Chapter 28: In the Future, If This Kind of Thing Happens Again, Let Su Xiao'Er Do It...

After dinner, Su Han tossed and turned in bed. The fearless assassin in black from last night never showed up again, leaving him with nowhere to test his impressive Celestial Punishment Thunder Skill. As he tossed and turned, he eventually fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

When he woke up the next morning, he freshened up with the help of Xi and Qin, then joined his parents for breakfast. After the meal, his Sister and Miss Feng left the house as usual, acting all mysterious about whatever they were busy with. Su Han hesitated for a moment before seeking out his mother, the Princess Consort, once again.

Even though he had seen a willow tree turn into a Skill Tree with his own eyes after being struck by Celestial Punishment, Su Han still wasn't sure if a lightning strike was a mandatory requirement. Since he really needed the Rain of Fire skill right now, he had no choice but to bother his mother again.

The Princess Consort did not refuse his request.

Under the same old tree from yesterday, the Princess Consort cast Rain of Fire over and over again. With each release, she would specifically explain some details to Su Han. Whether it was the effect of her explanations or simply the accumulation of enough attempts, when she unleashed Rain of Fire for the nineteenth time, the old tree finally changed in Su Han's eyes.

Skill Tree: Unlit.

An ordinary old tree had successfully turned into a Skill Tree after Su Han's repeated attempts. So... Skill Trees really could be farmed?

After seeing the old tree in the courtyard transform into a Skill Tree, Su Han stopped his mother from casting Rain of Fire again.

"Mother, that's enough. After watching it so many times and listening to your explanations, I feel like I've gained some understanding of this magic. From now on, let me try to comprehend it on my own."

The Princess Consort stopped and gave Su Han a suspicious look. "Are you sure... you've gained some enlightenment?" She looked at her son; no matter how she looked at him, he didn't seem like someone who had just experienced a profound epiphany.

Su Han nodded. "I'm sure. Mother, you should go rest."

The Princess Consort shot him another doubtful glance before nodding and walking toward the inner courtyard. She had cast Rain of Fire nineteen times in a row. Although she wasn't completely exhausted, she was somewhat tired. Since her son claimed to have gained some insight, she would go back, drink some water, rest for a bit, and then return to see exactly what kind of epiphany he had achieved.

The moment the Princess Consort left, Su Han immediately dismissed the maids and servants from the courtyard. Once he was sure no one was around, he used the Moon Shadow Step to leap lightly to the top of the tree, pouring kerosene down bucket by bucket. After emptying three buckets of kerosene and stowing them back into his spatial storage, he blew on his flint to ignite it and tossed it onto the tree. A raging fire spread rapidly, swallowing the entire old tree in no time.

Watching the burning tree from afar, Su Han saw its status change in his vision: Skill Tree (Lit). Opening the Skill List of the Skill Tree with his mind, he found exactly what he expected—only one skill lay quietly on the list: Rain of Fire!

He chose to acquire it. A wisp of Dao Rhyme flew out from the Skill Tree and entered the center of his forehead.

Su Han easily mastered the Rain of Fire skill. At the same time, all the insights into this magic that his mother possessed flooded his mind, turning into his own comprehension. In other words, even without relying on the skill system, his current understanding of Rain of Fire was completely on par with the Princess Consort's.

Just as Su Han successfully acquired the skill and finished absorbing the experience and insights regarding Sky-Filling Fire Dance, hurried footsteps rang out behind him.

"This... is what you meant by enlightenment?"

Turning around, Su Han saw his mother's slightly darkened face. He instinctively shrank his neck. Since the tree was already ablaze, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and admit to it.

"That's right. While standing under the tree, I recalled the scene of you casting the magic and felt a sudden burst of inspiration. I subconsciously cast it exactly as you taught me and accidentally unleashed Rain of Fire, which set this tree on fire."

The Princess Consort fell silent. Grinding her teeth, she looked at Su Han with a demonic smile. "Little Han, are you saying that you've already learned the Rain of Fire magic?"

Su Han nodded calmly. "Yes, I can already cast this magic."

"Oh?" The Princess Consort gave a half-smile. "Then cast it once for me. Let me see if you're making any mistakes in your casting process."

Su Han didn't chicken out in the slightest. He stepped aside and cast the magic with deliberately rusty movements. Before long, the temperature around him began to rise. Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi gathered, and flames began to ignite in the air.

WHOOSH!

When the final Hand Technique was executed, an area half a meter in diameter about three meters in front of Su Han was completely filled with flames.

"Mother, did I make any mistakes in my casting?"

The Princess Consort was left speechless. She had originally planned to expose him when he failed to cast the magic, using his lie as an excuse to teach him a good lesson. She wanted to see if he would ever dare treat her hard work as a joke again. However, she never expected that her son had actually learned Rain of Fire—a magic of considerable difficulty—in just a single day.

So, her son was actually a cultivation genius?

Remembering that her son was someone favored by the ancestors, the Princess Consort reluctantly accepted the fact that he was a cultivation genius.

"So..." She trailed off for a moment. "Little Han, can you tell me why there's so much spilled kerosene around the old tree that you accidentally ignited with Rain of Fire?"

She didn't believe that her son's "Rain of Fire"—which was only half a meter wide and barely stronger than a fireball—could set the entire tree ablaze so quickly. Coupled with the traces of kerosene around the burning tree, she was very curious.

Why on earth did her son do this?

Especially since he already had a track record of setting trees on fire.

Su Han was momentarily stumped. He couldn't just tell her that he had to light this Skill Tree on fire to learn the skill inside, could he? Thus, bracing himself, he spun another lie.

"Well... isn't it because the Rain of Fire I cast was too weak? I was afraid you would laugh at me, so I thought that if I poured kerosene on the tree to boost the magic's power, you would be impressed." Once a lie started, it flowed more smoothly. As he kept talking, Su Han almost convinced himself. "I just didn't expect you to be so perceptive and see right through my little trick."

The Princess Consort stared at Su Han. "Is that really true?"

"Of course." Su Han nodded without hesitation. "I just wanted to learn Rain of Fire to earn your praise, which is why I poured kerosene on the tree."

The Princess Consort looked at him, nodded, and believed his words.

"You..." She poked Su Han's forehead with her index finger in exasperation. "Learning Rain of Fire in less than two days already proves your cultivation talent. With a gift like yours, your father and I couldn't be happier. Why would we laugh at you?"

Su Han nodded repeatedly in agreement, acting as meek as a lamb.

"You must never do this again," she scolded. But seeing the smile on her son's face and recalling his track record of arson, she thoughtfully added a casual remark. "In the future, even if you want to start a fire, just let Su Xiao'Er handle all the climbing and heavy lifting."

Su Han was left utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, an oblivious Su Xiao'Er was undoubtedly full of question marks.