The forest was quiet.
Not the peace of calm birdsong or the gentle rustle of leaves—but the stillness of something holding its breath. No wind moved. The trees loomed like silent witnesses, and the mist coiled low across the ground, thick as smoke.
Ren Zian stood alone at the edge of a ravine, his robes still scorched from the Trial of Flame. Golden cracks of residual power spiderwebbed faintly across his skin, fading slowly with each heartbeat.
He could feel it now—deep within. A core. His core. A flame that burned steady, no longer wild and volatile. It pulsed in rhythm with his breath, his steps, even his thoughts.
He had taken the first step.
But this was only the beginning.
Behind him, the Hermit approached. His movements made no sound, but Ren sensed him anyway. Not through sight or hearing—but through the flow of energy.
"You are stable," the Hermit said, voice low. "But stability without motion is stagnation. Come."
They walked.
Deeper into the Withered Forest, where the trees grew impossibly tall and their roots twisted like the bones of dead titans. The mist thickened, and the energy in the air felt... denser. More refined.
Ren followed in silence. His thoughts churned with questions, but he knew better now than to voice them too quickly. The Hermit answered in action, not riddles.
Eventually, they arrived at a clearing unlike any Ren had seen before.
No grass grew here. Only blackened earth, scorched and cracked. In the center stood a stone obelisk, half-buried and covered in runes that shifted when he looked directly at them. Around it, seven stone platforms were arranged in a wide ring.
The Hermit gestured. "Sit."
Ren stepped onto the nearest platform and crossed his legs, settling into a meditative stance.
"What is this place?" he finally asked.
"The Ashen Circle. Formed at the height of the Skyfire War. Here, those who survived their Awakening refined their Foundation."
Ren's brows furrowed. "I thought reaching the Foundation Realm was the goal."
The Hermit shook his head. "Reaching it is a door. But a door without a path is a trap. You have formed a Flame Core. Now, you must temper it."
He extended his hand. A spark flickered to life in his palm. Not golden. Not blue. But silver-white.
Ren's breath caught.
"This," the Hermit said, "is Essence Flame. It does not burn the body—but the falsehoods within the self. You will meditate at each of the seven points. Each reveals a flaw. Each must be faced. If you falter, your core will crack. You will burn from the inside out."
[New Quest: Temper the Flame Core – Survive the Ashen Circle. Duration: Undefined. Risk Level: Critical.]
Ren inhaled. The fire inside him responded, flaring gently.
He nodded. "I'm ready."
The Hermit touched the center of the obelisk. It thrummed. The platforms glowed in sequence. Then all faded but one—the one Ren sat upon.
The test had begun.
The world around him vanished.
He stood in a field of ash. The sky above was a blood-red dome, swirling with smoke. Voices echoed across the barren land—familiar voices. Accusing. Mocking.
"You were always weak."
"He died because you hesitated."
Ren turned—and saw them. His past.
His village. His father.
His failure.
He clenched his fists. The flame in his core flared—and the illusions vanished in a burst of golden fire.
[First Flaw Faced: Guilt. Purged. Flame Core Stability +5%.]
The second platform glowed.
This time, he was surrounded by mirrors. In each, a different version of himself stared back. One filled with pride. One with rage. One with hunger for power.
They spoke in unison.
"Why deny what you could be?"
Ren stood firm. "Because what I could be isn't always what I should be."
The mirrors shattered.
[Second Flaw Faced: Pride. Purged. Flame Core Stability +6%.]
On the third platform, there was silence.
Not absence of sound—but the crushing kind. The kind that screamed in its stillness.
Ren floated in darkness.
Alone.
Forgotten.
No system prompts. No Hermit. Just endless silence.
It terrified him.
But then—he breathed. Focused on the flame within.
And in that stillness, he found himself.
[Third Flaw Faced: Fear of Isolation. Purged. Flame Core Stability +5%. Passive Skill Upgraded: Inner Flame Fortitude → Flame Bastion.]
The fourth and fifth tests blurred together—deception and desire. Visions of power offered freely. Temptations of shortcuts, of bending the system to his will.
He resisted them all.
Each time, the flame within grew brighter. Tighter. More focused.
By the sixth platform, Ren trembled—not from fear, but from fatigue. His soul felt raw. Each flaw burned away left a wound.
This test... showed him the Hermit.
But not as he was. As an enemy.
A manipulator. A thief of destiny.
"He uses you. Trains you not for your good—but for his end."
Ren hesitated.
The flame inside wavered.
"Why do you trust him?" the illusion pressed.
Ren closed his eyes. Thought of the silence. The weight of his failures. The guidance he had received.
"Because even if he is using me, he's made me stronger. Wiser."
The illusion shattered.
[Sixth Flaw Faced: Doubt. Purged. Flame Core Stability +7%.]
The final platform pulsed.
This time, he saw nothing.
Only a single flame.
His.
Flickering.
He approached—and it retreated.
He chased—and it dimmed.
Only when he stopped running, and instead opened his arms, did it return.
Merged with him.
[Seventh Flaw Faced: Self-Denial. Purged. Flame Core Stability +10%. New Passive Skill Gained: Harmony Within.]
Ren opened his eyes.
The Ashen Circle glowed golden.
The Hermit nodded from the edge. "You tempered it."
Ren exhaled. The mist stirred in rhythm with his breath.
[Quest Complete: Temper the Flame Core. Reward: Skill – Flame Manifestation. Core Stability: 100%. New State Achieved: Refined Foundation.]
He stood.
The ground trembled beneath his feet. Power coiled within him—not wild, but honed.
"What now?" he asked.
The Hermit smiled. "Now, we light the path forward."
Ren followed his gaze.
