Renvar stared at the charred remains of his bedroom floor, then back at Yuexia Linruo’s grieving face. The silence between them was thick, heavy with the smell of ozone and the weight of a ticking clock."Three years," Renvar repeated, popping the 'p' with a hollow sound. "So, I’m basically a smartphone with a defective battery. One day I’m at ten percent, the next I’m a spicy brick. Great. Fantastic. Do I at least get a loyalty discount at the local cemetery?"Yuexia didn't laugh. She didn't even flinch. "This isn't a joke, Renvar. Do you even know where that manual came from? It wasn't found in a library. It was pulled from the scorched hands of the Third Elder’s son fifty years ago. He was a genius, twice as talented as I am. They found him in his meditation chamber. There was no body. Just a outline of soot on the wall and the sound of screaming still echoing in the air.""Sounds like he went out with a bang," Renvar muttered, leaning back against a semi-burnt pillar. "Look, Linru

"Hey! Is there a sign-up sheet, or do I just start blowing smoke?" Renvar’s voice cracked, half-shivering from the Jade Frost water and half-burning from the furnace in his chest.The lead cultist, a man whose mask was carved into a weeping skull, didn't laugh. He didn't even blink. He just pointed a charred finger at Renvar’s heart. "The Master doesn't want your jokes, boy. He wants the scripture. Hand over the original manuscript of the Heaven-Burning Ash, and maybe we’ll only take your hands instead of your head.""The original? Buddy, I don't even have a library card," Renvar panted, his skin beginning to steam as the water evaporated off his robes. "It’s all up here. In the brain. And trust me, you don’t want to go in there. It’s mostly memes and repressed trauma.""Renvar, get back!" Yuexia shouted, her voice like a whip. She snapped her wrist, and a folding fan made of translucent blue crystal hissed open. "These aren't common thugs. They’re 'Cinder-Eaters.' They’ve been huntin

The glass-like path Renvar left behind cracked under the weight of his fury. He didn't run; he marched. Every step was a silent promise of violence, the silver-grey embers in his eyes swirling like a gathering storm. He reached the massive, ornate gates of the Sky-Cloud Hall—the heart of the Azure Cloud Sect—where the air usually hummed with the serene chants of disciples. Today, it only hummed with the sound of Renvar’s boiling blood.“System, tell me you’ve got a lock on her,” Renvar muttered, his voice a low, dangerous vibration.[System: The female lead’s signature is fading fast, moving toward the northern quadrant. Also, your blood pressure is high enough to cook an egg. Maybe take a deep breath?]“I’ll breathe when I’m holding the Sect Leader’s head,” Renvar snapped. He didn't knock. He kicked the double doors so hard the reinforced sandalwood splintered inward, the bang echoing through the vaulted ceiling like a cannon blast.Inside, the hall was filled with the sect’s elite.