A Super Strong Master Has Appeared! 3

'Hah...! What the heck just happened...!' Thanks to her master's warning, Lin barely snapped out of it and quickly circulated her inner energy.

Even as she soared through the sky, the dire situation kept her in a state of hyper-alertness, allowing her to channel her energy. Drawing out the pure inner force dwelling within her and the Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame energy that had always protected her, the bizarre power gnawing at her mind began to fade away bit by bit.

The phoenix ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feather from Juaran was just an extra helping hand, too.

Kyu!'Get out of my head!'

Channeling her energy fiercely, she completely expelled that strange urge to return to the sun. With her innate sensitivity to inner energy, the Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame, and the power of Juaran's true flame essence, even the overwhelmingly potent mental erosion was driven out entirely.

Her foggy mind cleared, and the world, which had been consumed by darkness, began to brighten again. It felt like the light from Lin's tiny flame was illuminating the world once more.

Before long, the world swallowed by darkness brightened again. Like a total eclipse ending, the sun—devoured by something—regained its radiant light, scattering brilliant rays across the world once more.

However... Lin had already exhausted every ounce of her strength fending off that erosion. For someone at the Qi Condensation Mid stage, enduring that much was already an incredible feat.

Her body went limp like after an intense workout, and her eyes grew heavy.

Kyu...'Ugh... sleepy...'

Through her blurring vision, Lin looked up at the sun one last time. And in that moment...

:: I'll watch over you ::

Along with that unknown voice echoing in her mind, Lin fully lost consciousness.

*

Kyuung...'Ugh... my head... where am I...?'

Blinded by the dazzling sunlight, Lin scrunched her eyes and woke up in the middle of some unfamiliar forest.

Checking the time on her Forum app, she saw a good chunk of time had passed.

Where is this? More importantly... am I hurt anywhere?

She jumped up in a hurry, circulating her energy to check for injuries. Fortunately, aside from some minor scratches, nothing serious.

It seemed her master's protective barrier had done its job right up to the end. Thanks to that, a short meditation restored her to full health.

Kyu...'Ugh... my head hurts. But glad I didn't get hurt bad! What was all that about...'

Once she'd gathered her wits, Lin replayed the events in her mind.

The ancient altar from some primordial era she'd found in a forest cave. The traces of a demon god that appeared there, leading to her encounter with an Avatar stage master.

And then... the sudden lava lightning storm during the ritual, the volcano erupting, and that black sun blotting out the world...

Kyuut! Just thinking about that black sun still sent chills down her spine.

What was that thing? In all her life as a dragon, she'd never felt such overwhelming presence. It was like being a speck of dust flung into the vast cosmos.

So... that's what a demon god is like. A being who ascended to the heavens at the True Immortal realm truly had an immense aura. Even if what she'd glimpsed was just a faint reflection in the mortal world.

Kyu..!'Gotta be way more careful from now on! Especially with those great beings...!'

Up until now, talk of True Immortals or heavenly paths had felt distant and abstract. But this incident had driven it home hard.

You couldn't just tangle with those existences lightly—if at all—and if you did, you had to approach with utmost caution.

This time, she'd had her master's help and some luck... but without that? Just imagining it made her head spin.

Oh right. That voice at the end—who was it?

Right before passing out while staring at the sun, an unknown voice had boomed in her head. It definitely wasn't her master. The tone was different, and besides, Juaran's thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠projection had already dissipated, so she couldn't speak aloud to Lin anymore.

And that voice... it carried an aura so profound it was hard to approach.

As Lin pondered deeply, she suddenly noticed a mysterious new pattern on her forehead.

Kyuut-?'Huh, what's this...?'

Looking at her reflection in a puddle, a faint yellow pattern glowed on her forehead. It resembled a sun or a blazing flame... the more she looked, the warmer and more mystical it felt.

Out of curiosity, Lin unconsciously touched it.

Suddenly, an unknown alert popped up, and Lin felt every flame in her body surging toward the pattern.

Kyuaa-!'B-blessing? What's this? Did that voice give it to me?? Doesn't seem bad, at least...'

She didn't fully understand the pattern's effects or why she'd received it, but it didn't seem harmful. So Lin decided not to sweat it.

She had more pressing matters anyway.

She'd been out cold for so long that her master's worried messages had piled up like crazy.

Delaying any longer would be disastrous, so Lin quickly opened the Forum and replied.

Juaran had been pacing anxiously the past few days—no replies, no reads on her messages. She'd thought something terrible had happened to her disciple.

After all, she was the one who'd suggested the ritual in the first place. And Lin was the adorable newbie everyone on the Forum doted on—a rare gem after so long.

If that newbie got hurt or worse because of her? If she vanished from the Forum? Juaran couldn't bear the fallout, no matter her Avatar prowess.

Her own guilt would crush her, too.

So when Lin finally replied, Juaran let out a huge sigh of relief before she even realized it.

Thanks to Lin's efforts, Juaran had gained far more merit than expected. It was already showing effects—taking a share of the merit headed to the demon god had cracked the cultivation wall that had blocked her for so long.

How can her personality be as cute as her looks...! Seeing Lin's adorable tone, Juaran's resolve to treat her even better deepened. Not that she hadn't fallen for her from the start.

She offered various advice and a few final warnings.

With her chat with Juaran wrapped up, Lin packed her things and set off toward the Zhu Kingdom capital. It was still a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long way if she wanted to get there quick.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time, in the Zhu Kingdom's major capital sects...

"The phoenix has appeared!"

"The once-in-a-millennium phoenix child has descended somewhere in the kingdom!"

"Find the child born with phoenix energy! We must bring them into our sect before the other sects snatch them!"

"Quit dreaming! Move now! We have to disciple them first!"

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone was buzzing with a massive misunderstanding(?), showing rare frantic activity after so long.