Berserk

Hao Nhien held the Fire Qilin Jade in his palm, slowly closed his fingers around it, and sent a thread of spiritual awareness into the jade.

No Fire spiritual qi surged out, nor did any obvious reaction appear. Before him was only a darkness so deep that it was difficult to understand, as though his spiritual awareness had stepped into an empty space with no end.

Hao Nhien kept his mind steady and did not rush deeper.

After a while, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

It was not danger, nor did it feel like another cultivator’s spiritual awareness probing him. Yet in that moment, Hao Nhien had a very clear feeling that he was being watched.

An invisible gaze seemed to exist somewhere far beyond that darkness, silently resting upon him.

There was no killing intent, no goodwill, not even any emotion he could understand. It simply watched in silence, as though weighing something.

Hao Nhien tightened his hand slightly.

The feeling reminded him of standing before a door that had not yet decided whether to open. The Fire Qilin Jade had not rejected him, but neither had it accepted him.

It was hesitating.

The thought felt strange even to Hao Nhien. How could a jade hesitate? Yet his intuition told him very clearly that whatever existed within was judging him, not by his cultivation or his age, but by something deeper, something even he could not yet reach.

Hao Nhien did not try to investigate further. He simply kept his spiritual awareness where it was, neither advancing nor withdrawing.

If the Fire Qilin Jade did not choose him, then this opportunity was never his to begin with. He had decided to walk this path, but he had no intention of forcing an inheritance that refused to acknowledge him.

He did not know how much time passed before the sensation of being watched suddenly vanished.

The darkness before his spiritual awareness remained still for a while longer. Then a tiny red point of light appeared. It was faint, but the instant it emerged, Hao Nhien sensed an ancient aura from the deepest part of the jade. The red glow spread outward layer by layer, not violently, but like a flame hidden beneath ash for countless years finally revealing itself.

At the same time, warmth returned to his palm.

This time, the Fire spiritual qi did not remain outside.

A thin stream of power slowly seeped through his skin and entered his meridians.

Hao Nhien immediately focused.

He did not know whether this meant the Fire Qilin Jade had truly acknowledged him, but at the very least, the door had opened.

The Fire spiritual qi moved very slowly. Each time it advanced through a section of meridian, it paused briefly before continuing, as though testing how much his body could withstand while quietly changing the places it passed through.

The temperature within his meridians gradually rose.

At first, the sensation was tolerable, but as the Fire spiritual qi moved deeper, the areas that had not yet fully stabilized after his recent Foundation Establishment breakthrough began to ache. The spiritual power in his dantian also fluctuated, not because the Fire spiritual qi was trying to devour it, but because a completely different kind of power had entered a system that had only just settled.

Hao Nhien did not resist immediately. He circulated the Soul Art to keep his Divine Soul clear while using his spiritual awareness to observe every small change in his meridians.

The Fire spiritual qi did not feel destructive. It was simply too heavy, too hot, and too different from the Wind-affinity spiritual power he was accustomed to.

When the two powers first met, his meridians tightened at once.

The Wind spiritual power tended to disperse, while the Fire spiritual qi continued forward. If he allowed them to clash freely, his body would be the first thing to suffer.

Hao Nhien changed the way he circulated his power. Instead of using Wind spiritual power to force the Fire spiritual qi back, he guided it toward a broader meridian route. The first attempt failed, and heat immediately gathered in his arm until his flesh began to burn. He adjusted quickly, moved more slowly the second time, and only on the third attempt did he barely manage to let the two powers pass through the same section of meridian without colliding directly.

Hao Nhien immediately grasped the feeling.

Wind did not necessarily have to extinguish fire. If guided correctly, it could help fire move in a more stable direction.

He began experimenting little by little.

Wind remained Wind, and Fire remained Fire. The two powers did not merge into one, but gradually found a way to coexist within the same meridian system. When the Fire spiritual qi concentrated too heavily in one place, Hao Nhien used Wind to guide it outward. When it dispersed too quickly, he narrowed the circulation path and drew it back into a stable course.

The process was slow.

The Fire Qilin Jade did not push his cultivation upward like some miraculous pill.

Instead, each complete circulation made Hao Nhien’s Foundation Establishment base a little more stable. The liquid spiritual power in his dantian gradually settled, and the slight instability left from only recently entering the realm was slowly pressed down. The meridians touched by the Fire spiritual qi did not suddenly widen, but their endurance and adaptability clearly improved.

That only made Hao Nhien more patient.

At some point, his consciousness slowly sank.

Unfamiliar images began to appear.

A crimson desert beneath a burning sun. Tents built close against massive cliffs to shelter from sandstorms. People with red patterns embroidered on their clothing gathered around a fire in the cold desert night.

Then the wind rose.

