Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: The Awakening Flame

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🌌 Six Months Later – Xiao Clan Estate, Nightfall

The sky bled into a deep violet as dusk settled across Wu Tan City. A quiet chill rustled the lanterns outside the Xiao Clan's main hall. Within the inner gardens, Tianzun sat alone beneath the plum blossom tree, a ceramic teacup in one hand, its steam drifting like a ghost. His eyes, half-lidded, reflected the moonlight—but his mind churned like a storm beneath still waters.

He looked peaceful. Serene. But inside, questions boiled.

> "Why... was I chosen?" "What is this system that guides me? Uses me? Elevates me?" "Who am I now... and who was I before?"

Across from him, Ling Yuan stood quietly, hands folded behind his back, his robe flickering faintly with starfire threads. He had long sensed the storm coming. And he knew—it was finally time.

Tianzun turned toward him.

"Can I ask you something real this time? Not just commands. Not crafting rules. Not alchemy syntax. But truths."

Ling Yuan's smile was calm, yet his eyes held an old sorrow.

"You've earned one answer. For now. When you reach Da Dou Shi, the system's Artificial Intellect will unlock. Until then, I speak only what your soul can bear."

Tianzun fell into silence. But something within him cracked open.

A glimpse.

A flash.

A vision.

His own hand—bloodied—thrusting a blade through someone's chest.

Laughter. His own. Then screams. Then... silence.

The old him.

A tyrant? A monster?

> "Power… I wanted it all. I burned cities for it. Betrayed those who trusted me. And in the end... I died not at the hands of my enemies. But myself."

The teacup in Tianzun's hand trembled.

He closed his eyes, forcing his breath to stabilize.

Ling Yuan stepped forward, and for the first time, he sat across from Tianzun—not as a guide, but as an equal.

"You feared death before. Now you fear purpose. But Tianzun, understand this: power is not evil. It is a vessel. A sword. It depends on who wields it—and why."

Tianzun clenched his fists.

"Then I ask you—what is the point of this second life if I walk the same path again?"

Ling Yuan said nothing. Then extended a single finger.

The teacup stopped shaking.

The air stilled.

Ling Yuan's voice, deep and calm: "The path doesn't repeat. Unless you do."

Tianzun's breath hitched.

> "I was reborn into warmth. A family. Friends. A world not yet broken. And still... I chase cultivation like a madman."

> "But now... I will rise with reason. Not desperation."

He stood.

His soul stirred.

The Emperor Flame Seed within him pulsed once—then surged.

All those months. Training. Crafting. Tempering. Refining.

Every cycle of Qi now spun with perfect harmony.

And then—

A single, deafening heartbeat within his dantian.

💥 BREAKTHROUGH: Da Dou Shi – 1 Star Achieved!

The ground trembled beneath him.

Tianzun's aura ignited—not wild, not chaotic—but like a sovereign flame claiming its rightful throne.

He stood still, eyes closed, and whispered:

> "From now on... I carry power not for glory—but for choice. To protect. To guide. To change what I once destroyed."

Ling Yuan bowed slightly.

> "You've finally awakened—not just your strength, but your will."

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🌀 **System Notificatios ....

End of Chapter 38