Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

The darkness lasted for about three breaths.

When Chen Yu's vision returned, he found himself standing inside a colossal hall. The hall was dozens of feet high, its walls constructed of crimson crystal, within which liquid flames flowed, illuminating the entire space in a fiery red glow. The hall's dome was carved with intricate star maps; the stars were not ordinary carvings, but truly luminous gemstones, radiating a soft and constant light.

The most eye-catching feature is the center of the hall—where a ball of crimson-gold flame, about three zhang in diameter, floats. In the center of the flame, one can vaguely see the outline of a bird, with outstretched wings and long tail feathers, which is the image of the Vermilion Bird.

"This is the true manifestation of the Vermilion Bird's spirit." An ancient and majestic voice echoed in the hall, its origin unknown.

Chen Yu looked around but didn't see Long San. It seemed that after entering the palace, the two of them had been teleported to different spaces.

"The one holding the order, state your name," the voice said.

"Chen Yu".

"Chen Yu... You have the aura of a mortal, yet you possess a fire spirit root. Interesting." The voice seemed to be scrutinizing him. "You entered the palace with the Crescent Moon Token. According to the rules, you must pass three trials before you can gain the qualification to meet the true master and request the Vermilion Bird Key."

"What are the triple trials?"

"First trial, tempering the heart in a sea of ​​fire." As soon as the words fell, the ground beneath Chen Yu's feet suddenly disappeared, and he plummeted downwards!

The fall lasted only a moment before Chen Yu landed in a sea of ​​fire. No, to be precise, he was standing on top of a sea of ​​fire—beneath his feet was a churning ocean of lava, the crimson magma bubbling and steaming. But strangely, he didn't feel any heat; a layer of spiritual energy automatically formed around his body.

"The sea of ​​fire tests your heart and character." The voice came from all directions. "In this trial, you must cross this sea of ​​fire to reach the platform on the other side. Illusions will attack you within the fire, but these illusions are not real; they are manifestations of your inner fears. Guard your heart and remain unmoved, only then can you pass."

Chen Yu looked ahead. The sea of ​​fire stretched endlessly, but in the far distance, a small platform could be vaguely seen floating above the lava.

"Let's begin."

Chen Yu took a deep breath and stepped onto the lava. The lava beneath his feet rippled when it touched the spiritual energy shield, but it didn't burn through it. He tried using his lightness technique, but found that he couldn't fly here; he could only walk step by step.

After walking about a hundred paces, the surrounding environment began to change.

Faces emerged from the lava—faces he recognized. Qin Huairu, clutching her child, struggled and cried out in the flames, "Chen Yu! Save us! It's so hot! So hot!"

Chen Yu's heart tightened, but he immediately realized it was an illusion. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, circulating the medicinal power of the Mind-Clearing Powder—although the pill had been consumed, its effects remained in his body, helping to keep his mind clear.

"It's all fake, it's all fake," he muttered to himself as he continued forward.

After walking for a while, the scenery changed again.

The courtyard house was engulfed in flames, the entire courtyard burning fiercely. He Yuzhu cried for help from inside the fire, Jia Zhangshi cursed in the street, Yi Zhonghai directed the firefighting efforts... everyone was calling out his name.

"Chen Yu! Help! Put out the fire!"

"It's all your fault! You brought this disaster upon yourself!"

"Xiao Chen, think of something!"

Chen Yu gritted his teeth. He knew this was a test, but seeing those familiar faces suffering in the fire still stung his heart. He quickened his pace, wanting to get through the area as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, a figure blocked their way.

It's Zhao Wuji! The Heavenly Dao Alliance deacon who almost killed him in Tianjin!

"Boy, we meet again." Zhao Wuji grinned maliciously, his body shrouded in black mist. "I let you escape last time, let's see where you can run this time!"

Chen Yu stopped in his tracks. Reason told him it was an illusion, but the cold, evil aura emanating from Zhao Wuji was too real, so real that he almost thought it was real.

"Die!" Zhao Wuji lunged forward, his black mist transforming into sharp claws as he reached for Chen Yu's throat.

Chen Yu instinctively wanted to retaliate, but stopped at the last moment. He closed his eyes, neither dodging nor avoiding.

Claws pierced his body—no pain, no wound.

When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Wuji had disappeared.

