The hut was too small to hold a memory.
That's what Chen Mu realized when he activated the new ability for the first time.
He didn't intend to.
He only meant to glance at the projection matrix.
But the moment his will brushed against the embedded array…
…the flames remembered.
[Ability Activated: Flame Memory Projection Lv.1][Warning: Projections are unstable and may distort based on host mental state.][Begin Transmission...]
Light poured from the ring.
Not literal fire — not heat — but the image of fire. Echoes. Spiritual flame. Memory made visible.
Lin Tian flinched back, arms up to block, but nothing burned.
Instead, the hut expanded.
Not physically. Spiritually.
Stone gave way to marble.
The roof split into smoke.
They were suddenly standing in a hall made of flame-shaped pillars, spiraling banners, and hundreds of meditating disciples wearing red and gold robes.
Lin Tian stared, speechless.
Chen Mu didn't speak.
Because this was his memory.
He just didn't remember it until now.
A voice echoed through the space — warm, deep, commanding.
"Disciples of the Flame. You are not born to bow. You are not born to follow. You are born to burn, and by burning, you clear the path for others to rise."
Lin Tian turned.
At the far end of the projection, a figure stood atop a stone dais. His robes flickered like they were stitched from living embers. His face was obscured, but his presence was immense.
Even now, in memory.
"Master," Lin Tian whispered, "is that..."
"I think it's me," Chen Mu said softly.
[+4 BP for mystical self-recognition.]
Bluff Points: 109 → 113
The memory shifted.
The hall warped into a battlefield.
Dozens of cultivators clashed beneath a burning sky. In the distance, a mountain crumbled — not exploded, not shattered — melted.
And at the heart of it, the same figure stood, spinning a ring around his finger. The ring.
He raised his hand.
Fire answered.
The sky screamed.
Then it all went black.
The hut reappeared.
Lin Tian collapsed onto the floor, gasping. His forehead was soaked with sweat.
Chen Mu dimmed the projection.
[Projection ended. Cooldown: 24 hours.][Memory Thread Integration: 12%][New Passive Fragment Detected: ??? (Locked)]
"What—what was that?" Lin Tian asked.
Chen Mu didn't answer at first.
Because he wasn't sure if it was real.
"It was... a piece of me," he said at last. "A version. A ghost."
"You were... strong."
"I was someone else."
[+2 BP for confronting unknown legacy.]
BP: 113 → 115
The next morning, Wei Yulan arrived with bad news.
She slipped inside the hut, closed the door quietly, and held out a tightly folded note.
"Burn after reading," she said.
Lin Tian opened it.
Your name is now on the inner disciple replacement docket.Several outer disciples have been offered trials to 'take your place.'Guo's name is on the list.So is someone named Fang Jiu.The test will happen during the Fire Well Assembly.They plan to humiliate you publicly — or worse.
Lin Tian exhaled.
Chen Mu growled. "Of course. Of course they'd go for spectacle."
"They're forcing you to perform," Wei Yulan said. "You'll need to prove your 'flame affinity' or be stripped of your status."
"I don't have status."
"You do now," Chen Mu said. "Not officially. But you have fear. That's more powerful."
[+3 BP for weaponizing infamy.]
BP: 115 → 118
That night, Lin Tian meditated again.
And the ring glowed.
Not loudly.
Not even visibly.
Just... steadily.
Like something in it had stopped being afraid of being found.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 118Soul Strength: 8Current Vessel: Refined Jade Core Ring (Stabilized)Abilities:
Voice of Authority Lv.1
Soul Tap (1/day)
Resonant Presence (Passive)
Flame Memory Projection Lv.1
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)Current Objective: Prepare for Fire Well AssemblyDisciple Status: Qi Initiation – Mid Stage (Stable)Legacy Flag: Lit – Hidden Flame Echo (Calibrated)Known Array: Spiral Fire Refinement (Integrated)New Entry: Ember Vault (Beacon Sent – Location Pending)