Chapter 6 — Beneath the Ember Veins
The tunnels beneath the 10,000 Flame Mountain twisted like a labyrinthine web of stone and molten history. Every step Hao Tian took felt like walking through layers of the earth's memory. His leg still throbbed from the encounters with the Fire-Burrowing Moles, and his back ached from the repeated strain of wielding the pickaxe against creatures tougher than he had imagined. Yet, the thought of leaving empty-handed spurred him onward.
The cavern walls glowed faintly, threaded with orange and red veins. The heat rose in subtle waves, sometimes brushing his skin, sometimes coiling around his chest as though the mountain itself were breathing. He tightened his grip on the pickaxe, feeling the dull warmth of the Nine Transformations Origin Flame close to his chest, an almost imperceptible heartbeat within him.
He paused at a fork in the tunnel. To the left, a narrow corridor sloped downward, walls shimmering with low-grade fire veins. To the right, a wider path stretched into darkness, the air thick with lingering smoke and ash. The middle path was jagged, uneven, but stable. A faint tug, like a gentle pull in his chest, guided him—less a thought, more a sensation he had learned to trust. He stepped forward, letting the subtle guidance of the flame dictate the general direction.
The first cavern he entered was a sprawling underground hollow, roughly thirty meters across. Sunken in pockets along the floor were clusters of moss-like plants, their delicate, blue-green fronds quivering slightly in the warm air. Tiny mushrooms clung to crevices in the rock, their caps glowing faintly with the faint residual fire Qi that seeped from the veins. Among them, a few small vines bore glowing fruits, amber in color, pulsing faintly as though inhaling the surrounding heat.
Hao Tian knelt beside the first cluster of plants, scanning each carefully. His mind cataloged every detail—shape, texture, and Qi density. Picking the fragile blue-green moss, he wrapped it carefully in a cloth, storing it with the few Fire-vein Grass and Ash-Heart Buds he had previously gathered. The moss would help with minor fire-based Qi imbalances during future refinement, and he could sell the excess later to alchemists in town.
He moved cautiously toward the vine-bearing fruits. Each fruit emitted a faint warmth, almost comforting in the oppressive heat of the cavern. He reached out, feeling their surface—a delicate, papery skin that seemed to breathe faint heat. He plucked one, and a subtle aroma of charred sugar and earth rose from it. Holding it in his palm, he realized how fortunate he was to find something so intact, yet unguarded.
"Not bad," he muttered. The fruits, moss, mushrooms, and other plants were all valuable in minor ways—mostly for pill refinement and low-tier medicinal applications—but nothing extraordinary. Still, for someone his age, still on the cusp of real cultivation, they were treasures in their own right.
He explored the cavern further. Tiny fissures ran along the walls, hidden crevices that housed additional plant life, each adapted to the heat and ash of the underground world. There were small, wiry roots sprouting crystals along their length, tiny flowers that opened only under the faintest hint of heat, and mushrooms with stalks like thin copper wires, caps that flickered orange and red under the fire vein light. One vine bore small, delicate bulbs, almost translucent, that shone faintly like amber. Hao Tian carefully dug around them, ensuring he did not crush the roots.
Hours passed. The more he explored, the more the cavern revealed its secrets. A tiny stream of water, warm but not scalding, trickled through a narrow channel in the rock. On its banks, small plants with leaves like curled knives shimmered faintly. The stream itself was shallow, but the warmth suggested it was connected to a larger underground hot water source—perhaps a secondary vein from the mountain's geothermal heart.
As he moved, the subtle tug in his chest grew sharper. It was still faint—almost imperceptible—but enough to guide him along a winding path. The flame did not react to the herbs he was picking, nor the small mineral deposits he sometimes paused to inspect. It pulled only in general direction, guiding him deeper.
A faint rumble echoed through the cavern, and Hao Tian's heart leapt. Not large, but enough to set him on edge. The fire veins along the walls seemed to pulse in response, heat brushing against his skin. He crouched low, pickaxe at the ready, scanning every shadow.
Movement.
A creature, small but sinewy, darted from a fissure. Its body was low, almost serpentine, covered in thin, dark scales that shimmered like molten rock. It had four legs, tipped with faintly glowing claws, and eyes like molten embers. It hissed, a low, vibrating sound that rattled the teeth in Hao Tian's jaw.
