Five Elements Furnace

Within the Chaos Pearl, there was no distinction between day and night, nor any sense of the seasons. Only the pervasive chaos qi and the cluster of Five Elements True Fire slowly revolving before Li Cha along an inscrutable trajectory illuminated his focused, tranquil face.

Refining the Postnatal Five-Colored Divine Stone was by no means a simple matter of melting and layering materials together. It required supreme magical power and Dao attainment to guide the power of the five elemental origins, allowing them to generate and support one another in an endless cycle until they became one flawless whole. Li Cha held his breath and concentrated, the steps he had simulated countless times clearly unfolding in his mind.

He first lifted the incomparably sharp Essence Gold Stone and cast it into the core of the Five Elements True Fire. Tempered by the true fire, the Essence Gold Stone gradually melted into a scorching platinum-colored liquid, while the innate Geng Metal Qi contained within was completely stirred awake, ringing out with clear metallic chimes. Next, he drew over the Cold Dew Stone, shrouded in misty water vapor, wrapped it in his divine sense, and carefully brought it close to the molten essence gold.

When the Cold Dew Stone, containing Ren Water Origin, touched the supremely sharp Geng Metal liquid, it was not severed by it. Instead, as though nourished and drawn forth by some force, the stone instantly transformed into deep-blue water mist, actively winding around the platinum liquid and merging into it strand by strand. The sharp metal qi seemed to find an outlet and means of transformation, becoming gentler and full of vitality. A deep-blue watery sheen began to emerge amid the platinum radiance. The process appeared simple, yet it consumed an entire year of Li Cha's focus. He had to maintain the balance and transformation of the two powers at every moment, allowing no room for error.

A year later, the essence gold and cold dew had fused perfectly, forming a strange liquid substance with golden radiance within and rippling water on its surface.

Next came the vibrant Green Willow Stone.

Li Cha cast it into the fusion. The Green Willow Stone, containing Jia Wood Vitality, reacted the instant it touched the liquid rich with watery resonance and golden radiance, like a seed falling into fertile soil. It instantly unfurled, its emerald light blazing as it transformed into countless fine azure Dao patterns. Like the veins of plants, they rapidly spread and took root throughout the liquid. The previously somewhat unstable fusion gained a resilient "framework" and surging vitality with the addition of wood qi, while its color became deeper and more complex. This step cost Li Cha ten years, as he had to allow the wood qi to fully permeate the mixture and become the bridge linking metal and water.

After that came the blazing, domineering Fire Bath Stone.

Li Cha's expression grew even graver as he guided the golden-red divine stone toward the fusion that had begun to take shape.

The moment the Fire Bath Stone drew close, that flourishing wood vitality seemed to become the finest fuel and ignited instantly! Boom! Even the Five Elements True Fire surged wildly, as the golden-red Bing Fire Origin flooded into the fusion like a burst dam. The former balance was shattered, and the fusion boiled violently, as if it might explode at any moment. Li Cha poured all his magical power and divine sense into guiding the savage fire, using wood qi as a medium to merge it with water qi, bringing water and fire into harmony, while allowing it to coexist with metal qi, refining true gold with fire. It was an exceptionally dangerous and intricate process; the slightest misstep would ruin everything. For a full hundred years, Li Cha did not dare relax in the slightest. At last, he completely tamed the violent power of Bing Fire and integrated it perfectly, leaving the fusion in a semi-solidified state that contained five-colored radiance within and shone with dazzling treasure light.

Finally came the heavy, steady Kunlun Stone.

Li Cha slowly sent it into the center of the fusion, which already contained the four origins of metal, water, wood, and fire, its radiance endlessly shifting.

After a hundred years of taming and guidance, the violent power of flame now seemed to have found its final home and vessel. The pure Wu Earth Origin within the Kunlun Stone was not scorched when it touched the flames. Instead, like a sponge soaking up water, it began to absorb and settle the restless fire qi, transforming it into its own heavy, bearing strength. Earth-yellow radiance spread outward like the veins of the land, soothing each of the previously restless powers. White, blue, green, red, and yellow light began to slowly revolve around earth as their core, generating and supporting one another to form a stable, perfect cycle.

