> [Location: Crimson Void Sky – Ember Crossroads]
Environment Status: Stable Zone – No Hostile Interference Detected
Realm Difficulty: ★★★★☆ (High-Grade Sovereign Realm)
System Note: Trial pacing adaptive to host's mental rhythm and flame intent.
---
Arrival
Jiang Han stepped out of the flamegate and staggered.
The heat here wasn't like Blue Star's—it was subtle, coiling into his lungs, whispering with every breath.
He blinked as the landscape stabilized.
Ash-colored grass bent in slow waves beneath a blood-orange sky. Far above, two suns drifted in orbit around each other like flame spirits circling a battle.
The horizon shimmered, not with heat mirages—but with reality strain.
> "So this is the Conflagration Summit…"
Tempest landed beside him with a quiet thrum, and the Phoenix Hatchling let out a chirp, feathers gleaming with layered flame hues—red, silver, and now a soft indigo glint.
Behind him, the gate closed with a hiss.
There would be no turning back.
---
The Quiet Before the Storm
A gentle breeze rolled past. For a moment, everything felt… peaceful.
Jiang Han walked.
He passed relic-stone markers, some half-buried, others cracked with age. Runes etched along them flickered faintly, like heartbeat monitors.
> "It's quiet," he murmured to his soul pets. "Too quiet for a trial zone."
That was when he noticed the others.
Far across the plain—figures. Camped. Some moving. Some meditating. A few were dueling in slow-motion training patterns, flame clashing gently without lethal intent.
Other contenders.
> [Trial Note: Ember Crossroads is a neutral acclimation zone. Combat restricted to duels. Resources earned through barter, quests, or bond trials.]
Jiang sighed softly. "So it starts like this."
---
Temporary Shelter – "Ashroot Pavilion"
He found a partially collapsed ruin, its roof cracked but its center dry. A flameleaf tree stood nearby—its crimson leaves shedding embers instead of petals.
A system prompt appeared:
> [Would you like to register this location as your provisional camp?]
→ Yes
> [Camp Registered: Ashroot Pavilion]
Basic defense field activated. Soul rest regeneration boosted by 5%.
He sat, exhaled, and pulled open his interface.
Current Stats: Jiang Han
🔥 Flame Thrones: 7 (Seventh Throne active)
🐉 Soul Pets: Tempest (Lightning Wyrmling), Phoenix Hatchling (Stage 2 Fusion)
⚡ Skills: Heavenbreaker Echo (Soul Thread, Fragment Drive), Soulflame Singularity, Judgment Flame
📈 Passive Buffs: Sovereign Flamebearer, Scion of the Starforge
🎯 Goal: Survive until Convergence Trials begin (in 6 days)
🔒 Hidden Quest(s): ??? – "When Ash Speaks"
He glanced at the countdown.
> "Six days until the real trials begin…"
> "I need to train, scout, and learn."
He stood. "Time to explore."
---
First Encounter – The Girl with the Paper Flame
Near dusk, while following a flickering rune trail, Jiang heard soft humming.
Around the bend of a flame-rooted ridge sat a girl—silver hair tied loosely, sketching something on parchment. A tiny flame hovered beside her, flat and folded, like origami dancing in the air.
Her eyes met his.
Calm. A little curious.
> "Newcomer?" she asked.
> "Just arrived," Jiang nodded. "You?"
> "Fourth rotation. Still stuck here."
She held up the parchment. It shimmered, and the folded flame bent into the shape of a phoenix.
> "You're different. Your flame carries... memory."
Jiang tensed. "You see that?"
She smiled faintly. "You'll need that. Most here try to burn hotter. Few ever burn deeper."
> "What's your name?" Jiang asked.
> "Call me Yanxi."
Then, without explanation, she passed him a single sheet of paper inscribed with fire-calligraphy.
> "If you burn this near the stone bridge by moonrise… you'll find your first test."
Before Jiang could ask more, she and her paper phoenix dissolved into sparks.
He was left holding the paper, glowing faintly with familiar energy—soul-linked flame.
---
Nightfall – and the Bridge
He found the stone bridge.
It was older than the terrain itself, etched in seven languages—some Blue Star, some he couldn't read. The river below was not water but flowing embermist.
He unfolded the paper.
Lit it.
It burned slowly.
Then—a pulse.
The bridge shifted, revealing a hidden stair spiraling beneath.
> [Secret Trial Unlocked – "Ashborn Echoes"]
Solo Challenge – Rewards: ??? | Risk: Moderate | Combat Evaluation: Flame Resonance Required
Jiang clenched Emberfang.
> "This is it."
He stepped down into the flame-carved dark.