Black Stone Tempering, Heavenly Flame Awakens

(1)

The glow of the luminous ore on the walls of the Black Stone Mine flickered, stretching Xiao Yan's shadow long. He tightened his grip on his iron ruler, his fingertips turning slightly white from the strain. Though he had won his struggle with the Shadow Leopard, it had cost him nearly half his Dou Qi. The warmth from the Associated Source Crystal still lingered in his palm, and the increased purity of the Green Lotus Core Flame had made its flickering more lively. Yet the low growls from deep within the cavern struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

"More magical beasts?" Ya Fei's voice trembled as she followed close behind Xiao Yan, the light of the illumination talisman shaking wildly in her hand. "This mine is far too dangerous. Didn't Wang Gang say there were only a few low-level magical beasts?"

Xiao Yan didn't look back. He simply held the iron ruler across his body and slowly circulated his Dou Qi. "He probably didn't expect the Associated Source Crystal to attract high-level magical beasts." As soon as he finished speaking, two eerie green lights suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead, brighter and fiercer than the Shadow Leopard's eyes.

[System notification: Two Peak Dou Ling magical beasts, "Lava Lizards," detected. They specialize in flames and earth-type Dou Qi. Beware of their tail strikes.]

"Run in different directions," Xiao Yan said quietly. "You go left. I'll draw them to the right. We'll meet at the cave entrance in half an hour."

Ya Fei wanted to say something more, but Xiao Yan gave her a push. "Go! Use the Mittel Family's signal flare if you're in danger!"

(2)

Xiao Yan turned and charged down the right-hand fork, deliberately releasing a stronger presence of the Green Lotus Core Flame. Sure enough, the eerie green points of light pursued him. Heavy footsteps shook fragments from the rock walls, and sparks occasionally flew from the darkness, struck by the Lava Lizards' scales scraping against the stone.

"Roar!"

One Lava Lizard charged out first. Dark red scales covered its entire body, and it opened its mouth to spit a glob of magma at Xiao Yan, carrying a pungent smell of sulfur.

Xiao Yan tapped his toes against the ground and pushed the Wind Spirit Shadow-Splitting Step to its limit, splitting into three afterimages. As he dodged the magma, his iron ruler swept out wreathed in crimson flames. "Flame Splitting Wave Ruler: Rock Splitting!"

Clang! The iron ruler struck the Lava Lizard's scales, but left only a white mark. Xiao Yan's heart jolted. Its defenses were far stronger than the Shadow Leopard's!

The other Lava Lizard seized the chance to attack from the side, its thick tail whipping toward Xiao Yan's lower back with a whistle through the air. His pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly turned and blocked with his iron ruler, but a tremendous force struck him, sending him crashing into the rock wall like a kite with its string cut. A sweet taste rose in his throat.

[Dou Qi remaining: 40%. Use of a Qi Recovery Pill recommended.]

Xiao Yan pulled out a pill and swallowed it, his gaze fixed on the two Lava Lizards. Their scales gleamed like metal in the darkness, and magma dripped from the folds of their bellies. They were clearly a breed that had lived near magma pools for years.

"Coming at me together?" Xiao Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and the flames on his iron ruler suddenly surged. "Perfect. I can try out my new skill."

He thrust the Green Lotus Core Flame into the ground. The flames ignited the luminous ore on the walls, instantly turning it into a sky full of sparks that lit up the entire fork. The bright light dazzled the two Lava Lizards, slowing their movements for a moment. This was the plan he had just devised: use the ore's flammability to create light and counter the vision of nocturnal magical beasts.

"Now!" Xiao Yan blurred into motion, leaving an afterimage in place to draw their attention. Under cover of the sparks, his real body circled behind the Lava Lizards, his iron ruler aimed straight at their more vulnerable bellies.

Pfft! The flaming iron ruler pierced a fold in the left Lava Lizard's belly. It roared in pain and lashed its tail wildly, sweeping its companion off balance.

Xiao Yan took the chance to pull his iron ruler free. Flames spread along the wound, making the flesh beneath the Lava Lizard's scales sizzle as it burned.

[Ding! Critical damage dealt. Lava Lizard's Dou Qi disrupted!]

(3)

The Lava Lizard on the right recovered and angrily spat magma. Xiao Yan was ready. He used Explosive Step to dash three meters away before the magma landed, flicking three flame darts backward at the same time. They had been formed from the Green Lotus Core Flame enhanced by the Associated Source Crystal, and were several times more powerful than ordinary flames.

The flame darts struck the Lava Lizard's eyes with precision. Though its scales blocked most of their power, they succeeded in temporarily blinding it.

"Roar!" The blinded Lava Lizard went berserk and charged about wildly, instead knocking its injured companion back again and again.

