55: Chapter 55 The Vision of Pure Flame

The opening of Pure Flame Vision was arranged in the training projection area.

This was one of the first areas to stabilize after the hall took its final form. The floor was a dark circular platform, with a ring of fine fire patterns floating along its edge. Several translucent Grey Net lines hung above the circular platform, capable of projecting low-level anomaly traces, Old Object Chain markings, and pollution activity trajectories.

Shen Qinghe, Zhao Ye, and Bai Ya stood in the center of the circular platform.

Lin Zhao and Xu Minglan stood outside the fire screen, observing. Their Apprentice permissions allowed them to view training instructions, but the core standard technique column still showed as unlearnable. Zhou Yan held the ash record book and stood further away, as if afraid to see too clearly, yet unable to resist watching.

Lu Chen sat in the Fire Keeper's seat.

After the longevity lamp was analyzed, the Purifying Flame's ability to see through anomaly structures became clearer than before. However, this authority could not be fully delegated. Lu Chen could see the traction between rules, cores, and old law traces; if members faced these things directly, they would only be overwhelmed by the massive amount of information, or even reverse-polluted by high-risk anomalies.

Therefore, Pure Flame Vision had to be broken down into a low-level, bearable, and toggleable version.

Zero released the instructions.

[Core Standard Technique: Pure Flame Vision]

[Target Audience: Official Members]

[Effect: Use authorized Purifying Flame to cover the eyes, observing anomaly traces, pollution activities, Grey Net markings, and Old Object Chain traces]

[Restrictions: Cannot be kept active for long periods; cannot directly look at high-risk anomaly cores; information obtained is related to the member's path adaptation]

[Warning: Vision overload will lead to dizziness, auditory hallucinations, temporary blindness, or pollution backlash]

After reading the last line, Zhao Ye raised an eyebrow: "Why does this thing look more dangerous than getting beaten up?"

Bai Ya said softly: "Because when you get beaten up, at least you know who did it. Looking around randomly, you might not."

Shen Qinghe said nothing. She raised her hand to press the Mark of the Torch on the inside of her wrist and, following Zero's instructions, drew out a wisp of Purifying Flame.

The Purifying Flame did not burn directly on her eyeballs, but instead acted like an extremely thin layer of light that covered her eyes along her fingertips. The next moment, she opened her eyes.

Deep within her pupils, it was as if two clusters of cold white flames were burning silently.

The ordinary scenery in the training projection area faded by a layer of color. The walls, floor, and fire patterns all became faint, while in the previously empty area in the center of the circular platform, several twisted red lines and grey-black traces emerged.

Shen Qinghe's voice was steady.

"The red line traces are concentrated on the southeast side, as if they were dragged. The core is not in the center, and the rule node is lower."

Zero recorded.

[Investigation Adaptation: Good]

Zhao Ye followed suit.

When the Purifying Flame covered his eyes, he blinked subconsciously. When he opened his eyes again, the firelight in his eyes was thicker and heavier, unlike Shen Qinghe's calmness, but rather like a fire ready to press down at any moment.

He could not see the details of the red lines clearly.

But he could see the dangerous areas.

In the training projection, a dark red shadow was undulating in the corner of the wall, like something ready to pounce at any moment. Zhao Ye gripped the evil-breaking short staff and pointed directly at it.

"That's the most dangerous spot."

Zero recorded.

[Action Adaptation: Danger Source Positioning Good]

Bai Ya was the last to activate Pure Flame Vision.

The firelight in his eyes was the faintest, as if wrapped in grey mist, leaving only thin lines of fire at the edges of his pupils.

But what he saw was completely different from the first two.

The training projection was no longer just red line traces, but traces left by transactions, transfers, records, and observations. They were like lines in an old ledger, illuminated by the firelight in varying shades of depth.

Bai Ya raised his hand and pointed to a breakpoint that was almost invisible.

"There is an observation line here. It's not the anomaly itself, but someone has used it to look."

Zero was silent for a moment.

[Intelligence Adaptation: Excellent]

Zhao Ye looked at Bai Ya: "Can you see this kind of underworld stuff every time?"

Bai Ya rubbed the corners of his eyes: "You think I want to? Right now, you look like an overdue entry in a ledger to me."

Zhao Ye: "Who do I owe?"

