The fourth floor of the Flame Pagoda was unlike the others.
It wasn't forged for physical challenge or illusionary torment — it was a test of origin, of lineage. A floor built to call out to the blood, and awaken what lies dormant.
And the moment Long Feng stepped onto it…
…the air changed.
---
Flames That Recognize Blood
A circle of floating stones glowed around him, each etched with a phoenix insignia.
He raised his head slowly. "Phoenix inheritance…?"
Mei Ling blinked beside him. "Why does it feel like the air is… singing?"
Suddenly, one of the stones began to hum — a sound like a mourning song fused with divine fire.
Then another.
And another.
Until all eight stones pulsed at once.
> "The Phoenix Root has returned," a voice echoed from the chamber walls.
"Let the bearer step forward."
A golden path blazed ahead.
Footsteps echoed across the floor.
---
She Appears
From the other side of the trial floor, a figure emerged through the flame mist.
A girl — no, a young woman — stepped forward in a phoenix-patterned robe embroidered with real fire-thread. Her hair was midnight-black with a crimson hue at the tips. Eyes the color of molten gold stared back at Long Feng with cold indifference, like she had long since grown tired of the world.
Her presence didn't just command attention — it demanded submission.
"Who are you?" Mei Ling asked cautiously, her flame Qi flaring slightly.
The girl's voice was calm, but sharp as a blade sheathed in silk.
> "Xue Yiran.
Direct descendant of the Phoenix Bloodline.
Inner disciple of Crimson Flame Sect.
And you—" she turned her gaze to Long Feng, narrowing her eyes,
"—are the reason the stones woke."
---
Bloodline Recognition
Before Long Feng could reply, the flame stones circled him and Xue Yiran both.
A rush of ancient phoenix will enveloped them.
And then…
> Boom—!
A shockwave of flame erupted between them.
From Long Feng's chest, the Heaven-Breaker Flame Crest flared.
From Xue Yiran's back, two illusory phoenix wings burst open.
A blinding white fire engulfed them both for a breath.
The chamber walls trembled.
The trial floor glowed red.
When the light died down, they stood facing each other — panting, scorched… but alive.
And then the voice returned:
> "The Phoenix Flame recognizes the Broken Heaven Flame."
"Together, the Sovereign Flame shall rise once more."
---
Mei Ling's Unease
Mei Ling took a step back, sweat trailing down her temple.
She didn't know why, but when the phoenix girl appeared… something inside her stirred uncomfortably.
It wasn't jealousy.
It was instinct.
As if her own flame spirit — the one she had just recently awakened — now felt threatened.
"She's strong," Mei Ling whispered.
Long Feng gave a small nod.
"Too strong to have been hiding this long. Which means…"
"…someone didn't want her to awaken."
---
Xue Yiran's Warning
Xue Yiran stepped forward, brushing ashes from her robe.
"You should be careful," she said plainly, gazing straight at Long Feng.
"Now that our flames have touched, the elders won't just be watching. They'll be preparing. They've feared the Sovereign Flame's return for centuries."
Long Feng arched a brow. "You speak like you've known this for a long time."
She looked away.
"I didn't. Until just now."
Then she leaned in slightly, her voice lower.
> "But now that I have… I'll follow the flame that dares burn the heavens."
Before Long Feng could answer, she turned and walked away, her spiritual energy trailing like a royal flame banner.
---
Mei Ling's Silence
They stood in silence.
Long Feng didn't speak.
Mei Ling finally did, her voice barely a whisper.
"…Another one, isn't she?"
He turned to her gently. "Another what?"
She looked down, fingers curling.
> "Another person… tied to your flame. To your fate. To you."
He didn't lie. "Yes."
She nodded.
"Then I'll grow stronger," she said firmly. "So no one takes my place beside you."
---
Outside the Pagoda – Trouble Brews
While flames awakened inside, fury burned outside.
Elder Bai Wen watched through a divine mirror as the three flames — Heaven-Breaker, Lotus Frost, and Phoenix Root — all ignited within one trial.
He crushed the talisman in his hand.
"They've all awakened… and it's only Floor Four."
A shadowy figure behind him asked, "Shall we… delay the closing of the fifth floor?"
Bai Wen shook his head.
"No. We open the Sixth, immediately. The Soul Flame Chamber."
"But they'll die—!"
> "Exactly," he hissed.
"Let prophecy die in fire."