Some time earlier, before the battle in the square…
Within the stone-walled sanctum of the Earth Flame Room in Ember Hollow Hall, Lin Mu sat cross-legged on a carved stone dais, his breathing slow and deep.
The air shimmered with heat around him, waves of orange, yellow and gold swirling as the ambient energy was steadily drawn into his body. The dual nature of the Earth Flame—rich in both fire and earth elemental essence—responded greedily to Lin Mu's cultivation technique, flowing into him in a steady rhythm.
It had been over a full day since he began this focused session, and the result was already astonishing.
Within his body, two radiant cores spun with increasing speed.
One was nestled deep in his heart—the Fire Core, glowing like molten gold.
The other throbbed with dense heaviness in his spleen—the Earth Core, a rotating orb of brown and ochre energy.
