The mountain that Astra brought me to stood out from the other Dawn and Dusk Mountains I had seen so far. Despite the abundance of qi in the environment, this mountain was barren and devoid of plant life. In fact, it seemed devoid of life altogether. I didn’t see any people or animals at all. I hadn’t noticed the mountain when we first arrived, since I was too focused on Astra at the time. However, now I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
Made from some kind of black stone, it stood tall and foreboding, like the home of some kind of powerful demon beast or evil cult. Considering that it was the home of Flame Fiend Hall, a group of demonic cultivators, that wasn’t far from the truth.
This mountain reminded me a bit of the one where Astra made her old immortal cave, albeit without black mist coating the base. Instead, a desert made of black sand surrounded this mountain. It stretched on for miles, with the mountain at its center. A howling wind blew through the area, cutting through the sand to form great dunes.
However, I noticed that the desert didn’t extend beyond a certain radius from the mountain. It just stopped, as if blocked by an invisible barrier. Beyond the desert lay the lush and fertile paradise that was typical of the other Dawn and Dusk Mountains. I found it strange to see so much plant growth bordering a barren desert. All it would take to cross from one to the other was taking a single step.
Heat radiated from the mountain. Fitting for the home of Flame Fiend Hall. It was hot enough that a mortal would have fallen unconscious from heat stroke within minutes. As a cultivator, I was fine, though the heat still felt uncomfortable. The smell of burning stone filled the air, as if the earth itself was on fire.
I looked up. Thick black clouds filled the sky, blotting out the sun. They roiled and writhed, as if filled with fury. Strangely enough, no sound came from them. Since they looked like storm clouds, I kept expecting to hear booming thunder from them. Instead, I heard nothing. I found it disconcerting. Like with the desert of black sand, the cloud didn’t extend beyond a certain radius from the mountain. In fact, I think the clouds and the desert covered the exact same area.
“Welcome to Flame Fiend Peak, home of Flame Fiend Hall.” Astra announced, gesturing to the mountain. She pointed to the top. “In case you’re wondering, the actual hall is at the peak, inside the crater. Flame Fiend Peak is an active volcano, and the founder of Flame Fiend Hall wanted to take advantage of the abundance of Fire qi found here.”
I stared up at Flame Fiend Peak with my mouth hanging open.
“What do you think?” Astra asked, nudging me with her elbow. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
I nodded, still unable to speak. How had I missed this earlier? I was angry at Astra, yes, but still. Maybe I was denser than I realized.
“Now then,” Astra continued. “As part of the Crucible of Flames, you must do your best to reach the top of Flame Fiend Peak.”
I looked at my sister and frowned.
“Something tells me that there’s more to it than just that.” I said. “Is there some kind of time limit?”
Astra shook her head.
“No,” she said. “There isn’t a time limit.” She grinned at me. “However, the other disciples of Flame Fiend Hall will harass you with ranged attacks the entire time. Physical attacks, mystics arts, and so on. They will hold back enough to avoid killing you, but that’s it. You won’t die during the Crucible of Flames, but you will be beaten within an inch of your life.”
I stared at Astra, my horror mounting with each word she spoke.
“That’s horrible!” I said. “Who decided that this was a good idea for a hazing ritual? It’s insane!”
“Mother.” Astra said.
That shut me up. As the hall master of Flame Fiend Hall, our mother had the authority to set up something like this. Once again, I was reminded that my mother’s idea of nurturing was…twisted.
“Every disciple of Flame Fiend Hall had to go through the Crucible of Flames when they joined,” Astra said. “Including the rest of our family, Darian. Nothing helps foster camaraderie and solidarity more than a shared experience; or shared misery in this case.”
I gave Astra an incredulous look.
“Do I have to go through the Crucible of Flames?” I asked. “It doesn’t sound very pleasant to me, to say the least.”
Astra took a moment before responding.
“You don’t have to, I suppose.” she said. “It isn’t mandatory. However, no disciple has ever refused to participate. If you don’t, Darian, you’ll shame the family and the other disciples of Flame Fiend Hall won’t respect you.”
