“With great difficulty,” the First Feather said. “From what I have been told, your battle prowess might be extraordinary, but your primary profession is that of a talisman artist.”
“And knowing a different profession would help me participate in the trial?” Cha Ming asked.
“Not just anyone can participate,” the First Feather said. “Every ten years, only thirty members can enter the trial. We select these by holding three competitions, one for each of the three main fire arts: pyromancy, spiritual blacksmithing, and alchemy. You would need to best our most promising juniors in one of these fields, something few demons and no humans in living memory have done.”
Cha Ming’s face fell. It had been a long time since he’d practiced alchemy, and it was only at the peak of the mortal level. “In the mortal realms, I was an alchemist of great renown,” Cha Ming said carefully. “I spent some time in the Sea God Empire and earned the title of elder in this profession.”
“Hah!” said a voice from the stands. This time, it was a young man. He walked down the stairs arrogantly. Then, with the First Feather’s blessing, he walked up to Cha Ming and around him. “You think that by mastering mortal alchemy, you are worthy to face our generation? Pill crafting is far from simple on a transcendent plane. I meet ascenders like you from time to time, and I’ve yet to find someone with actual talent.”
Cha Ming smiled. It was getting more natural to interact with these people. This man wasn’t trying to corner him. He was giving him a chance to prove himself. “You might be right,” Cha Ming said. “Alchemy is a difficult profession.” Then he flicked out his sleeve, and dozens upon dozens of talismans filled the air around him. They flowed and formed a beautiful pattern in the various colors of the five elements. Most were least-grade talismans, but there were also lesser-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and even top-grade ones as well. “Yet I have been here less than two years, and my soul is strong. If I can reach peak rune carving in one craft, why not another in significantly less time?”
“You are dismissed,” the First Feather said, and the man stomped off looking very peeved but very smug at the same time.
Only in the Phoenix Clan.
“The man does have a point, however, Clear Sky. Alchemical arts are different. Do you have any proof of your capabilities in the mortal realms?” Those in the stands leaned in closer.
“Alas, I did not bring any pills that I crafted in those realms, for I gave them all away,” Cha Ming said. The First Feather looked a little disappointed. “But I can create anything I’ve made before, especially at the mortal level.”
He stepped back and held out his sleeve, and this time, a white mist flew out. He poured inkwell jades into the white mist, and he remembered the names of pills he’d once forged. One after another, initial-core-grade pills appeared out of thin air. Then lesser grade, then mid grade, and finally, high grade and top grade. All the different pills he’d ever made flew out and circled all around them. And since they were mere mortal items, bringing them into existence was as easy as breathing and didn’t really require any energy.
Eventually, the nature of the pills changed. He began summoning runic pills. They were far more potent than the others, and the half-step-rune-carving nirvana pill he summoned was as strong as a rune-carving treasure. It was useless in this realm. Perhaps it could heal a mortal’s core if it had been damaged. To transcendents, however, it was rubbish. Still, the fact that he could craft one in a mortal realm had to be worth something. He hoped. He wished. He pleaded.
“Grandmist seals,” the First Feather said. “From a mortal craftsman no less. That is indeed impressive. Perhaps I can allow your participation, even if the primary trials are over. Yet, I am not worried about your knowledge so much as your flame.” She looked up at the stands. “Iridescent Virtue, could you please come down to help me?”
“Of course, First Feather,” a man said from the back. He was one of the few fully iridescent phoenixes in the room. He bowed politely before proceeding slowly down the stairs. He didn’t need to take any detours, for the others moved out of his way. He walked all the way from the back stands down to the floor next to the throne room, where he bowed deeply. “I am here to serve, First Feather.”
“You are both skilled and humble,” the First Feather said. Cha Ming imagined this was probably a high compliment. “Iridescent Virtue, I wish for you to test the power of Clear Sky’s flame. Slowly at first.”
“I will do as you say,” Iridescent Virtue replied. Then he turned to Cha Ming and smiled. “Please take it easy on me.” Those words alone made Cha Ming shiver, for around here, these words were a provocation.
