Chapter 8: A Flame That Smiles Only for Him

The moon hung high over the mountain peaks, casting pale silver light over Ye Tian's courtyard. The aftershock of the Coldfire Nirvana's awakening still lingered—frost crept along stone, crystalline petals of ice blooming with unnatural elegance.

Yun Qingyu stood at the center of it all.

The once-dormant blue flame had fully settled into her being, weaving with her soul like a missing piece sliding perfectly into place. She exhaled, and the frost curled lovingly around her—recognizing its master.

Ye Tian watched her in silence, chest tight with awe… and something deeper.

She turned to face him, her breath visible in the cold air, and for a moment—just a fleeting moment—her face softened.

She smiled.

Not a smirk. Not the polite mask she wore for elders or disciples.

But something quiet. Intimate.

Just for him.

"You're really different when you're near me," Ye Tian said.

Yun Qingyu tilted her head, brushing stray frost from her sleeve. "I'm always cold to others. But with you… it's strange. I feel warm."

"You're blushing," he teased.

"You're imagining things," she replied—then turned away to hide the light pink blooming on her cheeks.

From above, Rongyan dropped out of the air like a smug comet.

"Ooooooh~ I see what's going on here~! You two kissed and now you're being all awkward—wait, you DID kiss, right?"

"None of your business," Ye Tian muttered.

"That's a yes!"

"Rongyan—"

"Come on, just a little reenactment—so I can rate your form!"

Ye Tian turned bright red. "I swear if you don't—"

Before he could finish, Rongyan struck a dramatic pose in midair and puckered her lips like a goldfish.

"Mwah! Look, I'm Qingyu—'Ye Tian, take me now!'"

WHAP.

A precise palm strike smacked her mid-hover.

"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her glowing butt. "Abuse! I'm calling the Spirit Union!"

From the side, Yun Qingyu actually giggled.

It was soft—barely audible—but it was real. She covered her mouth quickly, but the look in her eyes betrayed amusement.

"You… two are idiots," she said with a faint grin.

"She started it," Ye Tian mumbled.

"Still idiots."

But the warmth in her tone was unmistakable.

Later That Night…

Ye Tian sat alone under the pine tree behind his courtyard. Yun Qingyu had gone to cultivate, and Rongyan was snoring atop the rooftop, draped in flames like a cozy scarf.

The night wind stirred softly.

"Next step… the Wind Trial," Ye Tian whispered.

[System Ping: Trial Path Selected – WIND]Location: Cloudveil Skyreach – Forbidden Ruins atop Whispering PeakChallenge Type: Karmic Echo + Spatial Resonance

He narrowed his eyes. "The past challenged my strength. The wind will test my perception... and my regrets."

From the corner of the courtyard, Yun Qingyu appeared again—arms folded, a soft glow around her. "You're leaving again?"

Ye Tian stood. "I have to. The wind is calling."

She looked at him for a long while, then stepped close.

So close that her breath brushed his neck.

"Then take this."

She pressed a talisman into his hand—blue, crystalline, humming with frost.

"It'll freeze everything within ten li for three breaths. Just in case."

Ye Tian opened his mouth to thank her—but she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his.

A soft, cold kiss that somehow burned more than fire.

Before he could respond, she turned sharply and vanished back into the shadows of the courtyard.

"...what just happened?"

"Aaaaand another kiss!" Rongyan yelled from the rooftop. "Did you rate it? I'd give it an 8.5! Though your hands were just dangling—rookie mistake, by the way."

"Rongyan—"

"You didn't even hold her waist! You let her go too soon! You—AAAH!"

WHAP!

Another glowing palm strike sent her spinning like a firecracker through the air.

She landed upside-down on a tree branch, arms crossed and fuming.

"Abuse. You'll regret this when I become a phoenix again."

"You were never a phoenix."

"Spirit bird supremacy, then!"

Yun Qingyu peeked out from the hallway, trying (and failing) to hide her smile.

Ye Tian sighed and looked at the moon. "How did I end up with a cold goddess and a loud spark sprite?"

"Fate," Rongyan called out smugly. "You're welcome."

Flame Lore Update

[System Update: Flame Path Expansion]• Earth Flame List – Basic mortal flames• Heavenly Flame List – Advanced natural-elemental flames• Immortal Heavenly List – Mythic conceptual flames; Coldfire Nirvana is Rank #3• Anshen Flame – 🔒 The Absolute Peak. Sealed by Heaven. Unknown to all but the stars.

[Bead Evolution Path: Unlocked]Next Trigger: Black Flame (Soul Burn – Temporal Cycle Breaker)Effect: Partial evolution of the Heaven-Defying Bead. Red/Black glow indicates peak-level flame resonance.

And somewhere, across distant spiritual planes…The first-ranked Immortal Flame stirred.The Black Flame blinked.And the Anshen Flame, sealed at the edge of cosmic oblivion, trembled in its slumber.