The Xiao Clan nursery was calm. Birds chirped lazily outside, a breeze fluttered the silk curtains, and the scent of spring drifted in. In one corner, nestled in a finely carved crib, lay a child who was very much not calm.
Xiao Ranyu stared at the ceiling above him—a lazy assortment of wooden birds and clouds—like a man plotting war.
> "This is fine," he muttered in his mind.
"Totally normal. I'm a grown man. Reborn. With a cultivation system. Stuck in a baby's body. Staring at spinning clouds. Wonderful."
He sighed—or, rather, made the soft burbling sound babies make when sighing. It was humiliating. His limbs were stubby, his movements limited, and worst of all, he'd been burped in front of strangers twice that morning.
Still, the system had been quiet since his explosive first sign-in. No new alerts, no violent soul flames, no screaming spirit elders in his head. Just peace. For now.
That was, until the fire started.
It began subtly. A warmth that radiated from his tiny belly like a gentle ember. Then the crib began to creak—ever so slightly. The wooden bars shimmered faintly, steam rising where his bare back touched the bedding.
Ranyu blinked.
> "Uh oh."
A thin wisp of smoke curled from beneath his blanket. One of the wooden birds caught a glowing orange edge.
> [Warning: Host leaking unstable Flame Qi during sleep.] [Cause: Early Flame Affinity awakening.] [Activating passive ability: Flame Containment Protocol.]
"I'm literally setting my crib on fire," Ranyu thought blankly. "This isn't even symbolic. This is just arson."
A loud pop! echoed as the mobile caught fire and burst into flames like a cheap festival firecracker.
Outside, a maid carrying warm milk opened the door and—
Screamed.
"FIREEEEE! THE YOUNG MASTER IS ON FIRE!!"
The entire Xiao residence erupted in chaos within seconds. Servants rushed in, one doused Ranyu with a basin of cold water. An elder barged in half-dressed and shouted, "What unholy technique is this?! WHO'S ATTACKING THE INFANT?!"
And in the middle of it all, Xiao Ranyu—wet, blinking, and slightly steaming—cooed.
> "I didn't mean to," he muttered in his head, pouting.
---
Hours later, after the flames had been explained away as "abnormal innate talent," Ranyu was finally alone again—wrapped in a slightly charred blanket, his pride singed more than his skin.
But his mind was whirring. Something had triggered the leak. The system hadn't given him a new technique… but something had changed.
> "System. Show me my spiritual sea."
> [Request accepted.] [Entering meditative state…]
In an instant, his senses were pulled inward—into a space deep within himself. It felt vast, yet embryonic. He floated in a glowing void, surrounded by warmth and flickering light. In the center was a single seed of cold blue flame: the Bone Chilling Flame, quietly rotating above a molten lake of gold.
> "This… is my core."
Golden runes floated around it—Flame Mantra, silently cultivating. He could feel energy trickling into his soul, drop by drop. Even as a baby, his Eternal Flame Vassal Body was learning. Growing.
> [New Feature Unlocked: Soul Meditation (Infant Variant)] [Effect: Allows passive Dou Qi accumulation while host sleeps or focuses internally.] [Growth Rate: +0.02% Dou Qi Core Expansion / day]
Xiao Ranyu chuckled—mentally. His baby body couldn't even grin properly yet.
> "I'm cultivating in my sleep. That's absurdly broken. I love it."
As the meditative vision faded, he returned to his crib—now reinforced with heat-resistant ore, courtesy of a panicked elder. Outside, servants whispered rumors of "the Fire Baby" and avoided eye contact with the room.
Xiao Ranyu closed his eyes, flame purring softly in his dantian, and sighed in deep, smug satisfaction.
> "First, I burned my bed. Next, I'll burn this world."
Then his stomach rumbled. Loudly.
A servant peeked in, saw his twitching lip and red face, and yelled again:
"HE'S GLOWING AGAIN! BUCKETS! GET THE BUCKETS!"
__
The fire squad had finally retreated. His mother had sung him a lullaby that suspiciously sounded like a threat to stop glowing at night, and the servants had re-wrapped him like a dumpling in fire-resistant cloth.
Now, finally alone and dry, Xiao Ranyu exhaled mentally.
> "System, open the Host Panel."
> [Accessing Host Status…] [Displaying Interface:]
---
[Host Panel – Xiao Ranyu]
Age: 5 Days
Cultivation: None (0.02%)
Physique: Eternal Flame Vassal Body (semi-awakend)
Practice speed 100% , flame resistance , top level flame control
Affinities:
Fire Affinity: Excellent (+10)
Profession: None
Martial arts skills: None
Cultivation Technique:
Flame Mantra (Yellow-tier, Evolvable)
↳ Current Stage: Foundation (Dormant Qi Gathering)
Heavenly Flames Housed:
Bone Chilling Flame – Stabilized (Dormant)
Mutation Type: Flame Sovereign Qi (locked)
Body Condition:
Infant Stage
Flame Containment Active
Metabolism Accelerated (due to internal flame refinement)
Abilities Available:
Flame Assimilation (Passive)
Soul Meditation – Infant Variant (Passive)
---
[Nearby Sign-in Targets: None of high interest currently.]
[Tip: Powerful targets = better rewards.]
System point:20
---
Ranyu scanned through the panel, blinking internally at the absurdity.
> "I'm five days old and I already have a Heavenly Flame. What even is the difficulty curve in this world?"
He paused at one line.
> "Flame Sovereign Qi… locked?"
> "System, when will Flame Sovereign Qi activate?"
> [Host must reach Dou Qi Stage 1.]
Ranyu grunted softly, which in baby terms translated into a tiny hiccup.
> "Fine. I'll meditate, grow, stay warm... and not explode in my sleep again."
The system chimed again, this time with a subtler tone:
> [New Goal Available: Dou qi stage 1]
Reward: Unlock Flame Sovereign Qi
Bonus: system point 100
---
Outside, footsteps approached.
Ranyu closed the panel just in time as a familiar face peered into the room. Xiao Yan, now toddling with uncertain steps, climbed up to peek over the edge of the crib. His wide black eyes locked onto his baby brother's face.
"…You're weird," Xiao Yan said solemnly.
Xiao Ranyu burbled in reply.
The toddler leaned closer, nose wrinkling. "You smell like smoke."
A gurgle.
Xiao Yan squinted. "Don't explode."
Then he turned and waddled off.
---
Xiao Ranyu blinked up at the ceiling.
> "I have a system, a Heavenly Flame, and a destined brother with a cheat ring. And I just got insulted by a toddler who's still wearing training diapers."
He chuckled softly, eyes flickering orange for a moment.
> "Let's see which one of us becomes Emperor first."