The crimson afterimage slowly faded.
Gu Chen stood several meters away, his breathing slightly uneven.
His eyes remained fixed on the place where he had been standing moments ago.
"Again."
He lowered his body slightly.
World Energy flowed through his meridians.
At the same time, the newly awakened power of the Flame Demon Physique stirred within his body.
A faint warmth spread through his muscles.
Gu Chen took a step.
Boom!
His figure shot forward.
This time, he was prepared.
The moment his body accelerated, he immediately tried to change direction.
His expression changed.
He nearly lost his balance.
Bang!
Gu Chen landed heavily several meters away.
He steadied himself and looked back.
The courtyard floor had cracked beneath his feet.
"The acceleration is too fast."
Flame Phantom Step wasn't simply about moving quickly.
It required precise control.
The faster the cultivator moved, the more difficult it became to control the body.
Gu Chen had only just begun cultivating the technique.
His body might now be strong enough to withstand the explosive force—
but his control was nowhere near sufficient.
He smiled.
That was fine.
Every technique had to begin somewhere.
For the next several hours, Gu Chen practiced only one thing.
Movement.
He didn't try to create afterimages.
He didn't try to reach maximum speed.
Instead, he focused on controlling his first step.
Forward.
Stop.
Forward.
Stop.
Left.
Stop.
Right.
Stop.
The courtyard gradually filled with shallow footprints.
Sometimes Gu Chen moved too quickly and nearly crashed into the wall.
Other times, he used too little energy and barely accelerated.
But gradually—
he improved.
By noon, he could finally move several meters in a single burst while maintaining his balance.
Gu Chen stopped.
Sweat covered his forehead.
The Flame Phantom Step consumed more energy than he expected.
Not because the technique itself was inefficient.
The problem was him.
His mastery was too low.
At his current level, he was wasting a considerable amount of energy every time he activated it.
Gu Chen sat beneath the old tree.
"Entry."
Like the Ember-Sundering Sword Art, the Flame Phantom Step had only reached the most basic stage.
He could perform it.
That was all.
He still had a long way before reaching Minor Success.
A familiar voice suddenly came from outside.
"Gu Chen!"
Gu Chen opened his eyes.
Gu Qing entered the courtyard.
But after taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.
His expression became strange.
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Gu Qing stared at him.
"Your eyes."
Gu Chen's expression remained calm.
"What about them?"
"They changed."
Gu Qing walked closer.
The morning sunlight reflected in Gu Chen's pupils.
The faint crimson-golden color was impossible to hide.
Then Gu Qing noticed something else.
"Your hair too?"
Gu Chen touched one of the crimson strands.
"It happened during cultivation."
"What kind of cultivation technique changes someone's appearance?"
Gu Chen was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"A strange one."
Gu Qing shook his head.
"You really did obtain something unusual."
Gu Chen didn't deny it.
The Ember Scripture was unusual.
Perhaps far more unusual than he currently understood.
But Gu Qing didn't press him.
Everyone had secrets.
Especially cultivators.
"Why did you come?" Gu Chen asked.
Gu Qing finally remembered his purpose.
"The clan is sending a group to the Falling Flame Mountains."
Gu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Falling Flame Mountains?"
"Yes."
Gu Qing nodded.
"The outer region is relatively safe. Several elders will accompany the younger generation."
"For training?"
"And resource gathering."
Gu Qing looked around the courtyard.
"Considering how desperately you've been searching for fire-attributed resources, I thought you might be interested."
Gu Chen immediately became thoughtful.
The Falling Flame Mountains.
He had heard of the place before.
It was a vast mountain range within the Gu Clan's sphere of influence.
The deeper regions were dangerous.
Rank 2 magical beasts were known to exist there.
But the outer region was frequently used by the Gu Clan's younger generation for training.
More importantly—
the mountains contained numerous fire-attributed spiritual resources.
Gu Chen's eyes fell upon the empty containers on his stone table.
The first cultivation of the Flame Demon Physique had consumed everything.
If he wanted to continue cultivating it—
he needed more resources.
"When does the group leave?"
"Three days."
Gu Chen nodded slowly.
