In the quiet of his room, Xiao Ranyu sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes half-lidded, mind far away from the flickering lantern light.
The pendant Ya Fei gave him glowed faintly on his chest, warm against his skin—but tonight, even that comfort couldn't distract him from the storm of thoughts circling in his head.
He sighed.
> "If I leave without saying anything, Father will be furious… and Mother..."
He winced at the thought.
> "Mother will beat me up. With a smile. And then cry while doing it."
He stared at the ceiling.
> "And if I don't leave soon… the window might close. This year is special. I can't afford to stay quiet anymore."
The truth was, no one—not his parents, not his brothers, not even Xun'er or Ya Fei—knew the full extent of his strength.
They knew he was clever.
They knew he had talent.
But they didn't know that he had already crossed into Dou Wang.
They didn't know that his soul had entered the Spiritual Realm, or that he could reach 5th Tier Alchemist if he stopped being lazy and tried for a week.
> "They still think I'm stuck around early Dou Fighter," he muttered with a smirk. "Kind of funny, really."
But now, it was no longer time to play small.
If he didn't reveal a portion of his true strength, they'd never let him leave Wu Tan City without a fight—or worse, tears.
And he really, really didn't want to make his mother cry again.
So…
> "Looks like I'll have to put on a little show."
A grin tugged at his lips as he rolled onto the bed, hand resting behind his head.
> "Annual Ceremony's in two days."
> "Guess it's time for everyone to stop treating me like a clever little brat."
He stared at the ceiling, the grin still there, lazy and dangerous.
> "Time to remind them who rewrites destinies."
---
Just as Xiao Ranyu was about to drift off to sleep, his eyes snapped open.
> "...Wait a second."
He slowly sat up, brows furrowing.
> "When was the last time I opened the system?"
He thought for a moment.
One month?
No...
Three?
> "...Since before the Yao Lao timeline even started," he muttered, smacking his forehead. "I've been wandering around like some bored mortal fox while sitting on a mountain of cheats."
With a sigh of exaggerated self-annoyance, he stretched out a hand.
> "System. Open Host Panel."
A familiar chime echoed in his head—sharp, clean, and unmistakable. A translucent screen appeared before him:
---
[Host Panel – Xiao Ranyu]
Age: 13
Cultivation: 1-Star Dou Wang – 26%
Physique: Eternal Flame Vassal Body
Flame Affinity: A+ – Excellent (+)
Soul Realm: Early Spiritual Realm
Alchemist Rank: 4th Tier Peak
[Techniques]
Sovereign Flame Scripture (Heaven-High Tier, Evolvable)
[Skills]
Movement: Infernal Mirage Steps (Earth-High Tier) (Perfect)
Palm: Sun Destroying Palm (Earth-High Tier) (Perfect)
Fist: Molten Tyrant Fist (Earth-High Tier) (Perfect)
Sword: Solar Rupture – Nine Heavens Flame Slash (Earth-Mid, Evolvable) (Not Started)
[Weapons]
Emberfall Edge
[Items]
Blood-Jade Flame Pendant (Gift from Ya Fei)
Spatial Ring (Low-Tier)
[Heavenly Flames]
Mysterious Yellow Flame (Refined)
Bone-Chilling Cold Flame (Unrefined)
Gold Emperor Incineration Flame (Unrefined)
Current Points: 1,136,110
(+100,000 for Dou Wang breakthrough)
---
Late at night, the Xiao Clan was quiet—save for the faint hum of Dou Qi swirling in a secluded courtyard. Inside his room, Xiao Ranyu sat cross-legged, bathed in the glow of the system panel.
> "Been a while since I opened this thing," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see what I've got."
Then—
His eyes widened.
> "Over a million?! And here I've been walking around like a peasant."
> "Oho? That's 100k more than before… must've been the Dou Wang breakthrough. Not bad."
He scratched his chin, nodding.
Reclining against the headboard, fingers tapping rhythmically on his thigh, he grinned.
> "I've been hoarding points like a stingy merchant. Time to spend like a young sect master who just inherited his master's vault."
