Melting All Things, First Glimpse of the Threshold

Night fell like a vast, black velvet curtain, silently draping over the entire Lin Family estate. The day's clamor and restlessness had completely faded, leaving only silence, so profound it seemed capable of swallowing all light and sound. The occasional distant chirp of insects only served to emphasize the night's depth and tranquility.

Within the dilapidated small courtyard, Lin Chen was already fully dressed. He had changed into a set of dark, inconspicuous black short-sleeved martial attire he'd found at the bottom of a chest. These were clothes he'd acquired three years ago, before his "fall." Now, though slightly loose, they perfectly concealed his increasingly upright posture, a result of his improved cultivation.

He stood in the courtyard, still as a rock for a moment, adjusting his breathing. Each inhale was long and faint, each exhale barely audible. This was a rudimentary breath-concealing technique he'd read about in a miscellaneous record. Though simple, combined with his current exquisite control over his own strength, it was enough to suppress his aura fluctuations to the absolute minimum.

Inside his dantian's sea of energy, the Myriad Dao Furnace floated quietly, emitting a faint black glow, like the eyes of a dormant beast of prey in the darkness—cold and dangerous. After an afternoon of adaptation and consolidation, his control over his Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer strength had become increasingly proficient. The initial awkwardness from the surge of power had vanished, replaced by a sense of effortless command, as if it were an extension of his own arm, easily manipulated at will.

"It's about time," Lin Chen glanced up at the sky. It was now the dead of night, the hour when people were most deeply asleep and their guard was lowest.

He no longer hesitated. His figure, like a wisp of smoke, silently melted into the shadows beneath the eaves. Without making a sound, he moved like the most agile wildcat, clearing the low courtyard wall of his own home in a few leaps, disappearing into the vast night.

The layout of the Lin Family estate was already deeply etched in his mind. Though neglected these past three years, he hadn't truly wasted his time. Besides attempting to cultivate, he had also spent countless nights, when all was quiet, silently wandering through every corner of the Lin Family, familiarizing himself with every small path, every rock garden, every patch of shadow. This familiarity now served as his best cover.

He avoided the occasional patrolling guards on the main paths, specifically choosing the secluded, dark side routes. His speed was astonishing, yet his landings were silent. His figure weaved and flickered nimbly between rock gardens, bushes, and pillars, like a phantom in the night. His Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer cultivation granted him speed and agility far exceeding ordinary people, as well as sharper senses. He could clearly hear the faint sound of armor rubbing together from distant patrols, smell the faint traces of different auras lingering in the air, and even roughly discern the outlines of objects in the darkness.

"Leopard Garden..." Lin Chen murmured the name in his heart, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

According to his memory, Lin Bao's residence, the "Leopard Garden," was located in a relatively eastern section of the Lin Family estate. The area was serene and vast, one of the most luxurious courtyards aside from the residences of the family head and a few core elders. This was enough to show the extent of Great Elder Lin Zhenhong's doting on his grandson.

The closer he got to the Leopard Garden, the slower Lin Chen's pace became, and his movements grew more cautious. He could sense that the guards in this area were noticeably more stringent than elsewhere. Although the night was deep and quiet, several faint, almost imperceptible auras were hidden in the shadows, indicating the presence of hidden sentries.

"Hmph, they're certainly keeping a close watch," Lin Chen sneered inwardly. However, most of these guards' auras were around the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer or Fourth Layer. With his current strength and concealment techniques, as long as he was careful, avoiding them wouldn't be too difficult.

Like a gecko, he moved silently along the wall of a garden, using the dense vegetation as cover, inching closer to the outer wall of the Leopard Garden.

Finally, the silhouette of a brightly lit, sprawling courtyard appeared within his line of sight.

The tall courtyard walls were constructed from massive, grey-green stones, and the tops were even embedded with sharp iron spikes that gleamed with a faint cold light, preventing outsiders from climbing over. The main gate was a vermilion red, with two bright lanterns hanging before it, illuminating the entrance area as brightly as day. Standing by the gate were two burly guards with formidable auras, like gate gods, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Within the courtyard walls, one could vaguely make out pavilions, towers, rock gardens, and flowing water, and even a small training ground. The sheer luxury of it was a stark contrast to Lin Chen's own dilapidated small courtyard!