Xiao Yan seized the opportunity, gathering fiercer flames on his iron ruler. "Flame Splitting Wave Ruler: Burning Heaven!" This time, he drew fully on the increase in purity brought by the Associated Source Crystal. The flames were no longer crimson, but carried a trace of gold, like molten sunlight.

The golden flames landed on the wound in the injured Lava Lizard's belly, instantly detonating the disrupted Dou Qi inside it. With a tremendous bang, the Lava Lizard's scales burst apart, splattering green blood across the ground.

[Ding! Lava Lizard (Peak Dou Ling) killed. 3,000 points gained!]

Seeing this, the remaining blind Lava Lizard turned to flee. Xiao Yan wasn't about to let it go. He pursued it with the Wind Spirit Shadow-Splitting Step and swept out his iron ruler, golden flames wrapping around its limbs like chains. Unable to tell which direction the attack was coming from, the blinded beast could only lash its tail in vain. At last, the flames burned away its strength, and it collapsed to the ground.

[Ding! Lava Lizard (Peak Dou Ling) killed. 3,000 points gained!]

[Ding! Green Lotus Core Flame purity increased to 15%. Ability "Flame Cage" unlocked. Can create a cage of flames lasting 5 seconds to trap magical beasts of the same level or lower.]

Xiao Yan panted heavily, leaning against the rock wall. He had less than 20% of his Dou Qi left, but the flame in his palm was brighter than ever. Looking at the Lava Lizards' corpses on the ground, he suddenly realized that the Associated Source Crystal might do more than simply increase purity.

(4)

"Xiao Yan!"

Ya Fei's voice came from the other end of the fork, choked with tears. Xiao Yan's heart tightened, and he immediately picked up his ruler and rushed over. He found Ya Fei cornered by three earth-yellow magical beasts. They resembled giant wolves, but had rocklike coats. They were the Rock Wolves the system had warned him about.

"Their... their hides are too thick. My whip can't hurt them." Ya Fei's long whip bore several scratches, and her attacks had clearly had no effect.

Of the three Rock Wolves, two were Intermediate Dou Ling and one was High-Level Dou Ling. They bared their teeth as they closed in step by step. Xiao Yan noticed the deep scratches their claws left in the ground. They clearly specialized in earth-type Dou Qi and had astonishing defenses.

"Use this." Xiao Yan tossed Ya Fei a flame dart. "Aim for its eyes."

Ya Fei caught the dart. Though puzzled, she did as he said. The flame dart flew toward the High-Level Dou Ling Rock Wolf's eyes with a golden glow. It instinctively turned its head, but the dart still grazed its ear, and it immediately lunged at Ya Fei in a frenzy.

"Now!" Xiao Yan rushed forward and drove his iron ruler into the joint of the Rock Wolf's front leg, where its hide was relatively thin. Golden flames surged in along the ruler, and the Rock Wolf yelped in pain, turning to bite Xiao Yan.

Ya Fei seized the chance to lash out with her whip, wrapping it around the Rock Wolf's hind leg. "Xiao Yan, the left!"

Xiao Yan understood and turned his iron ruler toward the left side of the Rock Wolf's waist and belly. An old scar marked the rocky hide there, presumably from an old injury.

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler: Scar Breaking!"

Golden flames invaded along the scar. The Rock Wolf let out a piercing scream and fell to the ground, moving no more.

[Ding! Rock Wolf (High-Level Dou Ling) killed. 2,500 points gained!]

Seeing this, the two remaining Rock Wolves tried to flee in different directions. Xiao Yan and Ya Fei exchanged a glance and divided the work without a word: Xiao Yan chased the one on the left, while Ya Fei dealt with the one on the right.

Xiao Yan's Wind Spirit Shadow-Splitting Step was extremely fast, and he soon caught up to the Rock Wolf. The Flame Cage deployed at just the right moment. Though it lasted only five seconds, that was enough time for him to drive his iron ruler into its throat. Meanwhile, Ya Fei wrapped her whip around the other Rock Wolf's neck and used the flame dart Xiao Yan had given her to set the whip alight, burning the beast until it could no longer resist.

[Ding! Rock Wolf (Intermediate Dou Ling) x2 killed. 1,800 points gained!]

(5)

"That scared me to death." Ya Fei slumped to the ground, her long whip hanging limply. "Just how many magical beasts are hiding in this mine?"

Xiao Yan checked her wound. A claw had only cut her arm, and the cut wasn't deep. He took out some healing medicine and handed it to her, then leaned against the rock wall to recover his Dou Qi. After the successive battles and the exertion of increasing the flame's purity, even raising his hand felt difficult.

"The Associated Source Crystal is too unusual." Xiao Yan looked toward the depths of the cavern, where the light seemed brighter. "There may be more than one."