Sand covered the sky.

A line of people stood at the front, while behind them were children, the elderly, and those already exhausted from their wounds.

One person fell.

Someone behind immediately stepped forward to take their place.

Another fell.

Another stood.

None of their faces were clear. Hao Nhien saw only silhouettes following one after another, as though across countless generations there had always been someone willing to fall so that those behind them could continue living.

The scene changed again.

Fire burned in the desert.

Someone carried a child through a sandstorm. Someone stood with their back toward the tribe, weapon in hand, facing something beyond sight. Someone knelt beside a fallen companion, then rose again and continued forward.

The Fire Qilin Jade had preserved no particular face. What remained were only scattered fragments of memory from a people who had endured this harsh land for far too long.

Then, amid those images, a sentence reached him.

He could not tell whether the voice was male or female, nor what era it belonged to.

“Do not let our flame become another’s chain.”

Hao Nhien fell silent as the images continued drifting past before gradually fading.

He did not know who had spoken those words, nor how long the Fire Qilin Jade had preserved them. Yet from those fragments alone, he understood a little more clearly why Luu Thai had risked his life to carry this treasure away from the tribe.

The Fire Qilin Jade did not contain only power. It also preserved part of the memories and will passed down through generations of the Fire Qilin Tribe.

Hao Nhien’s awareness gradually returned.

The Fire spiritual qi was still circulating through his body, but it had become far more stable. He guided it through several more cycles, carefully sensing the gradual changes within his meridians and dantian.

Then the jade in his palm began to change.

The red light on its surface did not flare. Instead, it slowly dissolved into countless fine strands that sank into his flesh little by little.

After a long while, the Fire Qilin Jade in Hao Nhien’s palm suddenly became lighter. Its glow did not fade, but transformed into slender threads of light that left his hand and followed an invisible connection directly into his Sea of Consciousness.

Hao Nhien immediately focused his spiritual awareness.

Within the misty expanse of his Sea of Consciousness, the Fire Qilin Jade quietly appeared. It still retained its original form, though it was slightly smaller than before. It hovered at a distance from the Spirit Sword, its deep crimson glow slowly pulsing as faint waves of heat spread outward.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The jade had not dissolved into spiritual power, nor had it disappeared after acknowledging him.

Hao Nhien quickly understood that what had just happened was only the first stage of the fusion. The Fire Qilin Jade was an inheritance treasure nurtured by generations of the Fire Qilin Tribe. It still existed as an independent core, while the changes it brought to him would likely continue over a much longer period.

He observed patiently and soon noticed something else.

Each time his spiritual power completed a full circulation, the Fire Qilin Jade quietly absorbed a very small portion of it. The amount was too little to noticeably affect his cultivation, but the process never stopped. At the same time, the heat radiating from the jade slowly flowed back outward, passing through his Sea of Consciousness and, through the connection between them, spreading into his meridians and flesh.

One side absorbed.

The other returned.

The process was slow, but stable enough for Hao Nhien to sense that his body was still changing little by little. There was no sudden rise in cultivation and no burst of power beyond his control. What the Fire Qilin Jade brought was a far quieter transformation. With each circulation, his spiritual power became slightly more condensed, his meridians adapted a little further, and the newly formed Fire spiritual qi gradually became more familiar to his body.

Hao Nhien was about to continue observing when his forehead suddenly grew hot.

The sensation was clear, but not painful. It gathered directly between his brows, like a tiny drop of flame slowly condensing beneath the skin.

Hao Nhien opened his eyes and touched the spot lightly, but his fingertips felt nothing unusual. Only when he examined it with spiritual awareness did he realize that a faint crimson mark had appeared at the center of his forehead.

It was small, shaped like a closing flame.

More importantly, the moment Hao Nhien became aware of the mark, he also gained a natural feeling that he could activate it. There was no incantation to recite and no special circulation route to follow. With a single thought, whatever lay dormant within the mark seemed ready to respond.

Hao Nhien hesitated briefly, then decided to test it.

He sent only the faintest thread of intent toward the mark, but the response came almost immediately. His forehead heated up, the Fire Qilin Jade within his Sea of Consciousness brightened slightly, and the Fire spiritual qi that had been quietly circulating through his meridians suddenly surged. His heart struck a heavier beat, his blood moved faster, and even the spiritual power in his dantian showed signs of accelerating.

At the same moment, two words naturally appeared in his mind.

Berserk.

Hao Nhien paused.

No technique formula appeared, nor did he receive any complete memory explaining the ability. Yet the instant those two words emerged, he vaguely understood that the mark between his brows was the key to opening it. If he continued activating it, the changes within his body would become far greater than what he had just felt.

It was not merely an increase in Fire spiritual qi.

It was something closer to a full-body eruption.

