Unable to bear the scorching heat any longer, Yell lost his balance and fell heavily onto the searing ground. The ground felt like an enormous sheet of hot iron, and the heat was so intense that Rylan felt his skin burning with every passing second.
He rolled across the ground, the burns spreading like fire. "This is agonizing... I feel like I'm being roasted alive," he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse with pain. Trying to recover, he used the Natural Breathing technique to ease the pressure of the heat and, with great effort, stood up, gasping for breath.
His tunic, already torn in several places, was now completely burned on the upper part of his body.
"Yell, are you alright?" Rylan shouted, his voice muffled by pain. He struggled to get up, his body slick with sweat and exhaustion. His bare feet burned with every step, as though he were walking on live coals.
He looked at Yell, lying on the ground, his green body trembling with pain. The bird, a level 1 spiritual beast, was unable to withstand the heat of the Fire Valley. Rylan's expression of suffering deepened as he saw his familiar in agony.
With every step, the heat from the ground made him silently scream, but he didn't give up. It was his familiar. He couldn't leave him there to suffer. Even with the soles of his feet burning, he approached Yell.
When he reached the bird, he knelt down, his hands trembling, and injected some of his own spiritual energy to alleviate the heat's impact. The energy flowed from his body into the bird, and as he felt it, Yell felt useless and powerless, unable to help.
"Relax, Yell. Your path is not the fire, it's nature," Rylan said, forcing a smile despite the pain. It was a sincere smile, one that didn't show weakness. He looked at the bird with confidence, trying to convey strength to him, even at his limit.
"I'm sorry..." Yell sent a mental message, sadness in his voice.
Rylan kept smiling and responded as he gently lifted Yell into his arms.
"Get out of here and head to the Burning Desert. Try to find the Ice Valley. I'll come after you. If you can withstand the heat, come back. But for now, I forbid you to return here. I don't want to lose a familiar."
With those words, he slowly walked back to the desert, the weight of Yell's body in his arms making the journey even more difficult.
When he reached the Burning Desert, he looked at the bird one last time, worried, and gently placed him on the ground, stepping away slowly.
Yell wanted to return, he wished to be by Rylan's side, but he knew he couldn't disobey the primogenitor's order. "I'll move forward... I'll do everything I can to increase my cultivation. Primogenitor, wait for me..." he murmured, determined, before taking off into the sky.
---
Alone in the Fire Valley, Rylan continued his journey, advancing through the scorching terrain. With each step, he refined his body using the Natural Breathing method, gradually getting used to the intense heat.
After some time, he finally adapted. The pain from the burns diminished, and his skin began to heal slowly, growing stronger. He realized his body was progressing in the skin refinement process.
However, there was no time to savor the feeling of progress. Suddenly, a massive pool of lava appeared in front of him, its surface bubbling with scorching bubbles.
"Damn it, why does this place have to be so cursed?!" Rylan exclaimed, irritated. He stopped for a moment, assessing his options: go back and look for another path, or cross the pool of lava. His impulse was to find a quick solution.
"Shit!" he shouted, determined. Without hesitation, he chose the second option. He didn't want to waste more time in the Fire Valley. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. Also, he believed that the lava could be enough to completely refine his skin.
With a swift movement, he took off his pants and, without a second thought, jumped into the pool of lava. As soon as he touched the incandescent surface and sank into it, the pain was unbearable. His entire body was submerged in the lava, and within seconds, his flesh began to melt. The only thing visible were his exposed bones.
"Aaaah!" he screamed, his voice filled with agony. The pain was unbearable, but Rylan didn't give up. With immense effort, he began to perform the Natural Breathing method, trying to neutralize the heat and prevent the lava from destroying his bones completely.
With control over the heat, he activated his cells to accelerate the regeneration of his skin, using the lava to destroy the skin he had just acquired. Each mistake could mean death, so he was careful and meticulous with every move. He maintained the process for several minutes, refining his skin until the lava no longer had any effect.
After a while, the heat dissipated, and Rylan finally felt the transformation. His skin, now resistant and adapted to extreme heat, was completely refined. A wave of power coursed through his body, signaling that he had reached the final stage of the Human Spiritual Realm. The heat that had once tormented him now seemed insignificant in the face of his newfound strength.
Feeling this, he sighed in relief and thought of Yell: 'If he refined this lava, would he be okay?' But he quickly shook his head. 'He controls his blood, but Yell? This would destroy him.'
Then, he returned to the surface, grabbed his pants, and put them on, though still shirtless.
His current appearance was that of a young boy with black hair and eyes. His upper body, now muscular, was the result of forced refinement. His skin was pale, flawless.
Feeling reinvigorated, he used his current strength to leap over the two-meter deep pit, which was now completely dry.
On the other side, he realized that he could now jump up to ten meters, a remarkable improvement, and his speed had reached 300 km/h.
He ran through the Fire Valley until he reached a massive volcano, seemingly endless. Its height was so great that the top was not visible to the naked eye.
Upon entering the volcano, he noticed there were more people there than in the Burning Desert. However, all of them were extremely strong; there was no room for humility in that environment.
At this stage, only those with luck or children of wealthy families with resources were still continuing the tests.
"We're in the second region, and it's already necessary to be at the final stage of the Human Spiritual Realm to survive. And the rest? What level are the Tristan that the old man asked me to kill?"