70: My destined summon beast - Fire Kirin

Zhang Lei sat cross-legged in the very center of the Barracks training field. The setting sun melted like gold, dyeing the horizon a magnificent crimson. Clouds like burning tinder hung low, as if ignited by celestial fire, and the final, blazing afterglow poured unreservedly onto him. The armor on his body, composed of fiery red crystals, and the massive wings of fire behind him, seemingly condensed from the flames themselves, shimmered with a lava-like luster in the rosy light, making him look like a god from ancient mythology who wielded authority over fire, majestic and scorching.

In the distance, the slogans of soldiers finishing their training rose and fell, carrying the scent of sweat and dust. However, all this clamor was isolated by Zhang Lei's powerful perception barrier. His eyes were slightly closed, his breathing long and distant, and his palms were held upward, hovering above his knees. For an entire day, he had been trying to capture that deep resonance of the primordial fire element that belonged solely to him within this ordinary world.

The cool evening breeze swept past his long hair, swirling a few withered and fragile blades of grass toward the distance. Zhang Lei's consciousness was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, rippling outward in invisible circles, constantly spreading and penetrating. He could clearly "see" the crisscrossing rebar deep beneath the training field, like the bones of the earth; he could "hear" the muffled hiss of steam rising violently from the steamers in the cafeteria a hundred meters away; he could even faintly sense the flickering lightning fluctuations deep within the high-altitude clouds, containing destructive power... But none of these were the palpitations his soul craved. He waited patiently, like a dormant volcano, until the sun completely sank below the horizon and the last glimmer of light was swallowed by the night.

At that very moment of transition between light and dark, an extremely scorching sensation, as if it could brand his soul, suddenly brushed past his fingertips!

"Hiss!" Zhang Lei snapped his eyes open as if struck by lightning, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto his palm. A ball of golden-red flame had quietly condensed into shape at some point. Unlike ordinary flames that flickered and flared, it was exceptionally solid and heavy, hovering silently. Inside, liquid sunlight seemed to flow slowly, emitting a heart-palpitating, pure high temperature and majestic power akin to core magma. Zhang Lei's heart shrank suddenly and then began to throb violently, every beat seemingly synchronized with the flickering of the flame in his hand. He held his breath, carefully drawing out threads of the surging Superpower within his body and gently wrapping them around that primordial fire, attempting to establish a deeper resonance.

Hum—!

The earth began to tremble without warning! The hard surface of the training field's plastic track was instantly covered with a web of fine cracks, letting out a tooth-aching "crackling" sound. The originally calm air around Zhang Lei distorted violently, forming circles of eerie heat waves. Even more terrifying was that from deep within those cracks, streaks of piercing red light seeped out, as if a living volcano that had suppressed ten thousand years of fury was sleeping beneath the earth, being forcibly awakened by his power and itching to tear through the surface!

"BOOM—!!!"

A world-shaking explosion suddenly erupted! A violent shockwave instantly swept through, making the glass windows of the distant sentry post buzz and shake violently! A pillar of crimson fire several meters in diameter, carrying destructive power, soared into the sky like an angry fire dragon, instantly engulfing the entire training field! The scorching airflow made the air crackle. At the core of the flames, which were hot enough to melt steel, a giant claw covered in dark red scales and dripping with scalding lava violently tore through the scorched earth and emerged! Following closely behind was a massive and majestic body—the Fire Qilin!

It raised its head, covered in towering bony horns, and let out a roar that shook the heavens toward the night sky reddened by the flames! That sound wave contained ancient majesty, turning into a physical shock that instantly shattered the searchlights on the high poles around the training field into powder with a series of bangs! Its amber vertical pupils were like two burning stars, coldly scanning the space shaken by its power, with primordial pressure spanning time and space flowing deep within its pupils. Wherever it stepped, lava churned on the ground, and billowing white steam rose. The flames trailing from its tail were like a vast crimson curtain, painting the entire sky as if purgatory had descended!

Zhang Lei's heart pounded in his chest, so excited he could almost feel it in his throat. Enduring the high temperature that could incinerate steel, he reached out his hand and, with reverence and anticipation, gently touched the Fire Qilin's scalding scales, which felt like red-hot iron. At the moment of contact, a massive and familiar torrent of consciousness, carrying an ancient and warm aura, surged into his mind without hindrance, instantly establishing a soul-level link that transcended language. This was the Fire Qilin's inner voice, a bond that belonged only to them!

The Fire Qilin let out a low snort full of power, like rolling thunder. It submissively lowered its mountain-like, majestic body, its giant head resting close to the ground. Zhang Lei took a deep breath and, with the heroic spirit of a warrior, leaped up and landed steadily on its broad, lava-platform-like back. The figures of the man and the beast gradually merged into one on the scorched earth of the training field, against the backdrop of the crimson clouds and rising white mist.

Outside the cordon, the soldiers who had witnessed this world-destroying scene had long since forgotten to breathe, standing frozen as if under a binding spell. Their faces were a mix of unspeakable shock, instinctive fear, and the purest envy and worship for that absolute power. In the crowd, Jiang Xin, who was also a Summoner, stared fixedly at the scene in the center of the field that looked like a myth come to life. He then looked at his proud wind-attribute Golden Eagle summoned beast circling beside him; the Golden Eagle now appeared so small and cowering under the pressure of the Fire Qilin. A bitter and disbelieving smile couldn't help but appear at the corner of Jiang Xin's mouth: "This... this is simply the difference between a tiger and a sparrow!"

Zhang Lei clearly felt the deeper intention transmitted by the Fire Qilin—it could not only serve as a mount and combat partner, but it seemed... its massive primordial power could also be transformed into a divine weapon exclusive to him!

A surge of youthful hot-bloodedness and his inner chuunibyou soul instantly rushed to his head. Standing on the Qilin's back and facing the scorching airflow, Zhang Lei used all his strength to shout toward the sky the cry he had been preparing for a long time: "Transform, Divine Weapon - Qilin!"

"ROAR—!!!"

Responding to him was the Fire Qilin's even wilder and more shocking roar toward the sky! The sound wave was like a physical sledgehammer, once again slamming into the eardrums and hearts of the onlookers, many of whom painfully covered their ears. Then, under the horrified gazes of everyone, the massive, mountain-like, and overwhelmingly powerful Fire Qilin suddenly erupted with a blinding golden-red light! Its form rapidly blurred, collapsed, and reorganized within the intense light, like lava being forged and shaped by an invisible hammer! The moment the light faded, a long spear with a simple yet domineering design, its entire body flowing with lava-like crimson light and its shaft seemingly composed of countless fine Qilin scales, hovered steadily in front of Zhang Lei!