"Alright, I have decided what to do," Max resolved. After thinking for a long time, he had come to a decision.
Since the Blade Family had set their sights on him, he would stay in the Phoenix Order guild until he was strong enough to defend himself against them.
While staying in the guild, he would act like any other guild member, contributing to the guild while also searching for clues related to his sister. He believed that he would at least find something about her whereabouts or the full truth of the matter.
With that problem sorted out, Max pondered whether to reveal his strength or hide his identity.
Continue your saga on empire
’Since Sophia, the master of the Arcane Order department, already knows about my true strength—that I can kill those at level 10 while still being at level 6—there’s no need to hide my identity,’ Max thought. Apart from her, Alice, Amy, and all those in the Inner Circle of the Phoenix Order’s branch knew about his strength, so there was no point in hiding his face.
"Also, if I want the Phoenix Order guild to trust me, I’ll have to show them what I can offer," Max mused, considering his plans for the future.
Having sorted everything out, Max left Phoenix City and arrived back at his house. He went inside the training chamber and noticed several training equipment, from dummies to weights.
’It’s large, and that’s all that matters,’ Max thought, noticing that the training chamber was spacious enough for him to perform his skills.
Satisfied with the training chamber, Max sat down cross-legged and took out the purple lantern. "I unknowingly became the master of this lantern last time when the speck of flame entered my blood and joined with the purple flames," he thought, looking at the purple flames blazing inside the lantern.
Curious, he checked its status.
---
[Lantern of Purple Death]
– Rank: Legendary
– Master: Max Voidwalker
– Description: This ancient and malevolent artifact emits a ghostly purple glow that pulses with the energy of death itself. The lantern’s flame is said to be fueled by the souls of the fallen, and its light brings despair and destruction to all who stand against its wielder.
---
"It’s a Legendary Rank artifact!" Max silently exclaimed. He hadn’t expected the lantern he unknowingly stole to be of such high rank.
"Lionheart Guild must have suffered a heavy loss," he chuckled, wondering if they knew he had joined the Phoenix Order guild. Would they send someone to take the lantern back?
"But it doesn’t matter. Since I’m the master of this artifact, I can summon it from anywhere," Max smiled and calmed himself.
He took a deep breath and cleared his distracted thoughts. ’Time to use this lantern.’
Controlling the purple flames within the lantern, Max guided them to float gracefully around him. They swirled like a gentle breeze, forming a mesmerizing ring of purple fire that encircled him, casting an ethereal glow in all directions.
The lantern floated steadily in front of Max as he focused all his attention on the flames dancing around him. The gentle flicker of the purple flames seemed to resonate with his thoughts, pulling him into a profound state of comprehension.
Slowly but surely, he began to grasp the essence of the flame aura, its energy flowing through him as if it were an extension of his own soul.
At that moment, Max unconsciously slipped into the Dimension of Time within his mind. Inside this realm, time unraveled infinitely, allowing him to delve into the essence of the Flame Aura.
At first, he felt the searing heat of the flames, but instead of discomfort, he found familiarity. He could sense the subtle variations in temperature, each carrying a distinct purpose and potential. This was the heat of flames, the raw power that could destroy or nurture depending on its wielder’s intent.
As days turned into years within the Dimension of Time, Max delved deeper. He began to comprehend the basics of flames—how they were born from a spark, fueled by energy, and sustained by oxygen. He saw their chaotic dance, their hunger for life, and their duality as both creators and destroyers.
Then came the fundamentals. Max’s mind unraveled the very nature of combustion, the balance of heat, fuel, and air. He understood the energy that ignited flames and how they evolved, intensifying into destructive infernos or soft, guiding lights.
He realized how emotions and will could influence the shape, temperature, and power of flames, turning them into a direct expression of his soul.
Years passed in his comprehension, and when he finally opened his eyes, only mere hours had gone by in the real world. The purple flames surrounding him now pulsed with a depth of understanding that was unmatched. They burned not just with heat but with purpose—a reflection of Max’s mastery over their essence.
[Congratulations to Max Voidwalker for comprehending Flame Aura.]
’It was harder than I expected. It took me 10 years to understand Flame Aura,’ Max thought as he put away the purple lantern.
Opening his status, he gave it a quick glance.
---
[Max]
– Rank: [Novice]
– Level: 6
– Class: [Dimensional Keeper]
– Title: [Limitbreaker, Aura of Primordial]
– Physique: 7
– Soul: 7.2
– Energy: 11
– Skills:
—» Class Skills: [Three Dimensional Body, Dimension of Time, Dimension of Spirits]
—» Acquired Skills: [Magic Sword Bullets (Lvl-40), Intermediate Sword Arts (Lvl-1), Super Dash (Lvl-1), Barrage Strike (Lvl-1), Flame Creation (Lvl-100), Molten Coating (Lvl-1), Omni Guard (Lvl-1), Wind Float (Lvl-1)]
—» Comprehensions: [Sword Aura (Lvl-1), Flame Aura (Lvl-1)]
– Bloodline: [Black Dragon Chaotic Bloodline]
—» Draconic Essence: [10]
—» Dragon Scales: [2]
---
’Now I know that to comprehend a Concept, one must first master the Aura,’ Max thought, wondering how he should go about increasing the levels of his Sword Aura and Flame Aura.
He had noticed that comprehending Sword Aura in the Dimension of Time was useless, no matter how much time he spent on it. He just couldn’t increase the level of Sword Aura.
"It seems that if I get the chance, I’ll have to ask Master Sophia about this problem of mine," Max pondered. This was also one of the reasons he decided to stay in the Phoenix Order—they had resources to cultivate Auras and transform them into Concepts.
’But I can do something new with the Flame Aura,’ he thought excitedly as a small blue glowing sword, the size of his hand, floated atop his fingers.
Max fixed his unwavering gaze on the sword in his hand, his entire focus poured into it. Gradually, tiny sparks of flame began to shimmer along the blade’s surface, flickering like embers stirred by a gentle breeze.
Each spark crackled softly before flaring into small, vibrant flames that momentarily danced with life. Yet, just as they ignited, they would falter and fade, vanishing into thin wisps of smoke.
’It seems I need to practice a lot before I can fully ignite my swords,’ Max thought, sighing. He could easily cover his sword with flames using his Infernal Coating skill, but to ignite something made from a skill was much more difficult.
Beep!
Just then, his holowatch glowed with a green color.
Max checked and saw that it was a message from Alice.
’She wouldn’t be suspicious of me, would she, after finding that no such person exists who I asked her to find?’ Max thought as he checked the message.
[Meet me at the Ember Heart Hall in 5 minutes.]
Max sighed upon seeing the message. ’I hope it’s not anything about me.’