Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition

# Chapter 4: Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition

The Pope's bedchamber was very quiet.

The candle flames had not been extinguished.

Outside the window, the sky had not yet brightened.

Bibi Dong was asleep.

Not deeply asleep, but she had indeed fallen asleep, her breathing steady, her brow no longer as tightly furrowed as it had been last night.

The Little White Cat lay by her pillow, purring softly, until the system notification sounded in his mind, slowly coming to a stop.

[Ding, Main Quest One completed.]
[Quest content: Please allow Her Holiness the Pope to sleep peacefully for two hours.]
[Quest evaluation: Excellent.]
[Reward: Meow Wish Value ×50, Century Cultivation Card ×1, Talent Spirit Skill: Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition.]

Looking at these three lines of information, the Little White Cat's eyes lit up instantly.

Success!

And with an Excellent evaluation at that!

If he weren't still in the Pope's bedchamber, with Bibi Dong sleeping right beside him, he would have already wanted to roll over and show his belly to celebrate right there.

"System, you actually have some conscience this time."

The Little White Cat praised inwardly.

Then he immediately focused his attention on the final reward.

Meow Wish Value, an old acquaintance.

Century Cultivation Card, easy enough to understand.

What truly caught his interest was this Talent Spirit Skill appearing for the first time.

[Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition: Using the host's spirit power, mental energy, and a wisp of gentle flame as a catalyst, a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat can be awakened that shares a spiritual connection with the host.]
[Current stage: Initial.]
[Current limit: 1.]
[Ignition conditions: Flame, feline catalyst, sufficient spirit power.]
[Upon successful ignition, the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat can act independently, can grow, and can assist the host with functions such as calming the mind, scent tracking, and sensory sharing.]

After reading this, the Little White Cat was silent for two breaths.

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

Then looked up again.

Looked at the system panel once more.

Finally, his tail gave a slight flick, and his entire cat's expression grew complicated.

"Wait."

"Awaken a Sacred Flame Spirit Cat?"

"Does this mean... This Seat can create a cat?"

Thinking this, his eyes gradually widened.

Then thinking about his current identity.

Newborn.

Male cat.

Only picked up by Bibi Dong last night.

If a little cat suddenly appeared beside him this morning...

The Little White Cat's mind immediately conjured an extremely clear thought.

"Bad."

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

Other things could be managed.

But this matter was absurdly beyond the scope.

A male cat that had just been born not long ago, somehow producing a little cat in the Pope's bedchamber in the middle of the night—if this information ever got out, never mind the Martial Soul Hall disciples, even the old men of the Worship Hall would probably fall silent for a moment.

By then, even Yue Guan's gaze toward him would probably change.

Ghost wouldn't say anything on the surface, but he'd most likely stand in the shadows and take a few extra looks at him.

As for Bibi Dong...

"Her Holiness the Pope shouldn't suspect This Seat of having conduct issues, right?"

"No, even if she suspects, I can't explain it."

"I can't just point at the system panel and tell her, 'This isn't this cat's illegitimate child, it's a functional follower,' can I?"

The more Little White Cat thought about it, the bigger his headache grew.

But headache aside, the soul skills were genuinely good soul skills—that was beyond doubt.

Independent action.

Growth.

Empathy.

Calm the mind.

Each of these words alone was tempting.

Put together, it wasn't a question of whether they were tempting or not—it was about saving a lot of worry in the future.

He couldn't handle everything himself.

Being able to have one more cat, even if it was just one more for now, was already a huge step forward.

"And besides, this is the very first follower..."

"The Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect might still be a makeshift operation, but no matter how makeshift, it needs a 'Follower Number One' to look proper."

Thinking this, Little White Cat quickly suppressed that little bit of "social death crisis" for now.

Back to the same old line.

Build first, talk later.

As for how to explain...

The cart will find its way around the mountain when it gets there.

If all else fails, playing dead works too==

Having made his decision, Little White Cat first used that [Century Cultivation Card].

A gentle surge of soul power spread through his body.

From his limbs to his meridians, and then to his spiritual sea, everything felt like it had been combed through anew.

