The Flame Pattern Ring

At the first glimmer of dawn, a steel river of a caravan stood ready outside Wutan City's western gate.

More than a hundred guards, all dressed in matching black outfits, stood with fierce auras. The long sabers at their waists reflected a cold gleam in the newborn sunlight.

They were the Mittel Family's most elite caravan guards. Under ordinary circumstances, such a force would only be deployed to escort cargo worth more than a million.

But today, they were escorting only one person.

Ya Fei wore a fiery red qipao, looking like a burning flame in the morning breeze.

She handed Su Chen a heavy storage pouch.

"Inside are all the intelligence and maps you need, along with a brand-new identity."

Her voice was crisp, carrying the briskness of a queen of commerce.

"From today onward, your name is Mr. Yan, a mysterious traveling merchant who wanders throughout the empire. This identity is airtight, enough to withstand scrutiny from any faction in the empire."

Su Chen took the pouch and nodded.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Be careful on the way."

Those were the only four words that passed Ya Fei's red lips.

There were no needless admonitions and no reluctant pleas for him to stay.

They no longer needed such things between them.

Su Chen turned and was about to climb into the luxurious carriage made of Black Iron Wood.

"Wait."

Ya Fei's voice came from behind him.

Su Chen stopped and turned around.

Ya Fei was looking at him. At that moment, her stunning peach-blossom eyes seemed even brighter than the dawn on the horizon.

"There's something I want to give you, too."

Su Chen froze.

Ya Fei walked toward him with graceful steps.

A captivating fragrance wafted over.

She held out her slender hand. Resting quietly in her palm was a jet-black ring.

The ring was made of neither metal nor jade. A lifelike flame pattern was engraved on its face, giving it an ancient and mysterious air.

"This Storage Ring is the finest in the Mittel Family's collection. It has a vast interior space, and its special material can block most spiritual perception."

Ya Fei held out the ring.

"You're going into the Great Desert, where danger lurks on every side. You might find it useful."

Su Chen looked at the ring but did not take it right away.

A steady voice came from beneath his bamboo hat.

"No need."

"I brought my own Storage Ring."

As he spoke, he held out his hand.

Another ring lay in his palm.

It looked remarkably similar to the one in Ya Fei's hand.

It was jet-black all over, with a flame pattern engraved on its face.

But the flame pattern on Su Chen's ring seemed far more vivid, as if it were alive, slowly flowing across the ring's surface.

Ya Fei's hand froze in midair.

She looked at the ring in Su Chen's hand. For the first time, a trace of astonishment crossed her charming face.

"This..."

"This ring is for you, too."

Without explaining, Su Chen gently placed his ring in Ya Fei's still outstretched palm.

The two rings rested side by side in her fair hand.

The difference between them was immediately clear.

The ring in Ya Fei's hand was indeed a treasure, but beside the one Su Chen had brought out, it was like ordinary iron next to a divine weapon, instantly dimming into insignificance.

"What do you mean by this?"

Ya Fei's slender brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

She did not understand why Su Chen had refused her gift, only to offer her an even better ring.

"You and I are allies."

Su Chen's voice remained steady.

"I don't know when I'll return. I'm entrusting everything in Wutan City to you. Your safety is my safety."

He paused, his gaze falling on the ring he had crafted in Ya Fei's palm.

"This ring is called the Flame Pattern Ring."

"It has two functions."

Ya Fei's heart gave a slight jump.

She could tell that although Su Chen's tone was calm, what he had to say was anything but ordinary.

"Try putting a wisp of Dou Qi into it."

Su Chen gestured for her to try.

Ya Fei was skeptical.

But out of trust in Su Chen, she did as he said and slipped the Flame Pattern Ring onto her slender index finger.

The ring felt warm to the touch and fit perfectly, as if it had been made just for her.

She took a deep breath and drew on the fiery red Dou Qi within her body, cautiously guiding it toward the ring on her finger.

Buzz—!

The instant her Dou Qi touched the ring!

An indescribable, strange sensation surged from it, instantly flooding her entire body!

Ya Fei's body shuddered violently!

All the composure and poise on her stunning face were replaced in an instant by unconcealed shock!

She felt it!

She felt it clearly!

The Fire Attribute Dou Qi that had been circulating steadily through her body was suddenly as if injected with a catalyst. Its circulation speed had soared out of nowhere!

It was no illusion!

It had genuinely increased by at least ten percent!

Ten percent!

What a terrifying difference!

