Tian Lei raised his head. The exhaustion was there, but so was the fire—the kind that didn't fade with victory.

"I know there are still ranks beyond the Divine," he said quietly. "They are the Empyrean, Celestial, and finally… Supreme. I want to reach them all."

The Sect Master looked at him for a long moment, then nodded.

"Very well. Tian Lei, you have become eligible for the final legacy of our Sect. Many have reached this point before, but none were able to claim it. Can you?" he asked.

At the same time, Tian Lei in Tian lei and other disciples mind, a notofication appeared that the Trial of the forge have reached the final phase, dumbfounding most of them, but then recognition came, as they remembered one of them is directly a core disciple now.

The Sect Master stood up, his fiery eyes gleaming. As he extended his hand behind him, space itself split open—revealing a portal to the Sect's Flame Realm, where countless naturally born flames resided.

"Inside it are many kinds of flames, born from nature and heaven itself. To ascend to the Empyrean Rank and beyond, no ordinary flames can aid you," he said solemnly. "Now, you need to enter the Heaven and Earth Flame Realm. Go inside—and if you can obtain at least a Heaven-Rank Flame, the legacy will be yours."

Tian Lei nodded and entered without hesitation.

The instant Tian Lei stepped through the rift, his surroundings shifted—violently, breathtakingly.

It was as if he had walked into the heart of creation itself.

Flames of every imaginable hue danced across the horizon. Rivers of molten light flowed through mountains of ember-crystal, while in the skies above, vast flame-spirits soared like living comets. Each exhalation of the realm carried the heat of stars, each gust of wind shimmered with raw, radiant life.

This was the Heaven and Earth Flame Realm—a domain where ordinary logic burned away, leaving only will, spirit, and fire.

Tian Lei's body trembled—not in fear, but in reverence. His spirit flames responded instinctively, flaring brighter in awe of the world's grandeur.

"...So this is it," he whispered. "The place where true blacksmiths are reborn."

A surge of heat rolled past him. Not just ordinary fire—it was living intent, testing him. Flames gathered, coalescing into figures—some humanoid, some beast-like, some abstract shapes of pure energy. Each presence radiated the power of Heaven-Rank and beyond.

"An intruder," a voice crackled, deep and ancient. "Another mortal come to steal the breath of the stars."

The flames around him shimmered, forming a circle. Their collective heat pressed against his soul, probing his worth.

Tian Lei didn't draw his weapon. He simply stood straight, his aura flaring—not aggressively, but confidently. His Heartflame floated out beside him, burning in sync with his pulse, its color shifting between crimson and gold.

"I didn't come to steal," he said firmly. "I came to earn."

The air seemed to pause. Then laughter—a booming, molten echo that shook the ground.

"Bold words," said the voice again. "Then prove it, for in this realm, words burn to ash. Only fire speaks the truth."

With that, the surrounding flames erupted into chaos. Rivers of magma rose like serpents, the sky split with roaring fire-beasts, and the very air turned molten.

Tian Lei's eyes sharpened.

He took a deep breath—then stepped forward.

Every step burned away the ground beneath him, yet his own flame didn't falter. The Heartflame beside him pulsed stronger, feeding him not warmth, but purpose.

One by one, the lesser flame spirits lunged—and one by one, they were absorbed into his fire, their essence purified and merged.

Higher, deeper, fiercer he went—through storms of radiant plasma and oceans of starfire. Each trial pushed him closer to his limit, each step tested not just his power, but his resolve.

Finally, he reached it.

At the center of the realm floated a vast, golden sun—the Primordial Heaven Flame, the heart of the entire domain. Its light was blinding, its heat divine. Even from miles away, Tian Lei's skin cracked, his bones glowed, and his blood boiled.

He fell to one knee, trembling, but his eyes… burned brighter than ever.

"So this… is the test," he whispered hoarsely.

The flame pulsed, its voice echoing across the heavens like the song of creation itself.

"Mortal blacksmith… if you wish to wield one of my children, then show me—what will you sacrifice?"

Tian Lei stood tall, his gaze unwavering.

"Nothing," he said calmly. "I'm not willing to sacrifice anything. I wish to keep everything of mine safe and sound—not trade them away for power."

For a long moment, the realm was silent. The surrounding flames flickered uncertainly, as if confused by his answer. But then, the great flame before him… laughed.

It wasn't mockery—it was warmth.

"You are steadfast, mortal. Most would have succumbed to temptation and offered grandiose lies—claiming they'd give up life, soul, or spirit, all for strength."

Her tone softened, almost approving.

"All who said such words, I accepted. And all of them… I took their lives in return."

Tian Lei blinked, then gave a small, helpless smile. "Damn. Thanks, I guess. Though I didn't expect you to sound this dramatic—it's like something out of a novel," he muttered under his breath.

The flame spirit's laughter deepened, resonating through the mountains of molten stone. Her blazing form shifted, coalescing into that of a radiant woman—her hair a cascade of living fire, her eyes twin suns.

"Then, mortal blacksmith," she said, extending her hand toward him, "prove your words not through sacrifice… but through endurance."

The ground trembled. Mountains of fire rose around them, and countless elemental spirits emerged—each one a trial, each one a test of his resolve.

Tian Lei exhaled slowly, gripping his hammer. "Endurance, huh? Fine by me."

He stepped forward, flames roaring in answer.

The moment Tian Lei stepped forward, the world ignited.

Flames rose like tidal waves, folding and twisting, devouring sky and earth alike. The Heaven and Earth Flame Realm revealed its true nature—not a battlefield, but a crucible. The ground beneath his feet turned to molten glass, and each breath he took burned like swallowing sunlight.

The elemental spirits screamed as they descended upon him—creatures born not of flesh, but of flame and will. Some were serpentine, some avian, others shaped like burning giants forged from magma and lightning. Each step Tian Lei took forward drew them in, as if the realm itself sought to erase his defiance.

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