Chapter 2: Hidden Flame
In the shadow of Nuoding City, far from the grand halls of Spirit Hall or the bustling academy grounds, a boy trained alone beneath the stars.
His name was Jiang Yun, but few remembered it.
To the world, he was spiritless. A child who awakened nothing. Not beast, not weapon, not tool—just silence. Even the Spirit Hall priest had scoffed and left him behind. Nuoding Academy rejected him outright. After all, what good was a child with no visible soul power?
But Jiang Yun smiled in the quiet.
They didn't see the truth.
The moment he awakened, the Kuuga Arcle had fused with his soul. A belt of otherworldly design, the device consumed his soul power temporarily, masking its presence. Only when synchronization completed did the power return—stronger, purer.
He had awakened with full innate soul power, Level 10 from the start.
And unlike others, Jiang Yun didn't need to slaughter spirit beasts for rings. The Arcle generated them, not from life, but from resonance. With each breakthrough, a glowing ring of mechanical energy formed within him—invisible to all but him, yet overflowing with strength.
These rings weren't flashy, nor did they roar with the power of ten-thousand-year beasts. But they did something no ordinary ring could: they amplified everything—his strength, speed, durability, soul force, reaction time, and even spiritual resistance.
His body was his spirit. And it evolved.
By age seven, he reached Level 14.
At eight, Level 18.
At nine, Level 22.
Now, at ten, he stood at Level 26.
He never encountered any difficulty in cultivation because of the lack of soul power meditation techniques, he just meditated and Arcle guided him.
His first ring had granted him:
> Mighty Kick – Type I
A single-target explosive strike. The longer the charge, the greater the power. Capable of fracturing defensive spirit abilities.
His second ring, gained upon reaching Level 20, was far more dangerous:
> Crimson Lock
A tracking ability that could not miss. So long as the target was within his line of sight, the lock activated, homing in on them no matter their speed or agility. Not even teleportation-type skills could break it once activated.
But Jiang Yun didn't flaunt these powers. He trained alone, out in the hills and forests beyond town. He hunted wild animals for food, studied the movement of soul beasts from a distance, and fought trees, rocks, wind, and time.
He fought himself.
The Kuuga Arcle was more than a weapon. It was a teacher. When he meditated, it whispered quiet instructions:
> "Balance power and restraint.
Synchronization: 89%.
Next milestone: Dragon Form – requires Level 30."
His base form, Mighty Form, boosted his physique to levels rivaling trained Spirit Grandmasters. He could run faster than wild horses, lift boulders, and crush steel with focused strikes. But he never used his full power in town. He stayed hidden, a ghost among the forgotten.
Tang San had entered Nuoding Academy long ago. Jiang Yun had watched him once—clever, composed, full of hidden strength. But he didn't approach. Their paths didn't cross. They didn't need to.
It didn't meant that he will not take the immortal herbs in yin yang ice fire garden.
"I don't need a sect or school," Jiang Yun often whispered to himself, fists clenched in meditation. "Let them climb their towers. I'll build my own from the ground up."
He wasn't arrogant. Just determined.
The world saw soul power as strength. But Jiang Yun knew better. Strength meant little without conviction.
And he had plenty.
He would not kill without reason. He wouldn't lose himself to hatred or vengeance. Power was meant to protect.
That night, as clouds parted and moonlight touched his training ground, Jiang Yun struck the earth with a focused kick. Dust exploded. A line of cracked stone stretched across the clearing.
He stood there, breathing slowly, red light pulsing around his waist.
No teachers. No classmates. No fanfare.
Just resolve.
He opened his eyes, and the rune of Crimson Lock flickered faintly on his palm.
"I'm not ready yet," he said to the night. "But soon."
A day would come when others would see him not as a mistake… but as a force.
Not for fear.
But for hope.