Dao, Boundless

It was hot, extremely hot! Scorching airflow surged into Lin Xiao's body from every pore, burning his internal organs as if they were turning to ash. Even the "Desolate" grade alchemy furnace's fire was incomparable to ordinary mortal flames. With Lin Xiao's shallow Leaving Fire True Qi cultivation, how could he withstand the furnace fire's furious scorching?

He heard Yao'er's panicked cries. Lin Xiao, pinned in mid-air by the furnace fire and unable to move, gritted his teeth and mobilized all the Leaving Fire True Qi within him, activating the 'Imperial Fire Spirit Art,' a fire control technique recorded in the True Fire Art. His ten fingers danced nimbly, sending out streaks of pale red hand seals. These seals, carrying wisps of crimson Leaving Fire True Qi, slowly wove into a large net, forcibly enveloping the surging furnace fire. At the same time, Lin Xiao concentrated all his mental energy, focusing solely on comprehending the furnace fire's changes.

The roaring furnace fire, like a maddened tiger, twisted and struggled within the net woven by the Imperial Fire Spirit Art. Lin Xiao keenly sensed every roll, every tremor of the furnace fire, feeling every subtle change in the intense heat in the air. Gradually, the hand seals he used to drive the Imperial Fire Spirit Art became more agile. Streaks of red light flashed, continuously suppressing the furnace fire. Using the methods of the True Fire Art, he carefully drew the gradually gentling heat of the furnace fire into his body, refined it, and then slowly expelled it.

The alchemical fire in the furnace was directly drawn from the spiritual energy of underground spirit veins, combined with other materials. The fire contained abundant fire-attribute spiritual energy. Although Lin Xiao endured immense pain in this process, it also brought significant benefits to his True Qi cultivation. The Pill Room was, in fact, the best place for disciples of the Great Luo Pill Dao practicing the True Fire Art to cultivate.

With several 'crackling' sounds, Lin Xiao continuously absorbed the fire-attribute spiritual energy. His skin, unable to withstand the external high temperature, blackened and cracked in several places.

Yao'er shrieked and, in a panic, rushed towards Lin Xiao, who was suspended in the air. A large hand reached out from the side, belonging to Daoist Qing Wu, who had returned. He grabbed Yao'er by her collar and forcefully threw her to the ground. Daoist Qing Wu exclaimed, "Junior Sister Yao'er, why are you being foolish again? How can you disturb him at such a critical moment?"

After stopping Yao'er's impulsive action, Daoist Qing Wu hastily took out a jade bottle, poured out a few green pills, and transformed them into wisps of green mist using his True Essence. He then sent the mist far into Lin Xiao's body. These few small pills contained incredible vitality. Green light flowed beneath Lin Xiao's skin, and patches of his skin exploded, only to quickly regenerate with pink new skin. In just a moment, Lin Xiao's skin was completely replaced.

As the pills entered his body, Lin Xiao clearly felt their benefit. His internal organs, which were on the verge of turning to ash, were enveloped by a cool aura, and his body became tranquil, free from the searing pain. Lin Xiao's mind immediately settled. He methodically cast hand seals for the Imperial Fire Spirit Art, slowly controlling the furnace fire in the alchemy furnace, while continuously drawing spiritual energy from the fire into himself to strengthen his True Qi cultivation. Drop by drop, bit by bit, the external fire-attribute spiritual energy was converted into Leaving Fire True Qi and merged into Lin Xiao's dantian.

"Marvelous! Junior Brother Lin Xiao's comprehension is truly extraordinary," Daoist Qing Wu praised, nodding. "To grasp the furnace fire's changes so quickly and stabilize an alchemy furnace that was about to explode is magnificent, truly magnificent. Hmm, perhaps Junior Brother Lin Xiao could even manage two hundred alchemy furnaces simultaneously?" Daoist Qing Wu's eyes darted around, already contemplating turning Lin Xiao into a laborer.

Yao'er glared angrily at Daoist Qing Wu and snorted, "Two hundred alchemy furnaces? Does that mean Junior Brother won't have to do anything else and will just be setting fires in the Pill Room all day?"

Daoist Qing Wu blinked and smiled at Yao'er, "Senior Brother doesn't mean that, of course. However, in fact, managing more furnace fires would also bring many benefits to Junior Brother Lin Xiao."

