New Life

Time slowly passed.

Chen Sheng entered the Fire Room to study the Flame Control Technique.

This field was ten times harder than basic medicine-making, and Huang Yueyang did not trust it to others,

so he did not use the old teaching the new method.

Standing beside the Alchemy Furnace, Huang Yueyang personally demonstrated the technique for the two of them.

He carefully taught them the corresponding hand seals and techniques.

The fire control art they were learning was called the Xuanyang Flame Control Art.

It had five layers.

First Layer: Flame Ignition Art

Second Layer: Flame Splitting Hand

Third Layer: Flame Stacking Seal

Fourth Layer: Whirlwind Wheel

Fifth Layer: Flame-Concealing Technique

Before the cauldron.

They saw—

A cluster of dancing flames rose from Huang Yueyang's fingertips.

As his hand seals changed, the flame first split into two strands, then stacked into a pillar of fire.

Next, it rotated around the bottom of the Alchemy Furnace, forming a vortex-like wheel of flame.

Finally, he brought his palms together.

The scattered flames suddenly drew together, and the blazing fire within the furnace condensed into a point of Golden Radiance!

The two of them were left utterly astonished by the demonstration.

"Listen carefully to my explanation!"

"Yes!"

As Huang Yueyang explained, Chen Sheng listened intently and asked questions from time to time. Gradually, he gained a clear understanding.

If one was merely refining basic pills,

mastering the first three layers would be enough.

But Huang Yueyang had high expectations for Chen Sheng.

He had to master all five layers and cultivate them to perfection before he could learn the more profound secret hand seals.

Chen Sheng studied with great seriousness.

Before long.

The explanation was over.

Huang Yueyang clapped his hands.

"Alright, give it a try!"

Hearing this, Chen Sheng

followed the hand seal and circulated his spiritual energy, gathering the power in his Dantian at his fingertips.

He slowly guided the Spirit Fire inside the Alchemy Furnace, gradually condensing it into a pale azure flame at his fingertip.

"Junior Disciple Brother, you did it!"

Li Huayao's eyes lit up. She had watched clearly from the side and could not help clapping in praise.

But that cheer made Chen Sheng lose his steadiness.

The spiritual energy at his fingertips suddenly became chaotic.

The tiny flame went out with a whoosh.

Only a few wisps of blue smoke remained, drifting away.

Chen Sheng shook his head.

"Drawing forth the fire is easy. Keeping it stable is hard!"

Huang Yueyang had explained that the key to this art was "stability."

The output of spiritual energy at one's fingertips had to remain even.

The flame's height had to stay within half an inch at all times.

It had to be as steady as a bean.

It could sway without wind, yet never go out.

Li Huayao tried as well.

But she was impatient. The moment she gathered her spiritual energy, she rushed to ignite it.

The flame had barely emerged before it went out with a puff.

After several attempts,

she stomped her feet in frustration.

"This stupid little flame is harder to handle than the pestle in the Medicine Room!"

Standing nearby and watching his disciples flounder, Huang Yueyang explained in a deep voice,

"When drawing forth fire, imagine a thread tied to your fingertip. Your spiritual energy is the spool. Release it too quickly, and the thread will snap. Pull it too tight, and the flame will die."

"The two of you will practice for one hour every morning. Only when you can suspend the flame at your fingertips for the time it takes to burn one stick of incense will you be considered initiated."

The two of them respectfully replied,

"Yes!"

Before long.

Huang Yueyang left with Zhang Yue and Luo Yun.

After years of practice, Zhang Yue and Luo Yun had long since mastered the Flame Control Technique.

They could now melt herbs into liquid, extract and purify them, and participate deeply in the pill-refining process.

Only Chen Sheng and Li Huayao remained in the Fire Room.

Having only just begun studying the Flame Control Technique,

Li Huayao was fairly serious at first and practiced patiently.

But before half an hour had passed,

she clutched her stomach and frowned.

"Junior Disciple Brother, I need to meditate and recover my spiritual power. This Flame Ignition Art uses up too much spiritual energy."

With that,

she found a Cattail Mat, sat down, and began slacking off.