"Very good," the voice replied. "The ability to distinguish between illusion and reality is a sign of a stable mind. But the test is not over yet."

Chen Yu continued forward. The next illusion was even more bizarre—he saw scenes from his past life. He saw himself, who had died from overwork in the 21st century, lying in a hospital bed surrounded by his weeping family.

"What would happen if I hadn't died back then?" A thought suddenly popped into my head.

Another timeline emerges from the sea of ​​fire: he did not travel through time, but was rescued and continued to live an ordinary life, getting married and having children, living a mediocre life until old age.

"Is that the life you want?" the voice asked.

Chen Yu looked at that "self" and fell silent.

To be fair, his life in his previous life was ordinary but peaceful. In this life, although he has extraordinary abilities, he faces danger at all times, causing his family to live in fear.

but……

"That wasn't my choice," Chen Yu said firmly. "Since I've come into this world, I must walk my own path. Protect what I should protect, pursue what I should pursue. Whether ordinary or extraordinary, as long as I have a clear conscience, that's a good life."

As soon as the words were spoken, the illusion shattered.

He was only a hundred steps away from the platform.

But in those last hundred steps, the most difficult illusion appeared.

A small world emerged from the sea of ​​fire—not his own small world, but a grander, more perfect one. In that world, he was the supreme ruler, capable of creating all things and reversing life and death. Qin Huairu and her son lived forever there, and the neighbors in the courtyard lived happily ever after, free from poverty and strife—everything was perfect.

"Stay here." The voice was full of temptation. "If you're willing, this perfect world is yours. You can be with your loved ones forever, without worrying about danger or toiling away."

Chen Yu looked at that perfect world, a fleeting longing flashing in his eyes.

Who wouldn't want a perfect world?

But he ultimately shook his head: "Perfection is an illusion. True happiness lies in finding beauty in imperfection and growing together through difficulties. No matter how wonderful that world is, it's just an illusion."

After saying that, he took the last step and stepped onto the platform.

"Fire Refines the Heart, Passed."

As the sound rang out, the scene before Chen Yu changed once more. He returned to the original hall, but the layout was different now—beside the central crimson-gold flame, a crystal staircase led to the second floor.

"Rest for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then prepare for the second challenge."

Chen Yu sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing and recover. Although the sea of ​​fire he had just experienced was only an illusion, it had greatly depleted his mental energy. He took out the last of his Cleansing Heart Powder and swallowed it, feeling much clearer-headed afterward.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn quickly passed.

"Second stage: Lava Body Forging"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath Chen Yu's feet changed again. This time, it wasn't a fall, but rather the entire hall began to reshape itself—the ground turned into scorching black rock, the surrounding walls became flowing waterfalls of lava, and the air temperature rose sharply. Even with the spiritual energy shield, Chen Yu felt a stinging sensation on his skin.

"The Lava Body Forging test your physique and willpower," the voice explained. "You need to endure in this lava environment for one hour. During this time, you will be attacked by real fire, which you must withstand with your own body; you cannot use magic for defense. If you cannot endure it, you can admit defeat and be teleported out, but the test will be failed."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. No magic defense? How could they withstand it?

"start."

The first wave of attacks arrived—dozens of fist-sized fireballs shot out from the lava waterfall, moving slowly but extremely hot. Chen Yu wanted to dodge, but a voice warned, "Dodge is considered abandoning the test."

He could only grit his teeth and bear it.

"boom!"

The first fireball struck his left shoulder, sending a sharp pain through him! His spiritual energy shield automatically activated in an attempt to defend, but Chen Yu forcefully suppressed it—if he used magic, the test would fail.

His clothes were instantly burned through, leaving a hole, and his skin was charred black. Chen Yu groaned, sweat beading on his forehead.

Then came the second, the third... fireballs came from all directions, striking various parts of his body. Chen Yu could only protect his vital organs, leaving the rest of his body vulnerable to the fireballs.

In just fifteen minutes, he had more than a dozen burns on his body, his clothes were tattered, and several strands of his hair were singed. The most serious burns were on his back, where he had been hit by three fireballs in succession, leaving his skin torn open and the smell of burnt meat wafting from the wound.

"System, is there any way...?" Chen Yu asked in his mind.