Because he sensed that much, Hao Nhien immediately withdrew his intent before the mark could fully activate.

The heat at his forehead quickly faded. The Fire Qilin Jade in his Sea of Consciousness returned to its quiet state, continuing to release only faint waves of warmth. His blood and spiritual power also gradually settled.

Hao Nhien remained seated for a while, carefully preserving the sensation he had just experienced.

“Berserk…”

He quietly repeated the name, but had no intention of testing it a second time.

Hao Nhien slowly opened his eyes.

His cultivation remained at early Foundation Establishment, but his foundation was more stable than before, and the spiritual power in his dantian had become more condensed. The Fire Qilin Jade had not given him an easy breakthrough, but it was quietly changing his body in ways he might need a long time to fully understand.

More than the immediate increase in strength, what concerned Hao Nhien was the moment before the jade had accepted him.

The sensation of an invisible gaze passing through the Fire Qilin Jade and looking directly at him remained vivid. It had hesitated. It had weighed him. Only then had it opened the door.

Hao Nhien did not know what it had seen.

Nor did he understand why an outsider to the Fire Qilin Tribe had ultimately been chosen.

If there was anywhere that could give him an answer, it was most likely the Fire Qilin Altar.

The new ability felt like an instinct engraved directly into the Fire Qilin inheritance.

Hao Nhien raised his hand and tried drawing the thinnest thread of Fire spiritual qi to his fingertip.

A tiny red point of light appeared.

It lasted only a moment before fading.

Hao Nhien looked at his fingertip and smiled faintly.

That was enough.

He did not need to know yet how far this power could ultimately take him. The Fire Qilin Jade had entered his Sea of Consciousness, the seed of Fire affinity had been planted, and Berserk was something he would have to explore on his own.

He stood, adjusted his aura, and pushed open the door to the secret chamber.

When Hao Nhien returned to the main hall, Lieu Thien Van was still seated behind the stone table. No one else remained inside. The map of the Western Wastes was still spread before him, and several new marks had appeared in the western region while Hao Nhien had been away.

Hearing footsteps, Lieu Thien Van raised his head.

His gaze rested on Hao Nhien for several breaths.

“How did it go?”

Hao Nhien raised a hand and showed the faint crimson mark beneath the skin.

“The Fire Qilin Jade has fused with me.”

Lieu Thien Van immediately straightened.

“It acknowledged you?”

“Probably.”

The answer made Lieu Thien Van frown slightly.

Hao Nhien briefly described what he had felt before the jade accepted him, especially the moment when it seemed as though something had been watching him and the strange hesitation that followed.

Lieu Thien Van remained silent for quite some time after hearing it.

“Luu Thai never mentioned anything like that.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“What about the people who tried sensing it before?”

“Nothing at all.” Lieu Thien Van shook his head. “According to them, the Fire Qilin Jade never reacted from beginning to end.”

He looked at the faint mark beneath Hao Nhien’s skin for another moment before saying,

“The Fire Qilin Jade was nurtured by generations of the Fire Qilin Tribe. Even Luu Thai may not have known everything contained within it. There is no need to guess blindly right now.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I think so too.”

“If there truly is an answer, the Fire Qilin Altar is probably the best place to find it.”

Lieu Thien Van clasped his hands behind his back and studied him for another moment before speaking again.

“Then according to the ancient customs of the Fire Qilin Tribe, from this moment onward, you are their nominal successor.”

Hao Nhien gave a wry smile.

“That still sounds strange.”

“You will get used to it.”

Lieu Thien Van smiled as well, though his expression soon became serious again as he returned to the stone table.

“Then let us discuss what comes next.”

Hao Nhien sat opposite him.

“I want to know the specific plan.”

Lieu Thien Van pointed to the western region on the map.

“Phi Long is quietly reviewing the records of those with Fire Qilin origins currently serving in Third City and the nearby defensive positions. We cannot question them directly. We will investigate them one by one first, then select one or two who are trustworthy enough.”

“They will travel with me?”

“If nothing changes.”

Lieu Thien Van nodded.

“They must know the routes deep into the Western Wastes, understand tribal customs, and know how the Fire Qilin Tribe is currently divided. But at the beginning, even they do not need to know your entire objective.”

Hao Nhien had no objection.

Given the current situation, the more compartmentalized the secret remained, the safer it would be.

“How far is the Fire Qilin Tribe from here?”

“A few months, if the journey goes smoothly.”

Hao Nhien frowned slightly.

Lieu Thien Van pointed to the vast blank regions on the map.

“The Western Wastes are larger than you think, and even this map is incomplete. You cannot travel along official military routes, and you certainly cannot allow too many people to know your destination. In reality, the journey can only take longer.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

“Before you leave, is there anything you need arranged?”