“How do we proceed?” Cha Ming asked.
“First, summon a flame,” said the man. “A weak one. I will match it, and we will bring our flames together so that they may struggle against each other. We will slowly increase their power and see whose flame, at what level, is ultimately victorious.” He looked up to the First Feather. “Do I understand correctly that he doesn’t need to defeat me to earn the right of challenge?”
“It would be unreasonable to ask this of him,” the First Feather answered. “You might not know this, Clear Sky, but Iridescent Virtue is our foremost alchemist of the younger generation. His control and power over flame are far beyond anyone else at his cultivation level. Do not despair when you are inevitably defeated.”
“Thank you for the kind warning,” Cha Ming said. He summoned a flame. It was red and orange, the plainest of flames. When he did so, however, the man before him frowned.
“That is no alchemist’s flame,” Iridescent Virtue said.
“Unfortunately, I lack a fire focus,” Cha Ming said. “I did not come here prepared.”
“Then please accept this one as a gift,” Iridescent Virtue said, tossing out a small spherical object. It glowed with a soft light in the center, a light he found extremely attractive. As did the Clear Sky Brush, he realized.
Before he could react, the Clear Sky Brush hopped out of the Clear Sky World and devoured the focus. The man frowned but said nothing. Cha Ming watched as the brush morphed and molded itself into the shape of a gray sphere. He poured soul force and fire qi into it, and it lit up with a much brighter and stronger red-and-orange flame. “Is this sufficient?” he asked.
“You bonded and ignited the flame seed surprisingly quickly,” Iridescent Virtue said. He smiled. “It seems your soul-bound artifact gives you an advantage.”
“It is as you say,” Cha Ming said. He watched as the man summoned a red-orange flame as well. They moved their respective flames together until they began to repel each other. Only then did they stop.
“Increase the power of your flame,” Iridescent Virtue instructed.
Cha Ming did so, and the other man mirrored him. They poured increasing amounts of fire qi into the flame. Iridescent Virtue infused his with his dominion, and Cha Ming with his weak fire domain. He lost out in that exchange and was forced to supplement with his middle-transcendent-soul force.
It took several minutes for them to climb to a level where they both struggled. Then, unsurprisingly, Iridescent Virtue’s flame grew stronger. It began to push Cha Ming’s back.
“Your flame is weak,” Iridescent Virtue said, retracting his flame suddenly. “Apologies. Perhaps it will grow stronger with time, but as of now it is not adequate. Also… is this the only flame you possess? Forgive me for saying this, but an alchemist cannot hope to succeed with just a fire-aligned flame.”
“I can adjust as required,” Cha Ming said. His flame flickered from red to light brown, then to gold, blue, and finally, to green.”
Iridescent Virtue shook his head. “That is the bare minimum, but not sufficient to meet the standard of excellence required for the competition. I’m not sure how to say this politely, and to a human no less, but… where are your feelings? Where is your iridescence?”
Cha Ming frowned. Iridescence? He was not of the Iridescent Phoenix Clan.
“Asking
for iridescence is unreasonable,” the First Feather cut in.
“It is as you say,” Iridescent Virtue said with deference. “But these standard flames are not enough. Human alchemists have specialized fire domains that they imbue into their flames. They hunt for special flame spirits and capture them with their flame seeds, and then they feed them to create something that can at least struggle against standard phoenix flames, if not iridescent ones.”
“He is correct, Clear Sky,” the First Feather said. “Is this all you can do?”
Cha Ming frowned. He wasn’t strong with fire. Moreover, he’d completely neglected his fire domain. He couldn’t combine fire properly with the other five elements. “Perhaps I can attempt something,” he said. His flame turned green, and it flickered with color before becoming a mix of green and blue. He stabilized it with his four-element domain and added a third color, the color for gold. Finally, he added the color for earth. It was exhausting, but he could manage it.
“It’ll do,” Iridescent Virtue said. “Barely.”
