Vein of Wrath
The North Courtyard had never been so full.
Outer disciples stood in rows—some tense, others relaxed—each trying to look stronger than the next. Many whispered when they saw Xian Ren arrive.
But none dared laugh.
Not after the duel.
Not after the rumors of him surviving the Ashfall Stones.
Not after the ground around the training barn was found split open, charred black with flame.
---
An elder stood before the group, robed in black and red. His name was Elder Mo, the one responsible for outer disciple evaluations.
He scanned the crowd, then called out:
"Only those with three or more flame veins may participate in the Flame Trial. Step forward when called."
Names rang out.
One after another, smug young cultivators stepped forward, showing glowing veins along their arms or backs. Murmurs filled the air.
But when Elder Mo called, "Xian Ren,"
The entire courtyard went silent.
He stepped forward calmly.
Then lifted his arm.
Four veins lit up, crimson and bright—pulsing with heat. Not faked. Not forged.
Earned.
Even Elder Mo's eyes narrowed. "...You were at one vein two weeks ago."
"I got angry," Xian Ren said, voice dry.
---
The elder led them through the gate and up a narrow path into the cliffs above the courtyard. It was a hidden route — one known only to inner instructors and legacy cultivators.
At the top lay an ancient shrine.
Or what remained of one.
Crumbled flame statues. Broken tiles. Heat still radiating from the cracked floor. In its center was a circular flame array, glowing red with deep runes carved into it.
Elder Mo turned.
"This is the Vein Mirror. Created by our founder. It doesn't test talent—it tests flame control."
He gestured to the circle. "You'll enter one at a time. Endure its wrath. And if you survive, it will awaken your true affinity."
"What's the trial?" someone asked.
The elder gave a sharp smile. "It burns you alive."
---
The Vein Mirror shimmered like lava beneath thin glass.
One by one, the outer disciples stepped into the array. Some lasted a few breaths. Some screamed. A few fainted and were dragged away by silent guards.
The flame didn't just test strength—it tested control.
A boy with five veins collapsed weeping. A girl with four stumbled out coughing blood.
And then it was Xian Ren's turn.
---
He stepped into the ring.
The moment his foot touched the core sigil, heat erupted.
It wasn't physical—not entirely. It poured inside him, surging through his flame veins like molten iron through pipes.
---
> [System Sync Initiated: Vein Mirror Mode Detected]
Pain Suppression: Off
System Interference: None
You are on your own.
---
The flames whispered in his ears.
"Show us your control."
His body buckled. His knees trembled. His skin turned red.
But Xian Ren gritted his teeth and focused.
Instead of resisting the flame, he guided it—pulling it toward his known Qi channels, redirecting surges into his already-burned muscles, compressing the pain into pressure.
He drew from his Scorch-Forged Nerves.
From the nights training alone.
From the fights, the bruises, the blood.
And then—he breathed.
The heat settled.
Not vanished—but tamed.
---
The Vein Mirror glowed bright red, then golden.
Elder Mo's eyes widened.
He stood up. "...That color... only seen once in two decades."
The flame condensed around Xian Ren.
And branded him.
A small, red mark appeared over his heart—like a spiral sun, with veins branching outward like claws.
---
> [Flame Affinity: Variant Type — Infernal Pulse recognized]
Unique Trait Gained: Flame Compression Core (Locked — requires breakthrough)
Status: Qualified.
Trial Completed: 4th Best Recorded Time in Clan History.
---
Xian Ren stepped out of the circle slowly. Smoke rolled from his back. His legs shook, but he stood tall.
No cheers.
No applause.
But no doubt, either.
Every disciple there looked at him now like a lit torch in a dry forest.
Something that could ignite at any second.
That night, the clan buzzed with whispers.
> "He endured the Vein Mirror longer than half the inner disciples…"
"A Variant Flame Affinity? Are those even real?"
"They say Elder Mo sent his name to the sect registry."
But Xian Ren didn't care.
He was back in his ruined barn. Shirt discarded. Legs folded. Hands glowing faintly red.
The mark over his heart — the spiral flame from the trial — pulsed slowly.
Like a second heartbeat.
---
> [New Sub-Path Unlocked: Infernal Pulse]
Flame Compression Core: 0% (Locked)
Milestone: Awaken 5th Flame Vein to begin Core Condensation.
Skill Evolution Available:
Crimson Fist → Infernal Fist
Infernal Step → Scorch Blink (requires flame anchor)
---
Every punch he threw now felt heavier. Not slower—denser.
The flame didn't burn wild anymore.
It waited inside him.
Tighter. Sharper. Controlled.
He was turning from a spark into something deadlier.
A blade forged in heat, not just a torch flailing in the dark.
---
The next morning, a scroll arrived at his door.
Silk-bound. Marked with the red insignia of the Inner Hall.
> "Xian Ren.
You are summoned to the Flame Gate Pavilion.
Prepare for your first official mission."
---
He looked up at the sky.
The clan had kept him in chains.
But now?
They were about to send him into the wider world.
Where real monsters waited.
Where flame could rise unchecked.
And he would burn through every name, sect, and sky that stood in his way.