lord of heaven

---

The crimson leaves of the Valley of Harmonious Fire fluttered gently in the warm morning breeze. Su Yang sat cross-legged beneath the large flame-root tree in his courtyard, the golden glow of spirit energy dancing lightly across his skin. On his lap rested a curled figure—soft, sleek, and faintly glowing.

Inside the Valley, the warmth of the spirit lava stream hummed like a heartbeat through the mountainside. Zi Shu, the little violet snake, rested peacefully in his lap, her breathing slow but faintly improving.

Ever since she drank his blood and formed their bond, Su Yang had kept her close, afraid that her fragile body might collapse again without constant support. The light in her scales had returned, and her aura shimmered faintly, but something felt off.

He could sense it through the bloodline link—a fragment of her soul had been weakened, perhaps even damaged, during her thirty-year slumber in the spirit land. Though her body was slowly recovering, her soul remained unstable, flickering like a candle in the wind.

Su Yang's brows furrowed. "She needs something more... My blood is helping, but it won't fix this. Her soul is fractured."

With a thought, he summoned the familiar status screen hidden in the depths of his spiritual sea.

---

Name: Su Yang

Cultivation: Blood Tempering Realm (High)

Body Type: Karma Fire Body (Sealed Evolution: 16 Petals - Bloomed: 02)

Cultivation Arts:

— Heavenly True Fire Art (Stage 2 – Harmonization Phase)

— Soul Flame Thread Technique (Newly Derived)

Alchemy Level: Yellow Grade Mid-Tier

Flame Mastery: 48%

Recent Comprehensions:

— Law of Tempering (Early Insight)

— Flame-Will Resonance (Trigger Condition Met)

System Insight:

Spirit Companion Soul-Fluctuation Detected

> Recommendation: Refine Soul-Fused Fire-Soul Nourishment Pill (Profound Grade)

---

His eyes narrowed at the suggestion. "Soul-Fused... Fire-Soul Nourishment Pill? I've never read that recipe before."

The name sparked something in his memory. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, and reached deep into his consciousness—into the vestiges of that mysterious flame illusion trial he had survived months ago. During the final stage of the Seven Heavens Trial, when he had fought against the false version of himself, he had briefly touched an ancient alchemist's soul imprint hidden in the illusion realm.

That imprint had been unlike any textbook knowledge. It had been instinctive—a torrent of visions: herbs, flame rhythms, alchemical runes that defied modern understanding. At the time, he could barely hold on to fragments, but now...

A glowing rune floated in his mind, accompanied by three distinct herb signatures.

His eyes snapped open. "That alchemist... He was refining this pill. That's how I know it."

He took a deep breath and summoned a blank jade slip. Injecting spiritual energy into it, he began inscribing the fragmented memory. Slowly, the recipe formed before him—partially incomplete, but intact enough to attempt refinement.

[Soul-Fused Fire-Soul Nourishment Pill]

Grade: Profound (Low-Tier)

Function: Heals fractured soul essence, enhances fire-body evolution, stimulates beast bloodline awakening

Primary Ingredients:

1. Molten Amber Root

2. Thunderleaf Vine

3. Sky-Soul Lotus Petal

4. Nine-Spark Ash Powder

5. Crimson Qi Berry

6. Azure Core Milk

7. Phoenix Flame Residue (Optional for Beast Evolution)

Su Yang exhaled. "I only have two of these... The Crimson Qi Berry I got from Elder Yao after my first challenge. The Molten Amber Root came from the city mission reward chest."

He needed to acquire the rest.

"Max," Su Yang said as the golden pup lifted his head. "We need to visit the sect archive and Bright House. And I may have to spend some contribution points."

Max wagged his tail and stood.

Su Yang carefully placed Zi Shu inside a warmed spirit-gourd he had specially inscribed with fire qi patterns. He tied it to his belt and stood. "I don't know how long she can wait. If I want to protect her... I need this pill."

With his goal set, he stepped out of the valley and began his journey back into the heart of the Seven Valley Sect.

A new trial had begun—one not of combat or illusion, but of resourcefulness, alchemical precision, and soul mastery.

And if he succeeded, not only would he save Zi Shu, but he would finally unlock a deeper level of his Karma Fire Body—and begin to touch the power once held by the ancient flame cultivators whose legacies burned quietly within him.

