(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 41

Jian Tongyao felt like a pervert abducting a cub. By her calculation, Qian Jiujiu had just entered the growth phase after sprouting her first tail feather. Only when she had five tail feathers would she be considered a fully grown phoenix.

“Dingding, how could I possibly lay a hand on her?”

“Hmm…”

As a single system, Dingding could not understand Jian Tongyao’s conflicted feelings. To compensate, it searched through hundreds of romance films to learn about the topic.

Jian Tongyao, still troubled over her impulsive kiss that had startled her little Jiu, hadn’t yet figured out how to comfort her when a flood of inappropriate sounds filled her mind.

“Dingding, what are you doing?”

“Watching movies.”

“…”

Apparently, Dingding had been corrupted by other systems as well. Jian Tongyao pressed her palm to her forehead.

“Turn it off.”

She noticed that her tone carried the authority of the Lingshen Sect’s mascot and softened her voice.

“Those are not suitable for minors. If you really want to watch something, go for Doraemon or Transformers.”

Dingding replied, “Oh. Xiao Jiu, someone is following us.”

“What?”

“Really.”

Jian Tongyao once again began to doubt reality. The truth was that with her current level of cultivation, which was only a step away from ascension, no one within hundreds of miles should have escaped her perception. Yet if Dingding hadn’t warned her, she would have remained unaware of the stalker.

“Dingding, are you sure the identity you gave me is that of a powerhouse?”

“Xiao Jiu, you’re amazing.”

She felt oddly comforted, like being praised by a child.

Pretending not to notice the follower, Jian Tongyao continued walking at an unhurried pace toward her destination. She assumed her little Jiu was still hiding out of embarrassment, since she hadn’t shown her face yet. After an incense stick’s time, a soft chirping sound came from her robes.

She opened her cloak and found her little Jiu fast asleep against her chest, making adorable chirping snores.

Jian Tongyao felt her blood drain away from sheer affection. She stood frozen, staring at her Seventh Sister’s sleeping face with the near-obsessive fascination of a lovesick fool. She ended up watching for half a day.

The stalker in the shadows could only think, “???”

After a full rotation, Qian Jiujiu’s claw pressed down on a soft cloud that felt as comfortable as the down bedding her master had made for her. She squinted and stepped on it a few times. The next second, her body lifted into the air. When she opened her eyes, she met Jian Tongyao’s plain but beautiful face.

“Jiu.”

Jian Tongyao was on the verge of collapse. Who could withstand being stepped on like that? Her stern expression could not hide the glimmer of affection in her eyes.

Qian Jiujiu tilted her head, looking completely lost.

Jian Tongyao hesitated between acting like a proper teacher or indulging her instincts, then sighed and gently smoothed down the tuft of feathers sticking up on Qian Jiujiu’s head.

“Jiu, hurry and grow up.”

Qian Jiujiu lowered her head and gently rubbed against her finger. She then climbed up and perched on her shoulder. Tilting her head curiously, she seemed to sense that her master looked somehow different from usual.

…

The Earthfire Core was located in a peculiar place, at the swirling center of the magma. Extracting even a single Fire Soul from the Earth Lotus was nearly impossible, and Jian Tongyao had spent most of her fortune to obtain one. Any small mistake would result in total failure.

As they approached Fire Lotus Mountain, Qian Jiujiu became uncontrollably excited. She flapped her radiant wings, preening before Jian Tongyao like a proud peacock.

“It seems you’re very pleased with this place.”

“Jiu.”

From afar, Fire Lotus Mountain resembled a giant blooming lotus. The constant eruptions of blazing fire had dyed the surrounding rocks a strange shade of red. The only way to reach the magma was through the lotus’s heart. The mountain periodically entered dormant phases, but unfortunately, this was its most active period.

A deafening roar followed.

The flames erupted like dazzling fireworks, exploding in midair as sparks rained across the ground. Even from the edge, both of them could feel the violent heatwave.

Qian Jiujiu moved through the fiery air as if swimming in water, requiring no protection from Jian Tongyao. She shot forward eagerly. Jian Tongyao, calm as ever, followed with the Soul-Cutting Umbrella. Whoever had repaired it had done an excellent job. Not a single spark touched her.

After crossing several layers of barriers, she gazed at the roaring sea of magma and frowned slightly. Soon, she spotted her little Jiu darting joyfully through the air.

“This place is perfect for your training.”

Qian Jiujiu glided over the molten river like a red petal on the ocean. Her crimson feathers blended so seamlessly with the magma that she nearly vanished from sight. As she hovered above, a sudden wave of lava surged, almost swallowing her whole. Seeing her master watching from the shore, she quickly flew back with a chirp.

“Master, Master.”