This step laid the foundation and consumed the most time. Li Cha spent a thousand years, like the most patient craftsman, gradually adjusting the rhythm and balance of the five-element cycle until the power of earth truly became the foundation supporting the other four elements.

When the final earth-element Dao pattern linked perfectly with the other four, forming a flawless Five Elements Dao Ring that cycled without end, the entire space within the Chaos Pearl trembled slightly!

The radiance withdrew, and Dao resonance formed naturally. A divine stone roughly a foot across, its entire body flowing with gentle five-colored light and its surface covered in Five Elements Dao patterns, quietly floated before Li Cha. It no longer emitted the sharpness or heat of any single attribute. All it possessed was a harmonious, heavy, majestic aura that seemed capable of giving rise to all things.

The Postnatal Five-Colored Divine Stone was complete!

Looking at this divine object, forged from five elemental origins at the cost of one thousand one hundred and eleven years of his effort, Li Cha finally revealed a gratified smile on his pale face, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly on their own. Though his mental energy had been greatly depleted, the sense of accomplishment was beyond compare.

He did not immediately begin refining the Tea Furnace. Instead, he sat down cross-legged, brewed a cup of Enlightenment Tea, and sipped it to soothe his mind and restore his nearly exhausted mental energy and magical power. This rest lasted ten years. Only after ten years did he feel that he had returned to his peak condition, even improving slightly.

Meanwhile, the outside Primordial Wilderness had long since been turned upside down.

The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity had reached its most tragic final stage.

The Dragon Clan, once the overlords of the Primordial Wilderness, had only four of their nine great elders remaining beneath Ancestral Dragon, and every one of them was injured. Candle Dragon, whose strength rivaled Ancestral Dragon's and who commanded the power of time, had also suffered severe wounds in the successive battles. He lay with his eyes closed, coiled within the North Sea Eye, unable to join the battle. Fewer than one in ten of the Dragon Sons and Grandsons remained.

Of the Phoenix Clan's nine great phoenix branches beneath Yuanfeng and Beginning Phoenix, only three remained. The other six, together with nearly all their clansmen, had been wiped out. As for Beginning Phoenix, her injuries had been so severe that after returning to Immortal Volcano, she used all her origin and remaining life force to nurture two phoenix eggs before falling into eternal slumber and merging with Immortal Volcano.

Of the Kirin Clan's six great branches under Beginning Qilin, the Jade Kirin branch suffered the worst fate, having been exterminated completely, while Kirin Cliff had shattered. Including Mo Ran, who had been subdued by Li Cha, fewer than ten members of the Ink Qilin branch remained alive. The fire, earth, water, and wind branches had also been grievously weakened, with their surviving clansmen likely numbering fewer than a hundred in total.

Even reduced to such a state, the leaders of the three clans, their minds completely clouded by Tribulation Fiend Qi and racial hatred, still refused to stop. They gathered beneath Buzhou Mountain, the Celestial Pillar of the Primordial Wilderness, assembling their final strength for the ultimate showdown, swearing to fight until one side perished.

At the same time, deep within the sky above Buzhou Mountain, the World-Destroying Thunder Tribulation, woven from boundless Tribulation Fiend Qi, Karma, and Heavenly Dao Laws, had fully taken shape! Pitch-black Tribulation Clouds covered the skies for billions of miles, their pressure so overwhelming that every living being in the Primordial World felt its soul tremble. Yet the three clans below, maddened by slaughter, remained utterly unaware of this catastrophic disaster.

Li Cha would not let irrelevant matters distract him. He gathered his focus and placed all his attention on the Five-Colored Divine Stone before him.

After adjusting himself to his best state, he once again summoned the Five Elements True Fire and enveloped the Postnatal Five-Colored Divine Stone. This time, he was not melting it down, but shaping and inscribing it!

