I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Standing before the flames, Qin Yuan felt like a speck of dust.

"It's so big," Lin Qing'er said softly.

Her voice was swallowed by the flames. There was no echo, no lingering sound; the sound vanished as soon as it was uttered, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool. Qin Yuan glanced at her; her face was slightly pale, not from fear, but from the overwhelming oppressive aura emanating from the flames—not targeting her cultivation level, but her very existence.

Something is moving in the center of the flames.

It was neither human nor beast, neither of any tangible existence. It was a will, a condensed consciousness, like a flame within a flame, a core within a core. It had no eyes, but Qin Yuan knew it was watching him. It had no mouth, but its voice resounded directly in his mind.

"For billions of years, someone has finally made it this far." The voice was young, like that of a twenty-year-old, but there was a timeless wisdom in its tone. "What's your name?"

Qin Yuan said, "Qin Yuan."

"Qin Yuan." The voice repeated, as if savoring the meaning of the two words, "Qin Yuan. Yuan means beginning. Interesting. Do you know who I am?"

Qin Yuan said, "The Will of Fire. The ruler of the Origin Sanctuary."

The voice laughed. The laughter echoed in Qin Yuan's mind, crackling like flames. "Ruler? No, I am not a ruler. I am the origin itself. I am the first spark, the beginning of all things. I ignited the first star, I created the first life, I wrote the first law. Without me, there would be no myriad worlds."

Qin Yuan did not refute. He could sense that the other party was telling the truth. The power contained within this flame was more ancient and purer than anyone he had ever seen. It wasn't just powerful, but fundamental—it was the source of all power.

"You came here to go up there," the Will of Fire said, "to the pinnacle of all worlds, right?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

"Then you need to undergo the Trial of Origin." The Will of Fire's tone turned serious. "The rules of the Origin Sanctuary: anyone who wishes to reach the pinnacle of all worlds must survive in flames for seven days and seven nights. If you can endure it, I will allow you to pass. If you cannot, you will be consumed by the flames and become part of the Origin."

Lin Qing'er's expression changed. "Seven days and seven nights? In these flames?"

The Will of Fire ignored her. It only looked at Qin Yuan. "Are you willing?"

Qin Yuan asked, "If I make it through, can you guarantee I'll make it through?"

"I promise."

Qin Yuan turned to look at Lin Qing'er. Lin Qing'er grabbed his sleeve and shook her head. Qin Yuan gently pried her fingers open and patted the back of her hand. "Wait for me."

He walked toward the flames.

Sensing his approach, the flames began to change color drastically, from gold to purple, from purple to blue, from blue to white, growing brighter and hotter. When he was still a hundred feet away, Qin Yuan's hair began to curl, and his skin began to dry. At ten feet, his clothes began to smoke. At one foot, his eyebrows and eyelashes had burned away.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

In that moment, he felt as if he had been thrown into the heart of the sun. The temperature didn't rise gradually, but jumped from zero to infinity in an instant. His skin melted in the first breath—not charred, but melted, flowing down like candle wax. His muscles, exposed to the flames, began to carbonize and crack. His blood boiled in his veins, steam spewing from every pore.

Qin Yuan gritted his teeth and focused all his energy on protecting the Heavenly Dao. Golden light surged from his body, forming a thin protective shield around his skin. The shield barely blocked the direct scorching of the flames, but it consumed a large amount of spiritual energy every moment.

He sat cross-legged in the flames and closed his eyes.

The voice of the Will of Fire echoed in his mind: "Seven days and seven nights, not a second less. Start the countdown."

Outside, Lin Qing'er knelt before the flames, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress. She couldn't see what was happening inside the flames, only a surging golden mass. But she could sense that Qin Yuan's presence was still there, faint but not gone.

"You must hold on," she whispered.

On the first day, the flames were red. Qin Yuan felt like he was in a sauna—hot, but bearable. His protective Heavenly Dao shield remained stable, with minimal consumption of spiritual energy. He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, maintaining his optimal state.

The next day, the flames turned orange. The temperature doubled. Qin Yuan's forehead began to sweat, the sweat evaporating into white vapor as soon as it appeared. The light barrier began to tremble slightly, and he increased his spiritual energy output.

On the third day, the flames turned yellow. The temperature doubled again. Qin Yuan's clothes began to burn, so he simply took them off and sat cross-legged shirtless. His skin was scorched red, like a boiled shrimp. Tiny cracks appeared in the light shield, but he gritted his teeth and continued to repair it.

On the fourth day, the flames turned white. The temperature was so high that even the protective barrier began to melt. Qin Yuan's spiritual energy consumption increased dramatically, and he began to use his cultivation reserves. His skin began to crack, and the blood that seeped out was immediately evaporated, leaving behind black scabs.

On the fifth day, the flames turned blue. Qin Yuan's bones began to soften. He could feel his spine bending, his ribs deforming, and even his skull caved inward. He had to use the Heavenly Dao of Protection to stabilize his bones, enveloping each bone in golden light. This process was extremely painful, but he remained silent.

On the sixth day, the flames turned purple. Qin Yuan's consciousness began to blur. His body was no longer human—most of his skin had melted away, his muscles were exposed, and his bones were bent and deformed, like a crumpled ball of paper. Only his eyes remained bright, golden light shining from their sockets like two inextinguishable lamps.

Lin Qing'er saw the purple flames surging outside and sensed Qin Yuan's rapidly weakening aura. She could no longer hold back and stood up to rush towards the flames.

A wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path. The voice of the Will of Fire rang out: "Outsiders are not allowed to interfere with the trial. If you take another step forward, both of you will die."

Lin Qing'er knelt before the wall of fire, tears streaming down her face. "Brother Qin Yuan! Can you hear me? You must come out alive!"

Within the flames, Qin Yuan's consciousness was nearly fading away. He could no longer hear Lin Qing'er's voice, feel his own body, or even feel pain. He was left with only a wisp of consciousness, like a candle flame in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

The Will of Fire said, "You can't hold on any longer. Give up. Being consumed by the flames and becoming part of the Origin is not death. You will be one with all worlds, one with the Origin. This is not failure, but sublimation."

Qin Yuan did not answer. His consciousness drifted in the darkness, without direction or goal. But in the darkness, an image lit up—not flames, not trials, not pain.

It was a small stream. The water was crystal clear, and a few fallen leaves floated on the surface. A girl squatted by the stream, her hair in two buns, washing a handful of medicinal herbs. She looked up and smiled at him.