Inside the volcano, her body was enveloped by a gentle, sheltering warmth. Brilliant hues of bright, shiny colours surrounded her. Li Meirong quickly realized that she was inside the boiling lava, and somehow she was still alive.

She recalled how her heart nearly jumped out of her chest the moment she felt her feet lose touch with the ground. When Sheng Jing Wu unclasped his hold on her, she had not even a moment to breathe as her life flashed right before her eyes. She might have died once, but it wasn't an experience anyone could really get used to. She thought of her unconscious little Chou perishing alongside her and the mysterious Snowball who shapeshifted from a little cub to an enlarged adult fox, roaring he was her husband...In the end, what would happen to him?

Terror-stricken, Li Meirong shut her eyes, too scared to face her demise.

As she fell, instead of encountering the feeling of broiling lava heat consuming her, she was embraced inside a soft, warm sensation. Her long dark eyelashes fluttered gently. The image of an ocean blue flame encompassing her alabaster skin greeted her sight. Her whole being was untouched by the liquid engulfing her, even her hair and clothes were left undamaged. Surprised limpid eyes assessed the surrounding area in speechless wonder.

Meanwhile, Chou rested peacefully inside her sleeve, unaware of his master's bewilderment.

Dazed, Li Meirong thought back to one of the conversations that she had with Bao Li, the bossy chef of the Bestiary coalition and what she spoke of…

The path of cultivation is one fraught with endless hardships and untold dangers. In order to become stronger, one must practice diligently every day in both martial arts and mysticism. A cultivator's mind must be entirely clear of any distractions for one to be able reach a higher level of enlightenment and regulate their life force. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to practice without the guidance of a mentor. However, there are exceptions to everything. At times, when one is faced with a life threatening encounter, a hidden talent may be unlocked as an act of self preservation. Cultivators without a mentor may even attempt to put themselves in harm's way on purpose, so that they might have the fortune of experiencing this miraculous event.

At such times, a person's internal energy may expand without practice, enhancing one's abilities to a superhuman extent.

When Li Meirong heard Bao Li speak of cultivation previously, her interest piqued. She had never learned anything about the subject.

The mysterious practice of eternal youth, immortality and amplifying one's capabilities.

She could only read about those things in stories. Learning how to utilize her own internal energy for such purposes intrigued her, but Bao Li's words had dampened Li Meirong's enthusiasm.

"Endless hardships and untold dangers, practicing diligently, life threatening situations…" Good lord, she wanted none of those! Li Meirong decided to go on a safer journey, cultivating slowly by caring for the spirit beasts in the sect. Eventually she might be granted a manual book to learn step by step just like Bao Li did. Maybe she will even be able to prolong her life…

Those were her thoughts at that time. Now it seems, during her near death experience, that those powers others often told her of were finally discovered by her!

But...now she's stuck in an active volcano, how is she supposed to return to the surface?

Li Meirong lifted her arms with some hesitation, noticing no fluctuation in her "blue fire shield" as she moved her arms into a swimmer's position.

It didn't help, she was unable to "swim" her way to the surface. Her body felt too heavy, she slowly drifted lower still towards the bottom of the volcano.

Suddenly, an inexplicably soft and gentle female voice resonated as she floated downwards by the lava. After five years in this world, Li Meirong no longer took any voices in her head for granted, or as some form of illusion.

She concentrated carefully, trying to make sense of what the voice was saying.

The soft voice was ever so sweet. An image of a demure, shy little girl could be fitting such a song-like sound. Is it possible that the volcano was speaking to her?

'....upid…'

'supid….'

'...So stupid….'

"..." Said Li Meirong.

She wanted to take back all her pleasant thoughts about the owner of this voice!

Impulsively, she ended up mumbling her thoughts out loud, "Did I do something to offend this volcano?"

The cute, girly voice grew clearer than before and in an obviously annoyed tone it answered, 'Who are you calling a volcano?! So stupid. Stupid stupid!'

Feeling offended, Li Meirong wanted to cry but had no tears to shed. Why is she getting cursed out after nearly dying?! It wasn't even certain if she could even make it out of here alive!

All at once, she saw the molten lava dissipate by a nearly translucent force field. She passed through the invisible hold preventing the lava from reaching the bottom of the volcano and her feet connected with the moist solid ground. The blue flames around her vanished as soon as she was safe from harm.

The bottom of the mountain was dark, wet and incredibly warm. It was an enclosed dwelling and the only light source was derived from the molten rock above her head.

Li Meirong looked up curiously. She saw the whole "ceiling" was covered by lava, unable to spill further.

"I erected a barrier, obviously. Don't tell me you've never seen one before?" The owner of the girly voice spoke directly behind Li Meirong's back. This time she heard her loud and clear.

Li Meirong turned around to greet the mysterious fairy residing inside the volcano.