BTTH : Wandering Soul

With newfound determination Xiao Yan started walking towards the central volcanic structure. The scorching heat turned hotter as he went on, while the freezing cold increase intensity. But these extreme temperatures which his body couldn't endure in the past, were like a gentle breezes of hot and cold for him.

He had no problem resolving two opposing extremes using his dou technique, Yin-yang harmony. He used The scorching heat to increase fierce skin freezing temperature, while using freezing cold to decrease the fierce skin melting temperature. His proficiency over this dou technique had become close to perfect due to intense practice.

Soon he was within just ten steps from the central volcanic structure. The gentle energy fluctuations had become fierce, like intense storm trying to push Xiao Yan back. But he held on. With unwavering determination he kept pushing forward. Now the temperatures were so extreme than he couldn't completely resolve them. His skin started becoming red from one side due to intense heat. While white ice layer formed and started spreading on the other side. But he still kept going.

And he finally reached the structure. The energy fluctuations were too much to bear in such close distance. He was on the verge of breaking down. His skin starting to have blood appearing from the red side and freezing cold solidified blocking dou qi. Despite the intense pain tearing his mind, he reached out towards the center and gently touched the peak point where energy particles where being gathered.

As soon as his hand touched it, a gentle energy ripple originated from it, spreading circularly all over the place. A whisp of white and black flame emerged from the volcano following the ripple. The flame had two small fishes, one black and one white. They kept chasing each other in endless loop, thus white and black flames kept travelling in circular pattern around each other.

But before Xiao Yan could attempt to catch the seed flame, a figure appeared above it. Its body was somewhat transparent, flickering like a ghostly shadow. His face was old yet ancient, as though carved by the passage of countless years, every wrinkle telling tales of forgotten eras. His eyes, however, were deep and unfathomable, like the vast cosmos, holding both wisdom and an oppressive weight of time—eyes that seemed to pierce through souls and see the truths hidden within.

Even before the figure uttered a single word, Xiao Yan instinctively understood—this was the same mysterious person who had appeared in the dream realm. His presence stirred something within Xiao Yan, a memory that was not his own yet felt deeply familiar.

The figure's mouth remained still, yet words resonated clearly, as though carried on the winds of time itself. The voice was gentle yet heavy, layered with an ancient power that seemed to reverberate through the very fabric of the space.

"I have waited centuries for you… For the one bearing the Primordial Chaos Body physique to appear on this continent once again."

The words echoed through Xiao Yan's mind, their weight pressing down like an invisible mountain. The figure's translucent form flickered as though it might dissolve at any moment, yet his aura remained unwavering, boundless, and oppressive.

"Few came before you, but they failed to comprehend the true meaning of balance and were incinerated into nothingness. You are the first to pass my test."

Xiao Yan's breath hitched as those words settled in. His success where others had failed felt monumental, yet his instincts warned him that this was only the beginning.

The figure's gaze grew sharper, those ancient eyes like two endless wells of cosmic wisdom and regret.

"The Primordial Chaos Body physique is unique. The more you endure, the stronger you will become—provided you do not fall and die before that strength blooms."

The voice softened slightly, as though recalling a painful memory.

"I, too, possessed the same physique, yet I failed to grasp its true potential until it was far too late. My path was one of bitter regret. I can only hope you will achieve far more than I ever could."

Xiao Yan clenched his fists unconsciously. This was not just a gift but also a burden of legacy, a responsibility passed down across untold centuries.

The figure raised a translucent hand, and the peculiar Yin-Yang Twin Flame floated towards him. It was beautiful yet dangerous, its dual-colored energies intertwining and swirling like a pair of dancing dragons—one dark and calming, the other bright and searing.

"This flame is the Yin-Yang Twin Flame. Though it ranks low among the Heavenly Flames, it holds limitless potential, especially in the hands of someone with the Primordial Chaos Body physique."

The flame hovered before Xiao Yan, its energy crackling softly but exuding a mysterious harmony that tugged at something deep within him.

"This is my gift to you—for enduring the endless torment and successfully grasping the true meaning of balance. Take this flame, and may you carry my legacy forward into the future."

As the words faded, the space around Xiao Yan trembled. The air itself seemed to bow to the power of the figure and the flame, waiting for him to accept the challenge that lay ahead.

Xiao Yan's heart pounded in his chest. This was far more than he had ever expected. A gift, a test, and the weight of an ancient legacy—all converging at this single moment.

Without waiting for Xiao Yan's response, the figure's form began to dissolve, breaking apart into a whitish wind. It swirled gently yet purposefully, moving like sentient mist toward the hovering Yin-Yang Twin Flame.

The wind wrapped around the flame, merging with it in a seamless dance of light and shadow. Before Xiao Yan could even react, the intertwined black-and-white flame shot toward him like a spear of energy.

Xiao Yan's eyes widened in astonishment and alarm, but there was no time to resist. The ethereal wind, along with the Yin-Yang seed flame, plunged into his body in a flash of blinding light.

The space around him fell into a deathly silence. The chaotic energy fluctuations that had filled the volcanic chamber moments earlier came to an abrupt stop, as though the world itself was holding its breath.

Then, suddenly—

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted from within Xiao Yan's body, shaking the volcanic platform and sending ripples of energy across the chamber. Xiao Yan's body became the center of a storm.

Visually, his body began to show disturbing signs of breaking down. His skin cracked like parched earth, deep fissures forming across his arms, chest, and face. Dark red blood oozed from the wounds, streaming down his body in slow, jagged lines.

At the same time, faint white strands of vapor began to seep from the cracks—an ethereal mist that seemed to carry the dual essence of Yin and Yang, cold and warm energies battling for dominance. The vapors curled and wove around him like spectral ribbons.

Xiao Yan's body, defying gravity, floated slowly into the air, carried by an invisible force. His expression was locked in a mixture of pain and determination, his entire being trembling from the force raging inside him.

After several agonizing moments, his body was gently lowered back onto the volcanic platform—the spot where the flame had once rested. The surface, still glowing faintly from the flame's absence, seemed to cradle his form like a molten bed.

The silence returned, but the tension in the air remained suffocating. Xiao Yan's battered body lay motionless, wisps of white vapor still escaping from his wounds, as though his very essence was being rewritten by the Yin-Yang Twin Flame.

This was not the end—it was merely the beginning of his true trial.