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Chapter 246 - Fire Concept Demonstration
🕑 Added 2025-02-19 07:00:09 +0000 UTCCentral Region.
President Albert's Luxurious Airship.
A month after entering the Central Region.
"Student Anda, your progress is quite slow. It looks like your talent in comprehending the Fire Concept is not as amazing as mine. But don't worry. You're still a billion kilometers ahead of other cultivators because 99% of them can't even get in contact with any Dao. Hahahaha!" President Albert said, his laughter echoing through the training room. The training room was obviously for his use alone, not for other passengers in his airship.
Anda's mouth twitched. Everything you said is true, but can't you be a bit more reserved? My panda feelings hurt. My Fire Concept came from enlightenment—it was all luck. It's already impressive that I can make any progress at all, she complained inwardly. Training with President Albert had reminded her of the feeling of being untalented, something she hadn't experienced in years.
People who received the blessing of enlightenment might have gotten a head start, touching the corner of the Dao, but how far they could progress after that still depended on their comprehension ability. Some enlightenment recipients couldn't progress at all, stuck at the same level because their comprehension ability was poor. Anda knew she was fortunate to have made any progress, but President Albert's blunt remarks still stung.
Over the past month, Anda had spent a lot of time with her self-proclaimed "teacher," and she could confirm that all the weird rumors about him were probably true. President Albert was likely the most unfiltered person she had ever met. He simply blurted out everything that came to his mind, no matter how harsh or awkward. She had lost count of how many times his words had stabbed her heart.
No wonder all the ladies couldn't stand being with him! Anda sighed inwardly. Teacher Albert, you're going to be single all your life.
Suddenly, a voice came through the airship's sound system, interrupting the training session.
"President, there's a crazy Commander-Level Demonic Owl outside, chasing after our airship. Please take care of it."
President Albert's head snapped up, his expression instantly shifting from amusement to outrage. "Oi, stupid Arjun! What do you mean by 'our' airship? This is my airship! I bought and renovated it with my own money! You must be jealous that you only have a small airship, right? Oi, Arjun, take that back, or I'll go to the cockpit and spit on you!" he yelled at the speaker, his voice booming through the room. He knew exactly who the voice belonged to.
Anda blinked, utterly speechless. Is that really what you're supposed to be worried about right now? How about taking care of the threat first? Where are your priorities?
Before she could voice her thoughts, the speaker crackled to life again. "Oh, right. President, that Demonic Owl seems to be trying its best to attack the airship's logo. I wonder what made it so mad. Ah! I see... I forgot the logo has your face on it. I understand the Demonic Owl's feelings now. Okay, since we know what the cause is, you don't have to take care of it anymore, President. It'll go away after that stupid face is gone." The speaker went silent.
Anda blinked again, her eyes darting to President Albert to see how he would react.
"FUUCCCKKKKKKK!!" he erupted, his face turning red with fury. "Fuck! Fucking Owl! How dare this stupid bird try to sabotage the best logo ever created! Student Anda, come follow me. Watch how I whack this stupid bird with my Fire Concept! Tonight, we feast on a whole Commander-Level Demonic Beast's meat!"
President Albert stormed out of the training room, heading toward the nearest exit door. Anda quickly followed without question, eager to see how he would wield the Fire Concept in battle.
When President Albert opened the exit door, the airship's security system activated, deploying a special energy barrier to prevent strong winds from rushing inside. The barrier shimmered faintly, allowing them to step close to the opening without any disturbance.
"Student Anda, you stay here and observe with your spiritual sense," President Albert instructed before stepping out.
In an instant, he disappeared from Anda's sight. All she could see through the door was the darkness of the night, dotted with occasional flashes of light in the distance.
Anda quickly spread her spiritual sense outside the airship, directing it toward the rear where the logo was located. As her spiritual sense covered the area, she immediately spotted President Albert standing atop the airship. His fiery red aura glowed brightly in the dark night, casting a vivid light onto the enormous Demonic Owl trailing just behind the airship.
"Hehe," Anda chuckled softly. She quickly realized that Elder Arjun's claim about the Demonic Owl attacking the logo had been a ruse—a clever way to provoke President Albert into dealing with the problem faster. The owl wasn't targeting the logo at all; it was simply chasing the airship.
Anda could see President Albert screaming at the top of his lungs at the Demonic Owl, but the sound was swallowed by the rushing wind and the distance between them.