Yao'er pouted, her head held high, and sneered, "For managing the fire of one alchemy furnace, isn't it true that for every thousand pills produced, one pill is given as a reward? Hmph, do I lack those few pills? As long as I, Yao'er, make a move, won't all sorts of pills come in abundance? Why worry about Junior Brother not having pills to increase his cultivation?"

Daoist Qing Wu's expression darkened. He looked at the furiously erupting alchemy furnace with a hint of helplessness and chuckled dryly, "Indeed, indeed, Junior Sister Yao'er speaks the truth!"

While Daoist Qing Wu and Yao'er were bickering, an extremely wondrous change was occurring within Lin Xiao.

The secret that Yao'er and Lin Xiao shared, the lotus in the underground cave, was actually an incredible heavenly treasure. However, its effects were so potent that Yao'er had eaten countless lotus seeds over the years without truly unlocking their full potential. All Yao'er knew was that eating these lotus seeds seemed to slightly increase her cultivation!

Lin Xiao had also consumed many lotus seeds recently. The strange spiritual energy contained within the lotus seeds was actually hidden within his body. Now, with the furnace fire entering his body, Lin Xiao continuously performed the True Fire Art, absorbing the surging furnace fire spiritual energy to suppress the alchemy furnace that was about to explode. His internal temperature soared, which coincidentally triggered a small portion of the lotus seeds' contained spiritual energy. It was precisely the powerful True Fire needed to truly refine the spiritual energy contained within the lotus seeds. Lin Xiao's desperate absorption of fire-attribute spiritual energy perfectly matched the requirements for refining the lotus seeds' spiritual energy.

A faint wisp of seven-colored mist spread within Lin Xiao's body. Upon encountering the fire energy Lin Xiao absorbed, it instantly evaporated into a hazy mist, merging into Lin Xiao's entire being. Without Lin Xiao's knowledge, this wisp of seven-colored mist had already brought him considerable benefits. His foundation became more stable, his primal yang more vigorous, and even his spirit was condensed. In short, Lin Xiao had undergone a comprehensive optimization, and all his aptitude attributes had been enhanced.

Gradually, Lin Xiao felt that the external fire was becoming less difficult to control. He waved his hands, casting spiritual seals, and a thumb-thick stream of red light was continuously drawn into his body through his mouth and nose. The Leaving Fire True Qi within him had grown three to five times stronger than a mere thread, rolling and surging within his body with full vitality. The warm Leaving Fire True Qi surged throughout his body, causing Lin Xiao to sweat profusely. Mentally, however, he felt an inexplicable sense of joy and exhilaration. This was the great joy and happiness naturally generated when one's fundamental essence was transformed!

Another faint wisp of seven-colored mist emerged from Lin Xiao's body, melted by the fire energy and integrated into Lin Xiao's being. The smile on Lin Xiao's face widened. For no reason, he suddenly felt a surge of enthusiasm and began singing a folk love song from the Guihua City region while performing the Imperial Fire Spirit Art. Guihua City was located in the northwestern frontier, with a straightforward and bold local custom. This love song clearly described a man's fervent feelings for his beloved, its bold and explicit nature making even Daoist Qing Wu blush repeatedly!

Daoist Qing Wu lowered his head with a dry chuckle, wondering in surprise, "To perform the Imperial Fire Spirit Art to control the furnace fire and cultivate the True Fire Art simultaneously, and still have the presence of mind to sing? Junior Brother Lin Xiao's talent is truly astonishing! And this song, it doesn't seem very suitable for us cultivators."

Yao'er, meanwhile, tilted her head and squatted on the ground, giggling. She propped her chin with both hands and kept laughing, "Junior Brother, that was sung beautifully, sing another one. Uh, what does 'fragrant fragrant your face and neck' mean? Uh, Senior Brother Qing Wu, do you know what 'fragrant fragrant your face and neck' means?" Yao'er put on an innocent expression, looking at Qing Wu with great curiosity.

Daoist Qing Wu shivered and chuckled dryly, "This, Senior Brother doesn't know, Senior Brother doesn't know." As he spoke, he retreated towards the Pill Room door. If he, Qing Wu, dared to explain what 'fragrant fragrant your face and neck' meant to Yao'er today, within fifteen minutes, Senior Uncle Dan Fusheng and Senior Uncle Danxia would come with their swords and chop him into seventeen or eighteen pieces!