"As expected, a gilded cage," Lin Chen's gaze was icy, and the desire to turn this place upside down grew even stronger in his heart.

He did not approach the main gate rashly. Instead, he stopped at a large, ancient tree about thirty paces away from the outer wall. This spot was hidden yet offered a clear view, allowing him to take in most of the Leopard Garden.

He held his breath, perfectly blending his aura with the surrounding night and trees, and then began to observe carefully.

The two guards at the gate, both with auras around the Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer, appeared relatively alert. They occasionally exchanged a few words, but their gazes never strayed from the area around the gate.

Along the courtyard walls, at regular intervals, there seemed to be hidden sentries. Although concealed in the shadows, Lin Chen, with his keen senses, could roughly determine their positions and strength, most of whom were around the Body Tempering Realm Triple Layer.

Inside the courtyard, the lights were bright, but there were few figures moving about, making it seem rather quiet. This corroborated the rumor that Lin Bao might be in seclusion, recuperating from his injuries.

"The guard strength is a bit stronger than I imagined, but... not without its flaws," Lin Chen analyzed calmly. The guards at the gate were the strongest, but their attention was focused on the entrance. The hidden sentries on the walls, though numerous, had gaps in their coverage and were relatively weaker. If he infiltrated carefully, avoiding their sight, it wasn't impossible.

The key was how to pinpoint Lin Bao's exact location and where he kept his resources. He couldn't just barge in like a headless fly and search randomly, could he?

Just as Lin Chen was contemplating, a muffled, pained cough drifted faintly from a brightly lit pavilion deep within the Leopard Garden.

"Cough cough... Damn it! That Qi Condensing Pill... the medicinal power is too potent... cough cough..."

This voice, though weak, was all too familiar to Lin Chen—it was Lin Bao!

Immediately after, a fawning voice sounded, "Brother Bao, how are you feeling? Should I go and get a physician for you?" This voice was also somewhat familiar to Lin Chen; it seemed to belong to one of Lin Bao's lackeys.

"Scram! What physician?! I can handle this minor injury myself! If outsiders find out I failed to break through to the fifth layer and injured my meridians, won't they laugh at me?!" Lin Bao snapped irritably, "Especially that trash Lin Chen! If he finds out... cough cough... I'll skin him alive!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Bao is right!" the lackey quickly agreed, "That trash Lin Chen won't be able to jump around for much longer! Once the Family Test is over, the Great Elder will surely make his life worse than death! By then, I'll be the first to avenge you, Brother Bao!"

"Hmph! You know what's good for you!" Lin Bao seemed to feel a bit better, "Go! Get me a cup of water! And check on the growth of my 'Crimson Sun Grass' plants. Those are treasures I'm preparing for healing and stabilizing my realm; not a single mistake can be made!"

"Yes! I'll go right away!"

The door of the pavilion opened, and a lanky youth carrying an empty cup walked out, heading towards a small kitchen in another direction.

Lin Chen heard and saw all of this clearly, and his heart was instantly thrown into turmoil!

He was indeed injured! And it sounded like quite a serious injury! Even the Qi Condensing Pill he used to attempt a breakthrough had caused problems!

Crimson Sun Grass? That was a rather precious second-tier spiritual herb, containing pure Yang energy, which had remarkable effects on healing and helping Body Tempering Realm martial artists stabilize their realms and improve their cultivation! Lin Bao actually possessed several plants?

This was like getting a pillow when you were sleepy!

Lin Chen's breathing quickened involuntarily. His original target was just the spirit stones and pills Lin Bao might have collected, but he hadn't expected such a bonus! The value of this Crimson Sun Grass was likely even higher than everything he had anticipated combined!

