Chapter 4 : Frost-Yin Fox Fire
“Honestly… I probably should have run,” Su Xiao muttered to himself. His toes shifted slightly as he adjusted his stance, his eyes fixed on the battle unfolding not far away.
This was not a fight he could easily join. He didn’t possess Bai Yiyi’s powerful physique or her incredible speed. The only thing he could rely on was his innate ability, Fox Fire.
Su Xiao summoned the system interface.
Su Xiao
Race: Heart Fox
Rank: Low-level Demonic Beast
Luck: 340
Spiritual Power: 5
Soul Power: 15
Abilities
Fox Fire: A low-level demonic flame. This is basic equipment for fox demons. With it, you can literally fan the flames. (Upgradeable)
Transformation (Unawakened): A fox spirit is called a fox spirit precisely because of this ability. Without it… you’re still just a little short of being a proper fox spirit.
After looking over his interface, Su Xiao’s expression changed slightly.
“As expected, the interface gained 100 more Luck. It’s very likely that whoever first obtains a heavenly treasure receives a boost of Luck,” he guessed. Perhaps the first person to acquire a rare natural treasure would gain the fortune tied to it.
Putting aside his surprise, Su Xiao carefully examined the subtle changes on the interface.
“Fox Fire now has an Upgradeable label.”
He focused his attention on the ability.
【Upgrading Fox Fire requires 250 Luck. Proceed?】
The system’s voice sounded in his ear.
“So Fox Fire can be upgraded!”
A hint of joy appeared on Su Xiao’s face. Fox Fire was the key to his current plan, so strengthening it would naturally be a good thing.
“But it costs 250 Luck…”
Seeing the requirement, Su Xiao took a deep breath.
“The first attribute on the interface, Luck, is clearly not simple. It can actually be used to enhance skills!”
Su Xiao hesitated. Two hundred and fifty Luck was equal to his original starting amount. It was more than two-thirds of the Luck he currently possessed.
He looked up at the battle again. Although Bai Yiyi clearly had the upper hand, she still couldn’t defeat the Ancient Vine Wraith. As time passed, the balance of power slowly began to shift.
“This half-demon catgirl specializes in speed and can even control the wind. If she wanted to shake off the Vine Wraith, it would be incredibly easy.” Su Xiao understood that the Vine Wraith’s strength lay in its regeneration. If Bai Yiyi truly wanted to disengage, there was nothing it could do to stop her. “So why isn’t she retreating?”
He clenched his teeth. There were things he didn’t want to think about but couldn’t avoid thinking about.
“Is it because I gave her the Silver Fruit earlier… so she thinks she owes me a favor and wants to repay it?”
For a moment, Su Xiao felt like his brain had malfunctioned. That kind of ridiculous logic shouldn’t even appear in his thoughts. He had seen countless examples of hysteria and betrayal online. The internet was full of strange things, but genuine kindness was rare.
Yet she had warned him.
She had stopped him.
And even now, she hadn’t abandoned him.
“Su Xiao, what are you hesitating for? If you can’t even part with 250 Luck, then you might as well just be a complete idiot!”
【Host decision confirmed. Fox Fire upgrade commencing.】
With the system lady’s cold voice, Su Xiao suddenly felt a massive surge of freezing energy erupt within his body. The chill seemed to come from the depths of his soul, accompanied by whispering murmurs that made his head ache. The whispers felt strangely familiar. They reminded him of the voices he had heard when he first opened his eyes after transmigrating.
The icy surge came quickly and vanished just as quickly. In the blink of an eye, everything returned to normal, as if it had all been an illusion. Except for one thing.
A few blades of grass beneath Su Xiao’s paws had become coated with frost.
Su Xiao hurriedly checked his interface.
Su Xiao
Race: Heart Fox
Rank: Low-level Demonic Beast
Luck: 90
Spiritual Power: 5
Soul Power: 15
Abilities
Frost-Yin Fox Fire: High-level demonic flame. A fire that only fox demons with extremely cold constitutions can wield. With it, you can not only fan the flames, you can freeze hearts to the bone.
Transformation (Unawakened): A fox spirit is called a fox spirit precisely because of this ability. Without it… you’re still just a little short of being a proper fox spirit.
His Luck had dropped to only 90. The loss made Su Xiao wince. A full 250 Luck had been spent just to upgrade Fox Fire—no, it should now be called Frost-Yin Fox Fire.
“I really hope those 250 Luck points weren’t wasted…”
Su Xiao began absorbing the flood of information appearing in his mind, details about the new ability.
“Frost-Yin Fox Fire is several times stronger than regular Fox Fire. It also has two special effects: burning and freezing.” Then he suddenly gave a bitter smile. “But it seems I forgot one important thing. The original Fox Fire consumed about 2 Spiritual Power each time it was used… but this Frost-Yin Fox Fire consumes about 10 Spiritual Power per use… and I only have 5 Spiritual Power right now!”
Su Xiao’s mouth twitched. His total Spiritual Power was only five, what people would call pathetically weak. He couldn’t even cast the basic Frost-Yin Fox Fire.
“Walking by the river long enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet. But this time… I really didn’t think things through.”
He laughed bitterly. He wasn’t some infallible mastermind who could predict everything. Sometimes even he could fall into a blind spot in his thinking. Unfortunately, this time he had essentially shot himself in the foot.
“If I’d known this would happen, I should have just kept regular Fox Fire. At least then the success rate wouldn’t have been bad…” Su Xiao muttered to himself, “Maybe… there’s still some way to salvage this.”