"Not quite yet, young master," Thorne said with a small smile, making Kael frown in frustration.
"You're almost there. Now, you just need to use your veinfire and guide it—" Thorne traced a flowing arc in the air with his fingers, then clapped. "—to shatter the first vein block."
Kael squinted. "How do I do that?"
"Sit down for this," Thorne replied as he settled into a cross-legged position.
Kael sighed and copied his posture, settling across from him.
"Close your eyes and feel your veinfire," Thorne murmured.
Kael obeyed, letting his breath slow as he reached inward.
"The moment you sense it, move it. Guide it toward your back—the point just between your neck and spine. You'll find the block there."
Kael searched within. The sensation came slowly at first, a strange warmth threading through his body. It was like discovering an extra limb—an unseen hand that responded to his will. The movement was clumsy at first, veering wildly, but he steadied it, learning its rhythm.
Then he felt it. A wall. A blockage embedded in the flow of his veinpath, resisting the current.
He clenched his jaw and pushed.
The veinfire surged forward. It struck the block.
A crack.
Then a rush—as the barrier gave way and crumbled.
This was it. His first real step toward power—toward becoming someone who could fight back.
A faint silver glow flickered along Kael's fingertips.
Thorne smiled. "Well done, young master. You are now Ember-hand. You've mastered the first form."
Kael opened his eyes slowly, flexing his fingers. The silver shimmer faded, but he could still feel it—his veinfire—resting beneath his skin.
But it felt wrong, like it was alive and condensing itself.
"Is it normal for veinfire to condense itself?" Kael asked, puzzled.
"Yes," Thorne replied. "That's one of the perks of the first form. It actively condenses your veinfire."
Kael frowned. "So I don't have to train to increase its density?"
Thorne chuckled. "That would be cheating. No—training is still necessary. But the first form helps. Your veinfire begins preparing to break the next block on its own. It's a kind of active refinement."
"What's the next block?" Kael asked.
"The Furnace Seal," Thorne said, raising a brow. "You've never heard of it?"
Kael shook his head.
Thorne sighed. "There are vein blocks tied to each rank. You have to break through them to ascend. They cap how much veinfire you can store—and how dense it can become. These blocks form when your veinfire reaches the threshold for that level."
Kael blinked. "So... you just break through?"
Thorne gave a short laugh. "If only it were that easy. They're called blocks for a reason. You can't just bypass them. There are two ways to break one."
He held up two fingers.
"First: masterful control. You find microscopic flaws in the block, infiltrate it, and collapse it from within. Second: brute force. You overwhelm it with veinfire so dense it exceeds the cap."
"Sounds like both are nearly impossible," Kael muttered.
"They are," Thorne agreed. "That's why most people use a mix of both. Control and density. That combination for the normal cultivator can only take you so far—maybe as high as Path-Shatterer, if you're a prodigy with resources and luck."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "What about with the first form?"
Thorne smirked. "With the first form, there's no theoretical limit. There was once someone who reached Hollow Crown."
Kael's eyes widened. "My father?"
"No," Thorne said flatly. "He's more of a myth."
Kael's breath caught, but then he smiled. Somehow, he hoped it was just a myth. Because if someone like that truly existed... he couldn't imagine their power. Five whole levels beyond where he stood now.
He began to whisper the ranks to himself, trying to etch them into memory:
Dust-born, then Ember-hand, Vein-bound, Form-Walker, God-Bitten, Path-Shatterer, Vein Sovereign... then Hollow Crown.
Just one step below the Forsaken Throne—the realm of gods.
Will I ever reach that level? he wondered.
His eyes drifted to Thorne, who was already rising.
"Come," the man said simply, moving toward the weapons rack.
Kael followed Thorne to the weapons rack. Only a few weapons remained—mostly swords. Beside it stood a table cluttered with scrolls.
Thorne moved to the table and picked up one of the scrolls, handing it to Kael.
"As an Ember-hand, you can only manifest your veinfire externally while using techniques," Thorne said. "At this stage, you mostly use it to reinforce your body—but that's not enough."
"We need to use our greatest weapon," Kael murmured, eyes on the scroll.
"Exactly," Thorne replied. "That's a skill scroll." He pointed to it. "You'll need these. But your veinfire nature—silver—is rare. Not many skills for it are left here."
"Silver," Kael said. "I've been wondering—what's its element?"
"It doesn't have one," Thorne said simply.
Kael frowned.
"Or rather, it has all."
The frown deepened.
"It can behave like any element," Thorne clarified, "but in itself, it's neutral. A mirror of sorts."
"So I can use any skill?" Kael asked.
Thorne nodded. "Yes. That could be a huge advantage—or a weakness. Depends how you use it."
Kael's gaze returned to the scroll.
"But there are also techniques made specifically for silver veinfire," Thorne continued. "Only those with your nature can use them. I only have three left." He gestured to two more scrolls on the table.
"You'll learn these three first, before anything else," Thorne said, then motioned to the weapons rack. "Pick a weapon if you want—or just use your fists."
Kael looked down at the scroll. Its layout was simple.
At the top, bold letters read: Shifting Pulse. Beside it, a brief description. Below that, a sketched stance—low, grounded, with one hand open and the other clenched.
The technique allowed him to shift the elemental alignment of his veinfire, changing how his body behaved. He could switch to wind for speed and agility, or earth for durability. It was ideal for someone at the Ember-hand level, where body reinforcement made all the difference.
"So do I just start learning it, or…?" Kael asked.
"Yes," Thorne began, then turned as the door creaked open.
Nyric walked in, sulking.
"But first," Thorne said, "you need a basic understanding of veinfire natures. You'll start with his."
He smiled at Nyric.
Nyric wanted to kill him.
He'd just sunk into a hot spring, ready to relax after everything—and then Thorne's voice rang in his head, summoning him.
Nyric sighed. He couldn't do anything to Thorne. The man had to be at least Path-shatterer level. But even then, no one should be able to communicate over that distance so precisely.
He glanced at the tattoo on his arm. It had to be the cause.
"So how do we do this?" Nyric asked flatly.
"You explain your veinfire nature," Thorne said, walking toward the door. "Demonstrate when needed. Observe him until he grasps it."
Then he was gone.
"Bastard," Nyric muttered.
He looked at Kael, who was still focused on the scroll.
Who would've thought this kid had that nature? Nyric mused. Chameleon, or just jack of all trades? Interesting...