Fenghua Released Externally

Heart-Seeking Hall, Core Training Room.

Formation patterns shimmered and flowed across the room.

Chen Sheng waved the Formation Flag, tightly binding the spiritual energy before finally gathering it into a Purple Jade Coiled Dragon Alchemy Furnace at the center.

A dark golden sheen flowed across the furnace's body, faintly resonating with the flickering azure-red spiritual flame within.

This was a top-grade first-tier Yin-conducting treasure furnace, fitted with Profound Yin Spirit Fire, which Chen Sheng had gone to great lengths to acquire.

Chen Sheng gazed at the Profound Yin Spirit Fire within the furnace.

His expression tightened as he carefully sensed its inherent nature, murmuring inwardly:

"Evolve Form... inherent nature? How exactly should I proceed?"

"Circulating Heaven Melting Star Furnace."

Chen Sheng had long since cultivated the second level, "Shape Control," to perfection. He wielded furnace fire as easily as his own limbs, capable of drawing upon tens of thousands of suspended threads.

Yet he had remained unable to grasp the third level—Evolve Form.

He sent word to Zhao Jin Hu, asking him to gather relevant annotations left behind by predecessors within the sect.

After studying them.

Chen Sheng gradually came to understand that the difficulty of Evolve Form lay not in the fine control of flame, but in seeing through the inherent nature of all fires and comprehending the workings of yin and yang as they flowed and transformed.

The annotations also mentioned Profound Yin Spirit Fire.

"If one cannot comprehend its inherent nature and see through the changes of circulation, then extract the aura of a spiritual flame and merge it into the source Fire Lotus, forcibly evolving it."

"However, this method treats the symptoms, not the root."

"How could one possibly extract every fire under heaven?"

"Only by understanding their inherent nature and mastering the changes of circulation can one completely finish cultivating Evolve Form."

"Forcible extraction serves only to aid one's comprehension of inherent nature and evolved transformations. Among the transformations of yin, spiritual fires such as Nine Yin, Nether-Connecting, and Profound Yin are the finest..."

Chen Sheng studied the annotations and nodded lightly.

He had contemplated them for a long time, yet still could not enter the gate.

He might as well take a "shortcut"—use the method described in the annotations to first extract a strand of fire baleful intent and aid his comprehension.

Spiritual fires like Nine Yin and Nether-Connecting were all second-tier, difficult to obtain.

In the end, he found this Profound Yin Spirit Fire.

He intended to use this transformation to aid his understanding.

With that thought.

Chen Sheng hesitated no longer and formed the secret hand seals according to the method in the annotations.

"Extract!"

With a soft shout.

A faint wisp of fire aura was drawn into his nostrils and absorbed into the Fire Lotus in his Dantian.

Chen Sheng shut his eyes tightly, turning his Spiritual Sense inward to inspect his Dantian and carefully perceive the changes within.

Seven days later.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a trace of delight appearing within them.

"So that's how it is!"

He slowly raised a hand and tapped lightly with his fingertip.

Sizzle!

A blaze of orange-yellow fire, formed purely from condensed Mana, sprang into being from thin air, radiating a scorching heat.

"Change!"

As his thoughts turned.

The orange-yellow flame rapidly contracted like spilled mercury, its hue deepening from orange-yellow until it became a mass of cold, profound dark violet.

Its form had not changed much.

Yet what it emitted was no longer searing heat, but a bone-freezing chill. Sheets of Ice Crystal silently condensed in the surrounding air.

A smile curled Chen Sheng's lips.

"Evolve Form has finally entered the gate."

"Of yin's transformations, I have already glimpsed thirty percent of its true meaning."

"From now on, I'll extract some once every seven days to help me fully understand this path."

Several days later.

Fenghua Immortal City, Pill Alliance headquarters.

Long Xu Alchemy Platform.

This was a lecture platform specially established by the Pill Alliance for Second-grade Alchemists and top-tier first-grade alchemists. Those who could ascend this platform were all figures of considerable renown within the Pill Alliance.

Chen Sheng wore the cloud-patterned white robes of the Alchemy Hall, standing atop a hundred-zhang jade platform.

Below, hundreds of cultivators sat packed together in a dark sea, with several Foundation Establishment seniors of deeply restrained aura plainly visible in the front rows.

Chen Sheng was conducting an in-depth analysis of the subtle intricacies at each key point of the "Thirty-Six Cycles of Pill Condensation."

Countless alchemists below held their breath in rapt attention.

Spiritual Light flickered across jade slips, recording every syllable and every gesture of Alchemist Chen.

Among the crowd, He Ping'an's gaze burned brightly, and he dared not miss the slightest detail.

The lecture ended.

After exchanging insights with his fellow cultivators below, Chen Sheng drifted gracefully from the platform beneath the reluctant gazes of the audience.

Not long after.

The identity jade talisman at Chen Sheng's waist grew warm, silently lighting up with a gentle glow.

When he probed it with his Spiritual Sense, he found it was a message.

A glimmer lit Chen Sheng's eyes.

"Senior Brother Jin Hu is actually coming to the Immortal City for rotation duty?"

His heart stirred.

He summoned his disciple, He Ping'an, and gave him a few instructions.

Then he turned into a wisp of clear wind and swiftly departed.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick.

Chen Sheng appeared at the heart of Fenghua Immortal City—the Qinghua Sect's grounds.

Flying Star Plaza.

He waited for a while.

Then he saw a standard sect Flying Boat descend.

A long-faced man clad in the sect's Deacon robes stepped down.

Chen Sheng had been waiting for some time and went forward to greet him.

"Senior Brother Jin Hu!"

At the sight of Chen Sheng.