---

Her violet scales glimmered like polished gemstones, her body no longer trembling or frail. Yet she still lay curled in his lap, as if afraid that moving too far from Su Yang might cause her to vanish again.

He gently ran a finger across her head. She leaned into his touch and released a soft, contented trill—a faint, musical hiss that made Max's ears twitch nearby.

"She's really… different," Su Yang murmured.

His spiritual sense dipped into her body gently, barely touching her inner core.

What he saw startled him. "Her soul sea… is forming?"

It was weak—more like a budding aura—but undeniably real. Most spirit beasts wouldn't begin forming a soul sea until they reached a matured stage, often after decades of cultivation. Yet Zi Shu, still small enough to fit in his hand, showed signs of awakening spiritual intelligence far beyond what her age should allow.

"No wonder the spirit land drained so fast. She wasn't just sleeping—she was evolving."

He looked up at the horizon where the molten-red sun cast ripples across the lava stream running through the valley. Even now, he could sense her drawing faint wisps of Heaven Energy from the land around them—far more efficiently than any spirit beast he'd ever known.

"You're not just any snake," Su Yang whispered. "What are you really, Zi Shu?"

At the sound of her name, the little snake lifted her head, blinking. Then, unexpectedly, she slithered up his chest and gently touched her nose to the center of his forehead.

A flash of warmth entered his mind. Memory transfer?

Images flooded him—not in words, but impressions.

A massive ancient altar buried beneath flame-filled skies.

A woman in white standing before a coiled dragon-serpent the size of a mountain.

A broken egg… and a sliver of purple light sealed in a bone.

Then, darkness.

And warmth.

His warmth.

The moment his blood touched her shell.

The memories faded just as quickly as they had come. Zi Shu had overexerted herself; her body trembled, and she quickly nestled into the folds of his robes again.

Su Yang sat still for a long moment. "You… chose me. No, you needed me."

His heart thumped once, slow and strong.

Max, who had been watching nearby, finally stepped forward again. His golden eyes met Su Yang's, and this time, he approached carefully.

Zi Shu stirred.

She peeked out from the robe with cautious eyes. Max stopped just a few feet away and slowly sat down, lowering his head slightly.

Su Yang smiled faintly. "See, Zi Shu? He's not scary. He's our friend."

The snake flicked her tongue uncertainly… then slowly slid down Su Yang's arm. She approached Max with cautious grace, inch by inch. Max held perfectly still, his tail giving a slow, hopeful wag.

When they were face to face, Zi Shu hesitated—then flicked her tongue again.

Max gently nudged his nose forward.

Contact.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, Zi Shu made a soft trill and curled gently around Max's snout. Max let out a surprised "woof" and blinked—but he didn't move.

Su Yang chuckled. "There. You're part of the family now, Max."

He leaned back against the flame-root tree and exhaled slowly. The bond between the three of them was beginning to solidify. But with that came deeper responsibility.

"Zi Shu… I can't just let you grow without protection."

His gaze turned toward the spirit storage ring on his finger.

He opened it and removed several small talisman papers and one of the leftover jade slips from Elder Yao.

"The Fire-Soul Nourishment Pill… Maybe I can enhance it using her presence."

A strange idea sparked in his mind.

Zi Shu had spent 30 years in the spirit land, feeding on his residual karma fire aura. Her body was tempered by it, her scales formed from its rhythm.

What if she was now producing something unique?

Su Yang lifted his spiritual sense again and focused it into her tiny body.

Then he found it.

A microscopic speck of liquid essence pulsing deep within her core. It was fire-type—but different. It wasn't just spiritual energy or beast aura.

It was… Soul-Touched Fire Essence.

Su Yang's breath caught. "This… this could enhance a pill's effect on the soul. If I could refine even a single pill using this as a catalyst—"

He stood up suddenly.

Zi Shu chirped at the sudden movement and wrapped herself around his wrist.

Su Yang smiled at her. "Come. We're going back to the Flame Hall."

Max barked once, tail wagging.

Su Yang grabbed his pill pouch and stepped out of his courtyard. The wind rushed against his robes, catching the flames woven into the edge of his sleeves. His steps were light, but his spirit was firm.

---