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"In fire, we cleanse. In soul, we remember."
The sealed jade scroll trembled lightly in Su Yang's hands, as if the memories bound within it still breathed. The moment he returned to the Valley of Harmonious Fire, he placed the scroll on the stone table inside his quiet refinement chamber and activated a soul-sealing formation around the room.
> "If this method truly involves lost soul-fusion techniques… I need to proceed carefully."
Max sat silently by the door, and inside the Spirit Land, Zi Shu—the newly named little purple snake—slept deeply in her coiled nest, still absorbing Heaven Energy.
Su Yang took a breath and unsealed the scroll.
A gust of invisible wind rushed through the chamber.
Tsshhh…
Runes flared into view across the scroll's surface—ancient, foreign, and written with soul-ink. The script didn't use language alone—it transmitted emotion, pain, triumph.
> "The Soul-Fused Fire Nourishment Pill requires not only flame mastery, but spirit clarity. Without soul resonance, the medicine will fracture the mind."
That was the first line. A warning. A gate.
Su Yang's pupils contracted.
> "This isn't just advanced alchemy… it's a trial of the heart."
He closed his eyes and began to memorize every formation pattern, flame sequence, and timing. The technique contained a special fourth stage called Spirit Binding, where soul energy must be fused into the flame to awaken the pill's memory-nourishing properties.
Most alchemists could not even see that step. But thanks to the Soul Flame Thread Technique and his Karma Fire Body, Su Yang could feel the echoes—the imprints of intent left behind.
Three hours passed.
When he finally opened his eyes, the room felt heavier—as if his own thoughts had grown roots.
> "The soul flame I saw… it wasn't just symbolic. I'll have to use my own spirit threads… during the fusion step."
It was time to prepare.
---
Outside, inside the Valley's specialized spiritual furnace cavern—
This was where senior alchemists conducted dangerous or large-scale refinements. The chamber was dome-shaped, reinforced by black-stone walls and powered by ancient formation lines that pulsed with controlled fire.
Su Yang stood in front of a three-legged crimson-gold cauldron—the same one that had once responded to Wu Tianzheng's soul.
He laid the ingredients on a table nearby:
Flameheart Lotus
Silverdew Herb
Heaven Soot Crystal
Dragonbone Powder
Essence Ash Vine
Wind Ink Ginseng
Soullight Marrow Root
Each was rare, and the final two were dangerously volatile when heated together.
> "Everything's in place."
He activated the cauldron and slowly summoned his Karma Fire.
Fwooom…
The golden-red flame spiraled into existence. But this time, instead of dancing freely, the flame responded instantly to Su Yang's spiritual intent.
It wasn't just fire—it was alive.
As the first herbs entered the flame, the fragrance filled the chamber with waves of warmth and memory.
---
Thirty minutes passed.
Every ingredient melted perfectly. Su Yang's timing was impeccable.
But now came the crucial point—Spirit Binding.
He pressed both hands forward and released a soul thread from his spiritual sea—a glowing, pale-blue wisp that glided like mist into the flame.
CRACK!
A backlash struck him.
The room shook.
His eyes widened as he suddenly saw visions through the fire—
---
> A battlefield, wreathed in fire.
A dying soldier coughing blood.
Wu Tianzheng—eyes hollow, soul burning—kneeling before a cracked furnace, pouring what remained of his spirit into a final pill.
"Live… even if I do not…" he whispered.
---
Su Yang's mind reeled.
He was seeing memories.
The spirit-flame thread had connected to the legacy imprint of the furnace—and now it was drawing Wu Tianzheng's final thoughts into him.
> "Hold…!" Su Yang growled, forcing his own soul flame to stabilize.
His Karma Fire surged—defensive, protective.
The backlash eased.
He gasped, sweat running down his face—but the flame was still alive.
And now…
It had changed.
A white-gold hue had appeared at the center—traces of soul resonance.
> "I did it… I fused memory into flame."
He quickly resumed the pill shaping process, guiding the essence through precise spiritual lines.
As the cauldron trembled one last time, a gentle glow emerged.
From the golden mist inside, one perfect pill floated upward.
It pulsed with life, warmth… and a strange calm.
> "This is…" Su Yang whispered. "The true Soul-Fused Fire Nourishment Pill."
---
Just then—
> Tap… tap…
He turned.
A figure stood at the edge of the formation wall.
It was Mu Qinglian, her veil fluttering slightly in the heat, eyes narrowed.
> "That flame… you refined a soul flame pill? At your level?"
Su Yang didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he sealed the pill inside a jade box, placed it carefully on the table, and turned to her.
> "You felt it?"
She stepped forward, gaze sharp. "I felt a soul-pulse from halfway across the valley."
Her eyes narrowed.
> "That… is a forbidden art in many sects. You're walking the path of the Soul Alchemist?"
Su Yang gave a small nod.
> "By fate, not choice."
She was silent for a long time.
Then, almost reluctantly, she whispered—
> "You're going to draw attention. More than you realize."
He looked at her.
> "Then I'll need to be ready."
---