In Beijing lived Cheng, the son of Chun, who was the previous Phoenix Warrior. Chun’s family lived in Block 50, Guomao (Central Business District), Beijing, China.

It was a lovely afternoon, and Cheng was playing video games on his PC, connected to the television, while Jing, Cheng’s mother, was in the kitchen. A loud sound was suddenly heard from the roof. It seemed that something had landed on it. Then, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the house. It was an Ulama bird that had landed on the roof. The bird had been sent by Roc to signal China by making horrifying screams across the land. Cheng paused his game– the scream sent chills down his spine, and after the Ulama bird flew away, he asked,

“Mum, what was that?”

"I don't know." Jing repliedfrom the kitchen, her mind laced with more knowledge about the bird.

“An Ulama bird. The dark forces are back,” Jing mutters to herself, her voice tinged with shock and fear.

“Well, Phoenix will take care of it,” Cheng said.

“I need to tell Master Wei. It’s about time he takes up his father’s responsibility,” Jing whispered quietly to herself.

Meanwhile, in the Dark Realms, Roc sat on his throne with his servants, Aiugo and Hua, standing beside him. Xiong Yīng was seated on a chair adjacent to Roc’s throne.

“Now I must plan my revenge. I will destroy Phoenix!” Roc thundered.

“Uh! My Lord, Phoenix is dead,” Aiugo said, bowing his head.

“Phoenix is dead?!” Roc exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, he died alongside all the other warriors when they destroyed the dark forces,” Aiugo added.

“Grr! Good, then his son will suffer for it!” Roc growled.

“His son?” Hua asked curiously.

“You don’t understand. Every firstborn of the Phoenix Warrior will become the next Phoenix Warrior,” Roc explained.

Suddenly, a loud sound was heard outside. Someone had barged into the palace. Footsteps echoed through the hallway until the intruder entered the throne room, throwing two Stymphalian birds to the ground, lifeless, from his left and right hand. The two birds had been guarding the entry doors. The intruder was Dark Lion, followed closely by Tigerman.

“How dare you barge into my palace!” Roc roared, stepping toward Dark Lion.

“I came to warn you—never spoil my plan again! Because you ruined it last time!” Dark Lion shouted back.

“I didn’t ruin it. I enhanced it to my advantage!” Roc retorted.

“But did it work? Did it work?!” Dark Lion demanded.

“Let me tell you something, Roc. Once I defeat Phoenix and take his powers, I will rule over China and the world, and I will become king of the Dark Realms,” Dark Lion declared before storming out with Tigerman.

“Never. He will never be king, and he will never gain the mystic powers of the Phoenix,” Roc muttered as he sank back onto his throne.

---

Back in Guomao, Beijing, night had fallen, and Cheng was sleeping in his bed. His room was decorated with various artworks, and his fancy bed was framed by red-painted walls. A red desk stood beside his bed with an alarm clock resting on it, and at the far end of the room hung a portrait of a Phoenix bird. The door opened quietly, and Jing stepped in. She moved toward the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a red-colored key. Walking to the Phoenix portrait, she held the key firmly in her right hand and whispered,

“Dài wǒ qù gǔlǎo de fènghuáng cháoxué.” (Meaning: “Take me to the Phoenix lair.”)

In an instant, she vanished.

Jing appeared in a room with a flight of stairs ahead. She descended, passing walls carved with Phoenix birds. There were seven flights of stairs before reaching the last floor. At the end, she entered a vast chamber—the ancient lair of the Phoenix Warrior. Every wall was covered with carvings of Phoenix birds. After a moment of silent admiration, Jing stepped forward and called,

“Master Wei!”

“I heard the blood-curdling scream too,” Master Wei answered, appearing before her.

“How did you know that’s what I came to tell you? Never mind—they’re back. What do we do?” Jing asked.

“We must do what must be done. Bring him here tomorrow afternoon,” Master Wei instructed before disappearing.

“Cheng, it’s about time,” Jing whispered with a sigh, then returned home.

---

Morning came, and Cheng woke as his alarm clock rang. It was Saturday, the 5th of July—his birthday. He was finally turning thirteen. After brushing his teeth, bathing, and dressing, he happily went downstairs. To his surprise, the living room was filled with his friends and his mother holding a chocolate cake with “13” written on it in whipped cream and topped with three candles.

“Surprise! Happy Birthday!!!” they chorused.

Cheng froze in shock, then smiled.

“Aww, thank you, guys. I really appreciate it,” he said.

“It was your friends who came up with the idea, especially Mei and Hua. Happy birthday, sweetie. Now blow out the candles and make your wishes,” Jing said, holding out the cake. Cheng puffed out the flames and made his wishes silently.

“Cheng, Hua and I have a gift for you,” Mei said, stepping forward.

“Okay, but not now. Let’s party first, come on,” Cheng replied, leading Mei and Hua to the couch.

Mei was a beautiful girl with silky, soft green hair tied into two ponytails. Hua was a handsome boy with black hair. Mei loved art and agriculture, while Hua loved food—especially fish soup. They both lived nearby, Mei in Block 60 and Hua in Block 65. Mei’s father owned an Agro Mall and a farm, and her mother managed an art gallery. Hua’s parents ran a restaurant famous across Guomao. Jing herself owned a shopping mall.

After hours of games, cake, and fizzy drinks, Mei and Hua finally presented their gifts. Mei gave Cheng a new video game console, and Hua handed him a famous comic book.

