This sudden form of address took Chen Yuyang completely by surprise.
He was stunned.
He swore he had only intended to make a joke.
The change he wanted from Yan Luo was simply to switch from calling him “fellow cultivator” to something like “Senior” or “Master.”
After all, since he was currently instructing her in the art of fire control, being addressed that way wasn’t unreasonable.
But…
God only knew what was going through Yan Luo’s head.
“Husband…”
‘You actually had the nerve to say that.’
‘Elder Yan is at least trying to act. You, on the other hand, have just stopped acting entirely. You’re trying to skip straight to the end, aren’t you?’
Complaining inwardly, Chen Yuyang quickly gave two forced coughs.
“Ahem, cough, cough.”
“Miss Yan certainly has a sense of humor. Since I am teaching you fire control now, asking to be called Master shouldn’t be too much, right?”
Chen Yuyang said with a calm smile, acting as if he hadn’t been affected at all.
Only then did Yan Luo snap back to reality.
She quickly covered her face, which was already burning a bright crimson.
“A slip of the tongue! It was a slip of the tongue… I… I… I actually just wanted to say…”
Yan Luo tried desperately to defend herself, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think of a suitable excuse in the heat of the moment.
“Ahem, alright. Miss Yan, there’s no need to explain… In any case, I came to see you because I wanted to understand your current situation. May I come in?”
Seeing that Yan Luo was unable to explain herself, Chen Yuyang felt a secret wave of helplessness and immediately changed the subject.
Regardless, it was time to get back to business.
He needed to figure out to what extent Yan Luo could currently control the Sun Fire.
Once he understood that, he could begin the targeted instruction.
The sooner he finished teaching, the sooner he could return.
“Understand my situation… I—I understand.”
Hearing Chen Yuyang’s words, Yan Luo’s body trembled.
She quickly agreed and stepped aside from the doorway.
“You… you can come in.”
As Chen Yuyang stepped inside, Yan Luo poked her head out and looked around to ensure no one else had seen this before closing the door.
Seeing this, Chen Yuyang rubbed the bridge of his nose helplessly.
“Miss Yan, there’s no need to be so cautious. Just relax. Anyway, tell me everything about your current situation.”
Yan Luo nodded obediently, her hands clasped nervously in front of her.
“I… I’m Yan Luo. I’m 16 years old. I’m about 4 feet 4 inches tall. My waist is — “
“Stop, stop, stop!”
A look of confusion appeared on Chen Yuyang’s face, and he immediately interrupted her.
“Who asked for any of that? I’m asking about your cultivation progress.”
‘What is this girl thinking? Does she really think this is a blind date interview?’
And even if it were a blind date, nobody leads with their height and waist measurement.
“Huh? Oh… you meant that situation…”
Yan Luo suddenly realized her mistake.
Realizing that her mind was indeed a mess right now, she quickly shut her mouth, not daring to speak recklessly again.
She worked hard to organize her thoughts.
After a long moment, the young woman finally spoke again.
“I am currently at the Golden Core Peak, just one step away from Golden Core Perfection. I practice my family’s top-tier technique, the Sky Burning Manual. This technique — “
“Stop, stop, stop.”
Seeing that she was still missing the point, Chen Yuyang interrupted her again. “There’s no need for that basic information. Just tell me: to what extent can you currently control your Sun Fire?”
Yan Luo didn’t get angry at being interrupted repeatedly.
Instead, she became even more docile, nodding obediently.
“Yes.”
However, after agreeing, she fell into another period of silence, seemingly deliberating on how to explain it.
Chen Yuyang thought for a moment.
Fearing she still wouldn’t be able to explain clearly, he tried a different approach.
“Forget it. This sort of thing can’t be explained in a few words anyway. Just try to manifest a ball of Sun Fire and control it. Let me see the actual situation.”
“Okay,” Yan Luo replied, nodding quickly.
The young woman took a deep breath and raised her fair, slender right hand, palm up.
Her spiritual power circulated, and a flicker of orange-red flame slowly gathered and danced in her palm.
The Sun Fire emitted a blistering heat.
Looking at its form, however, it appeared somewhat flickering and unstable.
Its light waxed and waned, making it obvious that Yan Luo’s control was extremely awkward and strained.
“More,” Chen Yuyang requested.
Yan Luo nodded, and that spark of Sun Fire began to grow and expand.
The flame gradually condensed to the size of a fist.
However, at this point, the Sun Fire began to shake violently, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.
“Hmm.”
Chen Yuyang narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the flame in the girl’s palm.
“The purity is acceptable, and the temperature is up to standard, but this control… it’s truly too poor. You can’t even maintain a basic stable form. If you aren’t careful, you might even burn yourself.”
Hearing Chen Yuyang’s evaluation, Yan Luo’s cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
‘No, I can’t be like this. I have to perform well.’
With that thought, she pushed her spiritual power even harder, trying to stabilize the flame.
But the more force she applied, the more restless the Sun Fire in her palm became.
A few sparks even splashed out, causing her fingertips to recoil reflexively from the sting.
As her focus wavered, the entire fireball of Sun Fire showed signs of dissipating.
Seeing this, Chen Yuyang immediately reached out and grabbed Yan Luo’s hand.
