I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 44 - What Is Xinhuo?

—

Dong Tianming stared blankly at the boy’s retreating figure.

He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn’t change Xu Shen’s mind. That look in his eyes… Dong Tianming had seen it before, in himself, many years ago.

—

Xu Shen walked forward step by step, tearing off his shirt and letting the biting wind lash against his bare skin. His eyes gleamed with a mix of madness and ferocity.

He didn’t know if he would survive.

But he knew one thing—against two third-tier peak ghouls, he stood no chance. Even if he fought with everything he had.

“I wanted to stay at Awakening Peak a little longer… but it seems I have no choice now,” Xu Shen muttered to himself. As he walked, he raised his black blade, preparing to carve into his left forearm.

He needed to break through to the second tier—only then would he have a slim chance of holding off the horde.

—

SLAP!

Suddenly, a large hand clapped down on Xu Shen’s shoulder, startling him so much that he nearly spun around and stabbed whoever it was.

“Child, leave it to me,” said a hoarse, aged voice.

Xu Wei had woken up. His eyes were now a dull gray.

“Xu Wei… you…” Xu Shen stared in shock at the gaping hole in Xu Wei’s chest. Blood still stained the old man’s hands—he had pierced his own heart!

“Did you call for reinforcements?” Xu Wei asked with a faint smile.

When Xu Shen nodded, Xu Wei seemed relieved. He turned his gaze toward the approaching ghoul horde.

“Reinforcements will take at least twenty minutes to arrive,” Xu Wei said calmly. “I’ll hold them off for now. After that… it’s up to you.”

Xu Wei’s smile was carefree, almost joyful.

Xu Shen remained silent but nodded heavily, his eyes filled with sorrow.

He could see it clearly—the hole in Xu Wei’s chest revealed that his heart had completely stopped beating. In its place was a vibrant green flame, burning brightly like a beacon of hope.

“My talent was mediocre. I only managed to reach Flame Mastery and ignite my fourth flame,” Xu Wei said softly. “But you’re different. You can’t die here.”

“Don’t look at me like that… I wasn’t going to live much longer anyway.”

—

Xu Wei gestured for Xu Shen to stay put as he walked forward alone.

With each step, his shirt disintegrated, revealing a massive rune on his back. It resembled a towering tree, its branches adorned with four brilliantly glowing flames.

Xu Wei’s aura surged wildly as he took another step forward. The four flames merged into one, and the rune began to crumble as fire consumed every inch of it.

From afar, it looked like a giant tree engulfed in an inferno—beautiful and radiant yet devastatingly cruel.

—

With a roar, Xu Wei’s aura exploded once more, shaking the ground beneath him. Each step he took caused the flames on his rune to burn brighter and brighter.

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By now, the grayness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by two blazing green flames.

“Xu Shen! Do you know what Xinhuo truly is?!” Xu Wei shouted, his voice filled with unrestrained joy and liberation.

Xu Shen took a deep breath before shouting back, “Please… enlighten me, Senior!”

—

“To join Xinhuo Guard is to endure the Trial of Xinhuo!”

“To be loyal to humanity! To be loyal to Xia Nation!”

“After the Trial of Xinhuo, you become Xinhuo!”

“You lead people out of confusion and guide humanity toward its only path forward!”

“You protect people in the darkness and illuminate the void ahead for humanity!”

—

Xu Wei’s aura reached its peak, causing the ground around him to tremble violently. The snow at his feet melted rapidly under the heat of his flames.

His eyes seemed to pierce through all illusions. His body became one with the flames as he charged forward into the oncoming horde of corpse apes.

—

BOOM!

The first third-tier peak corpse ape met Xu Wei head-on but was immediately grabbed by his massive hand and crushed into pieces!

ROAR!

The other ape swung its intact arm toward Xu Wei’s abdomen, tearing away a chunk of flesh. But instead of blood and organs spilling out, there was only fire—green flames danced where his innards should have been.

Laughing wildly, Xu Wei retaliated by ripping open the ape’s abdomen in turn.

—

More corpse apes surrounded him. The lower-tier ones hesitated, growling viciously but not daring to approach. The two third-tier peak apes engaged him in a brutal melee.

