Chapter 66: Volcanic Group

The flying magical beast flapped its wings and flew south, crossing the border of the O'Brien Empire, soaring over continuous mountain ranges and vast plains. Aikesi and Monika spent a full seven days in the air before finally seeing the smoke rising on the horizon at the southern end of the Yunluo Continent.

That was the mark of a volcano.

"We've arrived." Aikesi pointed into the distance. He had consulted numerous ancient texts in Baruke Cheng and finally selected this group of volcanoes, known as the "Flame Basin," as his cultivation ground.

Monika looked in the direction he pointed, seeing only a layer of grayish dust shrouding the horizon. A faint smell of sulfur also began to permeate the air, growing stronger the further south they flew.

The flying magical beast landed at the foot of a dormant volcano. Aikesi jumped off the beast and looked around. The scenery here was different from anywhere he had seen before—the ground was made of black volcanic rock, with white steam occasionally rising from cracks, and the air was filled with a choking sulfur smell. Several crater mouths in the distance were still emitting thick smoke, and occasionally lava slowly flowed down the slopes, the orange-red liquid winding along the black rock walls, sending up billowing heat waves wherever it passed. The sky here was forever gray, with volcanic ash blocking part of the sunlight, yet the ground temperature was astonishingly high.

"So hot." Monika wiped the sweat from her forehead; a small patch of her pale green travel outfit was already soaked through.

She tied her pale golden hair into a loose bun, exposing her fair neck, yet even so, she could not withstand the heat waves surging from all directions. She had never been to such a hot place; compared to this, the summer in Baruke Cheng was simply a breeze.

Aikesi took a water jug out of his space ring and handed it to her: "The temperature here is at least twenty degrees higher than in the north; you need time to adapt." He noticed Monika's lips were slightly chapped, and a pang of heartache rose in his heart. When he had first proposed coming to the volcanic area to cultivate, Monika had agreed without hesitation, not even asking a single question about the conditions here.

Monika took the water jug and drank a few sips, surveying the surrounding environment: "Are we staying here?" Her gaze swept over the black rocks and steam-emitting cracks around her, already beginning to plan the layout of the camp in her mind.

"Mm." Aikesi nodded and began searching for a suitable camping spot. He found a relatively flat platform halfway up the mountain, backed against the mountain wall, with an open view ahead that overlooked the entire volcanic group. Below the platform, a lava stream flowed slowly, emitting a scorching aura; the orange-red light reflected off the black rock walls, creating a magical and magnificent scene.

Aikesi took out tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, and other daily necessities from his space ring and began setting up a temporary dwelling. These items had been carefully prepared by him in Baruke Cheng; the tents were made of special waterproof and fireproof materials, the sleeping bags were filled with warm magical beast down, and the cooking utensils were forged from refined iron, sufficient to cope with the harsh environment of the volcanic area. Monika was not idle either; she collected some heat-resistant plants, wove them into mats to lay on the ground, and built a simple stove with stones. She could not name those plants; their leaves were thick and juicy, their surfaces covered with a waxy layer, allowing them to survive in high-temperature and arid environments. The locals called them "Flame Grass." The juice of the Flame Grass had a cooling and heat-relieving effect, so Monika specifically collected extra amounts, preparing to soak them in water for drinking.

In less than half a day, a simple but cozy camp was built through the joint efforts of the two. The tent was pitched in the center of the platform, facing southeast, so that the first ray of morning sunlight could shine directly into the tent. The stove was built to the left of the tent, while the right side had a simple table and chair built with stones, topped with mats woven from Flame Grass. Monika even made a small sunshade from extra fabric and hung it above the tent to block the most poisonous midday sun.

"The conditions are humble; I'm sorry to trouble you." Aikesi looked at Monika with some apology.

Monika shook her head and smiled: "Just being with you is enough." Her smile was especially warm under the reflection of the firelight. She walked over to Aikesi's side, reached out, and helped him adjust his collar, which was soaked with sweat. "And don't you think? Doesn't it feel like we are building a little home of our own?"

Aikesi recalled those days, and his heart warmed; he lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

The two exchanged a smile and secured the tent for the last time.

In the days that followed, Aikesi began his cultivation.

Every morning, before dawn, when the eastern sky had just begun to show a fish-belly white, he would climb the crater alone and sit cross-legged facing the churning lava. The temperature in the crater was extremely high; an ordinary person would dehydrate and faint after staying there for half an hour, but Aikesi, possessing the Fire Spirit Bead, found the high temperature comfortable instead. He took off his shirt, sat bare-chested on the rocks at the edge of the crater, and let the heat waves rush against him.

Aikesi closed his eyes and sank his spiritual power into his body. In his dantian, the Fire Spirit Bead floated silently, emitting a crimson-gold light, like a miniature sun. After years of nurturing, the compatibility between the Fire Spirit Bead and himself had grown higher and higher; he could feel the Fire Spirit Bead rotating slowly, and with each rotation, it released a trace of pure Fire Element, merging into his meridians and bones.

