The next morning, Arin stood in the middle of a volcanic basin.
The contrast from yesterday's glacial cave was as violent as Jun Bai's fashion sense.
Steam hissed from cracks in the black stone ground. The air shimmered with heat waves, distorting reality like a poorly edited manhua panel. High above, a fire cloud swirled unnaturally.
Serenya, still flawless in her ice-white robes, stood across from Arin with her arms folded.
"This is your fire purification trial," she said calmly. "Channel your qi, contain the flame, and endure. If your soul burns… that is a flaw."
Arin raised his hand. "Question."
"Yes?"
"Are we sure this isn't attempted murder?"
Yura sat nearby under a shade talisman, sipping watermelon juice. "You've survived dumber stuff."
Jun Bai was already taking bets with nearby disciples. "Five spirit stones says he catches fire in under five minutes."
Serenya said nothing. She simply extended her palm. A small blue flame ignited—cold at its core, hot at the edges. With a graceful motion, she flung it toward Arin's chest.
It hit.
And sank into him.
And then—
Arin's Soulscape
A moment later, Arin stood barefoot inside his own soul.
It was a chaotic place—half of it looked like a badly decorated storage room, the other half like someone had tried to design a temple while drunk.
The blue fire spiraled in his chest, tugging at fragments of memory and regrets like threads.
One by one, they flashed:
The moment he called God "lazy."
The time he swapped a system gift for snacks.
The very first girl who called him "annoying… but not boring."
Then a strange echo:
"You're not trash. But you treat yourself like garbage to avoid feeling weak."
"…Who said that?" Arin looked around.
But there was no answer. Only the blue flame pulsating with eerie warmth.
It didn't hurt.
It... hummed.
Was that acceptance?
Back in the real world…
Arin's body sat still, engulfed in a gentle blue fire. A dozen disciples watched from a distance, their mouths wide open.
"Wait… he's not screaming?"
"Is he actually cultivating properly?!"
"Do we… respect him now?"
Yura blinked. "Did I accidentally walk into a parallel dimension?"
Serenya's expression didn't change, but a flicker of surprise danced in her eyes.
"He's… adapting."
Jun Bai was already carving a plaque: Arin: Most Improved Trash Fireball.
Fifteen minutes later…
Arin opened his eyes. The fire faded. His breath was steady. His hair was slightly burned, but stylishly so.
Serenya approached him, offering a flask of spiritual water.
"I underestimated you," she said quietly. "Not many can harmonize with both cold and flame."
Arin took the water, then raised a brow. "Was that another compliment?"
"Don't push your luck."
He grinned. "Too late."
Then he looked up at the fire cloud. "Hey, system? Log this moment."
[Logged: Arin survived fire meditation without crying.]
[Also logged: You smell faintly of roasted peanuts.]
Elsewhere… in a darker place
Far away, inside a broken relic tower filled with corrupted qi, an ancient presence stirred.
Two cloaked figures stared into a crystal, watching Arin.
"He touched it," one hissed. "The fragment within the girl's fire."
The other nodded. "He's closer to unlocking the seed. Shall we interfere?"
"No. Let him grow… it will make the fall more satisfying."
Lightning cracked across a black sky.