Chapter Forty-Nine: The Golden Flame

Yes, Liu Ru was still holding on.

At first, she relied on the Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Technique, burning the strength she had accumulated through Blood-moving to maintain her resistance. Yet, when that stored power was finally exhausted, the force of ice and snow still showed no sign of ending.

At that moment, she could either let go or persist.

Liu Ru chose the latter.

Even when her whole body lost all sensation, as she endured agony akin to being sliced apart by a thousand blades, her very soul seemingly frozen by the frigid cold, she still did not loosen her grip.

Nearly everyone in the examination hall had turned their attention to this scene.

From the initial fierce struggle to the present, where she stood nearly frozen in absolute silence, no one dared approach her. Yet, some had begun calling for the academy staff to intervene.

...

...

"Perhaps we should send someone to stop this," Qian Shu could not help but say. "Although, in theory, the force on these flowers and plants shouldn’t cause real harm, Liu Ru has persisted for too long without falling unconscious. If this continues, there might be consequences we’d rather not see."

"But according to the rules, we’re not allowed to interfere," Lan Ying opposed.

"What do you think?" Zhou Yi, facing their differing opinions, turned to consult Su Ziye.

After all, only Su Ziye was truly close to Liu Ru—practically family. If her family consented to intervention, it wouldn’t strictly be a violation of the rules.

"You’re asking me?" Su Ziye was taken aback. He thought for a moment, then looked at Zhou Yi. "Miss said this:"

"Even if she dies here, don’t interfere."

...

...

Liu Ru truly did not remember having said such a thing, but in fact, if anyone had ever asked her what she would do in this situation, she would indeed have answered just so.

Even if I die here, don’t worry about me.

At this very moment, Liu Ru was, in truth, little different from dead.

She remained where she was; every last remnant of warmth drawn away, the once-scorching blood vessels now entirely frozen solid.

That intense cold had frozen every drop of her blood, then her organs and bones.

She had nearly lost all control over her body, and with it, almost all her will.

As the pale, icy tendrils crept into every corner of her being, something deep within her stirred to life.

It was Liu Ru’s heart.

Within her heart was a single drop of pure golden blood.

This drop of blood had once been called "the Blood of the Gods" by Karotes, and Liu Ru had, without doubt, consumed two such drops in her life.

The first, after she broke through to the Internal Breath Realm, was given to her by Su Ziye to lay a solid foundation.

The second, when she attempted to break through to the Blood-moving Realm, was again supplied by Su Ziye as a medicinal primer.

Liu Ru did not truly understand the preciousness of Su Ziye’s golden blood, but she was keenly aware that his blood contained an immense and awe-inspiring power.

What she did not realize was that she had not absorbed all of the blood’s strength—she hadn’t even taken in a tenth of it. The unabsorbed power had slumbered quietly within her, perhaps to be awakened in the future when her cultivation reached a higher level.

One could even say this was Su Ziye’s advance gift to her.

But no one could have foreseen that, at this very moment, this hidden strength would be awakened.

It began to burn.

Golden flames leapt to life from within Liu Ru’s heart.

The first to be revived was her nearly frozen heart. As it throbbed anew, it sent the ignited blood surging through her frozen veins; like a red-hot knife slicing through solidified butter, her meridians and blood vessels were instantly restored.

The scorching blood slowly roused her frozen body. In the eyes of the others, it seemed as though Liu Ru was engulfed in flames.

Her golden hair began to float upwards, as if lifted by an invisible wind, and dazzling golden fire ignited around her, radiating from her core.

No one had expected this miraculous turn of events; all present could only cover their mouths in shock.

...

...

"What on earth is that!" The entire monitoring hall was thrown into chaos.

Earlier, Liu Ru’s Vermilion Bird Blood Ignition Technique had already caused a commotion, but compared to the current situation, that was mere child’s play.

No one could understand what was happening before their eyes.

"What’s going on with Liu Ru? Why is she suddenly erupting with this kind of power?"

"Maybe some force she’d sealed sensed the crisis and broke free?"

"But what exactly is this power!"

Everyone was voicing their opinions, but their minds were blank with confusion.

Just moments ago, they had been debating whether to intervene; now Liu Ru had erupted with overwhelming strength, and no one could see through the reason. All they could do was accept their shattered understanding.

"Do you know anything?" Zhou Yi could not help but look at Su Ziye.

After all, it was Su Ziye who had insisted Liu Ru continue the challenge.

"What use is it to ask me?" Su Ziye stared at the screen, watching Liu Ru burn like a miniature sun, golden flames pouring from every pore. "Aren’t you the academy? Can’t you even figure this much out?"

"I think I might know something," Qian Shu suddenly spoke.

"Stop beating around the bush. Tell us!" Lan Ying snapped.

Everyone was at a loss; if he had any idea, he should speak up instead of deliberately being mysterious.

"I’m not trying to be mysterious. I truly cannot say. If I did, I might die," Qian Shu replied solemnly.

"Die if you say it?" Zhou Yi interjected incredulously. "Who would dare kill you in the academy?"

"It’s not a question of who." Qian Shu sighed. "Zhou Yi, perhaps you don’t know—there are some books in the Yeta Tower with extremely high-level access, available only to professors."

