Kyrian walked alone through the volcanic mountains of the Intermediate Area.

Ash constantly fell from the reddish sky, accumulating over his shoulders and hair before being carried away by the hot wind blowing between the dark valleys of the Great Volcano. Every step raised small clouds of volcanic dust from the black, cracked ground.

The distant sound of lava flowing through the depths of the mountain echoed continuously around him, a low and constant roar that seemed to come from the entrails of the earth itself.

It mixed with the occasional roars of fire beasts hidden among the rocky formations, creating a hostile symphony that accompanied every one of Kyrian’s steps.

But he did not slow down.

His blue eyes silently observed the surroundings as he advanced through a completely different path from the one taken by the four leaders of Red Smoke City.

Through his vision, he had noticed that they had climbed using a northern route, longer but apparently safer. Kyrian had chosen the opposite path.

Steeper.

More direct.

More dangerous.

He had no intention whatsoever of meeting them again.

Especially now.

If those leaders started suspecting that he possessed enough strength to face the Five-Horned Lava Lizard, to kill it alone, everything would become troublesome.

Even if they did not fully believe it, a small seed of suspicion would be enough for them to start watching him and perhaps even try to kill him out of greed.

And Kyrian had no interest in attracting the attention of cultivators from the Spiritual Awakening Realm.

’The most important thing right now is finding the tomb.’ He thought while moving forward.

If a Fire Spirit truly existed inside Ming Hai’s inheritance, then this was an opportunity far too rare to ignore.

He wanted to see what this legendary race looked like. He wanted to understand, with his own eyes, what these beings born from the very essence of the world truly were.

...

Kyrian continued climbing.

The terrain became increasingly unstable as he advanced through the volcanic slopes.

Enormous cracks spread across the black ground like gigantic spiderwebs, some wide enough to swallow an entire man. From them, extremely hot steam escaped in irregular bursts, so hot that the surrounding air distorted.

In several places, small rivers of lava crossed the path, thin but deadly. Kyrian had to avoid or leap over them, feeling the intense heat burning through the soles of his boots.

Even so, nothing could slow him down.

His eyes easily identified the safest routes, mapping the terrain ahead with a precision no other cultivator at his level possessed. He could see where the ground was unstable, where the steam was most dangerous, and where the beasts hid.

Furthermore, the beasts of this region no longer posed a great threat to him.

The battle against the Five-Horned Lava Lizard had drastically increased his combat experience against beasts.

Any beast below that level seemed far less frightening now.

A fierce roar echoed through the mountain, interrupting his thoughts.

The next instant, a creature resembling a tiger covered in black magma plates leapt from behind a gigantic rock. Its glowing claws left trails of fire through the air as it charged.

An 8° stage Core Formation beast.

Kyrian did not even change his expression.

His eyes glowed blue.

A spear of ice instantly condensed before him, a thin, aerodynamic projectile, perfect for piercing.

It shot forward like lightning.

The beast did not even have time to react.

The spear violently pierced its skull, entering through the right eye and exiting through the back of its head. Ice instantly spread through the wound, freezing the creature’s brain before it could even process the pain.

The colossal body slid across the volcanic ground for several meters before stopping completely motionless.

Dead.

Kyrian passed by the carcass without even looking at it again.

...

As he advanced, Kyrian slowly began to notice something.

The environment was changing.

The heat was increasing.

Not gradually, like the transition from the Outer Area to the Intermediate Area. But drastically, as though he had crossed an invisible barrier.

The air became increasingly heavy, almost suffocating. Every breath required effort, as if his lungs were being filled with liquid smoke. The stones around him had turned reddish from the absurd temperature, and small spontaneous flames occasionally emerged from cracks in the ground, fueled by flammable gases escaping from the underground.

Even the fire Qi in the environment felt different.

More aggressive and more alive.

As though it possessed a will of its own.

Kyrian stopped for a moment.

Then slowly raised his eyes.

Before him, the gigantic volcanic mountain continued rising toward the smoke-covered heavens. The summit, wrapped in clouds of ash and steam, seemed as distant as the sky itself.

But now he knew.

"Hmm..." His eyes narrowed slightly.

’This is the Inner Area.’

He had finally crossed the border.

...

Instantly, the heat increased several times over.

It was not a subtle change, it was as if someone had flipped a switch. The air that had once been hot became scorching.

The ground that had once been dark turned reddish. The smoke that had once been thin became thick.

Even Kyrian felt his skin burn slightly.

His ice Qi automatically began circulating through his body in response to the hostile environment, like a natural reflex. A thin bluish layer spread beneath his skin, glowing faintly, invisible externally, but present like an internal armor.

The layer blocked part of the monstrous heat.

Even so... 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The consumption of Qi increased absurdly.

Kyrian frowned slightly.

He could feel both of his cores working overtime. They were being drained far faster than in the Intermediate Area.

’Now I understand.’

Kyrian now understood why only cultivators of the Spiritual Awakening Realm could survive in this place.

It was not only because of the beasts, although they were also a problem.

The environment itself was already deadly.

Ordinary Core Formation cultivators, even those at the peak of the realm, would probably have their meridians burned after only a few hours in that hellish heat.

The fire Qi in the air was so dense that it corroded the spiritual defenses of the weak.

Even Kyrian could only remain there thanks to his ice Qi, an energy opposed to fire, capable of neutralizing part of the damage.

Without it, he would die quickly.

He breathed slowly.

The air burned his lungs. Every breath was like swallowing embers.

’But I can still endure it.’

As long as he maintained enough Qi, he could remain in that region for a long time, perhaps an entire day, perhaps more. His two cores gave him a larger reserve than most.

And if his Qi ran out, he would simply return to the Intermediate Area and rest. There was no shame in retreating when necessary.

Simple.

Kyrian resumed walking.

...

Unlike the other areas of the Great Volcano, the Inner Area seemed much smaller.

The surrounding mountains became steeper and more dangerous, slowly converging toward the summit of the volcano like the fingers of a gigantic hand closing together. There were no more wide valleys or plains, only steep slopes, narrow ravines, and dizzying cliffs.

Everything seemed to point toward the center.

Toward the gigantic volcanic mouth above.

Kyrian looked around while walking.

He did not want to waste time exploring that place randomly. Every minute there costs Qi. Every wasted second was drained energy.

His objective was simple.

Find the tomb.

Find the Fire Spirit.

And leave.

’If the tomb truly exists, then it must be in the hardest place to access.’ He thought calmly while his eyes scanned the rocky formations.

It made sense.

A specialist like Ming Hai would never leave his inheritance in a simple place, exposed to the first explorer who arrived. He would create obstacles. Hide the entrance. Use the environment itself as protection.

And what would be the most dangerous place in the Great Volcano?

Kyrian raised his eyes.

The crater. The volcano’s very mouth.

Kyrian made his decision quickly.

’I’ll go straight to the summit.’

’If I don’t find anything there, then I’ll leave.’