The process wasn't painful; in fact, it was quite comfortable.

By the time that warm current had completely dissipated, Little White Cat's cultivation had steadily stepped from its original century-level into two centuries.

His body also grew a small circle larger.

Still a cub.

Still a ball of white fur.

But he looked noticeably more "solid" than last night, no longer like a tiny kitten that a gust of wind could blow away.

[Cultivation: Two-hundred-year soul beast.]

Looking at the refreshed information on the system panel, Little White Cat nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"Still weak, but at least I'm not that pathetic little thing who could trip on flat ground yesterday."

After finishing his cultivation boost, he quietly climbed down from beside the pillow and jumped onto the long table in the outer room.

On the table sat a lamp that hadn't been extinguished.

The flame was small.

Very steady.

Perfect for using as a fire source.

Little White Cat stared at the lamp for a couple of glances, then looked down at the fur on his own chest. After a brief moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and reached out a small claw, ruthlessly plucking off a tiny tuft.

"Hiss..."

"Ow, ow, ow."

"So making a cat isn't a freebie after all."

He bared his teeth and winced for a moment before recovering.

Then he activated [Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition].

Soul power flowed out slowly.

His mental energy was also mobilized.

Guided by the system, both converged onto the lamp flame.

The next moment.

The flame trembled slightly.

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

The flame was small.

It looked gentle and slow.

Not fierce at all.

Almost obedient.

The white fur, wrapped in flames, didn't burn to ash. Instead, it curled up bit by bit, shrinking into a ball, and began to slowly change shape.

Little White Cat's spirits lifted instantly.

Here it comes.

It was really coming.

First, a pair of tiny ears.

Then a slender little tail.

Next came a round little head and four short paws.

The whole process wasn't fast.

But it wasn't slow either.

With every step of the change, he could sense it clearly, as if his soul force and spiritual power were slowly "carving" a new little life into that flame.

This feeling was strange.

And also wondrous.

Like molding a cat figurine that could actually move, meow, and run.

The only problem was that this figurine had to use his own fur and soul force as materials.

So while joy was joy, his heart was truly bleeding.

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

"If the followers keep growing, the system better give me some anti-baldness rewards, or I'll go bald sooner or later."

A moment later.

The ball of fire finally trembled lightly and landed fully on the table.

Pat.

A palm-sized kitten appeared beside the palace lantern.

Milk-white fur.

But the tips of its ears and tail were tinged with a faint golden-red.

On the center of its forehead was a flame pattern the size of a bean.

Its eyes were closed, its body still small. After two breaths, it slowly opened its eyes.

A pair of wet, amber cat pupils.

"Mew?"

The sound was soft and gentle.

Little White Cat's tail twitched up at the sound.

It worked!

It really worked!

The system notification followed right after.

[Ding, Soul Ignition successful.]

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

[Current Count: 1/1]

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

[Note: The host's first Sacred Flame Spirit Cat. Shares the host's heart and mind, extremely loyal, can grow.]

Little White Cat looked down at the newborn little one on the table, feeling an incredible surge of happiness.

Though it was still small.

Though it had little combat power for now.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was—

From this moment on, he was no longer fighting alone as a cat.

With the first one, there would be a second.

As long as conditions were met in the future and the Soul Ignition limit increased, the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect would eventually upgrade from a makeshift troupe to a formal organization.

Thinking this, Little White Cat couldn't help but reach out a paw and gently poke the little one's head.

"Excellent."

"From now on, you are This Cat's very first disciple."

"As for a name..."

Little White Cat thought it over seriously for two seconds.

"Let's just call you Little Flame for now."

"Simple, easy to remember, and fitting."

"Mew?"

The little one tilted its head, not sure if it understood, but still wobbled over on unsteady little paws.

Then it bumped right into the edge of his front paw.

Soft and fluffy.

Warm and cozy.

Carrying a faint trace of heat, not scalding, more like a hand warmer that had been held for a while.

Little White Cat grew even more satisfied.

"Not bad."

"The feel is good too."

