Chapter 43: Flame pagoda transformation art

Arthur flashed a wide, eager smile, leaning in slightly. "By the way, Brother... how is your own progress coming along? Have you managed to make any headway toward the second rank yet?"

Ethan returned the smile with an easy, unbothered expression. "I’m making steady progress, Arthur. In fact, I’m just on the verge of breaking through. I should reach the second rank very soon."

For a split second, Arthur’s smile stiffened, the forced warmth faltering across his features. He quickly recovered, schooling his expression back into a polite mask. "That... that’s wonderful news, Brother. If our current academy really helped you reach the second rank just like it did for me, then perhaps that legendary institution in the capital truly lives up to its reputation."

Arthur’s eyes lit up with ambition. "I’ve heard tales of the Empire’s Grand Magical Academy—the largest and most prestigious institute in the entire realm. They only accept youths between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one who have already attained the second rank. And they say that by the time students graduate at twenty-one, nearly all of them have broken through to the fourth rank! If our little regional school can produce second-rank mages, then an empire-level academy must possess true, miraculous power."

Ethan merely watched him, a knowing glint in his blue eyes. In his past life, having awakened his fire spirit early on, he had entered that very same imperial academy at age fifteen. But things were vastly different now.

"Are you thinking of applying there when the time comes?" Ethan asked smoothly.

Arthur grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "I can certainly try! But..." He paused, his expression shifting into a more hesitant, calculated look. "Speaking of which, Brother, have you given any more thought to that matter we discussed earlier?"

"I’ve already given you my answer, Arthur," Ethan replied, his tone chilling slightly. "My decision hasn’t changed. The answer is no."

Arthur frowned, shaking his head in open frustration. "Brother, you don’t need to shackle yourself to Lady Rose’s old arrangements just to honor some distant promise! Look at the reality of the situation—your natural magic talent and baseline cultivation are far too low compared to Seraphina’s. She has already reached the peak of the second rank and is on the verge of breaking into the third rank. Before the academy’s grand trials even open, she’ll easily be a third-rank mage!"

He leaned closer, lowering his voice urgently. "The gap between you two is only going to widen. You should break off this betrothal before it holds you back. And besides... look at Kael."

"Ever since he first laid eyes on Seraphina years ago, he has been constantly lurking around her like a vulture. You know how he is—whenever he sees something of value, he always tries to steal it. He’s already a middle-stage second-rank warrior, and his combat power is immense, easily matching mine. If he decides to make a move against you to take Seraphina for himself, who is going to protect you?"

"After Father left, you’re the only one I can call family."

Ethan chuckled softly, unfazed. "You’ve barely scraped your way into the middle stage of the second rank yourself, Arthur. Instead of worrying about my affairs, you should focus on stabilizing your own foundation."

Arthur opened his mouth to argue further, but before he could utter another word, a heavy, invisible pressure filled the room. With a subtle flick of Ethan’s wrist, Arthur was bodily guided toward the door and unceremoniously ushered out into the hallway, the heavy oak panels clicking shut firmly behind him.

***

As the door sealed, a sharp ripple of crimson light materialized behind Ethan.

From the shifting, shimmering aura stepped a breathtaking figure. She wore a striking, crimson-and-black traditional tunic that hugged her curves with fierce elegance, slit gracefully along the sides to reveal long, flawless legs.

Her midnight-black hair was pulled back into a high, taut ponytail, framing sharp, striking red eyes that radiated an ancient, untamed majesty. Sprouting gracefully from her back were a pair of massive, translucent crimson wings resembling the delicate yet formidable structure of a dragonfly’s, shimmering with faint, ethereal fire-runes.

The fire fairy folded her wings slightly, looking down at Ethan with an amused smirk. "So, that’s your dear foster brother? How utterly clueless. He hasn’t the slightest inkling that you’ve already surpassed the third rank. Though, I must admit, your little charade of hiding your true identity is quite brilliant. It certainly grants you a front-row seat to watch who your true friends and enemies are."

Ethan smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "Indeed. Time has a wonderful way of stripping away masks."

His gaze shifted to the spirit standing before him. This fire fairy had originally been locked deep within the very elemental stone Arthur was fated to unearth years ago. Because Ethan had intercepted the stone and allowed it to absorb his unique, dense mana instead of Arthur’s, the entity had awakened early and acknowledged Ethan as her absolute master.

Furthermore, Ethan had bestowed upon her an ancient, peerless cultivation manual known as the **Flame Pagoda Transformation Art**.

This supreme art allowed a practitioner to hunt down the most terrifying, conscious-possessing **Magic Flames** scattered across the world, refining and sealing them within a spiritual pagoda inside their body.

By balancing the volatile energies of multiple divine flames, a cultivator could multiply their combat output to earth-shattering levels.

"Speaking of which," the fire fairy said, her red eyes sparkling with sharp excitement, "didn’t you mention earlier that you finally tracked down the coordinates of a genuine, high-grade Magic Flame in this region?"

"I did," Ethan replied calmly. "It’s called the **Red Dust Magic Flame**, an extraordinary elemental fire born from the earth path. Legend says that anyone struck by its searing heat suffers a rapid calcification process, turning flesh and bone into solid stone."

The fairy’s eyes lit up with fierce anticipation. "I’ve heard legends of that very flame! If you can absorb it, your Pagoda Transformation Art will take a massive leap forward. It has already been five years since you gave me this technique, and we haven’t managed to secure a single true Magic Flame yet. We should move out immediately!"

A faint smile touched Ethan’s lips. He well remembered the fairy’s true origins—long ago, her physical body had been completely destroyed in an apocalyptic war, leaving her reduced to a purely spiritual, ethereal soul form trapped within a dormant state. One of the primary promises he had made to her when she first swore loyalty was that if he could successfully gather and fuse **nine distinct Magic Flames** into her spiritual core one day, he could forge her an indestructible, nine-colored flame body, restoring her to full physical existence.

Before Ethan could reply, a soft chime echoed from his spatial ring.

With a flicker of mana, a communication talisman lit up. A moment later, a portal of light dissolved, and Selena stepped out from the shadows of the room, her expression unusually urgent.

"Master," Selena reported, bowing respectfully. "I just received an encrypted message from Rose. She has successfully located the exact coordinates of the Magic Flame you were looking for."

A little while later, the door to the room opened, and Kyle walked inside.

However, there was no one inside.

Keal looked around in confusion.

"Where did Ethan go? I heard he was in this room."

[If you’re enjoying the story, don’t forget to support the novel with Power Stones and leave a comment.]