Yu Chen stood at the edge of the turbulent pit, looking down at the seething pool of lava only a few feet away. The roiling sea of molten rock stretched out before him, filling the wide cavernous space, illuminating even the distant peaks of the stalactites that hung far above.

It churned as he watched, swirling in agitated waves that moved back and forth, swaying entrancingly. The occasional bubble welled up, and one exploded not too far away from him, releasing trapped gases that had risen out of the depths.

The magma before him had been brought forth from the molten core of the world itself, and it brought with it a rich spiritual energy that wafted forth, filling the air with a rich, aromatic scent that caused his nose to twitch. The energy was so thick it was almost cloying, and Yu Chen considered what to do next.

This place was only half a step away from being a spiritual treasure itself, and cultivating here would have untold benefits for those who could utilize the fire aspected spiritual energy. Yu Chen was not such a person as the Golden Mist Sect didn't provide any techniques that aspected one’s qi to those at the level of Qi Condensation. He knew they existed for the Foundation Establishment cultivators, as many in the sect would eventually choose to aspect their qi towards metal, to better utilize some of the truly profound techniques the sect possessed.

He couldn't cultivate it, but he just so happened to possess a technique that could utilize the aspected energy. A small smile crossed his face at the thought as he realized he might actually be able to utilize the cavern, transforming this hellish test into a stroke of fortune that he had he’d be a fool to not take advantage of it.

He inhaled deeply before breathing out, clearing his mind in the space of a thought. It took no effort at all, not after the trial he’d just gone through. Clarity came naturally, no longer the product of some behavior he’d engage in, but a reflexive action instead. His thoughts and concerns disengaged, disappearing from his mind.

He didn’t even sense them lurking around the edges, where they would usually retreat, waiting for the perfect moment to steal his attention. Instead, his mind felt clear, clinically so, and he observed everything around him with the focused detachment he normally associated with fighting.

He began cycling the Yellow River Tempering Technique as he stepped out onto the thin, crumbling path that snaked across the magmatic sea filling the large cavern. His dantian activated and a small vortex formed, pulling on the fire-aspected spiritual energy that swirled in the air. The thick energy poured towards him in waves before entering his body.

He winced in pain as his dantian pulled the energy within him. It burned as it entered his pores, making him feel as though the fiery energy were scorching him from the inside out. It was alien than the other energies he’d tasted, unique in some manner all its own.

The Water Qi had felt relatable. In many ways it had felt essential, like something intrinsic to his own nature. Rejecting the water qi would in some strange way be like rejecting himself. Bathing within those spiritual waters had been painful, but it had never felt foreign.

The Wood qi was similar, although there were aspects to it that felt different. The wooden, earthy feeling it gave off had been far from his realm of reference. Even so, it had been so full of life, possessing a nurturing energy, that made one feel comfortable when submerged within. It had felt like snuggling into a comforting blanket on a cold night. Something like the feeling of a warm hug on a dark, depressing day.

Fire was different, far different from the other two.

There was nothing gentle about it, it didn’t pretend to nurture or provide anything. It only consumed, flickering with intensity as it ate away at everything before it. The destruction it wreaked only empowered it, helping to fuel its continued existence.

His muscles twitched as the fire aspected energy began to rework his body, causing his movements to become jerky. He ignored it, taking another step as he continued his journey across the molten sea. His steps were steady, despite the incessant twitching. He maintained his full concentration, ensuring he didn't misstep, as the thin band of rock was the only thing keeping him from a painful death.

Time had taken its toll on the path, as it had across everything else in the sect. The lava had eaten away at the trail, leaving its once uniform shape time worn and irregular, a mess of oddly ruined pathway. It had originally been the width of a man’s outstretched arms, but now most of it was less than half that size. At one point the trail even narrowed to less than a handswidth. It was no difficult feat for a cultivator to cross, but it was still a nerve-wracking experience as his muscles trembled and jerked, the bubbling magma just inches from his flesh.

The magma turned in the pool below him as he watched, driven by unseen currents as it rolled about. The heat from it rose up around him in waves, warping the atmosphere and causing it to shimmer, appearing hazy in his vision. The haze increased as he made his way deeper into the cavern, transitioning from an uncomfortable feeling to one that was nearly unbearable as he approached the halfway point.

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It was here, where the temperature had risen to such a point that even his well-made robes, created within the sect from some strange materials, began to smolder upon his body. He had to cycle his qi to prevent his own flesh from bursting into flames. His skin slowly turned red even with the thick layer of protective qi, an intense reaction caused by the heat in his air.

Reaching the center of the cave he sat, resting on the thin walkway and cycling his tempering technique pulling in as much of the fiery, rampaging energy as he could. The fire aspected energy was at its thickest here, filling the air around him with dense waves.

