Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1150 - 1149 - Soul Flame Phoenix

Lind had been reviewing his plans when he felt the shift in Bori from his room. He came out and found Chu backing away as pure white flames engulfed his body. He did not understand her fear until he analyzed what the flames were.

Soul flames! Pure power of the soul in flame form! If anyone was careless, they would have their soul obliterated with no way to save themselves. He noticed others were sweating profusely but then realized an oddity.

He felt no danger at all!

He cast a few weavings at the flames and was stunned to find his emerald Qi was quickened! What did that mean?!

He was about to do more experiments when the vitality of Bori began to drop dramatically. Concern grew but just as it seemed he was about to die, the vitality came roaring back!

The flames began to fuse with his body but that was not the only change.

A profound wave of Qi came off of him and Lind realized he had broken through to the Immortal Realm!

He quickly glanced above but instead of tribulation clouds building for the breakthrough, Lind felt something all too familiar.

Joy.

Heaven and Earth were happy!

A Divine bloodline awakening? He tried to think of any tiger that had white flames associated with them but the descriptions were all of variants or mixed races that had characteristics.

He could not place the flame.

He was going to turn to Chu when a new aura filled the room that he recognized! It was different from Feng but similar enough to not mistake it! A phoenix!

How was that possible?

Lind looked on as another familiar sensation came from Bori but that time it was unique to Lind himself.

"Ha, you really wanted to become strong, eh Bori?" Lind smiled as the flames retracted and the transformed boy emerged. He now had eyes of gold and pure white hair. His body was still lithe but now more finely muscled.

He blinked and looked around before Lind welcomed him back. Jur was crying in happiness but Chu continued to look at him in shock. The feeling was not just her own.

The race memory connection had become silent yet the ancestral beast was clearly sent reeling from the results of the trial.

"Lind, what is he?" Chu seemed very shaken but he knew why now. Her body was telling her to obey.

"He is a progenitor. A Divine Progenitor to be precise. In the hierarchy of beasts, he ranks above you." Lind then thought of something. "Bori, summon your flames."

The young man blinked but then a fistful of pure white flame appeared. Instantly, everyone backed away but Lind. He smiled as he conjured emerald flames.

The 2 flames danced around each other and Bori seemed to grasp something.

"The balance of all things. The fulcrum. Of course!" Lind was shocked Bori grasped things about his harmony he had not! Still, he did not feel any enlightenment hit him so he must have grasped most of it already.

The pure white flames tamped down and suddenly all felt invigorated in the room. Their souls were strengthened!

Bori looked pale but then dismissed the flames.

"You and I will schedule some training as well as some general education on what you have become. How was the trial?" He saw Bori pause and glance at Chu. He actually looked worse as if he swallowed a bug.

"Um, I had a rather unique experience but I fought a Fiend…" As the story unfolded, Lind realized his trial was vastly different from Lan's. It was as if the ancestors forced him to relive the same choice as his mother.

How desperate would a person have to be to trigger it let alone succeed? No wonder awakenings were not only rare but failure was high.

Still, the young man did not seem to struggle talking about it so why did he go pale?

"Was there anything else?" Bori looked at him and nodded as his eyes flashed with Qi.

"I can see souls." Now Lind did back up. Such intimate knowledge was concerning but worse, Bori could hurt himself looking at more powerful cultivators!

He tried to explain it but Lind understood it was like a harmony in that aspect. The user would instinctively understand some things and study was needed to comprehend it more deeply.

"That is ok, we will work on it. I understand it is uncomfortable." He thought he understood at last. Bori was able to see something very precious to all cultivators. Combined with his flame, it made him a very powerful being all by itself!

Bori then shook his head and took a breath.

"Somehow, during the trial, my mother's real soul took over her avatar. The senior delayed the end of the trial so we could have a moment. I have a message for my brother and some others. Mostly thanks for looking after us but for you, Master, she deeply thanks you for guiding us to new opportunities." Lind smiled and looked at him sadly.

It was not something he liked to think about, but many of his close family and friends from his early days were long dead beyond his reach to even say goodbye. Others had died in war as well.

How would he feel getting to meet them again? Would anyone believe him too?

He was glad Bori had a chance to say goodbye after all the tragedy he and his brother had faced.

Bori then looked at Chu and began to fidget. His once impressive aura was retracted entirely within his body.

"Um, my, uh, mother had one last message but I would prefer to deliver it in private." Chu looked confused but Lind quickly had everyone else leave. He stayed just in case.

Bori began to sweat but then swallowed and looked Chu in the eyes.

"She made me promise to deliver it exactly. It was her last request of me, Lady Chu." Bori seemed to prepare himself before finally proceeding. "If my boy likes your daughter and she likes him back, keep your busy body nose out of it!"

He immediately shrunk down but Lind saw Chu shift from curious to angry.

"Was that all?" Bori shook his head.

"She, um, there was one last part, but, um, please don't hurt me!" Bori took a breath and then he looked at Chu and spoke words Lind recognized from the depths of his soul. "If you ever break my son's heart or trust, I will return from Samsara and find you."

A rumble from above shocked Lind. His own mother had made several declarations but he had never heard of Heaven responding!

Chu noticed as well and her demeanor shifted once more.

She was always harsh on the brothers for training but when Jur showed an interest in Bori, she had gone out of her way to nearly crush him. Lind never saw the need to interfere as she never crossed the line, but he did talk to her about it.

Now, he felt like a mother from beyond the grave had just warned an Immortal to take her threats seriously!

"You did well, Bori. Go." Lind dismissed him and he ran from the room like lightning. His speed was not the only stunning aspect as his reflexes were phenomenal compared to before.

Sparks of white flame flew behind him but Lind was not sure if that was normal or just his emotional state.

"He is an Immortal now. You understand that, right?" He turned to Chu who looked at him with eyes that called him an idiot but he knew well that older cultivators rarely adapted to sudden changes.

Bori had been just a kid when they met but in less than 2 decades, he had become a fully fledged Immortal. The speed of that progress had been desperation and Lind's influence but it still needed his personal effort.

"The old man is finally silent. He had been pestering me to put the boy in the trial sooner. I am sorry." She bowed but he waved it off.

"We both have been watching over all 3 of them for so long but it is time to step back. I have some things to teach him but–" Both froze as a new feeling from above spread to them. Heaven was rejoicing but Lind did not recognize why.

He looked to find Lan hugging his brother in joy and he could guess they had been talking but why would Heaven react?

The pair dismissed the wards and voices came back.

"Congratulations, Bori!" Lan was ecstatic but Oz was pale for some reason in the corner. Lind went to him and found his body had just experienced a strain.

"What happened?" Oz looked up with his grizzled features but he glanced at Bori in shock before he answered.

"I recognized something when he described his crystal. It is a legendary race thought extinct. A Soul Flame Phoenix." Oz then looked around but nothing happened. Lind instantly knew what occurred.

"You told a progenitor his race and Heaven rejoiced at you instead of him?" Oz slowly nodded and then winced.

"Heaven can leave me out of any future parties." Lind smiled and then looked at the young people still celebrating.

He announced a feast and had invitations sent out to Princess Fyre and the other friends they had made. He also owed them an explanation for the odd events.

The happy atmosphere felt like hope was renewed for them all but Lind also felt more pressure to work on his body.

He needed the strength to protect them and his body was now an obstacle. He needed to build his own space and begin his work in earnest.