The moment the last trace of his internal energy was sealed, Alex felt an unfamiliar emptiness spread through his body. It was not pain at first. It was absence. For the first time since he had begun cultivating, he could not sense even the faintest thread of energy within himself. The world around him, however, felt more overwhelming than ever.

The heat pressed in from every direction.

It was not simply the temperature of the air. It was the ground beneath his feet, the wind that moved across the molten landscape, and even the light itself that carried an oppressive intensity. Each breath he took burned his throat slightly, as if the air itself resisted being inhaled.

Igris stood at a distance, observing him without expression.

"You may begin," he said calmly.

There were no further instructions.

Alex understood immediately. This was not a structured lesson. This was endurance.

He took a step forward.

The moment his foot made contact with the darkened rock, a sharp sensation surged upward through his leg. The surface was not stable stone. It was semi-molten, constantly shifting with heat beneath a thin crust. The temperature seeped through his skin almost instantly.

He did not stop.

If he hesitated now, the next five years would become impossible.

The first hour passed slowly.

By the second hour, sweat no longer flowed normally from his body. It evaporated almost instantly upon forming. His skin began to redden under the constant exposure, and each breath became heavier than the last.

By the third hour, the pain settled in.

It was no longer sharp or sudden. It became constant.

Every inch of his body felt as though it were being tempered in fire. The soles of his feet burned with each step. His muscles tightened as dehydration began to take hold. Without energy to reinforce his body, he was forced to rely purely on his physical resilience.

He continued walking.

Igris did not interfere.

As the day progressed, the terrain shifted gradually. The solid ground gave way to narrow ridges of blackened rock, surrounded by flowing rivers of magma. The heat intensified with every step, rising in waves that distorted the air itself.

At one point, Alex misstepped.

His foot sank slightly into a patch of unstable surface. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The pain that followed was immediate and severe.

His skin blistered almost instantly, and a sharp jolt forced his body to react. He pulled his leg back, but the damage had already been done.

For a brief moment, his vision blurred.

He clenched his teeth and steadied himself.

Stopping was not an option.

He resumed moving.

By the time the first day ended, his body had reached its limit.

His movements slowed, his breathing grew uneven, and his muscles trembled under the accumulated strain. Eventually, he collapsed onto a relatively stable section of rock, his body barely able to sustain itself.

The heat did not lessen.

Even in rest, it continued to consume him.

Night did not exist in this place.

The sky remained filled with a dull, glowing light, as if the entire world was perpetually caught between dusk and fire.

Igris approached briefly, glancing down at him.

"You will not die," he said. "This realm will sustain your life. However, it will not reduce your pain."

With that, he left.

The second day began without ceremony.

Alex forced himself to stand.

His muscles resisted. His skin felt tight and damaged. Every movement sent waves of discomfort through his body.

But something had changed.

The pain, while still intense, felt... slightly more familiar.

He took another step.

This time, his body adjusted marginally faster.

The process continued.

Each day, the environment shifted.

On the third day, he was forced to climb jagged cliffs of volcanic rock. The surfaces were sharp and unstable, cutting into his hands and feet as he ascended. The heat radiating from the rock made gripping difficult, forcing him to rely on precise movements rather than strength alone.

He fell more than once.

Each fall came with consequences.

Cuts, burns, and bruises accumulated.

Yet each time, he stood again.

By the fifth day, he was led into a region where molten rain fell intermittently from above. Droplets of burning liquid descended unpredictably, striking the ground with explosive force. Avoiding them required constant awareness, yet his body was already strained to its limits.

Several times, he failed.

The burns left behind were deep and severe.

Still, he continued.

By the seventh day, his body began to show visible adaptation.

His skin, though still damaged, had grown tougher. The rate at which burns formed had decreased slightly. His muscles, forced to operate without energy, began to function with greater efficiency.

The pain remained.

But his tolerance had increased.

On the tenth day, the terrain changed again.

This time, he was required to cross a vast field of semi-liquid magma, using only scattered fragments of solid rock as footholds. Each step required precision. A single miscalculation would result in direct contact with the molten surface.

Halfway through, his footing slipped.

His leg plunged briefly into the magma.

The pain was unlike anything he had experienced before.

For a moment, his mind went blank.

He pulled himself out through sheer instinct, his breathing ragged and uncontrolled.

His leg was severely burned.

Walking became difficult.

Stopping was not allowed.

He dragged himself forward, step by step, until he reached stable ground.

By the fifteenth day, exhaustion became his constant companion.

His body operated on the edge of collapse, yet it did not break.

Each movement was deliberate. Each breath was controlled.

The environment grew harsher.

The heat intensified.

The challenges became more complex.

At times, he was forced to carry massive chunks of heated rock across uneven terrain. At others, he had to remain standing in place while waves of heat surged around him, testing his endurance against the environment itself.

Igris observed everything.

He did not offer guidance.

He did not intervene.

By the twentieth day, a subtle transformation had taken place.

Alex’s physique had begun to align with his genetic potential.

The imbalance that once existed between his innate strength and his physical form was gradually being corrected. His muscles became denser. His bones felt sturdier. His skin, though still exposed to extreme conditions, resisted damage more effectively.

The pain was still present.

But it no longer dictated his actions.

By the twenty-fifth day, his movements had stabilized.

He no longer stumbled as frequently. His steps became more precise. His breathing, though heavy, remained controlled even under intense stress.

The environment did not grow easier.

He had simply adapted.

On the twenty-eighth day, the training reached its peak.

Igris led him to a region where the ground itself shifted unpredictably, with eruptions occurring at irregular intervals. The heat here was the most intense he had experienced so far.

"You will remain here," Igris said, "until your body either stabilizes... or collapses."

Alex nodded.

He stepped forward.

Time passed slowly.

The heat pressed against him relentlessly. His body, though strengthened, was pushed to its limits once more. His muscles trembled under the strain, and his breathing grew increasingly labored.

But he did not fall.

He endured.

[Ding! You have reached level 55.]

The notification echoed within his mind.

In that instant, a surge of power coursed through his entire being but before he could get excited, the excess strength was immediately suppressed again.

But the small time when it was not supressed he felt his strength.

His base strength multiplied ten times, expanding in a way that felt both overwhelming and natural.

His breathing steadied again.

The pressure of the environment, though still present, no longer felt suffocating.

His body stood firm.

He was happy inside.

He had crossed a minor threshold.

He had become a Martial Saint. Martial emperor was not faw away either.

And once that happens, the planetary realm would be under his view where he would be able to comprehend laws, the true cultivation realm would start.

Alex slowly exhaled, his gaze steady as he observed his surroundings.

The magma, the heat, the unstable terrain...

None of it felt the same anymore.

It was still dangerous.

But it no longer felt insurmountable.

His body had adapted.

Not just superficially, but fundamentally.

The alignment between his genetic potential and his physical form had been achieved to a significant degree.

His skin bore marks of the training, but beneath them was a resilience that had not existed before.

Igris appeared in front of him.

He studied Alex for a moment, his expression calm.

"You have endured," he said.

Alex nodded slightly.

"Yes."

There was no pride in his voice.

Only certainty.

"This is only the beginning," Igris continued. "The next phase will not allow you even this level of stability."

Alex’s expression did not change.

"I understand."

He had already accepted it.

The first twenty-eight days had not broken him.

They had forged him.

And this... was only the foundation of the upcoming trainings.

"Alex, the purpose of my training is not simply to male your body stronger, but I have another goal in mind."