Sorting Myself Out, the Alchemy Furnace Gains Sentience

"Phew!"

Inside a bedroom of the Xiao Family, Xiao Yao abruptly opened his eyes and sat up from the bed. A sharp gleam flashed through his gaze and vanished, as though suns, moons, and stars were revolving and fading within his eyes.

His body was now filled with explosive power. Every inch of flesh, every cell, seemed to be cheering with unprecedented vitality and life.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Ming Xin Jian Xing Jue tempered his soul at every moment. Having just completed the first cycle of the Cultivation Method, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and sensed the changes within himself.

"The Innate Dao Body is truly this terrifying. Even on the Dou Qi Continent, where spiritual energy is so scarce it is nearly nonexistent, I can still sense the energy drifting through the void and refine and absorb it in such a domineering manner."

What stirred his emotions even more was that the originally surging dou qi within his Dantian Vortex had completely vanished. In its place were strands of golden energy, vastly purer and countless times more advanced than dou qi! Though this energy appeared faint, it carried a hint of an indestructible, undying essence. It continuously circulated on its own along the profound pathways of the Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art, cycle after cycle.

"So this is... Immortal Family Mana?"

Xiao Yao muttered, shock appearing on his handsome, refined face. With a thought, a thread of golden mana emerged from his fingertips like the tamest little spirit, transforming into a lifelike butterfly that fluttered gracefully through the air.

A powerful urge to test it rose in Xiao Yao's heart.

Rather than using his mana to imitate Dou Qi Transformation Wings, he simply willed it and gently merged the power of his soul—his terrifying divine sense, which had already reached the "Spirit Realm"—into the surrounding void.

The next moment, something unbelievable happened!

He only felt his body grow light, as though he had broken free of some invisible shackle. A gentle force lifted him, and his feet slowly left the ground as he floated weightlessly in midair!

There was no dazzling radiance from Dou Qi Transformation Wings, no piercing sonic boom tearing through the air. There was only an innate ease and freedom, as though flight had always been his instinct!

Imperial Sky Flight! The mark of a Dou Zong expert!

An unprecedented brilliance erupted in Xiao Yao's eyes. The corners of his lips rose uncontrollably, finally turning into a hearty, exhilarated laugh!

"Hahahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

His heart brimmed with lofty ambition, and he could no longer restrain the impulse within him. With a flicker, he slipped through the window like a ghost and instantly appeared above the Xiao Family estate. At this moment, only a few scattered people in the Xiao Family were discussing the magnificent Heavenly Phenomenon Anomaly from earlier.

"Rise!"

Xiao Yao gave a low shout, and his body shot upward like an arrow, charging straight into the heavens!

"Whoosh—!"

The sound of breaking through the air was sharp and piercing, yet it brought incomparable exhilaration! The wind howled past his ears, the earth raced away beneath his feet, and the scattered lights of Wutan City became blurred specks in an instant.

This feeling of freedom, of breaking free from the earth's restraints, nearly intoxicated him!

"Yao Chen, Yao Chen, you said I had no affinity with the Alchemy Great Dao. The next time we meet, I'm afraid you'll be utterly shocked, haha. I never expected that instead of getting sesame seeds, I'd get a watermelon—and embark upon a true Heaven-Piercing Immortal Path!"

With his thoughts clear and unobstructed, Xiao Yao's speed surged once more. He became a streak of light nearly impossible to distinguish with the naked eye and flew directly toward the Monster Mountain Range, the broadest and most dangerous region in the Jia Ma Empire!

His strength had increased dramatically, but his foundation was not yet stable. There were also many immortal arts, Divine Abilities, and supreme treasures that required time to familiarize himself with and master. The Monster Mountain Range was undoubtedly the best place for secluded cultivation!

Deep within the inner region of the Monster Mountain Range.

Ancient trees towered into the sky, blotting out the sun. The mountain forests were shrouded year-round in ominous miasma and savage baleful aura. The roars of high-tier magical beasts rose and fell, enough to make any mercenary group below the Dou Wang level flee in terror.

A streak of light descended from the sky and silently landed in a secluded valley.

Xiao Yao looked around, his Spirit Realm soul power spreading outward like a tide. Every rustle of wind and grass within dozens of miles—even the crawling of an ant underground—was clearly reflected in his mind.

"This is the place."

His figure flashed, and he arrived before an enormous waterfall. He pressed the fingers of his right hand together like a sword and lightly drew them across the hard cliff face.

"Screech!"

There was no earth-shaking explosion. The rock, as hard as refined steel, was sliced apart like tofu, and a deep, tranquil cave dwelling formed in an instant.

After entering the cave dwelling, Xiao Yao waved his hand again. The severed boulder crashed down, perfectly sealing the entrance without leaving the slightest trace.

