The madness unfolding in Eternal Flame City was of little importance to Feng Han, who had madness of his own to deal with. Several hours ago, he'd woken up to the pained screams of a man who he found desiccated at his feet.

  He didn't know how long he'd slept for, or how he'd changed location, but he knew it had to have been the chalice.

  Still, it didn't change much since the furious disciples forced him to flee, until he'd reached Pyrefang Gorge, a place he'd never dreaded to think he'd visit.

  Feng Han sighed as he looked at the freshly hollowed corpse lying beside him. "Why did you force me here? Damned crazy bastard, now we're both dead."

  He kicked the corpse down the ravine without hesitation and moved away. He looked at the horizon, knowing well that more cultivators would come.

  "How long can luck last?" Feng Han's somber voice lingered heavily in the air. Worse was the golden chalice that lingered, swirling around his face as if mocking him.

  No matter how many times Feng Han tried to swat it away, it would dodge by a hair's breadth and reappear.

  [Why must you cower before me, boy? Are you fearful of power you're unworthy of?]

  [All you need to do is drink from me! Pursuers? To hell with them! Your home? Your friends and family? All will worship your return. Why struggle against opportunity?]

  Its tempting voice whispered sweetly into Feng Han's mind, akin to a youthful serenade from the most beautiful performer. Its persistence made Feng Han sick, doubt pounding against his chest.

  Regardless, he was too weak to have a choice. The relic wasn't going anywhere. No matter what, he'd need to do something soon.

  [Coward, you can't even respond? What is it you want, boy?]

  "All I want is for you to shut up!" Feng Han snapped, swatting angrily at the air. His frustration boiled over, practically steaming off his body as he ran ahead.

  He moved as fast as he could, regret on each step as he kept his eyes forward to avoid the relic's presence.

  He was reluctant to move further into Pyrefang Gorge, but since he was already there, he had no other choice. The benefit was that if he survived, he would eventually reach Cinderveil City.

  The sun burned overhead, a constant reminder of the deadly game of cat and mouse that Feng Han was forced into. Time was fleeting, minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like seconds.

  His body was repeatedly pushed to its limit, but with each step, he felt the innate qi within hammering away at his cells. After nearly half a day's run, Feng Han found a small rock shelter hidden away. He was desperate for a moment's respite, and it was the best opportunity he'd get.

  After sliding into the narrow space for a while, he reached a spacious, cavernous area within. Without pausing, he slumped onto the floor, his ragged breath hissing against the rocky walls.

  Finally... a moment to breathe.

  As Feng Han lay staring at the ceiling, the qi inside his body pulsed, forming a cadence that stilled his anxious mind. He closed his eyes, silencing the suffocating world around him into a deathly calm.

  Body Forging was straightforward. Qi was everywhere, innately in the body and in the air itself. By taking it into yourself, strand by ethereal strand, your body would be reforged beyond its mortal husk, and you'd step foot on the cultivator's path.

  For Feng Han, who had been consuming qi-enriched meals as often as he could get his hands on, that moment had finally come. After running for so long, pushing his body to its limits repeatedly, the qi threading through his meridians was absorbed, and his breakthrough began.

  Steam rose from his body, fierce as it tore through the cavern's interior, warming it to a boiling point. Feng Han remained blissfully unaware in his meditative state as his qi-enriched blood circulated rapidly, coursing through his veins and strengthening his meridians.

  After a few hours, Feng Han opened his eyes, breathing out a turbid breath filled with impurities. He felt power surging through his body, power he had never known but always dreamed of.

  "Did I... did I break through? I'm a cultivator now?"

  "Finally..." Feng Han jumped up, clenching his fists excitedly. His entire body felt light and agile as he moved back and forth, feeling the newfound strength within him. Finally... finally."

  "If only it happened sooner," Feng Han said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I could've joined a sect and, Yue'er and Xue'er wouldn't have had to suffer so much."

  [First layer of body forging at eighteen? You're so emotional for nothing. Trash, boy. Have you no shame?]

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  The chalice's mocking voice hissed inside Feng Han's mind. Nagging and relentless, it cut through his accomplishment and spat on it. All the joy, all the grief, a few words from it, and it all seemed meaningless.

  [If you'd just drink from me... you'd be far stronger than you can imagine. You'd cruise through the ocean of life like a fish in water. You'd wake up, and body forging would be as easy as breathing.]

  [You're making your journey treacherous, far more than it needs to be.]

  [If you keep acting like this, I'll find someone else to drink from me and tell them all about you. Maybe they'll ask me to get rid of witnesses, and you'll die without a doubt. Is that something you want?]

  "Why are you so persistent? Why me?"

  [Why not? I like your face.]

  "What? Are you kidding me?" Feng Han snapped, his face filled with incredulity. As his shout pierced out from the cave, footsteps slammed against the earth almost immediately.

  A Frozen Flame Sect disciple barged in, furious and roaring as he jumped toward Feng Han.

