"But even so, I've decided. I want to follow your path. Whatever path you walk, I will walk. I'll work harder than anyone else, and I won't falter."
Su Ming blinked, then chuckled softly. He reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Disappointed? Never. But alright."
Together, they turned back toward the mist-shrouded mountain of White Lotus Peak.
***
Time slipped away in the quiet of White Lotus Peak. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. For the first time in years, the abandoned peak echoed with the sounds of training, study, and discipline.
Su Ming began simply, teaching Lin Yao the foundations of cultivation and breathing techniques. Once her basics were clear, he introduced her to the Crimson Flame Mantra. His own refined version, polished over the past month. The essence hadn't changed, but his understanding had deepened.
Elder Xuan's old notes had relied on the Heaven and Earth analogy, so Su Ming followed that. He might have understood more using modern concepts, but he did not want to appear too alien.
On the second day, he gave her a portion of the items received from the Sect Master Jun's storage ring. Among them were the low-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills and his old practice sword.
The pills were somewhat of a rare treasure. Its effects were not as potent as the white flame he had once endured after his transmigration, but it still flushed away some impurities.
Her progress was steady. After one week, Lin Yao could sense qi; by the second week, she formally stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm.
Su Ming did not stay idle. He continuously observed her inner aura with his lantern's Halo of Insight and Essence Sight. Within her, faint shadows whispered—the dormant bloodline or whatever it was, slept like an ancient beast, sealed under layers of darkness. He noted it carefully. He observed every flicker of qi and every ripple of flame, but no matter what he did, it refused to stir.
Su Ming clenched his fist. He could risk it if it were him - the lantern allowed him to shave years off his lifespan and amplify its abilities. He already suspected that a decade had been shaved away just to reach his current Foundation Establishment Realm and master the Great Achievement stage in his Cloud Chasing Sword Technique, but he was not disappointed. He had lots of years to spare, and what was even the point of thinking that far ahead when his problem was only months away?
But he could never gamble recklessly with his disciple's life. For now, he wanted her to cultivate naturally. Perhaps, before she reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, when Su Ming had more control over the lantern, he might attempt something.
So, he let her progress at her own pace. He continued improving himself as well. Teaching Lin Yao the Cloud Chasing Sword Technique went smoothly. She had some natural affinity with swords, or perhaps it was her bond with the sword she always carries. Within a month, she nearly reached the Small Achievement Realm, which surprised Su Ming.
The next month and a half, Su Ming went into seclusion. He digested every scroll he had taken from the library, filtering insights from countless techniques. They didn't transform his Crimson Flame Mantra, but they exposed him to new ways and perspectives, which he incorporated into his own path. The Halo worked at full capacity, linking even minor insights together, gradually shaping his unique path.
At last, after unrelenting focus, Su Ming broke through to the tenth stage of Foundation Establishment. He stood at the final threshold—one more push, and the Core Formation Realm would be within reach.
His promise to the sect suddenly felt ordinary. He still had more than three months, yet he had no intention of stopping.
***
In secret, he practiced tirelessly with the flying sword. At first clumsy, he refused to be humiliated in front of his disciple. Day after day, he practiced until he could sustain flight for hours with speed and precision. His swordplay improved as well.
Given that the other two techniques had a different approach from his Cloud Chasing Sword Technique, he did not spend much time on them. Gradually, he reached the peak of Great Achievement.
And then there was the Tranquil Lotus Mantra. He had underestimated it at first, but slowly realized its brilliance. Mind cultivation, like qi cultivation, also had different realms. Though the details were missing, he felt his spirit and awareness strengthen. His mental fortitude sharpened, and more importantly, he understood that this would improve his odds of breaking through to the Core Formation Realm.
Two and a half months had passed. White Lotus Peak no longer felt like a graveyard. In the courtyard, master and disciple trained together, Su Ming correcting her sword movements. She did not slack off either. She studied general knowledge, practiced cultivation, and trained with the sword. Her progression in cultivation was steady as well. She had already reached the middle stages of the Qi Condensation Realm during this time.
***
It had been almost three months since the master and disciple had secluded themselves at the top of White Lotus Peak.
Now, Su Ming was ready.
He sat cross-legged on top of a solitary cliff in the White Lotus Peak. The wind howled around him, carrying the scent of pine and the distant roar of waterfalls, but within him, there was only silence.
His breathing slowed, aligning with the rhythm of heaven and earth. His dantian drummed with pressure, his qi compressed to its absolute limit. Yet his mind remained calm, sharpened like a blade by the Tranquil Lotus Mantra—steady, unwavering, without a ripple of doubt.
For months, he had purified his body and qi with the White Flames, burning away hidden impurities and refining every thread of energy. Now, that refinement had reached its peak.
The qi in his meridians trembled, humming with fiery glow. His Halo of Insight flared, and comprehension surged like a tidal wave. Techniques, mantras, and insights—once scattered, now pieced together into a single truth.
His body trembled, but his heart remained serene.
BOOM!
Scarlet light erupted from his core, pulsing with the rhythm of his breath. Not chaotic, not wild—precise, deliberate, as though every move obeyed his will. It shattered the brittle shell of his old foundation as the revelation struck him like a torrential wave.
"Heaven breathes, Earth bears—between the two, flames take its first breath."
"The dragon coils in silence, guarding the cinder of creation."
"The phoenix stirs, its wings birthing flame untainted, pure as dawn."
"When dragon and phoenix meet beneath Heaven's gaze, the True Flame rises, eternal and sovereign."
Threads of light spiraled within him, weaving, intertwining, forming a sphere of radiance that shimmered with perfect clarity. Essence Sight revealed the threads converging, compressing into a flawless crimson core that pulsed in harmony with his life force.
Scarlet energy burst outward, enveloping him with an ethereal fire.
A vision unfolded before his eyes. A cloud dragon coiled around an embryonic phoenix, its wings unfurling like the first light of dawn. Sparks gathered between them, forging three slender, ethereal blades that hummed with raw energy, as pure and untamed as molten flame.
He reached out instinctively. The swords responded, spinning around him as extensions of his will. Their edges flickered with living fire, circling with deliberate grace. A flick of his fingers sent them racing, and the nearest peak crumbled under their destructive force.
Su Ming's eyes gleamed as realization struck. This was no ordinary phenomenon. This was the rarest of manifestations, a mystical ability born from a perfect breakthrough. Even among geniuses, only a few could achieve such events.
He smiled with pride and excitement. This was his Flame Sword Manifestation, the embodiment of his breakthrough, a tangible projection of his mastery over flame and swords.
"Core Formation Realm…" he murmured, voice low, reverent. A smile tugged at his lips. "Achieved."