Chapter 9 – The Ascent of the Sun-Chaser
The Mountain Pass
The carriage wound through the Soaring Cloud Peaks, a mountain range that acted as a natural border toward the central provinces. The air was thin and crisp. Suddenly, the carriage jolted to a halt.
Yue Guan looked up, his eyes narrowing. "That's... quite a high-level resonance for this area."
High above the peaks, the sky seemed to catch fire. An Aurora Sun-Chaser Phoenix—a beast with feathers that shimmered like a morning sunrise—circled a cliffside. It is a 5,000 years old, a proud creature that reigned over the heights.
Lakan stepped out of the carriage, shielding his eyes. "That's it," he said, his voice grounded but filled with a quiet excitement. "The second tone I need."
"Lakan, that thing stays in the air," Yue Guan warned, his tone surprisingly protective. "Even with your movement, you're grounded. It will just rain solar flares on you until you're a charcoal briquette."
"Then I guess I'll just have to stop being grounded," Lakan replied with a breezy grin. He looked at the two Douluos. "Just make sure no other 'uncles' join the party. I've got this."
The Battle of the Heights
Lakan bolted up the cliffside with the Diamond Glide, his feet blurring as he scaled the vertical rock. Sensing an intruder, the Phoenix shrieked. It didn't descend. Instead, it beat its wings, sending arcs of white-hot solar energy downward.
BOOM.
The cliffside exploded. Lakan used the Triangular Pivot mid-climb, leaping from falling debris to stable rock. But he was struggling. Every time he got close to a jumping point, the Phoenix used its superior mobility to fly higher, peppering him with long-range heat beams.
"The distance is too great," Lakan analyzed, his brow matted with sweat. "The ground-based Diamond Glide relies on friction. In the air, there is nothing to push against."
A solar flare grazed his shoulder, his Iridescent Bone Forging whistling as it absorbed the heat, but the impact sent him tumbling back toward a thousand-foot drop.
Mid-fall, Lakan didn't panic. He entered the Center-Point Stillness.
"If there's no ground, I'll make the air my ground."
He summoned the Ibong Adarna. Prismatic wings erupted from his back, but they weren't fully solid yet—they were made of vibrating Soul Power.
"The Firmament Step (Hakbang Langit) is too slow for this height. I need more than a step. I need a burst."
Lakan focused his Soul Power into the primary feathers of his Adarna wings. He didn't just flap them; he "detonated" the energy at the tips.
"Bugso ng Adarna!"(Surge of the Adarna)
CRACK-BOOM!
A vacuum formed behind him as a sonic boom echoed across the peaks. Lakan was propelled upward like a jet engine. The Phoenix, thinking it was safe at its altitude, barely had time to widen its eyes before Lakan appeared in its personal space.
The Mid-Air Scissor
The Phoenix tried to snap its beak, but Lakan was already in the rhythm. Using the Aerial Diamond Glide, he "zig-zagged" through the air, his wings snapping shut and open to create violent bursts of speed.
"Gunting (The Scissor Counter)."
As the Phoenix lunged, Lakan used his wings to create a sudden air-brake, spinning his body. He scissored his legs around the bird's neck—Sikaran style—while his hands struck the "Soul Power Anchor" at the base of its skull.
"Panununtukan (Vibrational Pulse)."
He pulsed his vibration-refined Soul Power directly into the Phoenix's brain. The beast's golden eyes dimmed as the internal shock neutralized its consciousness.
They fell together, a boy and a phoenix, trailing prismatic light. Just before they hit the ground, Lakan used one final Bugso ng Adarna burst to soften the landing, hitting the grass with a light thud while the 5,000-year beast lay defeated beside him.
The Mentor's Witness
Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood by the carriage, completely silent.
"Did he just... invent a flight-based movement technique mid-air?" Yue Guan whispered, his flamboyant fan forgotten in his hand.
"He didn't just invent it," the Ghost Douluo rasped, his voice filled with a rare tremor of respect. "He optimized it. He's six years old, Yue Guan. He's six... and he just out-flew a Phoenix."
Lakan sat down next to the golden bird, breathing heavily but smiling. He looked at the two Douluos and gave a tired thumbs-up. "See? I told you... I just needed to stop being grounded."
A deep, vibrant purple ring—almost turning black at the edges—began to form over the Aurora Sun-Chaser.