---
Upgrades and Suffering
His eyes flicked to the flame affinity section:
> Flame Affinity: Excellent (A)
→ Exceptional – 320 points
→ Sovereign Flame Body – 640 points
→ Primordial Flame Soul – 1,280 points
He smirked.
> "Time to warm myself up a bit."
[Upgrade Initiated – Deducting 2,240 Points...]
A surge of power detonated within his core. The moment the final tier unlocked, everything changed.
BOOM.
His body convulsed like he'd been hurled into the core of a volcano. The air shimmered. Heat rolled off him in waves. It was as if magma replaced the Dou Qi in his veins.
> "Alright—ow—alright! I didn't ask for the magma simulation package," he wheezed, laughing and crying all at once. "System, I was joking about needing warmth!"
Then it started—his body purging years of impurities.
Black, foul-smelling sludge oozed from every pore.
> "WHAT—?! I smell like a burnt pig drowned in vinegar!"
He leapt up, stumbling toward the bathhouse, trailing acrid smoke.
Guards retreated.
One ran to report the emergency.
---
Bathhouse Emergency
He dove into the Xiao Clan's private spring like a man literally on fire.
> "GET OUTTA MY WAY—YOUNG MASTER IS GOING CRITICAL!"
After violent splashing, half a bottle of flower soap, and five minutes of desperate scrubbing, the steam settled.
He leaned against the spring's edge, panting.
> "Never again. Flame affinity upgrades are for masochists."
---
Mirror Moment
Wrapped in a robe and dignity's last shreds, Xiao Ranyu returned to his room.
He glanced at the mirror—and froze.
> "...What in the heavenly realm—?"
His reflection was a stranger.
Hair, once dark, now glowed a rich, molten red. His eyes burned a mesmerizing crimson, like living embers. A flame-shaped sigil shimmered between his brows.
His skin looked carved from flawless jade. And his physique…
> Lean. Precise. Sculpted like a divine statue forged in fire.
> "...Holy hells, I'd court myself," he whispered.
He leaned in.
Smiled slowly.
Turned slightly, hair flowing behind his shoulders like a crimson banner in the wind.
> "Who gave me the right to look like this?" he whispered dramatically. "This is illegal ."
He posed. Flexed. Smirked. Adjusted his robe and tilted his head.
> "If I walked into Miteer Auction House like this, even Ya Fei might propose."
A pause.
Then—
> "No, wait—Xun'er would kill me first."
He sighed, hand resting against the mirror frame like a tragic prince.
> "So cursed. So beautiful. So incredibly humble."
A knock on the door.
He straightened like a startled cat.
> "C-Cultivation! I'm cultivating! Enlightenment! Go away!"
---
Later, still basking in the warmth of transformation, he sat shirtless on the bed.
His Primordial Flame Soul upgrade made flame Dou Qi in the air tremble—drawn toward him like lost kin returning to a monarch.
His Dou Qi was now denser, purer—alive.
And his training speed?
Absurd.
---
Still brimming with power—and points—he opened the system interface.
> [System Store → Alchemy Notes]
He scanned the final manuals:
Tier 7 – Purity vs. Potency: Theory of Alchemical Tradeoffs – 12,000 points
Tier 8 – Life-Altering Elixirs: Theory and Risk – 16,000 points
Tier 9 – Soul Pills, Resurrection Drafts, and Elemental Conversion – 22,000 points
>[ Ding!Purchase Successful.]
Soon, a surge of information flooded his mind, making him dizzy. Compared to the notes from Tier 1 to 6, the sheer volume and depth were overwhelming. After a while, the haze cleared, and he gradually sorted through the torrent of knowledge. A sense of clarity settled in.
He had learned a great deal—so much that he now felt confident he could stand at the very pinnacle of the continent when it came to alchemical theory.
Then
He exited the tab, then smoothly navigated to the [Pill Recipe Store].
Previously, he had only purchased recipes from Tier 1 to Tier 4. It was time to go further.
