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The Village Chief led Jean to the bottom of a dark, rocky mountain.
They stopped in front of two massive stone doors.
The doors were covered in thick dust and ancient carvings of birds.
"We are here,"
The old man said, pointing his shaking finger.
"This is the entrance to the trial. No one has opened it in a hundred years."
Jean nodded and walked up to the heavy stone.
"Thank you,"
Jean smiled at the villagers.
"But please, stay out here. The three of you should stay back too."
Jean looked at Chu Yuechan, Chu Yueli, and Xia Qingyue.
"The energy inside is going to be very wild,"
Jean warned the ice cultivators gently.
"Ice and fire might clash. It is safer for you outside."
"We understand, Senior,"
Chu Yuechan agreed, stepping back with her sisters.
Jean placed her hands flat against the stone doors.
She let a tiny bit of golden heat flow from her palms.
*Rumble.*
The heavy doors slowly pushed open.
Jean walked inside alone.
The cave was not hot. In fact, it was terribly cold and completely dark.
At the very back of the huge cave, she finally saw it.
It was the remnant spirit of the Phoenix.
She looked like a giant bird made of fire, but her flames were barely alive.
They were dim, flickering, and turning into gray ash.
The giant bird slowly opened one tired eye.
"Another mortal?"
The ancient spirit spoke.
Her voice echoed in Jean's mind, sounding incredibly weak and sad.
"Have you come to take my final drop of blood? Have you come to steal my last spark?"
Jean walked closer. Her footsteps were quiet on the cold stone floor.
"No,"
Jean answered.
"I am not here to take anything from you."
The giant bird let out a heavy sigh.
"Every mortal who enters this cave wants power,"
The spirit said bitterly.
"They beg me for my flames. I gave and gave until I had nothing left to give. If you do not want power, why are you here?"
Jean stopped right in front of the massive bird.
"Because you are dying,"
Jean said.
Her voice was full of deep love and understanding.
"You spent your whole life keeping your children warm. You gave away pieces of your soul. But you forgot to keep yourself warm."
Jean closed her eyes. Her bright red hair began to float and glow.
Suddenly, the absolute, supreme power of the Phoenix Force filled the dark cave.
Pure golden light chased away all the shadows in an instant.
The dying spirit gasped. Her tired eyes went perfectly wide.
"This feeling..."
The spirit whispered, her voice shaking with pure shock.
"The Mother Flame? The True Force... how are you standing in front of me?"
"I heard you crying,"
Jean smiled gently, reaching out her hand.
"You did a wonderful job protecting your bloodline. But your lonely watch is over. It is time to heal."
Jean placed her warm hand directly onto the giant bird's cold beak.
A massive river of golden fire rushed from Jean's body into the spirit.
It did not burn. It healed.
The gray, dying ashes on the bird's feathers instantly turned back into brilliant, shining red and gold.
The freezing cave became comfortably warm again.
The heavy, sad energy completely vanished.
The giant bird stood up, spreading her massive, beautiful wings. She was fully restored.
"I feel alive again,"
The spirit cried happily, bowing her great head all the way down to Jean's feet.
"I thought I was going to fade into nothing. Thank you. Thank you, Mother Flame."
"You are very welcome,"
Jean whispered back, gently petting the bright, warm feathers.
"Now, let's go outside. Your children are waiting to see you."
Back in the Blue Wind Imperial Palace, the grand room was quiet.
Sam suddenly stopped drinking his tea.
He stood up and walked over to the large, open window.
He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath, smiling brightly at the sky.
Cang Yue walked up beside him.
"Is something wrong, Senior Sam?"
Cang Yue asked softly.
"No, everything is perfect,"
Sam answered, opening his eyes.
"I can feel my wife's warmth from here. She just saved the ancient spirit."
Cang Yue looked out at the clouds.
"The Phoenix in the hidden village?"
She asked.
"Yes,"
Sam nodded.
"For thousands of years, the people in that village lived in fear. They were poor and weak. But they actually share the exact same bloodline as the terrifying Divine Phoenix Empire."
Sam turned away from the window to look right at the young princess.
"Jean just broke their heavy curse today,"
Sam explained calmly.
"Their true power is finally waking up. Very soon, those poor villagers will become just as strong as the greatest fire masters in the world."