The Profound Mystery of Fire Element is one of the six Profound Mysteries of the Fire System Law and is the most fundamental of them all.

Aikesi sat in the crater for a whole day, from sunrise to sunset, sometimes even until late at night.

Monika cultivated Light System Magic at the foot of the mountain.

Her cultivation method combined meditation and spell practice. Light System Magic focuses on "purification" and "healing," requiring the caster to possess a pure heart and strong willpower. Monika was naturally gentle in character with a pure heart, so cultivating Light System Magic yielded twice the result with half the effort.

One month later, Monika had made obvious progress.

She was originally a Level 7 Light Mage, only one step away from Level 8.

"Aikesi, I feel I am about to break through to Level 8." One evening, when Aikesi returned from cultivation, Monika said to him excitedly. She sat by the bonfire, holding a cup of tea brewed with Flame Grass in both hands, her face bearing an unmistakable joy.

Aikesi was roasting a wild rabbit by the bonfire; hearing this, he looked up, his eyes filled with gratification: "So soon? It seems the environment here is indeed suitable for you." He turned the roasted rabbit in his hand; the oil dripped onto the flames, making a sizzling sound, and the fragrance spread everywhere.

Monika sat beside him, leaning on his shoulder. "Seeing you work so hard at cultivation every day, I don't want to fall behind." She looked at Aikesi's tanned skin and more defined muscle lines, feeling both pride and heartache in her heart. Over this past month, Aikesi had cultivated in the crater for more than ten hours every day, and he had become noticeably thinner.

Aikesi smiled and handed her the roasted rabbit leg: "Then keep it up. When you break through to Level 8, I will give you a gift."

"What gift?" Monika's eyes lit up, and she looked at him expectantly like a little girl.

"A secret." Aikesi deliberately played coy, lowering his head to focus on gnawing the rabbit meat.

Monika gave him a reproachful glance, took the rabbit leg, and ate it in small bites. Her manner of eating was very refined; even a rough food like a roasted rabbit leg was eaten by her with elegance and propriety. Aikesi sometimes felt that the noble temperament Monika possessed by birth would not disappear even in such a desolate volcanic area.

One morning three months later, Aikesi climbed the crater as usual.

Today was somewhat different.

As soon as he sat cross-legged, he felt the fluctuation of Fire Elements around him was abnormally active. The lava deep within the crater churned more violently than usual, with orange-red lava splashing continuously; at its highest, it even splashed to a place less than a thousand meters from the crater. The smell of sulfur in the air was so thick it was choking, and the temperature was also much higher than usual.

Aikesi frowned slightly; over these three months he had grown accustomed to the environment of the crater, but today's situation was indeed somewhat abnormal. Just as he was preparing to calm his mind and cultivate, that familiar voice rang in his mind—the Sign-in System prompt.

【Ding! Detected that the host is in a special environment (core area of an active volcanic group). Do you wish to sign in?】

Aikesi felt a surge of joy in his heart. Without hesitation, he silently thought in his mind: "Sign in."

【Sign-in successful! Reward obtained: Flame Demon Heart (Fragment) ×1】

【Flame Demon Heart (Fragment): A core fragment of an ancient Flame Demon, containing a dense aura of Fire System Law. After merging into the body, it can greatly increase the speed of comprehending the Fire System Law and has a special bonus effect on the Profound Mystery of Fire Element. Currently in a fragmented state; a complete Flame Demon Heart can help the user directly comprehend the Profound Mystery of Fire Element to its perfection.】

Aikesi sucked in a breath of cold air, his fingers trembling slightly.

Directly comprehend the Profound Mystery of Fire Element to its perfection? Wouldn't that be equivalent to stepping directly into God Level?

Although he knew the Sign-in System occasionally gave heaven-defying rewards, the value of the Flame Demon Heart still far exceeded his expectations.

Although the system only gave a fragmented version, "greatly increasing comprehension speed" was already precious enough. At the Saint Domain level, every bit of progress was extremely difficult; treasures that could increase comprehension speed were of immeasurable value. Moreover, the Flame Demon Heart also had a special bonus effect on the Profound Mystery of Fire Element, meaning that when he comprehended this Profound Mystery, he would be much smoother than others.

He took the Flame Demon Heart out of his space ring; it was a fist-sized dark red crystal with an irregular shape, its surface covered with cracks, as if it had shattered from something. The texture of the crystal was very peculiar; it felt warm to the touch, but upon careful feeling, one would discover that it contained terrifying temperatures inside. Flames were faintly jumping within the crystal.

Aikesi held the Flame Demon Heart in his palm, feeling the law aura contained within. In that instant, he seemed to hear the breathing of flames and see the birth and death of Fire Elements.

"A good thing." He murmured to himself, his gaze burning as he stared at the crystal in his hand.

Without hesitation, Aikesi directly pressed the Flame Demon Heart against his chest. The instant the crystal touched his skin, he felt as if his chest had been burned by a hot iron; the intense pain made him clench his teeth. The crystal transformed into a beam of dark red light and merged into his body.

