Alexâs surprise was masked by the red, yellow, and blue illumination. He stood there for a long time, watching the flames burn with great might.
"The Progenitorâs flames..." Alex said softly. "Scarlet did tell me about this. She was using this to make her Creation, wasnât she?"
Ningzhu nodded. "This is a sacred space, and the only ones allowed to visit are the Vermilion Birds. This flame is used to treat us from even the harshest of pain and disease. We come here to gain warmth in the Progenitorâs fire when we feel lost and cold. And almost all of us come here to try and make this flame into our Creation."
Alex nodded for a moment before something stuck out. "Sorry, try and make? Not just make?" he asked.
"Itâs difficult to turn an object of such might into oneâs Creation," Ningzhu said.
"I donât understand," Alex said. "Canât you just absorb the aura and make a Phoenix Flame as your Creation?"
"You can," Ningzhu said. "But it wonât be of the same quality. It needs great talent and understanding to turn something like this into a Creation. It is no different from understanding a Dao."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I wasnât 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 youâre not good enough, you sometimes 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 become a White Tiger, but only a few of them could fully transform in that way.
"So itâs something similar?" Alex asked. "In a way, if you donât understand much, you only end up gaining part of the aura. In the beastsâ 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 Flames, there is no individual part to get, so you end up getting something of a worse quality."
"Exactly!" Ningzhu said. "Not a single one of us has ever managed to gain everything from the Progenitorâs flames. Little Huohuo likely wouldnât have gotten it that much better either. Much better than her own Phoenix Flames, of course, but not to the same degree as the Progenitorâs."
Alex frowned. "But she still tries it," he said.
"We all do."
Alexâs eyes narrowed. "Why did you bring me here, Senior?" he asked. He could see where the conversation was headed. "Do you wish me to learn from these flames as well?"
Ningzhu smiled. "Weâve never seen someone 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 didnât answer immediately. He let himself think.
Phoenix Flames.
He had always rejected the idea, but that was before he knew he could absorb the Progenitorâs Phoenix Flames. This was the mightiest of flames in the entire world, from what he could remember of Rosemistâs explanation. There were few flames better than this, and those were from the days of the Primordials.
Alex walked around the courtyard, half checking the flames and his surroundings, half lost in his own thoughts.
Ningzhu stood where he was, letting Alex take his time.
Alex made nearly a whole turn around the courtyard when he noticed something he should have noticed a while ago.
"Thereâs Qi here," he said.
"Hmm? Oh, yes."
Alex frowned. "Shouldnât Phoenix Flames devour Qi to keep themselves burning?" he asked. That was how Scarletâs flames 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 flames, the less Qi they require," the Phoenix said. "They grow efficient."
"To such a degree?" Alex asked. "I can understand if there was some Qi, but the potency of Qi in this room is as high as anywhere else. Surely the Progenitorâs flames require some fuel."
"Well, there is something strange with this flame, I wonât lie," Ningzhu said. "Itâs taking much less Qi than it should and we have no explanation for it, sadly."
Alex didnât 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 me?" Alex said. "I canât seem to find any urge to get it myself."
"Huh? But itâs the Phoenix Flames, from the Progenitor no less. Anyone would love to have it, wouldnât they?"
Perhaps they would, but Alex just wasnât that person. Seeing Alexâs hesitation, Ningzhu continued.
"Youâre an alchemist, arenât you? You will rarely find flames that can burn hotter than Phoenix Flames. And they can be controlled too. Itâs not like other flames where the temperature is always at a certain level," he said.
A fire suddenly burst out of Alexâs palm. Regular fire. But the heat it generated within seconds was one that nearly contended with the Phoenix Flames. Within a second, it also lowered to almost no heat.
"I have the True Fire Dao, Senior. The temperature extremes of my flames are higher and lower than most alchemy flames. 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, donât 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 Flames. It will be good to have with you," Ningzhu said.
"And I will," Alex replied. "Through Scarlet."
He thought for a moment longer and nodded. "Thank you for the opportunity, Senior, but I canât see myself getting this Creation."