Moving the Fire Vein, the Daoist Returns to the Mountain (Happy Lunar New Year's Eve, Everyone)

Crimson Radiance Mountain, the Earthfire Cavern.

With a sweep of his sleeve, several Spirit Materials flew into the Eight Trigrams Furnace: Heavenly River Stone, Rootless Water, clouds, clear winds, rainbows, Thunderclap, and more. Some had been gathered by Xuanming, while others came from the Fire Rat Tribe's stores.

These materials drawn from the heavens were fired and melted into liquid. Under his control, they took the shape of a simple, ancient-looking oil lamp, into which he inscribed all manner of formations and runes.

Once the vessel took shape, he swept his sleeve again and poured a great quantity of Thunderfire into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Xuanming had collected it during thunderstorms. Thunderfire was Heavenly Fire, and Heavenly Fire was essential to forming the Heaven Lamp, for it constituted the lamp's core. Fortunately, after achieving great mastery of the Five Thunders Art, he could gather Thunderfire with twice the results for half the effort, giving him enough Heavenly Fire to refine the lamp.

Inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Earthfire blazed. The Thunderfire was concentrated and refined into a wick, then fitted into the lamp. The Heaven Lamp came into being in its initial form. After nurturing it in the furnace for a time, Xuanming retrieved it.

The Heaven Lamp was ethereal, without physical substance. Though shaped like a lamp, it was as elusive as clouds and mist. It could only be touched through spiritual perception, never by flesh, like Mirror Blossom and Water Moon—visible but beyond reach. The words "Honor Diligence" were engraved on its base, for the Heavenly Dao rewarded diligence.

It was late summer, on the cusp of autumn, when the final thunderstorm arrived. Dark clouds crowded the sky, dimming the light. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, and rain poured down in torrents, washing over the mountain forests.

Xuanming tossed