Han Zhan's words struck Luo Chen like a blow to the head. The excitement that had been burning within him moments earlier vanished instantly, replaced by a chill that ran down his spine. It felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he could not stop himself from trembling. He asked in disbelief, "How could this be?" 

Han Zhan sighed. "How could this not be? I was going to talk to you when you couldn't get the fourth-tier Sky-Burning Fire. I never thought you'd actually succeed. But after that, when I saw that you wanted to keep going, I couldn't stay silent any longer."

Luo Chen fell silent. He glanced toward Vermilion Bird Mountain, then made his way to a barren patch of land where the spirit energy was thin. Then, he sat down cross-legged, steadied his thoughts, and turned his consciousness inward. 

Within his sea of qi, both the Golden Core and the Nascent Core rotated steadily. Nearby, however, a wisp of azure flame flickered with unusual vitality. As it swayed and stretched, it took on the outline of a small tree, vibrant and full of life. More importantly, Luo Chen could clearly sense a faint will emanating from within it. In other words, his primordial true fire had already gained sentience. Under normal circumstances, this would have been cause for a celebration. Yet now, with what Han Zhan had just told him, Luo Chen felt as though a sword hung suspended above his head, ready to fall at any moment.

Han Zhan's voice drifted over slowly. "The sea of qi is where the Golden Core resides. One day, it will become your Purple Mansion and the home of your Nascent Soul. But your primordial true fire gained sentience before its time and has already begun changing your sea of qi and turning it into a place better suited for itself. When the day comes for your Nascent Soul to be...