Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition

The Papal bedroom was quiet.

The candles were still burning.

It was still dark outside.

Bibi Dong had fallen asleep.

She wasn't sleeping deeply, but she was definitely out. Her breathing was even, and her brow wasn't as furrowed as it had been last night.

The Little White Cat lay beside her pillow, purring softly. The purring only gradually stopped when the system notification sounded in his mind.

[ Ding! Main Quest One completed. ]

[ Quest: Help His Holiness the Pope sleep peacefully for two hours. ]

[ Evaluation: Excellent. ]

[ Rewards: Meow Wish Value ×50, Century Cultivation Card ×1, Innate Soul Skill: Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition. ]

The Little White Cat's eyes lit up as he looked at the three lines of information.

Success!

And he'd even received an excellent rating!

If he weren't in the Papal bedroom, with Bibi Dong sleeping right beside him, he would've already rolled onto his back to celebrate.

"System, you've shown a little conscience this time."

The Little White Cat praised it in his mind.

Then he immediately focused on the last reward.

Meow Wish Value—an old friend.

The Century Cultivation Card was easy enough to understand, too.

What really caught his attention was this innate Soul Skill he'd never seen before.

[Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition: Using the host's Soul Power, spiritual power, and a wisp of gentle Core Flame as a catalyst, the host can kindle a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat that shares his heart and mind.]

[Current Stage: Initial.]

[Current Limit: 1.]

[Requirements: Core Flame, a cat as the catalyst, sufficient Soul Power.]

[After successful Spirit Ignition, the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat can act independently, grow, and assist the host with some functions, including soothing, Scent Tracking, and shared perception.]

After reading it, the Little White Cat fell silent for two breaths.

Then he slowly lowered his head and looked at his own fluffy little belly.

He raised his head again.

Looked at the System Panel again.

At last, his tail gave a slight twitch, and his expression turned complicated.

"Wait."

"Kindle a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat?"

"Does that mean... this meow can make cats?"

At the thought, his eyes slowly widened.

Then he remembered his current status.

Newborn.

A male cat.

Bibi Dong had only found him last night.

If another kitten suddenly appeared beside him first thing this morning...

A crystal-clear thought popped into the Little White Cat's mind.

"Oh no."

"This is going to be hard to explain. QAQ."

Everything else would be easy enough to explain.

But this was just too outrageous.

A male cat who'd only been born a short while ago suddenly having a kitten appear beside him in the Papal bedroom in the middle of the night—if word got out, the Spirit Hall disciples wouldn't be the only ones stunned. Even the old men in the Worship Hall would probably fall silent for a moment.

Yue Guan would probably look at him differently after that.

Gui Mei wouldn't say anything on the surface, but there was a good chance he'd watch him a little longer from the shadows.

As for Bibi Dong...

"His Holiness the Pope wouldn't suspect this meow of having questionable morals, would she?"

"No, even if she did, I wouldn't be able to explain it."

"Could I really point at the System Panel and tell her this isn't my secret love child, but a functional member of the congregation?"

The more the Little White Cat thought about it, the more of a headache he got.

But as outrageous as it was, this Soul Skill was undeniably excellent.

Acting independently.

Growing.

Empathy.

Soothing.

Each of those features was appealing on its own.

Together, they weren't just appealing—they meant he'd have a lot less to worry about in the future.

He couldn't do everything himself.

Getting another cat, even if he could only get one for now, was already a huge step forward.

"Besides, this is the first congregant..."

"The Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect may be a slapdash operation for now, but even a slapdash sect needs a 'Congregant Number One' to feel legit."

At that thought, the Little White Cat quickly pushed his impending humiliation to the back of his mind.

As they say, just do it first.

He'd figure out how to explain it later.

There was always a way when you reached the mountain.

And if all else failed, he could play dead. ==

Once he'd made up his mind, the Little White Cat used the [Century Cultivation Card].

A stream of gentle Soul Power spread through his body.

From his limbs to his meridians and then to his spiritual sea, it was as if everything had been smoothed out anew.

The process didn't hurt. It actually felt wonderful.

By the time the warm current had completely faded, the Little White Cat's cultivation had steadily risen from the hundred-year level to two hundred years.

His body had grown a little, too.

