The final trial of the Emberpath's opening phase was The Ember Crucible—a sealed chamber within the Ashen Temple.
Qingsai was led inside, stripped of his robes, and locked alone in a sealed obsidian dome filled with heat and hallucinatory fumes from volcanic roots.
> "Let the flame test your soul," said Kai'Zor from outside.
Inside the Crucible, Qingsai knelt and meditated. The temperature rose. He began to hallucinate—seeing his wives, Yuwen, his enemies… and finally, himself.
In a vision, he faced his own fiery doppelgänger, representing his rage, guilt, and longing. The doppelgänger mocked him:
> "You run from love. You fight like prey. What right do you have to call yourself Soulkindled?"
Qingsai clenched his fists—and replied:
> "I burn not to destroy, but to guide. I will light the path… even if I walk it alone."
With that, his inner fire roared, and the flames inside the Crucible danced in six hues.
The dome burst open.
Kai'Zor stood, unfazed. "You've passed."
The other Emberlords bowed their heads.
> "You are now a Flameborn Disciple of the Emberpath," Kai'Zor declared. "Let Myria beware—the Soulkindled now commands true fire."