Tower of Heaven

Atlas was completely enveloped in flames. They touched his body from every angle, making their presence impossible to ignore.

From a first look, it was obvious that he had to be in a lot of pain. Even the greatest phoenixes eventually had to leave the trial when the pain became too much.

The Trial of Fire was formed through the purest blood essence of ancestral phoenixes. It was not just a flaming corridor, but a singular sentient entity.

It judged anyone and everyone who passed through its doors based on their affinity for the Dao of Fire, and when the limits of their potential began to show, the fire would become more and more aggressive until it was unbearable.

Atlas was also meant to reach this limit eventually. The Elder sent him into this trial because she knew that it was the best way to quiet the opposition.

The Trial of Fire was used to determine how great each and every young phoenix could become, so its results could not be denied unless one wanted to disregard the traditions of the clan itself.

If Atlas could even get remotely close to where the average phoenix ended their trudge through the flames, it would become difficult for opposing voices to raise concerns about his presence in the palace.

What came after was a matter of later. The Trial of Fire was only a preliminary measure to keep their mouths shut.

However, when the Elder saw those doors open, she had already assumed what kind of scene would take place inside.

And her assumptions could be nothing but correct.

The flames looked terrifying from the outside, but they did not harm Atlas' body. They caressed him and made him feel cozy. They gave him a homely sensation similar to what he felt from the Elder.

Only, the sensation provided by these flames did not come from an enchantment technique. That was the nature they held.

They were pure and gracious.

'As the purest essence of the Phoenix Race, these flames do not represent violence, but the concept of rebirth.'

The concept of vitality and life that fire embodied just as strongly as it did the tendencies of violence and destruction. Phoenixes could absolutely be great warriors, but the core of their flames did not come from a warring place.

When he entered the flames, Atlas didn't know that these were "essence flames." The information suddenly appeared in his head as if the fire was personally telling him its origins.

It urged him to walk, gently nudging him in the right direction. It did not hold him back; it pushed him forward.

'She acted like this would be some kind of great challenge.'

The flames danced around him as if they were giggling at his thoughts.

Though he could not see it, he had already walked half of the trial without realizing it. He kept moving forward, embracing the feeling of the fire without questioning anything else.

He could feel these flames feeding his mind with knowledge. They openly presented to him their nature, making it easier than ever before to see what fire truly could be.

'I have chosen to master the concept of everburn in this life, however, there is no harm in learning about rebirth as well.'

Because at the end of the day, everburn was a concept that became more powerful when it was emboldening the energy of its sister concepts.

'The essence of a Phoenix…'

He wanted to understand it through the flames, but they hid it from him. They purely showed him the essence of fire without deviating into the nature it contained when it interacted with their race.

'It's a shame. Just as humans mimicked dragons during the foundational eras, they mimicked phoenixes. These two divine creatures have always stood above all others in terms of importance to both human culture and technique. I am already learning from dragons, and as I continue to fight with and against them, I am learning very much about how their race perceives qi and the Dao.'

He wanted to learn the same things from the Phoenixes. These different views of the same concepts were very important to him, as they allowed him to understand the world itself better than any other medium.

[Your appreciation for the art of cultivation is admirable, however, you are already getting ahead of yourself, young one. It is still too early for you to believe that you can understand the essence of dragons or phoenixes.]

As Atlas pondered the Dao and ambled away, the flames swirled around him. They swayed and coagulated into the form of a spirit.

It was a bird of a bright red color, large enough for its wings to take up the entire space within the trial corridor. Its regal gaze bore down on him with some natural pressure, but he could sense that the entity held no ill will towards him.

To say Atlas wasn't surprised by the sudden appearance of this being, he did not act in an unsightly manner. His eyes only widened for a moment before he gave a slight bow of respect.

"Greetings, Senior."

He didn't need an explanation about the being's identity. It was, undoubtedly, the spirit that was born during the formation of this space.

It made sense. Such a huge concentration of qi and spirituality was bound to form a sentient spirit, and judging from its immediate attitude, it seemed to have adopted the tendencies and personalities of the deceased ancestors into a single form.

The phoenix spirit circled him in the air, observing him from every angle.

[Mm. I can see why you have made it this far. You have quite a mixture of interesting things inside your body.]

After saying so, the spirit landed on a perch that was created out of its will and faced him once more.

[Boy, you are clearly not a phoenix, nor are you a divine beast of any sort. You are clearly a human, so how is it that you have been able to attain such things?]

Atlas was confused by its words more than anything. He couldn't quite understand what it was referring to.

[Then again, perhaps you were born into such a fate. Indeed, indeed. Another era of heroes has arrived.]
Explore more at empire

Not giving Atlas any time to understand its words, the spirit swiftly switched the topic.

[You are very clearly confused. To explain simply…]

The spirit waved its wings, and with a great burst of wind, the flames in front of Atlas cleared.

No more than five meters away stood a set of massive doors identical to the ones Atlas used to enter the trial.

[...you have already reached the end of the Trial of Fire. With this, you have proven that your affinity for the Dao of Fire goes beyond any other that has entered this trial ground in the past three millennia.]

[I manifested myself purely out of curiosity. You are a more unique entity than I could have ever imagined.]

Atlas nodded his head.

"Then, am I meant to walk through those doors now?"

The phoenix spirit looked at him for a moment before speaking.

[If you walk through that door, you will be crowned as a man with a perfect affinity for the Dao. A grand scenery will appear in the skies of this realm and the world will witness your accomplishment. You will overshadow the Feng Clan entirely and become a source of shame for them. If that is what you desire, then you may walk through that door.]

It was clear that the spirit had its own biases, but it also wasn't stopping him. If that truly was his goal, then he would be allowed to achieve it without interference. It was his right as a person with a perfect affinity.

'However, more than shaming the Feng Clan, what it will do is tell the world of my potential.'

Atlas revealed to the world only the amount of power he was willing to show them.

If the knowledge that he had such amazing potential became easily accessible, would people continue to underestimate him? Would he still be able to move through the Tower without being recognized?

'I need fame in order to achieve my goals, but that is fame directed by me. It is the narrative that I have spun, so there is still a level of anonymity within it.'

On the other hand, walking through those doors would put him in front of eyes that he did not want and spin a narrative that he could not control.

He looked at those doors. They were quite the tempting things.

However, he came to his decision easily.

At this moment, it was still better for him to hide his true potential.