Let me talk a little about my past, about how I became a person with supernatural abilities.


    Before becoming a person with supernatural abilities, I often did things that seemed unconventional. And perhaps because I projected my own thoughts onto others, I believed that the things I did weren''t as unconventional as they were made out to be. I assumed that others must have done similar things, they just rarely shared them with the people around them.


    One of those things was placing a pen, eraser, or any other light object within reach in front of me, then focusing all my attention on it, imagining that my mental will could infiltrate physical reality, causing it to move.


    It didn’t need to move violently, just a little would do, as long as it was visible to the naked eye. As long as I could focus fully and devote all my mental power to it, then expecting that little miracle didn’t seem too unreasonable.


    Of course, I didn’t truly believe in this kind of reasoning. It was more of a personal hobby. Ever since I could remember, I had been fascinated by concepts like magic and supernatural powers. Those stories sometimes would create elaborate settings inspired by mysticism, telling readers how to cultivate their abilities and glimpse the path to immortality. It was only natural that after reading such things, I would feel a desire to imitate them. At that time, I certainly didn’t believe I would go deep into the mountains to find a suitable “spiritual vein” or “cave residence,” but meditating while lying in bed with my heart and mind focused was something I could easily do.


    Even when I first did this, I was still in elementary school, and deep down, I knew very well that no matter how long I persisted, this method would never truly allow me to access the "spiritual energy between heaven and earth." I just wanted to get as close as possible to the world of fantasy stories. When I meditated and imitated the characters from the stories, I felt as though I was becoming part of that imaginary world.


    The last attempt I made was in the third year of middle school, when I came across a certain idea in a miscellaneous book. It said that ancient monks would prepare a burnt-out candle in a quiet room and focus all their attention on the wick, imagining that their gaze would ignite it.


    This method wasn’t about truly thinking that one could light the wick with their eyes, but rather it was intended to clear the mind of other distractions, making it easier to enter the deep and mysterious state of meditation. After reading this, I thought it made a lot of sense and became quite fascinated by it. Although the monks’ meditation didn’t manifest any visible supernatural powers, it was still a form of mystical experience, and I was very curious about it.


    For a while after that, I would carry a candle with me every day, and during my free time, I would take it out and focus on the wick, imagining the scene of it catching fire.


    What I didn’t expect was that, over time, although I had not succeeded in entering the mysterious meditative state, I inadvertently triggered another absurd phenomenon.


    It was an ordinary school day. After the teacher announced the end of class, she left with some materials, and the classroom became noisy as the break time began. No classmates came over to talk to me, so as usual, I took out my candle and continued to pass the time by staring at it, trying to distract myself from boredom.


    One minute, two minutes, three minutes... about five or six minutes passed, and I still hadn’t entered the so-called meditative state. This was to be expected. I continued to empty my mind, staring at the wick as I had done countless times before.


    But this time, it was unlike any other.


    Under my gaze,


    The wick suddenly ignited out of thin air.


    ---


    The demon suddenly ignited.


    It was as if its entire body had transformed into a giant matchstick, and as it sprinted toward me at high speed, the friction with the air generated heat, which then caused it to explode in a burst of flames.


    A torrent of scorching heat swept in all directions, causing the trees and bushes along the road to fall in disarray. I too was caught in the wave of heat, but I didn’t suffer any burns. Instead, I was pushed back two steps by the force of the heat wave and spun around, avoiding the demon’s path. The demon, on the other hand, crashed uncontrollably into a nearby charging station, like a car losing control.


    It let out a sharp, frantic scream, so painful that it couldn’t even stand, instead rolling on the ground in desperation, trying to put out the flames engulfing its body.


    At the same time, the shadows around me began to stir, and dozens of shadowy blades rushed toward me from all directions, launching swift and deadly thrusts.


    But before the shadow blades could even touch my body, flames erupted from me in all directions. The shadow blades, upon encountering my fire, disintegrated instantly like cotton being burned, unable to cross even a single step through the blazing defensive circle I created.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The demon’s actions at this crucial moment didn’t stop there. Some of the shadows didn’t attack me but instead rushed toward it.


    It is said that in some firefighting efforts, sand is used instead of water to extinguish flames. The principle is similar to water—by covering the burning object, it cuts off the oxygen, preventing the fire from continuing. It seemed that these shadows intended to play a similar role, enveloping the demon, who was writhing in pain, like a cocoon.


    However, before the shadows could smother the flames, they were ignited by the fire first. Instead of extinguishing the flames, they became additional fuel, intensifying the demon’s suffering.


    "Zhuang Cheng—" It seemed as if it had been cast into a fiery hell, and the voice that came from that place was filled with negative emotions. "—Zhuang Cheng!!!"


    As it roared, its body suddenly sprang up from the ground, attacking me in the blink of an eye.


    But I didn’t blink. My gaze remained focused on it.