Beyond the Ashen Circle, the forest parted. A stone path, barely visible beneath the roots, led deeper into the unknown.
But Ren no longer feared it.
He had walked through the ashes.
And risen with flame.
Ren stood.
The power coursing through him was no longer unfamiliar. It no longer bucked and thrashed against his will. Instead, it pulsed—alive, aware, and his.
The Hermit didn't speak at first. He simply watched. Silent, calculating. Then he raised one hand and flicked his fingers.
A sharp ripple tore through the clearing.
Ren's senses screamed.
He twisted just in time to avoid a lance of blue fire that shot past his head and shattered one of the stone platforms behind him. He landed hard, rolling once, then sprang to his feet.
The Hermit stood unmoved, hand still raised. His expression had changed—no longer that of a teacher, but of a challenger.
"Show me what your foundation means," he said coldly.
Ren didn't hesitate.
The flame within him surged, spiraling from his core and flowing into his limbs. He extended one hand and drew a tight circle in the air—then thrust forward.
A gout of golden fire erupted from his palm, shaped like a spear. It raced toward the Hermit—but was instantly dispersed by a flick of the old man's sleeve.
"Too soft," the Hermit muttered. "Your resolve is still rooted in restraint."
Ren didn't answer. He couldn't afford to. His instincts screamed again, and he leapt sideways just as a blast of invisible force carved a trench where he'd been standing.
He skidded on the dirt, eyes scanning for patterns in the Hermit's movement, searching for openings. But the old man was motionless—his attacks came from the very air, drawn from some reservoir Ren couldn't yet see.
Ren shifted stances.
[Combat Mode Engaged: Inner Flame Discipline – Flowing Ember Form.]
He stepped forward—three quick strides—then twisted, channeling flame into his foot as he slammed it into the ground. The resulting shockwave launched a ring of fire in all directions.
The Hermit raised a brow.
The ring passed through him—harmlessly. As if he wasn't there at all.
"Good instinct," he said. "But instinct without clarity is noise."
And then he moved.
One step. That's all it took.
He vanished—then reappeared in front of Ren, palm already mid-strike.
Ren raised both arms to block—and was sent flying backwards, crashing into the ash-covered earth. Pain bloomed in his ribs.
[System Alert: Internal Disruption Detected. Core Stability: 94%.]
He coughed once. Blood. His vision blurred, but only for a second.
Then he pushed himself up. Stood.
And laughed.
It was quiet. A ragged breath of disbelief. But it was real.
"You're holding back," Ren said.
The Hermit blinked. "And what gives you that idea?"
Ren wiped blood from his mouth. "Because if you weren't, I'd already be dead."
Silence.
Then—for the first time—the Hermit smiled. It was thin. Barely there. But real.
"You've learned to see," he said softly. "That matters."
He stepped back and lowered his arms. "Enough. For now."
Ren staggered toward him, each step dragging a weight heavier than stone. "Was that… a test?"
"Every moment since your arrival has been a test," the Hermit replied. "But this was a lesson."
He turned and looked toward the forest.
"The strength of your flame means nothing if you cannot control when to draw it… and when to sheath it."
Ren sank to his knees. "Then… what happens next?"
The Hermit's gaze sharpened. "Now, you leave."
Ren's head snapped up. "Leave? What do you mean?"
"Your foundation is set. The Ashen Circle has given you all it can. If you stay, you will grow complacent—comfortable. And comfort is death to cultivation."
Ren's heart thudded.
He had grown used to the quiet of this place. To the rhythm of fire and reflection. The idea of leaving felt like plunging into chaos again.
"But… where do I go?"
The Hermit looked skyward.
"To the outer realms," he said. "To the Jade Provinces. There, true cultivation begins. There, you'll find others—cultivators, sects, beasts, and ruins. Enemies and allies."
He turned to Ren fully now.
"There, you'll find the first clue about why the system chose you."
Ren's breath caught.
"You know why?" he asked.
The Hermit's eyes burned with secrets. "I know part. You'll find the rest yourself."
Ren's system chimed softly:
[Main Quest Updated: Journey to the Jade Provinces – Discover the Origin of the Flame System.]
[Side Quest Unlocked: Find the Ruins of the First Flame.]
Ren stood, strength slowly returning to his limbs.
"Then I'll go," he said. "But before I leave… what are you, really?"
The Hermit was silent for a long moment.
Then he said, "Once, I burned like you do now. But my flame led to a different path. One of silence. One of watching."
He stepped closer, his eyes boring into Ren's.
"Don't waste what you've been given, Ren Zian. Flame can light the world—or devour it. The choice is always yours."
He pressed a hand to Ren's chest—and suddenly, the mist around them swirled violently. A vortex of silver and gold energy coalesced.
"A teleportation seal," the Hermit said. "It will take you to the outer edge of the Jade Provinces."
He stepped back.
Ren looked around one last time. The platforms. The obelisk. The ashen ground where he had forged himself anew.
Then he looked forward.
And stepped into the vortex.
The world shifted.
For a moment, he was nowhere. Then—
Light. Sound. Cold air.
He landed in a dense forest beneath a blood-orange sky. The trees here were different—vibrant and alive with spirit essence. The ground pulsed faintly, and the wind carried whispers of qi.
Before him, a wide dirt path stretched into the distance, marked with strange symbols.
In the far distance, built into the side of a green cliff, stood an enormous gate carved with dragons of flame.
A sect.
Maybe the first of many.
Ren adjusted his robes, squared his shoulders, and took a deep breath.
[You have entered: Province of Verdant Flame.]
[Warning: Region Rank – Intermediate. Combat encounters may exceed current level.]
A slow smile crept onto his face.
"Alright, world," he whispered. "Let's see what you've got."
End of Chapter 4.