If he could get his hands on those Crimson Sun Grass plants and refine and absorb them with the Myriad Dao Furnace... his cultivation would undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds again! It might even be possible to attempt the Body Tempering Realm Fifth Layer!

The immense temptation made Lin Chen's heart pound!

But he also knew that the more tempting it was, the calmer he needed to be!

Although Lin Bao was injured, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. His own peak Body Tempering Realm Fourth Layer cultivation was still formidable. If pushed to desperation, a cornered beast would still fight fiercely, making him extremely dangerous. Moreover, anything he called a "treasure" would surely be guarded even more strictly.

Lin Chen forced himself to calm down, his gaze returning to the lit pavilion and the direction the skinny youth had gone—that was likely where the Crimson Sun Grass was planted!

He needed further confirmation!

Relying solely on hearing, the distance was too great, and the information was still somewhat vague. Furthermore, he didn't know if there were other defensive measures or traps within the courtyard.

Could he... get closer? Or even... peek inside?

A bold thought arose in Lin Chen's mind.

He turned his gaze to the tall, sturdy walls of the Leopard Garden. Climbing was definitely out of the question; the spikes on the wall and the hidden sentries were immense threats.

Then... could he go through the ground? Or... pass directly through the wall?

Passing through the wall? For him now, that was no different from a fool's dream.

But... the Myriad Dao Furnace is said to be able to smelt everything!

Since it can smelt medicinal dregs, flesh and blood, and cultivation technique information, can it also smelt this seemingly solid stone?

Even if it could only smelt an extremely tiny portion, creating a hole the size of a needle tip, allowing him to peer inside? Or, could it smelt some impurities within the wall, making the wall slightly "softer," making it easier for him to use certain special stealth techniques?

As soon as this idea appeared, Lin Chen felt his heart rate quicken again!

It's feasible! Perhaps it's truly feasible!

Although he had never tried to smelt "useless" materials, like stone or soil, and didn't know how effective it would be, what was the harm in trying?

He silently slid down from the ancient tree, like a shadow merging into the night, and once again hugged the garden wall, stealthily moving towards a relatively secluded corner of the Leopard Garden's outer wall, away from the sight lines of the sentries.

Soon, he arrived at a wall corner. Weeds grew here, and the light was the dimmest.

He cautiously extended his palm, gently pressing it against the cold, rough, grey-green stone wall.

With a thought, he communicated with the Myriad Dao Furnace in his dantian!

"Smelt!"

This time, his intent was highly focused, no longer pursuing a wide-range consumption, but attempting to concentrate the furnace's power onto a very small point!

Hummm...

The furnace vibrated slightly, and an extremely subtle yet exceptionally concentrated, invisible force, like the sharpest drill bit, slowly penetrated the hard stone wall!

There was no earth-shattering sound, nor any violent energy fluctuations.

Lin Chen only felt that the small area his palm touched, the structure of the stone seemed to be undergoing some miraculous, extremely slow decomposition!

Some of its impurities, some of the tiniest particles, seemed to be directly "erased" by the furnace's power!

This process was very slow, and the mental exertion was far greater than when smelting medicinal dregs and flesh and blood!

But... it was effective!

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Lin Chen's forehead, and his face was a little pale. But on the stone wall beneath his palm, a hole the size of a needle tip, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, had appeared!

This hole had directly penetrated the stone wall, which was half a foot thick!

Lin Chen was ecstatic! He quickly brought his eye close to the hole and peered into the courtyard!

Although the field of vision was extremely narrow, like looking at flowers through a narrow tube, it was enough for him to see a portion of the scene inside the wall!

He adjusted his angle and soon had a rough observation of the area around the pavilion and the direction the skinny monkey youth had just left.

Around the pavilion, apart from a few servant rooms responsible for sweeping that still had dim lights, there were no other guards.

And the direction the skinny monkey youth had left seemed to be a small medicinal garden! The garden was enclosed by a fence, and inside it were planted some strange flowers and grasses that Lin Chen didn't recognize, emitting a faint medicinal aroma. Among them, several plants that were entirely crimson, with leaves like burning flames, were particularly striking in the night—that must be the Crimson Sun Grass!

