Volume 1: Bo'an Awakening & The Calamity Storm
Chapter 49
Comprehensive Reinforcement: Dual Flame Surge
The blood-crimson dusk painted a long, bleeding streak across the moss-covered tiled roofs of the suburban slums on the outskirts of Bo’an City. A late-summer gale swept through the narrow, suffocating alleys, carrying a sweltering mugginess that rattled the rusted corrugated sheet metal atop Lin Feng’s attic roof with dry, hollow creaks.
Downstairs on the ground floor, the bitter, earthy tang of traditional herbal medicine drifted gently from a clay pot simmering atop a honeycomb charcoal stove. The limping yet steady footsteps of Lin Xiao Mo tapped rhythmically across the cracked concrete floor. After nearly three months of nourishing her meridians with precious Mind-Nourishing Spirit Water and expensive medicinal herbs Lin Feng had smuggled back from the black market, the girl’s once-withered, limp legs had finally begun to regain sensation. Though every step was still trembling and required her to lean heavily against the wall for support, the simple fact that Xiao Mo could lift herself from her wooden wheelchair to brew medicine was a miracle that had moved their father, Lin Hai, to weeping tears during dinner just a few nights ago.
Sitting cross-legged on a threadbare straw mat in the corner of the attic, Lin Feng pulled the faded canvas curtain shut over the small window.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the distant skyline. There, Mount Nan rose majestically in the heart of the city, crowned by the opulent manor of the Ling Clan that loomed like an imperial citadel. At the foot of the hill, glistening white marble spires of magic reflected dazzling neon lights, standing in stark, mocking contrast to the dingy, squalid gloom of the impoverished settlement beneath his feet.
Only three days remained before summer vacation officially came to an end.
And on that very day, the Feng Lan Magic High School Graduation Tournament would commence at the central arena in the heart of the city.
Over the past few days, magical newspapers and public magi-broadcast displays along the main boulevards had been buzzing incessantly with coverage of the upcoming event. Every eye among Bo’an City’s high society, merchant guilds, and military officials was fixed squarely on the marquee duel between two youths: Han Yi—the most favored foster son of Clan Patriarch Ling Zhuofeng—and Lin Feng—an impoverished student clawing up from the lowest rungs of society, the son of mana-freight truck driver Lin Hai.
In the eyes of the public, this was an absurdly lopsided contest.
To guarantee that his clan secured the sole cultivation slot at the sacred Holy Spring of Spirits Tower, Ling Zhuofeng had spared no expense, pouring top-tier resources into grooming Han Yi. Just a week ago, news had swept the city that Han Yi had broken through to Basic Tier 3 Ice Magic, mastering the notoriously lethal spell “Ice Spread: Freeze Lock.” Not stopping there, the Ling Clan had shelled out millions of magic coins to equip him with a premier defensive Magic Armor Tool forged from frost-rock iron, raising an impenetrable bulwark against any Basic-tier offensive spell.
Across teahouses and magical gambling dens, people mocked Lin Feng mercilessly. They laughed at him as a madman throwing an egg against a boulder, betting that within three seconds in the ring, the clumsy novice flames of a poor driver’s brat would be snuffed out cold by Han Yi’s frost, and he would be frozen into a pathetic ice sculpture for the entire city to ridicule.
The memory of Ling Zhuofeng lounging arrogantly in his armchair years ago, smashing a teacup onto the floor and spitting venomous insults at Lin Hai as if chasing away a mangy street cur, resurfaced with razor-sharp clarity in Lin Feng’s mind.
The youth’s eyes narrowed slightly, an icy sliver of killing intent flickering beneath his lashes.
“Ling Zhuofeng... did you truly believe that being born with a silver spoon and cloaked in expensive magic tools gives you the right to blot out the heavens with one hand?”
Lin Feng muttered under his breath. He reached inside his collar, his fingers brushing against the slate-gray jade pendant resting flush against the warm skin of his chest.
The Primordial Dragon Pendant.
The instant his fingertips made contact with the coarse, unpolished surface of the jade, a familiar, soothing warmth flooded into his meridians, purging every stray thought from his mind.
For the past three months of summer break, while aristocratic scions like Ling Bai and Han Yi soaked in climate-controlled cultivation chambers and received private tutoring from elite instructors, Lin Feng had donned an ash-gray tactical cloak and a silver half-mask etched with crimson flames, adopting the hunter alias “Fan Shen” to plunge headfirst into the deadly wastelands beyond the city ramparts.
