After leaving the Dimension of Spirit, Max opened his eyes slowly, finding himself once again in the quiet forest at the edge of the core region. The air around him was still heavy with energy, thick enough to feel like a tangible weight on his skin.

His veil of spatial concealment dispersed with a ripple, and the natural sounds of the secret domain returned—the faint hum of distorted energy, the distant roars of beasts, and the occasional pulse of spiritual force echoing from faraway trials.

He stepped out of his hiding place and stretched his limbs slightly. His body felt steady and light, his strength more refined than before. The Dimension of Spirit had a strange effect on him; every time he entered and exited it, his control over his own power became smoother, more natural, as if the link between his physical self and his spiritual core was deepening.

Looking around, Max realized that the area he had entered earlier—the Mirror Lake of Souls—was positioned right at the transition between the inner and core regions of the Heavenly Lord Secret Domain.

The Mirror Lake acted as a boundary, a passage that separated the two major trial zones. Now that he had left that region behind, he was officially standing at the edge of the core region. Beyond this point, the trials would no longer be about comprehension alone—they would test one's understanding of existence itself.

Max exhaled deeply, his eyes sharp with focus. "This is where the real challenges begin," he murmured to himself.

By now, he had already advanced his Concept of Space and Concept of Sword to the fourth level—Spatial Collapse and Severing the Intangible. Both of these had given him strength and precision far beyond what he once thought possible.

Yet, there was still a sense of incompleteness within him. His Concept of Flames and Concept of Lightning remained stuck at the third level, unable to break through.

And Max wanted to enter the core region with at least three of his four concepts at 4th level.

"There must be a trial for flames somewhere nearby," he said quietly as he reached into his dimensional space and took out the parchment map given to him by Lord Igris. The map was etched with glowing silver ink, and the symbols shifted faintly when infused with spiritual energy.

He spread it open before him, channeling a thread of mana into it. The parchment shimmered faintly, revealing the various trial locations marked across the vast layout of the secret domain. His eyes moved slowly across the markings—some indicated known elemental trials, while others bore the sigils of ancient ruins or inheritance fields.

His gaze stopped when he noticed a particular marking near the very edge of the core region. The symbol glowed faintly red and blue, intertwining like twin serpents spiraling around each other. The markings there represented both fire and ice.

"A flame trial?" Max whispered, frowning slightly. But the presence of the ice symbol beside it made him hesitate. The area wasn't labeled clearly; the map simply called it The Valley of Frozen Ash. The name itself was strange—how could something be both frozen and burned at once?

He traced the markings lightly with his fingers, deep in thought. "Could this be a trial designed for both flame and ice elemental masters?" he wondered aloud. It wasn't unusual for the secret domain to merge two opposing elements within a single trial. After all, balance and contradiction were the foundation of all higher concepts.

Still, a sense of curiosity rose within him. If the flames there could help his comprehension, and the ice was merely an additional obstacle, then it would be worth the risk. And if it turned out to be something more… then perhaps he could learn something about the balance between the two extremes—heat and cold, destruction and stillness.

In the end, he folded the map carefully and stored it away. "I'll check it out myself," he decided firmly. "If it's truly a dual-element trial, then it might help me push my flame concept further. And if I'm lucky, I might even gain some insight into ice."

With that, Max lifted his head, his expression calm and resolute. His aura stirred slightly, and the faint ripple of spatial energy wrapped around him like a flowing cloak.

The air distorted for a moment, and his figure vanished from the spot, heading toward the location marked on the map—the mysterious Valley of Frozen Ash, where flames and frost intertwined.

A day passed as Max travelled towards the Valley of Frozen Ash and at this moment the world around him began to change in a way that felt both gradual and unsettling. The air, which had been calm and heavy with energy, grew unstable. The once-neutral wind became a strange mixture of biting cold and searing heat, alternating between the two with every few steps he took.

The trees he passed reflected that imbalance—one side of the forest burned with faint embers, the bark glowing red-hot as if touched by lava, while the other was coated in thick frost that refused to melt even under the heat. The ground beneath his boots cracked and hissed as fire and ice collided. Steam rose constantly from the soil, obscuring parts of the path ahead.

"This must be close," Max muttered under his breath, his gaze scanning the horizon. His instincts told him he was entering the outer perimeter of the valley. The balance of two opposing elemental forces was growing denser by the second.

Then, without warning, a deep growl reverberated through the air. Max turned his head just in time to see a massive creature burst out from behind a wall of ice. It resembled a lion, but its mane was made entirely of blue-white frost, and its claws glowed with a light so cold that the air froze wherever it struck.

"A Frostfire Beast," Max identified calmly, sensing both flame and ice energy from its core. "Interesting."

The creature roared again and lunged forward, claws extended to tear through him. Max didn't move until the last moment. Then, a faint red spark flickered in his eyes. His right arm was suddenly wreathed in black fire, and his fist struck out.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.