The Crimson Caverns weren't simply a place of meditation. They were a living relic of an ancient age, predating even the establishment of the Heavenly Flame Pavilion. It was said that beneath the rocks still flowed a river of spiritual magma sealed by forgotten techniques… and that the burning stones that illuminated the place were hardened fragments of that primal fire.
When Xiu Wang descended, the warmth seemed to recognize her. It didn't attack her, it didn't repel her… but it didn't welcome her either. It was as if the place was testing her, observing her from every corner.
The jade pendant around her neck vibrated intermittently. The energy was different. Not aggressive, but dense, charged with something she couldn't understand.
"Why can't I hear my qi clearly here...? It's as if another breath were mixing with mine…"
Instructor Bai's voice echoed again, distant, as if the cavern were filtering the words at will:
"Meditate. Listen to the fire. Let it decide if you are worthy."
Xiu Wang closed his eyes. His breathing began to match the rhythm of the place. His mind traveled beyond his body. Then he saw vague images: a throne of black flames, a sleeping figure between golden chains, and eyes slowly opening from an ashen sky.
He felt fear… and also recognition.
"Am I the one dreaming… or is something else dreaming of me?"
In the deepest chambers, Wu Jian walked through the passages accompanied by two gray-robed disciples. One of them had a seal tattooed on his wrist—a minor demonic symbol, hidden with spiritual ink. She belonged to an infiltrated branch of the Silent Blood Demon Clan, a name forbidden even among the Pavilion's high-ranking officials.
"She cannot advance," Wu Jian murmured.
"The fire within her is... anomalous. Neither pure nor tainted. It is a void. A threat."
The disciple beside him smiled slightly, his gaze dark.
"There are ways to extinguish flames before they burn..."
Wu Jian didn't reply. He just made a fist, and a purple spark danced in his palm.
It wasn't fire qi. It was a forbidden spiritual combustion technique.
A single touch and even the bones would scream.
Meanwhile, from atop a natural crevice, a hooded figure watched her. He emitted no qi. He made no noise. His breathing didn't disturb the air.
But Xiu Wang sensed her.
Not with his senses... but with his soul.
"Who... are you?"
A voice formed in the silence. No words were spoken, but it was understood:
"The flame that still sleeps... calls to me."
A second later, the figure disappeared. And in its place, only a faint, dark glow remained... like the fire of an extinguished star.
At the end of the day, the disciples left in silence, some trembling, others breathing heavily. Xiu Wang remained calm... but something had changed. Her pendant was as hot as if she had touched lava.
At its core, a crack had appeared. And within it... a glowing, barely perceptible eye seemed to watch her from within the jade.