Fire of Sin!

"Is this the Fire of Sin?"

Bai Xuan studied the pitch-black flame hovering in midair, a trace of wariness in his eyes.

[World Quest: Fire of Sin]

[Quest Difficulty: F+]

[Quest Location: Rooftop of Fuhai Tower, Yunchuan City]

[Quest Description: A flame of sin is drawing in the power of sin atop Fuhai Tower. You may choose to accept it, purify it, or extinguish it.]

[Quest Hint: Your choice will directly affect the quest reward.]

[Quest Reward: ?]

"I can sense something inside it... an extremely evil power."

Xilin stood before the flame, her head slightly raised. Her voice was soft but clear.

"Can you extinguish or purify it?"

Bai Xuan turned to Xilin and asked.

"Yes."

Xilin answered softly, stepped forward, and extended her right hand.

The instant her fingertip touched the pitch-black flame, it surged to life!

Then its deep black gradually faded, giving way to pure white light.

But as the flame changed, pain appeared on Xilin's face.

Her mana and mental strength drained rapidly. She bit her lip without realizing it, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Her body trembled slightly; with her mana still unrecovered from last night, she struggled to continue the purification.

"Xilin, is there anything I can do?"

Bai Xuan asked urgently.

"I..."

Xilin turned to look at Bai Xuan, hesitation flickering in her eyes. After a moment's silence, she said softly, "Please give me your hand."

"Okay."

Bai Xuan offered his hand without hesitation.

The instant their palms met, he felt a strange warmth flow in through his hand and spread rapidly through his body.

It was as though he had sunk into a warm spring, its waters nourishing every inch of his skin.

Meanwhile, color gradually returned to Xilin's pale face. She seemed to be drawing strength from him, and her nearly depleted mana recovered rapidly.

The restless flame was brought under control, turning pure white at an accelerating pace. A faint golden glow even appeared along its edges.

Confusion stirred in Bai Xuan's mind.

How does this work?

Could it be...

Wait!

Suddenly, he noticed something was wrong—

A powerful wave of exhaustion struck without warning, draining every ounce of strength from his body!

At that moment, he finally understood how Xilin was borrowing his strength.

The Succubus is at work!

But it's fine. I can hold out a little longer!

I haven't used a bit of the pure yang energy I've built up over eighteen years!

Take as much as you need!

Time passed slowly. At last, the once-black flame turned completely pure white and gold.

"It's done."

With a gentle wave of Xilin's hand, the white-gold flame shrank as though it were alive, transformed into a snow-white rabbit, and landed lightly on her shoulder.

She turned to Bai Xuan. A faint smile touched her cool face as she said softly, "Master, she's now..."

Before she could finish, she saw that Bai Xuan could no longer hold himself up. He had collapsed onto the floor, panting, his clothes soaked with sweat.

A human body was no match for a Succubus drawing on its strength after all.

"Master, are you all right?"

Xilin immediately crouched beside him and asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little drained."

Bai Xuan waved a hand, then looked at the obedient white rabbit on her shoulder. "So... how did the Fire of Sin turn into that?"

"We successfully brought her under our control," Xilin explained. "She's part of me now."

"And?"

The question had barely left Bai Xuan's mouth when the little white rabbit leaped—

In the blink of an eye, it took Xilin's form and settled gently onto his lap.

"?"

Bai Xuan stared, momentarily stunned.

Though the Xilin formed from flame was not truly alive, she felt real to the touch.

Her entire body was made of white-gold fire, yet she felt unusually soft, like warm sunlight wrapped around him. He could even feel her almost-solid weight and contours.

So...

Xilin has gained a double made from the Fire of Sin?

"And that's not all..."

Xilin spoke again, a hint of hesitation in her voice. "She... has another use."

"What use?"

Bai Xuan pressed curiously.

"Well..."

For the first time in a while, Xilin looked hesitant. She turned her head slightly as though embarrassed to say it, a barely noticeable blush rising to her ears.

"Xilin?"

"Master, please wait a moment."

With that, she stood and took a few steps back.

At the same time, the flame double on Bai Xuan's lap dissolved into countless motes of light that swirled around Xilin like stardust.

The next moment, white-gold flames gathered swiftly behind her, forming a flowing cape that draped over her armor—

Even more surprising, a pair of soft white-gold rabbit ears rose from her hair and swayed gently.

"You look great!"

Bai Xuan praised Xilin.

The white-gold flame cape fluttered behind her, shimmering with light.

And the rabbit ears... they're cute too!

"Do... I?"

Xilin's voice remained calm, betraying no emotion, but she instinctively raised a hand and gently touched the soft, drooping flame ears atop her head.

"Let's head back."

As Bai Xuan spoke, he slowly got to his feet. His legs were still weak and trembling slightly.

"Mm."

Xilin stepped forward and took his arm to support him.

As soon as they got home, Bai Xuan submitted the quest.

[World Quest: Fire of Sin (Completed)]

[Quest Reward: Item—Flame Scroll ×1 (Green)]

[Flame Scroll (Green): A scroll that can cast fire magic once.]

"A magic scroll?"

Then another notification from the World Book appeared:

[You have completed five quests. Map level increased to 2.]

[Daily teleports increased to two. Teleportation is no longer limited to quest areas; you may travel to any location you have visited or to the side of a friendly unit.]

[Next Level Requirement: Complete 10 E-grade quests (0/10)]

"E-grade quests..."

Bai Xuan studied the upgrade requirement, lost in thought.

At their current strength, taking on E-grade quests might be dangerous.

Still, the upgraded map functions were certainly useful.

Now he could return to places he had visited and teleport directly to a friendly unit.

And besides Xilin, his current friendly units included... Bai Yu!

His gaze shifted to Xilin's information panel.

[Xilin]

[Age: 23]

[Rarity: Epic]

[Level: F (Linked to You)]

[Identity: Holy Knight (Blue)]

[Race: Succubus (Blue)]

[Affection: 69]

[Attributes: Strength A, Agility A, Constitution A, Spirit S]

[Abilities: Lightless Sword (Purple), Flame of Justice (Purple)]

[Hidden Character Traits: ?, ? (Unlockable after completing the character quest)]

[Character Quest: Not Unlocked]

[Flame of Justice (Purple): A spark born of divine justice. It can take the form of a double or equipment, or be released in a single burst to deal holy fire damage over a wide area. (Cooldown: 24 hours)]

"So this is the new ability Xilin gained after purifying the Fire of Sin?"

Bai Xuan's eyes lit up as they fell on [Flame of Justice].

He had not expected it to be a purple-rarity ability!

It could create a double, form equipment, and even be unleashed in one powerful blast of light!

It was... incredibly useful!

What luck!

After taking care of everything else, Bai Xuan drew a deep breath and turned his attention to the main event of the day—charging for a Legend!

His Rare Charge had reached 100%.

It was time to summon his second Legend!