Flames blazed fiercely, painting the world of fire a uniform crimson.
And there, at the very center of this world of fire, was Ye Chen, with countless flames darting towards him, scorching his body.
In an instant, Ye Chen was completely submerged by the omnipresent flames, and a pain that pierced his heart spread from his limbs and bones to the depths of his soul.
This pain, no amount of True Qi could block; it did not burn the skin and muscle but pierced straight through the body, scorching Ye Chen's soul!
Ye Chen's soul felt as if it were being torn apart by a colossal force!
Ye Chen's spirit was like being viciously sliced by countless swords!
This agony, worse than the pain of being burned physically, struck at the deepest part of the soul.
Even as Ye Chen clenched his teeth, he couldn't help but let out muffled groans!
"To be scorched by myriad fires is to also have one's heart set aflame; only through tempering one's will amidst this boundless pain and allowing the spirit to transform can new vitality be nurtured, the vitality belonging to the 'Fire Lotus Law Pattern'."
The avatar of Qian Jizi sat cross-legged above the world of fire, quietly observing Ye Chen in the flames, softly speaking in his heart.
"Countless fires scorching the body is the final trial of the Thousand Lotus Cave Abode's Outer Mansion, and the most difficult one."
"Who knows how many who were strong in combat and keen in insight have fallen at this trial."
"Many at the moment of incineration by these myriad flames have had their souls severely burnt and fell into complete unconsciousness. Even more people have rolled, wailed, and screamed nonstop in these blazing fires, yet still could not withstand the pain and were ultimately eliminated."
"Only by overpowering this endless pain with willpower, only those with truly powerful will, can succeed!"
"Young man, I hope you can persevere,"
The Three-Eyed Giant Ape sighed deeply as it watched Ye Chen engulfed in the sea of flames.
"The third trial of the Path of Fire, myriad fires scorching the body."
"It's far more terrifying than the third trial of the Path of Water I experienced, which tested and refined the will."
Jiang Yao's crystal-clear eyes were filled with worry as she watched Ye Chen in the midst of the flames.
She had witnessed the trials of nineteen individuals challenging the Path of Fire, and of those who had crossed the first two trials, nine had been defeated by this third one.
The tragic state of those nine during the fire's incineration had left a deep impression on her.
She had yet to see anyone withstand this trial of myriad fires scorching the body, and she wondered, could Ye Chen become the first person she had witnessed who would pass this third trial of the Outer Mansion?
Jiang Yao did not know.
Her eyes were filled with concern but also with anticipation.
She hoped that this young man, who had demonstrated miraculous prowess in the previous trials, could withstand the pain and once again create a miracle!
In the midst of the intense scrutiny from Qian Jizi, the Three-Eyed Giant Ape, and Jiang Yao, Ye Chen, who had just let out a muffled groan, lifted his head once more.
"Pain, the pain of the soul being scorched, no matter how unbearable, must be faced! Must be endured!"
"The soul, at its most fragile yet most powerful, if completely overpowered by this piercing agony of myriad fires, would be dominated by this pain! However, if the soul were to completely forget this piercing pain, then no agony could shake my innermost being!"
"Willpower, use willpower to overcome this piercing pain of myriad fires!"
"All of my spirit, focus on the cultivation, focus on nurturing the 'Fire Lotus Law Pattern'!"
In the midst of the fire's relentless incineration, Ye Chen's eyes burst forth with an indomitable light, and the secret of nurturing the "Fire Lotus Law Pattern" flowed endlessly in his mind.
When all his attention was focused on the secret technique, the pain from the myriad fires seemed to lessen considerably.
In the world of the fire sea, Ye Chen became quiet once again.
In the boundless sea of flames, amidst endless pain.
He slowly closed his eyes and quietly began to nurture the Fire Lotus Law Pattern.
"Good, he has quickly endured through the flames of the fire sea and entered a state of willpower,"
Qian Jizi's avatar above the sea of fire nodded slightly as he saw Ye Chen enter a meditative state, sitting peacefully.
"I hope that you will get through the true refinement of myriad fires that comes next,"
No sooner had his words fallen than countless burning flames in the world of fire surged like violent waters, and the entire world became even more brilliantly lit, with the power of the flames rising sharply once again.
Even the air within the Path of Fire writhed and twisted under the abruptly intensified power of the flames.
Ye Chen, who was sitting in meditation, was abruptly penetrated by the heightened power of the flames, and he tumbled to the ground in agony, crying out in pain.
"No, I must not be defeated!"
"'Fire Lotus Law Pattern,' the first pattern!"
Struggling, Ye Chen got up, once again composed himself, and entered the state of cultivation.
Countless flames once again scorched his body, the pain piercing straight into his heart, knocking him down yet again.
But Ye Chen, with fierce determination, propped himself up with his hands! He got back up!
Outside the Fire and Water Dao, Jiang Yao watched as Ye Chen was repeatedly brought down by the burning power of endless flames and then got up over and over again, her eyes welling up with tears.