As far as incentives went, those two were pretty big ones. I didn’t want to embarrass my sisters and my mother, and I also didn’t want to earn the scorn of my fellow disciples. I already endured enough of the latter, back on Mt. Wind Dance.
Still, this Crucible of Flames sounded far too brutal. Knowing that it was my mother’s idea didn’t help matters. If anything, it made me feel worse.
“However, before you make your decision, let me tell you about the potential rewards.” Astra said.
That piqued my interest, though I tried my best to hide it.
“Potential rewards?” I asked with feigned nonchalance.
Astra smiled, as if she could see right through my attempt at pretend indifference.
“Yes.” she said. “You’re already a disciple of Flame Fiend Hall, so you don’t have to worry about getting kicked out, even if you don’t make it to the top. In fact, most disciples don’t. Rather, by attempting the Crucible of Flames, you can earn a reward. The higher up you make it, the greater the reward.”
“What kind of rewards can you earn?” I asked, dropping my attempt to hide my excitement.
Astra’s smile widened.
“Cultivation resources and contributions, for the most part.” she said. “The closer to the top you get, the more of each you earn. However, if you reach the top, you earn a special reward.” She gestured to me. “In order to learn new arts and techniques, outside of the ones taught to them by their masters, disciples need to buy copies of manuals from the manual pavilion near the main hall. The rarer and/or more dangerous the art or technique, the more expensive the manual. There are other methods of course, but this is the most common one. However, if you make it to the top of Flame Fiend Peak during the Crucible of Flames, you will earn a token that will allow you to learn any one art or technique of your choice. This isn’t just limited to Flame Fiend Hall either. You can learn any art or technique belonging to the Dawn and Dusk Sect, including ones that are exclusive to other halls. This is especially useful for a divine demon like you, since you can learn divine mystic arts and demonic physical techniques.”
I just about salivated when I heard this. The opportunity to earn a token like that was too tempting to pass up. Even if I failed to reach the top, I could still earn some cultivation resources and contributions.
“That’s not all.” Astra continued, puffing up her chest. “Since you practice the Asura Crucible Body technique, going through the Crucible of Flames will benefit your cultivation as well. There is a reason why mother gave it that name.” She pointed to Flame Fiend Peak. “Due to the special qualities of the Fire qi in this area, suffering physical injury while within the volcano’s vicinity will help you refine your body.”
The thought of earning a reward for going through the Crucible of Flames had already piqued my interest. Knowing that this hazing ritual would also benefit my cultivation just stoked my excitement even further.
“Is that why the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall always fight all the time?” I asked.
Astra laughed.
“No.” she said. “I wish it was, but no. We just like to fight. However, it does tie into Flame Fiend Hall’s philosophy.” Her expression grew serious. “By enduring and overcoming life’s trials, one can break through one’s limits and grow. Pain, if used the right way, can become a source of strength. As long as one survives, loss and defeat are temporary. The pursuit of immortality is eternal.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
I studied Astra’s face for several long moments, before nodding. Her smile returned.
“Now then,” she said, clapping her hands together. “Let me tell you the rules for the Crucible of Flames. They’re very simple. One, you must rely only on your own strength for this. You can’t use any magic treasures, pills, or talismans to help you.”
Well, damn. That was disappointing. The turtle shell magic treasure would’ve given me a significant advantage during the Crucible of Flames. I supposed that also meant I couldn’t use the leather gauntlets Astra gave me.
“Two,” Astra continued. “No mystic arts. While Flame Fiend Hall has its own mystic arts, and some of our disciples specialize in using those mystic arts, we primarily focus on body refinement. As such, you must prove your mettle as a body refiner.”
This put me at an even bigger disadvantage. As a divine demon, I could use divine mystic arts, such as Heavenly Shield. Since the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall used demonic mystic arts, I would have been at an advantage.
“That doesn’t sound fair.” I protested. “Everyone else can use mystic arts, but I can’t?”
Astra shrugged.
“They’re not the ones being tested.” she said. “You are. However, movement techniques are allowed, so feel free to use the Lighter than Air technique.” She pointed to my feet. “Now, the last rule is that you must go through the Crucible of Flames barefoot. The more physical contact you have with the volcano, the better.”
