A shrill "roar!"—more akin to a kitten's mew than a dragon's cry—pierced the air. The Cauldron of Ancients glowed faintly, its Crimson Wyrm's head lunging forth, nipping playfully at Li Yongyi's finger, not in aggression but in kinship, a pulse of blood-bound warmth threading through him.
Unfastening his robe, Li gazed at his chest, where the Cauldron shimmered, the Wyrm's head alone freed, its body still a blurred etching upon the Cauldon's shadowed recesses. Toying with the beast, he mused, "Did Elder Xue's White Tiger Manifestation rouse you prematurely, leaving only your head unbound?"
The Cauldron's vast surface bore dim expanses, as if awaiting other divine beasts. Could proximity to titans like Yue Qingfeng or Elder Xue, drawing their scattered essence, imprint further manifestations upon it? Yet this Crimson Wyrm, though majestic, was but a nascent head—its purpose unclear.
Recalling its fusion with his inner energy, Li Yongyi tested again. Initially, the dragon resisted, its whiskers curling, head tossing. After persistence, it relented, issuing a delicate roar before plunging into his palm. No pain followed, only a warm current that surged into *Song of Breaking Formation* inner flow, igniting like oil kissed by flame, a thunderous rumble echoing in his ears.
His vision darkened briefly as the inner energy melded with the Wyrm's essence, birthing a fierce, incandescent vigor that coursed through him, fortifying his flesh beyond *Song of Breaking Formation*'s usual might. Yet, the Wyrm's breath, fleeting, parted from the inner flow, reforming as a panting beast upon the Cauldron, its single claw gripping the rim, exuding smug pride yet chafing at its confinement, scratching the vessel with a grating rasp, poised to bite.
"Roar!" Li flicked its head gently. "This Cauldron rests at my heart—mind your teeth!" The Wyrm dissolved and retreating to the Cauldron's etched lines.
His inner qi, now a blazing torrent, surged to his heart, where the poison's chill grip faltered, weakened by the fiery rush. His veins and flesh, stirred by this force, grew stronger. Sweat beaded his brow, cold and heat warring within, yet a smile curved his lips. "Indeed, this power tames the heart's poison! If the Wyrm fully emerges, merging with my inner flow, neither cultivation nor combat will bow to this venom. Its vigor surpasses *Song of Breaking Formation* manifold!"
Eyes alight, he caressed the Cauldron, regretting Yue Qingfeng's absence, for none knew this manifestation better. The dragon, exhausted, lay dormant, and Li turned to chores: folding new clothes for his auntie, covering roast goose to thwart ants, steaming rice, and braising pork belly, its aroma filling the air.
Stocktaking revealed his gains: food, fine wine, a safer courtyard rented for fifteen silver taels via Xue's brokers, half the market rate. Two taels remained—wealth came and went swiftly. Noticing ants scaling a bowl for the goose, he stepped forward, wrist flicking. His inner qi roared, the Crimson Wyrm stirring, its breath reaching only his elbow, yet lending his strike a volatile edge.
His palm swept the ants, a crackle sounding as sparks flared, their bodies singeing with acrid smoke. Li Yongyi froze, whispering, "Wyrm's fire?" The Wyrm, spent, slumped on the Cauldron, blowing bubbles, whiskers twitching. "Barely roused, yet it births fire in my strikes," he murmured. "If it fully breaks free, what then?" Yue Qingfeng's final blow—dragon roaring, flames cleaving the sky—flashed in his mind, his fist clenching, inner qi burning like embers.
This world's cultivation surpassed his imaginings. The Xue library might hold tomes on manifestations, and Li's zeal for tomorrow tutoring blazed anew.
Footsteps heralded Nangong Qiushui's return. Smelling meat, she called, "Little man, cooking meat today?" Entering, she beheld the blue-robed youth, belt cinched, exuding martial grace, a ghost of old friends in his stance. Stunned, she paused. Li Yongyi, catching her lapse, stepped forward, hand to chest, bowing. "Auntie, don't you recognize me?"
Nangong Qiushui blinked, veiling her sorrow, and pinched his cheek, teasing, "My Little man, dining on charm now? With spring's soft glow and jangling jade, what's your price?" Li Yongyi gaped. "Auntie, that's not the reaction I expected!"
**(End of Chapter)**