Chapter 554

"Training Ground!"

Those three characters seemed to be soaked in endless slaughter, revealing a thick, inseparable bloodthirst and dominance.

The moment her gaze touched them, Hua Changxi's mood was suddenly ignited, and the blood in her whole body boiled like magma, pulling her directly into a combat state.

This transformation came swiftly and domineeringly; while her reason was still examining, her body's instinct couldn't wait, crazily urging her to go deep into Mount Huoyan—to fight!

Hua Changxi did not resist this instinct; as one of the twelve blessed lands of Nanxiang City, Mount Huoyan did not have the danger of deliberately killing people, only one test after another.

Thus, without too much hesitation, she stepped into the flat canyon area between the two mountain ranges within her line of sight.

However, just as she entered the canyon, the scorched earth beneath her feet trembled violently without warning.

"Boom~"

Accompanied by a dull roar, the earth cracked, and red magma surged out like a living thing, instantly condensing in mid-air and turning into a burly figure clad in heavy lava armor—a Fire Armor Guard.

Without giving Hua Changxi any time to react, as soon as the Fire Armor Guard took shape, it carried a monstrous heat wave and attacked her directly.

"Peak Nascent Soul Realm!"

Sensing the cultivation of the Fire Armor Guard, Hua Changxi's heart stirred, but before she could think, the attack carrying the aura of destruction was already before her eyes.

Hua Changxi subconsciously wanted to summon the Floating Light Sword to meet the enemy, but as her thoughts turned, her dantian was completely silent.

Not only her dantian, but even her connection with the Shennong Cauldron was cut off.

Only then did she realize with a start that, apart from her own spiritual power and physical strength, all other external objects—magic treasures, spiritual artifacts, soul artifacts—were all imprisoned here!

"Bang!"

While Hua Changxi's mind was unsteady, she was solidly hit by the heavy fist of the Fire Armor Guard covered in magma, and her whole body flew backward like a broken kite, smashing heavily onto the scorched earth.

Having succeeded in one blow, the Fire Armor Guard did not stop at all; the magma under its feet exploded, and it rushed toward the fallen Hua Changxi again.

Looking at the red figure arriving in an instant, Hua Changxi rolled in a sorry state, barely avoiding the second strike.

Unable to use weapons, she could only rely on herself.

Soon, Hua Changxi and the Fire Armor Guard were fighting together.

In terms of magic cultivation, Hua Changxi was indeed only at the peak of Nascent Soul, her realm on par with the Fire Armor Guard.

However, she also practiced body refining; she was a body cultivator, and a body cultivator who had entered the eighth level of body refining.

And so, after only a few moves, the seemingly indestructible Fire Armor Guard shattered under Hua Changxi's violent physical strength, turning into sparks all over the sky.

However, this was just the beginning.

The moment the Fire Armor Guard dissipated, the firelight in the sky did not extinguish; instead, it surged crazily, and in the blink of an eye, it re-condensed into two Fire Armor Guards at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm!

Two were beaten apart, the firelight gathered again, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into three...

As Hua Changxi went deeper, the number of Fire Armor Guards besieging her increased geometrically.

By the time she killed her way to the end of the canyon, what lay before her was a sea of red; 9,999 Fire Armor Guards were like tireless killing machines, one after another, never dying and never stopping!

Facing the swarming Fire Armor Guards, Hua Changxi had no time to think and only followed her instincts to respond to the battle.

Unknowingly, she entered a realm of total self-forgetfulness; it seemed that only she herself remained in the world, along with the never-extinguishing fighting spirit filling her body.

"Bang!"

As the last Fire Armor Guard at the end of the canyon was struck apart, the originally restless aura of slaughter suddenly converged.

Immediately after, a red, scorching lava road, like a waking fire dragon, slowly cut through the mountain range on the right and spread directly into Hua Changxi's line of sight.

Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi's tense heartstrings finally relaxed, and she let out a light breath of turbid air.

She knew that she had passed the first test of Mount Huoyan.

The appearance of the lava road signaled that she could enter the second level.

