Initial Peak of the Human Spiritual Realm

"The little boy who just awakened?" The White Devil murmured, watching Rylan step into the spatial rift. He didn't stop him. It wasn't the first time that teenagers of this age had participated in the test. "In the world of cultivation, it's recommended to start cultivating from childhood."

"I hope you bring surprises, little one..." Despite his usual indifference, the White Devil gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. Even in the War Emperor Academy, it was rare for someone to advance from mortal to cultivator in just five minutes.

---

Upon entering the rift, Rylan immediately felt vertigo. It was his first time being transported this way, and the nausea overwhelmed him. Struggling not to vomit, he felt something even more disturbing: an unbearable wave of heat rising from his feet.

"Hot... Hot!" He let out an involuntary scream, feeling as if the soles of his feet were on fire. His skin began to redden, and the discomfort intensified with each passing second. Desperate, his only thought was to use cultivation to resist the pain.

Forcing himself to stay in control, he bit his lip and sat in the lotus position. "Persist," he thought, as he began to perform the Natural Breathing Method.

However, something was wrong. "But there are no trees here... just this ground that looks like it came from hell," he muttered through clenched teeth, gritting them as he struggled to lift his head to observe the environment.

The place he found himself in was the Burning Desert. The ground, instead of being made of regular dirt, had a vivid orange hue, as if a massive river of lava had dried up, leaving behind only this scorching landscape.

"Damn it! I am the Primordial! How can I suffer in this low-level desert?" In that moment, the arrogance awakened by his talent began to take control of his mind.

"Natural Energy? Just think of this blazing environment as nutrients to strengthen my cultivation." With that thought, he laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

"This arrogance... But how the hell am I supposed to do that?" In that moment, he felt he was on the brink of madness. One part of him was arrogant and confident; the other was just a boy with simple dreams, who had left home to become strong.

But both parts shared one common feeling: the pursuit of strength. For one, strength was the means to fulfill the promise made to his grandfather; for the other, it was the manifestation of arrogance that couldn't stand the thought of being inferior to anyone.

"The world is my furnace. I will use this scorching ground to refine my bones!" With that determination, he ignored the discomfort and began to perform the Natural Breathing Method. Inexplicably, the heat from the ground began to flow into his body, being absorbed as energy.

"And this feeling... This is what I want." Feeling that energy refining his bones, he smiled. At that moment, he completely forgot that this was just a test.

---

After some time in that insane state, Rylan felt something change. The ground beneath his feet began to cool.

Sensing the new sensation, he realized that his cultivation was no longer working. It was as if all the energy from that area had been drained by him.

"What a shame... I thought I could reach the intermediate level. But at least I reached the peak of the initial level of the Human Spiritual Realm."

Though there was a hint of disappointment in his voice, it was quickly overshadowed by happiness. He remembered it had barely been ten minutes since he began cultivating. Going from mortal to the peak of the first level of the Human Spiritual Realm in such a short time definitely made him a monster.

"The test..." He finally remembered the reason he was in the desert.

"Crystals... What are these crystals?" At that moment, he realized he knew nothing about the test.

"Maybe Yell knows? Well, he's a bird and has probably wandered many places."

Smiling at the thought, Rylan tried to connect with Yell. That was another advantage of being the Primogenitor: no matter where his familiar was, he could always sense him and communicate with him.

---

Yell, who was busy trying to integrate the Natural Breathing Method with a monster method, felt Rylan's connection.

"Little Yell, do you have any information about the crystals from the Infernal Realm?"

The little bird was confused by the question but replied with a "chiu-chiu," indicating that he knew something. As a bird that lived near the entrance of the Infernal Realm, he had overheard many conversations among the disciples.

"You're amazing, little Yell! Send me the information you've discovered."

Yell, feeling praised by the Primogenitor, was so happy that he started singing. "Piu-piu!"

"Little Yell? Where's the information?"

"Ah!" Realizing he had forgotten to send the data, the bird felt embarrassed. "Is the Primogenitor going to be angry?" he thought.

Without hesitation, Yell transmitted everything he knew about the crystals. As soon as he finished, he sighed with relief. "Since I've sent it, he won't be mad, right?"

Convinced of that, Yell resumed singing happily: "Piu-piu-piu!" In that moment, the little bird overflowed with joy.

---

Rylan, upon receiving the information from Yell, finally understood what the crystals were.

"The four crystals... They are formed in special environments of the Infernal Realm. The desert crystal can be found in a mine, the fire crystal is at the top of a volcano, the ice crystal is in the glaciers, and the blood crystal

it can be acquired by killing creatures from the Red Lake.

"This White Devil is trying to kill us, isn't he?" he thought, but then a smile escaped his lips. "Well... this is interesting. Let's go, increase the cultivation... Oops, I mean, find the crystals!"

Unlike the other participants, who saw the test as an obstacle to joining the War Emperor Academy, Rylan viewed everything as an opportunity to grow even stronger. Just like in the Burning Desert, where he used the ground to reach the peak of the initial level of the Human Spiritual Realm, what could he expect from the other areas?