Chapter 2: Heavenly Fire

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In the night, a horse trotted slowly along a quiet ancient road. The sound of its hooves hitting the ground was steady and rhythmic.

Frank lay tiredly on the horse's back, quietly gazing into the void.

Since leaving the Sunrise Sect, he had been lying on this horse's back. Carried aimlessly it, he had nowhere to go, or if there was even anywhere he could go. He had been an orphan since childhood, taken into the Sunrise Sect, with no family, no parents, and no memory of any relatives.

He had always thought of the Sunrise Sect as his home, and his fellow disciples as his family.

Now, having been cast out of the Sunrise Sect, he had become a homeless child, curling up involuntarily as a profound loneliness gripped him for the first time.

"Where is my home?" His murmured words echoed clearly in the night. Unknowingly, Frank's eyes grew misty, and exhaustion drew him closer to sleep.

Yet, just as Frank was about to close his eyes, a dazzling star suddenly fell from the pitch-black sky.

Frank sat up abruptly, snapping his eyes open.

His gaze followed the falling star. It was golden as if it had gathered the brilliance of countless stars, traversing through different times. Its blazing golden radiance illuminated the entire starry sky.

"A… a falling star?" Frank looked on in amazement at the magnificent arc.

Boom!

A sudden clap of thunder shook the space, and he could even see streaks of lightning connecting the skies. The horse seemed startled, rearing up and neighing, while Frank was thrown off the horse's back.

Boom!

The star fell, causing the earth to tremble.

Just as Frank got up, a surge of scorching heat rushed toward him. The terrifying heat distorted the space around him, and the nearby trees visibly withered at an alarming rate.

"A star falling from the heavens—a rare sight."

Thinking this, Frank stepped carefully over the scorched ground, slowly approaching against the heat.

Only upon nearing did he realize that it wasn't a fallen star but a tiny golden flame, no larger than a palm.

"A True Fire?" Frank stood stunned, his mind wandering. He never expected that the falling star would turn out to be a flame.

Soon, the golden radiance faded, leaving the flame flickering alone. It swayed in the air without any trace of intense heat.

"Are you homeless too?" Feeling a kinship in their shared loneliness, Frank couldn't help but reach out, gently touching it.

The flame seemed sentient, leaping onto his palm like an innocent child, playfully flickering in his hand.

"Interesting." Frank couldn't resist poking at the flame. The moment he did, it turned into a streak of golden light, darting into his body.

"You…" Frank had no time to react.

Seemingly playful, the flame made a full circle inside him before rushing into his ruptured elixir field.

Soon, a burst of warmth spread from his lower abdomen, prompting Frank to urgently examine his own body.

What he saw was astonishing; due to the flame, his shattered elixir field was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. A warmth coursed through him, as if he were basking in the sun during the coldest winter.

"This…" Frank opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

But it wasn't over.

The flame bounced around in his elixir field, apparently finding its size insufficient. Its tiny form quickly grew larger, emanating dazzling golden light until it transformed into a sea of golden fire. As it expanded into a sea of fire, Frank's elixir field also expanded.

"Ah…"

Clutching his abdomen, Frank cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground as a tearing sensation radiated from his abdomen throughout his body.

Pop!

A sound echoed. Frank's newly restored elixir field ruptured again, torn apart by the True Fire, turning into a white mist-filled realm, as if forming its own world, with mist swirling above and golden light blazing below.

Only then did the flame stop, drifting about leisurely as if inspecting its newly created home.

Yet while it seemed perfectly fine, Frank's condition was far from good.

He lay on the ground, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat. The intense pain caused veins to bulge on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot, and his face contorted.

After some time, the sharp pain gradually subsided. Waves of warmth once again filled his body, restoring his clarity.

He stared blankly at his radically transformed elixir field, opening his mouth, his throat dry. "Is this… an Elixir Sea?"

There were five realms in cultivation: Energy Condense, Origin, Sunrise, Void, and Profound Void.

Frank was shocked because the so-called Elixir Sea was a level above the elixir field itself, only achievable upon reaching the Profound Void realm. He couldn't believe that not only had the flame restored his elixir field, but it had also created an Elixir Sea for him.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy began to ripple.

Soon, all the spiritual energy around him began to converge toward Frank, forming a vortex of spiritual energy centered on him, seeping into his body through every pore, and then pouring into his elixir field.

His body devoured spiritual energy like a bottomless pit.

At this moment, the True Fire became active again, refining all the energy that entered his elixir field into pure golden energy, transforming his newly formed yet dry Elixir Sea into a shining golden ocean of energy.

"It can even refine true energy…" Frank's eyes grew hazy, his body swayed unsteadily. Then, once more, he collapsed to the ground and drifted into unconsciousness.

The night passed in silence, and dawn arrived in an instant.

The warm light shone on Frank's face through the window in the morning.

He was greeted by a young, innocent face, staring at him with big, blinking eyes.

"You're awake." The boy showed a bright smile, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Who are you?" Frank sat up with a start, looking at the boy and then around him. Everything felt unfamiliar. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

"My name is Hank," the boy said honestly, smiling broadly. "This is a small spiritual garden of the Alps Sect. You collapsed in the woods last night, so Grandpa and I brought you back."

"Alps… Alps Sect?" Frank was stunned.

In the Daeryen Kingdom, there was one Hall and three Sects: Bloodlust Hall dominated the north, with Sunrise Sect, Cloudverde Sect, and Alps Sect standing firm in the south. In a way, the Alps Sect was an enemy of the Sunrise Sect. Frank had not expected that he would arrive at Alps Sect's door after being expelled from Sunrise Sect yesterday.

"You must be hungry! I'll get you something to eat." Noticing Frank's dazed look, Hank turned and ran outside as he spoke.

Frank sat on the bamboo bed for a while, slowly regaining his senses and recalling last night's events.

"Last night…" Thinking of last night, Frank hurriedly checked his body. His Elixir Sea was now a golden world. It was like a realm of its own with mist drifting above and pure golden energy flowing below.

"It wasn't a dream; it was all real."

Frank's breathing grew rapid. Not only was his broken elixir field restored, but he also gained an Elixir Sea. The true energy within it had become purer, and he felt a renewed sense of being a cultivator. His vision and strength had also reached unprecedented levels.

And all of this was thanks to the golden flame.

Thinking of the flame, Frank's gaze instinctively turned to the flame hovering within his Elixir Sea, flickering like a joyful child.

"What exactly are you, True Fire?"

The flame appeared in his palm, and the room's temperature instantly rose. Yet, rather than feeling the intense heat, Frank felt a sense of warmth and closeness to the flame.

"You're with me from now on." Frank smiled, gently stroking the flame, feeling an indescribable joy.

"Come out and eat!"

"Okay." Frank jumped off the bed after storing the True Fire away.