He was still a cub.

Still a ball of white fur.

But he was noticeably sturdier than he'd been last night. At last, he no longer looked like a tiny kitten who'd be blown away by a gust of wind.

[ Cultivation: Two-Hundred-Year Soul Beast. ]

The Little White Cat nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the updated information on the System Panel.

"Not bad."

"I'm still weak, but at least I'm not the little loser from yesterday who could trip over flat ground."

After his cultivation had improved, he carefully climbed down from beside the pillow and jumped onto the long table in the outer room.

An unextinguished lamp stood on the table.

Its flame was small.

Steady.

Perfect for a Core Flame.

The Little White Cat stared at the lamp for a couple of seconds. Then he looked down at the fur on his chest and hesitated briefly before gritting his teeth and using his little paw to yank out a tuft.

"Ow..."

"It hurts, it hurts."

"Making a cat really isn't free, after all."

He grimaced for a moment before he finally recovered.

Then he activated [Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition].

Soul Power slowly flowed out.

His spiritual power stirred as well.

Guided by the system, they both settled onto the lamp flame.

The next moment.

The flame flickered slightly.

A wisp of golden-white fire, purer than the lamp's flame, was gently drawn out and landed on the tuft of white fur.

The flame was tiny.

It looked mild and warm.

Not fierce at all.

It even seemed a little docile.

Once the fire wrapped around the white fur, it didn't burn it to ash. Instead, the fur slowly curled in on itself, shrinking into a ball as its shape gradually began to change.

The Little White Cat's spirits shot up.

Here it comes.

It was really happening.

First came a pair of tiny ears.

Then a slender little tail.

Next came a round little head and four short paws.

The process wasn't particularly fast.

But it wasn't slow, either.

He could feel every change clearly, as though his Soul Power and spiritual power were slowly carving a new little life into the ball of fire.

The feeling was strange.

And wondrous.

It was like molding a cat figurine that could actually move, meow, and run.

The only problem was that the figurine was made from his own fur and Soul Power.

So for all the joy he felt, his heart was genuinely bleeding.

"This meow really went all out this time..."

"If the congregation keeps growing, the system had better give me some anti-hair-loss rewards. Otherwise, I'll go bald sooner or later."

A moment later.

The ball of fire flickered gently at last and settled completely on the tabletop.

Plop.

A kitten the size of a palm appeared beside the palace lamp.

Its fur was milky white.

But the tips of its ears and tail were tinged with the faintest gold-red.

A flame-shaped mark the size of a bean sat right in the middle of its forehead.

Its eyes were closed, and its body was still tiny. Two breaths later, it slowly opened them.

They were a pair of dewy, amber cat eyes.

"Meow?"

Its voice was soft and light.

The Little White Cat's tail shot up when he heard it.

Success!

It really worked!

The system notification appeared right on its heels.

[ Ding! Spirit Ignition successful. ]

[ Obtained: Sacred Flame Spirit Cat (Infant Stage) ]

[ Current Number: 1/1 ]

[ Initial Abilities: Empathy, Scent Tracking, Gentle Warmth. ]

[ Description: The host's first Sacred Flame Spirit Cat. It shares the host's heart and mind, is highly loyal, and can grow. ]

The Little White Cat looked down at the tiny newcomer on the table, feeling happier than ever.

It was still very small.

It didn't have much fighting power yet.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was—

From this moment on, he wasn't a lone cat in the struggle anymore.

If there was a first, there could be a second.

As long as he met the requirements and raised the Spirit Ignition limit in the future, the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect would eventually grow from a slapdash operation into an officially staffed organization.

At the thought, the Little White Cat couldn't help reaching out a paw to gently poke the little fellow on the head.

"Very good."

"From now on, you'll be my first follower."

"As for your name..."

Little White Cat thought it over seriously for two seconds.

"I'll call you Little Flame for now."

"Simple, easy to remember, and fitting."

"Mew?"

The little one tilted its head. It wasn't clear whether it understood, but it still came wobbling over on its unsteady little paws.

Then it bumped right into his front paw.

Soft.

Warm.

It even gave off a faint trace of heat—not enough to burn, more like a hand warmer someone had held for a while.

Little White Cat was even more pleased.