Ya Fei had just finished bandaging her wound. At his words, she jerked her head up. "You want to keep looking?"

"Wang Gang said there was only one, but the system notification..." Xiao Yan opened the panel and pointed to the new message. "Look, 'Fluctuations detected from a cluster of Associated Source Crystals.' That means there's more than one here."

Ya Fei followed his finger and saw a faint golden light flickering on the panel, like a string of stars guiding the way. She sighed. "All right, but this time we go together. No more splitting up."

Supporting each other, they followed the golden light. The farther in they went, the more intense the heat from the magma became, and the ore on the walls changed from glowing white to dark red, as though scorched by flames.

"There seems to be a light ahead." Ya Fei pointed forward. The light there was softer than the glow of the ore and flames, with a warm, gentle quality.

Xiao Yan tightened his grip on his iron ruler, keeping Ya Fei behind him. At the source of the light stood a translucent stone platform, with seven Associated Source Crystals embedded in it. They were nearly twice as large as the one they had found earlier and gave off a faint golden glow.

A huge lizard lay sprawled around the platform-or rather, a Lava Behemoth three times the size of a Lava Lizard. Its scales were like obsidian, and its eyes were tightly shut. It seemed to be sleeping, but its breath carried droplets of scalding magma from its nostrils.

[System notification: Beginner Dou Wang magical beast "Lava Behemoth" detected. Currently dormant. Quietly removing the Source Crystals and withdrawing is recommended.]

"Dou Wang..." Ya Fei's voice trembled. "Can we beat it?"

Xiao Yan shook his head. "There's no need to fight." He motioned for Ya Fei to hold her breath and used the Wind Spirit Shadow-Splitting Step, his footsteps as light as feathers. He knew this was their only chance. Against a Dou Wang-level magical beast, even if he and Ya Fei joined forces, they would have no chance of winning.

(6)

The stone platform was right beside the Lava Behemoth's front claw. Xiao Yan's shadow stretched across the ground, overlapping the behemoth's. He could even smell the sulfur on its scales. The light of the Associated Source Crystals danced before his eyes, as though beckoning to him.

He reached out, his fingertips about to touch the Source Crystals-

"Roar!"

The Lava Behemoth suddenly opened its eyes, two pools of burning magma. Its head dropped sharply, and it opened its enormous mouth wide enough to swallow a person.

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. Almost instinctively, he unleashed all of the Green Lotus Core Flame, forming a huge shield of golden fire. At the same time, he grabbed Ya Fei's wrist and threw her toward the fork with all his strength. "Run! Fire the signal flare!"

"Xiao Yan!"

Ya Fei's tearful cry was drowned out by the behemoth's roar. The flame shield shattered instantly under its charge, and Xiao Yan was struck and sent flying into the rock wall. His bones hurt as though they had all come apart.

[Dou Qi remaining: 5%. Multiple bone contusions. Immediate retreat recommended!]

Xiao Yan coughed up a mouthful of blood, but smiled. In that instant, he had gotten his hands on two Associated Source Crystals.

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler: Afterimage!" He poured all his remaining Dou Qi into the iron ruler, creating dozens of flaming afterimages to confuse the behemoth's vision. Using them as cover, he rushed in the direction Ya Fei had disappeared.

Enraged by the afterimages, the Lava Behemoth charged about wildly. Rocks kept falling from the cavern ceiling, striking the ground and sending dust billowing everywhere. Xiao Yan darted through the falling rocks, receiving several more wounds, but the Associated Source Crystals in his hand were astonishingly hot, as though urging him to run faster.

"Xiao Yan! This way!" Ya Fei's voice came from ahead, accompanied by the shriek of a signal flare-the signal to ask Wang Gang for help.

Xiao Yan rushed out of the fork and saw Ya Fei waiting anxiously. Beside her stood several Iron Ridge City soldiers armed with bows and arrows, clearly reinforcements sent by Wang Gang.

"Let's go!" Ya Fei pulled him along and ran.

Xiao Yan glanced back into the depths of the cavern, where the roaring continued. He tightened his grip on the Associated Source Crystals, the golden flame in his palm dancing as though recounting the gains from this heart-stopping ordeal.

[Ding! Associated Source Crystal x2 obtained. Green Lotus Core Flame purity increased to 25%!]

[Ding! Hidden mission "Exploration of the Black Stone Mine" completed. 50,000 points gained. High Xuan-class Dou Technique "Flame Prison" unlocked!]

[Ding! Main quest "Road to Jia Nan Academy" triggered. Please report to the academy and begin a new journey.]

Sunlight streamed through the mine entrance, falling on Xiao Yan and Ya Fei's dust-covered faces. In the distance, Wang Gang was arriving with more soldiers, and Xiao Yan knew this was only the beginning. His path to becoming stronger had only just reached a new step.