Chapter 127
“Fire poker?” Ning Chen’s expression turned odd. He hadn’t expected the woman before him to say something like that.
But thinking about it, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
It was common knowledge that the internal temperature of the human body was higher than its surface temperature.
And with the effects of her innate divine ability—Nether Furnace Devourer—the disparity between her internal and external temperatures was even more extreme.
Just the heat radiating from her skin was enough to make fire-resistant clothing spontaneously combust, let alone anything entering her body.
It’d probably turn to charcoal in an instant.
But… as the saying went—
With his damage-to-experience conversion mechanic, he was invincible!
And to break the grand formation, even if it meant being consumed by raging flames, he’d charge ahead without hesitation!
Whether sooner or later, this battle was inevitable.
“Heh.” Ning Chen chuckled lightly. “The choice is yours. Whether you believe me or not is up to you.”
Even though he had already marked her as prey he would definitely devour, he still left the decision in her hands.
Ning Chen was betting.
Betting that the potency of the sample he had given her earlier would be too irresistible for her to refuse.
The dose he had fed Nan Gong Ling contained a portion of his daily free experience points, making its effects even more potent.
Ning Chen watched calmly, waiting for her answer.
Seeing the man on the bed so composed, Chu Ning’s initial resolve to refuse wavered.
This man had recognized her divine ability at a glance—he likely understood its drawbacks better than she, the awakened, did.
If he could say such things so confidently, he must have absolute certainty.
Indeed, someone who could make even the sect master submit must be terrifyingly powerful.
With such a vast gap in strength, perhaps it really was possible.
Chu Ning’s gaze involuntarily drifted from Ning Chen’s face to the awe-inspiring Soul-Devouring Spear.
Her thoughts grew increasingly turbulent.
The path was already drenched.
Chu Ning felt the flames she had temporarily suppressed with the earlier “nectar” reignite, making it impossible for her to remain composed.
Finally, after an intense internal struggle—
She took a deep breath, her eyes gradually firming with resolve.
If this could solve her problem—even just alleviate it—that would be enough!
And the taste and effects of that earlier dose were truly unforgettable.
Moreover, though she had been cultivating for three months now, Chu Ning’s original worldview hadn’t completely shifted.
She felt that at her age, having a man like this would be an absolute privilege.
If he didn’t mind the side effects of her divine ability, why should she hesitate?
With that thought, though still somewhat shy, Chu Ning placed her hands back at her sides and stepped forward, her toned and smooth legs carrying her until she stopped two meters from the round bed.
Any closer, and she feared things might catch fire.
Her head lowered slightly, her cheeks tinged with a honeyed flush.
“My name is Chu Ning. I… beg for Elder Brother’s mercy.”
“A fine name.” Ning Chen nodded, offering a perfunctory compliment.
He rolled off the bed and strode toward her, closing the distance until barely half a meter separated them.
The man’s overwhelming presence pressed down on her. Chu Ning inhaled his faint scent of ambergris, her gaze instinctively dropping.
She gulped.
From afar, it had already seemed impressive—but the principle of perspective still applied.
So big! So thick! So long!
A flicker of fear suddenly rose in her.
She began to doubt her own capabilities, but it was too late to back out now.
Just one glance was enough to send her flames roaring higher.
Her surface temperature skyrocketed, the heat distorting the very air around her.
Yet to Ning Chen, it only felt warm—like the gentle embrace of winter sunlight.
Except…
[You have suffered burns. 50 EXP deducted.].Only fifty?
Not bad.
It seemed that stacking so much constitution had granted him significant resistance, even if he couldn’t fully utilize its power.
The question was, if he replicated this innate divine ability, would he gain complete fire immunity?
Ning Chen pondered silently.
[You have suffered burns. 50 EXP deducted.].The system reminder repeated every five seconds or so.
He’d have to finish this quickly.
Ning Chen grabbed Chu Ning’s wrist.
[You have suffered burns. 100 EXP deducted.].Only 100 EXP for surface contact?
Manageable.
Ning Chen pulled the nervous woman to the windowsill and pushed her forward.
“Hold on tight!”
“Ah!” Chu Ning yelped in surprise, hastily bracing her hands against the sill and bending at the waist.
The Demon-Suppressing Tower’s materials were special, reinforced by countless formations, and even Yu Hua—an ancient powerhouse—had contributed to its design.
At her current level, Chu Ning’s innate divine ability couldn’t so much as scratch it.
After all, the limits of her combustion and devouring were ultimately tied to her own strength.
Parting the clouds to reveal the sun, Ning Chen looked down from above.
His brow arched slightly.
Ever seen deathly Barbie pink?
The contrast was far greater than he’d expected.
He’d assumed it’d be more like a coffee sundae—much darker.
