Wind danced through the Azure Flame Hall, rustling the crimson banners that hung like dragon tongues in the breeze. Lin Xun sat cross-legged in silent meditation, the Twin Flame Seal pulsing dimly on his arm like a second heart. Around him, the air shimmered with spiritual pressure—dense, violent, yet harmonious.
His body had changed.
His aura had evolved.
The Flame Lotus Realm had ignited more than power—it had awakened the blood slumbering within his soul. Each breath he took now resonated with the rhythm of ancient flames and forgotten frost. But with awakening came danger.
And the sect elders were not done testing him.
---
The Summit Scroll
Just as dawn painted the sky with hues of ember and rose, a horn rang out across the inner sect. Disciples poured from their quarters like startled crows as elders floated above on spirit swords, their gazes cold and solemn.
Yun Qingyue approached Lin Xun personally, her silver hair trailing behind like comet dust.
"You've been summoned to the Twin Flame Trials."
Lin Xun opened his eyes slowly, the flames in his pupils flickering.
"I thought that trial ended."
She shook her head. "That was the beginning."
She handed him a scroll. Its seal bore two dragons circling a burning sun.
"This trial determines whether the Skyrect Sect will recognize you… or cast you out."
He rose to his feet, a smile barely curving his lips. "Then let the fire speak."
---
The Arena of Crimson Ash
The Twin Flame Trials were held once every decade in the Arena of Crimson Ash—a colossal ring carved into the heart of Mount Huowang. Formed from volcanic obsidian and eternal flame jade, the arena was said to be built by the Flame Emperor himself.
Only three had ever passed the full trial. All became Sect Elders.
Lin Xun now stood at its center.
Above him, the sky churned with storm clouds tinged in gold.
Around him, thousands of disciples gathered on stone ledges, whispering in anticipation.
From the elder's platform, Daozi of the Nine Paths raised his palm.
"The first trial: Endure the Flamefall."
The skies split open.
Fire rained down like liquid meteors, each ember sharp enough to slice bone, each blaze hot enough to melt steel.
Lin Xun didn't flinch.
His frost surged, forming shields of icy will. His flame roared back in rebellion, consuming the trial's fury with his own.
For six hours, the sky burned.
For six hours, Lin Xun stood tall.
The rain ceased.
And silence descended.
---
Trial Two: The Mirror of the Ancients
Without pause, Daozi gestured again.
From the earth rose a colossal mirror, its surface black as a moonless night.
"The Mirror reveals your lineage," Yun Qingyue whispered from the sidelines, "and judges your fate."
Lin Xun stepped forward.
The mirror rippled… then burned red.
Visions danced across its surface.
A man cloaked in celestial armor wielding a sword of bone flame. A woman bathed in frostlight cradling a child marked by fire. A battlefield strewn with corpses—Blood Sect banners fluttering beside broken halos.
Then came the final image: a broken crown, shattered into two halves.
A collective gasp swept the crowd.
"That armor… is from the Heaven's Sovereign Lineage!" one elder murmured.
"But the Blood Sect mark… he's… he's both?"
Daozi frowned deeply. "Impossible."
Lin Xun stared at the mirror, fists clenched.
His mother, his father, and the truth—fragments still, but real.
He turned, voice cold. "Does my bloodline damn me?"
Yun Qingyue stepped forward, her voice cutting the air like ice. "No. Your actions will define your legacy."
Daozi hesitated… then nodded.
"Final trial."
---
Trial Three: The Phoenix of Spirit Flame
The air twisted violently.
From the sky descended a mythical beast—a phoenix of pure spirit flame, eyes glowing like twin suns.
Its cry shattered stone.
It circled Lin Xun once, then dived.
He dodged, frost wings erupting from his back. With a roar, he summoned twin pillars of blue and red fire—one of searing destruction, the other of absolute cold.
The phoenix clashed, its claws raking his chest, but he countered with the Flame-Wind Tiger Art and the Glacial Feather Spiral.
Each clash burned air, froze ground, and bent space.
The sky turned violet.
The phoenix screamed—then bowed.
Lin Xun stood at its center, robes torn, body bruised, but victorious.
The arena erupted in cheers.
He had passed.
---
The Sect's Verdict
That evening, the thirteen elders convened.
Daozi spoke first. "His bloodline is unstable. But he has proven control."
Mo Jian grunted. "The Blood Sect will pursue him regardless."
Yun Qingyue smiled faintly. "Let them try."
The final vote was cast.
Unanimous approval.
Lin Xun was granted the Azure Flame Emissary title—a rank reserved for cultivators on the edge of elderhood.
He now had the sect's protection.
And its burdens.
---
The Letter from Everlight
But rest was fleeting.
Just two days later, a messenger crane descended upon his windowsill.
The scroll it carried bore a phoenix feather seal.
> Lin Xun of the Skyrect Sect,
Your flames stirred the heavens.
The starlight has taken interest.
We invite you to the Grand Summit of the Five Divine Sects.
Attend as Azure Flame Emissary.
Let destiny weave its tale.
— Bai Ziyan, Everlight Sect
Lin Xun exhaled slowly.
Her name again. The girl in the mirror. The heir of starlight.
He rolled the scroll.
"A new summit. A new battlefield."
---
In the Shadows of Flame
But far to the west, in a blood-stained citadel beneath a crimson moon, a man sat atop a throne of bones.
He wore robes stitched with screaming souls, and his crown pulsed with the cries of ancient victims.
Third Prince Xue Tian.
He stared into a blood mirror where Lin Xun's face hovered.
"The child of the traitor lives…"
He rose, voice a rasping growl.
"Send the Soul Reavers.
The hunt begins anew."
---
Flames crackled.
Destinies danced.
And in the distance, two stars inched toward collision.
Lin Xun had survived the trials. But now, the real war would begin.