Despite his Soul Formation aura radiating powerfully, the Demonic Owl showed no signs of fear—a stark contrast to the other Commander-Level Demonic Beasts they had encountered. Those creatures had always fled at the mere presence of the airship's many Nascent Soul auras, making President Albert's intervention unnecessary. This owl, however, was different. Its deep red eyes glowed with madness, suggesting it was truly out of its mind.
The next moment, the Demonic Owl's rage boiled over. It began spinning rapidly, maintaining its speed as it shot hundreds of spinning feathers like bullets toward President Albert. The feathers flew in all directions, each one aimed with deadly precision.
But before the feathers could reach him, a cylindrical firewall erupted around President Albert, incinerating the projectiles into ashes. Anda's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected him to conjure such a powerful defensive barrier so quickly using his Fire Concept.
It was a stark reminder of the versatility of the Fire Concept—something she had overlooked, as she had always focused on offensive techniques. The Fire Concept, after all, enabled her to create a solidified fire, so defensive application was definitely an option. She made a mental note to explore defensive applications of her own Fire Concept in the future.
The Demonic Owl, now even more enraged, stopped spinning and let out a terrifying screech. The sound was so powerful that it triggered the airship's full defensive energy barrier. Yet, for a fraction of a second, the screech breached the still-forming barrier, sending a shockwave through the airship.
Inside, the people were thrown into chaos. The sudden, ear-splitting noise caused everyone to jump in fright. Some clutched their ears in pain, while others collapsed as their eardrums burst, blood trickling down the sides of their faces. The airship's interior, usually a haven of calm, was now filled with cries of pain and confusion.
Even Anda wasn't spared from the Demonic Owl's devastating screech. Her eardrums burst, and blood trickled down the sides of her face. She clutched her head, the pain and deafening ring echoing in her ears. Once the initial shock subsided, she quickly created a Qi barrier around herself, fearing another attack. She then pulled out a healing elixir and gulped it down. Within seconds, her eardrums were fully healed.
Regaining her focus, Anda turned her attention back to the scene outside. However, she was a bit too late—the fight had already concluded. The Demonic Owl lay flattened between two giant cauldrons made of fire. Its eyes bulged grotesquely from their sockets, blood oozing from its beak and eyes. It was dead.
Anda noticed something remarkable: the fire cauldrons didn't burn the Demonic Owl's body at all. President Albert had controlled the flames so precisely that they emitted no heat—a feat that left Anda deeply impressed. So far, her training with him had focused on conjuring and shaping fire objects more swiftly and efficiently. But this display showed her that there was far more to the Fire Concept than she had imagined.
The flattened state of the Demonic Owl suggested it had been crushed by an immense weight. Could it be that President Albert had given mass to his fire creations? The idea sparked in Anda's mind. If she could solidify her fire and remove its heat, why couldn't she also give it mass? Her eyes lit up with excitement.
It was clear that her imagination and creativity paled in comparison to President Albert's. While they both wielded the Fire Concept, the way he utilized it was on an entirely different level. This was the difference between her and a true genius!
Anda felt a surge of gratitude. She was glad she had decided to learn from President Albert. His guidance and demonstration had opened her eyes to her own limitations and inspired her to push beyond them.
President Albert could have easily dealt with the Demonic Owl using his usual martial skills, but he had chosen to rely solely on his Fire Concept—clearly to showcase its potential to Anda. Despite his eccentric personality, he was true to his word. He had promised to "whack the stupid bird," and he had done exactly that.
A few moments later, President Albert returned, stepping through the door with his usual boisterous energy. "Hahahaha! Student Anda, how was it? Did you learn something?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with pride. Then he noticed the blood on her ears. "Eh, why do you have blood? Did the stupid bird's screech reach here?"
He quickly spread his spiritual sense, scanning the airship. His expression darkened slightly as he noticed many others bleeding from their ears as well.
"It was only for a split second, and the energy barrier activated in time. Just a minor injury," Anda reassured him, wiping the blood from her face.
"This damn bird!" President Albert growled, though his anger seemed more theatrical than genuine. "Don't worry, we're definitely feasting on it tonight. I'm sending it to the chef now! Let's go to the kitchen!" Without waiting for a response, he turned and hurried off, the door sliding shut behind him.