"Not bad."

"And the texture's great, too."

"If every cat in the sect is this high-quality, then I've got a bright future as its leader OvO."

But even as he enjoyed himself, he quickly remembered the most practical problem.

The explanation.

He'd created this cat.

But when Bibi Dong woke up, how was he supposed to explain it?

Little White Cat's good mood immediately plummeted halfway.

"I'm a male cat."

"I was only picked up last night."

"Now a whole night's passed, and there's a kitten beside the bed."

"No matter how you look at it, that's hard to explain, right?"

His mind had already started playing out some ridiculous scenes on its own.

For example, Yue Guan giving him a complicated look and saying, "Your Moon Spirit Cat clan... has a rather unusual way of reproducing."

Or Gui Mei standing silently off to the side, his expressionless face saying everything without a word.

And if Hu Liena ever found out, her expression would probably be even more entertaining.

"Seriously?"

"I'm this young, and I already have to take the blame for something I can't explain?"

"And the biggest problem is, I can't even speak human language!"

The more Little White Cat thought about it, the more he wanted to sigh.

Just then, the system helpfully displayed an explanation.

[The Sacred Flame Spirit Cat is, by nature, the host's follower, not the product of normal reproduction.]

[If a high-level expert investigates with spiritual power, they can recognize that it shares the host's origin.]

[If necessary, the host can temporarily return the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat to the Core Flame.]

Little White Cat first breathed a sigh of relief.

So it wasn't completely impossible to explain.

At least an expert could tell at a glance that Little Flame and he shared the same origin.

That meant, as long as Bibi Dong took a closer look, there was a good chance she wouldn't imagine anything weird.

But right after that, Little White Cat found himself reluctant to send Little Flame back.

His first follower, fresh off the press.

Still warm, too.

Sending it back already would be no fun.

Besides, Little Flame was really well-behaved.

At that moment, it was nestled against his paw, gazing up at him and giving a soft little "mew" every so often.

Who could bear to send it back after seeing that?

"Forget it."

"I'll leave it out for now."

"If I really can't explain things, I can always send it back later."

But just as Little White Cat made up his mind, Little Flame suddenly turned its head.

It looked toward the inner room.

More precisely, at the bed where Bibi Dong was sleeping.

The next moment,

it swished its little stubby tail and trotted into the inner room on its short legs.

Little White Cat froze.

"Wait."

"Where are you going?"

Little Flame didn't look back.

It kept going.

Little White Cat realized what was happening, and his expression changed slightly.

"Don't tell me..."

"You haven't even been on the job for a day, and you've already set your sights on the Pope's lap?"

Though, now that he thought about it...

It was entirely possible.

The system had said that Sacred Flame Spirit Cats could help calm the mind, and Bibi Dong was currently at her lowest point mentally.

For a little one like Little Flame, born with the qualities of "Gentle Warmth" and "calming the mind," approaching Bibi Dong was practically instinct.

With that thought, Little White Cat hurried after it.

When he reached the bed, Little Flame had already climbed onto it with practiced ease. It curled up by Bibi Dong's pillow, not far from where he'd been lying before.

As soon as it settled down, a little warmth slowly spread from its body.

Faint,

but steady.

The system notification sounded in sync.

[Beep. The Sacred Flame Spirit Cat's "Gentle Warmth" has taken effect.]

[Connection target detected: Bibi Dong.]

[Current sleep effect slightly increased.]

Little White Cat stood by the bed, staring in astonishment.

"Th-this works too?"

"This little one's already doing its own job on day one?"

After his brief surprise, a subtle feeling of pride rose in his heart.

Just as expected of a cat I chose.

It has the same good taste in powerful allies as me.

But even as he felt proud, he was still nervous.

Because the question was no longer, "Will anyone notice?"

It was, "When the Pope wakes up and sees that the number of cats by her bed has doubled overnight, how will she react?"

Just thinking about it made Little White Cat's scalp prickle.

He even began seriously considering whether he should send Little Flame back before Bibi Dong woke up.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, Bibi Dong stirred slightly in her sleep.

The next moment, her hand naturally came to rest on Little Flame's back, gently cupping it.

Little Flame immediately went still.

It curled up neatly.