Cha Ming wasn’t happy with his words, but he had to admit that without harmonizing fire with the other four elements, he would have trouble controlling this flame. It had versatility, but no control and power. Maybe I can just force it, Cha Ming thought. He tried pouring a fifth element into the flame, but it began to flicker like mad. His opponent took a step back, and Cha Ming immediately saw why. The Clear Sky Brush might contain the flame seed, but it was unwilling to force such an abomination. He needed a suitable domain to control it.
Cha Ming sighed and pulled back the fifth element, then retracted the others, leaving only the gray pearl hovering there. He was disappointed, but he’d expected this. He wasn’t ready to merge a Grandmist flame.
He was about to pull it back when the Clear Sky Brush let out a soft hum. A reassuring one. The sound brought his attention to a space in the Clear Sky World. It was separate from the rest, but here existed a pool of Grandmist. Untouched. Untainted.
You mean I can use this? Cha Ming asked. There was a pulse of acknowledgment. Isn’t that dangerous? A negative pulse. All right, here goes. He pulled the gray mist out of the Clear Sky World and into his flame seed. It wasn’t his own crafted flame this time. It wasn’t of his own qi. But that small gray flame burned, and as he fed it qi from all five elements, it grew.
Iridescent Virtue, who’d dismissed him previously, spun around and stared at the flame. His eyes narrowed, and he took a few steps forward. He said no words but summoned his own fire. It was a phoenix flame, much like the cold blue flames he’d seen before, but this one was of all colors, singularly and plurally. It was an iridescent flame. It grew to the same size as the Grandmist flame and matched it in power.
Then, together, they grew. They wrestled in the center of the room. The intensity of their competition was much greater than before, and soon, two elders were forced to use their powers to isolate their competition from the public.
This new Grandmist flame was different than before, Cha Ming discovered. It was quite natural. It wasn’t just a flame seed controlled by his soul, but one completely linked to it. It jostled competitively with the iridescent flame, which pushed back at Iridescent Virtue’s insistence.
They continued until both of them started trembling. Keeping their flames in check became taxing. Their brows began to drip with sweat, but neither of them wished to back down. Then, inevitably, Cha Ming began to fall leeward. He was no practiced alchemist. He was no phoenix. The flame his opponent controlled had a certain quality to it that made it overwhelming. His own Grandmist flame had an accommodating nature, something that couldn’t compete with raw power.
Cha Ming was finally forced to admit defeat. He pulled back his flame, and Iridescent Virtue followed suit. Cha Ming bowed and spoke first. “It’s my loss.”
“If you possessed such a flame, you should have shown it earlier,” Iridescent Virtue said. “All it lacks now is a little iridescence.”
“But I’m human,” Cha Ming said.
“Humans can also gain iridescence to some extent,” Iridescent Virtue said. “I have seen it, though never on a Grandmist flame like your own. If you managed that, I would definitely be up for a rematch.” His eyes glittered at the prospect of an actual challenge.
“You’ll be the first I come looking for,” Cha Ming said.
“I look forward to it,” Iridescent Virtue said. He then turned to the First Feather. “I believe that given this new flame and his capabilities as an artist, he can be given tentative permission to participate in the competition. He should, however, be certified as a peak alchemist by an elder before attempting to do so. Otherwise, he will dishonor the Star-Eye Clan.”
“Thank you,” the First Feather said, and Iridescent Virtue returned to the stands. “The world is not what it once was. Though we continue to enjoy peace, we are demons and know that such arrangements are fluid. Therefore, I grant your request to participate in the alchemy competition in three months’ time in order to earn a place in the Trial by Ancestral Fire. You must work hard, however. Due to your limited time and your status in the Star-Eye Clan, I give you free access to our libraries and the guidance of any mentor willing to accept you. Please bear in mind that alchemy is expensive, and you will need to bear the cost of your own development, like everyone else has.”
“You mention a mentor, but I’m not sure if your elders are willing,” Cha Ming said, noting that all those present were looking away from him.
