The morning mist over Dao Xuanzhen Academy drifted like a pale dream, curling between pagodas and spirit lanterns. The bells rang softly in the distance, marking the beginning of a new cultivation cycle. Yet Polyfalls Yen had not slept — not truly. His consciousness had remained adrift, locked between two realms: his body seated cross-legged in meditation, and his spirit wandering in the vast ocean within.
Inside his spiritual sea, waves of red and blue light collided, forming chaotic spirals that pulsed like a living storm. It was there — in that boundless void — that the Soul Flames burned.
The flames were unlike ordinary fire; they shimmered between crimson and black, like dying embers caught in the breath of night. Every flicker carried weight — pain, memory, ambition, and something deeper: the will of Yin and Yang clashing in eternal dance.
Polyfalls' spiritual body floated at the center of it all. His hands trembled as the heat scorched through his meridians.
He muttered to himself, So this… is the balance of Yin and Yang?
Each cycle of flame devoured a portion of his spiritual essence. The number was faintly visible to his senses — ten glowing motes of light dimming one by one.
He gritted his teeth. The Demon Whale — Ming — had warned him: "Balance is forged through pain. Endure, or be consumed."
But suddenly, amid the swirling sea of fire, something stirred. A faint hum, followed by a woman's voice — soft, resonant, commanding.
> "You've done well… but you must learn restraint."
The flames parted, and from within them stepped Ming.
No longer a vast spirit-beast of the deep, she now stood as a woman — tall, her skin pale as moonlight, hair cascading like liquid night. Her eyes, deep blue with streaks of violet, shimmered with the same mystery as the ocean abyss.
Polyfalls stared in disbelief. "Ming… you… you have a human form?"
She smiled faintly. "Only partially. The name you gave me awakened an old power — one that binds me closer to this realm. But it came with a price. Your essence fed my transformation."
He clenched his fists. "Then it was my fault you were asleep for so long."
"Not fault," she corrected. "Sacrifice. Naming a spirit is an act of creation — and creation always demands destruction. You live because of the Blood Pact, but the balance within you now trembles."
She gestured toward his Soul Flames. "You carry the essence of Yin and Yang, but your heart is still swayed by wrath. If you lose control, the Soul Flames will devour not just your enemies — but your very soul."
Her words struck him like thunder. He lowered his gaze, his mind racing with the weight of what she said.
In his chest, the talisman — the same one that glowed during his battle weeks ago — began to hum again.
Ming's eyes flickered with alarm. "That talisman… where did you get it?"
"I found it," Polyfalls answered quietly. "During my first trial in the Abyssal Chamber."
"Foolish child." Ming's voice sharpened. "That is no ordinary artifact. It bears the mark of Chi You — the Demon God who defied the heavens. His blood runs through the flames you now wield."
Her form began to waver, her energy unstable. "Be cautious, Polyfalls. The path you walk will not be forgiven by Heaven nor welcomed by Hell. Balance your soul before it's too late…"
And with that, her image dissolved into the sea of fire, leaving behind only the faint echo of her voice.
---
When Polyfalls opened his eyes, his body was drenched in sweat. The faint spirals of black-red fire still danced across his fingertips before fading into ash. His room felt suffocatingly quiet — except for the faint beating of the talisman beneath his robes.
He took a long breath. Chi You… Demon God of War and Blood. Why does his name feel familiar…?
Before he could think further, a loud knock echoed through the room.
"Brother Polyfalls! You're awake!"
The door burst open — and Wutong Shen strode in, grinning ear to ear. The boy's robes were unkempt, his hair slightly greasy, and his eyes had the mischievous gleam of someone always one step away from trouble.
"I heard you collapsed last week! The whole academy was talking about it!" he laughed. "But you're alive, so that's good — I was afraid I'd lose my chance to learn from the new celebrity!"
Polyfalls raised an eyebrow. "Learn? From me?"
"Of course!" Wutong Shen plopped himself down uninvited. "You crushed that bully's bones like twigs. Every student still whispers about it — the 'Crimson Flame Monster,' they call you now." He smirked. "Pretty cool title if you ask me."
Polyfalls' lips curled slightly. "You talk too much."
"That's what everyone says," Wutong Shen admitted with a shrug. Then, leaning closer, he whispered, "Listen, I know a place outside the academy walls — an underground arena. Real cultivators go there to fight for spiritual stones. You could make enough to buy elixirs, maybe even a better cauldron for your alchemy training."
The mention of spiritual stones stirred something inside Polyfalls — that old craving, the hunger for cultivation fuel.
He looked away. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because," Wutong said, grinning slyly, "I think we could make a great team — you fight, I bet on you. We split the winnings. Easy profit."
Before Polyfalls could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"Wutong Shen!" Meilin Xue stood at the doorway, her expression cold as frost. "Why are you pestering him again?"
"Oh, Meilin," Wutong said cheerfully. "You wound me! I was only trying to help our friend climb the ranks of glory!"
"He doesn't need your kind of help," she snapped, stepping between them. "The last time someone went to your 'arena,' they nearly lost their dantian."
Polyfalls watched silently as they argued — her righteous anger clashing with Wutong's playful cunning. For a brief moment, he felt detached from them both, his mind wandering again to the crimson fire within him.
If I killed them both now… could I refine their essence into something greater?
The thought came unbidden — sharp, poisonous, and terrifyingly seductive. His pulse quickened, but he quickly suppressed it. No. That's not who I am… yet.
"Enough," he said finally. His voice was low, calm, but something in his tone silenced both of them. "Wutong, I'll think about it. Meilin, you don't need to worry."
She frowned, sensing the shift in him — the growing coldness behind his eyes. "Just… don't lose yourself, Polyfalls."
He said nothing.
As they left, Polyfalls remained seated in silence, his fingers brushing the talisman at his chest. It pulsed faintly, as if amused.
Deep within his spiritual sea, the Soul Flames flickered once more — and the faint outline of Ming's human form shimmered in the darkness, whispering softly.