I blinked at Astra, waiting for her to tell me she was joking, before I realized that she was being serious. My sister looked at me with an expectant expression on her face. With a sigh, I took off my boots and put them in my storage ring. The sand felt hot against my bare feet, but not in a bad way. In fact, it felt good.
“Huh,” I said. “You were right.”
“See?” she said. “I told you. You should always listen to your sisters. We know what’s best for you.”
I disagreed with that for several reasons. However, when it came to matters of cultivation and training, I would bow to their superior experience.
“All right,” Astra said. She clapped me on the shoulders. “That’s enough chit chat. It’s time for you to go.” Her grip on my shoulders tightened. “Make us proud, Darian. We have high hopes for you.” She looked from side to side, before leaning forward to whisper in my ear. “If you make it at least halfway up the mountain, I’ll have Raphael’s cousin cook a special meal for you.”
As if I needed another incentive to go through the Crucible of Flames.
“I’ll hold you to that, Big Sis.” I said.
After that, I turned away from Astra and started walking towards the mountain with a wide grin spread across my face.
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It took me ten minutes to reach the base of Flame Fiend Peak after I left Astra. The black sand felt good against my bare feet. With each step I took, the heat grew more intense by small, minuscule increments. The abundance of qi increased as well. I couldn’t imagine how hot the peak must have felt, nor how potent the qi was up there.
Contrary to my expectations, no one attacked me as I made my way to Flame Fiend Peak. From what Astra told me, I expected my fellow disciples to make their move as soon as I left Astra behind. Perhaps they were waiting for me to step foot on the volcano itself. In that case, I didn’t want to keep them waiting for too long.
When I reached the base of the volcano, I looked up and took a moment to plan out my route. Given what little I knew about the Crucible of Flames, going as fast as possible seemed to be the wisest course of action. I was tough, but in a battle of attrition, I would lose given the number of opponents I faced.
Flame Fiend Peak wasn’t steep, so that wasn’t any issue. However, the surface of the volcano was rough and rugged. Boulders and rocky outcroppings dotted the area. I also noticed all kinds of depressions and crevices, and that was just from my current vantage point. There were probably others hidden all over the mountain. If I wasn’t careful, I would fall into one and injure myself.
After studying Flame Fiend Peak, I lifted a foot and stepped forward. However, I pulled my foot back just before it touched the ground. My feint worked, because a ball of black fire shot out from a nearby crevice and flew through the air in front of me. If I had taken that step forward, it would have hit me.
“Well now,” I called out, grinning. “Someone’s a bit overeager.”
A chorus of laughter rang out at my words. A young man appeared, rising up from the crevice where the fireball had come from, and glared at me. Like my sisters, he had black skin. However, unlike my sisters, his eyes were red instead of gold. He also only had a single horn, which protruded from the center of his forehead.
According to my spirit sense, he was at early Foundation Establishment. If he was also at the physical refinement equivalent, that meant his current look was the result of the Demon Form innate ability, which one gained after reaching a certain level with the Asura Crucible Body technique. Did everyone look different while using that innate ability? Perhaps. I would need to see more practitioners to know for sure.
The young man formed a hand seal and a black fireball appeared in his hands. He didn’t throw it at me right away, however. Instead, the fireball grew larger and larger as he fed more and more qi into it. Well, now that he had been outed, I suppose there was no reason for him to hold back anymore. As long as he didn’t kill me, he could hit me as hard as he wanted.
“All right then.” I said, stretching my arms a bit. “Let’s do this.”
I stepped forward. The moment I did, a barrage of attacks appeared out of nowhere and headed in my direction. There were several fireballs formed from black flames, but there were also several physical projectiles as well. Rocks, arrows, various thrown weapons, and more. The attacks seemed to blot out the sky, that was how many there were. It was impossible to dodge them all, even with the Lighter Than Air technique. In that case, I just needed to pick which attacks to endure and which ones to avoid.
With a grin on my face, I ran towards the young man with the oversized fireball. I used the Lighter Than Air technique to give myself a boost of speed. Only for a moment, however. The technique strained my body, but if I used it in short bursts rather than for extended periods of time, I could make the most out of it.
