Lin Yuyan's POV
"You want me to go WHERE?"
I stared at Yan Xiu like he'd lost his mind. We stood at the entrance of a massive cave that seemed to breathe darkness. Cold air whooshed out of it in rhythmic pulses, and I could swear I heard screaming coming from deep inside.
"The Time Fracture Caves," Yan Xiu repeated calmly. "One year inside equals one month in the real world. You'll age normally, but you'll have twelve times more time to train than anyone else."
"That sounds too good to be true."
"It is. There's a catch." His red eyes gleamed. "The caves test you. They'll show you your worst memories, your deepest fears, your most painful moments—over and over again. Most people go insane within three days. That's why they're empty."
My stomach dropped. "And you want me to train in there?"
"I want you to SURVIVE in there. Big difference." He handed me a thick manual bound in red leather. "This contains basic phoenix cultivation techniques. Master them, and you'll be stronger than ninety percent of human cultivators. Fail, and..." He shrugged. "Well, at least you'll die doing something productive."
"You have a terrible bedside manner."
"I'm a demon lord, not a nursemaid." But his smile softened slightly. "Look, little phoenix. You want power fast, right? You want to become strong enough to make Xiao Chen regret everything?"
"Yes," I breathed.
"Then this is the price. Pain. Loneliness. Facing every horrible thing that ever happened to you, except now it'll feel REAL—like you're living through the betrayals again and again." He stepped closer. "Still want revenge?"
I thought about Xiao Chen's wedding. About Qingxue's triumphant smile. About my father's indifferent face.
"Yes."
"Then prove it. Survive one month in the caves—one year of cave time. If you make it out alive and sane, I'll know you're serious. We'll continue your training with real teachers." He paused. "If you don't make it, I'll at least give you a nice funeral."
"How comforting."
Yan Xiu laughed. "One more thing. Every week of real time—roughly three months of cave time—I'll send in an injured demon. You must heal them to eat. No healing, no food."
"WHAT?" My voice echoed off the cave walls. "That's insane!"
"That's the deal. You wanted power. Power costs." His expression turned serious. "Your phoenix flames grow stronger when you use them to save lives. Healing under pressure, while exhausted and scared, will force your abilities to evolve faster. It's brutal, but it works."
I wanted to argue. To say this was too much, too cruel.
But then I remembered the feeling of falling through the clouds. Of being thrown away like garbage.
Nothing they put me through can be worse than what I've already survived, I told myself. I fell off a mountain and lived. I can survive some caves.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Yan Xiu looked genuinely impressed. "Brave little phoenix. Or maybe just crazy. Haven't decided which yet."
He walked me to the cave entrance. Gorm waited there with supplies—a bedroll, water containers, and the cultivation manual.
"Lady Yuyan," Gorm rumbled, "my sister wanted me to give you this." He held out a small carved wooden phoenix. "For luck."
My throat tightened. "Thank you. Tell her I'll come back stronger."
"You better," he said firmly. "We're counting on you."
I took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.
The darkness swallowed me whole.
The first three days were the worst.
The cave was freezing. Pitch black. Silent except for water dripping somewhere in the distance.
I tried to cultivate according to the manual's instructions, sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor. "Breathe in spiritual energy. Circulate it through your meridians. Let phoenix fire purify your cultivation base."
Simple words. Incredibly hard to actually DO.
My meridians—unsealed but untrained—felt like broken glass cutting through my insides every time I tried to move energy through them. I gasped in pain, tears streaming down my face.
This is impossible, I thought after the hundredth failed attempt. I can't do this.
Then the visions started.
Xiao Chen's cold eyes materialized in the darkness. "Your cultivation is insufficient."
"No," I whispered. "You're not real. This is just the cave testing me—"
Qingxue's laugh echoed around me. "Did you really think he loved you? You're useless."
"Stop it!"
My father appeared, his face carved from stone. "Qingxue brings greater benefit to our alliance. You understand, don't you?"
"I SAID STOP!"
Phoenix flames exploded from my body, banishing the visions. I collapsed, gasping for air, my whole body shaking.
Control, I reminded myself. The manual says phoenix fire responds to emotion but requires control. Too much emotion, and it burns everything—including me.
I forced myself to breathe slowly. To calm down.
The visions faded.
"One day down," I muttered to the darkness. "Only three hundred and sixty-four to go."
Three Months Later (Cave Time)
I was getting stronger.
My cultivation had jumped two full levels—something that should take years, not months. My phoenix flames answered my call now instead of randomly exploding. I could heal minor wounds on myself, which was good because I kept injuring myself during training.
But the visions never stopped.