Hua Changxi stood before the lava road and looked back at the canyon she had just traversed.

At this moment, she understood—this was the first test of Mount Huoyan.

Using fire as soldiers, never dying and never stopping!

There were no rules, no referees, only the most primitive life-and-death struggle.

The so-called training first tested an individual's ultimate combat power, as well as that fighting spirit and perseverance that did not fear death or retreat.

If she were really just a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be almost impossible to pass this level.

The lava road was cast from red, scorching magma, like a winding fire dragon running through the mountain range.

Looking inward from the canyon, it felt like a fiery red tunnel, exuding a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

After cultivating the Zhu Que Spirit Body, Hua Changxi was not afraid of the scorching heat of the lava, but looking at this bottomless lava tunnel before her, her heartstrings still tightened involuntarily.

She didn't know how long this tunnel was, nor did she know if other tests were hidden deep within the tunnel.

After adjusting her breath in the canyon for a period of time and restoring all the spiritual power she had consumed, Hua Changxi took a deep breath and stepped onto the lava road.

The moment her soles touched the magma, a piercing, scorching pain rushed straight from the soles of her feet to her crown; her whole face twisted violently, the veins on her forehead bulged, and cold sweat instantly soaked her back.

She immediately realized that the spiritual power in her body had been completely imprisoned by this Mount Huoyan.

If it were just that she couldn't use spiritual power, it wouldn't be a big deal to her, after all, her physical body was strong.

But this lava road seemed to have an automatic adjustment capability, and it could actually increase the temperature according to the strength of her physical body!

Hua Changxi sensed the soaring temperature of the lava under her feet bit by bit.

After the surge, it was no longer simple scorching heat, but an extreme high temperature that was real and felt as if it were going to completely melt her feet, and even her entire body.

Hua Changxi hadn't felt the unbearable scorching heat of 'fire' for a long time.

However, for the sake of the ultimate goal of taking down Mount Huoyan, even though her body was enduring scorching heat that felt worse than death, she gritted her teeth and stepped into the tunnel step by step.

Fortunately, not long after walking, the tunnel entrance at the other end appeared in her line of sight.

Hua Changxi thought that being able to see the tunnel entrance meant that this tunnel was not too long.

But as she went deeper, she realized it wasn't like that at all.

Inside the mountain range, it wasn't all hard rock; beneath the lava road was a vast lava lake like a sea.

On the surface of the lake, the rolling magma raised giant waves several feet high, which would slap against the narrow road from time to time, splashing sparks of scorching fire all over the sky.

This lava road was no more than a meter wide, like a single-plank bridge suspended over a sea of fire.

Hua Changxi not only had to endure the roasting of the magma under her feet but also had to be on guard at all times against the lava giant waves that could pounce at any time; every step she took was like walking on thin ice, extremely difficult.

In some sections, the magma under her feet had not yet completely solidified, and the viscous magma covered her ankles, burning her entire lower leg red, and even a burnt smell permeated the air.

Looking at the tunnel entrance ahead that was within reach but always unreachable, Hua Changxi's heart began to waver, and she couldn't help but feel an urge to turn back.

"Don't turn back!"

"Turning back is admitting defeat! Admitting defeat is death! Keep your eyes on your goal, one step, one step, walk over!"

Whenever the thought of turning back just arose, a stern voice would explode in her mind like a thunderclap.

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered, and she understood in her heart that this should also be a part of the training method of Mount Huoyan—honing the mind, moving forward without looking back.

Relying on absolute willpower, Hua Changxi forced herself to move mechanically and firmly on the lava road like a tireless puppet.

When she completely cut off the distracting thoughts of turning back and only thought about walking out of the tunnel, she finally took the last step and walked out of the tunnel.

"Heh..."

The moment she stepped out of the tunnel, the scorching pain on her body was still clear, and her feet had long since lost all feeling, but Hua Changxi couldn't help but chuckle.

At this moment, she had some new realizations.

Things like fighting spirit and perseverance really aren't things you can shout out; they are honed bit by bit in desperate situations.

This training method of Mount Huoyan really hit the mark and struck at the root.