In less than three minutes, Xu Wei had lost both legs and one arm. Yet he continued laughing as green flames extended from his wounds, forming fiery limbs that allowed him to keep fighting.

—

Xu Shen watched with bloodshot eyes as tears streamed down his face. He wanted to rush forward but was stopped by a single glance from Xu Wei.

They needed to buy time—for reinforcements to arrive.

No one could have anticipated Qu Zhixing’s betrayal or the use of the Heart of Reversal.

Xu Shen could only hope Wu Yun would see his message and arrive quickly with backup.

—

Clenching his black blade tightly, Xu Shen began carving into his left forearm again. Engraving points drained rapidly as he worked in silence, his gaze fixed on the battlefield ahead.

—

“Xinhuo! Xinhuo! Each of us is Xinhuo!” Xu Wei shouted as he obliterated one of the third-tier peak corpse apes with a single punch.

Turning toward Xu Shen, he roared: “Watch closely! This is the foundation of Xia Nation’s rise!”

“This is what allowed humanity to survive its darkest era! This is why even ghoul emperors fear us!”

—

With one final roar, Xu Wei plunged his hand into his chest and grabbed the green flame within.

Then… he crushed it.

—

BOOM!

Xu Shen watched as the burning tree behind Xu Wei shattered into countless radiant fragments that filled the air like starlight in the night sky.

The light surged into Xu Wei’s body as green flames consumed him entirely. His flesh turned to ash; even his bones disintegrated.

What remained was a humanoid figure made entirely of green fire—a soul fused completely with Xinhuo. It was a form achieved at the cost of total annihilation—body and soul erased forever—for one final burst of power.

—

The fiery figure smiled at Xu Shen before extending a massive green hand toward the remaining third-tier peak corpse ape. The creature screamed in terror but was helpless as Xu Wei grabbed its head and crushed it effortlessly.

Its body ignited in green flames and disintegrated into ash within moments.

With both leaders dead, the remaining lower-tier corpse apes howled furiously but ignored Xu Wei as they charged toward the living area instead.

Xu Wei let out a silent laugh before vanishing and reappearing in their path. Slamming his hand onto the ground, he conjured a towering wall of green fire that stretched 20 meters high, cutting off their advance.

—

The corpse apes threw themselves at the wall without hesitation. Those that touched it were instantly engulfed in flames and reduced to ash within seconds. But their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Xu Shen watched helplessly as Xu Wei’s fiery form dimmed visibly under the relentless assault. In just eleven minutes, most of his light had faded.

As if sensing something, Xu Wei turned toward Xu Shen. Their eyes met—bloodshot red against tear-filled determination—and Xu Wei nodded slightly before mouthing silent words:

“It’s up to you now.”

—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the mountains as if triggering an avalanche. When the dust settled, Xu Wei’s fiery form was gone. The wall of fire had vanished too.

In their place stood an enormous flaming tree—a final act of defiance against the darkness. Its branches stretched out like venomous green serpents, piercing through hundreds of corpse apes until none remained.

As the last embers faded into nothingness, so too did Xu Wei.

—

Xu Shen stood silently amidst the aftermath before letting out a voiceless laugh. His blood-red eyes glistened with tears as he withdrew his blade from his arm.

At that moment, his cultivation broke through—he had reached Core Solidification!

Perhaps it was due to overexerting himself with engraving or suppressing his potential for too long. Either way, when he broke through, he leaped straight to mid-Core Solidification!

Gripping his now-transformed black blade tightly, Xu Shen felt an overwhelming surge of killing intent wash over him—a murderous aura so dense it threatened to consume him entirely.

But instead of resisting it… he embraced it fully, channeling it into his heart.

—

The black blade in his hand trembled violently before extending into a full-length longsword—a strange weapon resembling a black ruler with one razor-sharp edge emanating an aura of pure malice and bloodlust.

Though curious about its transformation, Xu Shen had no time for analysis now. All he wanted… was to kill.

Running his hand along the blade’s surface, he murmured softly:

“Are you angry too? Then come with me.”

“Old Man Xu… from here on out…”

“I’ll take care of things.”