“I know how much you love video games, that’s why I bought this,” Mei explained.

“And I know you’ve been wishing for this comic, so I got it for you,” Hua added.

“Thank you, guys. You’re my best friends forever,” Cheng said, hugging them both.

By 2 PM, the guests departed, and Cheng played his new console in the living room. Jing sat beside him on the couch.

“Well done, our future warrior,” she said, patting his back.

“Why do you and Dad always call me a future warrior? It’s frustrating,” Cheng sighed, pausing the game.

“Because you are a warrior. You’re meant to be one,” Jing replied.

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” he asked, confused.

“Come, let me show you,” Jing said, leading him upstairs to his room.

“I know everything about my room. What do you want to show me here?” Cheng asked.

“Do you know about this?” Jing said, pulling out the red key from the desk drawer.

“Oh, that key. I’ve always been confused about it. There’s no door in this house it can open.”

“But it can open the door to your warrior lair. Hold my hand,” Jing said, stretching hers out. Cheng took it.

“Dài wǒ qù gǔlǎo de fènghuáng cháoxué,” Jing recited, holding the key firmly before the Phoenix portrait. Instantly, they vanished.

They reappeared in the stairwell.

“Where’s this place?” Cheng asked, bewildered.

“You’ll see,” Jing answered.

Together, they descended the seven flights of stairs. Cheng brushed his fingers across the Phoenix carvings as they went. At the bottom, Jing opened the door to the great chamber.

“Where’s this place?” Cheng repeated.

“The Phoenix lair,” Jing explained.

“How? How can we access it? It should be kept secret!”

“We can access it because it’s ours,” Jing said.

“Ours? But how?” Cheng asked.

“Just go straight to the point, Jing. We must tell him now!” Master Wei said, appearing suddenly.

“Who are you? Are you a ghost? Mum, who’s that?!” Cheng shouted, frightened.

“It’s Master Wei,” Jing answered.

“Jing! Tell him! Fine, I’ll do it myself,” Master Wei said firmly. Turning to Cheng, he explained, “Your father was the previous Phoenix Warrior. He died in the last battle with the dark creatures.”

“Mum? Please tell me this weird guy is lying!” Cheng cried, tears filling his eyes.

“I’m not a weird guy,” Master Wei muttered.

“It’s true. Your dad sacrificed himself in the last battle with the dark forces,” Jing admitted with a sigh.

“I thought he died in a car accident!” Cheng sobbed.

“That was our agreement,” Jing whispered.

“What agreement?”

“The day you were born, your father and I agreed that if he died in battle, we’d tell you it was an accident. It was to protect you and his identity.”

“How would lying protect me? It hurts more knowing you deceived me all this while!” Cheng cried.

“I’m sorry. You were too young to understand. If we told you, you might have told others about your father’s identity, and that would have put you in danger if the dark creatures returned. They would have come for you,” Jing explained through tears.

“Less crying, more truth,” Master Wei interrupted. “Cheng, you must take up your father’s responsibility now that the dark forces have returned.”

“Wait—you mean I have to become the Phoenix Warrior and protect China? No way!” Cheng refused.

“What?!” Master Wei exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’m not becoming a Phoenix Warrior. Do you want me killed?” Cheng said angrily.

“Sweetie, you must accept,” Jing pleaded.

“Accept?! You too? You’re siding with this weird man?” Cheng snapped.

“For the last time, I’m not a weird man!” Master Wei shouted.

“Think about it, Mum. Dad died in battle as Phoenix. Don’t you realize I’ll die too? Do you want to lose me as well?” Cheng asked.

“I don’t want to lose you, but it’s your destiny. If you don’t accept, the dark forces will destroy all of China—including me, Hua, Mei, and even you. Then they’ll take the Phoenix Ring and destroy the world,” Jing said.

“Wait, this ring… this is the Phoenix Ring?” Cheng asked.

“Yes. I gave it to you from your father,” Master Wei confirmed.

“You’re the old man who gave it to me ten years ago!” Cheng realized.

“Yes,” Master Wei nodded.

“But am I not too young for this?” Cheng asked.

“Age isn’t the problem. Long ago, a Phoenix priest prophesied that the 10th generation Phoenix Warrior would be young but mighty—destined to triumph over the dark forces forever. You are that warrior,” Master Wei declared.

“You even know my age?” Cheng asked in surprise.

“Yes. I’ve been watching you since birth,” Master Wei replied.

“Then why not give this responsibility to someone else?”

“Because every firstborn of the Phoenix Warrior must inherit the role,” Master Wei explained.

“Fine, I accept. But if I die, my ghost will haunt Mum—and you, weird guy,” Cheng muttered.

“For the last time, not weird guy!” Master Wei barked.

“Good. Since you accepted, I’ll give you a gift,” Jing said happily.

“Before we do anything, I need to know your real name. I can’t keep calling you weird guy,” Cheng said.

“Finally! My name is Master Wei, Guardian of the mystic powers and the Phoenix Ring,” Wei introduced himself.

“Alright, Master Wei. What’s next?” Cheng asked.

“Return tomorrow at this time. I’ll tell you then,” Master Wei said.

“Okay. I just hope I don’t get killed.”

“You won’t. Fènghuáng will be on your side,” Master Wei assured him.

“Pray so,” Cheng muttered as he and Jing vanished, reappearing in his room.