Chen Yang's heart hammered wildly inside his chest.
Yet his hands remained terrifyingly steady, dropping one gleaming low-grade spirit stone after another into the seemingly ordinary clay bowl.
The spirit stones clinked against the bottom of the bowl, settling over the fiery red patch of light cast by the reflected sunlight, filling the silent loft with a crisp, ringing sound that was almost jarring.
In his mind, he had been keeping a silent count all along.
One hundred…
Two hundred…
Three hundred…
When the number of spirit stones dropped in approached five hundred—
Something changed!
The still, clear water in the bowl began to bubble without any warning, tiny beads of air rising to the surface!
Even more alarming, the patch of sunlight at the bottom of the bowl deepened in color, shifting from fiery red to a blazing white.
And it was no longer merely a flat reflection.
It was as though something was truly "growing" from within the water at the bowl's base — something impossibly small, yet radiating a terrifying heat…
The embryo of a flame!
Sizzle… sizzle…
The sound of evaporating water grew unmistakable. The clear water in the bowl was visibly diminishing, as though being rapidly vaporized by that tiny "flame."
Chen Yang's heart clenched.
There was no time to think.
He quickly fetched more water and carefully poured it into the bowl, trying to maintain that fragile balance.
At the same time, his pace of feeding spirit stones unconsciously quickened, more and more of them pouring in as though they cost nothing.
Seven hundred…
Eight hundred…
Nine hundred…
The number of spirit stones consumed was about to break through the one-thousand mark!
That was the equivalent of nearly five months' worth of his salary as an inner disciple!
Chen Yang's heart began to panic. Fine beads of sweat seeped across his forehead.
This was an absolute bottomless pit!
What if he poured in this many spirit stones and got nothing in return — or worse, destroyed the clay bowl…
The urge to retreat crept into him.
On instinct, he reached out, intending to scoop some of the spirit stones back out and put an end to this seemingly absurd and costly experiment.
However.
The moment his fingers touched the rim of the bowl, an indescribable scorching sensation surged through them — as though he had touched not ceramic, but a red-hot branding iron!
Hiss——!
He sucked in a sharp breath of cold air in pain, yanking his hand back. His fingertips had already turned bright red.
He stared into the bowl in alarm.
The blazing white "flame" swayed within the water, as though it had taken on a physical form, radiating a heart-stopping light and heat.
Water poured in was vaporized almost instantly, producing an even more violent sizzling, and thick steam began to fill the room, blurring his vision.
"Could it be… that a sun can truly be born inside a bowl?"
An even more outrageous yet strangely tempting thought echoed through his mind like a bewitching whisper.
This inexplicable phenomenon seemed to be confirming his wild conjecture.
His desperate hunger for an answer overwhelmed his grief over the spirit stones and his fear of the unknown.
He gritted his teeth and hesitated no longer — the speed at which he fed spirit stones surged once more!
The spirit stones in his Storage Bag drained away like a flood through an open floodgate.
Fifteen hundred…
Two thousand…
Twenty-five hundred…
Without realizing it, the Storage Bag he had painstakingly filled over a long time — once thick and heavy — had now gone limp and flat.
Fewer than three hundred low-grade spirit stones lay inside, lonely and sparse!
And the clay bowl was no longer the humble vessel it had once been.
Its entire body had turned crimson, as though freshly pulled from a furnace, radiating a blinding light and terrifying heat that bathed the entire room in a deep red glow!
The steam inside the room was as thick as a bathhouse.
The air shimmered and distorted, waves of heat crashing against his face!
Chen Yang felt as though he were standing on the edge of a volcanic crater.
Every hair on his body felt on the verge of being singed, and breathing had become nearly impossible!
"No more! This is a bottomless pit! A bottomless pit!"
Chen Yang finally snapped back to his senses, seized by overwhelming terror.
He no longer harbored any ambition of duplicating a sun.
His only concern now was his precious clay bowl!
