"When the bell rings, the world will know: the Phoenix has returned."
The wind howled through the ruins like an ancient beast whispering curses.
Lian Rou moved like a phantom, her flame-enhanced body dancing between crumbling debris and long-dead lecture halls. Her blade, reforged with ember light, flicked out and incinerated a mutated spider-beast lunging from the ceiling. Its husk fell, twitching and charred.
She didn't stop.
Each step closer to the Eastern Sky University Bell Tower pulled at her blood, like a magnet tuned to the rhythm of the Phoenix flame now housed in her soul. That mark—just above her heart—burned warmer the nearer she came.
Lin Yue's voice echoed in her mind through the flame link:
"Once you ring that bell, the system will recognize our first base. That tower will become the heart of the Guild of Nirvana Phoenix."
Lian Rou wiped blood from her cheek, eyes cold and focused.
"Then I'll carve a path through hell if I have to."
Above the campus ruins, the bell tower stood like a sentinel from another era—tall, cracked, and bleeding golden light through its shattered seams. Arcane runes flickered faintly on its sides, long dormant.
Beneath it, a field of corrupted spirits swirled like smoke—shadows of once-human cultivators who'd perished here during the early waves of spiritual collapse. Their faces twisted in silent agony.
[Warning: Hostile Zone – Spirit Grade: B+]
Objective: Purge the zone, ring the bell.
Reward: Establishment of Guild Core, Identity System Unlocked.
Lian Rou stepped forward and summoned her flame.
[Phoenix Flame Core – Active]
Her aura exploded outward. Wings of fire unfurled behind her back—not real ones, but projections of her growing bond with the Phoenix bloodline.
With a cry, she launched into the fray.
It was war.
Ghost blades clashed with fire-forged steel. Screams pierced the silence of forgotten academia. Lian Rou's strikes were surgical—cold precision guided by instinct and enhanced by the spiritual flame dancing within her.
Each time she bled, her body repaired itself with bursts of golden embers.
Each time she cut, flame trailed in her wake.
And still, she pressed on.
After what felt like an eternity, she stood at the foot of the ancient staircase.
Only one enemy remained.
A skeletal woman in ruined robes—her face half-missing, her arms bound in spectral chains. A former Headmaster turned Wraith Matriarch.
It raised a hand. The bell groaned.
Lian Rou didn't flinch.
Instead, she reached to her collarbone and pressed her hand over the flame mark.
"Lin Yue… lend me your fire."
Miles away, Lin Yue—curled in his tiny Phoenix form—opened his eyes.
[Flame Link Request: Lian Rou → Shared Core Access – 10%]
Confirm?
"Granted."
Lian Rou's body ignited with holy flame.
She surged up the staircase like a falling comet in reverse, meeting the Wraith's attack midair. Their weapons collided.
Flame met death.
Spirit chains shattered.
And the bell rang.
DINGGGGGGGGG!
The sound wasn't just audible—it resonated through spirit and soul.
From the ruins below, to the skies above, to even the buried ley lines beneath the earth—everything pulsed with life.
[System Alert: Campus Bell Activated – Nirvana Flame Domain Formed]
[Territory Anchored: Eastern Sky University Bell Zone]
[Establishing Guild Base…]
[Guild Identity System Unlocked]
The area transformed.
Flames swept outward in a circle, cleansing corruption and burning away the wails of lingering spirits. Trees began to regrow in bursts of golden petals. The ruined buildings stabilized, their crumbled walls now reinforced with spiritual masonry laced in Phoenix script.
And above all… the bell now glowed bright gold, engraved with a sigil:
Guild of Nirvana Phoenix
[Congratulations: Lian Rou is the First Flamebond Member]
Identity Features Granted:
🔥 Guild Uniform: Flamewing Combat Attire (Kindled Rank)
Red-and-gold robes infused with spiritual flame weave.
Lightweight armor panels over shoulders and waist.
Phoenix crest glows across her back.
💍 Phoenix Flame Sigil Ring Granted
Bound to Lin Yue's divine bloodline.
Right-hand ring.
Embedded with mini flame crystal that pulses with her heartbeat.
Access to:
Guild communications
Life signature tracking
Beacon system
[Flame Sigil Mark – Level I Engraved Above Heart]
Flame Affinity Progression: 27%
As the last echoes of the bell faded, Lian Rou stood at the tower's summit. The wind was warm.
She looked at her new ring, then at her glowing robes. She raised her hand and opened a flame-link portal.
Meanwhile, back at the ruin where Lin Yue rested, a golden gate burst open.
Lian Rou stepped through, radiating power.
He blinked at her, amazed.
"You did it."
She smirked. "You gave me a second chance. I'm not wasting it."
He flapped onto her shoulder and saw the uniform wrap perfectly around her figure, the fire subtly coursing through it. The guild crest on her back shimmered: a golden Phoenix flying above burning ash.
"Welcome home, Flamebond," he said proudly.
[Guild Creation Complete]
Founder: Lin Yue
Core Member: Lian Rou
Base Level: Flame Seed
Expansion Limit: 5 Members (Current Cap)
Next Upgrade: Acquire 2 More Flamebond Members
[New Feature Unlocked: Guild Member Recruitment & Branding]
Identity tokens may now be created: Rings, Uniforms, Flame Marks
Host may select and bond female recruits via Bloodline Transfer
Note: All Flamebond members are spiritually tethered to the Guild Flame Core and Lin Yue
As the sun rose over the revived campus, Lin Yue perched atop the tower with Lian Rou standing beside him.
The wind rustled her red-gold cloak. The ring gleamed on her finger.
He looked out over the horizon.
The world was still broken.
Chaos was still rising.
But here, on this tower, something new had begun.
Not a kingdom.
Not a sect.
A flame.
A family.
A guild.
The Guild of Nirvana Phoenix.
And soon, more would come.
To Be Continued...