Flaming Flowers were a relatively common plant on the Teyvat continent. During their growth stage, they would periodically release intense flames to drive away enemies as a means of defense.
Only by using Hydro or Cryo elements to extinguish them could the stamen be safely harvested.
The stamen could be used for alchemy synthesis or as medicine. Because even after being extinguished with water, the stamen of a Flaming Flower would still faintly release heat. If consumed, one could easily get burned if not careful.
Therefore, Flaming Flowers held a relatively safe status in Teyvat. As long as one did not encounter herbalists or alchemists, ordinary people would not deliberately gather Flaming Flowers.
However, today, the Flaming Flower clan had encountered a natural predator.
A tender, white little hand grabbed the stem of a Flaming Flower and snapped it directly.
Phenex picked up the Flaming Flower and brought it close to his eyes, tilting his head to observe it carefully.
After observing, Phenex directly took a bite of the stamen. The texture was not good, but the rich Pyro element it contained satisfied Phenex, a being born from lava.
In the mountains, time passed without notice. Phenex did not know how many days and nights had passed since he walked out of the forbidden land, but his consciousness was no longer as ignorant as when he had just been born.
During this time, Phenex used his own eyes to observe the things around him. When thirsty, he drank from mountain springs; when hungry, he chewed Flaming Flowers or gnawed on Pyro Slimes raw.
Phenex did not understand where these two concepts of thirst and hunger came from. Clearly, in the knowledge he was born with, he knew he could continue surviving without eating or drinking.
But since he felt thirsty and hungry, Phenex taught himself to eat and drink.
It was just that when eating, Phenex always felt a sense of dissonance with the food he ate. Clearly, in his cognition, these "foods" rich in Pyro elements were what he needed.
After finishing his "lunch," Phenex stood up.
He had to go outside and take a look.
This thought appeared in Phenex's mind.
He had no choice but to leave. The Sweet Flowers, Flaming Flowers, and Pyro Slimes in this area had almost been eaten clean by Phenex.
Sweet Flowers and Flaming Flowers were plants and took time to grow, while Pyro Slimes…
Phenex did not understand. Because some Pyro Slimes turned to ash the instant he touched them and could not be eaten at all, the Pyro Slimes that Phenex could eat decreased with every one he consumed.
Now, all the Pyro Slimes in the area turned to ash the moment Phenex touched them.
This directly caused the nearby Flaming Flowers to disappear at a visible speed.
Clearly, this place was right next to Phenex's birthplace, with exposed lava in the air and abundant Pyro elements the perfect place for Flaming Flowers to grow.
Yet the Flaming Flowers had nearly gone extinct in this location…
And so, the future renowned God of Nirvana had to leave his home because of a lack of food.
Phenex flapped his still-immature small flaming wings and left the place where he had grown up.
He had not gone far when an arrow infused with Cryo elements shot toward Phenex.
However, the archer's aim was poor, and it brushed right past Phenex's side.
Even so, this action angered Phenex.
He lowered his head and saw several Hilichurl Archers still aiming at him, while Hilichurls and Hilichurl Berserkers on the ground were standing there provoking him.
It seemed these Hilichurls had taken him for prey.
He just didn't know whether these Hilichurls understood the principle that hunters must be prepared to become prey themselves.
Phenex aimed at the center of the Hilichurl camp. His pupils turned into crosshairs, fierce flames ignited on his hand, and he threw a punch.
A towering pillar of fire rose. All the Hilichurls in the camp had no ability to resist and were burned to ash by Phenex in mere seconds.
In the entire camp, only one iron pot remained intact.
This iron pot had survived because the Hilichurls had originally been boiling soup.
And the originally full pot of soup, after enduring those few seconds of flame area attack, now had only a little left.
After dealing with the Hilichurls, Phenex turned to leave.
However, at that moment, the soup in the iron pot released a fragrant aroma that drifted to the tip of Phenex's nose.
Smelling this scent, Phenex decided to drink the soup before leaving.
After one mouthful of soup, Phenex felt like he had finally eaten normal food.
Thus, Phenex decided he wanted to master the method of making this soup.
But after scanning the now-empty camp with no "people" left, Phenex fell into thought.
However, this did not stump Phenex. He swept his gaze around and spotted a bird's nest on a tree not far away, his eyes immediately lighting up.
Phenex whistled. The bird in the nest poked its head out, then flew onto Phenex's arm.
Phenex looked into the bird's eyes, and the bird's memories of the past few days were shared into Phenex's mind.
Phenex successfully obtained the soup recipe from the bird's memories. Full of enthusiasm, he gathered various ingredients from the camp, only to discover he was still missing one type of meat.
The Hilichurls had used poultry and boar meat, but Phenex did not know that.
So Phenex directly assumed any kind of meat would work.
Eager to eat a hot meal, Phenex made a decisive move. He flew straight into the sky and began hunting with the advantage of being able to fly.
He had not gone far when Phenex spotted a decent but strange prey.
Decent, because the opponent's body was very large and its meat looked firm clearly delicious at a glance. Strange, because the prey was currently madly smashing its head against the mountain wall.
Would eating something like this not make one drool? Such a thought inexplicably rose in Phenex's mind.
But soon, the craving for normal food overpowered that thought. Phenex acted without hesitation.
His flaming wings flapped. His small body suddenly accelerated.
A phoenix cry rang out. Phenex, burning with fierce flames all over, transformed into a fire phoenix and kicked toward the giant beast before him. Two completely disproportionate figures collided.
In an instant, the giant beast suffered a heavy blow. Its large mouth opened, spitting out a blue circular object, then collapsed to the ground unconscious. The spot where it had been hit was pitch black, and waves of savory aroma drifted out.
Clearly, it was done for. And the merciful Phenex decided to send the opponent to its burial in his own stomach.
However, when Phenex tried to carry away his prey, he discovered a serious problem…
His strength was insufficient to move the prey.
Angry, Phenex slammed the giant beast's tail onto the ground. His delicate little face turned red from using too much force.
Phenex directly hurled out a fire phoenix even larger than the giant beast, burning the monster bones and flesh alike into ash.
He crossed his arms, pouting with a sullen face.
Suddenly, Phenex's eyes lit up. He seemed to have seen the monster spit something out earlier.
That blue circular object boiling it should be edible too, right?