Inside the cave dwelling, Xiao Yao sat cross-legged. Instead of immediately beginning cultivation, he carefully sorted through the gains from this rebirth-like transformation.

First, he calmed his mind and once again sensed the mysteries of the "Innate Dao Body." With a thought, the Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art began circulating on its own. The sparse Heaven and Earth Energy within the cave seemed to encounter some fatal attraction, wildly gathering toward his body and forming a visible vortex of energy!

"What an astonishing cultivation speed!"

Xiao Yao was deeply shaken. This speed was more than a hundred times faster than when he previously absorbed dou qi! Furthermore, the mana refined from it was incomparably pure, with no feeling of obstruction whatsoever. He even felt that his comprehension had reached an unimaginable height. Many obscure and difficult barriers within the Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art now seemed like a smooth, open road; with a turn of thought, he could understand them completely.

"The Innate Dao Body, heaven-defying comprehension... it truly lives up to its reputation!"

He slowly clenched his fist, sensing the power within his body that could easily tear apart mountains and rivers. His heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of security.

"My current realm is the perfected stage of Refining Essence into Qi, which in actual strength is comparable to the peak of the Dou Emperor realm. But relying on the purity of my mana and my Spirit Realm soul's initial grasp of the Dao of Space, few within the Dou Zong realm could possibly fight me. I could even... crush them!"

Xiao Yao deeply felt the confidence of an immortal cultivator! The overwhelming superiority of a higher lifeform!

Next, Xiao Yao immersed his consciousness in the unfathomably profound Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. The seventy-two transformations and their endless marvelous applications flowed through his mind. In the short time since his comprehension had improved, he had already gained an initial mastery of them.

"Transform!"

Xiao Yao silently recited the incantation, and the mana within his body circulated along a peculiar trajectory. The next moment, his body twisted and blurred, while his bones gave a series of soft crackling sounds.

In the blink of an eye, the originally dashing young man transformed into a flying mosquito no larger than a fingernail. It was utterly lifelike, even the fine patterns on its wings clearly visible, and the aura it emitted was no different from that of a real mosquito.

"Wonderful! Truly wondrous beyond words!"

With a thought, Xiao Yao flew around the cave as a mosquito, experiencing the thrill Brother Monkey had once enjoyed before transforming back into human form.

He had achieved such a result on his very first attempt, giving him an even deeper understanding of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts' power. This was not merely a transformation technique—it was a supreme Divine Ability for survival and slaughter!

The path of cultivation required one to endure the Three Calamities: Yin Fire, Heavenly Thunder, and Bi Wind. The primary purpose of the Seventy-Two Transformations was to evade the harm brought by the Three Calamities.

At that thought, a warm current surged through Xiao Yao's heart. "Master has truly treated me well!"

Only after his emotions had completely settled did genuine anticipation and fervor appear on Xiao Yao's face. He spread open his palm, and with a thought—

Three treasures materialized before him out of thin air.

A palm-sized ancient alchemy furnace, entirely purple-gold and engraved with Eight Trigrams runes.

A jade slip emanating an aura of chaos, as though it recorded the alchemical Dao of eternity.

And a Golden Flame no bigger than a thumb, yet seemingly capable of burning all things in the world to ash, radiating an aura of utmost yang and unyielding force!

They were precisely the Three Supreme Treasures bestowed by Taishang Laojun!

"Yao Chen... You pride yourself on being an alchemist, yet you do not know that the path I am about to walk is the true origin of the alchemical Dao!"

Xiao Yao's gaze finally settled on the exquisite little Eight Trigrams Furnace. He took a deep breath, preparing to follow the guidance of the Dan Dao Origin Book and refine the furnace first.

He extended a finger, forcing a drop of crimson blood from its tip and letting it slowly fall toward the Eight Trigrams Furnace. At the same time, a thread of pure mana cautiously reached out, attempting to brand his soul imprint upon the furnace.

The instant his mana and divine sense came into contact with the Eight Trigrams Furnace, a sudden change occurred!

An aged consciousness carrying intense displeasure erupted from within the furnace, exploding directly in Xiao Yao's mind!

"Hmph! What ignorant junior dares defile this old man's venerable body?!"

"Hm?! Wait... this mana... this aura... Daoist Sect True Inheritance?! No... there is also a trace of Ancestral Master's aura!"

"Boy! Who exactly are you?! Why do you possess Ancestral Master's true teachings of Dan Dao, and why have you obtained this old man's fragmented true body?!"

The voice was vigorous and full of shock, confusion, and the arrogance of one long accustomed to standing above others.

Xiao Yao froze on the spot, his mind utterly blank.

Th-this alchemy furnace... could actually speak?!