Chapter Ninety-Six: Walking with Black Fire

Through Chenqi’s observations, this group of “Kin-Eaters” was dispersed across all regions of the game. They had a particular penchant for targeting other players, often deceiving them by exploiting the notion of “kindred.” Many players had fallen victim to their schemes; without the clues provided by a few, most would never have realized that their killer was a fellow player.

This once-hidden organization was now emerging into the open with the first public beta. Chenqi leaned back, unsurprised. The Kin-Eater bloodline was not without its price—its bearers were inherently prone to falling into a frenzy of hunting their own kind. The influx of new players would undoubtedly allow them to develop rapidly.

Chenqi rubbed his hands together. If they could locate the Kin-Eaters' headquarters, it would indeed be an excellent opportunity. The players' warehouses held no fewer treasures than those found in rare ruins. Yet, despite the many victims, only a handful could provide truly useful information.

He sent a few clues, just gleaned from the Kin-Eater section of the Book of Calamities, to Seabird in exchange for some quest contribution points.

Seabird responded, “Looks like you’ve suffered at the hands of the Kin-Eaters yourself, gathering all this information. This is very helpful to us. The quest points will be credited soon—thank you.”

In reality, he hadn’t suffered much at all.

Night Wanderer: “Yes, I’m very eager to give those guys a good beating.”

Seabird: “Don’t worry, we have a Calamity Diviner on our side. We’ve managed to acquire some flesh from those Kin-Eaters, along with the information everyone’s contributed. With the diviner’s skills, it won’t be long before we can lock down their general location.”

That Calamity Diviner seemed rather capable…

Chenqi couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. The only question was, how long would it take?

Night Wanderer: “May I ask, roughly how long until you’re able to pinpoint them?”

Seabird: “It might take a while. We were supposed to make our first attempt this morning, but the Calamity Diviner was badly injured and needs to meditate to recover their mental strength.”

Night Wanderer: “Meditate?”

Seabird: “Yes, divination is a skill that consumes a tremendous amount of mental energy, so it’s vital to replenish it constantly. Don’t be fooled by the Calamity Diviner’s laid-back manner of speaking—offline, we’ve met, and she’s actually a very serious person.”

Chenqi was taken aback; he distinctly remembered seeing the Calamity Diviner chatting in the group this morning.

He opened the New Sun Gaming Help chat group.

A new message popped up:

Calamity Diviner: “I heard someone managed to snap a photo of a cat-girl player—anyone got the goods?”

“…”

Chenqi was at a loss for words and quietly closed both the group chat and Seabird’s conversation window. The group was indeed full of eccentrics—strength didn’t make them any less so.

…

While waiting for Seabird to handle these matters, Chenqi’s mind moved, and a pitch-black cube floated out of his pocket.

At present, he planned to study the latter half of the Dance of Black Flame, Black Flame Walk, and Intermediate Spirit Vision. Of these, Black Flame Walk would most directly enhance his combat abilities.

He needed to set up the Floating Tome and begin his study of Black Flame Walk. This was a powerful technique—if he could master it, his strength would increase dramatically.

Next, he opened the Traveler’s Box and entered within.

…

Inside the Traveler’s Box.

The sun shone brightly, white clouds drifted across the sky—it felt as though he’d stepped onto a sunlit prairie. Of course, this sky was a mere illusion, more of a backdrop than boundless reality. The usable space was a cube one hundred meters on each side.

But for Chenqi, this was more than spacious enough. Because of the unknown wall, his shadow couldn’t enter the Traveler’s Box, but he himself could. At this moment, the little Lantern Shadow Fox was still curled up on a small pillow, sleeping soundly.

Suppressing the urge to pinch the little fox’s ears, Chenqi prepared to set up the Floating Tome.

[Floating Tome:
Affinity: Book
Construction-type item: Requires spirit energy to place.
Description: Please maintain silence in the library.
Effect: Within the range of the Floating Tome, your learning efficiency is increased. It can also be used to take notes.]

He took the book in hand and infused it with spiritual energy. As he did, the tome began to flip its pages automatically and, following his intent, floated into the air.

[Reminder: You have successfully placed the Floating Tome in the Traveler’s Box.]

Chenqi was delighted—this was the first special structure of his base. Sitting beside the book, he felt as if a beautiful classical melody was playing, quieting his heart and clearing his mind.

This was wonderful… Chenqi took out a page.

[Black Flame Walk.
Description: To reach the black prison where the blade lies, one must tread the path of black flame.
Learning requirements: Affinity must be Void; non-possessed equipment Inspiration at 50; non-equipment Agility at 30; moderate cold resistance (note: attributes provided by equipment count).
Learning progress: 0%]

This was the most demanding technique Chenqi had encountered so far. Previously, to meet the requirements for Smoldering Ember, he’d already allocated points to raise his Inspiration. Now, he spent more to boost his Agility.

He immediately began to tackle the technique.

Black Flame Domain!

He made sure to stand well away from the Lantern Shadow Fox before activating the Black Flame Domain. Black flames erupted from his blade, engulfing him instantly.

Black Flame Walk was built upon Black Flame; his task was to move faster and faster within the flames, merging himself with them as completely as possible. The greatest challenge lay in this act of merging.

…

The afternoon passed.

With the combined aid of the Floating Tome and Smoldering Ember, Chenqi rapidly unraveled the complexities of the technique. Within the Black Flame Domain, he could now completely ignore the flame’s rending effect and move freely. The once-indiscriminate technique could no longer harm him in the slightest.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, but there was still some way to go before he truly mastered Black Flame Walk. Even with his high Inspiration, the technique remained difficult.

“One last try,” he whispered, taking a deep breath and guiding the black flames to surge over his body.

He tried to merge with the black flames…

He chanted silently to himself.

Suddenly—

The world around him changed dramatically.

“Wait, what is this—?”

A wave of immense pressure crashed down upon him.

Looking down, he realized—

He was now in another world.

A bleak, gray expanse stretched before him. Enormous chains crisscrossed the sky above, while the ground was blackened, scorched earth. Gnarled, giant trees grew skyward. Massive chains fell constantly from above, as if mountains were plummeting from the heavens.

Before him stood an ancient, dust-shrouded gate.

A breath—

Then the vision vanished.

He opened his eyes to see the little Lantern Shadow Fox watching him intently.

Glancing around, Chenqi realized he now knew the name of that place: the Edge of the Black Prison.

Black Flame Walk, beyond allowing one to merge with black flame, could briefly project one’s spirit to the Black Prison.

He turned to check New Sun Game.

An exhilarating message appeared!

[You have comprehended Black Flame Walk. Current progress: 35%.]

[Black Flame Walk:
Affinity: Void.
Effect: Consumes 2 spirit energy. While within black flame, you briefly merge with it and vanish. After 0.5 seconds, you may reappear in any black flame nearby, and your Agility is increased within the Black Flame Domain. Cooldown: ten minutes.]

Chenqi looked at the text. In a sense, this amounted to a 0.5-second invincibility frame!

(End of chapter)