"…Great," he muttered under his breath. Another body-refining beast.
It lunged first, fast, striking at his legs. Hao Tian twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike. Sparks flew as the claws scraped against stone. He swung the pickaxe with all his weight, barely grazing the creature's side. Its scales absorbed most of the force, but the creature recoiled, startled.
Hao Tian took a cautious step back, circling. He had fought the Fire Lurker Lizard before, but this one moved differently—quicker, more precise, intelligent. It darted again, and he blocked with the shaft, feeling the vibration up his arms.
The cavern provided little advantage; he was confined, and the ground was uneven. He had to rely on strategy rather than brute strength. Timing. Patience. One misstep, and he would be badly injured.
He feinted, and the beast lunged. At the last moment, he rolled aside, letting it pass. Swinging upward, the pickaxe clipped its shoulder. Sparks flew, and the creature shrieked in anger, circling to attack again.
Hao Tian backed toward a narrow ledge, giving himself a tighter angle. Here, the creature could not fully maneuver. He jabbed at it, striking the side of its head. It flinched, stunned. Hao Tian pressed the advantage, slamming the pickaxe down again, drawing blood from a thin patch along its neck.
The creature twisted, claws snapping, tail whipping. Hao Tian barely leapt aside, rolling over the ash-covered ground. He struck again. This time, the pickaxe hit with full force, and the beast yelped, stumbling, before retreating into a shadowed fissure.
Breathing hard, Hao Tian wiped sweat from his brow. His heart pounded, muscles burned—but he was alive. He examined the fissure cautiously; the creature had retreated, not fled. For now, he moved on, deeper into the cavern, careful to avoid drawing attention.
His exploration soon brought him to a cluster of peculiar herbs growing along a thermal fissure. There were three particularly notable specimens:
Verdant Emberleaf: Broad, glossy leaves tipped with faintly glowing orange. The leaves seemed to radiate subtle warmth, enough to invigorate the body without burning it. Hao Tian carefully dug it up, marveling at the plant's resilience in the harsh environment.
Searing Root Fungus: A twisted mushroom, thick and fibrous, with deep red caps veined in black. It grew in compact clusters, its stems curling into the cracks of the stone. He carefully separated them, avoiding damaging the delicate mycelium network.
Ambervine Fruit: Small, round fruits hanging from thin, wiry vines, pulsing faint heat. The aroma was almost intoxicating, earthy and warm. Hao Tian harvested three, setting aside one for immediate use and keeping the others in a small pouch.
The herbs alone would already be enough to strengthen his body-refining cultivation if prepared carefully. Yet as he cataloged them, a faint glimmer in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
A small crystal, compressed like a gem, floated gently above a shallow depression in the rock floor. Its surface shimmered with a soft orange light, faintly warm, almost alive. It rotated slowly, suspended in the air by a small, barely perceptible aura. Hao Tian froze.
The subtle pull in his chest sharpened—a sense he had learned to trust. This was no ordinary mineral. No ordinary ember. The Origin Flame stirred within him, not yet fully aware of the treasure, but recognizing its kin.
He approached carefully, hands outstretched. The crystal's glow intensified slightly, radiating warmth that brushed against his skin like sunlight on a cold morning. Tentatively, he touched it, and the suspended gem sank gently into his palm, its warmth seeping into him.
The first taste of spiritual energy—a seed of flame—flowed faintly into him. It was tiny, almost imperceptible, but enough to signal the flame's recovery. The flame inside him shifted, stretching slightly, responding with a faint hum only he could sense.
Hao Tian smiled faintly, catching his breath. "…Not much, but it'll help."
He returned to cataloging and harvesting the remaining herbs, collecting a few more useful plants—mosses, fungi, and vines that could be sold later or refined for alchemy. By the time he left the cavern, his satchel was full, his wounds still tender, and his body exhausted, but his spirit felt lighter. He had survived, learned, and gained treasures far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
And somewhere deep inside him, the Origin Flame pulsed softly, a tiny, quiet beacon of the power yet to come.
Hao Tian took one last look at the cavern, feeling the subtle tug of destiny pulling him onward. He stepped back onto the tunnel, deeper into the 10,000 Flame Mountain, unaware of the trials, the treasures, and the dangers that still awaited him.