Cang Yue's eyes went completely wide. She covered her mouth in shock.
"A whole village of true fire masters?"
Cang Yue gasped.
"But... won't they be a target? The major sects will try to hunt them down to steal their secrets."
"They will not be hunted,"
Sam told her.
"Because Jean is bringing them here."
"Here? To the palace?"
Cang Yue asked, her heart beating fast.
"Exactly,"
Sam said, his voice firm and deeply supportive.
"I told you that you are going to rule this empire. But a queen cannot build a peaceful kingdom alone. You need a shield you can actually trust."
Sam pointed a finger at the empty courtyard below them.
"The greedy lords and the old sects only respect raw power,"
Sam taught her.
"If you ask them to behave, they will laugh at you. But if you have an entire army of true Phoenix masters standing behind your throne, no one will ever laugh again."
Cang Yue listened closely. Her hands stopped shaking.
"They will be your new royal guard, Cang Yue,"
Sam promised her.
"They know what it feels like to be weak and bullied. They will fight for you, not for gold or dirty politics, but out of pure gratitude and loyalty."
Cang Yue felt a massive wave of warm hope fill her chest.
"With them by my side,"
Cang Yue whispered,
"The Divine Phoenix Empire might actually think twice before invading us."
"They won't just think twice,"
Sam smiled proudly.
"They will be terrified."
Thousands of miles away, the Divine Phoenix Empire was famous for its endless, burning heat.
Inside the massive red palace, Emperor Feng Hengkong sat on his heavy golden throne.
Fire pits roared brightly all around the grand hall.
He was talking with his oldest, strongest general.
"Is the army ready for the tournament?"
The Emperor asked smoothly, leaning his chin on his hand.
"We will use the games to crush the Blue Wind Empire's remaining hope. I want their lands before the year ends."
"The soldiers are ready, Your Majesty,"
The general answered, bowing deeply.
"The Blue Wind fighters will not survive our sacred flames. They are simply too weak."
Suddenly, the Emperor stopped breathing.
His proud face turned completely pale. He tightly grabbed his own chest.
At the exact same time, the giant fire pits around the throne room did something impossible.
The roaring red flames shrank down to tiny sparks.
Then, the sparks leaned toward the east, pressing completely flat against the stone.
It looked exactly like the flames were bowing down to a true king.
"Your Majesty!"
The general cried out in panic.
He tried to run forward to help, but his own legs instantly gave out.
He crashed down hard onto his knees, gasping for air.
"My blood..."
The Emperor whispered, his eyes wide with absolute shock.
He slid off his golden throne and hit the floor.
His hands shook violently.
"My profound veins are trembling,"
The Emperor gasped out.
"Why is my sacred fire hiding deep inside my bones? I cannot summon even a single spark!"
"I feel it too!"
The general yelled, clutching his chest.
"It is not pain. It is... total submission! My bloodline is forcing me to kneel!"
The Emperor slowly looked toward the east, directly toward the borders of the tiny Blue Wind Empire.
"The secret ancient texts spoke of a presence like this,"
The Emperor said, his voice shaking with a brand new terror.
"But I thought they were just old myths. This is not normal profound energy. This is the absolute origin."
"What do you mean, my King?"
The general asked, sweating heavily on the floor.
"Who could make our royal bloodline bow like dogs?"
"The Mother Flame,"
The Emperor answered, staring blankly at the eastern sky.
"The true fire has just woken up. Someone out there holds the supreme power to command all the fire in this world."
The general's face was drained of all colors.
"But... the feeling is coming directly from the Blue Wind Empire,"
The general whispered in horror.
"If someone there has the Mother Flame... what will happen to our grand invasion?"
The Emperor slowly clenched his shaking fists against the cold stone floor.
All of his arrogance from a minute ago was completely gone.
"If we march our army into a land protected by the Mother Flame,"
The Emperor said darkly,
"Our own fire will turn against us. We will be burned to ash before we even draw our swords."
The Emperor forced himself to look back at his general.
"Cancel the attack plans immediately,"
The Emperor commanded, his voice perfectly serious.
"Do not send a single soldier across that border. We need to find out exactly what kind of monster just woke up in the Blue Wind Empire."