There are many things in life I thought would try to kill me.
A truck? Sure.
A demonic cultivator? Apparently.
My own fire? Absolutely.
A mountain?
…Well, that one was new.
We'd barely left the clearing where we shattered the realm seed when the terrain decided to become my mortal enemy. The path narrowed into a steep incline, rocks jutting out like they were placed specifically to trip me. The wind howled. The air thinned. And Jin Zhen—our newly acquired wind‑powered menace—floated up the slope like gravity was a suggestion.
"Come on, Fire hazard," he called down. "You're slow."
"I'm HUMAN," I shouted back. "You're cheating with wind magic!"
"It's not magic," he said. "It's cultivation."
"Same thing!"
Mei Lin walked past me with the calm grace of someone who had never once tripped in her life. "You should conserve your breath."
"I would," I said, "if the mountain wasn't trying to steal it."
Lian Hua, who was somehow not even sweating, added, "We must reach the ridge before nightfall."
"Why?" I asked. "Does the ridge explode at night? Do demonic cultivators get a power‑up? Do the trees start talking?"
Mei Lin didn't even look back. "No."
"Then why—"
"Because," she said, "you are slow."
I gasped. "Wow. Ableist."
Jin Zhen laughed. "He's dramatic. I like him."
"Stop encouraging him," Mei Lin said.
We continued climbing.
The air grew colder. The wind sharper. The sky dimmer. The forest thinned out, replaced by jagged rocks and patches of stubborn grass. The path twisted around cliffs that dropped into fog‑filled ravines.
I tried not to look down.
I failed.
"Oh good," I said. "A bottomless pit. My favorite."
Jin Zhen floated past me upside‑down. "If you fall, I'll catch you."
"That's not comforting," I said. "You're the kind of guy who would catch me just to drop me again for fun."
He grinned. "You get me."
Mei Lin sighed. "Focus."
We reached a plateau halfway up the mountain. The wind died suddenly, replaced by an eerie stillness.
Lian Hua stopped.
Mei Lin stopped.
Jin Zhen stopped.
I walked into Jin Zhen's back.
"Hey—ow—warn me before you do that!"
"Quiet," Mei Lin said.
I shut up.
Mostly because her tone suggested she'd hit me with her staff if I didn't.
Lian Hua knelt and touched the ground.
"There is corruption here," he said.
I looked around.
The rocks were darker. The air felt heavier. The ground pulsed faintly—like the forest around the realm seed had.
"Oh great," I said. "Another demonic baby?"
"No," Mei Lin said. "Something else."
Jin Zhen's expression shifted—still playful, but sharper. "A remnant."
"A what now?" I asked.
"A remnant," Lian Hua said. "Leftover energy from a demonic cultivator. It lingers after they perform certain rituals."
"Like spiritual residue?" I asked.
"Yes," Mei Lin said. "But dangerous."
"Of course it is," I muttered. "Why would anything in this world be safe?"
The ground trembled.
A low hum filled the air.
The rocks around us cracked.
Dark mist seeped out.
"Oh good," I said. "The mountain is bleeding evil."
Jin Zhen stepped forward. "It's reacting to us."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because," he said, "you're here."
I blinked. "Me?"
"Yes," Mei Lin said. "Your Fire‑type root disrupts demonic energy. It agitates remnants."
"So I'm basically a walking demonic alarm system?"
"Yes," Lian Hua said.
"Great," I said. "Love that for me."
The ground cracked again.
A shape rose from the fissure.
Humanoid.
Twisted.
Made entirely of dark mist and corrupted energy.
Its eyes glowed purple.
It opened its mouth and screamed—a sound like metal scraping against bone.
I stumbled back. "NOPE. NOPE. ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Mei Lin raised her staff.
Lian Hua summoned wind.
Jin Zhen smirked. "Finally. Something fun."
The remnant lunged.
Fast.
Too fast.
It appeared in front of me in a blink.
I inhaled.
Heat surged.
My aura flared.
I raised my hand—
"EMBER‑STRIKE—"
The remnant passed through me.
Literally through me.
Cold shot through my chest.
My vision blurred.
My breath caught.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping.
Mei Lin shouted, "Icarus!"
Lian Hua unleashed a blast of wind, scattering the remnant's form.
Jin Zhen appeared beside me, grabbing my arm. "Hey. Stay with me."
I coughed, shivering. "What… what was that?"
"A remnant," Mei Lin said. "They do not attack the body. They attack the spirit."
"Oh good," I said. "So it's a ghost. A ghost that hates me."
The remnant reformed.
It lunged again.
This time at Mei Lin.
She swung her staff, releasing a burst of green energy. Vines erupted from the ground, binding the remnant's form.
It shrieked.
Lian Hua followed with a blast of wind, slicing through the mist.
Jin Zhen vanished in a swirl of air and reappeared behind the remnant, striking with a whirlwind kick.
The remnant dissolved.
Reformed.
Dissolved again.
Reformed again.
"Oh come on," I said. "It respawns?"
"It is a remnant," Mei Lin said. "It will not stop until the corruption is cleansed."
"And how do we do that?"
Lian Hua looked at me.
"You."
I blinked. "Me?"
"Yes," Mei Lin said. "Your fire can purify it."
"Oh," I said. "So I just… burn the ghost."
"Yes."
"Cool. Totally normal sentence."
I inhaled.
Heat surged.
My aura ignited.
The remnant lunged.
I exhaled.
FWOOOM
A wave of fire erupted from my body, sweeping across the plateau. The remnant shrieked as the flames engulfed it. Its form twisted, contorted, and then—
It dissolved.
Completely.
The dark mist evaporated.
The ground stopped pulsing.
The air cleared.
Silence fell.
I collapsed onto my back, panting.
Jin Zhen flopped down beside me. "Well. That was dramatic."
Mei Lin knelt next to me. "Are you injured?"
"Spiritually," I said. "Emotionally. Existentially."
Lian Hua nodded. "He is fine."
"Wow," I said. "Thanks for the concern."
The system chimed.
[QUEST COMPLETE: CLEANSE THE REMNANT]
[REWARD: CULTIVATION +10 STAGES]
Heat surged through me.
My aura flared.
[CULTIVATION STAGE: 56]
I exhaled slowly.
Mei Lin stared at me. "You advance too quickly."
"Yeah," I said. "I'm special."
"That is not a compliment."
"I'm taking it as one."
Jin Zhen stretched. "Well. The remnant's gone. But the corruption came from somewhere."
Lian Hua nodded. "The demonic sect is active in these mountains."
Mei Lin looked toward the peak.
"We must continue."
I groaned. "Of course we must."
Jin Zhen grinned. "Come on, Fire hazard. The mountain isn't done trying to kill you."
"Great," I said. "Can't wait."
We stood.
We continued climbing.
And somewhere far above us…
A demonic cultivator watched from the shadows.
"The Fire anomaly grows," he whispered. "Good. Let him climb. Let him burn. The peak awaits."