That bowl was the very foundation of his livelihood — if it were destroyed by this bizarre flame…
Steeling himself against the scorching heat, he reached out again, trying to snatch the glowing, burning clay bowl back.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the bowl's wall once more…
BOOM!!!
The clay bowl flipped over!
A deep, earth-shaking explosion — not from outside, but from within that tiny clay bowl!
A blazing flame of indescribable color, as though it had condensed every last drop of light and heat in the world, erupted from the bowl and shot skyward!
At the core of the flame, the faint outline of the clay bowl could still be glimpsed!
The temperature of that flame was beyond imagination. In the fleeting moment it appeared, Chen Yang felt as though his very blood was about to ignite and his soul was trembling!
He had no doubt — if even a single wisp of it touched him, he would be reduced to ash in an instant!
The survival instinct overrode everything!
The spiritual energy within him surged wildly, his power exploding to its absolute limit. His body launched backward like a stone from a powerful sling, crashing through the wall behind him!
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Crash——!
The wooden window shattered like paper as he burst through it. His body plummeted from the second-floor window and skidded back several meters across the ground before he barely managed to bleed off the momentum.
Still reeling with shock, he looked up — and saw the two-story loft he had been living in completely engulfed by that golden, living-seeming flame!
The flame floated in midair.
Its color was not the ordinary orange-red of common fire, but a pure, domineering gold — as though it could incinerate all things!
The loft dissolved into nothingness within the flame without a sound, barely even producing smoke, as though it had been directly "evaporated."
As for the clay bowl — in the instant he leapt through the window, he had seized it from afar using the Object-Drawing Technique.
Though the golden substance inside had already spilled out.
The bowl was still scorching hot, as though packed with a heap of burning coals, and he felt sweat pouring from every inch of his body!
"Water! Cool it down!"
That was the only thought left in his mind. He sprinted to the well in the courtyard and, without a second thought, hurled the scalding clay bowl — along with whatever terrifying flame might still be lurking inside — straight into the well!
Sizzzzzzz————!!!
An intensely violent sound rang out, like a red-hot piece of iron plunged into cold water!
Massive clouds of white steam erupted from the mouth of the well like an explosion, shooting several meters into the air!
The water level dropped at a visible rate.
In the blink of an eye, the well that had once seemed bottomlessly deep had been nearly half-evaporated!
Chen Yang stared at the scene, dumbstruck, his heart going cold.
He turned back to look at his loft.
Though he ached for the dwelling he had only recently moved into, what truly shattered him was the thought of the clay bowl — which might now be damaged!
Ignoring the still-scalding well water, he quickly channeled his Spiritual Energy, reached down into the well, and fished the clay bowl back out.
It was still warm in his hands.
But no longer unbearable to touch as it had been moments ago.
He examined it eagerly and in detail.
The bowl's rustic color seemed to have faded somewhat.
What made his heart bleed most was this: along the rim of the bowl, a clear, hair-thin crack was plainly visible!
And beside the crack, a small chip of clay no larger than a fingernail had broken away, lying quietly in his palm.
"It's broken… it's broken…"
Chen Yang's face went deathly pale, his lips trembling as he murmured those two words over and over.
Boundless regret washed over him like a tide.
Had he known it would come to this, he never would have entertained such a wild fantasy — trying to duplicate some ridiculous sun!
That had been nothing but a pipe dream, a path to ruin!
And now look — the loft was burned down, the spirit stones were spent, and even the most precious clay bowl was…
He stared at the tiny chip of clay in his palm and tried pressing it back into place, hoping for a miracle.
However.
No matter how carefully he aligned it with the crack, no matter how hard he pressed, the chip refused to bond back — as though it had lost all its spiritual essence.
"It's over… I wonder if this bowl… will ever be able to duplicate things again…"
Chen Yang muttered to himself in a daze, despair filling his heart.
Unwilling to give up, he kept pressing the chip down with force.