Then it nuzzled into her palm on its own.

Little White Cat: "..."

This was bad.

Now there was no way he could send it back.

She was already petting it.

He couldn't exactly rush over and yank Little Flame away, could he?

That'd be asking for trouble.

Little White Cat silently curled up on the other side and watched them for a long while. In the end, all he could do was sigh to himself.

"Forget it."

"I'll take things as they come."

"If Her Holiness is in a good mood today, maybe she won't make a fuss."

"After all, she really did sleep much better than yesterday."

That thought helped Little White Cat feel a little more at ease.

Then he very seriously tried to communicate with Little Flame through Empathy.

Soon, a few simple emotions came back to him.

Warmth.

Comfort.

A desire to get closer.

And a little natural affection for "Little White Cat himself."

After sensing those feelings, Little White Cat thought for a moment, then gave it its first official command in his mind.

"Once she wakes up, behave."

"Don't run around."

"Don't make a fuss."

"And don't throw yourself at me like I'm your dad, got it?"

Little Flame lifted its head and looked at him.

"Mew."

It was only a soft little meow, but Little White Cat somehow felt that it understood.

Only then did he relax a little.

Time passed bit by bit.

The light outside the window slowly grew brighter.

Just then, the faintest footsteps sounded outside the hall.

They stopped at the door.

Then a low, steady female voice came through it.

"Your Holiness."

"Elder Ju and Elder Gui are waiting for your orders in the side hall."

Little White Cat's ears shot up.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei?

This early?

The next moment, every hair on his body stood on end.

This was it.

His humiliating moment was coming early!

If Bibi Dong woke up and went straight to meet Yue Guan and Gui Mei before he and Little Flame had sorted things out, the scene would be too awful to imagine.

"System."

"Can I still send Little Flame back now?"

The system responded calmly.

[Technically, yes.]

[However, the host has successfully established a Dual Cat Sleep Field. It is recommended that you maintain it.]

"..."

"Of course you recommend that."

"You're not the one who'll be humiliated."

But while Little White Cat frantically considered his options, Bibi Dong slowly opened her eyes.

She was awake.

Her first response wasn't wariness or restraint, but a brief moment of blankness.

She'd slept longer than she expected, and more peacefully, too.

The cold, restless agitation that had plagued her for so long hadn't disappeared completely, but at least most of it had been suppressed.

And with it, her mind felt much clearer than usual.

That had been exceedingly rare lately.

When she turned her head, the first thing she saw was the two cats beside her pillow.

One was white.

A milk-white one with a hint of gold and red.

She had already seen the bigger one last night.

But the little one had appeared out of nowhere this morning.

"..."

Bibi Dong's gaze slowly swept over the two cats.

Little White Cat held his breath on the spot.

Here it comes.

The moment of judgment.

He was even considering whether he should just collapse and pretend to faint.

But in the next moment, Bibi Dong simply reached out and gently scooped up Little Flame.

Little Flame was very well-behaved.

He didn't fuss when she picked him up. He just curled up in her palm, tiny as he was, like a warm little ball of fluff.

Seeing this, Little White Cat didn't dare move either. He could only sit stiffly where he was, doing his best to look like a well-behaved cat.

Bibi Dong lowered her eyes to the little one in her palm.

Then she looked at Little White Cat, who was clearly stiff beside her.

A wisp of faint mental power swept over him from her fingertips.

Little White Cat's heart gave a jolt.

I'm done for.

She's checking me.

But he soon realized that the wisp of mental power meant no harm. It seemed more like a simple probe.

A moment later, Bibi Dong withdrew her mental power.

She understood now.

The new little cat's aura came from the same source as the bigger cat's.

Their Soul Power origins, mental fluctuations, and even life rhythms were all clearly connected.

This wasn't some stray kitten from elsewhere.

And it wasn't an ordinary living creature.

It was a special companion spirit—or, in other words, some kind of split spirit produced overnight by this rare Soul Beast.

It was certainly unusual.

But not impossible to understand.

There were countless kinds of Soul Beasts, and anything could happen.

Especially with rare mental-type Soul Beasts, whose abilities often defied conventional understanding.

At that thought, Bibi Dong's gaze paused before settling on Little White Cat again.

