### Chapter 250
**Mystical Art: Dawn Fire**
Eivass’s scream suddenly awakened Lily.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw golden-red flames engulfing Eivass.
Startled, she immediately tried to approach him.
But the intense heat radiating from Eivass caused all the paper letters in the room to ignite. The surging heat was like a storm—just opening her eyes felt like her eyeballs were being scorched by intense pain.
Fortunately, it was only for an instant before Eivass reacted on his own.
He endured the searing pain and closed the book, the flames on his body dissipating like a snuffed alcohol lamp.
Correspondingly, a golden radiance, like the dawn, immediately emanated from Eivass.
His burned body healed at a visible pace. His newly formed skin became smoother, his new eyeballs clearer and brighter… Even his burning hair extinguished its flames, grew back rapidly, becoming longer and more lustrous.
The only issue was that his clothes had been completely burned away, and the originally date-red chair beneath him was scorched black.
The papers in the room were still burning—Lily, to prevent a fire, flicked her fingers, causing countless gray threads to emerge from the void and shatter the flames along with the paper.
“—What happened?”
Less than ten seconds later, a stern-faced Lixia burst in.
She looked at the completely naked Eivass without any signs of shyness. Instead, like a doctor, she asked earnestly and meticulously, “Were you backlashed by the Grimoire?”
“…Perhaps.”
A hint of lingering shock was in Eivass’s eyes. “This book is quite ruthless. It’s the first time I’ve failed to read it…”
The searing pain on his flesh still left him covered in cold sweat.
Lixia examined Eivass carefully before proposing, “What if you didn’t actually fail?”
Eivass paused slightly at her words.
He suddenly remembered that Madam Maya had indeed said… this was her “favorite Grimoire.”
The inheritance of a Grimoire was a one-time event, and the power contained within it also had a “cooldown period” for natural recovery. After accepting the inheritance, it would temporarily become an ordinary book. Furthermore, even if it recovered into a Grimoire, someone who had already accepted an inheritance could not accept it a second time, only able to read it as a storybook.
…If that were the case, was Maya’s fondness for its story?
Unlikely.
While the story within this book, though interesting, was just that. There were no particularly moving plots or surprising twists. Maya had limited time; there was no reason for her to read it frequently.
Unless what she wanted was the effect of “failed reading.”
Madam Maya was at least Third Tier, possibly Fourth Tier. If this book could only be read normally by those below Third Tier, then she, like Eivass, should not be able to read it. The reaction might even be more intense.
But…
Eivass looked down at his arms.
He clearly felt that the definition of his muscles had faded to almost nothing, yet his body had become more powerful.
It was like the body accustomed to air-conditioned rooms always having a chill; after a period of exercise, the body would be filled with a kind of warmth—Eivass’s body was originally warm, but now it had become warmer, even hotter.
The results of training were internalized, giving Eivass room to retrain—like reaching max level, breaking the level cap, and reincarnating to level one with stats.
Eivass hadn’t exercised much for months before, and his body felt somewhat stiff. Although Isabel had seen some muscle on him before, that was mainly due to the optimization and modification of his body by “Flesh Sacrifice” after advancement.
Before that, due to prolonged sitting in a wheelchair, Eivass had developed a slight paunch. Even though “Flesh Sacrifice” had beautified Eivass’s appearance, and even though his Third Tier extraordinary power had strengthened his body, Eivass still felt his desire for exercise had significantly diminished.
But now, it was different. He felt his body filled with explosive power, even excited to the point of wanting to run.
Eivass’s skin had also become fairer and more delicate, as if it were glowing; even the quality of his hair had noticeably improved.
It was as if after being burned by those flames, the impurities and ailments within his body had been swept away—
It was like receiving a very powerful Illuminate Spell, dispelling the injuries within his body; or like undergoing a complete Fire Worship Ritual, recovering to peak condition. The only difference was that the Candlemaster’s methods were very gentle, while the Xi Tian Si’s methods were so painful that Eivass still felt a chill, and cold sweat would break out on his back just thinking about it.
…But considering it, Bishop Mathers was already forty-six this year. Madam Maya’s age was probably not young either.
Yet she looked like she was in her early twenties… Even though Fire Worship Magic would restore one’s mindset to a youthful state, her results were remarkable. Eivass had originally thought this was because Maya possessed very powerful and proficient Fire Worship Magic, or that her Path Trait was related to it.
As a result…
“…Could she be using the punishment for failing to read this Grimoire as a beauty treatment?”
Eivass’s expression was complex.
It wasn’t impossible…
At the cost of enduring the pain of every inch of skin, organ, and sensory faculty being roasted by flames—enduring for about a few seconds, to restore a forty or fifty-year-old body to its late teens or early twenties, restoring energy and vitality to peak levels, and beautifying body details.
For most women… no, for most people who were a bit older, this would surely be a worthwhile exchange.
He subconsciously looked at Lixia. “Did you… not use this book before?”
When Maya made excuses before, she had mentioned Meg. As fellow teachers at the Royal Law University, who had been here for so many years, they were evidently acquainted.
“I know it, ‘Grimoire of the Morning Crow’.”
Lixia spoke without even looking—of course, at her height, she couldn’t see it anyway. “But I can’t read it.
“Reading this book requires a lot of Life force. ‘Illuminate’ doesn’t replenish Life force; only ‘Fire Worship’ can. And I have absolutely no adaptability for the Path of Devotion, so I can’t read it at all.”