[Host detected undergoing a fiery body-forging trial]

[Suggestion: Circulate the "Tai Xuan True Scripture" to guide fire-attribute energy into your meridians for refinement and absorption. Be careful to control the amount; excessive amounts can cause burns to the meridians.]

That's right! It can't defend against it, but it can absorb it!

Chen Yu immediately activated his internal energy cultivation technique. When the next fireball struck his chest, he no longer simply endured it, but actively guided the flame energy into his body.

"laugh--"

A searing pain shot through his meridians, but Chen Yu gritted his teeth and persevered. His spiritual energy circulated rapidly within his body, enveloping, breaking down, and absorbing the wisp of flame energy.

It was painful, but effective. The absorbed flame energy actually made his spiritual power slightly purer, and his resistance to flames also increased a little.

"Clever," the voice seemed to approve, "but the next attack will be even more ferocious."

Sure enough, the fireball attack stopped, but the lava ground began to boil. The rocks beneath Chen Yu's feet cracked, and crimson magma gushed out, engulfing his feet.

"Ah—!" Chen Yu couldn't help but scream.

A piercing pain shot through his feet; the lava was burning his skin, muscles, and even bones. He was on the verge of fainting.

"Hold on! Guide the energy!" he roared in his mind.

The Tai Xuan True Scripture was operating at full power, and the fiery energy in his feet was being absorbed frantically. This energy was far greater and more violent than that of a fireball, and Chen Yu felt a tearing pain in his meridians, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

But he couldn't stop. Stopping meant failure, failure meant not obtaining the Vermilion Bird Key, meant the Heavenly Alliance might gather all seven Star Keys, meant... everything he was protecting might be destroyed.

"For Huai Ru, for the children, for the neighbors in the courtyard who are troublesome but real..." Chen Yu gritted his teeth and roared, his eyes flashing with determination.

Time passed little by little.

Half an hour later, Chen Yu's feet were a bloody mess, but he was surprised to find that new skin was growing in the most severely burned areas—it was light red skin with faint flame patterns, and its resistance to high temperatures was significantly enhanced.

"Reborn from the ashes..." He understood the true meaning of this trial.

It's not simply suffering, but rather transforming the body through the burning of flames, making the physique more suitable for fire-attribute spiritual power.

Having figured this out, Chen Yu stopped passively enduring the pain and instead actively immersed more parts of his body into the lava. His arms, chest, back... waves of excruciating pain surged through him, but he gritted his teeth and endured it all.

An hour has finally passed.

When the voice announced, "Lava Body Forging, Passed," Chen Yu collapsed onto the rocks, almost completely exhausted. His entire body was covered in charred and blistered skin, but strangely, new granulation tissue was wriggling deep within his wounds, and his recovery speed far exceeded that of ordinary people.

"Rest for two incense sticks' time, then prepare for the third challenge."

This time, Chen Yu didn't even have the strength to respond. He took out a Qi-Nourishing Pill and swallowed it, then used a Hemostatic and Muscle-Regenerating Powder. With the pills entering his body and combined with his newly acquired fire resistance, his injuries healed at a visible speed.

Two incense sticks later, although his injuries were not fully healed, he was at least able to move around.

"The third challenge: The Vermilion Bird recognizes its master."

The scene changed again. This time, Chen Yu appeared in a pure white space, without any decorations, except for a crimson-gold feather floating directly in front of him.

The feather was about three feet long, entirely reddish-gold, with each feather filament clearly visible, radiating a soft and sacred light. Faint, illusory flames surrounded the feather, forming a perfect circle.

"The Vermilion Bird Feather is the vessel for the Vermilion Bird Key," the voice said. "This trial is simple: walk over and grasp it. If you gain the feather's approval, you will become the master of the Vermilion Bird Key. If not, you will be consumed by flames."

Simple, but dangerous.

Chen Yu stared at the feather. He could sense the immense power contained within it, a power of fire's origin far beyond his comprehension. If he were to touch it rashly, he might indeed be burned to ashes.

But having come this far, there's no reason to back down.

He strode forward.

As a first step, the phantom of flames around the feather swayed slightly.

The second step is that the temperature in the space begins to rise.

The third step is that the feathers themselves begin to glow.

When Chen Yu was about ten feet away from the feather, the surrounding flame phantoms suddenly condensed and transformed into a small Vermilion Bird, only the size of a palm, but lifelike with lively eyes.

