The isolated cultivation chamber was shrouded in silence. Liu Xi sat cross-legged atop the Green Lotus Platform, the faint lotus glow circling beneath him. Though this lotus platform had long ceased to offer any true advantage to his cultivation, its resonance with the Green Lotus Core Flame still allowed him to steady his mind as he meditated. It was, at the very least, a familiar anchor amid the boundless void.
All around him, the vast energy of heaven and earth surged inward, flooding through every pore of his body. It flowed along the route of the Nine Nether Ghost Flame Technique, circulating one complete cycle before being refined into pure Dou Qi. The refined Dou Qi streamed through his meridians like molten gold, strengthening flesh, bone, and spirit alike. Each cell in his body drank greedily from this torrent — like parched soil meeting spring rain.
Time flowed quietly. A full day and night later, the roaring energies in the chamber began to calm. Then, with a low hum, a surge of aura erupted from Liu Xi's body, rippling outward like a shockwave.
His eyes opened, bright as starlight. The new power coursing through his veins was intoxicating, yet he could only exhale softly and shake his head.
"2-Star Dou Zong…" he murmured. "At this rate, even reaching the Dou Saint Realm will be a distant dream. No — if I want to keep up, I'll have to cheat the heavens again."
A dark scroll appeared in his hand with a flick of his wrist — the Flame Mantra, the legendary Qi Method he'd obtained from Yao Tianhuo's former master. Unrolling it, Liu Xi reread the intricate patterns of energy flow, the principles of devouring and fusing Heavenly Flames, and the truths of its burning Dao. Every line burned itself deeper into his mind.
'If this fails,' he thought, 'then that's the end of me. I have no ancient bloodline, no heaven-defying inheritance. My only path is to start over and rebuild with the Flame Mantra — even if it means risking everything.'
He let the scroll vanish into light and closed his eyes. His consciousness sank deep within, diving into the world of his soul.
The spiritual plane was vast and gray — a realm of fog and silence. Here, no wind stirred, no sound existed, only endless stillness. But deep within that gray haze flickered countless faint points of light — the sparks of his spiritual power. They pulsed weakly, unable to illuminate the darkness beyond.
As Liu Xi's consciousness fully descended, the dead world stirred. The gray mist quivered as ripples of mental energy spread through it. A storm began to form in the distance, whirling violently until it condensed into the vague outline of a human figure. Bit by bit, that figure grew clearer — his own reflection, formed of pure spirit.
Standing beneath the dim heavens, feet rooted upon the misty ground, Liu Xi looked like a deity reigning over his own miniature world.
"Soul Dominion."
The thunderous voice echoed across the spiritual plane. Threads of spiritual light surged out like chains, burrowing deep into his core. From within his dantian, a flicker of green light was drawn forth — the original seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
It hovered before him, wrapped in azure light, blooming gently like a living lotus.
This was his first Heavenly Flame — the one most attuned to him. And now, he intended to fuse with it again, not through his body, but through his soul.
This was a gamble with death.
He had once obtained a forbidden soul technique from a fallen Dou Zong — the method of Soul Devouring, and a secondary technique to transform the soul into black mist. Both came with enormous risks. The first granted temporary strength but risked contamination by another will; the second required one to exist purely as a soul — a death sentence for the living.
Liu Xi had no intention of dying. But he was prepared to risk pain far worse.
If he succeeded, his spiritual power would ascend to the Spirit Realm or beyond — perhaps even reflecting into his physical body, pushing his Dou Qi cultivation higher. If he failed… his soul would be reduced to ashes, and his consciousness forever lost in oblivion.
The gray world trembled.
A fierce resolve flashed in Liu Xi's eyes as his spirit-body sat cross-legged midair. "I didn't come to the Dou Qi Continent to play the role of some side character — only to die in the Hun Clan's grand scheme!"
He opened his mouth, and the azure lotus flame drifted closer — then dove straight into him.
At first, the heat was gentle. Then, without warning, an indescribable blaze surged from within, racing through every inch of his spiritual body. Waves of azure fire erupted from him like a sea of molten light, devouring the fog, burning everything in its path.
Pain exploded from the depths of his soul. Liu Xi clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth would shatter. His spiritual body convulsed under the scorching flames, the agony far worse than when he had first refined the flame in his physical body.
This time, the fire burned not flesh — but the very essence of his spirit.
The Green Lotus Core Flame resisted fiercely, its will thrashing like a chained beast. Each lash of its fury tore chunks from Liu Xi's soul. His ethereal form began to disintegrate piece by piece, vanishing into the storm of fire.
Still, he endured.
He could feel his consciousness slipping, his strength waning. Every moment brought him closer to dissolution. Yet even as the edges of his awareness blurred, a single thread of will refused to break.
'Not… yet…'
His soul flickered like a candle in the wind, nearly extinguished. And then — amidst the inferno — something changed.
Within the sea of fire, a lotus bloomed. A perfect lotus of azure flame, luminous and serene, emerged from the ashes. Its glow pulsed gently, rhythmic like a heartbeat, and the surrounding fire began to calm.
The illusion of Liu Xi's spirit body dissolved completely, absorbed into the lotus. The azure petals shimmered, their light spreading across the gray expanse.
The once-dead world began to breathe again.
The mist lifted. The dim light points that had lingered in the distance drifted closer, drawn by the lotus's warmth. They merged into it one by one, feeding its brilliance. And from far within the fog, a surge of raw spiritual energy — the storms of his own mind — gathered and poured into the lotus as well.
Rooted in the heart of his spiritual world, the Azure Fire Lotus swayed gently, its glow eternal, its presence sovereign.
In that moment, Liu Xi's consciousness vanished into serene darkness — but the azure light within his soul continued to burn, unwavering and alive.
(End of Chapter)
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