Indeed.
Contrary to the excitement in his body, Eivass felt his Life force had been significantly depleted… similar to the emptiness he felt before when summoned as a sacrifice for the Shadow Demon. After being hit by the Three-legged Crow Headmud Truck, Eivass had nearly half his Life force burned away by the Morning Crow’s fire.
Such a depletion of Life force would require over a week of recuperation even for a Third Tier Extraordinary, and without proper rest, it could even lead to noticeable symptoms of premature aging.
For those who could not use Fire Worship Magic, this could be considered an instantaneous burst of health and vitality at the cost of life; but for priests, the value of this book was incredibly high.
Eivass speculated that Maya’s youthful appearance might even be maintained by this book.
This was too precious—it would be one thing if he had saved her life. But he hadn’t done anything.
This made Eivass hesitant to accept it.
“I’ll rest for a few days and try reading it again,” Eivass decided. “If I still can’t read it then, I’ll return it to her.”
“You want to learn Dawn Fire?”
Lixia raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a bit too late?”
“You know the Mystical Art within?”
Eivass was somewhat surprised. “Did Madam Maya learn it already?”
“No,” Lixia replied. “She was too strong when she obtained this book. But her daughter—that girl named Viviane learned it.”
“Viviane…”
“Yes. Dawn Fire is easier to learn when one is weaker. One must consciously endure the sensation of being burned by flames to finish reading the book to learn it. Because Dawn Fire, to some extent, conflicts with Illuminate and Fire Worship.”
Lixia comforted him. “If you ask me, Candlemaster’s ‘Illuminate’ and ‘Fire Worship’ you have are more practical.
“‘Dawn Fire’ is that feeling you just experienced—channeling the fire of the Xi Tian Si to ignite oneself, causing one’s Life force to burn uncontrollably, releasing unparalleled powerful strength. Whether healing others, burning others, or purifying souls, it unleashes much greater power than before… The only problem is that this burning cannot be stopped or interrupted.
“Once you start burning, you’ll be reduced to a near-death state by the Morning Crow’s fire within a few seconds. After reaching this near-death state, you will then rapidly recover to the condition before activating ‘Dawn Fire,’ but your Life force will have been irreversibly depleted in the process. And the stronger your Life force and body, the hotter and more toxic this flame becomes.”
Eivass mused.
…Simply put, it’s a “burning blood” burst state, right? And after the burst, there’s only a brief, dangerous near-death moment before quickly recovering to health.
That should actually be quite useful.
He immediately thought of a way to use this mystical art—
“Then if my Life force can recover quickly, recovering faster than it burns, wouldn’t I be able to sustain the burning of Dawn Fire indefinitely?”
Eivass asked. “Wouldn’t that mean I could gain the power of the Xi Tian Si?”
Lixia’s expression became peculiar.
She patted Eivass’s thigh, producing a crisp sound.
“No, child? Doesn’t it hurt? What dream are you having?”
“…Oh, right.”
Eivass came to his senses.
The cost-effectiveness of this burst skill was indeed very high, even worth building a dedicated skill set around it. As long as one could continuously heal rapidly or replenish Life force periodically, this technique could serve as the core of a system.
But Eivass was a bit afraid of pain.
It was so excruciatingly painful that Eivass’s mind had gone blank, unable to maintain thought.
Then he would have to find another way…
“Then, if I could gain a lot of resistance to fire damage, could that weaken the damage of this flame?”
He proposed another possibility.
Lixia thought for a moment. “That’s possible. But it’s not worth it—as far as I know, to gain effective resistance to Dawn Fire, you’d need at least a Gold Tier Slot Path Trait. It would be better to choose one that suits you.
“Unless you can only choose this Gold Tier Slot, then you can try reading the book later. But don’t read it first and then look for the corresponding slot; that’s not cost-effective.”
“Indeed…” Eivass agreed with a nod.
As expected of an elder, her experience was profound.
“Put on your clothes first, Young Master. It’s a bit cold,” Lily said, bringing the clothes she had found and preparing to help Eivass dress—fortunately, they hadn’t been burned in the flames.
“It’s alright, I’m not cold…”
Eivass said casually, but he still reached out to put on his clothes. After all, looking at Lixia like this, although Lixia showed no reaction, he still felt somewhat ashamed…
As he was dressing, the Flame Butterfly that had been quietly perched on his shoulder flew up.
Seeing it, Eivass’s action of putting on his jacket paused.
He gazed at the fluttering Flame Butterfly, lost in thought.
…Right.
Phantom Demons have no nerves, meaning they don’t feel pain.
Flame Butterflies can be reborn. They can be summoned and reborn once every day… not afraid of being burned to death, or being killed in a near-death state by others. They could even activate Dawn Fire and detonate themselves.
It would be like a “hatching explosion.”
And as a fire-attribute Phantom Demon, its basic flame resistance might also be high…
The Flame Butterfly looked at Eivass in confusion:?
Eivass quickly made up his mind, smiled at her, and nodded with a gentle, harmless expression.
“Do you like reading?”
He asked softly.
The Flame Butterfly continued to flutter in even greater confusion:？？
Lixia reacted immediately and asked with interest, “How did it answer?”
“She said she likes it.”
Eivass replied.
The Flame Butterfly:？？？
I didn’t, I didn’t say anything!
Update complete!
Thank you, Heaven’s Bestowment, for the generous gift for the Lord. Thank you, great one!