Bai Ya: "You owe contribution points."

Lin Zhao had been observing seriously, but hearing this, he almost couldn't hold back his composure.

Xu Minglan did not laugh. She noticed that after the three turned off Pure Flame Vision, Shen Qinghe blinked significantly more often, Zhao Ye rubbed his temples, and Bai Ya's complexion was paler than usual.

This was not a technique without a price.

She wrote in her record book: After Pure Flame Vision is activated, visual fatigue, mental load, and path-related deviations may occur. Subsequent training needs to be accompanied by medical observation.

Lu Chen saw her notes from the high platform and nodded slightly.

This was the value of an organization.

When an individual gains an ability, they only think about how to use it. When an organization gains an ability, someone must record the costs, set the rules, arrange training, and handle the aftereffects.

The training projection entered the second round.

This time, it simulated traces from the red line catalog. Shen Qinghe was responsible for judging rule nodes, Bai Ya was responsible for tracking observation lines, and Zhao Ye was responsible for locking onto danger sources. The three completed their first collaboration using Pure Flame Vision; although their movements were still unpolished, the results were nearly twice as fast as individual judgments.

Zero gave an evaluation.

[Pure Flame Vision Initial Training Completed]

[Official Member Adaptation Records Archived]

[Recommendation: Subsequent joint training with Fire Seal and Xinghuo]

Just as the training projection was about to close, Bai Ya suddenly looked up.

A little firelight remaining in his eyes had not yet completely extinguished.

"Wait."

Everyone looked at him.

Bai Ya's gaze rested on the edge of the circular platform. An extremely thin red line, which did not belong to the training projection and had not been generated by Zero, was sliding gently through a gap in the fire patterns.

It looked as if it had been dragged from a very far place.

Dragged outside the hall, and also dragged toward Jiangbei.

Zero's prompt lit up immediately.

[Anomaly Trace Identified]

[Source: Jiangbei Paper Sedan Chair Traces]

[Status: Active]

Lu Chen stood up from the high platform.

The firelight in the training area quieted down.

The first training session of Pure Flame Vision had actually illuminated real traces from the outer city.

This meant that the things outside were getting closer.

After the training ended, Lin Zhao couldn't help but ask: "Can Apprentices not use Pure Flame Vision at all?"

Zero answered: "They can obtain a one-time low-level observation effect through mission items, but they cannot directly learn the core standard technique."

Lin Zhao nodded and didn't ask any further.

He knew this wasn't targeted at him. People without enough permission shouldn't touch things that are too deep; in the Xinhuo Council, this wasn't an insult, but protection. Pure Flame Vision looked cool, but he had clearly seen the moment Bai Ya clutched his forehead after turning off the vision.

Zhao Ye had seen it too.

Usually, he wouldn't spare anyone with his words, but this time he didn't tease Bai Ya; he just tossed a bottle of water over.

Bai Ya caught it and raised an eyebrow: "What's this, the Action Group starting to care about the Intelligence Group's stamina?"

Zhao Ye said expressionlessly: "I'm afraid that if you collapse, there will be no one to run their mouth, and I won't be used to it."

Bai Ya laughed and unscrewed the water bottle.

Shen Qinghe stood to the side, recalling the rule traces she had seen with Pure Flame Vision. She realized the most terrifying part of this technique wasn't seeing anomalies, but making people realize how many things in reality had been brushed by anomalies. A water stain in the corner, a dark spot on a doorknob, a repeating set of footsteps in the hallway—none of them might be ordinary traces.

She had to learn how to turn it off.

Otherwise, an investigator would be drowned by information first.

On the high platform, Lu Chen added this point to the training instructions.

[Pure Flame Vision Lesson One: Seeing is not the goal; knowing when not to look is the rule for survival]

This prompt was quickly synchronized to the Official Member training column.

Zhou Yan was watching, mesmerized.

He didn't have learning permissions, but he wrote down everything each person saw one by one. He realized that Pure Flame Vision didn't just shove answers into people's eyes, but allowed people on different paths to see the information they could handle. Investigators saw rules, agents saw dangers, and intelligence gatherers saw clues.

This made him suddenly understand that what was truly terrifying about the Xinhuo Council wasn't that everyone had abilities, but that every ability was placed in the right position.