Beast Fire Refinement

The tide of joy receded, and the cold reality resurfaced.

Su Chen sat before the table, his gaze shifting back and forth between the nascent candle flame on the oil lamp and its replica within his consciousness.

It could replicate.

This was truly a miracle.

But... what use was there in replicating a candle flame?

As this thought arose, the ecstasy that had nearly overwhelmed his reason cooled rapidly, transforming into a more sober scrutiny.

In this world where the strong reigned supreme, the value of a common flame was infinitely close to zero.

It could not be used for combat, it could not be used for alchemy, and even for illumination, it seemed utterly insignificant.

He needed to verify the limits of this ability.

He had to test it with a higher-grade flame!

Su Chen's breath hitched slightly as a term leaped clearly from the depths of memories that did not belong to him.

Beast Fire.

The innate flame of a magical beast.

Although far from the world-destroying power of the legendary Heavenly Flames, it was the most commonly used flame for novice alchemists and the most fundamental, widely circulated flame resource on the Dou Qi Continent.

A Beast Fire of decent quality was enough to trade for several gold coins at the market, enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for several months.

If...

If even Beast Fire could be replicated...

Su Chen's heart began to beat violently and uncontrollably once more.

That would no longer be a simple matter of survival.

That would be a visible, tangible path to the heavens!

He forced himself to calm down and began to frantically scour his mind for information regarding Beast Fire.

In his memories, a low-level Rank 1 magical beast lived in the forests on the outskirts of Wutan City.

Flame Rat.

This magical beast was small in size and not very aggressive; its only means of attack was to spit a small mouthful of its innate Beast Fire.

For a cultivator above the seventh stage of Dou Disciple, it posed almost no threat.

But for the current Su Chen, it remained a lethal existence.

He possessed not a shred of Dou Qi, his body was frail, and a direct encounter would mean certain death.

"I cannot fight head-on; I must use my wits."

A clear thought took shape in his mind.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, which had grown stiff from sitting for so long, his joints popping with a series of crisp cracks.

The sky outside was already beginning to brighten, and the greyish morning light filtered through the tattered window, dispelling the last traces of darkness in the room.

Su Chen pushed open the creaking wooden door and took a deep breath of the cool morning air.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the fragrance of grass and trees.

His eyes were brighter than ever before.

To survive, and to verify this singular hope, he had to take this risk!

On the outskirts of Wutan City, the terrain was rugged and strewn with rocks.

This was where the city's residents dumped trash and waste; it was rarely visited by people, with only a few scavenging vultures circling in the sky.

Su Chen hunched his body, hiding behind a boulder half the height of a man, carefully observing a dirt slope not far away.

Beneath the slope were several inconspicuous holes, the soil around them scorched to a charred black.

This was the nest of the Flame Rats.

He had spent the entire morning finding this place based on the original owner's memories.

Along the way, he had deliberately avoided all pedestrians, moving like a ghost along the fringes of the city.

He knew very well that in his current frail state, if he were targeted, he likely wouldn't even be able to protect a bag of rice.

At this moment, the midday sun was scorching, causing heat to rise from the ground.

Su Chen's forehead was covered in sweat, and the clothes on his back were long since soaked, but he remained motionless, waiting with extreme patience.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

One hour, two hours...

Just as Su Chen's patience was about to be exhausted, there was finally movement from one of the holes.

After a rustling sound, a palm-sized, fire-red rat poked its head out, looking around cautiously.

It twitched its nose vigilantly, its small, black-bean-like eyes darting around in every direction.

Only after confirming there was no danger did it fully crawl out of the hole, followed by two smaller pups.

Su Chen held his breath in an instant.

Now is the time!

He did not rush out rashly; instead, he slowly pulled an oilcloth-wrapped object from his bosom.

Unfolding the oilcloth, it revealed a piece of beast meat roasted to a fragrant, charred perfection.

This was the scrap meat he had bought from a butcher in the south of the city with the last few copper coins he possessed—his entire fortune.

He placed the meat on a flat stone and then retreated silently behind a large boulder.

The rich aroma of meat began to permeate the air.

The adult Flame Rat's nose twitched immediately, and its black eyes locked onto the fragrant piece of meat.

It appeared hesitant, pacing back and forth in agitation.

The instincts of a magical beast made it feel the temptation of the food.

Yet, its innate wariness filled it with caution toward this food of unknown origin.

Su Chen's heart rose to his throat.

His hand, hidden behind the rock, gripped a thick hemp rope tightly; the other end of the rope was connected to a massive stone slab propped up precariously by a wooden stick.

This was the simplest and most primitive of traps.

Success or failure rested on this one move.

After struggling for a moment, the Flame Rat ultimately could not resist the temptation of the food.

It let out two "squeaks" at the pups behind it, seemingly warning them not to move, and then cautiously inched toward the meat, step by step.

Closer.

Even closer.

Su Chen could even see the fiery red fur on its body and the dust clinging to its whiskers.

His palms were slick with sweat, and his heart hammered wildly in his chest, as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

Finally, the Flame Rat reached the piece of meat.

It lowered its head to sniff it, confirmed it was safe, opened its mouth, and took a bite.

This is the moment!

A fierce glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes as he yanked the hemp rope in his hand!

The wooden stick supporting the stone slab was pulled away in an instant.

The heavy slab, carrying a whistling wind, crashed down with a boom toward the feeding Flame Rat!

Sensing danger, the Flame Rat's red fur stood on end instantly!

It let out a sharp, shrill screech, opened its mouth, and a small, fist-sized cluster of dark red fireballs shot toward the direction where Su Chen was hiding!

This was its final, desperate counterattack!

Su Chen's pupils constricted, and a chill of death shot straight from the soles of his feet to his crown!