Simultaneously, his own spiritual power began to circulate, taking over the control of the Sun Fire.
He immediately cautioned her.
“Yan Luo, relax your mind. Don’t try to suppress it forcefully. Try to use your will to guide it. Feel the flow of the fire. Treat it as a part of your body rather than something to fight against!”
As Chen Yuyang spoke, the Sun Fire in his hand became even more brilliant and dazzling, yet it simultaneously entered a much gentler and more stable state.
His voice remained calm as he continued to guide her.
“Imagine it is your limb, your breath, your blood.”
Yan Luo nodded and immediately followed his instructions.
She struggled to calm her breathing, relaxed her tensed body, and tried to take control again.
Chen Yuyang also slowly loosened his grip on the flame, letting her take over.
At first, Yan Luo still couldn’t quite get the hang of it, and the Sun Fire remained violent.
But as Chen Yuyang intervened time and time again to point out detailed errors, she gradually began to understand.
After 2 hours, Yan Luo watched the ball of Sun Fire in her palm.
Though it still fluctuated slightly, it was much more well-behaved.
Her eyes widened with joy.
‘It actually works!’
Seeing this, Chen Yuyang nodded slightly in satisfaction.
“You are quite teachable. It seems you aren’t dull, you just lacked the proper method. Plus, your temperament was a bit impulsive, which is why you couldn’t control it well.”
“You must realize that the way of fire control values a calm mind above all else.”
“If you are as irritable as the fire, the two of you will simply clash and damage each other. To control fire, you must be like water.”
“This is also a principle of reconciling the Yin and Yang of the five elements.”
As she listened to Chen Yuyang’s words, Yan Luo’s eyes grew wider and wider.
At the same time, feeling the Sun Fire being led by her will, she felt even more amazed.
‘So that’s how it is… so that’s how it is…’
Though the principle was simple, it wasn’t easy to realize.
Chen Yuyang was truly impressive.
In just a few words, he had actually allowed her to grasp the key essentials.
Seeing her look of realization, Chen Yuyang continued.
“Now, this is just the most basic guidance.”
“Try to keep it stable for now. In the coming days, you must practice manifesting the flame every day, starting with stabilizing its form.”
“After that, you must gradually learn to make it change size and shape at will, and you must control its temperature.”
“When you can use it as easily as your own arm, you will have completed your training.”
“Alright, that’s enough for today. Take a rest. I’ll be leaving now.”
As he spoke, Chen Yuyang turned to leave.
Although Yan Luo was a bit reluctant to see him go, she knew this was only the first day of training, so she nodded.
“Goodbye. I… I will practice hard.”
“There’s no need to overdo it. Too much of a good thing can be just as bad. Don’t let it become an obsession; just practicing until it’s good enough will do.”
Chen Yuyang tossed out those casual words as he left the girl’s room, closing the door behind him.
Once outside, Chen Yuyang let out a long breath and rubbed his temples.
Teaching the girl fire control wasn’t hard, but…
‘That girl seems to… My sins are heavy, truly heavy…’
Just as he was about to head back, Chen Yuyang suddenly spotted someone a short distance ahead.
Yan Dangmo was standing there with his hands behind his back, a somewhat meaningful smile on his face.
He had clearly been waiting there for some time.
“Elder Yan,” Chen Yuyang called out respectfully after clearing his head.
“Xiao Chen, you started teaching that girl fire control so quickly?”
Yan Dangmo turned around and asked warmly.
Chen Yuyang smiled slightly and said frankly, “Since there’s nothing else to do on this journey, starting early will allow Miss Yan to master the fire control methods sooner.”
Yan Dangmo nodded slowly, then followed up with a concerned question.
“That girl has a spoiled temperament. I’ve pampered her too much. While you were teaching her just now, she didn’t pick at your faults or throw a tantrum, did she?”
Chen Yuyang shook his head with a smile.
“Not at all. Miss Yan is very sensible and works very hard.”
“Sensible?”
Yan Dangmo’s eyes widened slightly.
As someone who had watched Yan Luo grow up, he knew his granddaughter’s personality better than anyone.
Overbearing, willful, and stubborn were all words that fit her, but “sensible” was the last word he would ever use.
The only explanation was the young man standing before him.
‘It seems that little radish really does feel differently about this kid…’
Yan Dangmo thought to himself with secret delight.
He gave two dry coughs and continued to ask with concern, “Then… how is her Sun Fire practice going? Has she made progress?”
“Miss Yan has high latent talent; she understands things immediately. I only gave her a few pointers on the secrets of fire control, and she has already found the right path. I don’t think it will be long before she can use it proficiently,” Chen Yuyang answered truthfully.
Upon hearing the phrase “won’t be long,” Yan Dangmo’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly.
“Ahem!”
Yan Dangmo quickly cleared his throat and said immediately, “Xiao Chen, you’ve worked hard. Go back to your room and rest. I just remembered I have some minor matters to handle, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”
Chen Yuyang didn’t think much of it, assuming the elder truly had things to do.
He nodded, gave a respectful bow, and returned to his own room.
Once Chen Yuyang was gone, the smile on Yan Dangmo’s face vanished, replaced by a sense of urgency.
Taking three steps in the span of two, he quickly reached Yan Luo’s door and knocked.