As though he could repair it through sheer willpower.
And then — something changed again!
The seemingly lifeless chip of clay in his palm suddenly, without any warning, burst into a flash of intensely blinding light — a bizarre mixture of pitch black and dark crimson!
The light vanished in an instant, faster than the eye could follow!
Chen Yang felt his vision blur, and then a sharp, stabbing pain erupted deep inside his right ear!
"Ugh—!"
He let out a muffled grunt and instinctively clapped his hand over his ear.
The chip of clay…
Had vanished!
No — not vanished!
Chen Yang could clearly feel that the thing had…
Transformed into a beam of light and burrowed into his ear!
And it was still wriggling deeper!
Just as he stood frozen in place — stunned by the pain in his ear and this sudden, inexplicable turn of events — hurried footsteps and startled cries came from outside the courtyard.
"Senior Brother Chen! What happened here?!"
"What a fire! Quick, put it out!"
"This… what kind of fire is this? Why is the color so strange?!"
It was the inner disciples from the neighboring courtyards and beyond, drawn by the towering column of flame, rushing over one after another.
They took one look at the golden fire blazing in midair and went pale with shock.
Chen Yang's ears were ringing.
After the sharp pain came a strange, blocked sensation.
The sounds of the outside world grew muffled and indistinct, as though filtered through a thick layer of cotton.
He could barely make out some of the shouting around him, but could not catch the specifics.
He hurriedly tucked the cracked clay bowl into his Storage Bag, afraid someone might notice something was off.
The disciples who had rushed over, seeing the situation, had no time to ask questions — they each deployed their abilities in an attempt to extinguish the fire.
Some performed the Water Condensation Art, drawing streams of water to pour over the flames.
Some used Earth Element Magic, trying to smother it with soil.
Others activated their magical weapons, whipping up fierce winds in an attempt to blow the fire out…
However.
Something astonishing happened!
Whether it was water, earth, or wind — the moment any of it made contact with the golden flame, it vanished without a trace, as though swallowed by the sea, producing no effect whatsoever!
The water was vaporized instantly, the soil was melted and crystallized, and the wind only fanned the flames higher!
The golden fire burned on — stubbornly, steadily — neither spreading nor showing the slightest sign of weakening, as though what it consumed was not ordinary matter, but some invisible rule or energy!
"This… this fire can't be put out!"
"What's going on?! My Water Condensation Art did nothing!"
"What kind of cursed fire is this?!"
The disciples looked at one another, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.
Chen Yang also tried a few low-level water-element spell techniques, but unsurprisingly, the flame didn't budge.
The loft had long since been burned completely clean — not even a scrap of debris remained.
His hard wooden bed.
The meditation cushion that had accompanied him for so long.
All those odds and ends…
All reduced to nothing.
The blocked sensation in his ears grew stronger, and the sounds of the outside world became even more muffled.
He could only watch the mouths of his fellow disciples opening and closing, apparently discussing something urgently, or perhaps calling out to him.
But all he could hear was a distorted, buzzing noise.
At that moment, a figure in moon-white robes drifted in as casually as if taking a stroll, utterly ignoring the terrifying heat, and flew directly into the courtyard, landing lightly before the golden flame.
Chen Yang looked closely — it was Lin Yang!
He had no idea why Lin Yang had appeared here.
Lin Yang studied the strange golden flame before him, one eyebrow slightly raised, as though he too found it somewhat unexpected.
He turned to say a few words to Chen Yang.
Chen Yang strained to focus, but could only see Lin Yang's lips moving — he couldn't make out a single word.
He felt as though his ears had been completely sealed shut.
Seeing that Chen Yang gave no response and only stared blankly at him, Lin Yang assumed he was too shocked to react, or simply unwilling to engage. He asked no further questions and turned his full attention to the flame.
He considered for a moment, then drew from his sleeve a jade vial that was clearly no ordinary object, its surface shimmering with a warm spiritual light.