The young man’s eyes widened when he saw me running towards him, but that didn’t stop him from throwing the fireball towards me. It moved so fast that when I rolled to dodge it, the fireball still grazed me. My body burned as the black flames licked my skin. Unlike with the Hellfire Bear’s fire, there was nothing nourishing about these flames.
The moment I recovered from the roll, I changed directions. This caused most of the remaining attacks to miss me, though a few still hit their mark. A rock tagged me in the leg, while a throwing knife embedded itself in my shoulder. I pushed through the pain and continued running. Hesitation meant failure. The moment I stopped moving, more and more of those attacks would hit their mark, before eventually overwhelming me.
As I made it further and further up the mountain, using Lighter Than Air in short bursts, more and more of my fellow disciples revealed themselves. Like the young man from before, they all sported demonic appearances. All of them had black skin and horns, but that was the only thing they had in common. Some had three horns, some had one, some had red eyes, some had green. Some were like Astra, in that they had claws and a tail. Others had maws filled with sharp, monstrous teeth.
Flame Fiend Hall really was a den of demons. However, this no longer scared me, as it would have a year ago. Instead, I found it comforting. They were demons, but I was demonkin. Deep down, I wasn’t any different from them.
One thing I noticed as I ran up the mountain was that my fellow disciples didn’t chase me. Rather, they remained in one spot and continued to attack me from their chosen perch. Not that this made things any easier for me. I didn’t know how many disciples Flame Fiend Hall had, but they seemed to be everywhere. Their attacks were endless, and the number of wounds I suffered started to accumulate. My body sported countless cuts and bruises, though I somehow managed to avoid anything too serious.
However, things took a turn for the worst when I made it halfway up the mountain. A group of disciples appeared right in front of me, blocking my chosen path. I moved to go around them. However, when I did, a rock from a hidden attacker hit my knee. A sickening snap rang out as my leg bent in a way it wasn’t supposed to. The pain overwhelmed me and I buckled. It was only for a moment, but that was all my attackers needed.
Projectiles and mystic arts hit me from all sides. Pain, unlike anything I had ever felt before, washed over my entire body. When I trained to become a divine demon, the pain I felt from the Divine Fire Qi was even and uniform; the pain from the barrage of attacks that pelted my body was anything but. My bones broke, my flesh tore, and my blood burned. I made it a few more steps, before I collapsed onto the ground. My head swam as the pain and the injuries I suffered overwhelmed me.
Despite this, I managed to remain conscious. Driven by the need to reach the peak, I crawled forward. My body was broken and battered, yet I continued to push myself forward. One of my arms lay limp by my side and refused to respond, but that was okay. I still had one good arm and one good leg. That was all I needed.
It took me a while to notice due to the pain, but after some point, my fellow disciples stopped attacking me. I wasn’t sure why. I was still moving, so they should have been attacking me. Was the Crucible of Flames over? Had I failed?
“Well, damn.” a voice called out. “He’s still going. Not bad for a Qi Condensation whelp.”
“Yeah.” another voice said. “When Kayden first tried the Crucible of Flames, he gave up after someone broke his arm.”
“Shut up!” a third voice said. “That was a long time ago.”
I tuned the voices out as I focused on crawling towards the peak of the volcano, or tried to at least.
“Should we hit him a few more times?” the first voice from before asked.
“No.” the second voice from before said. “You know the rules. Push them to their limit, but that’s it. Any more than this, and we might kill him. Do you want to explain to the vice hall master how we ended up killing her little brother?”
A moment of silence passed.
“But he’s still moving.” the third voice from before said. “Are you sure we pushed him to his limit?”
“That just means he’s tougher than the average new disciple.” the second voice said. “Leave him be. Look at how much blood he’s lost. He’ll pass out soon enough.”
By some karmic irony, my body gave out at that moment. I remained conscious, but no matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn’t listen. Darkness started to swallow me up.
“There we go.” the first voice said.
I heard footsteps as someone approached me.
“You did good, kid.” the second voice said from right next to me. “Remember this moment, remember your weakness, but don’t despair. This is your limit, for now. Train hard, grow strong, and surpass your past self.”
That was the last thing I heard before I fell into darkness and knew nothing else.