Chen Sheng persisted for an hour, not sitting cross-legged to recover his energy until the spiritual power in his Dantian was exhausted.

The morning quickly passed.

Chen Sheng repeatedly tempered himself in a cycle of igniting the fire, extinguishing it, meditating, and igniting it again.

Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead and slowly slid down.

At noon.

Huang Wangyou arrived carrying a food box.

The moment she pushed open the Fire Room door,

the smoke and fire in the room made her cough lightly twice.

"Guess what I brought you?"

When the food box was opened,

a rich ginseng fragrance wafted out. Ginseng slices and red dates floated in the milky-white broth.

Chen Sheng took the jade bowl and drained it in one gulp. The warm soup flowed down his throat, carrying a sweet, soothing warmth.

After finishing it, he praised her loudly.

"My wife's Ginseng Soup is richer than any delicacy from the mountains or sea."

Huang Wangyou truly had a gift for cooking.

Chen Sheng had been accustomed to all manner of delicacies in his previous life, yet this soup still ranked among the best.

Huang Wangyou was so pleased by the praise that her brows arched into crescents.

"I'll bring you more tomorrow."

Li Huayao beside them had already drained her own bowl and was smacking her lips.

Patting her round belly, she shouted,

"Little Senior Sister's cooking is simply amazing. She's beautiful, kind-hearted, and a superb cook."

"Give me another bowl!"

Huang Wangyou shot her a disdainful glance.

"Dream on."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think I made it for you."

With her years of thick skin, Li Huayao immediately blinked up at her with a pitiful expression.

Huang Wangyou was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

Though they bickered constantly, how could she begrudge a bowl of soup to a friend of so many years?

She merely complained aloud.

"All you know is how to mooch food and drink."

Chen Sheng, watching the two of them tease each other, smiled knowingly as well.

Time slowly passed.

Every day, Chen Sheng rose before dawn to practice the Flame Ignition Art.

The flame at his fingertips went from lasting only a moment to gradually remaining steady for the time it took to burn one stick of incense.

Every afternoon, he studied medicine with his Father-in-law.

Though he had no extraordinary talent, he was diligent enough. He learned thoroughly and progressed at no slow pace.

Nights were reserved for the husband and wife's cultivation.

On the bed.

To help his wife overcome her bad habit of disliking meditation and Qi Refinement,

Chen Sheng had specially picked up the Union Secret Art from the Market Town.

It combined bedroom pleasures with Qi Refinement cultivation.

By changing positions,

Huang Wangyou gradually became engrossed in it. Her cultivation advanced all the way to the peak of the Qi Refining Third Layer.

She could now attempt to break through to the Qi Condensation Mid-stage.

At the same time,

with all manner of cultivation resources and the aid of dual cultivation with his wife, Chen Sheng's own progress was rapid as well.

Compared with before,

his cultivation speed had increased by thirty percent.

It was astonishing!

It was worth mentioning that Qin Shuang left to seek opportunities after staying home for several months.

He was in the prime of his youth, with Foundation Establishment right before his eyes.

He also had the sect behind him and access to well-informed sources!

If he could find a Foundation Establishment spirit item outside, his odds of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment would greatly increase.

In the end, Qin Dajiang had not managed to make him stay and have children.

He was somewhat uneasy. "Xiaoyun, I wonder when your Eldest Brother will return?"

Chen Sheng comforted him. "Eldest Brother is a peerless talent. He will surely find an opportunity on this journey and achieve Foundation Establishment!"

Qin Dajiang sighed softly. "I hope so."

September.

Another piece of good news arrived.

A brand-new life was about to come into the world.

On a bamboo chair.

Huang Wangyou gently stroked her belly, a tender smile on her lips.

"Baby, in another year, I'll be able to hold you."

Chen Sheng gently took her hand at her side.

Huang Yueyang was also overjoyed.

He made a special trip over and gave Chen Sheng a few instructions.

"Be careful in all things from now on. Do not let Wangyou tire herself out."

"I will personally keep watch over the pills. Spend more time with her every day."

Chen Sheng nodded with a cheerful smile.

"Yes, Father-in-law. Don't worry."