Alongside the Azure Wind Squad, he had weathered dozens of life-and-death bloodbaths. From damp, foul sewer ducts infested with Poison-Claw Apes, to venomous misty marshes where Horned Pheasants lay in ambush, to the jagged crags of Mount Cang Lei where packs of ravenous Magic Wolves stalked day and night. The blood of demonic beasts—and his own blood—had honed the sixteen-year-old youth’s combat instincts into a razor’s edge and forged his will into unyielding steel.
And the greatest reward from those harrowing trials of blood and fire was the heaven-defying evolution of the Primordial Dragon Pendant!
Hum——!
A deep, resonant hum like the ancient roar of a primordial dragon echoed within Lin Feng’s sea of consciousness. The slate-gray pendant suddenly emitted an ethereal halo, resembling a miniature spatial vortex slowly churning.
Over nearly three months of wild hunts, the number of Beast Soldier Soul Remnants consumed by the pendant had reached a staggering sum: nearly one hundred!
For ordinary mages, collecting beast souls was an unimaginable luxury. A rudimentary magi-glass soul container cost hundreds of thousands of magic coins, yet held only a single soul remnant. Moreover, the probability of a remnant soul manifesting after a demonic beast perished was exceedingly slim; without specialized soul-capturing equipment, it would dissipate into nothingness within seconds.
Yet the Primordial Dragon Pendant was an archaic relic that defied all known laws of this world. Not only did it passively harvest every stray soul remnant across the battlefield without requiring a shred of Lin Feng’s focus, but it also possessed a miraculous refining ability: for every ten crude Beast Soldier Soul Remnants it ingested, the pendant channeled dragon breath to incinerate impurities and condense them into a single, flawless Beast Soldier Soul Essence!
On the black market, a single complete Beast Soldier Soul Essence easily fetched no less than five hundred thousand magic coins—enough for an ordinary family to live in luxury for a lifetime!
At this very moment, within the shadowy interior of the Primordial Dragon Pendant, alongside the three Soul Essences Lin Feng had previously used to fortify the first three star cores months ago, four brilliant sapphire motes floated, radiating pure, peerlessly vibrant life fluctuations.
Four complete Beast Soldier Soul Essences!
Combined with the three star cores that had already ascended, he had finally gathered all the components needed to complete the ultimate puzzle: elevating all seven Star Cores of his Fire Element to Tier 4!
Lin Feng sat upright, regulating his breathing until it became slow, rhythmic, and deep. Forming a meditative seal with his hands, his consciousness detached from his physical vessel and plunged deep into the boundless expanse of his sea of consciousness.
His spiritual domain was a pitch-black cosmic void.
At its center, two colossal Stardust galaxies drifted quietly, dividing the space into two sovereign domains. On one side lay the deep violet Lightning Stardust, radiating terrifying destructive fury as microscopic arcs of lightning crackled like a slumbering brood of electric serpents. On the other side blazed the Fire Stardust, glowing like an incandescent nebula of roaring magma and churning heatwaves.
Within the Fire Stardust, seven Star Cores revolved along an invisible celestial orbit.
Upon closer inspection, the first three Star Cores were completely transformed from their original state. No longer bearing the plain vermilion hue of ordinary Novice magic, they had evolved into deep crimson, blood-jade crystals encased in an aura of brilliant golden radiance. These were Tier 4 Star Cores—a realm of reinforcement unheard of even in advanced academic grimoires!
Yet the remaining four Star Cores—the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh—remained tiny, flickering reddish-orange embers amidst the swirl of mana, appearing diminutive and frail beside their three mighty brethren.
“The time has come.”
With a flick of Lin Feng’s mind, the Primordial Dragon Pendant on his chest trembled violently. The spatial threshold unfurled, and a brilliant sapphire Beast Soldier Soul Essence was drawn out, streaking into his sea of consciousness like a blazing shooting star!
Roar——!
Though stripped of its impurities, the soul of the demonic beast retained a vestige of wild, primal defiance. The instant the azure energy crashed into the Fire Stardust, crimson heatwaves surged violently to engulf the prey.
“Fourth Star Core, devour!”
Lin Feng bellowed within his mind. His spiritual will materialized as a colossal invisible hand, seizing the pure Soul Essence and forcefully driving it straight into the fourth floating Star Core!
Boom!