"If every cat in the sect has this quality from now on, then This Cat's future as sect leader is bright OvO."

But joy aside, he soon remembered the most practical issue.

The explanation.

This cat had been created.

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

Little White Cat's good mood dropped by half again.

"This Cat is a male cat."

"I was just picked up last night."

"Now, after one night, there's a kitten by the bed."

"No matter how you look at it, this is hard to explain, right?"

His mind even started playing out some absurd scenarios.

Like Yue Guan looking at him with a complicated expression and saying, "The reproduction methods of your Moon Spirit Cat clan... are quite unique."

Or Ghost standing expressionlessly to the side, saying nothing, but the silence itself saying everything.

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

"No way."

"I'm still this young, and I have to carry this kind of unexplainable burden?"

"And the key point is, This Cat can't even speak human language!"

Little White Cat sighed more and more as he thought.

Just then, the system helpfully popped up a notification.

[The Sacred Flame Spirit Cat is essentially the host's familiar, not a product of normal reproduction.]

[High-level experts who probe with spiritual power can recognize its origin as the same as the host's.]

[When necessary, the host can temporarily recall the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat into the flame seed.]

Seeing this, Little White Cat first breathed a sigh of relief.

So it wasn't completely inexplicable.

At least if an expert probed, they could tell Little Flame and he shared the same origin.

That way, as long as Bibi Dong was willing to look closely, she probably wouldn't jump to any strange conclusions.

But right after, Little White Cat felt a bit reluctant to recall Little Flame.

His very first disciple, just created.

Still fresh and new.

Recalling it now would be no fun.

Besides, Little Flame was really well-behaved.

Right now, it was nuzzling against his paw, looking up at him with its little face, occasionally letting out a soft "mew."

Who could bear to recall it looking like that?

"Forget it."

"Let it stay outside for now."

"If I really can't explain it clearly, I can always take it back in time."

Yet, no sooner had Little White Cat made this decision than Little Flame suddenly turned its head.

It looked toward the inner room.

To be precise, it looked toward the bed where Bibi Dong was sleeping.

The next moment.

It actually wagged its short little tail, trotted on its stubby legs, and headed straight into the inner room.

Little White Cat froze for a second.

"Wait."

"Where are you going?"

Little Flame didn't look back.

It kept walking forward.

Little White Cat snapped to attention in an instant, his expression shifting slightly.

"No way?"

"You're not telling me that on your very first day on the job, you've already set your sights on the Pope's thigh, are you?"

But honestly.

It was possible.

The system had said before that the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat had the ability to aid in calming the mind, and right now, Bibi Dong was in her worst mental state.

For a little creature like Little Flame, born with the attributes of "Gentle Warmth" and "Calming the Mind," getting close to Bibi Dong was practically instinct.

Thinking this, Little White Cat hurriedly followed.

But when he caught up to the bedside, Little Flame had already nimbly climbed onto the bed, curling up by Bibi Dong's pillow, in almost the exact same spot he had been lying before.

And as soon as it settled down, the faint warmth on its body slowly spread outward.

Very subtle.

Yet very steady.

The system prompt chimed in unison.

[ Ding, Sacred Flame Spirit Cat's "Gentle Warmth" has taken effect. ]

[ Binding target detected: Bibi Dong. ]

[ Current sleep-enhancing effect slightly increased. ]

Little White Cat stood by the bed, staring blankly.

"It... it can do that?"

"This little one started working on its own on the very first day?"

After a brief shock, a faint, subtle sense of relief actually rose in his heart.

As expected of a cat I picked out.

Its taste in choosing a thigh to latch onto is just as good as mine.

But relief aside, tension was still tension.

Because the problem now wasn't "whether it would be discovered."

It was "when she wakes up, how will Her Holiness the Pope react to seeing that her bedside has gone from one cat to two cats overnight?"

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

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

But the moment he thought that, Bibi Dong stirred slightly in her sleep.

The next second, her hand naturally fell onto Little Flame's back, gently cupping it.

Little Flame immediately froze.

It curled up perfectly still.

And even actively nuzzled into her palm.

Little White Cat: "..."