Hao Nhien had already thought about this.

“Yes.”

He cupped his fists.

“Tieu Lan is still in Third City. She is currently with the Wind and Cloud Squad, but her cultivation is only at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. She is far better suited to medicine and medicinal materials than direct combat. While I am away, I do not want her continuing to follow the squad deep into the frontline.”

“If the city needs help processing medicinal materials, treating the wounded, or handling support work, she can do that. At least until I return, I hope the City Lord can keep her away from missions that are too dangerous.”

Lieu Thien Van nodded immediately.

“That is easy enough. I will have her assignments adjusted.”

Hao Nhien let out a small breath.

“Thank you, City Lord.”

After a brief silence, Hao Nhien continued,

“As for Quan Nha, I do not want her coming with me this time.”

Lieu Thien Van showed no surprise.

“It is not because I do not trust her.” Hao Nhien looked at the map, his voice slowing. “On the contrary, it is precisely because I trust her that I do not want to drag her too deeply into this. The fewer people who know, the better. If even the person who usually travels beside me does not know my true objective, it becomes harder for the enemy to trace.”

“At least before I leave Third City, I do not intend to tell her that the Fire Qilin Tribe is my destination.”

Lieu Thien Van nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing. To outsiders, we only need to say that you accepted a secret investigative mission related to the western routes.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Quan Nha will not believe that easily.”

“That is your problem.”

Lieu Thien Van answered as naturally as ever.

Hao Nhien stared at him for two breaths, then gave up.

The old fox was still an old fox.

“As for the Wind and Cloud Squad, Trieu Phong is still the captain, so I am not worried about the squad losing direction. But the situation in the Western Wastes is becoming more complicated, and the squad still lacks someone strong enough to deal with unexpected danger.”

Lieu Thien Van thought for a moment.

“What about Tieu Kiem?”

Hao Nhien looked up.

“He was the one who originally recommended you for the courier mission. If the Wind and Cloud Squad receives an important assignment later, I can have Tieu Kiem temporarily coordinate with Trieu Phong.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes brightened.

“If Senior Brother Tieu Kiem agrees, I would feel much more at ease.”

“I will ask him.”

Hao Nhien cupped his fists.

“Thank you.”

Lieu Thien Van waved a hand.

“You are about to take on something more dangerous. There is no need to be polite about matters in the rear that I can arrange.”

Hao Nhien thought for a moment longer before speaking again.

“I also need a great deal of information.”

“About what?”

“The Spirit Cloud Continent, the Western Wastes, the tribes, the Heavenly Eye Tribe, the war from more than a thousand years ago, and everything that still remains concerning the Firmament.”

Lieu Thien Van looked at him for a moment.

“That is a broad request.”

“I know.”

“If you ask one question at a time, I may not be able to answer much.”

“That is why I want to read for myself.”

Lieu Thien Van remained silent for several breaths, then stood.

“Then follow me.”

The two left the main hall and passed through another corridor in the command building. This time, Lieu Thien Van did not lead him to a secret chamber, but stopped before a dark brown wooden door.

When the door opened, the scent of old paper, beast hide, spirit ink, and fragrant wood immediately drifted out.

Hao Nhien stepped inside and paused.

The room was much larger than he had expected. Tall shelves stood in rows, holding not only paper books, but also bamboo slips, jade slips, beast-hide maps, faded scrolls, and even several stone fragments engraved with ancient script. A large desk stood in the center, beside which an old lamp burned with a pale blue spiritual flame.

Lieu Thien Van clasped his hands behind his back.

“This is my private study. Most of what I am able to let you see is here.”

He pointed through the different sections.

“History of the Western Wastes, records of the tribes, reports from old conflicts, abandoned routes, and several maps from before spatial distortions appeared in certain regions.”

At last, he pointed toward a shelf deep inside the room.

“Over there are scattered records concerning the war from more than a thousand years ago, the Heavenly Eye Tribe, and the name Firmament.”

Hao Nhien’s gaze immediately shifted in that direction.

Lieu Thien Van noticed his reaction but only said,

“Do not treat everything here as truth. Some records were written centuries apart. Some are only oral accounts copied down by later generations, and some documents directly contradict one another.”

“Read them for clues, not as unquestionable fact.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I understand.”

“I am going to handle the matters you asked about. Phi Long also needs time to investigate those with Fire Qilin origins.”

Lieu Thien Van walked toward the door.

“For the next few hours, this place is yours.”

With that, he left.

The wooden door slowly closed, leaving Hao Nhien alone among the rows of old books.

He stood there for a moment.

If even one fragment of the secret from those ancient years remained buried among these dust-covered records, he would find it.

And every fragment could bring him one step closer to Anh Nhien.