> [Event: Ranked Duel – Tian Xue vs. Liu Yan]
Time Remaining: 30 minutes
Arena: Crimson Arena, Tier 2 – Witnessed by Overseers, Open to Trialist Spectators
Secondary Action: Jiang Han decoding Long Chen's Echo #117 – 78% progress
---
Morning – Before the Flames
The Crimson Arena shimmered under the morning sky—built into the natural volcanic shelf outside the Crossroads, its ground formed of hardened soulstone and embedded flame circuits. Already, dozens of trialists gathered in the terraces, whispers buzzing.
> "Is that her?"
"The one bonded to Jiang Han?"
"She came out of a dungeon changed."
"Let's see if it means anything when the flame hits."
Tian Xue stood at the edge of the ring, head held high, armor reforged with glyph-thread patterns. Her Phoenix Hatchling perched on her shoulder. The Nightflame Lynx circled at her feet like a living shadow.
From the opposite gate, Liu Yan entered—a lean, sharp-eyed cultivator clad in red-black robes with jagged flame cuffs and two chained fire-spirits drifting around his shoulders.
> "Didn't expect them to give me you," he said. "But I'm not complaining."
Tian Xue didn't reply. She looked to the ridge where Jiang stood, watching silently, arms crossed.
Then the gong sounded.
---
Duel Start – Flames Collide
Liu Yan moved first, launching two spinning chains of flame that curved mid-air like serpents. The Phoenix Hatchling spiraled upward to scatter one with a burst cry, while the Lynx blurred sideways, barely dodging the second.
Tian Xue spun, her blade cutting a clean arc that split one of the incoming soulflames.
> [Sync Link: Active – Flame Pulse Amplified]
[Twinstep Flame – Companion Echo x1: Minor Regeneration Applied]
Liu Yan narrowed his eyes.
> "So the rumors were true. You're linked."
He lunged—fast, pulling a technique that melted the arena floor around him into a rising wall of molten rock. He punched through it, sending a fist-shaped column of boiling flame toward her.
Tian Xue planted her foot.
The scroll Jiang had given her glowed faintly beneath her armor.
> "Break."
The wall shattered in a crosswind burst as the Phoenix Hatchling roared in unison with her swing. Her blade ignited—not in ordinary red-orange, but in soul-colored violet.
> [Flame Evolution Triggered – Temporary Boost: Soul Affinity +12%]
She rushed forward.
---
Jiang Han – In the Vault
While the crowd roared, Jiang remained in the vault.
He stared at the burning echo still suspended in the ring.
Long Chen's voice whispered through the resonance threads:
> "If you're hearing this… they're watching you."
> "They want to control the fire. Not honor it."
Jiang's system pulsed.
> [Hidden Record Detected: Sovereign Directive Fragment – ID: L.Chen-Prime]
Message Encryption Tier: Soul Flame Lock]
Key Required: Blood of Flameborne… and Awakened Echo.
→ Tian Xue.
He stood suddenly.
> "She's the key. And she's in the arena."
---
Arena – The Strike that Shook the Trial
Tian Xue and Liu Yan clashed in mid-air—his chained flames looping around her like nooses. Her blade burned through them in quick, tight arcs. The Phoenix Hatchling flared behind her, echoing her heartbeat. The Lynx reappeared behind Liu Yan and raked at his ankle—disrupting his focus.
> "Enough!" Liu Yan shouted. He activated his Inferno Crown—a spiraling aura of flame meant to disorient linked soul pets.
The hatchling faltered.
The Lynx collapsed.
Tian Xue gasped.
> "Don't break—"
Then her bond pulsed.
Not from her.
From Jiang Han.
Across the bond, a surge of stabilizing heat poured in. His flame reached out like a hand grabbing hers.
> [Twinstep Flame – Emergency Sync Transfer Activated]
Both Bonded Entities Gain Stability + Soulfire Resistance +6s Duration
Tian Xue's eyes widened.
Then narrowed.
She screamed—and burst forward in a single blink-step that shattered Liu Yan's shield.
Her blade hit true.
Liu Yan hit the dirt.
The flame seal above the arena flashed:
> [VICTORY – Tian Xue]
The arena went silent.
Then exploded in noise.
---
Jiang – Just Too Late
He arrived at the edge of the arena just as Tian Xue turned, chest heaving, blood on her cheek but standing tall.
She smiled.
He smiled back.
But across the arena, one of the Overseers leaned toward another and whispered:
> "The bond is stronger than expected."
> "Then we sever it... before the trials begin."