The next morning came with silence—but not peace.
Word had spread like wildfire.
"The boy with no Qi, no core, no path... burned a Spirit Gate cultivator alive."
Every clan. Every sect. Every criminal syndicate in Orlan now whispered one name:
"The Black Ember."
---
Luan sat alone in the upper deck of a ruined tea house. His eyes, dark as the void, stared into the city skyline. Kei sharpened his broken dagger. Linari played soft notes on her soul flute.
But the peace?
It was bait.
Because that same day, while crossing through Ember Alley—a district ruled by the Scorching Rain Gang, a group of Qi cultivators known for torturing their prey slowly—
a bounty dropped.
> Target: The boy with the black flame.
Reward: 5,000 spirit coins.
Status: Kill on sight.
---
Ambush.
No warning. No negotiations.
Seven cultivators—flame-element, Earth Gate Realm—surrounded them near the alleys.
Kei grinned. "Finally, some cardio."
Linari's eyes narrowed. "No flute needed."
But Luan didn't move.
Instead, he whispered to the black fire curled around his fingers—
> "Don't kill them too quickly."
---
The first strike came from above—a massive cleaver wrapped in Qi-enhanced flame. Before it hit…
Black tendrils erupted.
The blade shattered.
A pulse of force knocked three attackers into a nearby wall, turning them into molten dust.
Another tried to run.
The fire chased him down.
Not as flame… but as a shadow snake. Silent. Cold. Deadly.
The last two screamed, begging for mercy.
Luan stepped forward.
His voice echoed like thunder in a tomb:
> "I don't burn people.
I burn their intentions."
And then—he turned away.
Let them live.
Fear is a longer-lasting scar than fire.
---
Later that night, in a hidden courtyard:
A figure kneeled before a jade throne surrounded by floating crystals.
> "Master, the flame… it's exactly as the ancient prophecy described.
Black. Silent. Alive."
A cold voice replied:
> "Then bring him to the Forgotten World. Alive.
Or burn Orlan down trying."
---
Meanwhile… in the far ends of Orlan…
Luan stumbled into an abandoned shrine while chasing a faint aura.
There, inside a cracked mirror—
he saw something.
Himself.
But older.
Eyes gold. Hair burning. A black crown on his head.
The reflection whispered:
> "You are not the ember.
You are the origin."
The mirror shattered.
And his shadow-self stirred again.
This time, it spoke directly through his voice.
> "You don't need Qi.
You are what Qi fears."
Luan collapsed to his knees. A new mark appeared on his palm—a burning insignia shaped like an ancient eye.
The air shifted.
Somewhere in the sky, thunder cracked—without clouds.
And the masked woman… watched from a rooftop nearby. Her hand trembled.
> "He's awakening… but not in stages.
He's skipping the path.
He is the path."
---
End of Chapter 9.
Chapter 10 ready ho?