He had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the lethal flame rapidly expanded in his vision.

Am I going to die...

At the critical, hair-breadth moment!

Boom!

The massive stone slab fell heavily, landing squarely on the rear half of the Flame Rat's body.

"Squeak—!"

A scream of extreme misery rang out.

The beast fire, which had already flown in front of Su Chen, lost the control of its master; its energy dissipated instantly, turning into sparks that fizzled out with a soft pop.

A few scorching sparks splashed onto Su Chen's face, raising a string of tiny blisters that burned with intense pain.

But he couldn't care about that at all.

He gasped for air, his entire body soaked in cold sweat, his legs weak, barely able to stand.

In that split second, he felt he had been only a hair's breadth away from death.

After a long while, Su Chen finally recovered from the lingering fear.

He stumbled over to the stone slab to see that the lower half of the Flame Rat had been crushed into a pulp of flesh, with only the upper half still twitching slightly; it was clearly beyond saving.

Su Chen felt not a shred of pity.

This was the law of the Dou Qi Continent.

Either you die, or I live.

Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he reached out and pressed his hand onto the Flame Rat's head, which still retained a lingering warmth.

His consciousness sank into that mysterious void.

The ancient stone platform remained suspended in silence.

"Come in!"

Su Chen let out a low roar with his intent!

A suction force, dozens of times stronger than the one he had used to pull the candle flame, erupted from the depths of his spirit!

The dying Flame Rat shuddered violently, and a dark red flame—brighter and far more solid than the candle flame—was forcibly extracted from between its brows, transforming into a streak of light that instantly vanished into Su Chen's consciousness.

Hum!

Within his conscious space, that cluster of dark red beast fire appeared atop the stone platform.

Having lost its innate beast fire, the Flame Rat's body went completely rigid, devoid of any remaining life.

Su Chen dared not linger; he didn't even have time to dispose of the Flame Rat's carcass before dragging his exhausted body back to the dilapidated little courtyard in the city as fast as he could.

Returning to the ruined house, Su Chen immediately locked the door and slumped against the door panel like a man drained of all strength, gasping for air.

Only after confirming he was safe did he cast his full focus back into his conscious space.

In the center of the space, the cluster of dark red beast fire flickered restlessly, radiating an aura of violence and chaos.

The patterns on the surface of the stone platform lit up once more.

A soft white light flowed out, enveloping the beast fire.

A brand-new stream of information flooded into Su Chen's mind.

Item: Flame Rat Beast Fire
Category: Beast Fire (Inferior)
Composition: Impure fire elements, trace amounts of magical beast blood essence, residual demonic power
Analysis: Disordered structure, unstable energy, contains impurities; can be absorbed by low-level cultivation techniques; low value.
Functions: Can be refined, can be replicated, can be purified.

Su Chen's gaze locked firmly onto those last three words.

Can be purified!

Compared to when he analyzed the candle flame, a brand-new function had appeared!

His heart hammered against his ribs, and without a moment's hesitation, he used his intent to fiercely "tap" the "Purify" option.

Boom!

The stone platform shook violently, erupting with an unprecedented, brilliant radiance.

Countless profound runes emerged from the surface of the platform, beginning to rotate slowly like a massive millstone.

The cluster of dark red beast fire was dragged into the center of the millstone.

"Sizzle..."

Wisps of black mist, visible to the naked eye, were forcibly stripped from the flame, then thoroughly purified and annihilated by the light of the stone platform.

Those were the impurities and the residual violent demonic power contained within the fire!

As the black mist steadily diminished, the color of the beast fire began to undergo an astonishing transformation.

It shifted from its original dark red to a vibrant crimson.

Then, from crimson, it transitioned into an even purer, brighter orange-red!

The volume of the flame shrank continuously during this process, yet the energy fluctuations contained within it were climbing at a terrifying rate!

The entire process lasted for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

When the final wisp of black mist was purged, the light of the stone platform slowly receded.

A brand-new flame floated quietly above the stone platform.

It was only the size of an infant's fist, glowing with a warm, gentle orange-red hue. It burned quietly, devoid of any violent aura, instead exuding a sense of purity and stability.

Compared to the previous, impure beast fire, it was a difference as vast as clouds and mud!

Su Chen stared blankly at this flame, his mind a complete blank.

Turning stone into gold!

This was the true, heaven-defying ability of this mysterious space!

Trembling, he focused his intent on the "Replicate" option.

A wave of exhaustion, far more intense than when he replicated the candle flame, washed over him, yet it remained within a tolerable range.

Hum!

The stone platform vibrated slightly once again.

A replica, identical in every way to that orange-red flame, appeared out of thin air and hovered silently beside it.

Success!

Purification! Replication!

Su Chen's chest heaved violently, his eyes erupting with an irrepressible, brilliant light.

He felt as if he could already see a golden path stretching infinitely out before his feet.

Ordinary beast fire, due to its impurity and chaotic nature, had limited value and was used only by the lowest-ranking alchemist apprentices.

But beast fire that had been purified possessed refined quality and stable energy; for those apprentices currently striving to break through to higher alchemist ranks, it was an absolute treasure beyond their wildest dreams!

What would the value of such a flame be?

Ten times? A hundred times?

A business plan, bold enough to shake the entire Wutan City, fully took shape within his mind.

He was not going to be a simple flame peddler.

He was going to be the sole supplier of high-quality flames!

He would monopolize the high-end flame market of the entire Wutan City, and perhaps even the vast world beyond!

The corners of Su Chen's mouth curled upward, beyond his control.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dilapidated roof to look toward the center of Wutan City, at the towering Alchemist Guild.

"Alchemist apprentices of Wutan City..."

"Your opportunity has arrived."