Damn.

Now there was no way to take it back.

It had already been touched.

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

That would be suicide, plain and simple.

Little White Cat silently lay back down on the other side, stared at the scene for a long time, and finally could only sigh inwardly.

"Forget it."

"I'll take it one step at a time."

"Maybe the Pope is in a good mood today—she might not pursue it."

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

Thinking this, Little White Cat felt a bit more balanced.

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

Soon, a very simple emotion came back.

Warmth.

Reassurance.

A desire to get close.

And a hint of natural affinity toward "Little White Cat himself."

After sensing these emotions, Little White Cat thought for a moment and directly gave it his first formal command in his mind.

"After she wakes up, act good."

"Don't run around."

"Don't make noise."

"And definitely don't pounce on me like you're claiming me as your dad, got it?"

Little Flame lifted its head and looked at him.

"Meow."

Though it was just a very soft cat meow, Little White Cat inexplicably felt that it had understood.

Only then did he relax a little.

Time passed bit by bit.

Outside the window, it gradually grew brighter.

Just then, extremely light footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

They stopped at the door.

Then, a very low, steady female voice came through the door.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

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

Little White Cat's ears instantly perked up.

Yue Guan and Ghost?

This early?

The next moment, his entire cat self felt terrible.

It's over.

The social death scene is coming early!

If Bibi Dong went straight to see Yue Guan and Ghost after waking up, and he and Little Flame hadn't sorted things out in time, the image was simply unbearable to imagine.

"System."

"Is it still too late to take Little Flame back now?"

The system replied calmly.

[Technically possible.]

[But the host has successfully established the Dual Cat Sleep Field; it is recommended to maintain it.]

"..."

"Of course you recommend it."

"It's not like you're the one who'll be socially dead anyway."

But just as Little White Cat was frantically calculating in his mind, Bibi Dong on the bed slowly opened her eyes.

She was awake.

Her first reaction upon waking was not vigilance, nor restraint, but a very brief blankness.

Because this sleep had been longer and more peaceful than she had expected.

That cold, restless irritation that had plagued her for so long, though not completely gone, had at least been mostly suppressed.

Along with it, she was much clearer-headed than usual.

This had been extremely rare in recent times.

And when she turned her head, the first thing she saw was the two cats by her pillow.

One white.

One cream-white with flecks of gold and red.

The larger one she had already seen last night.

The smaller one had appeared out of thin air this morning.

"..."

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

Little White Cat held his breath on the spot.

Here it came.

The moment of judgment.

He was even considering whether to just collapse and pretend to faint right now.

But 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 picked up, just curled up in her palm, tiny, like a little furball that radiated warmth.

Seeing this, Little White Cat didn't dare move either. He could only steel himself and stay put, trying his best to look like an obedient cat.

Bibi Dong glanced down at the little one in her palm.

Then looked at the smaller white cat beside her, who was clearly a bit stiff.

Then, a wisp of extremely faint spiritual power swept from her fingertip.

Little White Cat's heart lurched.

It's over.

He's being checked.

But soon, he sensed that the wisp of spiritual power held no malice—it was more like a simple probe.

After a moment, Bibi Dong withdrew her spiritual power.

She had already understood.

This newly appeared kitten shared the same origin as the larger cat.

Soul power source, spiritual fluctuations, even the rhythm of life—all carried a very clear connection.

This was no stray kitten from outside.

Nor was it an ordinary creature.

It was a special kind of companion spirit body—or rather, some sort of split spirit that this rare soul beast had spontaneously generated overnight.

Though unusual.

It wasn't incomprehensible.

Soul beasts came in countless varieties, and anything was possible.

Especially for rare spiritual-type soul beasts, whose abilities often deviated from conventional understanding.

With that thought, Bibi Dong's gaze paused briefly before she looked back at Little White Cat.

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

Her voice wasn't loud.

And it carried no discernible emotion.

But upon hearing those words, Little White Cat nearly burst into tears on the spot from gratitude.

She gets it!

She gets it!

She didn't jump to any weird conclusions!

