The pill slid down his throat, and as it dissolved, a stream of warmth exploded within his core.
The reaction was immediate.
A surge of fire essence bloomed around him from the magma, pulled by the pill's coaxing nature and guided by his own budding fire intent. Feiyin did not resist. He embraced it. Letting the flame flow into him.
He exhaled slowly.
And began.
His essence qi, until now composed of four tightly integrated elements, began to shift. Across his body, his 361 acupoints shone faintly. The fire essence, wild and vibrant, streamed through them like a crimson tide. It rushed toward his three dantians, pulled by both his conscious will and the foundational structure of his cultivation.
He guided it with his fire intent.
Not by force, but by resonance.
Within each dantian, the cyclones of essence- his nexuses- spun with the calm and layered hues of his elemental affinities. Earth pulsed in rich brown. Metal shimmered in sharp gold. Water flowed in oceanic blue. Wood radiated a vibrant green. Now, to those hues, a new streak began to emerge.
Fiery red.
It began faintly, a gentle glimmer among the existing storm of colors. Then brighter, bolder. The fire essence, now fully under his command, spun into the nexuses, weaving itself in sync with the other elements. It did not clash. It danced.
The red grew vivid, laced like living flame through the spinning cyclones. And then, when the streak solidified- when the red flame became a constant part of the rotation- a change swept through him.
His essence qi transformed.
No longer fourfold.
Five elements now churned within him, perfectly synchronized.
The essence qi, infused with fire, surged through his 108 meridians. His body welcomed the change. The meridians expanded slightly, their channels reinforced. The refined qi flowed everywhere, from fingertips to toes, igniting his flesh with strength, clarity, and new warmth.
Then it reached his heart.
A single beat.
Thump
Slower.
Thump...
Then another.
THUMP!
Stronger.
Heat pulsed outward from his core. A flicker, no longer external. A flame had been born within. His heart, already strengthened by years of rigorous training, baptism and elemental tempering, welcomed this new rhythm. Its beat became a force of nature, akin to a roaring fire. Each pulse surged with fierce clarity, as if his very life was now marked by the cadence of flame.
His heart muscles, toughened over years, now grew denser still. The inner walls expanded fractionally, allowing more blood to move with each contraction. New vascular threads branched through his heart like molten veins, channels refined to withstand and guide the new flow.
And the blood- it responded.
Each drop condensed further, thickened until its very texture changed. Rich with energy and vitality, his blood gained a new density- like molten ore forged in the heart of the earth. It became weighty, enriched with elemental vigor, its color darkening to a deeper crimson, resplendent even without light, like rubies reflecting fire.
The flow itself transformed.
His blood now coursed with the weight and consistency of lava, gliding with the smooth gleam of liquid mercury. Though its pace slowed, every beat carried deeper energy, saturating his body with potent warmth. It became a stream of life, nourishing his muscles and organs with unmatched efficiency. His veins throbbed with power, and every corner of his form felt invigorated, steadied, reborn.
And his heart, now kindled and reforged, pumped it all with steady purpose. This new blood, rich and weighted with vitality, pulsed vigorously with each contraction. Had it still been his heart before this transformation, it would have taken a grueling effort for it to pump his refined blood, yet now they moved with effortless synergy. As if both heart and blood had been forged in the same crucible, destined to work in tandem.
They were made for each other.
At the same time, his tongue itched.
A strange sensation tickled his palate. His mouth felt more alive. His sense of taste heightened, able to distinguish the bitter tang of burnt essence from the sweetness of the refined pill's herbs still lingering within.
The fire was refining everything connected to it.
And it wasn't just body.
A pulse reached upward.
His governing and conception meridians stirred, as essence qi bathed his mind's eye.
His spiritual sense deepened, taking a firm step forward, from 800 meters to 900. The clarity expanded. He could feel deeper.
The fire had carved paths where only pressure had existed before.
As the circulation stabilized, he opened his eyes beneath the magma.
The lava still roared.
But it didn't burn.
The heat remained, overwhelming and immense. But it was no longer hostile. His blood carried nourishment faster. His skin, muscles, bones, and marrow soaked it in, strengthened and honed.
He smiled.
His nexuses now held all five elements.
A tremendous goal was now achieved. He had painstakingly planned and spent countless hours reviewing maps, records, and ancient scrolls to stack every possible advantage in his favor, seeking elemental-dense locations to further his cultivation. Now that this step was complete, though tension still lingered, a subtle weight eased from his shoulders, like the first breath after surfacing from deep waters.
Because now, the road toward Runic Alchemy opened wider. To fuse all five elements was the minimum requirement he wanted to reach to increase his chances of forming runes.
With a smile, he crouched within the lava pool, then pushed upward.
Lava parted around him as he surged like a phoenix, exploding from the molten world with steam and fury.
He landed atop the obsidian pillar, breath steady, body glowing faintly with residual heat that rapidly receded and cooled back to normal.
Without delay, he retrieved his spatial pouch from the hole he had carved into the rock. With practiced ease, he donned simple black robes and adjusted his belt.
But his task wasn't over.
From the pouch, he retrieved a specially refined glass container, sealed with an alchemical latch.
He channeled earth-infused essence qi around his body, creating a neutral sheath, and returned to the magma edge.
There, near the far wall of the cavern, a faint shimmer distorted the air. A reactive gas, volatile, surging with elemental fire essence. The cause of the demon tribe trouble.
Feiyin moved carefully.
He let the gas flow toward the container's mouth, then sealed it once enough had been collected. There was no reaction. His earth essence kept it dormant.
"Good."
After successfully collecting it with the aid of his earth qi shroud, he filled a few more glass containers. This material would be interesting to research, and would also serve to showcase proof of his investigations.
Turning, he walked to where a heavy stream of water cascaded from above. Steam hissed around him as fire and water collided.
He leapt into the fall.
And rose.