Ash in the Alley – Fire Without Witness
Blackflame City slumbered beneath twilight's fading breath. Alleyways twisted like broken veins through its underbelly, where lanterns cracked and shadows thickened like oil.
Near a shattered wine jug, a body slumped—his crimson robes soaked not with liquor, but with life. His fingers twitched once, then stilled. The scent of scorched flesh lingered like a curse.
Huo Feng, disciple of Divine Flame Hall. Arrogant. Cruel.
Now—dead.
His final gaze was frozen in disbelief, reflecting the boy who'd done it.
Lin Tian stood above him, blade dripping, breath ragged. His eyes held no fear—only wrath.
> "You took what should've been mine," Lin Tian muttered. "Now give back the cost."
The silver lotus ring pulsed. A cold voice echoed in his mind, ancient and iron-clad.
> "Well done, boy. Fire for fire. Blood for fate. Let the world burn."
---
From the Shadows – A Record in Silence
Far above, hidden in the broken latticework of an old rooftop, Gu Changge stood with arms folded.
He didn't blink. Didn't sigh. Just observed.
In one hand: a glowing memory stone.
He whispered, "Frame one."
The stone shimmered, storing every sound and flicker of blood.
> [Memory Stone recorded. Target: Huo Feng. Son of Elder Huo Xie, Mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.]
[Suggested course: Disseminate anonymously. Use low-tier rogue channels. Impact: High.]
A veiled servant girl in raven-black robes stepped from the shadows.
He handed her the stone. "Send it. Let the fire catch."
She vanished into the city's bowels like smoke.
Gu Changge's voice was barely audible, but carried like prophecy.
> "A single drop of blood... can ripple across oceans."
---
By sunrise, Blackflame City awoke to fire—not of destruction, but of rumor and gold.
Wooden boards, bounty hall walls, and rogue forums bore the mark:
> WANTED
Murderer of Huo Feng
Description: Male, ~20 years. Silver lotus ring. Early Golden Core Realm.
Reward: 8 million high-grade spirit stones.
Dead or alive. Memory proof required.
The city churned with mercenaries, bloodhunters, vagrants, and opportunists.
But Lin Tian was a shadow.
The lotus ring veiled his spiritual signature, erased his trail. He vanished like a rumor—heading north, away from city walls.
> "Let them hunt," the ring said. "Let them fail."
---
Wailing Range – Cold Earth, Buried Flame
Two days later, Huo Xie himself descended upon the outskirts of Blackflame.
Clad in flame-etched robes, eyes seething crimson, the Mid Nascent Soul elder swept the land in wrath. Trees burned, beasts fled, mountains cracked.
Lin Tian ran until his soul screamed. Wounded, spirit-worn, his breath barely held.
At the edge of the Wailing Range, he stumbled upon a collapsed tomb entrance, half-buried in ash and bramble. Golden talismans hung useless and faded.
> "Enter!" barked the ring.
No time to think.
Inside lay the tomb of a forgotten Nascent Soul cultivator. Broken wards flickered. Cobwebs danced with spiritual wind.
But beneath dust—treasure.
A cracked storage ring filled with pills, scrolls, storm-inscribed talismans.
A Soul-Wound Coral Flame Crystal, radiant with yin-fire qi.
A defensive spirit talisman: Three-time protection against Nascent Soul cultivators.
700,000 high-grade spirit stones.
For three days, Lin Tian remained hidden. He consumed. He tempered. He endured pain like rebirth.
On the seventh night—
> BOOM!
The cavern shook. A geyser of golden qi roared into the sky.
> [Protagonist Breakthrough: Golden Core Realm Achieved]
[Fate Thread: Rebound to 61%]
Lin Tian stepped from the tomb, no longer a boy fleeing.
But a blade unsheathed.
---
Midnight cloaked the Heavenly Sword Sect when a streak of golden light ripped across the sky.
It struck the outer gate, not with violence—but presence.
Lin Tian descended like a comet.
Torn robes. Bloodstained cuffs. But eyes like molten gold.
He walked alone, silent, to the sword-anchored platform where once he'd been mocked.
And there—beneath the Sword Ancestor's statue—he sat cross-legged, meditating once more.
The Coral Flame Crystal flowed into his meridians. It burned. It froze. His body cracked and reformed.
> "This is the price," the ring whispered. "Now wield it—or perish."
---
Snow and Ink – Blossoms Beneath a Gaze
Far above, on a quiet balcony in the Moonflow Pavilion, Gu Changge dipped a brush into ink, painting a black lotus in bloom.
Behind him, Jiang Yini knelt, robes taut across her shivering form.
> "Speak," he said.
> "Reporting… Lin Tian has returned. Golden Core Realm confirmed. He killed bounty hunters on the road."
> "The stone?"
> "Spread. Half the sect believes it. Divine Flame Hall is enraged."
He turned, gaze dragging across her trembling figure.
> "You've done well."
He cupped her chin, eyes unreadable.
> "Do you desire reward?"
> "Y-Yes, Young Master…"
He kissed her—coldly, fleetingly.
> "When you reach Nascent Soul, I'll give you your second."
She bowed, breathless, heart aflame.
> "Yes…"
---
When she vanished, the system chimed.
> [Jiang Yini – Obsession: 72%]
[Trait: Loyal Beyond Death. Yin Physique nearing evolution. Estimated Nascent Soul: 27 days]
Gu Changge smiled.
> "She'll do. A fine vessel."
He looked north—past the sect walls.
> "But not the endgame."
His voice dropped.
> "Lin Rou… mother of fate."
Three days later, a storm gathered within the Elder Hall.
Elder Huo Xie demanded justice.
> "He murdered my son!"
Flames licked at the pillars as Divine Flame Hall emissaries fumed.
Then, a sharp wind cut through the heat.
Elder Liu Yushan stepped forward—sword-robed, snow-pale, her expression colder than winter steel.
> "My disciple acted in defense. Huo Feng drew blade over a forbidden treasure."
> "You call murder self-defense?!"
She placed a crystalline jade token before the sect master.
> "A token from Supreme Elder Liu Qingmei—my aunt, of Heavenly Sword Sect."
The room fell silent. Even the sect leader sat straighter.
A representative from another sect bearing such leverage could not be brushed aside.
he bowed once, crisp as snow breaking on glass.
> "To honor sect unity, I offer a thousand-year Profound Flame Root as compensation. Lin Tian remains under my direct care."
Huo Xie's mouth twisted.
The sect master finally nodded.
> "So ruled. The bounty is withdrawn. The case—closed."
Rage simmered behind Huo Xie's bow.
> "Next time, Liu Yushan… no token will save him."
She didn't respond.
But the chill in the air promised blood.
---
By week's end, the sect stirred.
> "Lin Tian killed him."
"No, it was a setup."
"The stone looked real."
"He vanished into a tomb… came back stronger."
And in the shadows, Gu Changge moved pawns unseen.
His flame burned slow, but it burned deep.
---
✅ End of Chapter 13 –