Next to the medicinal garden, there also seemed to be a small tool shed.

"Location confirmed! Target confirmed!" Lin Chen's heart settled!

But at the same time, he discovered a new problem.

Although the medicinal garden wasn't large, it seemed to be... protected by some kind of warning formation?

He could vaguely sense that beneath the ground around the medicinal garden, some jade stones or metal pieces emitting faint energy fluctuations were buried, with energy flowing between them, forming a simple defense system. If anyone or any animal trespassed, it was likely to trigger an alarm!

"As expected, it's not that simple." Lin Chen frowned slightly. Although this warning formation didn't seem very sophisticated, with his current strength and understanding of formations, it was almost impossible to break it silently.

What to do? Forcing his way in was definitely not an option.

Should he give up on the Crimson Sun Grass?

Lin Chen's eyes flickered, and he once again looked at the stone wall he had drilled a small hole through.

Since the furnace could smelt stone... could it also smelt these simple formation materials?

For example, could it directly smelt a small part of those buried jade stones or metal pieces, disrupting the formation's energy circuits?

This idea was even bolder and more insane than smelting the stone earlier!

Formations involved the circulation of energy and the application of rules, far more complex than mere matter! Could the Myriad Dao Furnace really do it?

Lin Chen took a deep breath, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

If you don't try, how will you know?!

He once again placed his palm on the wall. This time, his intent was no longer to drill upwards, but to try to extend downwards, to sense and contact the formation materials buried beneath the edge of the medicinal garden!

At the same time, he activated the Myriad Dao Furnace, releasing that invisible, refined smelting force, and cautiously began to penetrate those "formation bases" emitting energy fluctuations!

This process was a hundred times more difficult than smelting stone! The mental exertion increased exponentially!

Lin Chen felt as if his head was being pierced by countless steel needles, causing immense pain! The true qi in his dantian was also rapidly depleting!

But he gritted his teeth and persevered!

He could clearly "see" the furnace's power, like mercury flowing, struggling to penetrate the soil and slowly making contact with one of the buried, shallowly buried jade stones emitting a faint white light!

"Smelt!"

A low roar from within his heart!

Chii...

It was as if something had been silently annihilated!

The energy fluctuation emanating from the jade stone instantly became chaotic, and then… it dimmed!

It worked!!!

Lin Chen was overjoyed!

The Myriad Dao Furnace could actually destroy formations!

Although it was just the simplest early warning formation, and although it only destroyed one insignificant node, this undoubtedly opened a brand new door for him!

The Myriad Dao Furnace's ability was even more unfathomable than he had imagined!

With this discovery, Lin Chen had no more reservations!

He didn't continue to destroy other formation bases – doing so would create too much commotion and easily be detected. He only needed to know that he had the ability to silently disable this early warning formation at a critical moment, and that was enough!

His objective achieved, Lin Chen didn't linger.

He carefully withdrew his palm, confirmed once again that no one was around, and then, like a wisp of smoke, silently returned the way he came.

When he returned to his dilapidated courtyard, the eastern sky was already showing a faint hint of dawn.

Although his night of reconnaissance and experimentation hadn't yielded any direct resources, the gains far exceeded Lin Chen's expectations!

Not only did he confirm the news of Lin Bao's injury and the existence of the Crimson Sun Grass, but he also preliminarily explored the Myriad Dao Furnace's astonishing ability to refine non-energy substances and even destroy simple formations!

This filled him with unprecedented confidence for the upcoming "hunt"!

A more meticulous and even bolder plan rapidly took shape in his mind!

"Lin Bao… Crimson Sun Grass… Qi Condensing Pill…" Lin Chen's eyes flickered with cold light and fervent greed, "All of these will become stepping stones for my rise, Lin Chen!"

As the night receded, dawn approached.

A meticulously planned hunt was about to begin!

This time, the roles of hunter and prey might be about to undergo a subversive reversal!