Little Vermilion Bird tilted its head and looked at Chen Yu, as if scrutinizing him.

Chen Yu stopped and looked at it.

"Why do you want the Vermilion Bird Key?" A childish yet authoritative voice came from the little Vermilion Bird.

Chen Yu thought for a moment and answered seriously, "To protect. To protect my family, to protect the people I care about, and to protect the balance of this world, so that evil people don't gather the Seven Star Keys and wreak havoc on the world."

"High-sounding words," Little Vermilion Bird sneered. "How many people have said similar things, only to end up as slaves to power?"

"Then you can look into my heart," Chen Yu said frankly. "When you were tempered in the sea of ​​fire, you saw my inner self. You should know what kind of person I am."

The little Vermilion Bird remained silent for a moment, then flew closer and circled Chen Yu once.

"Indeed, your nature is quite pure. But your strength is too weak. At the fourth level of Qi Refining, you are nothing more than an ant in the cultivation world."

"Strength can be improved through cultivation, but one's temperament is hard to change," Chen Yu said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Interesting." The little Vermilion Bird landed on Chen Yu's shoulder. "Then let me see your potential."

It opened its tiny mouth and spewed out a wisp of flame. The flame was only as thick as a hair, but its color was a pure reddish-gold, the very essence of fire.

The flames pierced Chen Yu's brow.

In an instant, Chen Yu felt his consciousness being pulled into a strange state—he saw the birth of flames, from the first spark at the beginning of the universe, to nuclear fusion inside a star, to the metabolic fire within a living being... Flames are everywhere, they are destruction and creation, they are end and rebirth.

Stimulated by the primordial flame, the fire-attribute spiritual root within his body grew and transformed wildly. What was originally just an ordinary fire spiritual root was now evolving towards a higher level.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yu opened his eyes.

The little Vermilion Bird was still on his shoulder, its eyes showing more satisfaction: "Your fire spirit root has evolved into the 'Separating Fire Spirit Root,' increasing your affinity for fire tenfold. Now, you can try to hold the Vermilion Bird's feather."

Chen Yu walked towards Feather and reached out his hand.

The moment his fingers touched the feather, a burst of crimson-gold light erupted, engulfing his entire body.

But there was no pain, only warmth.

Within the light, the feather slowly shrank, eventually transforming into a crimson-gold key, its shape ancient and simple, with a Vermilion Bird pattern engraved on its handle. The key automatically flew up and landed in Chen Yu's palm.

"The Vermilion Bird Key has been successfully recognized as its owner."

As the voice rang out, Chen Yu found himself back in the original hall. The Vermilion Bird Key in his hand was warm, establishing some kind of blood connection with him.

"Congratulations, you have passed the three trials." Within the central crimson-gold flame, the Vermilion Bird's outline became even clearer. "Now, you are the master of the Vermilion Bird Key. However, you will need time to fully master its power. Also…"

A ray of light split off from the flames and pierced Chen Yu's brow.

A flood of information rushed into his mind—secrets about the Seven Star Key, the Heavenly Alliance's conspiracy, and... the approximate locations of the other six keys.

"This information may be useful to you." The voice of the Vermilion Bird Spirit began to fade. "My mission is complete. Remember, the key is not just power, but also responsibility. Use it wisely."

The flames gradually died down, eventually turning into a crimson bead that floated in mid-air.

Chen Yu caught the bead and sensed the residual Vermilion Bird's original power within it.

At that moment, a door opened on the side of the hall. Outside the door lay the Crystal Plain, where Wen Ruoxu and his companions waited anxiously.

Chen Yu gripped the Vermilion Bird Key and the Crimson Bead tightly and walked towards the door.

But just as he was about to step out of the palace gate, he heard Long San's sinister laugh behind him:

"Kid, you think you've won?"

Chen Yu turned around abruptly and saw Long San walking out from another door in the hall. He was covered in wounds, clearly having gone through a difficult ordeal, but in his hand... he held a black dagger, engraved with strange runes.

"Although I didn't get the Vermilion Bird Key, I got this—" Long San raised his dagger, "'Boundary-Breaking Dagger,' which can tear space apart for a short time. Kid, hand over the Vermilion Bird Key, and I'll spare your life."

Chen Yu's eyes turned cold.

It seems the test is over, but the battle has only just begun.