Zhao Jin Hu's face instantly broke into a warm smile. He stepped forward and clapped Chen Sheng forcefully on the shoulder.

"Junior Disciple Brother Chen, long time no see!"

Over the past few years.

Chen Sheng had been able to take on miscellaneous duties at the Pill Alliance, so he had barely returned to the sect.

Since their last parting, the two had not met again.

They did, however, correspond often and exchange what they each had.

"Come, Senior Brother Jin Hu. Follow me to Wanxiang Tower. Your junior brother has already laid out a feast."

Zhao Jin Hu did not stand on ceremony. He laughed heartily.

"Then I shall trouble you, Junior Disciple Brother."

Wanxiang Tower, private room at Guanchao Pavilion.

Spirit Meals and rare delicacies filled the jade table.

A hundred-year-old "Cloud Mist Spirit Wine," preserved with a secret art, gave off rich spiritual essence.

Only Chen Sheng and Zhao Jin Hu drank together.

After three rounds of wine, with spiritual fruits in their bellies.

Chen Sheng personally filled Zhao Jin Hu's cup and asked in an offhand manner.

"Senior Brother has always taken rotation duty at the Main Hall."

"Why leave the heart of things and lower yourself to take this resident inspection post in the Immortal City?"

Zhao Jin Hu took a sip of wine and let out a long, unhurried sigh.

"Because your senior brother is about to reach Foundation Establishment too!"

Chen Sheng quietly watched him. Such an out-of-the-blue remark was clearly not the end of it.

Zhao Jin Hu continued explaining:

"A large Secret Realm has been discovered outside Fenghua City. There are bound to be many Foundation Establishment spirit items within."

"Senior Brother applied for an external posting precisely to get the moon first from the waterside pavilion."

Chen Sheng nodded lightly.

The explanation was somewhat forced.

With Zhao Jin Hu's resources and connections, earning Contribution Points within the sect was the proper path to seeking Foundation Establishment.

Zhao Jin Hu seemed to see through his thoughts and sighed.

"Junior Disciple Brother's pill-refining skill is outstanding. Earning Contribution Points comes as easily as turning one's hand, but you do not know your Senior Brother's hardships..."

Zhao Jin Hu candidly recounted his bitter journey.

He had been born into a small Qi Refinement family.

There had once been Foundation Establishment cultivators among his ancestors, but by his generation, the family had long declined.

Out of several hundred clan members, there were only a dozen or so Qi Refinement cultivators. They guarded several hundred mu of Spirit Fields and struggled to get by.

That was until Zhao Jin Hu was tested and found to possess a High-grade Spiritual Root.

In an instant, he became the hope of the entire clan!

They called upon their old connections and sent him to Qing Hua. Afterward, the entire clan spared no effort in supporting his cultivation.

Zhao Jin Hu did not disappoint their expectations. His talent for pill refinement and weapon refinement was poor, so he devoted himself to networking and maneuvering within the sect.

He now served as a Deacon of the Main Hall, having woven a solid web of connections and gained no small measure of power.

He had secured many benefits for his clan.

Now, if he could successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, that would be the greatest benefit of all!

Zhao Jin Hu shook his head.

"With all my maneuvering, I am somewhat better off than ordinary people. Getting a Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect should not be a problem."

"But it is not safe enough!"

He paused before speaking.

"Some time ago, a friend of mine attempted Foundation Establishment. He too had a High-grade Spiritual Root, and had cultivated a High-grade Cultivation Method to the perfect ninth level. In terms of the depth of his foundation, he was even stronger than I am."

"He had also been cautious and steady all his life, yet at the very end, he grew reckless and careless."

"He exchanged for only one Foundation Establishment Pill from the sect. He did not even use a Pulse-Protecting Pill, claiming he wanted to press forward in one burst."

"And what happened? His breakthrough failed. He suffered grave injuries, and the meridians throughout his body fell into chaos. He barely managed to keep his life."

Zhao Jin Hu sighed softly.

"I cannot help feeling the rabbit's death and the fox's grief. One Foundation Establishment Pill is not reliable enough; my friend is a warning from the cart ahead."

"As it happened, the Secret Realm opened, so I came here to take a rotation."

"It is not that I intend to risk my life in the Secret Realm. I merely plan to use my status on rotation, along with Spirit Stones, to get the moon first from the waterside pavilion and strike before others do, seeking out as many Foundation Establishment spirit items as possible."

"To add a few more chances of success for myself."

Chen Sheng fell silent, his heart giving a sudden leap.

These words had also sounded a warning bell for him!

Even with a High-grade Spiritual Root, Foundation Establishment was still so difficult.

With his Low-grade Spiritual Root, would two Foundation Establishment Pills truly be enough?

Thinking this, Chen Sheng's interest was stirred as well. With the Secret Realm wide open this time and many Foundation Establishment spirit items flowing out, he should purchase several more.

Chen Sheng nodded, raised his cup, and said sincerely, "Senior Brother is farsighted and plans deeply. Junior Disciple Brother admires you. Let me toast Senior Brother once more."

At this, Zhao Jin Hu gave a self-mocking smile.

"What deep planning is there? These are all measures born of helplessness."

"Let us not speak of this."

He changed the subject.

"I heard that Junior Disciple Brother has been proceeding steadily and securely, and is flourishing in the Pill Alliance."

"Even Foundation Establishment seniors call you brother."

Chen Sheng laughed heartily.

"It was merely a fortunate coincidence. Senior He's grandson is one of my disciples."

"And Senior He himself has that sort of temperament..."

Zhao Jin Hu sighed with feeling.

"Junior Disciple Brother is too modest. You possess genuine skill and extraordinary talent. Wherever you go, you shine; wherever you go, you are valued."

"That is why you have won the favor of so many seniors."