Chapter 38: Transcending Pain and Facing New Paths

Ethan’s expression hardened.

The flame essence flowing from dozens of Essences of Fire.

It was undoubtedly coursing through his body.

It wasn’t as if he’d crushed the essences too soon.

He’d entered the Circulation phase at the precise, textbook moment.

Yet, instead of searing agony, he felt only a slight sting.

Could the flame essence’s temperature be low?

The absurdity of the situation led to such thoughts.

He immediately nicked his finger.

Amid the dripping blood, a single drop of flame essence emerged.

Plop.

The moment it hit the floor—

Sizzle!

The wooden surface melted instantly, and even the stone beneath began to dissolve.

The temperature’s more than enough.

A liquid with such insane heat was flowing through his veins, yet he felt almost no pain?

A hypothesis flashed through Ethan’s mind.

Could it be…

The Circulation phase was broadly divided into four stages:

Acceptance, Iron Will, Embodiment, and Comprehension.

The stage of Acceptance, where one endures the pain.

The stage of Iron Will, where one overcomes it entirely.

The stage of Embodiment, where the body fully adapts to the fiery energy.

And the stage of Comprehension, where one grasps the essence of fire.

Feeling only this level of pain despite the flame essence coursing through him meant—

I’ve nearly reached the end of the second stage.

He’d almost completely overcome the Iron Will stage.

There was no other explanation for this phenomenon.

Remarkable.

Ethan looked at his body.

In the history of the Ardan Ducal House, almost no one had surpassed both Acceptance and Iron Will immediately upon entering the Circulation phase.

Would the first Duke have managed it?

The founding Duke, Jeron Ardan.

The man who laid the foundation of the Ardan Ducal House, the only one said to have surpassed the Transcendent stage, reaching beyond.

The Breath of Black Flame and all the family’s secret techniques.

They were all created by Jeron.

The only Duke said to have conjured the White Flame.

The White Flame.

A pure, radiant fire.

A flame whose creation method remained unknown.

From the second Duke onward, every successor tried to recreate the White Flame, but failed.

Over time, the White Flame became a legend.

Eventually, the descendants chose to strengthen the Black Flame instead.

If the founding Duke, known for conjuring a special flame…

He might have skipped the first two stages of Circulation in one go.

Unfortunately, few records of Jeron remained, so whether he truly endured Circulation without pain was uncertain.

In any case, excluding the monstrously talented founding Duke—

In the long history of the Ardan Ducal House—

Not a single Duke was recorded as being unscathed while the flame essence coursed through their veins.

At the very least, the first week of Circulation turned them into bedridden patients requiring absolute rest.

The first two stages of Circulation were that excruciating.

To skip that entirely…

His goal today had been to overcome the first stage.

Using the elixir’s power to induce immense pain, he’d planned to push through with sheer willpower.

I’ve nearly surpassed the second stage as well.

It was such good news that his lips curled skyward.

Even as a Transcendent, enduring constant searing pain in his veins wasn’t something he could shrug off.

I should test it.

If he’d skipped the first two stages of Circulation, the fire mana he produced should be fundamentally different.

He stood up immediately.

Arriving at the Inner Castle’s training ground, Ethan drew his sword.

The nephrion greatsword.

Light, sturdy, and highly receptive to fire mana.

He infused mana into the weapon.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

A massive blaze enveloped the blade. Before, the mana only burned around the blade; now, it extended a full meter.

Far more mana than before.

Deeper control.

And heat so intense it could scorch anything.

The burning mana took various forms. Ethan nodded, satisfied.

He had indeed nearly surpassed the first two stages of Circulation.

In my past life, it took five years to reach this point.

This time, it took just three months.

A remarkable achievement.

However.

One thing nagged at him.

The Black Flame is the issue.

Creating the Black Flame required the mantra of the Breath of Black Flame and intense pain.

If he’d endured agony like past Dukes, his mana would have turned black by now.

But his mana burned purely red, as if it were untainted flame.

The fiery energy has definitely increased.

What happens if you skip the first two stages without pain?

Records were scarce for the founding Duke, but from the second to the seventeenth—his father—all endured pain during Circulation.

Hundreds of years after the second Duke, Ethan was the first to tread a new path.

As he tested his mana—

The burning mana suddenly grew larger.

Within the massive flames, a vast passage formed.

A passage of fire?

As Ethan stared at it—

“[You called me?]”

A powerful voice, one he’d heard before.

He immediately recalled the past.

“Rorotia?”

From the massive passage of fire, a girl made entirely of flames emerged.

“[You… you’re the Ardan blood I saw before. Did you summon me?]”

“I didn’t.”

“[Then why…]”

The fire girl, gazing at Ethan’s flames, lit up with intrigue.

“[I see. It’s because of this fire mana. Such pure fiery energy. Even I was naturally drawn to it… Yes… This phenomenon happened with the Ardan bloodline…]”

The Spirit Lord was right.