He formed hand seals and aimed the jade vial at the golden flame, attempting to draw it inside.
However.
The moment the jade vial drew near the flame, it let out a strained crack, instantly covered in fractures, its spiritual light extinguished — it had been rendered completely useless!
The surprise in Lin Yang's eyes deepened.
Without hesitation, he produced another jade vial — this one of finer texture, pure white as snow throughout.
Judging by the fluctuation of its spiritual light, it was clearly of a higher grade.
He tried again.
Bang!
This time, the jade vial didn't even make it close to the flame before it exploded in his hand, shattering into powder!
Lin Yang was completely stunned. He stared at the golden flame still burning quietly, and for the first time, an expression of grave solemnity crossed his face.
"What kind of flame is this? How can it be so domineering…"
He pondered for a moment, as though making up his mind, and once again retrieved an object from his Storage Magical Artifact.
This time it was not a jade vial, but a small, entirely transparent bottle — as though carved from crystal — with what appeared to be countless minute Runes flowing within it.
The moment this object appeared, the surrounding Spiritual Energy subtly stirred.
Clearly no ordinary item!
Lin Yang's expression turned serious. He formed seals with both hands, murmuring an incantation, and the transparent bottle floated upward, its mouth aimed at the golden flame, emanating a powerful suction force.
This time.
The domineering golden flame finally wavered slightly.
As though drawn by the pull.
It struggled and twisted, extremely reluctant, being pulled away strand by strand, wisp by wisp, slowly drawn toward the mouth of the transparent bottle.
The process was agonizingly slow and arduous.
Even Lin Yang's temples were beaded with fine sweat.
It took a full thirty minutes before the terrifying golden flame was completely drawn into the transparent bottle.
Through the clear walls of the bottle, one could still plainly see a small golden flame leaping and dancing within — like a caged spirit, still radiating an awe-inspiring power.
The disciples who had been watching with bated breath finally let out a collective sigh of relief, their faces breaking into expressions of gratitude and admiration.
"Thank goodness! The fire's been contained!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin, for stepping in!"
"I was so frightened just now — I thought my courtyard was going to be caught up in it too…"
"Senior Brother Lin is truly impressive!"
The disciples murmured among themselves, and seeing the crisis resolved, they gradually dispersed.
Chen Yang couldn't make out what they were saying, but from their expressions he could guess well enough.
He hurriedly nodded in the direction of the departing crowd, mumbling vaguely:
"Thank you, thank you, everyone — Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers…"
In no time, the once-chaotic courtyard fell silent again, leaving behind only a scene of wreckage — scorched ruins stretching across the ground.
And standing before those ruins: Chen Yang and Lin Yang.
Lin Yang held the transparent bottle containing the sealed golden flame and walked up to Chen Yang, brow slightly furrowed, and spoke again.
This time, his lips moved slowly, as though trying to let Chen Yang read them.
Chen Yang strained to make out the lip movements, but still heard only a blur — it felt as though two wads of cotton had been stuffed into his ears.
He had no choice but to raise his voice, saying somewhat awkwardly:
"I… I can't hear you! Can you speak louder?"
A flicker of puzzlement crossed Lin Yang's eyes. He examined Chen Yang's ears carefully but found no visible injury.
He raised his voice considerably, practically shouting directly into Chen Yang's ear:
"I — AM — ASKING — YOU! WHAT — IS — THE — DEAL — WITH — THIS — FIRE?!"
The sheer volume made Chen Yang's head buzz, but he finally managed to make out Lin Yang's question.
Being confronted so directly, Chen Yang's heart lurched, and a cold sweat broke out down his back in an instant.
He immediately forced himself to stay calm, plastering on an expression of confusion and innocence even greater than Lin Yang's, blinking his eyes blankly a few times, and spreading his hands:
"I… I have no idea!"
He pointed toward the ruins and said with utmost sincerity:
"I… I was meditating and fell asleep. I woke up and it was already like this."