Jayden barely had time to rest.
The moment Kael fell, the Iron Circle's control over Firelight's western districts began to crumble. News of Kael's defeat traveled faster than fire in dry grass. Yet the city didn't celebrate—at least not openly.
Because the ones who came next were far worse.
Jayden sat alone on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the industrial ruins. His body ached from the clash with Kael, and his veins still pulsed with burning chi. But there was no time to meditate. Not yet.
The war was just beginning.
Bitter Herbs and Broken Ribs
In a quiet alley lit by the dull hum of lanterns, Jayden crouched by a rusted rain drum. He pulled out a sealed gourd he had carried since the early stages of cultivation—inside were Ashroot Petals, Chi Grass, and a pinch of Twilight Jade Powder, rare ingredients that aided bone repair and spiritual recovery.
He crushed them in his palm, igniting the god-tier flame he'd long since mastered. The concoction shimmered, thick and luminous.
With a deep breath, he drank it.
The taste was vile, but the effect immediate. His cracked ribs stitched slightly, and the numbness in his right arm began to fade.
He would need full strength for what came next.
The Watcher Arrives
"Didn't think you'd live, Dragon Boy."
Jayden turned, recognizing the voice before the silhouette even fully formed.
It was Damon Locke—one of Firelight's most feared freelance martial cultivators. A wanderer from the East District, Damon was known as The Watcher, a man with a unique chi trait: his spiritual eyes could read the internal circulation of anyone within sight.
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his blade sheathed but buzzing with suppressed energy.
Jayden stood.
"I'm not looking for trouble."
"Then you shouldn't have broken Kael's spine," Damon said, raising a brow. "The clans are moving now. They see you."
Jayden met his gaze. "Let them. I'm not hiding anymore."
Damon gave a low whistle. "Cocky. Your father would've hated that."
Jayden's fists tightened.
"What do you know about my father?" he asked, voice low.
Damon's eyes darkened. "He was a strategist. A guardian. He didn't just protect the old clans—he helped them unite. But someone betrayed him."
Jayden's heart pounded. "Who?"
Damon shook his head. "You're not ready for that truth yet. But I'll give you this—your next move shouldn't be alone. You need allies. And I know where to find some."
The Burning Tomb of Master Quell
Following Damon's directions, Jayden traveled beyond Firelight's outer ring—deep into the Scar District, a land scorched decades ago during the Martial Civil Rebellion. According to legend, a powerful cultivator named Master Quell had been buried in a tomb here… but not before sealing away ancient techniques and a jade medallion that could summon forgotten allies of the dragon dynasty.
Jayden found the tomb half-buried in ash and twisted iron.
As he approached, a gust of heat blasted outward. Flames licked the air around the entrance.
A warning.
Jayden smirked. "Guess this is the part where I almost die."
He stepped inside.
Trial by Fire
The interior was a maze of pressure traps and illusion arrays. Jayden moved slowly, his senses stretched to their limits. His dragon blood resonated faintly with the walls—markings left by Master Quell, meant only for descendants.
At the heart of the tomb, Jayden reached a circular chamber filled with glowing glyphs. In the center floated a burning orb: the Heart Ember, said to be a fragment of phoenix fire mixed with dragon chi.
As he stepped closer, the orb pulsed—and summoned a guardian.
A massive beast formed from molten flame and rock, standing nearly ten feet tall. It had no face, only a burning mask with ancient sigils.
The Trial Guardian roared and lunged.
Jayden dodged, barely avoiding a sweep that scorched the entire platform. He responded with the Second Flame Step, vanishing midair and striking from above. His palm connected—but the guardian didn't flinch.
Instead, it twisted, grabbed him, and hurled him into a wall.
Jayden coughed blood, but his eyes burned.
He activated the God-Tier Flame Refining Art, a skill typically used in alchemy—but one that could, in rare cases, be turned against enemies of flame.
His chi surged into a spiral, forming a refining seal midair.
The guardian roared as its body began to convulse, its own energy being pulled inward. The dragon flame inside Jayden ignited the refining array until the beast cracked, shattered, and exploded into embers.
Silence.
Jayden walked forward, sweat pouring down his brow, and touched the Heart Ember.
It floated into his palm and vanished.
In its place, a scroll and a jade medallion appeared.
The scroll read: To awaken what is lost, you must bleed into the flame.
Jayden gritted his teeth.
He cut his palm, letting the blood drip onto the medallion.
It glowed… then vanished.
A sudden gust of wind tore through the tomb—and Jayden heard voices whispering from the walls.
Elsewhere… Something Awakens
Miles away, in the mountains bordering the ruined Blight Peaks, four old warriors stirred from meditation.
They were known only as the Last Vow, elite disciples of the Dragon Sovereign from generations past—hidden until summoned by blood and fire.
One of them opened his eyes.
"The heir has bled," he said.
Another nodded. "And the war begins anew."
A New Flame
Jayden returned to Firelight with the scroll hidden and a new fire in his veins. The Heart Ember hadn't just fused with his cultivation—it had evolved it.
Now, his inner chi could burn through illusions and poisons, granting him immunity to many of the subtler martial arts traps.
But even more than that—he had allies on the horizon.
Still, not everything was victory.
Upon returning to Firelight, Jayden was met with a grim sight.
One of the herbal houses—Willow Root Pavilion—had been burned to the ground. It was where Jayden had first traded for herbs, where old Master Yeng had once taught him basic chi compression.
And pinned to the scorched door was a black dagger, etched with the sigil of the Venom Shroud Sect.
A note read:
"We saw what you did. Keep rising, and we'll bury every seed you've planted."
Jayden's jaw clenched.
He pocketed the dagger.
The fire in his soul roared to life.