The fourth Star Core shuddered violently. The monstrous life energy clashed ferociously with the raging Fire mana. A sharp, piercing pain—like thousands of white-hot needles plunging into his brain—made Lin Feng’s physical body convulse. Blue veins bulged across his temples; cold sweat drenched his forehead, dripping down his cheeks onto the wooden floorboards.
Yet the youth did not flinch. His iron will, tempered on the razor edge of life and death, drove him to grit his teeth, maintain razor-sharp focus, and ruthlessly force the Star Core to assimilate every drop of essence!
Crack... crack...
A crisp fracturing sound echoed in the depths of his soul. The reddish-orange shell of the fourth Star Core cracked and shattered into fragments. From within the fissures, a blinding beam of golden light erupted, incinerating the old shell to nothing!
Immediately after, a resplendent, blood-crimson crystal edged with radiant gold materialized, holding firm in the void and radiating heat several times more intense than before!
Fourth Star Core: Upgrade Successful!
Lin Feng did not pause to catch his breath. He knew the law of fusion well: when the Stardust was boiling at its zenith, it was the prime moment to execute a continuous breakthrough!
“Fifth core! Get in!”
The second Soul Essence was dragged into the crucible. Azure radiance tore through the spiritual void, plunging into the fifth Star Core.
Another psychic shockwave hammered his mind! Lin Feng’s chest heaved violently, his throat parched as if scorched by embers. Yet the physical agony was completely drowned out by the intoxicating rush of watching his power surge!
BOOM!
Absorbing the Soul Essence, the fifth Star Core exploded with a resplendent golden aura—a breathtaking metamorphosis!
“Sixth core!”
Lin Feng commanded in his consciousness, refusing to grant himself a fraction of a second’s hesitation.
The third Soul Essence followed instantly, wrapping around the sixth Star Core like a ribbon of sapphire light. Fire mana in the sea of consciousness churned like a roaring tsunami; blistering waves swept through the meridians of his limbs, making his blood vessels feel as if they might rupture under the terrifying pressure.
Crack... ROAR!
The sixth golden halo blazed into existence! The sixth Star Core ascended, proudly taking its place among the ranks of Tier 4 stars!
Now, within the Fire Stardust, six blood-crimson, gold-rimmed Star Cores formed a magnificent arc, emitting deep, authoritative hums. Only the seventh Star Core remained—the crucial anchor that completed the closed loop of the Star Path!
In the cramped attic, Lin Feng’s skin glowed cherry-red, like steel freshly pulled from a forge. The air around him distorted and rippled with abnormal heat. Specks of dust drifting through the room singed and turned to ash the instant they neared his body.
He drew a deep breath, marshaling every shred of remaining mental focus, locking onto the final Beast Soldier Soul Essence within the Primordial Dragon Pendant.
“Seventh core... BREAK!”
BOOM—— BOOM——!
The fourth Soul Essence shattered into tens of thousands of pure points of light, swirling like an azure cyclone and slamming violently into the seventh Star Core!
This star core proved the most recalcitrant. The overwhelming harmonic pressure radiating from the six neighboring Tier 4 cores created an immense repulsive force, causing the seventh star to shudder violently, on the verge of fracturing under the overload.
In this critical, hairbreadth moment, the pendant resting against Lin Feng’s chest suddenly pulsed with a terrifyingly pure, ancient dragon soul aura!
That aura pierced straight into the sea of consciousness like a supreme sovereign descending from the heavens, instantly subjugating the turbulent Stardust!
Simultaneously, as the dragon breath cascaded through his spiritual domain, a faint, rhythmic pulse of latent lightning affinity awakened within the pendant’s depths, humming with crackling, resonant vibrations that made the slumbering Lightning Stardust across the void tremble in harmonic excitement!
With the sovereign suppression of the dragon soul, the seventh Star Core steadied, its capacity expanding to greedily swallow the final dregs of Soul Essence!
CRACK —— DETONATION!
A thunderous explosion tore through Lin Feng’s soul!
In the sea of consciousness, the seventh Star Core shed its mortal husk. A magnificent blood-crimson gem, dazzling with blinding golden filigree, ascended proudly to claim the final vertex of the orbit!
All seven Fire Star Cores: SIMULTANEOUSLY ASCENDED TO TIER 4!
The moment all seven stars completed their evolution, a magnificent phenomenon—unrecorded in any magical textbook throughout human history—unfolded before Lin Feng’s eyes.
