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

"Brother Qin Yuan, you're back?"

That was Lin Qing'er. Lin Qing'er from the back mountain of the Xuan Yuan Sect. The Lin Qing'er who first stirred his heart.

Qin Yuan's consciousness snapped back to reality. He opened his eyes, and golden light burst forth from their sockets.

"I can't die." His voice was hoarse and almost inaudible. "She's still waiting for me."

At this moment, the guardian of the Heavenly Dao erupted with unprecedented brilliance. That brilliance didn't emanate from within his body, but rather burst forth from the depths of his soul. The golden light shield reformed, thicker and brighter than before. It expanded the purple flames, forming a three-foot-square independent space around Qin Yuan.

The Will of Fire's voice held a hint of surprise. "Your Guardian Dao... has evolved?"

Qin Yuan did not answer. He slowly stood up amidst the flames.

The sixth day ended. On the seventh day, the flames turned golden.

The golden flames of the seventh day are the strongest flames in the Origin Sacred Domain. Their temperature isn't heat, but rather a kind of "creation" itself. Being burned by these flames isn't destruction, but reorganization. Qin Yuan's body began to be reshaped within the golden flames—melted skin regrowed, softened bones hardened again, and became even more resilient than before. His muscle fibers were woven more densely by the flames, his blood vessels doubled in size, and the spiritual energy capacity in his dantian tripled.

This process was far more agonizing than the previous burning. The previous pain was destruction; the current pain was rebirth. Destruction was a one-time event, but rebirth was a constant tearing and rebuilding every second. Qin Yuan clenched three teeth, his gums bleeding, but his eyes remained open.

He no longer resisted the flames, but instead opened his arms and actively absorbed them.

The Will of Fire's voice changed. "What are you doing?!"

Qin Yuan said, "You made me survive in the flames for seven days and seven nights, but you didn't say I couldn't absorb the flames."

Golden flames, like a flood finding an outlet, surged wildly into Qin Yuan's body. They flowed through his meridians, into his dantian, and merged with the Guardian Heavenly Dao. The Guardian Heavenly Dao was originally golden, but after absorbing the Origin Fire, it gained a flowing luster, like molten gold.

The Will of Fire tried to retract the flames, but it was too late. Qin Yuan's body was like a bottomless pit, devouring everything around him. The color of the flames began to fade, from gold to purple, from purple to blue, and from blue to white.

"Stop!" The Will of Fire's voice was filled with terror. "You will destroy the Origin Sanctuary!"

Qin Yuan didn't stop. He said, "The origin won't be destroyed, it will only be transferred."

His body was continuously strengthened within the flames. His skin turned pale gold, his bones emitted a metallic hum, and tiny golden specks flowed in his blood. The Guardian Dao and the Origin Flame completely merged, transforming into a new form—the Origin Guardian Dao.

The flames continued to fade. White turned yellow, yellow turned orange, and orange turned red.

The Will of Fire began to shrink. It was originally a massive ball of flame, as large as the world, but now it was only the size of a palace. It struggled desperately, trying to break free from Qin Yuan's absorption, but each struggle consumed more of its power.

"You...you madman!" The Will of Fire's voice turned shrill. "Do you know what you're doing? You're devouring the Origin itself! You will become the new Origin, you will be trapped here forever, becoming the first cornerstone of all worlds!"

Qin Yuan said, "No. I will leave with Origin."

He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply. The remaining flames surged into his mouth and were swallowed. The flames burned within him, merging with his dantian.

The physical form of the Will of Fire completely dissipated. But in its final moments, it transformed into a fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Qin Yuan. It was its final counterattack, a culmination of all the power it had accumulated over countless millennia.

Qin Yuan raised his hand and struck out with a palm.

The palm print wasn't golden, but rather a blend of gold and red, carrying the heat of the primordial fire and the unwavering resolve to protect the Heavenly Dao. The palm print collided with the fire dragon, but there was no explosion, no roar. The fire dragon, as if made of paper, shattered from its head down, the fragments dissipating into sparks.

The second palm strike was aimed at the last wisp of the core left behind before the Will of Fire dissipated.

The core let out a sigh. "You win. You will become a better origin than me." Then it vanished completely.

Qin Yuan withdrew his hand and stood in the gradually dying flames. His body had been completely reshaped—his skin was smooth as if newly born, his bones as hard as divine iron, and his muscles clearly defined. His eyes had turned golden-red, with flames flickering faintly in his pupils.

[Ding! Defeat the ruler of the Origin Sanctuary—Will of Fire. Reward: Unlimited Energy Points.]

[Residual Origin Power of the Will of Fire detected; has automatically fused with it.]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Eternal Saint Emperor Ninth Level → Origin Saint Emperor First Level.]

[Lin Qing'er's advancement is simultaneous: Eternal Saint Emperor Level 1 → Origin Saint Emperor Level 1.]

[Obtain a special item: Origin Flame (infused with the Guardian Dao, attacks inflict a burning effect, capable of destroying the rules).]

[Obtained Special Item: Heart of Flame (Permanently increases physical strength, currently comparable to the Origin Saint).]

Qin Yuan looked down at his hands. There were golden lines on his palms, like magma flowing beneath his skin. He clenched his fist and felt that his strength was more than ten times greater than before.

He turned and walked out of the flames.

Lin Qing'er knelt before the wall of fire, her tears already dried. She didn't know what had happened inside the flames, but she sensed Qin Yuan's aura grow from faint to powerful, and from powerful to unfathomable. She stood up, watching the flames slowly die down, and watched a familiar figure emerge from the fire.

Qin Yuan was shirtless, his entire body radiating a golden-red light. His face hadn't changed; it was still the face she had seen for countless millennia. But his eyes had changed—deeper, brighter, as if they held two inextinguishable flames.

Lin Qing'er rushed forward and punched him in the chest. "You scared me to death!"

Qin Yuan groaned, not from pain, but from the metallic clanging of her fist striking his chest. Lin Qing'er paused for a moment, then punched him again, producing another metallic sound.

"How...how did your body become like this?"

Qin Yuan smiled. "Burned by fire."

Lin Qing'er was both amused and exasperated. She hugged him and buried her face in his chest. She felt the warmth of his skin, not burning, but warm, like a fireplace in winter.

"Don't do that again next time," she said in a muffled voice.

Qin Yuan patted her on the back. "Okay."

He released Lin Qing'er and turned to look into the depths of the Origin Sacred Domain. There was a light curtain there, beyond which lay the End Sacred Domain. He could sense a power on the other side of the light curtain that was completely opposite to the Origin—cold, silent, and absorbing everything.

The end.