"You certainly know how to add things to yourself."

Her voice was quiet.

It gave no hint of whether she was pleased or displeased.

But when Little White Cat heard her words, he was almost moved to tears on the spot.

She gets it!

She understands!

She didn't suspect anything weird!

Little White Cat immediately nodded furiously.

His head bobbed like a pecking chick.

That's right, this cat added it himself.

You can think of it as a Soul Skill—whatever works for you.

Watching his reaction, a faint trace of amusement flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes, rare as it was.

It was very faint.

Almost gone in an instant.

But it was there.

She didn't ask anything else. She simply set Little Flame back on the bed, then rose and got out of it.

The female official was still waiting quietly outside.

Bibi Dong put on her robe, her voice returning to its usual coolness.

"Let them wait."

The female official outside immediately answered.

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong paused, then added calmly,

"Have some warm milk and minced meat brought over as well."

There was a brief silence outside the door.

The female official probably hadn't expected to hear such an order from the Pope.

But she quickly collected herself.

"Yes."

Her footsteps receded into the distance.

The bedchamber fell quiet again.

When Little White Cat heard the words "milk and minced meat," his eyes lit up.

There's food!

No, that's not the point right now.

The point is, I'm in the clear.

Not only was I not suspected of becoming a dad overnight, I even managed to get Little Flame some food.

At the thought, Little White Cat immediately relaxed.

His whole body loosened up.

But he'd barely let out half a breath of relief when Bibi Dong's next words made him tense up again.

She looked at the two cats on the bed, her tone flat.

"Since you're the one who brought him into being, keep an eye on him yourself."

With that, she reached out.

She picked up Little White Cat with one hand.

With the other, she scooped up Little Flame.

Her movements were still a little clumsy.

But steady.

When Little White Cat was picked up, he froze in bewilderment.

Wait.

What are you doing?

The next moment, the hall doors opened.

Morning light spilled in.

Holding the big and little cats, Bibi Dong headed straight for the outer hall.

Little White Cat went rigid on the spot.

Seriously?

You're taking us to meet Yue Guan and Gui Mei?

Your Holiness the Pope, you might not think this is a big deal, but right now I really look like a tomcat who became a dad a few hours ago and is dying of embarrassment!!!

Little Flame, in her arms, wasn't worried at all.

He even shifted into a more comfortable position, snuggling in more securely.

Little White Cat lowered his head to look at him, barely resisting the urge to smack him on the forehead with his paw.

You really don't have a care in the world.

I'm about to face the gaze of two Titled Douluo.

Do you know what that means?

It means a spectacularly embarrassing scene is about to unfold!

Unfortunately, Little Flame didn't understand his complicated feelings at all. He just looked up and mewed at him.

Soft and innocent.

That one little mew dispelled what little anger Little White Cat had left.

Forget it.

I'm the one who brought this cat into the world.

I'll just have to carry him, even if I have to do it on my knees.

Just as he resigned himself to his fate, the system promptly displayed a new notice in his mind.

[Beep. The host has gained the first Holy Fire Follower.]

[Side quest unlocked: Cat Sect Founding.]

[Current objective: Find a stable place for the first follower to stay within Spirit Hall.]

[Reward: Meow Wish Value ×20.]

Little White Cat's mouth twitched as he looked at the side quest notice.

Great.

I'd only just latched onto a powerful backer last night.

And this morning I'm already being put in charge of sect affairs.

This system really does think I'm the sect leader.

But when he thought about it, the reward wasn't bad.

Besides, finding Little Flame a stable place to stay in Spirit Hall was bound to happen sooner or later.

He couldn't keep letting him follow Bibi Dong and himself around everywhere.

At this rate, in a few days the entire Pope's Palace might start wondering—

Had Her Holiness the Pope brought back a cat last night, or a whole litter?

At the thought, Little White Cat quietly tucked his head down.

He could already picture the expressions Yue Guan and Gui Mei would make when they saw him with Little Flame.

Forget it.

When the soldiers come, I'll hold them off; when the water comes, I'll block it with earth.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, everyone else will be.

...That's easy to say, but when the time comes, I'll probably still want to crawl under the bed and hide, QAQ.

Up ahead,

they had reached the side hall.