Azure Sky Academy's arena was packed.
Banners flew, spirit screens flared, and the top 4 brackets had shifted—accelerated after the Sovereign Beast incident, with the finals pushed ahead under the Flame Council's orders.
> "They're afraid," Bo Ren muttered as he read the council decree.
"Trying to keep the spotlight under control."
> "They should be," Yue said darkly.
"Because we're not the only ones who came back from that rift."
---
Tournament Update
> [Top 4 Flame Path Arena Matchups]
– Match A: Team Dawnflame vs Team Nullsky
– Match B: Team Stormvault vs Team Nightspire
Zhao Kai blinked. "Nullsky? Never heard of them."
Lin Yao replied, "They weren't in the top 100 before the Sovereign Beast."
Tian Xue's fingers tightened around the Phoenix Egg, which now shimmered with phoenix-shaped shadows in its cracks.
> "I heard rumors," she said softly.
"A hidden team… sponsored by the Ascenders."
Jiang Han didn't flinch.
> "Then we burn them out of the shadows."
---
Encounter with the Voidflame
That evening, Jiang walked the quiet paths near the arena's edge.
And saw him.
A boy—his age, maybe a year older—sitting on a stone, barehanded, eyes glowing violet and gold.
He looked up.
> "You're Jiang Han."
> "And you are?"
The boy smiled.
> "I'm Yun Wuxin. The first flameborn of the Ascended Path. The one Long Chen tried to stop."
> "He failed."
Jiang studied him. His aura was strange—flickering like flame, but also still. Cold. Balanced without warmth.
> "That's not real flame," Jiang said.
"That's a hollow system."
Yun Wuxin grinned.
> "And yet it burns. Tomorrow, I'll show you what it means to fight without emotion."
He stood.
> "You fight for legacy. I fight for evolution. Let's see which of us the Flamewheel accepts."
---
The Final Flame Awakens
Later that night, the Phoenix Egg pulsed.
Then it cracked—splintered fully, and hatched.
A small bird rose—barely the size of Jiang's hand. Its feathers glowed silver and crimson, its eyes burning with flame memory.
The system chimed:
> [Soul Pet: Phoenix Wyrmling – Name: Unnamed]
Stage: Hatchling (Sovereign Bond Initiated)
Trait: Soulflame Rebirth – Upon defeat, host regains 40% of spirit energy and flame power once per week
Unique Status: Core Flamewheel Bond Detected
Tian Xue gasped.
> "She's beautiful."
Jiang raised his hand.
The Phoenix landed on his arm, let out a high cry—
—and his aura surged in kind.
---
Dawn Before the Duel
As the sun rose, Jiang stood at the edge of the arena, Tempest curled at one side, the newborn phoenix resting on the other.
Yue loaded arrows. Bo Ren carved fresh runes. Zhao Kai cracked his knuckles.
Tian Xue took her place behind Jiang, her eyes soft and firm.
> "You ready?" she asked.
Jiang breathed deep, fire sparking around his feet.
> "I'm not just ready."
> "I'm burning."