The seven blood-crimson, gold-trimmed gem-cores resonated with a deep, sonorous chiming. Beams of radiant golden light shot forth between them, weaving and linking together with terrifying velocity!
Gone was the flimsy, flickering reddish-orange Star Path of ordinary novice mages that resembled fragile thread.
The Star Path now unfurling within Lin Feng’s sea of consciousness was as resplendent and majestic as a burning galaxy plated in molten gold! It flowed with celestial majesty, solid as an astral chain of divine gold spanning the night sky, radiating an aura of apocalyptic devastation so intense that even the Lightning Stardust beside it swayed and hummed in reverence!
“A golden Star Path...”
Lin Feng’s soul shook with awe. He felt an absolute, telepathic connection linking his consciousness to the seven Star Cores. No longer did he need to painstakingly coax every wisp of mana, nor carefully string together each star core one by one.
The seven Tier 4 Star Cores possessed true sentience; they were seasoned legionnaires awaiting a single command from their master!
Whoosh!
Lin Feng snapped his eyes open!
In the dim shadows of the attic, the youth’s obsidian pupils ignited with two eerie, dark-crimson embers crowned with golden rims.
Slowly, he raised his right hand, splaying his five fingers toward the open air.
”Fire Burst!”
The instant the thought crossed his mind, the golden Star Path inside his consciousness locked into place in the blink of an eye.
Casting time: under half a second!
0.5 seconds!
This casting speed was practically indistinguishable from “Instant Cast”—a miraculous feat attainable only by Advanced or Super Mages with god-tier mental control!
BOOM——!
A flame detonated right in the center of Lin Feng’s palm!
The cramped attic was instantly consumed in deep crimson and brilliant golden light.
Yet this flame bore no resemblance to any conventional Fire Burst known to the world.
It was neither the ordinary reddish-orange flame of Fire Burst: Crimson Sparks, nor the thick, black-smoking blaze of Fire Burst: Bone Scorch.
The flame dancing in Lin Feng’s palm was deep crimson, as viscous as fresh dragon’s blood, its core swirling with radiant golden script that screeched with ear-splitting, air-tearing intensity. Most remarkably, two completely distinct layers of destructive force were layered seamlessly within it:
The first layer: Staggering, incinerating thermal output—the temperature was at least three times that of a standard Tier 3 Fire Burst! The air within half a meter of his hand warped violently; waves of radiant heat caused the wooden rafters overhead to emit wisps of dry smoke.
The second layer: Hidden beneath the scorching fire was a deep, concussive vibrational force, violent as an invisible sledgehammer pounding relentlessly against the fabric of space. This was a matter-shattering destructive capability engineered to penetrate and violently shatter every layer of an enemy’s defense from within!
Two layers of apocalyptic devastation unleashed simultaneously in a single Basic-tier spell!
“Fire Burst... Dual Flame Surge!”
Lin Feng gazed at the flame in his hand, the muscles of his jaw tightening with raw exhilaration.
A mutated magical art that completely shattered every textbook definition in human magic!
Even mages blessed with rare “Soul Seeds” worth tens of millions of coins could merely double or triple raw thermal heat—never could they manifest such horrifying, armor-piercing concussive shockwaves!
With “Dual Flame Surge,” this Fire Burst had transcended the boundaries of Basic magic, easily rivaling—or even overwhelming—the single-target lethality of Intermediate-tier spells!
Lin Feng recalled the arrogant proclamations boasting from the Ling Clan over the past few days.
He recalled the frost-rock iron Magic Armor Tool that Ling Zhuofeng proudly declared “invulnerable to all Novice-tier magic.”
He remembered the sneering contempt in the eyes of Ling Bai, Li Peng, and all the noble scions who looked down on those born into poverty.
“Absolute Magic Armor? Tier 3 Ice Magic?”
Lin Feng slowly clenched his fist.
Snap!
The crimson-and-gold flame was instantly crushed, dissolving into countless sparkling motes that vanished into thin air, leaving only a faint wisp of white smoke and the intoxicating scent of brimstone in his palm.
Standing up, Lin Feng walked to the window and pushed open the wooden frame. The cool night breeze rushed in, tossing his pitch-black hair.
Far across the horizon, the dazzling lights of the Ling Clan manor on Mount Nan blazed proudly through the night.
The corners of Lin Feng’s mouth curled into an arrogant sneer, cold as a blade unsheathed from its scabbard:
“Ling Zhuofeng... Han Yi...”
“Has your Ling Clan prepared your coffins yet?”