In the sporadic glimmers like dust, it seemed as if it contained the whole world. Countless transformations emerged from within, colliding continuously, bursting forth with flashes of light. So precise, like clockwork, countless gear-like flames formed mechanical phenomena, each transformation exact. Millions of strands converged to form this point of pure white fire, too intricate and complex for the naked eye to perceive.
It ascended and extinguished, was reborn, and underwent every conceivable transformation.
It was as if it was created by drilling wood, or as if it was plucked by thunder from the heavens; like thick black petroleum ignited by high temperatures, billowing upwards; or like the light emanating from a slight collision, the mutual excitation of chemical substances; or the fierce light from a collapsing star; or even fire spewed from a Giant Dragon's mouth...
In an instant, Huai Shi seemed to have been born countless times.
After exhausting the origins of all the flames in the world, he became a part of the fire. He was plasma, he was an energy gradient field, he was a radiant energy wave spreading in all directions, he became the phenomenon that occurs after ionization...
He seemed to be matter, yet he had no shell. He was like a legend, yet he spread in the mortal world, bringing light and heat.
In the end, Huai Shi finally realized what it should be named.
This is a miracle—the ember left by the miracle as it transforms and comes into being.
At that moment, he awoke from within the fire, opening his eyes.
No longer needing Liberator, in an instant, he entered the Yin Soul form, feeling the Fire of Apocalypse surging forth from the infinite darkness. But the flame, once wild and hard to tame, now seemed like a part of him, flowing calmly and obediently in the fissure on his chest, radiating a lava-like glow.
When he withdrew the flames, he finally transformed completely into darkness.
Under the table, where no light reached, he found the outlines of his legs beginning to thin, like ink about to dissolve in water, slowly blurring. The darkness became his outer garment, concealing his form.
"Progress is good."
Raven nodded approvingly. "When you can stand in the darkness and become invisible, the Stigma of the Yin Soul will have truly become part of your soul."
"Stand in the darkness and become invisible to others? What's the use of that?"
Huai Shi couldn't help but laugh. If it's just a bit darker, won't everyone be invisible?
"What about infrared night vision? Source Substance perception? And the countless other methods of detection? The naked eye is just the most common and easiest to deceive means of observation."
Raven looked at him as if he were a fool again. "Don't be ungrateful, scoundrel. This talent is called Dark Windbreaker. As you advance to the Third Stage, you will become a Hell Walker, and at the Fifth Stage, a Deep Blessing—the darkness will stand like a fortress around you, protecting you from all attacks..."
Listening to this, Huai Shi became fascinated, but this time he was more cautious and asked, "So, when can I reach the Fifth Stage?"
"That's hard to say."
Raven laughed awkwardly twice, shifted his gaze, then changed the topic. "The growth that the record fragments brought you can't be just this, right?"
"There's more. Give me a Liberator."
Huai Shi took the white crystal particle and threw it into the hole in his chest. Visibly, the immersed darkness roared alive as if engines were thundering into operation.
But this time, not even a trace of flame leaked out from within the Stigma.
Instead of futilely trying to seal it from the outside, Huai Shi tried to suppress the scale of the reaction between the two—that is, the burning speed of Liberator.
What was once an uncontrollable degree of reaction was now effortless to handle.
With ease, he split Liberator from within and without into sixteen layers, triggering each layer step by step, keeping the power within his control and stretching the burning process to its limit.
In his estimation, the maximum time was about half an hour.
Unless there was some major war, half an hour was entirely sufficient for usual skirmishes and encounters. Now, he could even control it to unleash half an hour's worth of firepower in one go.
More importantly, Huai Shi felt that the flames burning within his chest had undergone some sort of qualitative change, becoming a form that he could hardly describe.
When he raised his palm, pure white flames ignited from his hand.
From within the flames.
Countless dust-sized iron fragments slowly emerged, interlocking with each other.