Three years in this world, and Xiao Ranyu had grown used to waking with the taste of fire on his tongue.
The courtyard that had once been the scene of his infancy's fiery misadventures was now a scorched arena. On any given morning, Xiao Ranyu could be found at its center, legs crossed, eyes closed, flame-red qi swirling around him in lazy, serpentine arcs. The old nursery mobile and burnt blankets were long gone—replaced by a meditation mat that was, at this point, more char than cloth.
He was still small, barely past a toddler's height, but the energy that pulsed beneath his skin had nothing to do with childhood. Power hissed and crackled in his blood, coiling at his dantian, so dense that every breath he took left the air around him faintly shimmering. The stone beneath him was blackened in a perfect ring, as if the earth itself had surrendered to his presence.
A system panel flickered at the edge of his mind, as familiar now as the sound of his own heartbeat.
[Host Cultivation: 9-Star Dou Fighter]
[Dou Qi Completion: 96.4%]
[Heavenly Flame Compatibility: Stable]
[Status: Smug Little Firelord]
[Casual destruction of furniture: 112 chairs, 9 training dummies, and 1 elder's beard.]
He cracked one eye open, lips quirking. "Not bad for someone who still needs help reaching the highest shelf."
It was true—at three years and five days old, he was a monster among children. The Sovereign Flame Scripture thrummed inside him, drawing in every whisper of flame qi the world could offer. Whether he was cultivating, eating, or napping, his core grew ever brighter, ever hotter.
He remembered the earliest days in fragments—a carousel of shrieking servants, panic over his combusting diapers, and the endless parade of elders muttering about "ominous signs" and "prodigy's omens." Now, their fear had faded to wary respect. No one wanted to be the next casualty on his list of "accidental" furniture destruction.
As if summoned by his thoughts, a servant appeared at the doorway, clutching a lacquered tray with trembling hands.
"Y-young master, your post-morning cultivation snack..."
Ranyu took the offered fruit with the gravity of a crowned king. He bit into it, savoring the taste, then nodded with exaggerated solemnity. "Tell the chef he's improving. Only slightly less refined than two days ago. He may keep his job—for now."
The servant bowed so deeply he nearly toppled the tray, then fled, relief and fear warring on his face.
[Notice: Servant's mental stability -21. Fear level: High.]
Ranyu grinned, stretching his toes. "System, do you know the best part about being this strong at my age?"
[Query not recognized.]
He snorted. "No one can scold me without risking their eyebrows. Or worse."
[Correction: You cannot physically be scolded. The last elder who tried has not yet regrown his facial hair.]
Memory flashed—an old man howling with outrage, his beard a smoldering ruin. Ranyu smirked. Three years since that rainy night, three years of silent growth and not-so-silent breakthroughs. Once, he'd been another face in a crowd, scraping by. Now? He was the Xiao Clan's greatest hope—and, possibly, their greatest terror.
But he was just getting started.
---
A month later, the courtyard was quieter than usual, the sky a sheet of flawless blue. Ranyu lay sprawled on his training mat, arms behind his head, eyes half-closed in lazy bliss. Beneath the surface, his core churned with heat and anticipation.
"System," he murmured, "status check."
[Core Saturation: 99.97%]
[Flame Vein Compression: Stable]
[Breakthrough Conditions Met]
[Warning: Incoming spiritual resistance. Prepare for Flame Tide impact.]
A thrill ran through him. This was it—the edge of a new realm, the moment he'd been grinding toward since the day he'd first felt the world's fire settle into his bones.
"Time to show them what a three-year-old cheat code can do."
He inhaled, slow and deep. The world seemed to pause. Then, with a sound like silk tearing, every mote of flame qi in the courtyard twisted toward him. His dantian roared. His meridians flooded with molten power.
The Sovereign Flame Scripture surged.
Ranyu's body lifted off the ground, flames swirling in concentric circles, hair lifting as if underwater. His bones creaked, expanding, veins igniting with liquid gold. The pain was distant, washed away by the euphoria of breaking through.
[Flame Meridian Conversion: 32%... 64%... 99%...]
[Success! Cultivation Rank: 1-Star Dou Master]
[Dou Qi Compressed: 100% Purity | Flame Attribute Locked: Sovereign Fusion-Type]
[Unique Trait Activated: Internal Flame Core Formation]
A miniature storm of fire exploded outward, carving a crater into the stones and sending a hapless sparrow tumbling out of the sky in a puff of singed feathers. Ranyu drifted down, landing in the crater's center, smoke curling from his robes.
He looked around at the devastation—melted rocks, scorched trees, a faint scent of roast bird—and grinned.
"Worth it."
---
Elsewhere, the Xiao Clan's main hall buzzed with a rare tension. At its center stood Xiao Zhan, patriarch and backbone of the clan, facing a man whose mere presence seemed to weigh down the air. Gu Yuan, head of the ancient Gu Clan, stood tall and impassive, a sleeping girl cradled in his arms.
Her features were delicate, her golden eyes closed, but the bloodline was unmistakable.
"She is...?" Xiao Zhan's voice barely wavered.
Gu Yuan nodded. "My daughter. From today, she is yours to raise—Xiao Xun'er. Treat her as your own."
Xiao Zhan bowed, arms trembling under the trust. "Rest assured. I will guard her with my life."
Gu Yuan's face remained unreadable, but a shadow flickered in his eyes as he glanced around the hall—at the faded glories, the tired guards, the clan once renowned now standing on shaky ground.
The once-mighty Xiao Clan... reduced to a single Nine-Star Dou Grandmaster.
He handed over the girl, then turned away, footsteps silent as a sigh. Before vanishing entirely, he paused beneath the peach trees outside, a Dou Saint's senses stretching out like sunlight. He gave a subtle signal. On a rooftop, a cloaked figure shimmered into view, eyes cold and alert.
"Protect her from the shadows. Never be seen."
"Yes, Lord Gu."
Gu Yuan nodded, then drifted away, unseen, unheard. He wandered the grounds for a moment, curiosity pricking at his ancient calm.
Let me see what kind of people this clan still raises...
That was when he felt it—a ripple in the air, a pulse of flame and soul so potent even he blinked in surprise. He followed the sensation, silent as a ghost, until he reached a scorched courtyard at the estate's edge.
There, in a shallow crater, sat a small boy in rumpled robes, flames curling around him like gentle serpents. His hair shimmered with gold and red, his breath perfectly synchronized with the qi that shimmered in the air. Eyes closed, face tranquil, the image of meditative focus.
Gu Yuan's gaze sharpened, senses sweeping over the child.
Natural flame resonance. At three years old. Cultivation: Dou Master.
A slow, incredulous smile threatened to crack his composure.
This... is monstrous.
As if sensing the scrutiny, the boy's eyes snapped open. The flames dimmed to embers. Xiao Ranyu looked straight at Gu Yuan's hiding place—not directly, but with the pinpoint intuition of someone who knew he was being watched.
He tilted his head, curiosity flickering behind his gaze. "Was someone there?" he murmured.
Gu Yuan blinked, startled. The boy could sense him.
Before he could react, a maid bustled around the corner, panic in her voice. "Young master Ranyu! Please, not the crater again—oh? Who are you looking at?"
She glanced right through Gu Yuan, oblivious.
Ranyu shrugged, a secretive smile curling his lips. "No one."
Gu Yuan lingered a moment longer, gaze heavy with thought.
The Xiao Clan may have fallen... but its flame has not gone out.
Then, as quietly as he'd come, he vanished. But he would not soon forget the boy in the crater, nor the promise of fire burning in his eyes.