Embersteel: Legend of the Warrior BlackSmith

Chapter 21: The Awakening of Dual Paths

Jiang Feng sat cross-legged on the barn's floor, his body still trembling as the raw power of the dragon vein blood bone fruit coursed through his veins. The energy from the fruit had fused with his very being, unlike anything he had ever experienced. His chest still throbbed where the seed had embedded itself, sending waves of force through his meridians.

As he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened, the Eternal Flame Codex stirred within his consciousness, its golden pages flipping open like the turning of fate itself. The ancient tome, which had been his guide since embarking on his journey, now seemed to hum with a new intensity.

"Your body has absorbed an unknown force, I seem to have no record of it" the voice of the Codex echoed, calm but heavy with meaning.

Jiang Feng furrowed his brow, his mind racing as he focused inward. He had chosen the path of a reverse cultivator due to his father's suggestion, taking external forces and merging them with his internal cultivation, such as the beast essence and spiritual stones his father used to aid his breakthrough, but this was different. The Dragon Vein's energy was ancient, primal, and terrifyingly vast. It was as if his blood had been replaced by molten gold, burning and renewing him at the same time.

"Senior," he called out in his mind, his voice shaken. "What is this power?"

The Codex seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if weighing the gravity of its next words. "The power you have awakened has no connection to your blacksmithing lineage. It is a remnant of an ancient force that predates your clan by many millennia, that much I can say for now!"

"The Draconic Tempest?" Feng whispered, the words foreign and heavy on his tongue. "What's that?"

"The essence of the storm dragons," the Codex answered. "You your flame is bound to creation, this tempest is a force of destruction, wind, lightning, and storm. That's the essence of the storm dragons"

"Senior, what do you mean by bound to creation and essence of the storm dragons?" The vines in Feng's face bulged as a confused look spread across him due to the overload of information that he was unable to process in the short time.

His clan, the warrior blacksmiths, had always focused on cultivating their internal flames from the flame seeds, using them to fuel both their martial arts and their forging techniques. He carried the Skyforge Flame, a brilliant blue fire that burned hotter than the heavens, perfect for the dual arts of his lineage. But now he wielded something else, something far more chaotic and known to him.

The name of his flame had popped up in his mind whenever he tried recalling what it was and would pop up each time he tried to use it. It was a strange feeling to say the least, but he understood that it was a flame only the elites of his long-lost clan were able to draw upon, and it was said that only three people were able to command its power in the history of his clan-

"Forging is the art of creation, the birth of power from fire and steel. Yet, every weapon forged carries the weight of destruction," the codex intoned, its words steeped in ancient wisdom, leaving the rest unsaid, as if daring Feng to grasp the delicate balance between the two.

"The Draconic Tempest and the Skyforge Flame, seem to be opposites. I'm not sure how but something tells me they are." Feng muttered. "How can I control both?"

The Codex's pages glowed softly, and the voice that filled his mind was calm. "Though they are opposite forces, they are not incompatible. The storm destroys, but the flame rebuilds. The tempest will tear down the obstacles in your path, while the flame will refine and forge something new from the ashes. The two powers will complement each other in ways you cannot yet comprehend."

Jiang Feng closed his eyes, feeling the unknown power stirring within him like a sleeping dragon, its energy swirling through his blood like a rising storm. He could feel its raw, untamed power crackling at the edges of his consciousness, and yet it did not destroy him. Instead, it felt almost... eager, as though it were waiting for his command.

But alongside it, the Skyforge Flame burned steady, a reminder of the heritage that ran through his veins. The blue flame was his birthright, the fire that had forged countless weapons and warriors within his clan. Now, with this Draconic power surging within him, Jiang Feng realized he had become something far more powerful than a simple blacksmith cultivator.

"Senior," Feng called out again, his voice stronger this time. "Tell me more about my clan. What does it mean to walk the path of a warrior blacksmith?"

The Codex thrummed with approval, its pages turning with the force of an unseen storm. "Your clan has never been mere craftsmen, they are the forgers of destiny, bending iron and will beneath their hammers. The flame seeds you wield are no passive embers; they are born from the molten heart of the earth, the raw power of the world itself. With every strike of your hammer, you are not creating life, you are summoning power, awakening fury, forging weapons that carry the weight of your ancestors' ironclad will. The fire in your veins, the strength in your hands, this is your legacy, to shape the world through the clash of steel and flame, as thunder echoes in every strike."

Feng's thoughts swirled as he considered the weight of those words. His ancestors had wielded the Skyforge Flame and other flame seeds for generations, mastering their power not only in battle but in the creation of weapons that had shaped empires. And now, with the addition of his Draconic power, his potential seemed limitless.

"But this Draconic power is different," he muttered. "It isn't tied to the flame. It feels... wild."

The Codex's voice remained steady. "Indeed, it is wild. The tempest is untamable, an echo of the dragons who once roamed the skies. It will grant you immense destructive power, but you must learn to control it, or it will consume you. The tempest is not bound by the constraints of heaven and earth; it is pure force."

Feng clenched his fists, feeling the storm's energy surging through his veins. "Then I will forge my own path. I will master both the flame and the tempest."

As he spoke those words, the barn seemed to grow still, the air thick with the energy that had transformed his body. The Skyforge Flame flickered in his hand, its brilliant blue hue dancing in the dim light. But now, alongside it, Jiang Feng could feel the Draconic Tempest thrumming within him, a constant, crackling presence waiting to be unleashed.