The grand hall in the bowels of Flame Mountain blazed with the crimson hue of magma. The air here was not merely scalding; it was saturated with a fire-attribute spiritual energy that was incredibly pure and unyielding. The magma lake in the very center churned furiously. Colossal bubbles of fire burst open, showering the air with crackling embers.
In the heart of the magma lake, upon a pedestal of pitch-black stone, a metal fragment shaped like a sixteen-pointed star lay in absolute silence. It glowed a vibrant crimson like a burning coal, yet it did not emit destructive heat. Instead, it radiated an aura that was luminous, righteous, and majestic—the aura of the grand sun.
The Core: Solar Essence Guardian—the final fragment.
Tran Kien and Old Kinh stood upon the shore, sensing the terrifying power radiating from it. Old Kinh, despite his formidable cultivation, had to continuously circulate his spiritual energy to resist the heat, his forehead already dotted with sweat.
"How do we cross?" he asked, his voice somewhat dry. "This magma lake is no ordinary fire. My spiritual energy shield... I fear it will not hold for more than ten breaths."
Tran Kien did not reply. He did not look at the magma lake. He looked directly at the fragment itself. He could sense it—it was not merely radiating power. It was "testing."
This was not a trap; it was a final trial. The legacy of the sun, of the very source of life, would never easily accept a weak inheritor. To obtain it, one had to prove themselves worthy, to prove they possessed the fortitude to endure its power.
Fire tests true gold; adversity tests resilience.
This thought flashed through Tran Kien's mind. He knew he could not rely on schemes here, nor could he use conventional methods.
He turned to look at Old Kinh. "Elder, I must trouble you to wait for me here."
"What are you planning?" Old Kinh asked in horror. "Do not tell me you intend to..."
Tran Kien offered no explanation. He merely gave a faint nod.
Then, he did something that left Old Kinh utterly dumbfounded. He did not attempt to fly across, nor did he try to build a bridge.
He stripped off his outer robes, revealing a robust physique the color of ancient bronze. Then, slowly, step by step, he walked directly into the churning magma lake.
SZZZZZ...!!!
The moment his foot touched the magma, a horrifying sound echoed. His flesh was instantly scorched, sending up plumes of white smoke. An agony defying all description, akin to tens of thousands of fire ants gnawing at his bones, transmitted straight into his divine soul.
Were he an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would have been incinerated into ash within a single second.
But Tran Kien was no ordinary person.
He let out a low, muffled roar. He did not retreat. He channeled his Primordial Chaos Qi. But he did not use it to form a defensive shield. He did the exact opposite. He guided the scalding, pure Qi of the magma into his own body, tracing the pathways of the "Heavenly Cycle Qi Guiding" mnemonic!
He was using this millennial earth-fire to temper his own body once more!
This was an act of pure madness! A life-and-death gamble!
CRACK! CRACK!
His flesh cracked open, only to be healed by the life force of the Dragon Veins. His meridians were scorched, only to be fortified and rendered more resilient by the Primordial Chaos Qi. His entire body, in this moment, had transformed into the finest steel billet, cast into the most magnificent of furnaces.
He was executing the Saber Intent - Hundredfold Tempered upon his very own self!
He gritted his teeth, walking step by agonizing step toward the center of the magma lake. Every single step was a monumental struggle, as if he were carrying the weight of an entire volcano upon his back.
Old Kinh stood on the shore, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned bone-white. He wanted to rush in and help, but he knew this was Tran Kien's personal trial. Any external interference would only bring him harm. He could only stand there, his heart overflowing with anxiety, but also with a trace of absolute, towering reverence. The willpower of this youth was truly harder than iron and steel.
After a duration that felt as long as a century, Tran Kien finally arrived before the stone pedestal. His entire body no longer resembled a human form; his flesh was charred black, yet his eyes blazed brilliantly like two miniature suns.
He showed no signs of rejoicing. He merely extended a charred hand, gently, carefully grasping the star-shaped fragment.
The instant he touched it...
HUM...M...M!!!
The fragment was not scalding hot. On the contrary, it radiated a luminous, warm aura that instantly healed every single wound on his body. The charred skin sloughed off, revealing new flesh—sturdy and lustrous, akin to glazed glass.
The other Solar Essence Guardian fragment within his chest automatically flew out.
The two fragments, separated for three thousand years, were finally reunited. They did not fuse immediately. They hovered before Tran Kien, rotating and radiating brilliant light, like two joyous miniature suns.
A massive, pristine stream of information, containing the entirety of the profound mysteries of the Core Layer: Solar Essence Guardian, flowed directly into Tran Kien's divine soul.
He understood now. This was not merely a defensive array. It was an array of "Growth." It could absorb the light of the sun, transmuting it into life force, capable of transforming a dead land into a place overflowing with vitality. It was the very source!
Then, the two fragments slowly, slowly merged into one, forming a complete, flawless sixteen-pointed star, shimmering without a single blemish.
It did not return into Tran Kien's body. It ascended high into the air, then transformed into a golden beam of light, shooting straight into the center of his forehead. It left behind a faint, sun-shaped mark, before vanishing completely.
It was no longer an external object. It had truly fused with his very soul.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The aura radiating from Tran Kien, having undergone a cycle of "breaking down to build anew," erupted once more. The final, fragile barrier separating the Foundation Establishment stage and the Core Formation stage was shattered.
The Primordial Chaos Qi within his body spun and condensed with mad intensity. The nine-petaled lotus Dao Foundation dissolved, only to be distilled into a Golden Core.
The Golden Core was not yellow, nor was it white. It was the color of chaos. Within it, an entire starry sky seemed to revolve, and right in the center blazed a miniature sun.
Core Formation Stage!
Tran Kien had officially stepped into an entirely new realm!
He opened his eyes. The entire magma hall seemed to bow before his majestic presence.
He said nothing. He merely turned around, looked toward Old Kinh—who was still standing astounded on the shore—and gave a faint smile.
Then, he did not need to walk. He merely took a single, light step. His figure instantly materialized right beside Old Kinh.
Shrinking the Earth into an Inch! A divine ability that only peak Core Formation cultivators could barely manage to execute!
Old Kinh stared at him, his single eye holding nothing but blank astonishment. The word "monster" was no longer sufficient to describe the man standing before him.
"Let us go, Elder," Tran Kien said. His voice now carried the resonant weight of passing ages. "Our journey here has concluded."
"We... must return."