He breathed deeply, pulling the energy into him where the yellow river technique seized it, using it to temper his body.

The energy roared as it entered, spreading to penetrate deep throughout his body. A body that, twice strengthened, resisted against the intrusion mightily. The fire wouldn’t be denied however, raging throughout his body until there wasn’t a single cell that had been left untouched, as the consuming power of fire burned away what it could of the remaining impurities that filled his body.

He let go of himself as the energy rampaged throughout his body, shedding off Yu Chen like a pair of old clothes. Melding with the world he harmonized with the energy, becoming one. He took in a deep breath of air that scorched his lungs as he began to understand exactly what he’d seized hold of.

Fire was an energy that was unruly and chaotic, refusing to be tamed or brought to heel. It only knew how to exist unrestrained and was wholly unwilling to submit itself. It was the path of true freedom, living in the manner of those truly lived. A life where one burnt brightly at every moment, embodying their own truth.

It was the source of all passion and desire, a raw, untamed force that demanded you embrace it even as it burned you alive. Resist, and you were destined to suffer a life of subdued mediocrity, one shackled by fear and hesitation. Choose to embrace it however, and you’d burn with a furious light, living a life true to yourself - as fierce and free as fire itself.

It was light and clarity, that which shone in the darkness, providing a way forward for man. It illuminated that which was obscured from sight and revealed that which was hidden away. In its presence, falsehoods shriveled and died, unable to survive under the unforgiving luminescence of its presence. Grasping this aspect allowed one to discern truth from lies, separating mud from water and dragons from worms, separating the dross with its purifying flames.

Fire transformed.

It was the beginning and the end. The universe itself had been birthed in primordial fires. They would come again, returning at the end of days to engulf everything in its all-consuming embrace, reducing what was into ashes. Yet it was this very destruction that fertilized the mindground of reality, providing the nutrients for that which was to come.

It was creator and destroyer, turning in endless cycles.

Yu Chen let out a shudder as he returned to himself, feeling a new strength brimming within him as the purifying flames reworked his body. He let loose a grunt of pain as the energy encountered the remnant wood qi within him and he felt it quicken, redoubling its efforts as the latent energy nourished it.

Yu Chen’s eyes shone as a thought emerged. He slapped his spatial pouch, injecting a small jolt of energy that caused four large lotus flowers to emerge, hovering around him. He snatched them out of the air, arranging them and watching as they began to swell, absorbing the rich, fiery energy around him for themselves.

They were of course the Scarlet Bloom Lotuses he had retrieved with Cang Wuji, one of his many spoils within the Secret Realm.

The energy in the air seemed to be perfect for them and they greedily sucked it in, absorbing the fiery qi in the air. The effect was twofold. First, it caused more of the fiery aspected energy to be drawn towards him, the suctional force of the spiritual flowers dramatically increasing the size of the vortex that surrounded him. Secondly, they gave off a dense aura of their own, causing the already crowded and fiery atmosphere to become almost overbearing as the flowers added their own energy.

Bathed in the mixture of fiery energies, Yu Chen’s body was slowly remodeled. His muscles, burning from within, were scoured to a cleanliness beyond reality, to the point that they were changed on nearly a conceptual level. It was as though every doubt had been erased from within, leaving behind what could only be Muscle, in every sense of the word.

His tendons and joints were likewise reimagined, his bones and organs as well. At every step it was as though the fire that washed through him had erased any contrary ideas about what could possibly be, leaving behind only the pure truth of what was. It was a painful baptism, as the fire swept through his body. In his Dantian a new light appeared, as a small flame flickered to life within him, burning brightly.

And so, it came to an end, the tempering technique running through its final cycle.

Yu Chen opened his eyes, blinking as ash fell from his eyelashes. He exhaled sharply, causing more ash to fall, and the tiny pebbles on the path before him trembled, dancing about from the force of his breath.

The impurities he’d forced out of his body had been burnt to dust by the intense heat around him, covering him in a solid shell of filth and grime. He stood up in one smooth motion, emerging from the cocoon of ash like a freshly molted butterfly.

The heat that had once threatened to ignite him, felt like a summer afternoon now that he’d been reforged. A very hot summer afternoon, but nothing more. An internal fire burned within him now, and what blaze of glory could compete with his own?

Bending he retrieved the flowers from the ground. He couldn't leave them behind. They were fat and full of fiery qi, and he could see new orange stripes running through the crimson petals.

Cracking his neck, he ran his hands through his dry hair, shaking out the black specks of ash that fell, littering the ground.

A strange light flashed in his eyes as he grinned, almost looking as though they were illuminated from within.

Stepping forward, he followed the long snaking path to the end of the cavern.