Ashes Beyond the Wall
The Flame Gate Pavilion stood high on the cliffside, its crimson tiles glowing faintly with internal formations. Only inner disciples—and those summoned—could walk its halls.
Xian Ren stood at the threshold, the scroll still warm in his hand.
He entered.
Inside, the walls shimmered with carved flame dragons. Elders moved like shadows between pillars. And at the center, seated cross-legged on a floating platform of obsidian, was Instructor Yan—one of the clan's few flame cultivators who had stepped into the Core Embers Realm.
Her eyes were closed as she spoke:
"You are not special."
Xian Ren said nothing.
"You are not chosen. The system you rely on, the power you cling to, will eventually betray you."
Still, he stood silent.
Only then did her eyes open. Bright orange, like twin suns. Piercing.
"But you are useful."
She tossed him a sealed jade ring.
> [Mission Token: Tier 1 Flame Dispatch]
Objective: Eliminate rogue fire beast activity near the Ashwall Border.
Estimated threat: Level 2 mutated emberspawn
Reward: Flame Tempering Pellet + access to Inner Manual Floor (temporary)
---
He accepted the ring.
No bow. No questions.
Just a flicker of flame in his pupils as he turned and walked away.
The clan wanted to test him?
So be it.
---
By sundown, he had left the clan grounds.
The Ashwall Border lay to the south—where civilization gave way to the low-burning wilderness, a stretch of blackened hills and scorched forest where Qi beasts thrived unchecked.
It took him a day's walk through fogged stone paths to reach the edge.
There, he found what remained of a burned-out village.
And tracks in the ash.
Massive. Clawed. Deep.
The beast wasn't just nearby.
It was hunting.
---
> [System Update]
Danger Level: Elevated.
Multiple flame signatures detected. Beast identified: Twin-Spined Emberscourge
Mutation Level: High
Recommend: Initiate flame suppression stance + adaptive strike pattern.
Xian Ren smiled.
"This is what you've got?"
He dropped into a stance. Flame Veins pulsed beneath his skin.
And he waited.
The air grew hot—wrong hot.
Not the warm heat of cultivation, but a toxic burn, like sulfur and spoiled blood mixed with embers.
The ground shuddered. A hiss echoed across the ash-covered hills.
Then it came.
The Twin-Spined Emberscourge.
It burst through the blackened trees like a living furnace—six legs, molten plates of scale, two massive flame-spiked ridges down its back, each glowing with pulsing fire.
Its eyes were pitch-black, but steam hissed from its mouth with every breath.
A corrupted Qi beast.
Flame-twisted beyond nature. Beyond sanity.
And very, very hungry.
---
Xian Ren moved first.
No hesitation.
He launched forward, flame surging up his arms as Infernal Step activated.
Fwoosh—
He blinked through the air in a burst of heat, reappearing just beneath the beast's chin—and struck.
Crimson Fist.
BOOM.
The blow staggered the creature. A gout of corrupted flame shot from its jaw, missing his head by inches. Its tail whipped around with shocking speed.
He ducked, slid, counterpunched.
BOOM.
Scales cracked—but didn't break.
> [Enemy resistance: 43%
Strategy Suggestion: Break spine ridges to weaken flame channels.]
Xian Ren gritted his teeth.
"Fine. Let's see if you can handle this."
He gathered Qi—deep, pulsing.
> [Infernal Pulse: CHARGING...]
Strike Pattern Queued:
→ Crimson Fist
→ Ember Pulse
→ Infernal Step (rebound)
He moved.
Step. Blink. Appear above the spine.
The beast turned—but too slow.
Xian Ren dropped both fists downward like falling stars.
BOOOOOOM.
A crater of flame exploded beneath him as the upper spine shattered.
The beast screamed. Qi vents flared wildly across its body—out of control.
Xian Ren hit the ground and rolled.
Then turned.
And sprinted toward it again.
The Emberscourge thrashed in wild, flaming agony.
Its left spine was shattered, flames spurting erratically from exposed Qi channels. Each gout of heat melted stone and scorched trees.
But Xian Ren didn't retreat.
He advanced.
---
> [Flame Veins Synchronizing: 87%]
Crimson Fist – Overload Mode Enabled
Temporary Effect: Bone strain x3, Qi consumption x4. Damage +160%
---
He felt his knuckles cracking.
His arms screamed with pressure.
But the fire in his core had never been steadier.
He moved in a blur—Infernal Step, then rebound into a spinning strike.
His fist landed against the second spine ridge.
BOOOOM.
Crimson light lit the sky.
Flame erupted in all directions—blinding, hot, uncontrolled. The beast roared a final time before collapsing in a heap of steaming, twitching scales.
Dead.
Burned from the inside out.
---
> [Beast Eliminated]
Rare Kill Bonus Applied: Mutated Qi Node Extracted
Item Obtained: Corrupted Flame Core (Stabilized)
Use: May temper existing veins or catalyze advancement
Flame Tempering: +13%
System Note: Qi Root Resilience improving
---
Xian Ren stood over the corpse, panting, fists bleeding.
The world was silent now.
Only his breath and the low, warm thrum of victory.
Then, from the treeline—
Clapping.
Slow. Steady.
A figure stepped forward in a tattered green cloak, hood pulled low.
"You're not just some clan hound," the man said.
His voice was hoarse. Tired. Amused.
"I saw that strike. That wasn't technique—that was anger wrapped in purpose."
Xian Ren didn't respond. Not yet.
The stranger stepped closer and pulled back his hood.
Beneath it, half his face was burned away. The other half still gleamed with a faint, dying Qi light.
"Name's Shen. Used to be like you. A flame walker. Till the world tried to bury me."
He grinned.
"How'd you like to learn how to make it burn back?"