Cai Lin sat on a boulder at the edge of the crimson forest, her serpentine tail coiled loosely beneath her. The gentle sway of it reflected her inner conflict—her pride refused to show it, but her curiosity about Liu Chen burned hotter than ever.
"Young Master of the Ancient Liu Clan..."
She repeated the title, lips curled slightly in disbelief.
She'd heard of the Ancient Liu Clan, of course. Who in the beast tribes hadn't? They were whispered about among the high elders, said to have links with primordial inheritance. But this Liu Chen—this calm, arrogant, domineering man—was a complete mystery.
> "He's too low-key... never participated in any of the Ten Heaven Trials... never accepted challenge scrolls. Not even rumors in the underground."
And yet he has such a power, could forge unbreakable slave seals, and now, even the forest itself had bowed to him.
Her tail tensed. This wasn't someone she could categorize. Just then, the earth pulsed.
From the depths of the grove, a low hum spread outward, followed by a powerful heat wave that brushed past her skin like summer wind. Fire patterns lit up the ground in a sacred formation, spiraling with elegant precision. The trees shimmered golden. Even her beast bloodline quivered instinctively.
> "He's refining..."
....
Inside a natural stone chamber cloaked by dense trees and illusionary arrays, Liu Chen sat cross-legged with the Sacred Medical Box in front of him. The faint hum of the Golden Sun Leaf within echoed with divine rhythm—like the last heartbeat of a burning star.
Click.
The box opened.
In that instant, the medicinal fog surged like a wave of molten gold. The Golden Sun Leaf, now trembling, glowed with brilliant solar patterns across its veins. Each line pulsed with fire-natured law energy so profound that even Spirit Core experts would fear touching it directly.
But Liu Chen's expression remained calm—arrogant, even.
"Let's see how far this treasure can take me."
He held the leaf in his hand. Unlike most spirit herbs that resisted absorption or burned the meridians with chaotic energy, this one… melded into him.
A soft warmth began to flood his body—not painful, but purifying.
The energy from the Golden Sun Leaf poured into his dantian like a river of liquid sunlight. His meridians shivered, not from strain, but joy. The light illuminated every inch of his body—washing his bones, nourishing his muscles, reviving dormant bloodline strands.
"This is unlike any breakthrough I've experienced..."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Inside his body, bones realigned and condensed. Golden runes appeared faintly along his arms and spine as his God and Demon Body reacted greedily, devouring the golden essence without resistance.
His cultivation surged from mid-stage Soul Foundation… to late stage… then stabilized. But it didn't stop there.
Boom—
Suddenly, a deep vibration echoed in the air around him.
Golden flames appeared behind his back—not real fire, but the manifestation of Dao Insight.
Within his sea of consciousness, a flaming sun emerged in the sky.
The Flame Dao.
He was touching its threshold.
The illusionary sun above him emitted searing heat, but also ancient calm. A realm of true balance—fire that destroys, but also purifies. It danced around him like a deity recognizing one of its own.
"So this… is Dao."
Real Dao comprehension was rare. One needed more than talent—one needed luck, opportunity, and destiny. Liu Chen had all three. With the nourishment of the Golden Sun Leaf and the support of his golden soul, his resonance with the fire element reached harmony.
His breathing synchronized with nature. Even the wind outside the chamber paused—as if listening.
His skin glowed with sacred brilliance, muscles tightened like a divine beast's, and his meridians thickened, ready to channel more terrifying power.
In that moment, he stood at the edge of the Spirit Core Realm.
Though he hadn't broken through yet, the distance was paper-thin.
He opened his eyes. They were no longer the same. The golden-black glow had intensified. In the depths of his pupils, a faint image of a burning sun surrounded by demonic shadows flickered.
He clenched his fists.
"Power. And more will come. The Flame Dao is mine to claim next."
....
[Scene: After Liu Chen's Breakthrough]
The chamber was still heavy with spiritual mist. Sparks of golden-red flame drifted in the air like scattered stardust. The stones beneath Liu Chen's feet glowed faintly from the heat his body released, like embers kissed by the breath of the sun.
Liu Chen stood quietly at the center, golden-black robes fluttering with the fire's rhythm.
His body had transformed.
Inside him, his meridians had been thoroughly refined—washed clean by the Golden Sun Leaf's burning essence. There had been no pain, only an intense heat, like bathing in liquid sunlight. His bones cracked and reformed. His blood boiled, then settled into a deep flame-red hue. He could feel his cultivation stabilize at the late Soul Foundation Realm, with his threshold of the Flame Dao now touched. The world's fire responded when he thought, the air around him warmer with each breath.
It was power.
Not just strength, but nature's quiet submission.
And then he turned.
At the edge of the chamber, Cai Lin sat with one leg raised, arms crossed, snake tail lazily coiled around her side. Her body had mostly recovered. The wild beauty of the serpent woman hadn't dimmed; if anything, the faint bruises and torn robe added a dangerous edge to her allure. Scales shimmered faintly at her neck and wrists, a reminder of her noble bloodline.
Her emerald eyes narrowed when she met his gaze. She didn't speak.
Liu Chen approached without a word.
Cai Lin didn't flinch, but her tail twitched.
He stood before her, letting silence stretch between them.
Then, without asking, he reached out, grabbing her chin and lifting it up. His touch was not gentle. It was calm, firm—unquestioning.
Her eyes narrowed in defiance.
Still, she didn't speak.
His thumb brushed her lower lip. Her breath caught, almost inaudibly. A flicker of something danced in her gaze—but she held her pride, glaring.
Liu Chen leaned closer.
His lips hovered near her neck, and then, without hesitation, he dragged his tongue slowly along the curve where neck met collarbone. Warm, slow. Bold.
Cai Lin stiffened.
Her cheeks flushed with heat—whether from rage or something else, even she didn't know.
He pulled back slightly, golden eyes amused.
"You react," he whispered. "Even if you don't speak."
Still silent, she stared at him, tail coiled tightly now.
He glanced down.
That proud serpent tail—so often a symbol of strength—wrapped defensively around her thigh.
A slow smirk curled on his lips.
"I warned you I liked your tail."
And before she could react, he reached down, grabbing it gently but shamelessly, stroking along its length with the back of his fingers.
Smooth, cold... and alive.
"You dare—" she finally snapped, voice low and venomous.
But he didn't let her finish.
He yanked the tail upward slightly, making her body shift toward him. His hand gripped it, playing along its scales as if testing a rare artifact.
"I don't ask for permission."
"You—!"
Her voice trembled—not from fear, but from anger and confusion. No man had ever treated her like this. No cultivator ever dared touch the serpent tail of a Heavenly Python girl so casually.
But he wasn't stopping.
She raised a hand, energy flickering faintly—but his aura surged, pressing her flat against the stone wall with sheer suppression.
Her breath hitched.
"I gave you a chance to live," he said, voice cold. "Don't waste it."
His fingers left her tail, then her chin. He stood again, straightening his robe.
Cai Lin remained against the wall, teeth clenched. Her pride screamed to lash out, but her instincts—the same ones passed down from her serpent ancestors—warned her. This man was different.
This wasn't the arrogance of youth.
It was the calm domination of someone who would break mountains and chains alike without a pause.
Liu Chen turned his back to her and began walking, stopping only once near the edge of the chamber. He didn't look at her when he spoke.
"You'll follow." He didn't ask.
And Cai Lin didn't answer. But she moved.