The moon hung heavy over Skyrend Sect, casting silver light over its towers and cliffs. Disciples slept. Elders meditated. Beasts roamed in silence. But Lin Xun stood alone atop Ember Peak, his newly given Outer Sect robe fluttering in the night wind.
In his hand was the mysterious scroll.
> "The Divine Phoenix watches with interest…"
He had reread the words a hundred times. Not out of confusion—but recognition. The script, the strokes, even the qi laced into the parchment—it felt familiar, as if someone close had written it.
> "Why does it feel like… Mother?"
His heart thudded harder.
Was it possible she had ties to the Divine Phoenix Sect? The most revered of flame sects in the upper heavens? A realm no Outer Sect disciple could even dream of stepping into?
He gripped the scroll tighter. Somewhere in the silence, a whisper echoed faintly in his mind.
> "Follow the flame. Seek the Forbidden Wing."
His eyes narrowed.
This wasn't over.
---
Morning light painted the skies orange.
Lin Xun awoke early and trained with relentless rhythm—flame strikes, frost counters, dual-element circulation. Sweat drenched his robes. Ice crystals formed beneath his feet, only to melt from the blaze of his palms.
Nearby disciples stopped to stare.
> "Isn't that Lin Xun? The guy who broke the Trial Guardian?"
> "Yeah… freakishly strong. But unstable."
> "I heard even Elder Qiu noticed him."
Their whispers didn't faze him.
He was chasing something greater now—answers.
And a path to the top.
---
Later that day, Lin Xun was summoned to the Flame Library—an ancient repository reserved for high-ranking disciples and trusted cultivators.
He was shocked to be called. Outer Sect disciples weren't permitted there.
He stepped inside.
The air was thick with ancient qi. Scrolls floated midair, glowing faintly. Stone pedestals bore tomes older than kingdoms.
An elder in crimson stood before him.
> "Lin Xun," the man said. "You've been granted limited access to Tier One Flame Scriptures."
> "Why?" Lin Xun asked, cautious.
> "Orders from the top. No name given."
He understood.
> "The Divine Phoenix…?"
He bowed and moved through the shelves.
It was here he found it.
Heavenly Flame Codex: Path of the Molten Soul.
A technique so advanced, it was rumored to fuse elemental essence directly with one's soul core—creating a living flame that could devour spiritual energy itself.
He opened the scroll. Lines of flame script surged into his eyes.
He didn't just read it.
He absorbed it.
---
Outside the library, trouble brewed.
A group of elite Outer Sect disciples—Jei Han, Lu Wun, and Meiling—stood near the cliff path, eyes dark with malice.
> "He got access to the Flame Library?"
> "While we've waited years? Blasphemy."
> "He needs to be… reminded of his place."
They weren't just jealous. They were connected—heirs of minor elders. Protected. Privileged.
And now, threatened.
---
That night, Lin Xun left the library, spiritual sense blazing from his meditation.
He sensed the trap before it was sprung.
Blades hissed through the wind.
He twisted, dodged, and spun, parrying three attacks at once.
> "So this is how you welcome a new brother?" he asked coldly.
Jei Han stepped forward, smirking.
> "You're no brother of mine. You're a stain."
> "And I remove stains."
Lin Xun's eyes flared.
Crimson Step. Frost Vein Pulse.
He vanished—then appeared behind Lu Wun.
BOOM.
One strike sent him crashing into a tree.
Meiling lunged with twin daggers, but Lin Xun's frost barrier flared, slowing her movements. A fiery uppercut launched her skyward.
Only Jei Han remained.
> "You think you can scare me?" he spat.
> "You're just a fluke."
Lin Xun said nothing.
He closed his eyes… and unleashed it.
Molten Soul Awakening.
A flame burst from his chest—white-hot, laced with spiritual runes. It howled like a living entity.
Jei Han screamed.
The flames licked his robes, burning his pride, his arrogance. He fled, limping, terrified.
The others scattered too.
Lin Xun exhaled slowly.
His control over the technique was raw—but it worked.
Heavenly Flame Codex… it's real.
---
Days passed.
Whispers of his rising power spread through the Outer Sect like wildfire.
Some admired him. Others feared him. And some plotted in the dark.
But above them all, on the floating summit of the inner sect, a girl watched from her phoenix-shaped balcony.
She wore robes of crimson and gold.
Her eyes shimmered like starlight.
And her surname… was Yun.
> "So that's the boy the scroll spoke of."
> "Interesting," Yun Fei murmured. "Very interesting."
---
Meanwhile, in a distant realm far above mortal skies, a man in black stood before a sealed gate surrounded by heavenly chains.
A servant approached.
> "My lord… your son has awakened his Molten Soul."
The man didn't move. But behind his mask, his eyes glowed with power.
> "Then it begins," he whispered.
> "Soon… all the heavens will remember the name Lin."
---
Back at Skyrend, Lin
Xun sat under the stars, hands on his knees, soul burning quietly.
The world moved around him. Enemies stirred. Fate twisted.
But in the center of it all…
His flame blazed steadily.
And the Phoenix's whisper echoed louder in his soul.