Above High Heaven, Six Ding Divine Fire!

Longzhou City, District Three, Special Hospital.

Comprehensive inpatient building.

Chen Nuanyu wrung out the handkerchief and wiped the woman's body. The usually quiet girl was unusually talkative.

"Mom, I can't stay long this time. I need to earn money for medical expenses. You need to eat more every day. I need to ask the caregiver to take pictures of my meals every time."

"Make sure you're covered up well when you sleep at night, so you don't catch a cold."

"Also, buy whatever you want to eat, don't be stingy with your money. I'm making a lot of money now."

Listening to her daughter's nagging, the woman, whose feet were rotting and stiff, managed a weak smile and reached out to stroke Chen Nuanyu's long hair.

"It's your mother who's holding you back."

What are you saying?

Chen Nuanyu glared at the woman:

"What's a drag? I've already said I make money easily now, I have a good boss."

"Boss?" the woman said worriedly, "Niu Niu, Mommy heard that something like 'unspoken rules' are popular these days."

Chen Nuanyu was speechless for a moment, and said helplessly:

"Don't worry, Mom, my boss is a really nice guy."

Before the woman, the chill on her body melted away, and she spoke softly:

"Although this small business owner can be a bit of a freak at times, he's still a decent person."

The woman was confused and didn't quite understand what her daughter meant.

So, is he a good person or a bad person?

Chen Nuanyu thought about it carefully for a moment and said:

"To be honest, he's definitely not a good person, but he's not a bad person either."

She was aware of her appearance. Although the young boss's behavior was somewhat abnormal, he had never truly crossed any lines.

For me personally, it wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't bad either.

At most, I'll just act it out and pretend to be scared.

The woman didn't speak, but simply squeezed her daughter's hand with concern.

Chen Nuanyu also held the woman tightly.

'Knock knock knock'

A knock sounded, the hospital room door was pushed open, and a deliveryman asked:

Is Ms. Chen Nuanyu here?

"I am..." Chen Nuanyu resumed her aloof demeanor. "What is it?"

Your package.

"Express delivery?"

She frowned slightly and stood up:

"I don't remember buying anything."

The deliveryman shrugged.

"The address is here, and the name matches a small letter."

He handed over a letter, confirmed receipt, and then turned to leave.

We left the hospital.

The deliveryman suddenly jolted awake, the cloudiness in his eyes clearing, and he looked around in confusion, muttering to himself:

How did I end up here?

He patted his head, but his memory was blank; he couldn't remember anything.

Meanwhile, in the ward.

Chen Nuanyu examined the white envelope, which was sealed with wax, and the wax seal bore two ancient-style characters.

[High Sky].

What's this?

She examined the envelope closely, sensing something indescribable about it—something that, despite its pristine condition, seemed to have existed for many, many years, and would continue to exist for many more.

It is neither rotten nor decayed, neither decayed nor damaged.

Chen Nuanyu tried to tear open the envelope—but failed.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she exerted all her strength, tearing at the envelope with nearly three thousand pounds of force, but she still couldn't damage the thin envelope, not even a little bit!

It seems the only way to open this letter is to peel off the wax seal.

"Niu Niu?" the woman asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing, Mom. I don't know who sent me the letter."

Suddenly, she remembered that day, that terrifying and mysterious old man.

Chen Nuanyu frowned and tried to peel off the wax seal—it went smoothly. Inside the envelope was a piece of paper and a small wooden plaque.

The wooden plaque looks ancient and solemn, exuding an air of timelessness and permanence.

This meaning is a thousand times, ten thousand times stronger than what's on the envelope!

Just staring at the wooden sign gave her an involuntary tremor, as if she were gazing at some incredible being, something indescribable!

Take a deep breath.

Chen Nuanyu carefully examined the wooden plaque. The front still bore the two characters "Gao Tian" (meaning "High Heaven"), while the back featured a scroll with an enigmatic meaning.

The scroll depicts a complete array of flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains, rivers, plants, and trees, as well as a Daoist temple, a Buddhist temple, and a school.

There is also the sun, the moon, and the stars, but they are all located beneath Daoist temples, Buddhist temples, and schools.

Most remarkably, all these intricate scenes are contained within a palm-sized scroll.

With Chen Nuanyu's keen eyesight, upon closer inspection, she could even see that the tiny flowers, birds, fish, and insects, no bigger than a pinhead, were carved with lifelike detail!

The details and textures are absolutely perfect.

What kind of technique is this?

She looked at the paper; at the very top were three large characters.

Invitation letter.

Chen Nuanyu browsed through it carefully.

'Above High Heaven, I grant you permission to leave your name.'

'If you wish to receive this letter, drip your blood on the plaque, and you may Exchange Heaven and Dao.'

'Chen Nuanyu, receive'

Just three lines.

"The Exchange Heaven and Dao"

An overwhelming surge of excitement welled up in Chen Nuanyu's heart. "The Exchange Heaven and Dao!"