In his dantian, the Fire Spirit Bead trembled slightly, as if sensing the arrival of the Flame Demon Heart. The two supreme Fire treasures responded to each other; the crimson-gold light and the dark red light intertwined and finally merged into one. A trace of dark red pattern appeared in the originally crimson-gold light of the Fire Spirit Bead, making it look deeper and more introverted.

Aikesi felt a stream of heat surge from his dantian, flowing to his four limbs and hundred bones, finally gathering in the depths of his soul. In that instant, his understanding of the Profound Mystery of Fire Element seemed to open a new door. Previously vague and ambiguous insights became incredibly clear at this moment. He "saw" the essence of the Fire Element.

Previously vague insights became clear.

Previously stagnant progress began to advance.

He closed his eyes and sank into meditation. Various forms of flames appeared in his mind—jumping flames, roaring blazes, quietly burning charcoal, gushing lava—each flame had its unique rhythm and laws, but behind these seemingly different flames lay the same rules.

Time passed minute by minute.

Aikesi was immersed in his comprehension, completely forgetting the passage of time. A more intense red light than before appeared on the surface of his body; flame patterns spread from his chest to his four limbs, almost covering his entire body. The shapes of those patterns resembled some ancient script or the trajectory of burning flames, containing a certain unspeakable flavor of laws.

The lava in the crater also seemed to be drawn by the aura in his body, churning even more violently. Lava splashed out from the crater and fell not far beside him; the scorching temperature burned the surrounding rocks red, but Aikesi was completely unaware of it.

When Aikesi opened his eyes again, the sun had already set, and the starry sky twinkled overhead. He did not know how long he had sat, only feeling that the Fire Spirit Bead in his dantian was more active than before, and the Fire Elements circulating in his body were purer than before.

He looked down at his hands; faint flame patterns appeared on his palms. This was not the result of magic casting, but an external manifestation of law comprehension.

"The Profound Mystery of Fire Element—forty percent." Aikesi murmured, his voice carrying a trace of excitement.

Previously, he had comprehended about thirty percent and had been stagnant for nearly two years. Yet after merging the Flame Demon Heart for only one day, it advanced directly by ten percent. At this rate, perhaps in less than ten years, he could comprehend the Profound Mystery of Fire Element to over ninety percent. Ten years was merely a snap of the fingers for a Saint Domain expert; many people spent a hundred years and still might not break through from thirty percent to forty percent.

"Worthy of being a core shard of an ancient Flame Demon." Aikesi stood up and stretched his stiff body. He glanced at the camp at the foot of the mountain; Monika was still meditating on the boulder, the white light around her flickering on and off — it seemed she had also entered some kind of deep cultivation state.

Aikesi smiled slightly and walked down along the mountain path. He was in an unusually good mood tonight, so he decided to make an exception and hunt some prey, to make Monika a lavish dinner. Although this volcanic zone had a harsh environment, there were quite a few magical beasts and wild beasts adapted to high temperatures, and their meat was more tender and delicious than ordinary wild beasts.

In the days that followed, Aikesi's cultivation entered the fast lane.

The Flame Demon Heart not only enhanced his comprehension speed, but also changed the way fire elements circulated within his body. In the past he had to deliberately guide the fire elements; now the fire elements would automatically gather toward him, and he didn't even need to actively meditate. It felt like going from rowing against the current to drifting downstream — his cultivation efficiency had increased several times over.

His daily time at the volcano crater increased from eight hours to twelve, and sometimes he even forgot to eat and rest. Every time, Monika would bring food to the mountaintop and only leave after watching him finish it. She knew his cultivation had reached a critical moment and she couldn't disturb him, but she was even more worried about his body.

She had become distracted because she was worried about him.

Half a year later, Monika was the first to welcome a breakthrough.

"Level 8." she said softly, with a joy she could barely contain in her tone.

Aikesi landed in front of her, looked her up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad." His tone carried pride.

Aikesi held her, feeling the warmth of her body and the beating of her heart, and took out a small box from his spatial ring: "The gift I promised you."

Monika opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace; the pendant was a thumb-sized white gemstone, emitting a soft glow.

"This is a Light System sacred artifact — Dawn's Light." Aikesi explained. "It can amplify the power of Light System Magic, and at a critical moment it can also release a protective barrier at the level of a Light System Forbidden Spell."

Tears welled up in Monika's eyes. She put the necklace around her neck, the pendant pressed against her chest, and a warm sensation spread through her.

"Thank you, Aikesi." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, her lips soft and warm.

Aikesi smiled, wrapped an arm around her waist: "Let's go, let's celebrate tonight. I'll go hunt a wild boar and roast a whole pig for you." He headed out of the camp with light, brisk steps.

"You can roast a whole pig?" Monika followed behind him, asking curiously.

I learned it from Yelu back at the academy—his skill is the true legacy of the Dawson Chamber of Commerce's chefs. Aikesi turned his head and winked at her, "Tonight, I'll show you what it means to be the number one barbecue chef on the Yunluo Continent."

""

The two chatted and laughed as they walked toward the camp.