In a cave within the back mountain of the Xiao Clan, the air was thick with the scent of scorched earth and ancient stone. Wisps of pale yellow flame curled lazily from between the cracks in the floor, casting flickering shadows on the jagged walls.
Xiao Ranyu sat cross-legged atop a charred stone platform, his tiny figure enveloped in a halo of yellow fire.
Hovering in the heart of the stone altar...
This flame... is no ordinary fire.
It ranks 23rd on the Heavenly Flame List.
Though it sits at the very bottom, its name still echoes across the continent.
A genuine Heavenly Flame—enough to drive every alchemist mad with desire.
--
The flickering Mysterious Yellow Flame danced in place. It wasn't large, but the space around it warped like water. The flame gave off an ancient, angry aura—like a beast in hibernation, ready to devour anyone foolish enough to approach.
Xiao Ranyu, now a 1-Star Dou Grandmaster, sat cross-legged at the edge of the altar. His breathing was steady. In his dantian, his Dou Qi core spun slowly—pulsing with a golden-red hue, evidence of the Sovereign Flame Scripture fused with the Eternal Flame Vassal Body.
---
> "System," he whispered, "initiate internal flame refinement."
> [Warning: Target is a Heavenly Flame – Rank: 23]
[Compatibility: High (Sovereign Flame Scripture + Flame Body synergy)]
[Supplements Required: None – Host Physique can substitute standard stabilizers]
---
Taking a deep breath
With a wave of his hand, Ranyu directed his Dou Qi outward.
Flame-attributed qi surged from his pores, forming a barrier cocoon around him. Not icy water. Not cold spring. Just raw, flame-hardened Dou Qi—a method only Flame Mantra or simmiler cultivators could endure.
He clasped his hands into a seal, his voice low:
> " Sovereign Flame Scripture : Soul Flame Fusion."
Golden patterns lit up across his body. The air around the yellow flame rippled. The flame trembled—aware of the incoming suppression.
Ranyu opened his palm slowly.
A thread of spiritual energy, refined and honed, extended toward the flame. His brows furrowed as resistance hit him like a wall.
> "Tch. This thing's more arrogant than Xiao Yan's Green Lotus Flame…"
With a twist of his fingers, he forcefully entwined the thread around the Mysterious Yellow Flame.
The flame fought back—blasting out a shockwave of heat. Molten cracks split the altar.
> [Warning: Spiritual pressure rising.]
[System Support Engaged – Dou Qi Reservoir Boost Activated.]
From deep within his dantian, a second reservoir of flame Dou Qi opened. Fueled by the Sovereign Flame Scripture, it flooded his meridians like molten gold.
A glowing vortex appeared in front of Ranyu's chest.
The flame trembled again—this time, it shrank slightly.
It could feel the Eternal Flame Vassal Body pulling at it. Like a kindred core. Like a vessel destined to contain it.
The Mysterious Yellow Flame screamed once—a mental burst of resistance—before it was dragged into Ranyu's vortex.
BOOM!
The entire cavern lit up as the flame entered his body.
Any ordinary Dou Shi attempting this would now be burning alive from the inside.
But Ranyu's Eternal Flame Vassal Body naturally suppressed internal combustion. His organs, bones, and marrow were tempered by previous flame absorption.
The flame surged like a living creature, hissing and writhing as Xiao Ranyu drew it into his body.
Inside the cave, the air twisted violently. The Yellow Mysterious Flame struggled with a temper that belied its rank—fierce, wild, and boiling with heat. Ranyu's Eternal Flame Vassal Body suppressed the danger of inner combustion, but not the pain.
He clenched his jaw. His eyes, wide and bloodshot, flickered with traces of gold and scarlet light. Veins bulged at his temples. His nails dug into his palms as his entire body trembled violently. Flames licked the edges of his skin, scalding his nerves. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking molten metal inside his bones.
He didn't scream—but his lips peeled back in a silent snarl.