Occasionally, when ancestors practiced sword dances, fire spirits would appear unexpectedly, as recorded.

It was the same for Ethan in his past life.

Once.

During a sword dance, a spirit appeared—Ignis, one of the highest fire spirits.

But a Spirit Lord manifesting directly, as now, had never happened.

A second meeting already.

As Ethan looked at Rorotia—

“[Well done.]”

The fire girl reached out and patted his head.

Warmth spread through him.

“What did I do well?”

“[Creating a pure, untainted flame.]”

“Tainted?”

“[Haven’t your bloodline always done so? Mixing impure emotions into pure flames, creating a tainted fire. From the time the previous Lord ruled the land of fire, until my era.]”

“Is that bad?”

“[It harms the essence of fire. It inevitably brings limits. You carry imperfection within.]”

The Black Flame, stronger and more voracious than any mana, capable of consuming anything.

Thanks to it, the Ardan Ducal House rose as the greatest swordsmanship family in the Western Continent.

To call it tainted.

But what truly shocked Ethan was her next word.

Limits.

After becoming a Transcendent in his past life—

Ethan had hit a wall.

A wall his talent couldn’t easily break. Staring at it, he felt profound frustration.

He knew something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what.

Could it be…

Was it because of the Breath of Black Flame?

Another thought struck him: the White Flame.

The founding Duke, said to have surpassed the Transcendent stage by conjuring the White Flame.

Perhaps the White Flame is a key to breaking that wall…

Once doubt took root, many things troubled him.

“[Have you realized something?]”

“Perhaps.”

Born into the greatest swordsmanship family, revered by all.

He’d believed everything he learned from the family was supreme.

He never questioned the techniques.

They were his foundation, his pride, his very identity.

But today—

An indelible doubt formed in Ethan’s heart.

The Breath of Black Flame.

It wasn’t perfect.

His heart pounded fiercely.

Imperfection meant there was still room to grow.

His flame hadn’t yet been tainted. It could remain pure.

“Spirit Lord.”

“[What is it?]”

“Thank you. I’ve realized something important.”

“[Hmm. I should be thanking you. Your flame allowed me to be summoned to the human realm. Even the previous Lord rarely descended here, I’ve heard.]”

The fire girl, floating around, began to shrink.

“[Ardan heir, keep nurturing that pure flame. I hope we meet again.]”

She slipped into the shrinking passage. The encounter with the Spirit Lord ended.

At the Inner Castle’s training ground—

Two knights were now engaged in a sword dance.

Ethan and Polton.

Each clash left Polton in awe. He’d expected Ethan’s mana to increase after the elixir.

But the Archduke hadn’t just gained more mana.

“[Crimson Flame Form, Chapter One]”

“[Flaming Dance]”

The blazing sword struck in all directions.

The speed and precision left no room for counterattacks.

Polton hurriedly drew up his mana, using the Besos Marquisate’s swordsmanship to block.

But as the dance continued, his movements grew erratic.

I can’t block it…

His defense broke.

He infused mana into his feet, drawing up all his power.

A sword strike sent a wave of mana toward Ethan’s dance.

But no explosion occurred. The intricate dance shifted into a precise defensive stance, effortlessly deflecting the wave.

Polton, stepping back, gave a bitter smile.

Just now—

He’d unleashed that wave because pure swordsmanship couldn’t match the Archduke.

His only advantage was mana quantity.

“Archduke, from now on, I’ll face you as if in real combat.”

Swordsmanship alone couldn’t win. Polton fully acknowledged it.

He’d need to treat the Archduke as an enemy to even stand a chance.

Ethan nodded readily.

“Do as you wish.”

The elixir had increased his mana.

Skipping two stages of Circulation had vastly strengthened his body and mana control.

With a Transcendent’s experience, he was fully prepared.

It was no surprise Polton struggled.

As expected, the Crimson Flame Form can handle elite knights.

The secret swordsmanship had four stages.

The first, Flame Sword, usable with only the Essence of Fire.

The second, Crimson Flame Form, fully accessible after surpassing the Acceptance stage of Circulation.

Ethan had now entered the stage to wield the second form.

He could overwhelm even elite knights.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

Just like now.

Their sparring, starting in the morning, continued until evening.

***

After the sparring—

Ethan summoned Silvia.

Against the elite knight Polton—

He’d grown enough to fight to a draw.

Before targeting the second branch family—

He’d gained the strength to face elite knights.

His internal preparations were complete.

“I plan to strike the Romenton Baron’s Family.”

“I see. How about this approach?”

Silvia handed him a document.

It detailed how to conquer the Romenton Baron’s Family.

While dealing with the Baron’s Family.

It ensured legitimacy. Better than resolving it with brute force alone.

A solid plan.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes.”

Thus, two uninvited guests set out for the Romenton Baron’s Family.