Tier 5 – 7 recipes , 2,500 points each → 17,500 points
Tier 6 – 15 recipes , 6,000 points each → 90,000 points
Tier 7 – 15 recipes , 11,000 points each → 165,000 points
Tier 8 – 4 recipes , 18,000 points each → 72,000 points
Tier 9 – 3 recipes , 35,000 points each → 105,000 points
Without hesitation, he confirmed the bulk purchase.
> [ Ding!Tier 5 to Tier 9 pill recipes acquired.]
Before long, he had committed every pill recipe to memory—down to the medicinal ingredients, precise flame temperatures, and subtle timing required for each refinement.
Total cost: 499,500 points
Previous balance: 1,133,870 points
Remaining: 634,370 points
Xiao Ranyu calmly closed the system tab, eyes gleaming.
"Tier 9... Resurrection and Soul Pills. The alchemical path from here on... is no longer mere support. It's a force that can rewrite life and death."
Then he closed the tab .
---
Then
His eyes turned serious.
> "Sky Fire Three Mysterious Changes… great, but limited."
With several Heavenly Flames, he needed something stronger—dangerous, flexible, devastating.
> "System, open Techniques category. Filter: Flame-based augmentation. Earth-rank or higher only."
The panel shimmered, then expanded with categorized skills. Many bore impressive names:
Heavenly Sun Collapse Art
Blazing Sovereign Surge
Void Flame Cloak
But none of them perfectly matched his criteria.
Until—
---
[Skill Identified: TRUE FIRE NIRVANA CYCLE]
> Rank: Heaven (High)
Type: Forbidden Body Transformation
Attribute: Flame
Requirement: Heavenly Flame
Evolvable :Refine one Holy Flame
Description:
Each cycle burns qi and blood for explosive power. The stronger the flame, the stronger the cycle. 1 flame = 1 cycle. 22 flames = 22 cycles.
Cost: 400,000 points
He didn't hesitate.
> [ Ding!Skill Acquired.]
---
After purchasing True Fire Nirvana Cycle, Xiao Ranyu sat in silence, his heartbeat echoing faintly in his ears—already sensing the phantom pressure the technique would one day bring.
He didn't regret it.
But he understood it.
> "Each cycle burns life qi and blood… tears at muscle, qi veins and bones."
> "If I want to unleash all 22 cycles one day… then my body needs to be more than human."
With a thought, he whispered:
> "System… search for Body Refinement category."
> "Filter: High Compatibility with Eternal Flame Vassal Body."
Dozens appeared. He scrolled.
Then paused.
---
[Flame God Tempering Scripture]
> Rank: Heaven (High)
Compatibility: 99%
Stages:
Bone Refinement (Red Ash Cycle):
Requires bathing in controlled Heavenly Flame environment for 3 hours daily for ten days.Bones become flame-conductive and shock-absorbent.
Allows host to withstand up to 7 full Nirvana Cycles used with heavenly flame without total collapse.
Blood Forge:
Blood is refined into flame-infused essence, capable of regenerating internal injuries at triple speed.
Allows host to withstand up to 14 full Nirvana Cycles used with heavenly flame without total collapse.
Heart of Flame Sovereign:
Transforms the heart into a living fire-core.
Immune to flame heart attacks, cold-type poison, and soul burn backlash.
Allows host to withstand up to 21 full Nirvana Cycles used with heavenly flame without total collapse.
Heavenly Flame Vessel:
Allows host to withstand up to 28 full Nirvana Cycles used with heavenly flame without total collapse.
Cost: 380,000
> [ Ding!Insufficient Points. ]
[ Remaining Poins: 99,500 ]
He didn't think much.
He will wait till he saved enough then buying it.
He bookmarked it.
> "Not just a solution. It's my foundation."
> "If flame is my weapon, I must first survive its wrath."
---
He closed the system and lay back, hands behind his head, eyes on the ceiling.
> "In two days it's the annual test. They expect nothing."
A smirk.
> "Perfect."
"It's time they saw what I've really become."
Then, with absolutely no sense of modesty, he whispered one last line before falling asleep—
> "Damn. Why Am So Beautiful."