Lin Xiao, however, was blissfully unaware of Yao'er and Qing Wu's antics. He only felt that his body was feeling better and better. The external fire seemed to have little effect on him anymore. The scorching furnace fire that sprayed onto him merely made him feel slightly warm. The True Qi within him had reached a certain limit; it seemed Lin Xiao could no longer control it freely. With a thought, Lin Xiao stopped paying attention to the external furnace fire and focused entirely on controlling the True Qi within his body.

The furnace fire in the alchemy furnace had subsided. Now, only a thumb-thick stream of red light spewed from the furnace, being continuously inhaled by Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao's meridians were filled with a misty red True Qi. As external spiritual energy continued to pour in, True Qi was still being generated from his dantian. Lin Xiao's meridians were gradually struggling to bear the pressure from the expanding True Qi; he even felt a slight pain in his meridians. New Leaving Fire True Qi continued to surge from his dantian, and the True Qi in his meridians grew more numerous, as if his meridians would burst at any moment.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning. Lin Xiao immediately followed the methods in the True Fire Art, directing his True Qi towards other meridians. Simultaneously, he recited the incantation, beginning to compress the extremely large yet incredibly sparse Leaving Fire True Qi within his body using the Great Luo Pill Dao's unique secret technique. The external fire-attribute spiritual energy, which was continuously injecting new Leaving Fire True Qi into his dantian, was immediately mobilized by the hand seals. Instead of converting into new True Qi, it wove a large net within Lin Xiao's meridians, firmly trapping his True Qi and continuously compressing it inwards.

A glaze-like red light emerged from beneath Lin Xiao's skin.

Daoist Qing Wu, who was arguing with Yao'er, cried out in astonishment, his whisk trembling as he pointed at Lin Xiao, "How, how is this possible? Junior Brother Lin Xiao is cultivating the first level of the True Fire Art!"

"Uh? Yes, indeed!" Yao'er's eyes blinked excitedly, and she giggled, "How fun! Junior Brother has only been cultivating the True Fire Art for a few days."

A crisp, fine sound came from within Lin Xiao. The red light beneath his skin dissipated, and he slowly opened his eyes, slowly standing up. He waved his hands in surprise, and with a flip of his palm, a wave of heat erupted. With a 'whoosh,' the thick stack of ancient texts that Daoist Qing Wu had dropped on the ground immediately burst into flames and burned fiercely.

Lin Xiao cried out in alarm, "Senior Brother Qing Wu, quickly put out the fire!"

Before he finished speaking, Yao'er had already rushed in front of Lin Xiao in a fury and landed a heavy punch on his stomach, sending him flying over ten feet away.

"You scoundrel Junior Brother! Mother-in-law told me last night not to kiss you, and also, if she saw a man without clothes, I was to beat him soundly! Where are your clothes?" Yao'er's eyes bulged, her fists clenched menacingly. She looked like she was about to rush forward and beat Lin Xiao again.

Lin Xiao, curled up on the ground like a large shrimp from Yao'er's punch, looked up with immense grievance and said with difficulty to Yao'er, "Senior Sister Yao'er, my clothes were all burned off!"

"Ah?" Yao'er froze, then smacked her forehead. "That's right, you jumped into the furnace fire to save this alchemy furnace! Uh, you don't have my protective talisman, so your clothes were bound to be lost! Uh, you didn't deliberately take off your clothes, did you? According to what Mother-in-law said yesterday, if a man deliberately took off his clothes in front of me, it's 'teasing~~', uh, teasing what was it? Right, it's 'teasing,' yes!" She tilted her head and muttered a string of words, it was unclear what she was saying.

Lin Xiao, feeling wronged, curled up on the ground, hugging his head with both hands, completely unwilling to speak.

Yao'er's punch was extremely heavy, almost scattering the True Qi that Lin Xiao had just compressed successfully after breaking through to the second level of the True Fire Art. He felt a profound sense of tragic helplessness, wanting to question the heavens. If it weren't for the fact that Yao'er was about to blow up the alchemy furnace again, and if it weren't for what Dan Fusheng had said, that if Yao'er blew up another alchemy furnace, she wouldn't be allowed into the Pill Room again, why would he, Lin Xiao, dare to charge into the furnace fire with only the first level of True Fire Art cultivation? If he hadn't charged into the furnace fire, how would his clothes have been burned off?

