Fallen Heart Flame Evolves

July 15th, 9993 of the Yulan Calendar.

The twenty-third day of summer vacation.

I arrived once again at the Earth Fire Fissure deep within the back mountains.

Nearly ten days had passed since I first discovered this place, and during this time, I had come here to cultivate for half a day every single day. The magma at the bottom of the fissure flowed silently, the heat waves it emitted rushing toward my face, causing the surrounding air to distort.

Today was different.

The Fallen Heart Flame within my body was trembling slightly.

I remained silent for a moment before beginning to chant a magic incantation.

Air currents swirled around my body as I stepped into the space above the fissure, descending slowly.

The deeper I went, the higher the temperature rose.

By the time I had descended halfway, sweat was already beading on my body. At ten meters, my skin began to burn. At five meters, I was forced to manifest a thin shield of magic power.

Finally, my feet touched solid ground.

The bottom of the fissure was a narrow passage with dark red rock walls on either side, and the ground beneath my feet was scorching hot. About thirty or forty meters ahead, I could see a patch of dark red light—that was the magma pool.

I walked forward along the passage.

The throbbing of the Fallen Heart Flame grew increasingly violent, the sense of longing almost spilling out of my body. I could feel that something ahead was attracting it.

Reaching the end of the passage, the view suddenly opened up.

This was an underground space about twenty zhang in circumference, with a pool of churning magma in the center. Bubbles occasionally rose to the surface of the magma, splashing sparks of fire as they burst.

What drew my attention most was the very center of the magma pool.

There sat a black rock, roughly the size of a millstone. The surface of the rock was covered in cracks, from which a fiery red light emanated. And atop the rock stood a small, entirely crimson plant.

"This is..."

I carefully recalled the Illustrated Handbook of Rare Plants in the Magical Beast Mountain Range I had read in the library, and a name surfaced in my mind—

Sun Flame Grass.

An extremely rare fire-attribute spirit herb that only grows in places with intensely concentrated fire elements and must be near magma. It is said to take a hundred years to mature; a mature Sun Flame Grass will condense a "Sun Flame Bead" at its tip, containing pure fire-elemental energy.

The one before me was just perfectly ripe.

No wonder the Fallen Heart Flame was so excited.

But the problem arose: how was I to cross to the center of the magma pool?

I looked around; there was no bridge, no path. The only way was to fly across. But with my current half-baked Levitation spell, it was hard to say if I could land precisely on that rock.

If I were to fall into the magma, I would truly become a shish kebab.

"Gotta risk it."

I took a deep breath and began to chant the incantation for the Levitation spell.

Air currents wrapped around me once more, and I rose slowly, drifting toward the center of the magma pool.

Three zhang, two zhang, one zhang—

I was close.

Just as I was less than two meters from the rock, the surface of the magma pool suddenly exploded!

A fiery red shadow lunged from the magma, pouncing toward me!

My pupils constricted. Before I could even see what it was, I instinctively channeled the Fallen Heart Flame.

Milky white flames erupted from my palm, colliding head-on with the shadow.

"Hiss—!"

With a piercing shriek, the creature was struck by the Fallen Heart Flame, sent flying backward, and slammed into the rock wall before rolling onto the ground.

I finally saw its appearance clearly—

It was a snake. Entirely fiery red, about two meters long, covered in fine scales, with a pair of dark golden eyes. After being hit by the Fallen Heart Flame, there was a charred patch on its body, but it was still writhing, clearly not dead yet.

A Rank 4 Magical Beast, Fire Scale Snake.

The Illustrated Handbook of Magical Beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range recorded: Fire Scale Snake, a fire-attribute Rank 4 Magical Beast that likes to inhabit areas near magma; it is fast, highly aggressive, and capable of spitting fire. Its weakness is sensitivity to low temperatures, but it possesses extreme fire resistance.

"Extreme fire resistance?" I looked at the charred mark on its body and silently added to myself, "It seems the 'fire' of the Fallen Heart Flame is different from ordinary fire."

The Fire Scale Snake twisted its body, those dark golden eyes staring fixedly at me, filled with wariness. It did not attack again but began to retreat slowly.

I did not pursue.

