> [Location: Ember Crossroads – Outer Safe Zone]
Time Remaining Until Convergence Trials Begin: 5 Days
System Update: Routine Mode Unlocked – Daily Actions Now Tracked for Micro-Progression Bonuses
---
Morning: Flame Meditation and the Watcher
At dawn, Jiang Han knelt beside the flameleaf tree near Ashroot Pavilion.
Tempest rested nearby in a half-doze, the Phoenix Hatchling curled into his shoulder like a smoldering scarf.
He focused his breathing.
Not rushing.
Not chasing.
Just settling—letting his spirit flame sink lower, stabilize.
> [Daily Cultivation Session Complete – Resonant Core Synchronization Improved]
+1.2% Flame Spirit Recovery Rate (Temporary)
But something tugged at his senses.
That presence again.
Jiang opened his eyes.
Atop the rocky ridge, the hooded figure still watched, unmoving.
He stood and raised his voice.
> "You've had all night. You spying or scouting?"
No response.
Not yet.
The wind answered instead—carrying a single burnt feather to Jiang's feet.
Not Phoenix.
Crow.
---
Midday: Market Row and Paper Flame Returns
Later, Jiang walked into the informal market row that had formed between five different trialists' camps.
Makeshift stalls sold everything from flame-imbued fruit to scale-powder potions and whisperstone scrolls with temporary soul boosts.
A familiar shimmer caught his eye.
Yanxi.
Sitting beneath a canopy made of stitched soul paper, humming and folding another firebird.
She looked up and smiled as he approached.
> "You survived the Echo Trial."
> "You knew what it was."
> "I hoped you'd survive it."
She offered a second scroll—unmarked, folded tight.
> "This one leads somewhere... stranger."
> "But not yet. Your flame's not ready."
Jiang stared at her.
> "Why help me?"
> "Because you burn the way I used to."
She stood and vanished again—no flames, no wind. Just gone.
---
Afternoon: The Duel Invitation
Back at camp, a trialist approached—a boy with sharp eyes and a silver mask hanging from his hip.
His robes bore no clan sigil, but his boots were stitched with the Voidwalker insignia, a style Jiang recognized from cross-realm archives.
He stopped ten feet away and inclined his head politely.
> "Flamebearer Jiang Han. My master would like to issue a pre-trial duel invitation."
Jiang raised an eyebrow. "Your master?"
> "He'll meet you tonight. Bridge of Embermist."
> "If you decline, he will understand."
Jiang stared at the scroll the boy handed him—marked in violet flame ink.
> "But he'd rather not be misunderstood."
---
Nightfall: The Duel That Wasn't
Jiang walked to the bridge again, Emberfang sheathed but ready.
The hooded figure stood at the center, arms crossed, watching the stars above—the two suns now gone, replaced by an unfamiliar moon of cracked obsidian.
He turned when Jiang approached.
And dropped the hood.
Not human.
His skin was smoke and sigils, his eyes twin embers.
But his voice was calm. Human-like.
> "You're not from here."
> "Neither are you."
> "True. I'm from a dead realm. One that burned without memory."
> "So what do you want?"
The man smiled faintly.
> "To see if you're the kind who burns others…"
> "Or burns with them."
He walked past Jiang without striking.
> "You passed for now."
> "We'll meet again when it matters."
> "Name?"
> "Call me... Ashkin."
Then he was gone, like paper folded into night.
---
Late Night: Reflection
Back at Ashroot Pavilion, Jiang sat in the quiet again, watching the Phoenix Hatchling nuzzle into the coals.
He opened his system tab.
Daily Progress Summary – Jiang Han
Cultivation Deepening: ✅
New Encounter Logged: ✅
Market Interaction: ✅
Threat Level Increase: ❗
System Note: "Your flame is gaining attention. The wrong kind and the right."
He looked at his hand.
The flames that once only warmed now glowed with weight.
And someone—many someones—were watching.