruits?" Ling Tianhua was surprised. "You went to the middle layer?"

"Just the edge area," Ling Qianxue explained. "We were very careful."

Ling Tianhua wanted to say something but finally just sighed. "You've both grown up and have your own judgment. Just promise Father you'll act within your means."

"We know, Father."

At dinner, Ling Qianxue recounted the day's experiences.

When he heard they used traps to deal with the Flame Wolf, Ling Tianhua couldn't help but praise: "Outsmarting a strong enemy - excellent. Remember, courage is important, but wisdom is even more precious."

"Father speaks wisely," Ling Qianxue nodded.

After dinner, Ling Qianxue returned to her room and began refining the Spirit Fruits.

Spiritual energy circulated within her body, and she could feel her cultivation steadily improving.

"Though my cultivation speed isn't fast, my combat power far exceeds those at the same level," she thought to herself. "As long as I have enough spirit stones, I should be able to break through to Awakening Stage five-star before entering the academy."

"However, I must continue hiding my strength," she resolved. "At Tiandu Academy, geniuses are as common as clouds. Being too outstanding will only bring trouble. Better to develop quietly and reveal my edge only when I'm strong enough."

In another room, Xiao Hanye was also cultivating diligently.

"Sister Qianxue is right, I must become stronger," he clenched his fists. "Only by becoming stronger can I truly protect her."

Moonlight spilled across Ling Manor's courtyard, everything peaceful and beautiful.

Two months remained before entering the academy. During this time, they would continue training and growing.

And the feelings between them, through fighting side by side again and again, grew ever deeper.