My goal was the Sun Flame Grass, not this snake. Besides, fighting in a place like this—if I were to fall into the magma, the loss would be too great.

The Fire Scale Snake retreated to a corner, then zipped into a crevice in the rock and vanished.

I let out a sigh of relief and continued to drift toward the rock.

Finally, my feet touched the stone.

The rock was scorching, the temperature palpable even through the soles of my shoes. I crouched down and looked carefully at the Sun Flame Grass.

Observing it from up close, one could feel its extraordinary nature even more. The three leaves looked as if they had been carved from red crystal, with the veins inside clearly visible. The Sun Flame Bead at the very tip was only the size of a grain of rice, yet it emitted a soft red light, causing the surrounding fire elements to converge toward it.

I reached out my hand and gently plucked the Sun Flame Bead.

The bead felt warm and smooth to the touch. The moment it was plucked, the three leaves withered and blackened at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into ash.

The essence of the Sun Flame Grass was entirely contained within the bead.

Before I could decide how to handle the bead, the Fallen Heart Flame within my body suddenly began to throb violently. That surge of craving nearly burst through my chest—

It wanted this bead.

I did not hesitate; I gripped the Sun Flame Bead in my palm and channeled the Fallen Heart Flame.

The bead melted instantly, transforming into a stream of pure, fiery-red energy that surged into my body through my palm. The Fallen Heart Flame, like a long-starved beast, swallowed this energy in one gulp.

And then—

A wave of heat erupted from within my body!

My entire being felt as if it had been set ablaze; my skin turned crimson in an instant, and the sweat that seeped out was evaporated before it could even bead. The surrounding air distorted even more violently, and the rocks beneath my feet even began to crack.

I do not know how much time passed before the heat wave gradually subsided.

I opened my eyes.

The Fallen Heart Flame within me had grown nearly twice as large as before, shifting from its original transparent, colorless state to a faint, milky white. I could clearly perceive that its amplification effect on me had grown stronger.

[Fallen Heart Flame has evolved: Juvenile Stage → Growth Stage.]

[Current Abilities: Auto-cultivation speed +150%, flame temperature +80%, heart-attacking ability enhanced.]

The system's voice rang out in my mind.

I stood up, feeling the changes within me.

With the auto-cultivation speed increased from 100% to 150%, the flame temperature raised from fifty percent to eighty percent, and the heart-attacking ability enhanced... this meant that my current strength had increased by at least thirty percent.

"Worth it."

I looked at the surrounding magma pool, feeling a sense of emotion. If not for the guidance of the Fallen Heart Flame, I would never have discovered this Sun Flame Grass. If not for the fact that the Fallen Heart Flame's fire naturally countered the Fire Scale Snake, I would have been in danger just now.

Scanning my surroundings and confirming there were no other threats, I began to head back.

Retracing my steps, climbing out of the crevice, and stepping onto the surface, it was already evening.

The setting sun slanted westward, and the evening glow dyed half the sky red.

I took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling as though my entire being was different.

When I returned to the dormitory, it was already dark. After a simple wash, I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and felt the changes within.

The Fallen Heart Flame burned quietly in my chest, more stable and powerful than before. I could clearly perceive it pulsing slowly; with every throb, a trace of warm energy flowed into my limbs and bones, tempering my magic power.

In another year, I should be able to reach the fifth level, I calculated in my mind.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

Bebe had wandered over from Linley's side at some point; he lay by my pillow, emitting a faint purring sound.

I smiled and closed my eyes.

[Ding—Host experience detected: Fallen Heart Flame evolution.]

[Hidden condition triggered? Would you like to sign in?]

The system's voice suddenly rang out.

I recited silently in my heart: Sign in.

[Sign-in successful.]

[Reward obtained: Gate of Eternal Life: Demon Suppressing Bead (Fragment)—Can briefly suppress magical beasts, reducing their combat power by thirty percent for the duration of one cup of tea. Limited to one use per day.]

A pale gray bead appeared out of thin air in my palm, roughly the size of a thumb, with faint patterns flowing across its surface. I examined it carefully for a moment before tucking it into my robes.

Another trump card added to my arsenal.