SWORD OF FLAME

Red Snake

The book had a thick, reddish-yellow cover. Fang Yun, curious about the existence of the book, slowly stood up and carefully lifted the wooden floor.

As his hand reached out to grab the book, he suddenly felt a sharp pain and a burning sensation, as if he had been bitten by some kind of animal.

Even though the pain was still lingering, he stubbornly pried open the wooden floor, determined to take the book and uncover what had caused the sting in his hand.

Fang Yun’s eyes widened in shock when he saw a small snake, about the size of a pinky finger and no longer than the span of two hands, coiled beside the book. The snake was bright red.

Fang Yun quickly grabbed a nearby stick to drive the snake away. But when he turned back to the spot where the snake had been, he was startled to see that it had vanished.

The boy, of average build and ordinary looks, glanced around, searching for the snake he believed had bitten him.

However, no matter how long he searched, he could not find any trace of it. He then picked up the reddish-yellow book and brushed off the dust clinging to its cover.

Strangely, as soon as the snake disappeared, the pain and burning sensation in his hand also vanished. Fang Yun noticed this but assumed that the snake’s venom must have been weak, so the effect quickly wore off.

Fang Yun then carefully examined the book and read the title written on its cover.

"The Fire God Technique!"

The boy was a little surprised as he read the title, but he decided not to open it just yet. He would read it later at home. He slipped the ancient book inside his shirt.

Still clutching his aching chest, he stood up and walked out of the ruins of the ancient temple. Before leaving, he looked to his right and left to make sure that Chong Li and his friends were nowhere around.

Feeling safe, Fang Yun then ran as fast as he could toward his home. Gasping for air, he burst into his house and drank a glass of water.

Afterward, he went straight to his room and pulled the ancient book from his shirt.

He weighed the book in his hands for a moment, then reread the title on the cover.

"The Fire God Technique."

Before turning the pages and reading its contents, Fang Yun’s mind drifted far ahead, imagining himself standing at the peak of martial mastery.

"Hmmm… surely Father and Mother will be proud of me," he whispered in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Yun slowly opened the book’s cover. On the very first page, he was shocked to see a picture of a coiled red snake.

His mind instantly connected the image to the snake that had bitten him earlier. It was exactly the same in color and shape.

Still naïve in the ways of martial arts, Fang Yun could not understand the meaning or connection between the red snake in the picture and the snake that had bitten him.

Not wanting to dwell on his thoughts, Fang Yun flipped to the next page. There, the page was filled with lines of text.

Curious to know more, he turned to the following page. This time, he clearly saw a table of contents listing various techniques within the ancient book. A wide smile appeared on his face.

He carefully read the table of contents of The Fire God Technique:

1. Fire God’s Punch

2. Fire God’s Footwork

3. Fire God’s Sword Dance

4. Fire God of War’s Flaming Sword Technique

Fang Yun frowned as he read the notes written below each technique. The text explained that a practitioner of The Fire God Technique must first master the fundamental techniques to gradually unlock each stage of the skills in the book.

His burning desire to learn martial arts drove him to flip to the next page. There, it described how to practice the basic techniques to strengthen the bones and muscles.

Fang Yun carefully studied every word and memorized each sentence, reading them over and over until he knew them by heart.

Without delay, he began practicing the initial training for muscle and bone development. He trained in secret, never letting anyone know.

Day after day, Fang Yun committed himself to relentless practice. He lifted weights and ran around the village tirelessly.

Months passed, and the boy, now nearing his teenage years, trained so intensely that his parents began to grow suspicious. Unbeknownst to Fang Yun, his physique was becoming increasingly muscular and sturdy. His skin darkened with a reddish hue from the sun he faced every day.

"Fang Yun, come here, son!"

Hearing his father's voice, Fang Yun, who was in the middle of his weight training, stepped out of his room.

"Yes, Father? What is it?"

"Sit down, son. I need to talk to you."

Fang Yun pulled a chair and sat down.

"I’ve noticed that your body is becoming stronger. Are you training in martial arts?"

Fang Yun, who was not used to lying, nodded. "Actually, I’m only learning the basic level, Father. Muscle and bone strengthening."

"Who’s teaching you?"

"No one, Father. I’ve been learning from a book I found in the ruins of the ancient temple," Fang Yun replied, lowering his head, afraid his father would be angry and forbid him from practicing martial arts.

"I’m not forbidding you from learning martial arts, Fang Yun. But can you tell me why you want to practice martial arts?"

"I want to make you and Mother proud. I don’t want to keep being the target of Chong Li and his friends’ ridicule. I want to fight back for everything they’ve done to me all this time."

"Fang Yun, my son… Our family may be poor, but we are not a family that holds grudges. Learn martial arts for good, to help the weak, and to fight evil in this world."

Fang Yun sat in silence, listening to his father’s wise advice, which he deeply respected.

He then nodded. "Yes, Father."

---

More than five months had passed. Fang Yun continued training without rest. Once he felt his muscles had grown and his bones had strengthened, he began learning the movements illustrated in the ancient book.

At first, his movements were stiff, which was understandable since, at his age, he was considered late to start. Typically, children began learning martial arts between the ages of five to seven, but Fang Yun only started at twelve.

But Fang Yun wasn’t one to give up because of age or circumstance. He was determined to master every movement recorded in the ancient book.

Day after day, Fang Yun focused solely on mastering the Fire God’s Punch. In his view, it was the easiest to learn. The other techniques demanded more speed, internal energy, agility, and body flexibility.

One night, Fang Yun suddenly felt his entire body burning with heat, and pain overwhelmed him from head to toe. He wanted to call for his parents, but his tongue stiffened, unable to utter a single word.

The intense heat and pain tormented Fang Yun for a long time. Sweat poured relentlessly from his body, soaking his clothes until they were drenched. The boy, almost thirteen, eventually passed out and only regained consciousness the next morning.

Strangely, after enduring such suffering throughout the night, he felt completely refreshed and energized the following morning.

He quickly went to the bathroom to wash the sticky sweat residue from his body.

As he removed his clothes, Fang Yun was utterly shocked. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw.

"This is impossible!"