The transcendent union of the Starlit Communion, though it had pushed Li Wei's frail body to the brink with fever and pain, had left him with a radiant spirit, his qi pulsing clearer as if his nascent Golden Core and fledgling Nascent Soul had been strengthened by joining the celestial chorus. The hidden valley, with its shimmering pool, ancient tree, and glowing blossoms, pulsed with an energy that affirmed his path to immortality. Azure Dragon, his scruffy spirit beast, remained a loyal companion, curled by the stone altar as Li Wei pored over the scroll, its worn bamboo slats a sacred guide through his trials. The scroll's latest passage unveiled a fiery new challenge: "The Hidden Flame, where the cultivator ignites a secret fire within the heart, purifying the soul's deepest essence."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, hidden flames were mystical fires—divine blazes that burned away the deepest impurities, granting cultivators enhanced qi or spiritual clarity. The scroll's description was more poetic but equally compelling: "Kindle the flame hidden within the soul, let it burn away the shadows of doubt, and rise with a spirit purified. Intent fuels the fire, but fear dims its light." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of determination. His earlier trials with fire—the Eternal Flame, the Celestial Flame—had tested his resolve, but this flame seemed to demand a deeper, more introspective purification. His body, ravaged by hunger, fever, and the throbbing infections in his hand and arm, ached with every movement, but the valley's mystical aura and the scroll's promise fueled his resolve.
Li Wei prepared with the reverence of a priest tending a sacred pyre. He reinforced his altar with smooth stones, their surfaces carved with star-like patterns inspired by the Starstone to channel the valley's qi. He placed the scroll, jade slip, Starstone, and stolen booklet at the altar's center, surrounded by the ancient tree's glowing blossoms, their light pulsing like embers. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as Li Wei gathered dry branches, fallen blossoms, and a handful of moon berries, their luminescent skins glowing faintly, to fuel a small fire. The scroll emphasized intent, so he resolved to ignite the flame within his heart, infusing it with his qi to purify his Nascent Soul. He sipped the valley's crystal-clear water, its coolness a brief relief against his persistent fever, and chose twilight, when the valley's energy felt most introspective, to begin.
As the sky deepened to a violet hue, Li Wei lit the fire, its flames crackling softly in the stillness of the valley. He sat by the altar, the Starstone in one hand, the jade slip pressed to his chest, and chanted the scroll's incantations, their rhythmic tones blending with the valley's whispers and the fire's gentle hiss. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, its light kindling a hidden flame within his heart. The scroll urged him to "burn away the shadows," so he imagined the flame consuming his doubts—the scroll's jest, the betrayals of Wang Hao and Lin Tao, the pull of Mei Ling's smile. The warmth in his dantian surged, and the fire before him seemed to pulse with an otherworldly glow, its light reflecting in the pool like a hidden spark.
Hours passed, his body trembling from the strain, his fever intensifying, the pain in his infected wounds throbbing with each heartbeat. In his trance, the valley faded, replaced by a starry expanse where a hidden flame blazed within his Nascent Soul, its light searing yet purifying. A voice, resonant and commanding, echoed: "Will you let the flame burn true?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—his frail body, the scroll's irony—but he chanted louder, visualizing his Nascent Soul engulfed in the flame, its impurities burning away. The flame glowed brighter, but his body faltered, the fever spiking as dizziness gripped him. He collapsed by the altar, gasping, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face as the fire sputtered to embers.
The Starstone glowed warmer, as if infused with the flame's energy, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had been purified. Had he truly kindled the Hidden Flame, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised purification but warned of fear, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Hidden Flame kindled. Soul purified, qi shines. Body falters, spirit burns." The valley's whispers blended with the evening breeze, the ancient tree's blossoms glowing brighter.
During the next video call with the Order of the Jade Dawn, Li Wei shared the ritual, describing the hidden flame and its purifying light. Zhang Wei called it a "divine blaze," urging him to brew an elixir with the fire's ashes to solidify it. Liu Mei praised his resolve but urged medical care: "The flame purifies the soul, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of ascension, while Zhao Feng, skeptical, suggested delirium, sparking a debate that tested Li Wei's leadership. He hid his worsening fever and pain, fearing their concern might fracture the sect's unity.
As dawn broke, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly. The scroll promised that the Hidden Flame purified the soul's essence, but warned of greater trials. The valley's energy, his sect's support, and the scroll's guidance bolstered him, even as his body weakened. With his Golden Core and Nascent Soul pulsing as beacons, he felt ready to face the next challenge, his soul ablaze with the hidden fire of the Dao, one fiery spark at a time toward immortality.