But what truly drew the eye wasn’t the color—it was the pearl resting in the palm of his hand!
A full thumb’s width, round and glossy, half-embedded in the wall.
It shimmered with a crystalline glow, radiant as a luminous pearl.
Rare. Truly rare!
Ning Chen opted for courtesy before force, first gently knocking on the door.
“Ah!”
Chu Ning’s response from behind the door made it clear she was ready to welcome guests.
Ning Chen didn’t hold back, stepping inside barefoot to inspect the interior decor.
“Hiss—!”
In an instant, Chu Ning’s pupils dilated. She threw her head back with a sharp inhale, her entire body stiffening.
She didn’t dare move a muscle.
Ning Chen, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself.
The winding maze twisted and turned, an endless golden spiral with no exit in sight.
Sprinting through it in one go was admittedly exhausting.
[You have suffered burns. 10,000 EXP deducted.].The system’s notification rang out.
“Damn!”
Ning Chen couldn’t help but blurt out.
A hundred EXP for the exterior tour, but ten thousand for the interior? This scenic spot was downright extortionate!
That said, the temperature was undeniably high—unprecedentedly so!
Fortunately, it was just within the range of what he could tolerate.
Of course, the bulk of the damage was still being absorbed by his EXP.
One hour was sixty minutes—three thousand six hundred seconds.
With ten thousand EXP deducted every five seconds…
Ning Chen did some quick math and realized replicating her physique would cost at least 7.2 million EXP.
Expensive!
Way too expensive!
And that was under ideal conditions.
If luck wasn’t on his side and he ended up copying that blue-tier talent first, the cost would double to over 14 million—several days’ worth of grinding.
Unacceptable!
This was a terrible deal!
As his system ran at full speed, Ning Chen racked his brain for ways to minimize losses.
Meanwhile, Chu Ning, after the initial shock, quickly adjusted.
To her surprise, the fit was perfect.
All the winding paths had been forcibly straightened, accommodating everything just right though still a few sizes too large.
Her core was both sore and numb.
But once everything was in motion, the sensations were indescribable.
Chu Ning gasped like a fish out of water, her entire body flushing honey-gold.
Her usually bold voice was now utterly fragmented, a stark contrast that only heightened the intensity.
This was leagues beyond her previous manual attempts!
And with each cycle, like a bell being struck, the door was hammered even more violently, as if threatening to tear right off its hinges.
Chu Ning’s seaweed-like hair was in disarray—she had truly lost herself now.
Every time the flames were suppressed, she could feel the heat receding.
But the gust of wind that followed only fanned the flames higher, doubling what had been there before.
One visit, one suppression.
One suppression, two increases.
The more visits, the more the flames grew.
It was like drinking poison to quench thirst—yet Chu Ning no longer cared. Even temporary relief was enough to make her crave more.
After losing 200,000 EXP, Ning Chen finally devised a solution.
He turned abruptly, his gaze landing on Liu Ru Yan, who had just finished meditating on the bed. Seeing her watching them, he barked without hesitation:
“What are you staring at? Get over here!”
Liu Ru Yan approached, puzzled. “A-Chen, what’s wrong?”
Ning Chen couldn’t be bothered with explanations. He simply pointed to the empty space beside Chu Ning.
“Bend over and hold on. And use your spiritual energy to cool things down.”
“What?” Liu Ru Yan blinked.
Ning Chen’s patience had run out. “Just do it!”
Scolded into action, Liu Ru Yan hurriedly complied.
Without another word, Ning Chen pulled out his red-hot Soul-Devouring Spear and plunged it into the icy秘境 for cold infusion.
“Ahhhh—!”
Liu Ru Yan, caught completely off guard, convulsed at the scalding heat, her core burning.
Instinctively, she channeled her spiritual energy, turning the秘境 into a frozen wasteland.
Exactly what Ning Chen wanted—overclocked cooling.
Until the system chimed again:
[You have suffered frostbite. 10,000 EXP deducted.].Ning Chen then withdrew his frostbitten spear and thrust it back into the furnace.
“Ahhhh—!”
This time, it was Chu Ning’s turn to shudder violently from the cold.
Heat expansion, cold contraction—the secret realm collapsed in an instant.
This time, with the protection of cold energy, he didn’t immediately lose EXP to burning like before. After tempering the spear dozens of times back and forth, only then…
[You have suffered burns. 10,000 EXP deducted.].Ning Chen repeated the process several times before gradually mastering the balance.
Whether it was the molten lava hell or the frozen abyss, he could now retreat before the system issued a danger warning, swiftly moving to the opposite realm.
One act followed another—when one side finished, the other took the stage.
Side by side.
His heart thrummed with anticipation for the opposing calamities to strike, each a counter to his own domain.
…