Chapter 3: The Broken Body, the Burning Soul
Lan Feiyan slept.
Her chest rose and fell softly beneath the moss-colored blanket Jin Yue had fashioned from her outer robe. The glade shimmered in the aftermath of their union — traces of Yin and Yang Qi dancing like fireflies between the trees. The frost that once clung to her skin had melted, replaced by a faint, warm glow.
Jin Yue sat cross-legged nearby, eyes closed, his breathing slow but powerful.
He wasn't meditating. He was listening.
> "The Soul Duality Scripture is not merely a path to power," whispered the First Flame. "It is an echo of the primal law — all things are born from union. Through balance of flame and frost, man and woman, you will ascend."
Images flooded his mind — diagrams of merging Qi streams, bodies in sacred poses, moans echoing through sacred chambers. It wasn't just lewd — it was sacred.
A rite.
A path forged in sweat, passion, and surrender.
> "You've taken your first step. But now, they will feel you."
Jin Yue opened his eyes.
> "Who?"
> "The Seers. The Sect Elders. The Broken Crown. They will smell your flame, your bond. Some will covet it. Others will kill for it."
He stood slowly.
The mark on his chest had changed again. Now two lotus petals bloomed outward in opposite directions — flame and frost. His senses were sharper than ever. He could hear Feiyan's heartbeat, sense the faint tremble in the Qi of the trees, and… something else.
A ripple.
Something — or someone — was approaching.
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The Hounds of the Cloud Sect
They came just before dawn.
Three figures in Azure Cloud Sect robes, each riding spirit-bound talismans. Wind howled as they landed at the edge of the glade.
The leader, a tall man with a jade pendant and cold, handsome face, stepped forward.
"Lan Feiyan!" His voice was sharp. "By order of the Elders, you are to be returned to the Inner Sanctum. Who is this man?"
Feiyan stirred, her robe clutched to her chest.
Jin Yue stepped between them, shirtless, his spiritual aura barely contained. His eyes locked with the man's.
"She's under my protection."
The man's gaze narrowed. "You're not one of ours. A rogue cultivator, then?"
Another, shorter disciple sniffed the air and scowled. "He reeks of Yin resonance. Wait… his meridians—he shouldn't even be alive!"
Jin Yue's hand went to the hilt of Feiyan's discarded blade.
"You'll leave now."
The tall disciple sneered. "You think we fear a cripple with a stolen flame? Kill him."
They moved — fast.
But he was faster.
---
Flames Unleashed
Jin Yue's body moved on instinct.
A wall of violet flame burst from his palm, not scorching, but consuming. One disciple screamed as his protective talisman melted into his skin. Another collapsed mid-step, eyes wide, coughing blood.
Only the tall one survived the first wave, spinning his jade pendant into a shield of wind.
"Soulfire?! That's forbidden! What are you!?"
Jin Yue didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
He stepped forward, eyes blazing, and struck.
One blow. A fist burning with Yin-Yang energy. The jade shield shattered. The man flew backward, colliding with a tree that exploded in shards of bark.
He did not rise.
---
Aftermath
Lan Feiyan stared at him in silence.
He turned, panting. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, dazed.
"Who… what are you becoming?"
He met her gaze. "Something this world hasn't seen in a thousand years."
He didn't say it aloud, but he felt it deep in his bones.
> He was no longer Jin Yue the Bastard.
No longer Jin Yue the Cripple.
He was becoming… Emperor of Souls.
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End of Chapter 3