  Feng Han acted on impulse, letting his reflexes take over. He jolted forward and jumped at the young disciple. Surprisingly, the chalice also moved, flashing behind the disciple's back.

  Before Feng Han could react, it struck the disciple in the back of the head, sending his body tumbling forward. In that moment, Feng Han thrust his hand forward into the disciple's wide-open mouth, and with a swift pull, he broke the man's jaw.

  The disciple howled in pain, wretched gurgles bubbling from his throat as he dropped to his knees.

  It was too shrill and annoying for the chalice as it planted itself atop the disciple's head, its weight magnifying tremendously as qi enveloped it. With a squelching sound, the man's skull cracked open, and his lifeblood flowed into the chalice until he was a dried-up husk.

  Feng Han wanted to retch as he stepped back, watching the gruesome sight unfold. The chalice was a monster, and the burden of being attached to it screamed louder than any instinct could handle. Opportunities were fraught with danger, but to Feng Han, the golden chalice seemed far more deadly than dangerous.

  [Look at you, cowering again, boy. I'm just a sweet, innocent soul.]

  [We made such a good team. The kid was hopeless and useless against us, don't you think?]

  The golden chalice moved around the cavern excitedly, relishing in the blood it absorbed. It leaned forward, sloshing the liquid toward Feng Han.

  [This kid was especially delicious. His sect fed him well enough. Come, boy. Have a taste.]

  Feng Han stared, suppressing the nausea inside him. "I'll pass... thanks."

  [You're no fun, boy. Your loss. More for me. A fifth layer of body forging is a good snack.]

  "Fifth layer?" Feng Han asked.

  [Yeah, don't think because I helped and you caught him off guard that he was weaker than you. It's hard to find any cultivator weaker than you.]

  [You're in a league of your own for how weak you are. It'd all change if you drank from me, though.]

  Feng Han shook his head and stepped out of the shelter, his stomach still churning. He had just broken through, and he felt the powerful qi fueling his body—but the chalice's presence filled him with dread. It was so ominous that he felt weaker than he had when he was a helpless child, struggling to survive.

  "At least... At least Yue'er and Xue'er should be safe now," Feng Han sighed. "They're good girls. I'm sure they listened... It's been... how many days? They might not have reached Serene Willow City yet, but they should be safe..."

  Feng Han raised his head to the sunny sky. Life had taken so much from him, and he didn't know what to do or where to go. He had always wanted to become a cultivator, but now that he had, it felt so hollow and meaningless. Only the thoughts of his sisters' safety kept him sane.

  As Feng Han's thoughts wandered, thunderous sounds spread from afar, breaking him free of his stupor. His gaze snapped toward the source of the noise, in the direction of Eternal Flame City. Smoke billowed into the sky, becoming one with the clouds above as it spread. It quickly blotted out the sun, leaving nothing but dread and darkness.

  A sea of flames spread across the city, too distant for Feng Han to clearly see, but just as real. He knew where the city was, and he knew what fire meant.

  Feng Han froze, his eyes twitching as barely audible screams carried in the wind. Panic set in, a gnawing insect that burrowed into his mind, filling it with a piercing self-doubt that caused his blood to turn cold.

  "Did I make a mistake? Is this a punishment from Heaven for what I've done?"

  Yue'er, Xue'er... Please be safe.

  With the spreading chaos, Feng Han no longer knew whether he made the right choice or not. The days it takes from Eternal Flame City to Serene Willow City were never problematic. But with how mad the cultivators had gone, even the Imperial Road may not be safe anymore.

  [You're too weak, boy. This is what happens to those who spend their days thinking they're smarter than the rest.]

  [Overthinking everything. Foolish. Did you think the world was some soft persimmon you could just claim? Everyone will die because of you. That's your sin to bear.]

  [What can you achieve? You're so weak and powerless.]

  [You're a dreamer. Naive. Foolish. But the world spits on ignorant souls like that mercilessly. It always has. You think you're going to change something the way you are? Do you intend to run to the city and offer your head? Or fight? With your paltry cultivation?]

  [Don't make me laugh, boy! Wake up. If you don't want to die miserably, take my hand.]

  The golden chalice's mocking voice stabbed at Feng Han's mind repeatedly. Cruel and hostile—the most it had been since the two crossed paths. Its persistence was one thing, but now its demanding tone carried with it a wave of desperation from the relic.

  Feng Han didn't know. He didn't know whether it was right or not. Despite the harshness of the chalice's words, he couldn't feel anger for it, for some strange reason. He grabbed the chalice and ran in the direction of Serene Willow City.

  "Dammit, I need to find my sisters first," Feng Han said through clenched teeth. "I don't trust you, but... let me think about it."

  [Indecisiveness. Overthinking. So indecisive for someone so young. Have I misjudged you, boy? It's still not enough for you to man up?]

  [Fine, I'll give you a day. Decide by sunrise, or I'll kill you myself.]

  "How reassuring," Feng Han sighed.