## Chapter 14: The First Spark
Li Tianhao slept like a corpse.
Not metaphorically. Literally.
He lay flat on his back, arms spread, mouth slightly open, breathing deep and slow. If not for the faint, rhythmic warmth radiating from his body, one might have assumed he had passed out from heatstroke or shock.
Li Tianchen sat on a chair nearby, eyes half-closed, attention split between the external world and the internal fluctuations within his brother.
The Nine Suns were quiet.
That, in itself, was remarkable.
Law-level inheritances were arrogant by nature. They reshaped their hosts whether permission was granted or not. Yet the Nine Suns Overlord Scripture had chosen dormancy, as if waiting for the right moment to rise.
"Interesting," Li Tianchen murmured.
He extended his perception again, threading carefully through Tianhao's meridians. The Fire Spirit Body had stabilized, its natural affinity no longer leaking outward. Instead, it folded inward, compressing heat into refined nodes.
Primitive.
But efficient.
Even without conscious cultivation, Tianhao's body was already optimizing itself.
Li Tianchen withdrew his sense.
If this continued, Tianhao would step into cultivation naturally within days—perhaps even hours—without guidance. That was both a blessing and a potential disaster. Natural awakening often came with imbalance.
He stood.
The night outside was deep, the city wrapped in artificial silence. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. Somewhere else, a car passed. Mundane sounds. Fragile sounds.
Soon, such normalcy would fracture.
Li Tianchen walked out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him.
The storage room at the back of the house had once been used for old furniture, broken appliances, and forgotten boxes. Over the past few days, it had been thoroughly cleaned.
Now, it smelled faintly of dried herbs.
Bundles lay arranged neatly on shelves: flame grass, red-veined ginseng, ash bark, sun-dried spirit moss. None of them were particularly high-grade. On Earth, even with qi returning, true spiritual herbs were still rare.
But Li Tianchen had never relied on abundance.
Only precision.
He knelt and began sorting.
Some herbs were crushed into powder. Others were sliced thinly and arranged into small cloth packets. He worked methodically, movements steady, expression calm.
This was preparation.
Cultivation was not only about absorbing qi. It was about survival during transformation.
A peak-tier Fire Spirit Body awakening under a Law-level scripture would burn through vitality at a terrifying rate. Without support, Tianhao would either stagnate or injure his foundation.
Li Tianchen finished the last packet and stood.
He turned, sensing a presence.
The door creaked open slightly.
A head peeked in.
"…Brother?"
Li Tianchen did not turn. "You should be resting."
Li Tianhao shuffled inside anyway, hair a mess, eyes bleary. "I tried. Then my body started feeling like I swallowed a furnace."
"That is restraint," Li Tianchen said. "Not cultivation."
Li Tianhao scratched his head. "That's worse. It feels like something is knocking from the inside, asking to be let out."
Li Tianchen finally faced him.
Under his gaze, Li Tianhao straightened instinctively.
"Sit," Li Tianchen said, pointing to the mat already prepared.
Li Tianhao hesitated. "Am I about to explode?"
"No," Li Tianchen replied. "If you follow instructions."
"That's not comforting."
Despite the comment, Li Tianhao sat cross-legged.
The moment he did, heat surged again, more focused than before. The air shimmered faintly.
Li Tianchen placed a packet of herbs into his brother's hands.
"Crush this between your palms," he instructed. "Slowly. Use intent, not strength."
Li Tianhao complied. As the herbs broke down, a faint red vapor rose, immediately drawn toward his skin.
He blinked. "Hey… it's moving on its own."
"That is because your body is calling for it."
The vapor seeped in. Tianhao shuddered as warmth spread through his arms and chest, no longer wild but soothing, like controlled fire in a forge.
Li Tianchen spoke again, voice steady.
"Now listen carefully. I will not repeat this."
Li Tianhao nodded.
"Do not try to awaken the Nine Suns," Li Tianchen said. "Not even one. What you received is not meant to be rushed."
Li Tianhao frowned. "But they're already there, right? I can… feel them. Like silhouettes."
"That is exactly why you must not touch them."
Li Tianchen raised a finger.
"You will cultivate only the First Spark."
Li Tianhao tilted his head. "That sounds… small."
Li Tianchen allowed a thin smile. "Sparks start fires. Suns begin as sparks."
He extended his mental power again—not to transmit a scripture, but to guide.
This time, the pressure was gentle.
Li Tianhao's awareness was nudged inward, toward his lower abdomen. Heat gathered there, forming a tight, glowing point.
"That," Li Tianchen said, "is your spark."
Li Tianhao's breath hitched. "It feels… alive."
"It is potential," Li Tianchen replied. "Condense it. Do not expand it. Imagine pressing embers together until they glow brighter, not larger."
Li Tianhao focused.
The spark trembled, then stabilized.
The room temperature rose slightly.
Li Tianchen watched closely.
Meridians adjusted. Qi pathways aligned. The Fire Spirit Body responded eagerly, reinforcing circulation without resistance.
This was good.
Too good.
After a few minutes, Li Tianhao's face flushed. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Brother," he said through clenched teeth, "I think it's getting stronger on its own."
"That is because you are compatible," Li Tianchen said calmly. "End it now."
Li Tianhao released his focus.
The spark dimmed, settling into a steady glow.
He slumped forward, panting. "That's it? That's cultivation?"
"For today," Li Tianchen said.
Li Tianhao groaned. "I almost died for a spark?"
"You did not almost die," Li Tianchen corrected. "You almost succeeded."
Li Tianhao stared at him. "You really know how to ruin motivational moments."
Li Tianchen ignored the comment.
"You have stepped into cultivation," he continued. "Barely. Officially. You are now stronger than before, but weaker than you think."
Li Tianhao blinked. "…I feel the same."
Li Tianchen flicked his finger.
A tiny arc of flame leapt from Tianhao's fingertip, dissipating instantly.
Li Tianhao froze.
"…Did I do that?"
"Yes."
Li Tianhao slowly raised both hands, staring at them like they belonged to someone else.
"I'm… that's… that's actually real."
Li Tianchen nodded. "And dangerous."
Li Tianhao looked up. "So what now?"
"Now," Li Tianchen said, "you learn restraint."
He began handing over the remaining herb packets.
"One per day. No more. Do not cultivate without me present. Do not show this to anyone."
Li Tianhao accepted them carefully. "Including Mom and Dad?"
"Especially them," Li Tianchen replied.
Li Tianhao winced. "That's going to be hard."
Li Tianchen's gaze drifted toward the window.
Outside, clouds shifted slowly across the moon.
"The world will change," he said quietly. "When it does, attention will follow power. You are not ready for attention."
Li Tianhao nodded, unusually serious.
After a moment, he grinned. "Still… Nine suns, huh? That's pretty cool."
Li Tianchen looked at him. "Do not let pride ignite before discipline."
Li Tianhao laughed. "Relax. I'll start with one spark. Baby fire."
Li Tianchen turned away, hiding the faintest curve of approval.
The first spark had been lit.
Now, it was only a matter of time before fire learned to burn on its own