A Super Strong Master Has Appeared! 1
Lin was pretty flustered by Strongest Fire Chicken's sudden proposal, but when she thought about it, there was no downside to becoming her disciple.
Kyua..! 'She's a full-on Avatar/Transformation cultivator! And her fire attribute matches mine perfectly!'
She wasn't just any fire cultivator, either—she was a beastkin cultivator. Could there be a better tutor? Lin wasn't super familiar with the cultivation world's ins and outs yet, but even a quick scroll through the forum showed how rare a master like this was.
This really was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune.
Kyua! 'An Avatar/Transformation cultivator is like a grand sect leader or elder in even the biggest realms from the upper worlds—you rarely even get to meet one!'
Even if you joined one of those sects, you'd have to slave away for years building merit just to barely snag a spot as a disciple. Becoming the disciple of an Avatar/Transformation cultivator under normal circumstances was insanely tough.
After mulling it over, Lin fired off a reply.
Truth be told, from Strongest Fire Chicken's perspective, there was no real reason to take Lin as a disciple. As an Avatar/Transformation cultivator, she had plenty of other valuable resources to offer as payment for their deal... and taking a disciple carried real weight in the cultivation world, so why bother with the hassle?
And sure enough, her reason was a bit out of left field.
Most beastkin cultivators, even at high realms, had that innate savage streak—sure, you could talk to them, but their personalities were all trash. Strongest Fire Chicken, a long-time high-realm lurker on the forum, hadn't met many beastkin she meshed with like this.
So naturally, seeing another beastkin sparked some fondness... especially one she chatted so easily with, who was this sweet and cute.
It was like spotting a chick and just wanting to dote on it endlessly.
But the biggest reason... was something else.
...I can't say it's just 'cause she's stupidly adorable..!
No grand motive. Newbie-chan was just too cute and fluffy; she wanted to get closer, but kept it locked inside.
The lofty descendant of the Vermilion Bird, an Avatar/Transformation cultivator—Strongest Fire Chicken.
Makes sense. In a forum full of humans, as the only "proper" beastkin cultivator around, how lonely must Strongest Fire Chicken have been?
It wasn't hard to see why she was so keen on taking Lin as a disciple.
And just like that—without even trying—Lin suddenly had an Avatar/Transformation cultivator as her master.
The first "lesson" from her new master was how to summon a distant thought projection.
Fwoosh!
A strand of pure flame ignited from the formation etched into one side of the altar. It burned solely on spiritual energy—a flame that wouldn't light unless the formation was perfectly activated.
Anyway, it seemed to have worked, so Lin barreled right into the next step: channeling spiritual energy while chanting the target's true name.
Kyua! 'Heavens heed me: Cheongnyu RealmAvatar Sovereign, Nam Myeong Juaran—I summon thy thought projection!'
WHOOSH!!
Suddenly, flames of unimaginable heat—far beyond before—erupted from the candles around the formation, blasting outward in all directions. This crimson blaze was purer and fiercer than any fire Lin had ever seen.
Yes—like the flames themselves were alive, breathing entities.
Flash!
"...Wh...at... is... th..is.."
"........Where... the heck is this? The distance feels huge. Never thought it'd be this far..."
Moments later, the raging flames converged at the formation's center.
And soon, they coalesced into a human figure.
A stunningly gorgeous woman with flowing red hair.
Kyuaa?! 'M-Master! She's a girl?!'
From her tough forum vibe to the image in Lin's head, she'd never pictured a woman!
She was way too pretty—Lin jolted in shock.
"Not a proper cultivation realm, huh. What is this place? Wild. Oh, right—that aside..."
She—the Avatar Sovereign from Cheongnyu Realm, summoned by Lin—turned to her.
"You're her, right? My adorable little first disciple."
Kyuaa! 'A-Ah, hello...'
Caught off guard by the unexpected beauty, Lin lost all her confidence and started fidgeting awkwardly.
Such a pretty big sis is too much..!
She squirmed and blushed so hard she forgot she was in her true dragonling form.
And the more she did... the more Juaran was dying inside.
Eeeeek... what do I do! She's even cuter in person than pics! And that shy look—what is it! What?! Kyaa!
Both squirming at each other, oblivious to it all.
What an ironic scene.
Pop!
"A-Ah, hello... M-Master.."
Realizing this could go on forever, Lin switched to her human form via shapeshifting and spoke up first.
(Though her human shape was even cuter, so it didn't help Juaran's squirming at all.)
"Ahem! Yeah! Nice to meet you. Forget how I looked earlier—I didn't expect a perfect summon on the first go..."
But Juaran was a lofty Avatar Sovereign, tempered by countless trials. Despite Lin's devastating cuteness assault, she quickly suppressed the urge to scoop her up and returned the greeting.
At least on the outside.
"Alright, first things first—time for that promised gift."
Fwoosh!
As she chanted a spell, a strand of her blazing flames transformed into a feather, landing softly in Lin's palm. Dazzlingly brilliant, it brimmed with pure, crystalline energy.
"Master! This is...!"
"Yep. The feather infused with my true flame, as promised for our deal. Hehe! Suits you perfectly!"
Whoosh!
The moment Lin touched the feather, a cozy warmth enveloped her, and it melted into her body. Instantly, her fire affinity skyrocketed.
"W-Wow... amazing..!"
"Hehe, glad it fits. You're closer to fire than you think—taking it so easily proves it."
"So warm... To give me something like this! Thank you, Master!"
Lin was thrilled by the feather's power—already this good as a prepayment? She couldn't wait for the real techniques later.
After greetings and small talk, Juaran shifted from her earlier gushy vibe to a stern, serious expression.
"Now, shall we begin? Offering to a divine beast demands utmost solemnity and precision. Especially for a being of true stature—tons more to watch out for. Setting up the formation alone is tricky; rush it and it could take forever..."
"Master! I finished everything you asked!"
"Wha—?!"
But Juaran had no idea.
That her wild, adorable disciple was a total prodigy at formations too.