“Even so, I advise you to seek one out,” the First Feather said. “They have my blessing, should they decide to accept you. I speak as an alchemist when I say that it will be all but impossible for you to succeed otherwise. Even with time-accelerated study.”
“And where might I find such a mentor?” Cha Ming asked.
“In the alchemist quarters on the ninth floor,” the First Feather said. “State your purpose when you go, and remember: You have my blessing in this matter. Let your behavior reflect that.” Then the two elders who’d escorted him into the palace walked up, and Cha Ming knew he’d been dismissed.
He clutched the leaf that Clever Dusk had given him as he left. They exchanged only a few words, and she wished him luck before returning to whatever she was doing.
It would be difficult to learn alchemy in such a short time. Others might think it better to cultivate, but Cha Ming lacked a fire concept to advance. He could think of no better way to find one than to start burning plants.
Chapter 8: Research
No one followed Cha Ming out of the palace building. No one chased or scrambled after him to force him to prove his worth. He had a feeling the First Feather’s announcement had a lot to do with it, but likely his confrontation with Iridescent Virtue had done far more for his reputation.
How did it go? Huxian asked when Cha Ming reached out to him.
I survived, Cha Ming replied. Apparently, I need to learn all of rune-carving alchemy in three months and win a competition against a bunch of expert fire users. No pressure, right?
Have you ever thought that maybe all of this is self-inflicted? Huxian asked. I mean, nothing against you. It takes big brass ones to challenge phoenixes to a fire duel. But people might start thinking you’ve got a thing for pain.
No pain, no gain, Cha Ming replied. I have a duel to win. I’m risking your life too, remember?
That’s why I’m working on my backup plan, Huxian.
Cha Ming missed a step and nearly stumbled. Backup plan?
The working title is “Assassinate the Prefecture Lords Before Cha Ming Can Get Himself Killed,” Huxian said. It’s a work in progress.
And to you, that’s a safer course of action? Cha Ming asked.
Eh… I’m not sure, Huxian said. I’ll let you know when the time comes. The hesitation and the inflection in his tone hinted that yes, he did think it was safer. Curse that overpowered fox.
I haven’t seen many of these so-called iridescent phoenixes so far, Cha Ming said. I’m a little con
fused. In the Golden Dragon Clan… I mean, the Clockwork Clan—damn Serrendil and her insistence on changing their name—everyone was a Golden Dragon. I mean a Clockwork Dragon. And in Stargazer City, there were an awful lot of Star-Eye Monkeys.
Oh, that’s easy, Huxian said. What do you know about phoenixes?
If they die, they burn up and they’re reborn from their ashes? Cha Ming said. I’ve heard stuff about being able to burn blood essence more often too.
The second one is true, Huxian said. That first ability is way too overpowered, though. I mean, come on. Nirvana rebirth? That’s at least an immortal emperor ability. Only the most powerful phoenixes can do that. I think people mostly get confused because they need massive fires to hatch Godbeast-tier eggs.
You seem well-informed on their reproduction and mating habits, Cha Ming said.
Er… my ancestor may have stalked a few too many chicken coops, so to speak, Huxian said. Anyway, iridescent phoenixes aren’t standard phoenixes, who go through nirvana rebirth to enhance their bloodline. There are five different types of basic iridescent phoenixes. In fact, every non-iridescent phoenix you’ve seen in the city is actually part of the Iridescent Clan.
So they’re… weaker members? Cha Ming asked.
They come in five types, one for each element. They’re weaker than, say, a Sky-Scorching Phoenix or an Artic Tempest Phoenix. Normal phoenixes set themselves on fire to get stronger and hope they survive. The Iridescent Phoenix Clan does it differently.
Does this have something to do with the many-colored ones? Cha Ming asked.
Bingo, Huxian said. All their clansmen start off with something called a burning. I’m fuzzy on the details, but after that, they can burn themselves extra times to add extra elements to their flame. Once they gain their fifth element, the colors merge and become iridescent. Those are the rarest, and by then, they’re only two tiers below Godbeast tier. They’re weaker than a queen-level monkey but stronger than most other demons.
Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists Page 13