Little White Cat immediately nodded frantically.

His movements were as fast as a chick pecking at rice.

Yes, yes, yes, this cat added it himself.

Just think of it as a soul skill, whatever works.

Seeing his reaction, a trace of an extremely faint smile flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes for the first time.

Though it was faint.

Almost gone in a flash.

But it was there.

She didn't ask any more questions. She simply placed Little Flame back on the bed, then rose and stepped off the couch.

The female official outside was still waiting quietly.

Bibi Dong draped her outer robe over herself, her voice returning to its usual coldness.

"Let them wait."

The female official outside the door immediately acknowledged.

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong paused, then calmly added another sentence.

"Also, send some warm milk and minced meat."

There was a distinct moment of silence outside the door.

The female official had likely never expected to hear such an order from the Pope's mouth.

But she quickly recovered.

"Yes."

Footsteps faded away.

The bedchamber fell quiet once more.

And on the bed, Little White Cat's eyes lit up the moment he heard "warm milk and minced meat."

"Food's coming!"

"No, wait, food isn't the main point now."

"The point is, this is over."

"This Cat not only didn't get suspected for suddenly becoming a dad overnight, but also managed to swindle Little Flame's rations on the side."

Thinking this, Little White Cat instantly felt at ease.

His whole body relaxed considerably.

But just as he was halfway through that sigh of relief, Bibi Dong's next sentence made him tense up again.

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

"Since you made it, you take care of it yourself."

With that, she reached out.

One hand scooped up Little White Cat.

The other lifted Little Flame as well.

Her movements were still not particularly practiced.

But they were steady.

When Little White Cat was picked up, his whole cat brain went blank for a moment.

"Wait."

"What's this about?"

The next moment, the chamber doors opened.

Morning light spilled in.

And Bibi Dong, holding one big cat and one small cat, walked straight toward the outer hall.

Little White Cat froze on the spot.

"You've got to be kidding me?"

"You're taking us to see Yue Guan and Ghost?"

"Your Holiness the Pope, you might not think anything of it yourself, but right now this Cat really feels like a tomcat who just became a dad a few hours ago and is about to face social death!!!"

Little Flame in his arms, however, wasn't flustered at all.

It even shifted to a more comfortable position, nestling in more securely.

Little White Cat looked down at it and barely stopped himself from swatting its head with his paw.

"You sure are carefree."

"This Cat is about to face the stares of two Titled Douluo."

"Do you have any idea what that means?"

"This is a preview of a major social death scene!"

Unfortunately, Little Flame had no understanding of his complicated feelings. It just looked up at him and let out a "mew."

Soft and innocent.

That single sound made the little anger in Little White Cat's heart vanish.

Forget it.

The cat he summoned himself.

Even if he had to kneel, he had to carry it along.

Just as he resigned himself to his fate, a new prompt popped up in the system interface in his mind.

[Ding, detected that the host has acquired the first Holy Fire Follower.]

[Side quest unlocked: Cat Sect Founding.]

[Current objective: Please find a stable activity space for the first follower within Martial Soul Hall.]

[Reward: Meow Wish Value ×20.]

Looking at this side quest prompt, the corner of Little White Cat's mouth twitched.

Great.

He'd just latched onto a big shot last night.

And first thing this morning, he was already being assigned sect duties.

This system really was treating him like a sect leader.

But on second thought, the reward wasn't bad either.

And finding a stable activity space for Little Flame within Martial Soul Hall was something that needed to be done sooner or later anyway.

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

If that went on for a few more days, people might start suspecting—

Just what kind of cat did the Pope bring back last night? One cat, or a whole nest of them?

With that thought, Little White Cat silently buried his head lower.

He could already imagine the looks on Yue Guan and Ghost's faces when they saw him and Little Flame later.

"Forget it."

"When the soldiers come, the general blocks; when the flood comes, the earth dams."

"As long as This Cat isn't embarrassed, it's everyone else who'll be embarrassed."

"...Though I say that, when the time actually comes, This Cat will probably still want to burrow under the bed, QAQ."

And ahead.

The side hall had already arrived.