Her thoughts were utterly pure.
Although she hoped that Ye Chen would succeed and enter the Inner Mansion with her, she did not wish to see him suffer so greatly. The pain he endured was so intense that it caused her own heart to ache.
Nevertheless, Ye Chen persisted, holding on time and time again.
This persistence touched her deeply.
"Those who entered the third challenge before were knocked down by the pain of the burning flames at most three times before they completely fell."
"Ye Chen, on the other hand, has gotten up for the eighteenth time!"
Such perseverance was something Jiang Yao had never seen in anyone else, and it moved her even more than the miracles Ye Chen had previously created!
"Now is the crucial time for rebirth through nirvana."
"Either be vanquished by boundless pain, or rise from it, reborn anew!"
The Three-Eyed Giant Ape watched Ye Chen in the sea of fire, witnessing his repeated falls and rises, and its three divine eyes began to shine brighter and brighter.
Finally, after the boiling force of the flames had knocked Ye Chen down thirty-three times, when he struggled and rose up once more, he did not fall again!
He even sat back down cross-legged in the midst of the sea of flames, his posture remarkably stable.
"He's withstood it! Ye Chen has withstood it!"
Outside the Fire and Water Dao, seeing Ye Chen sitting cross-legged once again in the world of the sea of fire, unaffected, Jiang Yao burst into excited leaps.
Earlier, each time she saw Ye Chen fall and get back up, her heart clenched with pain.
She feared that Ye Chen would be grievously hurt in these struggles with the burning flames.
She also feared, feared that the three years she had waited would end up being in vain once again.
Now, this miraculous young man had truly withstood it, really withstood the burning of the thousand fires!
How could this not fill her with immense excitement?!
Seeing Jiang Yao's uncontainable excitement, the Three-Eyed Giant Ape sighed.
It knew this girl had waited for three long years, only to be disappointed time after time.
In those three years, nineteen people entered the Path of Fire for the trial, and not one had successfully passed the test of the Path of Fire's three challenges, not one could join her to brave the Inner Mansion of Thousand Lotus Cave Abode.
Disappointment after disappointment, the downcast look on the girl's face each time she left the Thousand Lotus Cave Abode moved even the Three-Eyed Giant Ape with a tinge of sorrow.
Now, this young man in the Path of Fire was the closest to success, closest to fulfilling this girl's wish to enter the Inner Mansion.
"Succeed, don't make this girl wait any longer."
"If we wait again, who knows how long it will be before someone else enters Thousand Lotus Cave Abode."
"The trials you have faced are already enough."
The Three-Eyed Giant Ape awaited with hope in its heart.
In the midst of the Three-Eyed Giant Ape's expectation and Jiang Yao's exhilaration,
Ye Chen, who was sitting cross-legged in the world of the sea of fire, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze becoming resolute and calm.
The torment of the thousand fires, the repeated assaults of pain, the struggles and rises, seemed to renew Ye Chen's will as well!
"Incubate the 'Fire Lotus Law Pattern'!"
Within the world of the sea of flames, he roared, and the ubiquitous flames crazily converged towards the center of his forehead at his command.
As the flames continued to congregate, a crimson lotus petal pattern slowly emerged on his brow.
"The Lotus Petal Law Pattern, the first Lotus Petal Law Pattern has appeared!"
Upon seeing the first Fire Lotus Law Pattern emerge successfully on Ye Chen's forehead, the Three-Eyed Giant Ape cried out in surprise.
The appearance of the first Lotus Petal Law Pattern indicated that Ye Chen had truly started the process of incubating the "Fire Lotus Law Pattern"!
"Keep it up! Ye Chen, keep it up! You must succeed, you must incubate the entire Fire Lotus Law Pattern!"
Jiang Yao clenched her fists tightly, her eyes fixed solely on Ye Chen.
Before the delighted cry of the Three-Eyed Giant Ape could subside, and just after Jiang Yao caught her breath, a second Lotus Petal Fire Pattern appeared on Ye Chen's forehead.
With his will refined, Ye Chen was like a sharpened Divine Sword, exuding endless willpower.
The burning flames could no longer bring him pain; instead, they accelerated his absorption of their immense power.
Following that, the third, fourth, fifth...
Ye Chen's speed of incubating the Lotus Petal Law Patterns increased rapidly until finally, amidst a dazzling blaze, seven petals of a lotus fire pattern fully emerged on the center of his brow.
This was unmistakably the sign of passing the third challenge - the Fire Lotus Law Pattern!
As the Fire Lotus Law Pattern appeared on Ye Chen's brow, a pale blue lotus water pattern also emerged directly on Jiang Yao's brow, outside the Fire and Water Dao.
Then, Qian Jizi's voice echoed throughout both the inside and outside of the Fire and Water Dao: "Ye Chen has passed the third challenge! He will enter the Inner Mansion of Thousand Lotus Cave Abode together with Jiang Yao!"