Spirit Flame Rules the World

The wind across the Lingyan Continent always carried the chill of battle qi, but in the hidden cave behind the Lin family estate in Qingfeng Town, the cold sweat on Ling Feng's fingertips was colder still. He gripped the ancient jade pendant he'd just found. Heat from his palm surged through his veins, as if it would burn away all sixteen years of mediocrity.

"It's just a broken stone. You really think it can change anything?" His cousin Lin Hao's mocking voice drifted faintly from outside the cave. Ling Feng clenched his teeth. Ever since he could remember, the words "mediocre talent" had followed him like a shadow. His peers had already broken through to three-star Battle Disciple, while he had been stuck at two stars for two full years. Even his father's gaze was tinged with disappointment.

But at that moment, the jade pendant suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light. A roar exploded in Ling Feng's mind, and countless arcane characters surged in like a tide: The Flame Spirit Art. The opening words of the technique, "Draw flame into the meridians, temper the body with qi," stirred the battle qi that had lain dormant within him.

He tried circulating his battle qi according to the technique, never expecting the power of the Flame Spirit to be so violent. The moment it reached his dantian, it surged wildly. His chest felt as if it were being crushed by a boulder, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat. "No! I can't just give up!" Leaning against the cave wall, Ling Feng endured the agony and adjusted his breathing. Remembering his mother's dying words, "As long as you don't admit defeat, you haven't lost," he tightened his grip.

After an unknown length of time, the first wisp of Flame Spirit power flowed smoothly through his meridians. Ling Feng's eyes flew open. The battle qi in his dantian seemed on the verge of a breakthrough. He touched the jade pendant at his chest. It had returned to its gentle warmth, yet seemed to hide a flame that would never go out.

Night had fallen outside the cave. Ling Feng had just stepped out of the mountain