Alex’s surprise was masked by the red, yellow, and blue illumination. He stood there for a long ti, watching the flas burn with great might.
"The Progenitor’s flas..." Alex said softly. "Scarlet did tell about this. She was using this to make her Creation, wasn’t she?"
Ningzhu nodded. "This is a sacred space, and the only ones allowed to visit are the Vermilion Birds. This fla is used to treat us from even the harshest of pain and disease. We co here to gain warmth in the Progenitor’s fire when we feel lost and cold. And almost all of us co here to try and make this fla into our Creation."
Alex nodded for a mont before sothing stuck out. "Sorry, try and make? Not just make?" he asked.
"It’s difficult to turn an object of such might into one’s Creation," Ningzhu said.
"I don’t understand," Alex said. "Can’t you just absorb the aura and make a Phoenix Fla as your Creation?"
"You can," Ningzhu said. "But it won’t be of the sa quality. It needs great talent and understanding to turn sothing like this into a Creation. It is no different from understanding a Dao."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I wasn’t aware there was such a constraint to Creations."
"Of course there are," Ningzhu said. "You are aware of Beast Creations, right?"
Alex nodded.
"Are you aware that if you’re not good enough, you sotis only end up gaining part of the beast as your Creation, as opposed to the entire beast?" he asked.
Alex nodded slowly. He had been told as much by Bai Jingshen just recently when he talked about the palace guards. Everyone there was given an opportunity to beco a White Tiger, but only a few of them could fully transform in that way.
"So it’s sothing similar?" Alex asked. "In a way, if you don’t understand much, you only end up gaining part of the aura. In the beasts’ case, you end up with various body parts. In the case of plants, you might just gain branches or vines. In the case of Phoenix Flas, there is no individual part to get, so you end up getting sothing of a worse quality."
"Exactly!" Ningzhu said. "Not a single one of us has ever managed to gain everything from the Progenitor’s flas. Little Huohuo likely wouldn’t have gotten it that much better either. Much better than her own Phoenix Flas, of course, but not to the sa degree as the Progenitor’s."
Alex frowned. "But she still tries it," he said.
"We all do."
Alex’s eyes narrowed. "Why did you bring here, Senior?" he asked. He could see where the conversation was headed. "Do you wish to learn from these flas as well?"
Ningzhu smiled. "We’ve never seen soone as talented in Daos before in our life. And given your connection to our family, the Matriarch is willing to give you the chance to make this your Creation."
Alex didn’t answer imdiately. He let himself think.
Phoenix Flas.
He had always rejected the idea, but that was before he knew he could absorb the Progenitor’s Phoenix Flas. This was the mightiest of flas in the entire world, from what he could rember of Rosemist’s explanation. There were few flas better than this, and those were from the days of the Primordials.
Alex walked around the courtyard, half checking the flas and his surroundings, half lost in his own thoughts.
Ningzhu stood where he was, letting Alex take his ti.
Alex made nearly a whole turn around the courtyard when he noticed sothing he should have noticed a while ago.
"There’s Qi here," he said.
"Hmm? Oh, yes."
Alex frowned. "Shouldn’t Phoenix Flas devour Qi to keep themselves burning?" he asked. That was how Scarlet’s flas had been, back in the wasteland of the Southern Continent. That was the reason why the wasteland had been devoid of Qi, and instead taken over by body cultivators.
"The better the flas, the less Qi they require," the Phoenix said. "They grow efficient."
"To such a degree?" Alex asked. "I can understand if there was so Qi, but the potency of Qi in this room is as high as anywhere else. Surely the Progenitor’s flas require so fuel."
"Well, there is sothing strange with this fla, I won’t lie," Ningzhu said. "It’s taking much less Qi than it should and we have no explanation for it, sadly."
Alex didn’t know what to say. He sighed and returned to walking around again, considering whether he wanted this for his Creations. There were enough Origins for him to do so.
"Senior, could you try to sell it to ?" Alex said. "I can’t seem to find any urge to get it myself."
"Huh? But it’s the Phoenix Flas, from the Progenitor no less. Anyone would love to have it, wouldn’t they?"
Perhaps they would, but Alex just wasn’t that person. Seeing Alex’s hesitation, Ningzhu continued.
"You’re an alchemist, aren’t you? You will rarely find flas that can burn hotter than Phoenix Flas. And they can be controlled too. It’s not like other flas where the temperature is always at a certain level," he said.
A fire suddenly burst out of Alex’s palm. Regular fire. But the heat it generated within seconds was one that nearly contended with the Phoenix Flas. Within a second, it also lowered to almost no heat.
"I have the True Fire Dao, Senior. The temperature extres of my flas are higher and lower than most alchemy flas. And with my Dao, I can control them just as well too."
The fire disappeared.
Ningzhu watched with a stunned look. "Th-there is the healing as well. You can feel how you are constantly healing, don’t you?"
Healing. Could Alex even need any more of that?
He had his Undying Physique for himself. For others, he had everything he had learned from the Book of Boundless Healing.
Alex shook his head. "I have no issues there either."
"But... but... this is Phoenix Flas. It will be good to have with you," Ningzhu said.
"And I will," Alex replied. "Through Scarlet."
He thought for a mont longer and nodded. "Thank you for the opportunity, Senior, but I can’t see myself getting this Creation."
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