Using his divine sense as a carving blade and his ultimate understanding of the Tea Dao, the five elements, and "heat control," he carefully inscribed countless fine and mysterious runes upon the divine stone. These runes were not carved at random. Each contained his comprehension of laws such as "spirit gathering," "fire control," "constant temperature," and "five-element transformation." He carved exceedingly slowly, and every stroke consumed immense mental energy.

As time passed, these individual runes began to connect through increasingly complex Dao patterns, gradually forming a flawless Postnatal Spirit Treasure restriction system containing forty-five restrictions!

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

When the final restriction Dao pattern linked perfectly into place, the entire Tea Furnace suddenly trembled and released a deep, pleasant hum! The Five Elements True Fire withdrew accordingly, and an ancient yet elegant Tea Furnace appeared before Li Cha.

The furnace stood roughly three feet tall and had a standard pentagonal shape corresponding to the five elements. Its body was a deep, mysterious black, yet from different angles, it refracted five-colored light hidden within. Natural Dao patterns representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth emerged across its five faces, while the five elemental auras circulated endlessly, giving rise to one another without end.

Postnatal Supreme Spirit Treasure—the Five Elements Furnace—was complete!

Because this furnace had been jointly refined from Five Elements Divine Stone, and because its core function lay in "fire," Li Cha had deliberately enhanced its fire-aspect power during the refinement. He had also cleverly converted the four attributes of metal, water, wood, and earth into an endless supply of fuel and support for the core Five Elements True Fire through the five-element mutual-generation restrictions within the furnace. Once activated, the furnace fire would arise on its own without any external fuel, and its intensity and temperature could be precisely controlled according to his will. It was precisely the ideal Tea Furnace Li Cha had envisioned!

"Finally... it's done!" Li Cha stroked the Five Elements Furnace, which still retained a trace of warmth, his eyes filled with delight and satisfaction.

With such a treasure furnace, how could he leave it unused? He eagerly took out the Shouyang Pot, drew forth the Spiritual Spring born within the Chaos Pearl, and poured it into the Five Elements Furnace. With a thought, the Five Elements True Fire quietly ignited inside, gently and steadily heating the water in the pot.

He then brewed it with Innate Enlightenment Tea leaves produced by himself. When the boiling water met the tea leaves inside the Shouyang Pot, another phenomenon arose! The Dao patterns on the pot shone, faintly resonating with the Five Elements Dao resonance emitted by the Five Elements Furnace, making the tea fragrance even richer and more enduring, while its Dao resonance became more harmonious and profound.

Li Cha poured himself a cup. Upon savoring it, he found that its flavor had indeed risen to another level! The Five Elements Furnace's perfect control over the heat had thoroughly awakened the essence within the tea leaves, complementing the Pure Yang Golden Qi of the Shouyang Pot. As the tea entered his mouth, the five flavors flowed more smoothly and naturally, while its assistance in comprehending the Great Dao seemed to improve faintly as well.

He even enthusiastically fetched tea leaves grown by the "descendant" Cloud Mist Spirit Tea Trees and brewed them with the Five Elements Furnace and Shouyang Pot. Though they were postnatal spirit tea, both their flavor and Dao resonance improved considerably, becoming sweeter, richer, and more delicious, with noticeably stronger spiritual effects.

"My efforts to find these Five Elements Divine Stone were not in vain!" Li Cha laughed heartily, and the exhaustion from days of artifact refinement vanished completely. This set of tools born specifically for the Tea Dao had already taken its initial form, bringing him one solid step closer to his goal of brewing the Primordial First Tea—Primordial Chaos Spirit Tea.

He sat leisurely amid Chaos, sipping fragrant tea as his gaze seemed to pierce through the pearl's walls and fall upon the Primordial World outside, where the Karmic Tribulation filled the air and thunderclouds pressed down from above.

"The storm is coming... but let's finish this cup of tea first."