“Training must be done step by step. Do not rush. I’ll watch over you from here. Go ahead.”

Qian Jiujiu circled her master three times, brushing her with soft feathers in reluctant affection before flying off. Each time she turned back, Jian Tongyao remained seated cross-legged with the umbrella beside her, and only then did Qian Jiujiu relax.

In the past, when they trained separately, she saw the little golden dragon far more often than her master. Yet this time, having followed Jian Tongyao out of the mountain, she felt unwilling to be apart even for a moment.

“Xiao Jiu, the follower is still there.”

“I know.”

Jian Tongyao sat still and closed her eyes, releasing a thread of spiritual sense. She detected not only the immense fire energy beneath the magma but also a sneaky figure outside Fire Lotus Mountain. The person had a pointed face, a frail frame, and wrists like twigs. If she hadn’t already known that this man had been tailing them since Yunyan Sect, she might have dismissed him as harmless.

He seemed hesitant to step closer, perhaps intimidated by the heat or wary of being discovered. Occasionally, he glanced behind him as if waiting for someone.

Jian Tongyao chose not to alert him and left a fragment of her consciousness at the entrance. She then focused on watching her little Jiu. The magma’s fire energy was far more intense than that of any fire vein, mixed with an untamed ferocity. She knew well how brutal these fire spirits could be.

At first, Qian Jiujiu only dipped her claws near the surface. The magma was calm and silent, not even splashing a spark. She found a spot to rest, hovering with her claws barely touching the molten waves. The next second, a massive surge erupted, swallowing her whole.

Jian Tongyao paused. Should she intervene?

Before she could decide, Qian Jiujiu burst from the magma with a roar, launching several fireballs the size of her own body that exploded across the surface.

Dingding asked, “Xiao Jiu, should I help?”

“Dingding, you’re getting a little too confident.”

To avoid detection by the main system, Jian Tongyao had always kept their communication limited within a safe boundary. She never crossed the line.

“I can’t float anyway,” Dingding replied.

“…”

While they chatted, Qian Jiujiu clashed with the magma again and again. Her feathers were nearly singed, and if not for the defensive robe, she would have gone bald again.

Jian Tongyao rested her chin on her hand, watching her little Jiu battle the magma fiercely for months. From timid testing at the edges to soaring into the heart of the lava, Qian Jiujiu’s body endured tremendous trials. Her fifth tail feather was about to grow, and her once-red feathers now shimmered with a prismatic sheen.

“Her crest seems to be turning rainbow-colored.”

“Yes,” Dingding confirmed.

Jian Tongyao longed to reach out and touch it, but Qian Jiujiu was too focused on conquering the magma, diving again and again into the Earthfire Core. After several failed attempts, she only grew more determined.

“My Jiu is the most beautiful phoenix in the world. Even Ling Yan never had such markings.”

In the original world, Ling Yan had devoured Qian Jiujiu to fuse their bloodlines and gained that radiant seven-colored crown.

A sudden cry echoed through the mountain. A crimson phoenix dove into the magma, its five gleaming tail feathers tracing a graceful arc in the air before colliding fiercely with Qian Jiujiu.

Ling Yan.

Speak of the devil.

Jian Tongyao hadn’t expected to see her again after months apart. Fate, it seemed, had a sense of humor.

This time, Ling Yan had not only grown her fifth tail feather but had become more radiant and full-bodied. In contrast, her little Jiu looked scorched and worn from her fiery training.

It was a sight both pitiful and painful.

Before Jian Tongyao could act, the two phoenixes’ collision caused the magma to surge violently. The once-calm vortex at the heart of the mountain began to ripple, revealing the entrance to the Earthfire Core.

Ling Yan was preparing for Nirvana.

The realization struck Jian Tongyao. Seeing Ling Yan’s predatory gaze fixed on her little Jiu, she nearly laughed in anger.

“How bold of you, to use me as your stepping stone.”

“Xiao Jiu, someone has entered,” Dingding warned.

Jian Tongyao’s outer consciousness dissipated, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the Sect Leader of Yunyan Sect, Guan Tian, standing just three meters away. Though his hair was streaked with white, his face glowed with youthful vigor. He looked like a man about to celebrate a joyous occasion.

“Your Yunyan Sect certainly knows how to scheme. To think you’d appear at the last moment to steal the reward. Have you no shame?”

It wasn’t a serious matter in itself. After all, she hadn’t been the first to discover the magma’s fire energy.

However, for him to arrive just as her little Jiu was about to complete her fifth feather and at the very moment Ling Yan appeared, the timing was far too precise to be a coincidence.

She had planned to let her little Jiu finish cultivating here, to break through and begin Nirvana.

Now, someone else had cut in, and in the most despicable way possible.