This punch was truly unjust.

Lin Xiao lay on the ground, groaning, unable to get up for a long time.

Daoist Qing Wu was focused on putting out the fire, not looking sideways. He extinguished the flames on the pile of ancient texts with a few palms. While tidying the texts, he muttered softly, "It's fine, it's fine. There are at least three to five thousand sets of records for this set of Desolate grade alchemy rooms in the library. Every new disciple has to copy them once, so it's fine if this one is burned."

Daoist Qing Wu felt cold sweat seeping from the back of his neck. What Yao'er had said earlier was truly astonishing. Danxia had told Yao'er not to kiss Lin Xiao anymore? Uh, the simple-minded Yao'er probably wouldn't do that. Could it be that this new Junior Brother Lin Xiao was that kind of dissolute young master? If so, it would truly be a waste of his excellent aptitude. You know, the path of cultivation is boundless; without a firm Dao heart, how can one climb the nearly endless Dao path step by step?

"Did I hear wrong? It must be that I recently formed my Golden Core, and my mood is too agitated, so I misheard," Daoist Qing Wu mumbled. "How could Junior Brother Lin Xiao and Junior Sister Yao'er be like that?"

A light cough came from the entrance of the Pill Room. Daoist Qing Wu looked back and quickly bowed, "Greetings, Sect Leader Uncle-Master, and greetings, two Senior Uncles."

Daoist Danling, Dan Fusheng, and Danxia walked slowly into the Pill Room. Daoist Danling glanced at Lin Xiao, who was curled up on the ground, with satisfaction, smiled slightly, then turned and walked out. Daoist Qing Wu's eyes darted, and he shrewdly followed Daoist Danling out, even closing the Pill Room door with great diligence.

Dan Fusheng smiled slightly and nodded at Danxia, "Qing Wu is indeed well-behaved."

Danxia snorted and glared at Dan Fusheng, "Are my disciples Hua Feng'er and Yao'er not well-behaved?"

Dan Fusheng nodded quickly, "Of course, of course. How can Qing Wu compare to them? Uh~~~" Dan Fusheng shook his head, and a white Daoist robe appeared in his hand. He casually tossed it onto Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao endured the intense pain in his stomach and quickly put on the robe before slowly getting up and bowing to Dan Fusheng and Danxia.

Dan Fusheng chuckled a few times and said nothing.

Danxia, however, beckoned Yao'er to her side, gently embraced her, and squinted at Lin Xiao with a mischievous smile, "Xiao'er, we saw everything that just happened."

"Uh!" Lin Xiao looked at Danxia in astonishment. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, was it? With their cultivation, they just watched Yao'er knock him to the ground with a single punch?

Danxia chuckled a few times and quickly said, "Your Uncle-Master, your Master, and your Mother-in-law are all amazed that you broke through to the second level of the True Fire Art in just a few days. We didn't expect~~~ Yao'er's actions were a bit too quick." Danxia's smile carried a hint of teasing, as if saying to Lin Xiao: We just watched you get beaten, so what? Who told you your clothes were all burned off?

Dan Fusheng coughed lightly, beckoned Lin Xiao over, and said slowly, "Xiao'er, you've been here for over half a year, and your master hasn't properly spoken to you about anything. Today, there are some important things I need to tell you."

Lin Xiao responded, secretly glanced at Yao'er, who was making faces at him, and after respectfully bowing to Danxia, he followed Dan Fusheng out of the Pill Room.

Dan Fusheng walked with his hands behind his back, leading Lin Xiao aimlessly through Spring Return Valley, pointing out various medicinal fields and forbidden areas to him. Finally, he brought Lin Xiao to a small lake within the valley, standing on the grassy bank and quietly watching the fish happily swimming in the water, which was only a few feet deep.

The lakeside was lush with vegetation, with many rare flowers and exotic herbs. Dense foliage surrounded the small lake, leaving only a small patch of grass about ten feet square where Dan Fusheng and Lin Xiao stood.