"I'll go."
Gu Qing smiled.
"I knew it."
After Gu Qing left, Gu Chen returned to the center of his courtyard.
His expression became serious.
Three days.
That wasn't much time.
He needed to prepare.
First—
he practiced the Ember-Sundering Sword Art.
The Scarlet Ember Sword moved through the air.
Each strike was accompanied by a faint crimson glow.
Ember Draw.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Gu Chen didn't attempt to force a breakthrough in mastery.
He carefully corrected every movement.
His wrist.
His breathing.
The flow of World Energy.
The angle of his strike.
Every detail mattered.
By evening, his movements had become noticeably smoother.
Although he was still at Entry—
he had taken another small step forward.
That night, Gu Chen sat quietly in meditation.
The Ember Scripture appeared before him.
Chapter One — Unlocked.
The three techniques remained visible.
Ember-Sundering Sword Art.
Flame Demon Physique.
Flame Phantom Step.
Further behind them—
four enormous seals remained.
Gu Chen's consciousness approached them.
But just like before, he couldn't see anything.
There were no names.
No descriptions.
Nothing.
Only silence.
He withdrew his consciousness.
Gu Chen didn't know what waited within the later chapters.
Perhaps stronger techniques.
Perhaps a deeper cultivation method.
Perhaps something completely different.
But those things were still beyond him.
For now, Chapter One was enough.
More than enough, in fact.
He hadn't even mastered its foundation.
The following morning, Gu Chen went to the weapon hall.
He wanted to prepare his sword before entering the Falling Flame Mountains.
The old instructor who had previously corrected his swordsmanship was there.
He watched Gu Chen approach.
Then his eyes fell upon the Scarlet Ember Sword.
"You bought a spiritual weapon."
Gu Chen nodded.
"Yes, Elder."
The old man glanced at him.
"Draw it."
Gu Chen immediately understood.
He drew his sword.
The elder watched.
"Again."
Gu Chen repeated the movement.
The elder remained silent.
After the fifth repetition, he finally spoke.
"Better."
Gu Chen looked at him.
"But?"
"But you're thinking too much about power."
Gu Chen frowned.
The elder continued.
"A sword strike is not powerful simply because you fill it with more World Energy."
He picked up a wooden branch.
"This."
The elder casually swung it.
The branch cut through the air.
A faint sound echoed.
Gu Chen's eyes narrowed.
The movement was simple.
But it was incredibly clean.
"No wasted motion," the elder said.
"Your sword technique is improving. But you're still trying to force your energy into the sword."
Gu Chen remained silent.
The elder had seen through one of his greatest problems.
"Learn to let the power follow the sword."
Gu Chen repeated the words quietly.
"Let the power follow the sword..."
The elder nodded.
"Don't make the sword follow your power."
For several moments, Gu Chen stood silently.
Then he raised his sword again.
This time—
he didn't immediately circulate World Energy.
He moved.
Slowly.
His body turned.
His arm followed.
The sword moved naturally.
Only at the final moment—
a faint crimson glow appeared.
Shing!
Gu Chen stopped.
His eyes widened slightly.
The strike wasn't stronger.
But it had consumed noticeably less energy.
The elder smiled faintly.
"Now you're beginning to understand."
Gu Chen lowered his sword and bowed.
"Thank you, Elder."
The old man waved his hand.
"Understanding something once doesn't mean you've mastered it."
"I know."
"Then practice."
Gu Chen smiled.
"Yes."
As he walked back toward his courtyard, Gu Chen felt the weight of the Scarlet Ember Sword against his waist.
The Falling Flame Mountains awaited him.
It would be his first journey outside the immediate territory of the Gu Clan since obtaining the Ember Scripture.
He didn't know what resources he would find.
He didn't know what magical beasts he would encounter.
And he certainly didn't believe the journey would be easy.
But Gu Chen wasn't afraid.
He needed resources.
He needed experience.
And above all—
he needed to grow.
Three days later, he would enter the mountains.
For the first time, the sword cultivator walking the path of flame would step beyond the safety of the Gu Clan.
And Tianyuan would begin to reveal a small part of its vast and dangerous world.