Every night, I relived the betrayal. The wedding. The fall. Sometimes the visions showed me things that hadn't happened—Xiao Chen and Qingxue happy together, having children, growing old while completely forgetting I ever existed.
Those hurt worst of all.
"You're not real," I told the phantom Xiao Chen during one particularly bad vision. "The real you is probably miserable with Qingxue. I hope you are."
Phantom Xiao Chen just smiled sadly and disappeared.
Then I heard footsteps.
REAL footsteps.
"Lady Yuyan?" A demon's voice called weakly. "Lord Yan Xiu sent me. I'm... I'm injured."
My first healing test.
I scrambled to find the demon in the darkness. He was young, barely adult, with a massive gash across his chest. Blood—black demon blood—pooled beneath him.
"What happened?" I asked, my hands already glowing with phoenix fire.
"Training accident," he gasped. "Sword went through my lung. Healers said only phoenix flames could save me."
"Hold still."
I placed my hands over his wound and let the fire flow. Not wild emotion-driven fire—CONTROLLED fire. Precise. Surgical.
The wound began to close. The demon's ragged breathing steadied.
After twenty minutes, he was healed.
"Thank you, Lady Yuyan," he breathed. "Lord Yan Xiu was right. You're amazing."
Before I could respond, he left food and water, then departed.
I stared at the food like it was treasure. Real food. After three months of meditation and pain.
As I ate, I realized something important: I wasn't just getting stronger. I was becoming USEFUL. Valuable.
Not because of who I was engaged to. Not because of my family connections.
Because of MY power. MY skills.
For the first time in my life, I mattered because of ME.
One Year Later (Cave Time) - Final Day
I sat in the cave's deepest chamber, surrounded by phoenix flames that no longer burned out of control. They floated around me like obedient servants, warm and comforting.
I'd survived. One full year in this nightmare cave.
I'd healed twelve demons. Mastered the basic cultivation manual. Jumped six cultivation levels—progress that would normally take a decade.
Most importantly, I'd faced my worst memories so many times they'd lost their power over me.
When phantom Xiao Chen appeared now, I didn't cry. I didn't scream.
I just looked at him and felt... nothing.
"You're not the real Xiao Chen," I said calmly. "And even if you were, I don't care anymore. You're part of my past. I'm focused on my future."
The phantom smiled—but this time, it looked sad. Regretful.
Then it spoke with Yan Xiu's voice: "Congratulations, little phoenix. You passed."
The cave walls shimmered and dissolved.
I found myself standing at the cave entrance. Sunlight—real, actual sunlight—hit my face for the first time in a year. I squinted against the brightness.
Yan Xiu waited there, looking genuinely shocked. "You actually survived. I honestly gave you a thirty percent chance."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Look at you." He circled me, examining my cultivation aura. "Six levels in one year. And your phoenix flames are stable. Impressive. Most impressive."
Gorm rushed over, his sister riding on his shoulders. "Lady Yuyan! You did it!"
The little demon girl jumped down and hugged my legs. "You came back! I knew you would!"
Their genuine happiness made my chest warm in a way that had nothing to do with phoenix fire.
"What happens now?" I asked Yan Xiu.
"Now?" His smile turned wicked. "Now your REAL training begins. Basic cultivation is done. Next, we teach you how to fight. How to kill. How to use your beauty as a weapon and your power as a shield." He leaned closer. "Next, we turn you into something the cultivation world has never seen before."
"Which is?"
"A phoenix who's learned to think like a demon." His red eyes gleamed with dark promise. "Mercy is weakness. Kindness is a tool. Trust no one who hasn't earned it through blood. These are demon truths, little phoenix. And they're going to make you UNSTOPPABLE."
I should have been scared. Should have questioned whether this was turning me into something terrible.
But all I felt was excitement.
"When do we start?"
"Tomorrow. Rest tonight. Eat. Bathe. Remember what it's like to be human." Yan Xiu's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Because starting tomorrow, I'm going to train that softness right out of you."
That night, I soaked in the healing springs, staring at my reflection.
My brown eyes had changed. Gold flecks swirled through them now—permanent marks from phoenix fire exposure. My hair had grown longer, and silver-white streaks ran through the dark brown.
I looked different. Harder. Older.
I looked dangerous.
Good, I thought. Let them see danger coming. Let them know what they created when they threw me away.
As I drifted off to sleep, I had one last vision—not from the cave, but from my own mind.
Five years from now, walking into Heavenly Sword Sect wearing a jade mask, power radiating from every pore. Xiao Chen's face going white with shock. Qingxue's smug smile crumbling into fear.
And me, finally saying the words that would start their destruction:
"Hello, Husband. Did you miss me?"
I smiled in my sleep.
The countdown had begun.