"And how do you know about them?" Lan Ying asked.

"If your credits are high enough, and your studies exemplary, you can review them under a professor’s supervision," Qian Shu explained. "I was only tracing the origins of a few medicinal formulas when, with Professor Yunshan’s guidance, I happened upon some of this content."

"And from those records, I gained some knowledge that can only be called forbidden."

He turned to Lan Ying. "Do you know what ‘forbidden’ means?"

Taken aback by his earnestness, Lan Ying stammered, "What does it mean?"

"Forbidden knowledge is that which cannot even be spoken aloud," Qian Shu sighed. "I once asked Professor Yunshan what would happen if I were to tell others what I read there."

"He told me, with the utmost gravity, that if I so much as uttered the first word aloud, I would die on the spot, in a manner more terrible than I could imagine. Unless someone at the Heavenly Realm level was present to protect me, survival would be impossible."

"He called it a secret hidden by this very world."

Lan Ying was chilled to the core. This was the first time she had heard of something so terrifying—that merely speaking a secret could kill one instantly, without anyone having to act.

"Then why would you even mention this?" Lan Ying asked.

If it was so dangerous, why say anything at all?

"I can’t say it, but I can refer to it obliquely," Qian Shu replied. "There are certain clans in this world, the most fearsome in history, who once ruled everything in the ancient age, only to be erased by a greater power."

"They were not killed, but banished from this world. As a means of banishment, any knowledge of them cannot be spoken. Should one try, they perish without warning."

"Only those with sufficient strength can record these taboos. Yet, even reading such records and repeating them aloud would bring a curse from this world."

"Qian Shu, you’re scaring us," Zhou Yi trembled. Qian Shu had no reason to tell ghost stories now, but if this were true, it was horrifying—knowledge that would erase the knower from existence.

"It’s alright," Qian Shu smiled. "I’m only telling you the background, not the key forbidden words. You have nothing to fear."

"Of course, if I were to tell you the forbidden words now, I would die, while you would be fine—until you repeated them yourself."

"But," Qian Shu turned to the screen, "the reason I brought this up is because Liu Ru matches the characteristics of those Hidden Clans."

"Hadn’t we been speculating about her origins?"

"Now, it seems the truth is clear."

"Liu Ru comes from those terrifying Hidden Clans. She is one of them."

When Qian Shu finished, the room fell silent.

In the end, it was Su Ziye who broke the quiet.

"My lady is my lady. I believe she isn’t one of them," Su Ziye said firmly.

Qian Shu shook his head. "It’s not a matter of belief. Even if you asked her directly, she might not admit it. These are the world’s deepest secrets. But once such power is revealed, denial is futile."

"I don’t know why Liu Ru chose to reveal such hidden strength in this situation—perhaps she was truly forced to the brink. But the fact remains: too many are witness here, including ourselves. Unless we are all killed, this secret cannot remain hidden."

"Why kill us all?" Su Ziye retorted. "Are the Hidden Clans so powerful?"

"Because they are not meant to exist in this world," Qian Shu said quietly. "They shouldn’t even be classified as human."

"Most people here don’t know what power Liu Ru has just unleashed. Even we know almost nothing."

"But there are always those who do know. They lurk like hunters in the dark. Any exposed member will be hunted and killed by these dark hunters. That’s the rule I know," Qian Shu sighed.

"So what do we do now?" Lan Ying asked.

"Pretend we know nothing," Qian Shu told them. "What I’ve told you is vague and ambiguous. As long as you act ignorant, you can minimize the consequences of this accident."

"Of course, remember—we are the academy."

"Even these taboos can be documented and managed by the academy. In other words, the academy itself may have the power to rival the Hidden Clans."

Qian Shu’s reassurance settled the nerves of those present.

They’d only come to proctor a routine trial, yet now they were nearly frightened out of their wits.

Or perhaps it was that Liu Ru was simply that extraordinary.

Now, as they watched the golden flames gradually die down around the girl on the screen, everyone’s feelings were a tangled web.

...

...

At first, Liu Ru had no idea what had happened.

Her consciousness had all but faded, yet at the very end, everything seemed to reverse as if by some unseen hand.

The girl opened her eyes, feeling her whole body brimming with unprecedented power.

She instinctively looked inward, discovering that her veins and meridians shimmered with golden light.

It was a body of incredible might and resilience. In that silent instant, she had undergone a transformation, a rebirth.

She knew clearly that she had succeeded in breaking through the Meridian-shifting stage and now stood at the perfected, consummate realm that Su Ziye had once described.

If she did not seek to break through the so-called Three Marvelous Realms, she could even attempt to enter the second great realm of cultivation.

She glanced at the blood plum in her hand and, almost unconsciously, tightened her grip.

Sure enough, as if there were no longer any resistance, she easily pulled up the very blood plum that had driven her to the brink.

Turning around, she saw that nearly every gaze in the hall was fixed on her.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Liu Ru asked in curiosity. "Have you all passed the exam already?"

"No," replied the girl who had earlier introduced herself as Yang Mei.

"Liu Ru, do you know?"

"Just now, your whole body was on fire."

"Golden, dazzling fire."