Dark flames erupted upward.
The once crimson Phoenix behind Lin Xiao now bore magnificent black feathers, its raging fire half a strange red, half a mysterious black.
Even Ye Qingxian—who had seen countless things in her life—couldn't help but furrow her brows at the sight of the evolving Phoenix spirit. She stared intently at Lin Xiao, unsure of what was happening.
The red-haired youth opened his eyes.
His once bright, obsidian pupils had turned a blood-red hue, and his face—though only subtly altered—now radiated a bold and dangerous allure.
Even Lin Xiao's usual calm, clear aura had shifted into something entirely different—tinged with seductive danger and unruly charm.
He looked like a model student who had suddenly become a bad boy—yet still oddly attractive.
"Why are you all staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
Lin Xiao's tone was genuinely puzzled.
But to Ye Lingling and Ye Qingxian, his voice—and entire demeanor—felt completely different.
From their perspective…
His blood-red eyes were aggressive and piercing, his lips curled into a smirk, and his voice held a lazy, teasing drawl.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?"
Rather than genuine confusion, it sounded almost flirtatious—like deliberate provocation.
If they hadn't known Lin Xiao's personality so well, they might have mistaken him for someone trying to seduce them.
…Yeah, the vibe had shifted completely.
Compared to the clear-eyed, principled version of Lin Xiao, this devilishly handsome version had its own… appeal.
Huh. Who knew he came in different flavors?
"You've already calmed your corrupted fire?" Ye Qingxian asked.
His skin had returned from red to pale white, and his expression was once again calm. But the change in him was so profound she couldn't help but ask.
"Mm. Thanks to the first two experiences, this third time went more smoothly. The only downside is that it's getting more painful each time—but I guess I'm used to it by now."
Habit… what a terrifying thing.
What once seemed unbearable had now become… normal. And without realizing it, he had grown.
"By the way, judging by your faces—does something look weird about me?"
Lin Xiao touched his own cheek instinctively—but of course, he couldn't feel anything unusual.
He just thought his skin was smooth. Good complexion.
"Lingling, bring a mirror," Ye Qingxian ordered.
The moment she spoke, Ye Lingling sprinted off as if putting out a fire.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan approached and studied Lin Xiao up close. Her cheeks turned pink as she suddenly huffed:
"Such a playboy face. Doesn't look like a good person at all."
"…But still, you're pretty damn handsome."
Lin Xiao: ???
What? How am I a playboy?!
Yan-jie, that's just a personal attack!
Lin Xiao began to suspect something had changed about his appearance.
Wait—did I get uglier?
He felt the sky fall on him.
Seeing his depressed expression, Ye Qingxian couldn't help but find it amusing. For someone normally so calm and mature, this childlike anxiety was refreshingly funny.
She chuckled lightly:
"Relax. You didn't get uglier—just… handsome in a different way."
From a wholesome good boy… to a dangerously attractive bad boy.
Just then, Ye Lingling returned, panting and holding a mirror. She handed it over to Lin Xiao.
"Here! Just look for yourself!"
Lin Xiao took the mirror with a nervous heart and stared into it—then blinked, stunned.
Blood-red pupils full of fierce intensity.
A face with just the slightest changes, yet suddenly sharp, expressive, and charismatic.
A devil-may-care aura radiated from him.
This… is me?!
Oh—wait!
There was also this.
He snapped his fingers, and a gorgeous flame burst to life—red flame wrapped around mysterious black fire, beautiful and otherworldly, strange yet not unnatural.
So familiar…
Blackened Ma Xiaotao?
Destruction Phoenix?!
Those two words popped unbidden into his mind, making him freeze.
Wait a minute—I haven't come into contact with any darkness elements!
And with the Heart of Ice Art running through his meridians, blackening should be impossible.
Then why was his spirit evolving toward a Dark and Destruction Phoenix?
"I haven't absorbed any dark or destruction attributes, so I can rule out external influences. Which means… the change came from within the spirit itself."
"Could it be that the Corrupted Flame Phoenix inherently carries dark and destructive attributes?"
"Hm… It's possible. In Soul Land 2, Ma Xiaotao's spirit only blackened after exposure to dark elements—but maybe that was just the trigger. The real cause might've been drawing out the latent destructive attributes within her spirit."
"If not, wouldn't anyone who encountered darkness start blackening? That'd be absurd."
Lin Xiao pondered in silence.
"But why is my spirit evolving toward darkness and destruction instead of becoming an Ultimate Fire Phoenix?"
"And compared to Ma Xiaotao—while my appearance has changed, my personality hasn't. I haven't turned into some evil soul master."
"Maybe because my spirit evolved naturally through rebirth, whereas hers mutated unnaturally due to contamination?"
Still, he couldn't find a satisfying explanation.
"You've been thinking for a while. Got any answers yet about your spirit's evolution?" Ye Qingxian's voice interrupted.
Lin Xiao shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
"I don't even know if I can return to how I looked before. I mean, I guess this new look isn't bad, but it's so different."
Ye Lingling blushed and lowered her eyes.
"It's not bad at all…"
"You look really good—even if it's different. Just… you seem more… dangerous now."
From a girl's mouth, "bad" wasn't necessarily a criticism.
In fact, it might even be praise.
After all, hadn't Blue Star once gone through a whole "bad boy" fashion craze?
Dugu Yan nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. That kind of dangerously good-looking vibe."
She didn't add what she was really thinking:
Lin Xiao's current look was the kind that made girls' hearts race. She couldn't even imagine what he'd look like when fully grown.
Would girls go weak in the knees just from a glance?
But Lin Xiao still wore a troubled frown.
Do I… have to learn to accept this new version of myself?
"Pfft—!"
Ye Qingxian couldn't hold back a laugh. She tilted her chin proudly and teased:
"What you've undergone is evolution, not mutation."
"If your Phoenix spirit evolved through rebirth, how could it possibly be flawed?"
"Go on—try deactivating your spirit form."