The sun had barely crested the horizon when the bells of Floating Cloud Pavilion tolled—a low, echoing chime that stretched across mountains, rivers, and valleys, reverberating like the solemn heartbeat of the heavens. It was not a call heard every day. In fact, most disciples in the outer quarters had never heard it once in their lives.
This was the Heaven's Resonance Bell, a relic said to predate the founding of the Pavilion itself. Forged from obsidian star-iron brought from the Void Sky Meteor, it had only ever rung in moments of historic shift—when a new Sect Master ascended the throne, when war loomed on the horizon, or when the sect welcomed an unprecedented genius who would shape the destiny of the world.
Today, it rang for Li Yi.
In the central plaza, thousands of disciples assembled beneath the bell tower, arranged in perfect concentric circles of rank and cultivation. Inner disciples in azure robes stood at the front, their postures proud but their expressions curious. Behind them, the sea of outer disciples murmured like wind stirring leaves, eyes all trained toward one figure who stood alone on the stone dais.
Li Yi, clad in a deep black robe with silver accents, looked far older than his years. His robes were singed at the cuffs, faint cracks of dried blood marked his knuckles, and a shallow cut still traced his cheek—a remnant from the Abyssal Rift conflict. But his posture was upright, his eyes calm, and around him, spiritual pressure lingered faintly like an echo of divine fire. It wasn't overwhelming, but those with sharp senses could feel it—an unsettling sense of unfathomable depth.
The murmurs among the disciples swelled.
"He's only been here two months."
"Already Core Formation Realm—Mid Stage, they say."
"That's impossible without a heaven-defying background."
"I heard he fought an Abyssal Warlord and survived... and even sealed part of the Rift!"
Amidst the chatter, the grand doors of the Pavilion Hall opened. A beam of sunlight spilled across the polished marble floor as Sect Master Xuan Jin appeared, descending the carved stone steps. His robes flowed like mist, adorned with drifting cloud patterns sewn in golden thread. His long white beard fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, and though he looked like a kind sage, the sharp glint in his eyes reminded everyone why he was feared across six provinces.
Following him were the Twelve Peak Masters, including the enigmatic Peak Master Bai Qing, her face unreadable behind her white veil. Each was a powerhouse in their own right, and yet, this assembly was not for them.
Xuan Jin stopped just short of the bell and raised his hand.
The crowd stilled, as if time itself obeyed his will.
"In the cold eastern wilderness, beyond the Frozen Abyss, a rift opened—one that should have swallowed entire cities," he said. His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried clearly to every corner of the plaza. "It was to be a tragedy. And yet…"
He turned toward Li Yi.
"…it became a miracle."
All heads swiveled.
"Li Yi, a new disciple—barely entered our sect for two months—faced this catastrophe. He did not run. He stood where others would flee. And in doing so, he awakened a power not seen in ten thousand years."
Gasps echoed.
Xuan Jin continued. "For this, the Pavilion acknowledges him not just as a disciple—but as a pillar of future strength. By unanimous agreement of the Council of Twelve, Li Yi shall bear the title of Heaven's Flame Disciple."
A glowing ripple of energy passed through the bell tower as golden script etched itself onto the granite wall: Heaven's Flame Disciple — Li Yi.
As the final stroke formed, an invisible wave spread outward, pressing into the chests of everyone present. The spiritual recognition of the sect's ancient formation accepted Li Yi's name, permanently carving it into history.
But Li Yi didn't smile.
He simply bowed. "Thank you, Sect Master."
From the crowd, a few stepped back in silent awe. Others narrowed their eyes. Power invited admiration—but it also stirred envy.
—
Later that afternoon, Bai Qing found him at the edge of the Jade Snow Cliffs, where the ice never melted even under the summer sun.
"You could have smiled, you know," she said, appearing beside him without a sound.
"I don't like attention," Li Yi replied. His voice was calm, but there was a tinge of fatigue beneath it. "Titles don't change who I am."
"Maybe not," she replied, "but they change how others see you. And that... is often more dangerous than any demon."
She studied his expression for a moment, then asked, "What was that flame, truly?"
Li Yi met her gaze. "My mother left me a pendant. When I broke through the Foundation realm, it activated. I believe it contains a legacy... possibly of ancient origin."
Bai Qing tilted her head. "You're lying."
Li Yi didn't blink. "I didn't say everything. That's not the same."
She chuckled softly. "Clever boy. But be careful. The Pavilion isn't the only one watching now."
Then she vanished, leaving only a swirl of snowflakes behind.
—
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Floating Cloud Pavilion, within the Forbidden Chamber, Sect Master Xuan Jin sat cross-legged before the Mirror of Echoing Stars. The relic shimmered faintly, showing fragments of burning constellations and infinite voids.
"The Abyss grows restless," he murmured.
A voice echoed from within the mirror—old, layered, and cold as eternity.
The child bears the First Flame. The Primal Spark.
Xuan Jin closed his eyes. "So it is confirmed."
If he awakens fully, he will attract both divinity… and calamity.
"I know," Xuan Jin said. "But fate has already turned its wheel."
—
Thousands of miles away, in the Upper Realm, within the Li Family's thousand-tiered palace of glowing white jade, an ancestral altar suddenly cracked. A single beam of golden flame pierced the heavens above, drawing the attention of a man seated within a meditation hall.
His eyes opened slowly.
Li Tianzun, Li Yi's father, and once the pride of the Xuan Realm, now stood calmly.
"The seal... has fractured," he whispered. "My son has begun to walk the path."
He stepped forward, and from within his robe, pulled out a shimmering piece of jade—one half of a broken medallion.
"I told you I'd return," he whispered. "And now... it seems fate will force my hand."
—
Back in the sect, Li Yi's steps took him to the Flame-Sealed Hall, an ancient structure few ever entered. The gates, carved with phoenix wings and charred dragon scales, creaked open of their own accord.
Inside was darkness.
But the moment he crossed the threshold, the flame within him stirred violently.
"Enter," a voice whispered, ancient and dry.
He walked forward. The hall shifted around him, no longer stone and timber but open space and stars. Fire rained from red skies, and floating islands drifted through burning clouds.
In the center stood a lotus-shaped altar, glowing with restrained heat. When he placed his hand upon it, flames exploded outward—not to harm, but to reveal.
His consciousness was yanked from his body.
He now stood in an ethereal world, facing a figure wreathed in divine fire.
Tall and serene, its face was indistinct, yet its voice reverberated with the weight of law.
"You bear the Seed of the First Flame," the being said. "You are a Child of Origin Fire."
Li Yi's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"You are more than mortal. You are legacy. The Flame that predates heaven itself sleeps in your blood."
As the words sank in, his mind felt like it was being peeled open.
Suddenly, symbols of forgotten scripture branded themselves into his soul. Techniques. Paths. Histories. Divine secrets that had not seen light in millennia.
Then came pain—searing, divine, and absolute. His meridians glowed like molten gold, veins blazing under his skin. The air around him warped. The fire within tried to consume him whole.
But he endured.
A minute passed.
Then two.
Then the flames knelt before him.
—
When he opened his eyes, he lay on the floor of the Flame-Sealed Hall, the altar now cold and still. But something had changed.
His cultivation surged.
Core Formation Realm – Peak Stage.
His aura no longer suppressed itself.
All across the sect, elders jolted from meditation. Protective arrays flickered. Even the Heavenly Bell chimed faintly once more.
And Li Yi exhaled, eyes alight with the truth of his inheritance.
"Flame," he murmured, "is only the beginning."
---