Level 1?
[Ding]
[Your synergy with flame has increased...]
[Your synergy with flame has increased...]
[Your synergy with flame has increased...]
. . .
. . .
. . .
[Ding]
[Your {Aspect of [Flame]} has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your {Aspect of [Flame]} has reached Level 1.]
[You have unlocked {Origin Flame Skin} ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Pain.]
[You have accepted Pain.]
[You have known Pain.]
[Your understanding of Pain has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your {Aspect of Pain} has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked [Masochism] Ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Despair.]
[You have accepted Despair.]
[You have known Despair.]
[Your Aspect of [Despair] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Despair] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked [Induce Despair] Ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Reluctance.]
[You have accepted Reluctance.]
[You have known Reluctance.]
[Your Aspect of [Reluctance] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Reluctance] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked [The Leeching Gaze] Ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Rage.]
[You have accepted Rage.]
[You have known Rage.]
[Your Aspect of [Rage] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Rage] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked [Burning Rage] Ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Frustration.]
[You have accepted Frustration.]
[You have known Frustration.]
[Your Aspect of [Frustration] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Frustration] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked...]
. . .
[Ding]
[You have felt Fear.]
[You have accepted Fear.]
[You have known Fear.]
[Your Aspect of [Fear] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Fear] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have unlocked [Fear Resonance] Ability.]
. . .
[Ding]
[Your Aspect of [Absorption] has reached sufficient points to level up.]
[Your Aspect of [Absorption] has leveled up to Level 1.]
[You have gained [Absorption Domain] Ability.]
. . .
Jiang Chen's mind was flooded with notifications. The system's constant buzzing was deafening, drilling into his head like a relentless storm. New knowledge, new abilities, new insights—they were all being etched into his consciousness at once.
But he didn't care.
He couldn't care.
His entire being was fixated on Zi Xia.
Her suffering.
Her agony.
Her silent screams that tore at his soul like a thousand blades.
For him, the system's dings were nothing but meaningless noise, as insignificant as pebbles on the ground. His body trembled—not from pain, not from fear, but from an all-consuming fury. His blood burned. His breath was ragged. His vision was drowning in crimson.
His mind, his heart, his body—everything was screaming for one thing.
Her.
Jiang Chen's instincts seized control. His reason collapsed under the weight of his emotions. His muscles coiled, his body tensed. And then—
He roared.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A monstrous sound, raw and primal, erupted from his throat, shaking the very air around him. His spiritual energy surged, bursting out of his body in a terrifying storm of power.
[Ding]
[Using {Origin Flame Skin} Ability.]
[A crimson-red layer has formed above your natural skin, providing resistance against flames—especially origin flames—and granting unrestricted control over them.]
His body gleamed like molten lava, deep crimson flames licking his skin, shifting and swirling like a living entity.
[Ding]
[Using {Masochism} Ability.]
[You feel pleasure upon feeling pain. For you, pain is the path to pleasure and fulfillment.]
The searing heat, the excruciating torment—it all melted into a twisted pleasure. His nerves should have been screaming, but instead, they sang in ecstasy.
[Ding]
[Using {Induce Despair} Ability.]
[The extreme despair you have felt can now be inflicted upon your opponents.]
A pulse of dark energy erupted from him. A wave of despair, suffocating and all-consuming. If there had been anyone close by, they would have collapsed, drowning in the abyss of hopelessness.
[Ding]
[Using {The Leeching Gaze} Ability.]
[Your gaze holds the power to shake the will of anyone who meets your eyes.]
His eyes—once smoldering embers—had transformed into hellfire, a vortex of madness and hunger. One look. That was all it would take to break even the strongest of minds.
[Ding]
[Using {Burning Rage} Ability.]
[The more your rage burns, the greater the multiplication applied to your attributes.]
Jiang Chen's strength skyrocketed. His speed, his power, his spiritual energy—it all exploded, increasing exponentially with every heartbeat.
[Ding]
[Using {Entropy Grip} Ability.]
[The closer an opponent gets to their goal, the more things will go wrong for them.]
Reality itself bent around him, fate twisting to his will.
[Ding]
[Using {Fear Resonance} Ability.]
[You can now share or view the fear of others.]
He could feel it. The fears of the world—their silent screams, their restless nightmares.
[Ding]
[Using {Absorption Domain} Ability.]
[A domain has formed around you, allowing direct absorption within its range.]
The space around him twisted, the very essence of the flames being drawn into his body.
Jiang Chen's spiritual power erupted once more, turning into a crimson hurricane.
His eyes locked onto Zi Xia, his soul crying out in desperation.
Move.
He had to move.
He had to reach her.
Save her.
Protect her.
But the fusion of the two cores had reached its peak, releasing a storm of heat so intense that even the very air around them was beginning to warp. The force of attraction was growing stronger, chains of pressure binding him to his spot.
Jiang Chen fought. He struggled. Every cell in his body screamed for freedom, but the gravitational pull of the merging cores was merciless.
Still, he didn't stop.
"AHHHHHH… AHHHHHHHH… AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
His roars filled the space, echoing like thunder. His spiritual energy clashed against the forces keeping him locked in place, but the pressure only grew stronger.
Zi Xia's blood shielded him, a thin veil against the scorching inferno, but it wasn't enough. The flames intensified. The heat grew unbearable. The very pillars of the structure began to tremble, cracks forming under the overwhelming force.
Jiang Chen clenched his fists.
No.
He would not be stopped.
Not by the flames.
Not by the heavens.
Not by fate itself.
He would reach her.