> [Refinement Progress: 18%... 42%... 67%...]
As the flame compressed into his dantian, his core pulsed rapidly. The Mysterious Yellow Flame wasn't just being absorbed—it was reshaping his flame core.
Minutes dragged into hours. The agony refused to fade. His robes turned to ash. Sweat evaporated before it could drip. His breath grew shallow. But still, he endured.
Until finally...
BOOM.
A ripple of golden fire pulsed from his body like a heartbeat. The rebellious flame stilled—subdued. A warm glow wrapped around him, no longer resisting, but responding.
Ranyu opened his eyes.
A flash of light passed through them as his cultivation erupted upward—
1-Star Dou Grandmaster... 2-Star... 3-Star... 4-Star!
He broke through 3 star instantly
He took a deep breath. His body felt stronger—temperatures that would've burned him alive yesterday now felt lukewarm. He scanned his meridians, bones, and flame core. Nothing broken. Nothing wrong.
Only then did he allow himself to relax.
His gaze slowly drifted to the two remaining flames in his body. One was chillingly cold—Bone Chilling Cold Flame, rank 11th. The other pulsed with a dormant golden light—Gold Emperor Incineration Flame, ranked far higher.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Tempting... but suicidal."
He closed his eyes and calculated calmly.
"With my current realm, even the Cold Flame would stretch my limit. As for the Gold Emperor Flame... without reaching at least 7-Star Dou Zong, refining it would be suicide."
He remembered—unlike the Gu Clan's inherited flame, the Gold Emperor Flame in front of him had no restraints, no will-weakening ritual. It was savage and free.
Even with his unique physique, if he attempted to refine it now, he'd be burned into ashes before he could even scream.
He shook his head and muttered, "Not yet."
Then he stood, his flame-wrapped figure casting a long shadow behind him.
"But soon."
As the light faded, Ranyu got up from the cracked altar.
His hair smoldered slightly.
The flame around him now danced like a loyal pet—coiled at his back like a fire serpent.
He exhaled.
"Come forth."
With a single thought, the space before him twisted.
Wuuuush—
A yellow spark burst out from his palm. It was small at first, barely the size of a candle flame. But then it howled softly, expanding and twisting in the air, growing into a roaring cluster of flame the size of a man's head. It hovered above his hand like a living creature, crackling and pulsing with chaotic heat.
The flame was beautiful.
And terrifying.
Its color was a strange fusion of sunlight and sulfur, a pale yellow that shimmered with hidden intensity. Unlike ordinary fire, it didn't flicker weakly in the wind. Instead, it thrashed and danced, sending arcs of heat through the air that melted nearby stones and left the cave walls scorched.
Ranyu narrowed his eyes, studying the flame with caution and pride.
"So this... is a Heavenly Flame."
Despite having it refined and under control, the Yellow Mysterious Flame still emitted a faint will of defiance. Like a wild beast tamed, but not broken. It longed to burn, to consume, to devour.
He extended his hand, and the flame coiled around his fingers like a serpent made of fire. Even then, he felt its hunger.
Just a moment of distraction—and this thing would turn on him.
But he smiled.
"Good," he whispered. "Stay hungry."
With another thought, the flame shrunk and vanished into his palm with a sound like a sighing furnace
As the final ember of the Yellow Mysterious Flame sank into his palm, Xiao Ranyu exhaled shakily, drenched in sweat, eyes still faintly glowing with golden light. His meridians throbbed like molten wires, and his soul felt scorched from within. Yet despite the pain, a triumphant chime echoed in his mind.
> [Ding! Flame refinement complete.
Heavenly Flame absorbed: Yellow Mysterious Flame (Rank 23).
Reward: 100,000 Sign-In Points.]
A grin tugged at the corners of Ranyu's lips.
> [Points successfully added to host's account.
Reminder: Saved Skills eligible for redemption in System Store.]