At the age of five, Lin Shen had grown calm and observant, yet he was still a child in appearance. One evening, while sitting quietly by the edge of the forest near his village, he felt a sudden disturbance in the spiritual energy surrounding him. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but his consciousness, sharpened by the Sun–Moon Yin–Yang Physique, detected it immediately.
A faint, chaotic flame fragment floated amidst the undergrowth. Unlike ordinary fire, its energy was unstable, flickering violently, with a volatile heat that could easily scorch anything near it. Any adult who saw it would have fled in terror, but Lin Shen did not flinch. He extended his consciousness, reaching out with the roots of his World Tree, which had grown silently inside him.
Golden and silver energy flowed through the roots, balancing the chaotic heat. Sparks hissed and snapped, but they could not escape the stabilizing branches. Lin Shen observed carefully, tracing the movement of the flame and analyzing its energy patterns. He could feel its volatility, its hunger for life force, and its natural rhythm.
He began to manipulate it gently, using his mental control to calm its chaotic bursts. He realized that raw strength was useless against such power; only patience, observation, and balance would work. Slowly, the flame's energy stabilized, and a portion of it was absorbed into the World Tree, strengthening its roots and feeding life energy back into his body.
Even at this age, Lin Shen was aware of the larger world and the hidden plot. He understood that flames like this would appear throughout the continent, that clans would fight over them, and that cultivators like Xiao Yan would eventually encounter similar fragments. Yet he acted silently, storing knowledge and energy without revealing his presence.
By the time night fell, the fragment was under his control, and the World Tree had grown slightly larger. Lin Shen's body radiated a faint golden-silver glow, a reflection of his Sun–Moon Physique in perfect balance. He smiled quietly to himself. Knowledge, patience, and subtle influence had won again. The first step toward mastering the 18 Heavenly Flames had been taken, and the boy who seemed ordinary to the village was already shaping his path to power.