    Its speed was incredibly fast, and its strength was immense. If I moved in my normal state, it would tear me apart before I could even twitch a finger. However, my attack doesn’t require me to move a finger. If it thinks I need to go through the process like some fire user in combat games—first gather the fireball around me and then throw it—then it’s greatly underestimating me.


    My gaze, my voice, my breath—these everyday things are all mediums through which I transmit my power.


    My fire is my spirit. Therefore, wherever my spirit can reach, my fire can destroy. Some people might say, "If looks could kill..." to describe how strong someone’s killing intent is, but my gaze can truly kill.


    Just like now.


    The demon was set on fire once again. This time, I let the flames erupt only on the front of its body. The immense heat sent it flying backward, forcing it to continue struggling desperately in the flames.


    "This is impossible..." It seemed to finally realize what was happening to its body. "Just... just from a single glance... Ahhh!!!"


    "It''s just manipulating fire, nothing that impressive," I said, more interested with the demon true abilities than my own powers, which I had long since become accustomed to. "Don''t you have anything more... novel? More bizarre abilities?"


    The demon seemed to have no energy left to respond, focusing instead on manipulating its shadow powers, trying to put out the flames on its body, but it was completely useless.


    The flames continued to steadily break down its body, but I could observe that its flesh and blood were regenerating at an unnatural speed. For every part of its flesh that was charred and shattered, new flesh would regenerate to replace it. Overall, the regeneration speed was still slower than the destruction, but based on this change, it would still take some time to burn it to death.


    It wasn’t impossible to burn this demon to a crisp in one go. The current situation also had some factors where I was deliberately holding back. I wasn’t entirely sure how hot my flames could get, as their destructive power didn’t depend on the physical temperature but on the intent behind them. As long as I infused a killing intent, even rocks could be vaporized on the spot; without that intent, I could wrap a human body in flames without causing any harm.


    I had originally intended to kill it. After all, the enemy was trying to kill me, and if I killed it, no one could blame me. However, at the crucial moment when I was about to make the fatal move, I hesitated.


    It wasn’t because I valued the enemy''s life. If the opponent had been human, I might have considered it, but since it wasn’t even humanoid, I had no psychological burden when burning it. Still, would it be a little regrettable to kill it on the spot?


    Perhaps I shouldn’t kill it, but capture it alive instead. Then I could find a place to imprison it and ask it more about the strange things it knows. Of course, it might still have other bizarre and dangerous trump cards capable of killing me. But I believe the risk is worth taking.


    Speaking of "risk," there’s something very important I haven''t done yet, so I might as well do it now.


    "You’re struggling in vain." I took the initiative to explain my ability. "As long as it’s within my line of sight, my flames will never disappear. Even if you find a way to extinguish them, I can reignite them countless times."


    Many villains in battle manga tend to explain their powers when they have the upper hand. While I also believe this is far from a wise move, it''s one of my obsessions.


    If I were to write a life’s bucket list, one of the items would definitely be "demonstrate my abilities in front of my opponent while explaining the power set."


    Even if this approach later leads to my own predicament, I would accept it calmly. My experiences under the basement helped me truly understand myself, and I am now completely certain of the strength of my mental power.


    It’s clear that the demon isn''t ready to admit defeat. Just as I was about to explain more, it suddenly let out a roar of humiliation, then once again jumped off the ground and charged forward.


    But this time, it wasn’t trying to get closer to me—it was fleeing as quickly as possible.


    Its hurried retreat was as fast as a twisting lightning bolt, and in the blink of an eye, its figure disappeared from my sight.


    Perhaps this is the best strategy it can think of right now. It has realized that I can ignite objects with my gaze, and seeing that both its shadows and its physical attacks can''t reach me, the best course of action is to disappear from my sight as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will just be continuously burned by me, suffering to death.


    However, I never said that it would be safe just by getting out of my line of sight.


    It''s not a good habit to escape halfway through an explanation.


    I closed my eyes, and the image of the demon''s location appeared in my mind.


    I saw that after fleeing the neighborhood, the demon quickly arrived at the river about a kilometer away. It was still burning from my flames, and upon seeing the river, it didn''t hesitate to dive in. When the river water met the flames, a large amount of white steam immediately erupted.


    Even my flames can''t evaporate an entire river, at least I''ve never tried to see if I could. The demon must be trying to use the large amount of water to extinguish the flames, but it’s a futile effort. My flames can appear without oxygen, and they certainly won''t disappear just because of a lack of it.


    Moreover, running away from me was also a mistake. No matter how far it runs, it can''t escape my gaze. True, there are no “fireflies” around it now, but the reason the “fireflies” could share my vision was because they were my flames, my dispersed spirit. And now, the flames burning on the demon’s body have also become my eyes.


    Where the light of the flames reaches, my gaze reaches.


    Once ignited by me, no matter how far it runs, it cannot escape my burning. Unless I allow it, the flames will not go out.