It meant that she could unleash any Dou Technique ten percent faster than an opponent of the same level!

It meant that in battle, her Dou Qi would recover ten percent faster as well!

This was no mere ornament!

It was a strategic treasure that could drive any Dou Shi, even a Da Dou Shi, to madness!

"How... how is this possible?"

Ya Fei's voice trembled with excitement. She abruptly raised her head, and the way she looked at Su Chen had changed completely.

Before, Su Chen had been a mysterious ally with limitless potential, someone worth investing in.

Now, in her heart, this man had ascended to an almost godlike height!

Artifact crafting!

He even knew such a miraculous art of crafting artifacts!

"This is only its first function."

Su Chen's voice cut through her astonishment.

"The enhancement is only a side effect."

Ya Fei's breath caught.

Such an incredible ability was only a side effect?

Then how astonishing was its true function?

Su Chen did not keep her guessing for long.

He raised his hand and gently touched the hand wearing the ring with one finger.

"Watch closely."

He closed his eyes.

An intangible ripple of spiritual power, perceptible only to Ya Fei, extended from his fingertip and entered the Flame Pattern Ring.

The next moment.

Under Ya Fei's rapidly contracting pupils, a thread-thin wisp of flame, burning with a faint emerald glow, emerged out of nowhere from the jet-black ring face!

She recognized that flame!

It was the priceless Green Phosphorus Fire Seed Su Chen had given her!

Boom!

Ya Fei's mind went blank.

She stared dumbly at the emerald flame dancing on her fingertip, as if a thunderbolt from the heavens had struck her crown.

At last, she understood.

At last, she understood the true value of this ring!

Storage!

It could store fire seeds that had undergone special refinement!

What did that mean?

It meant any alchemist who wore this ring would have a portable, top-grade source of flame that would never go out!

In the wilderness, or anywhere without access to earth fire, they could set up a furnace and refine pills whenever they wanted!

The value of this ring could no longer be measured in gold coins!

It was a genuine divine artifact, one capable of overturning the conventions of the entire alchemy world!

"This... this is..."

Ya Fei's red lips parted slightly, but her throat was so dry that she could not force out a single word.

She looked at Su Chen. All the shrewdness and calculation had vanished from her beautiful peach-blossom eyes.

All that remained was immense shock and reverence, rising from the depths of her soul.

A madman!

A complete and utter madman!

He had casually given away an artifact powerful enough to shake the entire Jia Ma Empire!

How many other cards did he still have hidden up his sleeve?

Where, exactly, was the limit of his abilities?

"I left a small fire-storage array inside the ring."

Su Chen withdrew his finger, and the wisp of Green Phosphorus Fire Seed sank into the ring face and disappeared.

"I stored enough Green Phosphorus Fire Seed to last you three months, and enough Rock Fire Seed to last a year."

"Remember, only your Dou Qi can activate it."

His voice remained as calm as if he were talking about something trivial.

But to Ya Fei, those words were more moving than any vow of eternal love.

Slowly, she lowered her head.

She looked at the jet-black ring on her finger.

She knew this gift represented more than just skill or wealth.

It was also a trust without reservation.

The highest recognition—a sign that he truly considered her one of his own and had taken her under his wing.

A long while passed.

Ya Fei raised her head.

Her pale, excited face broke into a radiant smile, more solemn and brilliant than any she had ever worn before.

The smile was enough to outshine the world.

She did not say thank you.

She only looked at Su Chen and spoke each word clearly, her voice solemn enough to draw the attention of the entire caravan.

"Safe travels."

"I'll wait for news of you making the empire tremble with your name here in Wutan City."

Su Chen looked deeply at her but said nothing more.

He turned and climbed into the Black Iron Wood carriage under the guards' gazes, a mixture of awe and curiosity in their eyes.

The carriage curtain slowly fell.

It shut out the world outside.

"Move out!"

The Dou Shi captain let out a deep, booming shout.

"Hyah!"

The heavy wheels began to turn slowly.

The enormous caravan rolled toward the heartland of the empire like a giant black dragon awakening, raising clouds of dust as it went.

Ya Fei stood quietly where she was, without moving.

She watched the caravan at the end of the official road, gradually shrinking into a smaller and smaller black dot.

Until the last shadow of black finally vanished into the dawn on the horizon.

Only then did she slowly raise her hand.

Beneath the morning light, the pitch-black Flame Pattern Ring shimmered quietly with a mysterious, profound glow.

A sense of power and security unlike anything she had ever felt before welled up from the depths of her heart.