Like a kid that just got a new toy, Vaan began to play around with his Fire Authority, conducting various tests with its application.

However, the system wasn't kidding when it said his Fire Authority was severely limited.

He could only assert his authority on fire-related objects, magic, and law within a meter of him, and the power he could generate was too weak to be applicable in battle.

That said, Vaan did not underestimate this new ability.

The fact that Fire Authority allowed him to perceive, interfere, and manipulate everything related to fire proved that it had limitless potential.

It might be weak now, but there was a lot he could do once his level of authority was higher.

'Although this Fire Authority is still very weak, it still grants two amazing benefits straight from the start. Firstly, I can perceive the Fire Law,' Vaan mused.

The Fire Law was ever-present and all-encompassing. It was one of the universal laws governing the world.

To control the Fire Law was equivalent to possessing a near-infinite source of power to manipulate fire.

It was definitely a god-like ability.

'Secondly, my current level of authority grants some immunity to fire damage. It's not much, but some fire immunity is still fire immunity,' Vaan thought.

Fire immunity was on a whole different level from fire resistance.

After all, fire resistance was only the ability to resist burn damage. On the other hand, fire immunity is the ability to negate burn damage completely.

The two were not the same.

If Vaan could raise his fire immunity to completion, he would not be harmed even if he was struck by the fire attack of a higher-level being.

[Congratulations. You have raised your Fire Spirit Body to the middle rank and even awakened the divine authority of fire.]

[It is rare to see someone awaken the divine authority of fire upon acquiring the Mid-rank Fire Spirit Body. That usually doesn't happen until you raise your Fire Spirit Body to the king rank.]

[This Lord is very impressed. It seems it's only a matter of time before you reach the last stage in the Trial by Fire.]

The Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit actively spoke to Vaan, feeling much more approachable despite being aloof previously.

'It seems my talent and potential have finally caught the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit's attention and interest. I was beginning to think the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit was indifferent to everyone,' Vaan mused with a smile.

"Did I clear the second stage, Lord Fire Spirit?" Vaan casually asked.

[Cleared, cleared perfectly again, of course. I suppose you are also saving your quotas again. Still, I can't give you the stage rewards until you enter the next stage.]

"That's only fair," Vaan acknowledged with a nod.

It was clear that while the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit had shown interest in his talents and potential, the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit wouldn't break the rule for him.

There was no special treatment.

That said, the opportunity to converse with the Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit could be considered a type of special treatment.

The fact that none of the dragons in the second stage reacted to Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit's voice proved that it was only meant for Vaan to hear.

Since Vaan had gained all the benefits of the second stage, he didn't stay any longer and moved towards the lava whirlpool to enter the third stage.

The second stage was filled with Rank 3 fire-attribute magical plants, but Vaan had no interest in them.

Swoosh!

After Vaan dived into the whirlpool and fell into the third stage, the intense heat immediately assaulted his face and lungs, warming up his body.

The scorching-hot air felt so thick and suffocating that it slowed down his rate of descent to some degree.

Vaan took the chance to study the third trial region.

It was much different from the first and second trial regions besides its higher-quality fire-attribute magical plants and blazing hot temperatures that reached an extreme level.

It wasn't hard to spot all the Peak-level Rank 4 dragons training in the third trial region.

They were all flying in the air, sticking close to the third trial's ceiling of lava. Unfortunately, the lava sea below was far too hot for them to endure.

However, Vaan didn't find that surprising at all.

After all, the third stage's lava pool was where the Peak-level Rank 5 dragon lords trained since they couldn't enter the fourth level. It would be strange if Peak-level Rank 4 dragons could endure the same heat level as them.

Even Vaan felt he should take things slow and not rush into the lava pool.

Nevertheless, while Vaan slowly descended, he noticed that Zodreg and the other Peak-level Rank 4 dragons weren't purely evading the eruption of flames and spitting lava from below.

Sometimes, they would purposely take a hit, even if they got severely burned by it. That was how they temper their body in the third stage.

That said, it was not a very effective method of tempering their bodies.

After all, they could only temper one part of their body at a time. On the other hand, the lava pool would temper their entire body if they were immersed in it.

As such, Vaan continued his descent despite the rapidly increasing temperatures as he drew closer to the lava pool at the bottom.

If the lava pool was too hot to endure, he just had to use special means to lower the difficulty, even if it was only for a short period.

Tempering the body one part at a time, like the Peak-level Rank 4 dragons, was just too tedious and inefficient.

That said, Vaan underestimated himself.

Even after he reached the lava pool and submerged himself in it, he didn't need to lower the temperature with his special means.

Although his body suffered burns in the lava pool, it was only at the same level as when he first arrived at the Land of Fire to train.

Evidently, he had his Mid-rank Fire Spirit Body and Fire Authority to thank for this achievement.

At the same time, no dragon lords were present in the third stage. Thus, Vaan enjoyed the benefits of the lava pool to himself.

[Once again, congratulations on perfectly clearing the second stage. You will receive five drops of the Fire Dragon God's blood essence.]

[Additionally, your magical plant quota for the third stage has been raised to three.]

The Quasi-Divine Fire Spirit's voice resounded, but only Vaan heard it.