Several small carp, as thick as a thumb and three to five inches long, frolicked joyfully in the shallow water near the shore. Their effortless movements and quick, agile grace captivated Lin Xiao.

"Xiao'er," Dan Fusheng suddenly said.

"Yes!" Lin Xiao respectfully bowed to Dan Fusheng.

"Look at these fish, are they happy?" Dan Fusheng pointed to the fish in the lake and asked Lin Xiao softly.

Lin Xiao stared for a long time before answering somewhat stiffly, "This disciple is not a fish, so I don't know if they are happy."

"Excellent!" Dan Fusheng looked at Lin Xiao with surprise and sighed, "Lin Shan certainly has a good son. Heh, these fish seem happy!"

With a wave of his hand, a ball of lake water about the size of a fist condensed into a water sphere, carrying a small fish, and flew into Dan Fusheng's palm. Dan Fusheng gently tossed the water sphere in his hand and said calmly, "We are like small fish between heaven and earth, thinking we are enjoying ourselves, but not knowing that heaven's will is like this master's hand. With just a gentle grasp—"

He closed his palm as if to crush the water sphere. Lin Xiao had no doubt that with Dan Fusheng's power, if he squeezed, the fish in the water sphere would turn to dust!

Turn to dust! Lin Xiao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Heaven's will is like a knife, heaven's will is unpredictable. Under the might of heaven and earth, cultivators are no more than the fish in Dan Fusheng's palm, seemingly carefree and happy, yet unable to control even their own lives and deaths.

He casually tossed the water sphere back into the lake. The fish, which had been on the brink of death, happily wagged its tail and rejoined its companions.

"Since you have entered the Great Luo Pill Dao, you are a cultivator. What we cultivators pursue is nothing more than the unfathomable Heavenly Dao," Dan Fusheng looked up at the blue sky and sighed faintly, "The Heavenly Dao is vast and long. Sometimes, even with my cultivation, I feel weary and fearful. If you don't have a firm Dao heart, it's better not to embark on this path."

Turning around, Dan Fusheng gently tapped Lin Xiao's forehead with his finger and smiled, "The Dao is boundless! If you cannot persevere, it is better to extinguish that ambition early."

"The internal strife among the princes of the Great Yuan Kingdom was quelled two months ago. The new king has ascended the throne, and the world is at peace. During the five years our Great Luo Pill Dao was in seclusion refining pills, the demonic sects like the Jimo Sect and the Blood Kill Demonic Path infiltrated the Great Yuan Kingdom and caused trouble. Our Great Luo Pill Dao, along with the three orthodox sects, seven major gates, and the most famous five reclusive cultivators in the cultivation world, joined forces and drove them far away," Dan Fusheng said calmly. "The Black Blade Bandits in Guihua City, all nine thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven of them, along with Wutian Commander who killed your father, have all been executed."

Lin Xiao was stunned!

Was the blood feud of his murdered family settled just like that by his sect? How fierce and ruthless was the Great Luo Pill Dao's revenge!

Lin Xiao suddenly kowtowed to the ground. Tears streamed down his face, but he made no sound.

Dan Fusheng smiled slightly, swept up Lin Xiao with his sleeve, and helped him up, chuckling, "Seven days ago, the very day you began cultivating the True Fire Art, the righteous cultivators invited by our Great Luo Pill Dao severely wounded the Jimo Sect and other demonic sects. The leader of the Jimo Sect self-destructed, and the leader of the Blood Kill Demonic Path's soul was scattered. The demonic cultivators have already collapsed like a landslide."

He said gently to Lin Xiao, "Settle your heart and diligently pursue this boundless Heavenly Dao!"

Lin Xiao felt a cold stream of air rush from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. His entire body felt refreshed, and his mind was clear and empty. The psychological shadow cast by the Black Blade Bandits and the Overlord's Soldiers vanished.

Just as Dan Fusheng said, he would settle his heart and slowly pursue this endless Heavenly Dao!

Heavenly Dao!

Lin Xiao looked up at the sky. The mere thought of the word 'Heavenly Dao' sent shivers through his mind, filling him with awe.

The vast blue sky was boundless, and this small lake was insignificant. Dan Fusheng and Lin Xiao standing by the lake were equally unremarkable.

Before this majestic and boundless heaven and earth, all beings were but ants. (To be continued)