It really was the mysterious old man from that day!

There's hope for Mom's illness!

Without hesitation, she cut her finger, and a drop of blood fell.

Blood flowed onto the wooden sign, eerily pooling around the two characters 'High Heaven,' staining these two ancient and solemn characters red.

The next second, the curtains in the ward closed automatically, the door suddenly locked from the inside, and the lights became dim!

Chen Nuanyu and the woman on the hospital bed looked around blankly, their gazes simultaneously landing on the corner of the ward.

There, at some point, an elderly man appeared.

Zhong Shan.

"You... you've arrived!" Chen Nuanyu's heart pounded.

The old man's body was clearly translucent, yet it exuded an immortal and timeless charm.

It seems to have existed since time immemorial, and it will surely exist for eternity to come.

He nodded slowly and spoke in a measured tone:

"Before you enter my Gaotian Association, I will offer you something: your Unquenchable Heart —as a blessing, your mother's illness will also be cured."

"After joining, you will be able to communicate with those who have also left their mark in the Above High Heaven, Exchange Heaven and Dao. Are you willing?"

"I'm willing!" Chen Nuanyu answered decisively. She didn't know what the Gaotian Association was, and she didn't care!

All she wanted was to cure her mother's illness.

Fear appeared on the woman's face.

"Heart? Heart? Niu Niu, don't agree, don't agree!"

She cried out for help, but her voice couldn't escape the ward at all.

The illusory old man walked up to the woman and gently comforted her:

"I won't take her heart, I'll only take a certain quality from it, and it won't harm her life."

The woman was panting, and it took her a long time to calm down:

"Really?"

Her voice trembled.

The old man nodded slightly and introduced himself:

"My name is Zhong Shan, and I come from the Above High Heaven."

He reached out and gently touched the woman's forehead, asking:

"I will buy away the disease that causes you pain, buy away the roots that turn you into rotten wood, buy away your memories of this moment."

"And you will receive a coin."

Are you willing?

The woman looked at her daughter blankly, and seeing her daughter nodding frantically at her, she nodded gently in return.

"The contract has been signed, and the deal is complete."

The old man's voice, as resounding as a great bell, echoed.

A coin landed on the bedside table, spinning gently, spinning...

As she rotated, the woody and decaying texture on the woman's legs gradually faded away.

The moment the coin completely stopped spinning and lay quietly on the counter.

The woman's decaying legs have also completely returned to normal.

She fell asleep peacefully.

Far away, a young boy was frantically devouring Star Beast Meat.

A moment later.

Zhong Shan then looked at Chen Nuanyu:

"I will buy your Unquenchable Heart, in exchange for your mother's terrible illness. Your heart will remain, but the Six Ding Divine Fire that keeps it burning forever will belong to me."

Are you willing?

Chen Nuanyu rushed to the hospital bed, lay down beside it, and carefully stroked her mother's legs.

With tears welling in her eyes, she answered without turning her head:

"I do!"

"The contract has been signed, and the transaction is complete."

A tiny, almost imperceptible flame quietly detached from her heart, vanished into nothingness, and disappeared.

Chen Nuanyu felt her heart suddenly go empty.

But it was also in that instant,

Something that had been binding him vanished, and the heart that had been tempered for eighteen years finally revealed its incredible brilliance at this moment!

She lost it, but the heart that had been forged in flames for eighteen years remained.

My heart began to pound violently, each beat releasing the fruits of the fire's tempering.

With a violent thud, Chen Nuanyu, who Perfection the Third Refinement, became Fourth Refinement.

Her heart pounded violently a second time, and she had achieved Minor Accomplishment in the Fourth Refinement.

The third time, the fourth time, and the fifth time.

Fourth Refinement Great Accomplishment, Perfection, Fifth Refinement!

My heart pounded eighteen times, as if counting down eighteen years.

Muscles twitch, tendons taut.

The eight refinements Minor Accomplishment, but these are merely trivial details.

Her skin gradually became like divine jade, and her eyes became incredibly bright, shimmering with an almost imperceptible divine light.

Far away, three question marks appeared on Zhang Fusheng's forehead.

No, sister, are you a woman destined for greatness?

It's a good thing you didn't eat too many gourds of golden pills, otherwise you might have actually developed Fiery Golden Eyes!

Meanwhile, in the ward.

The old man watched this scene quietly, his expression unchanged, and spoke in a low voice:

"Now that your name has been inscribed in the Above High Heaven, I will allow you to retain your memory and will not order you to keep it a secret."

"But I suggest you keep quiet."

"When I summon you from the Above High Heaven, the wooden tablet will guide you on how to act and how to come to me."

You are no longer yourself.

The translucent old man vanished, and the bloodstains on the wooden sign dried at that moment; everything was just right.

The Six Ding Divine Fire quietly floated within the Contract Book.