"I can't stay in Lingxiao Sect any longer. I have to find another way out. If I don't leave soon, I'll be in danger once Qin Changtian returns..."
Chen Changming muttered to himself, turned, and left Lingxiao Sect, heading straight for Lingyun City.
He made the journey without a hitch and arrived at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, where he met the young lady.
The White-Clad Woman gazed at Chen Changming and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Chen, what brings you here in such a hurry? I remember you went to Cloud Mist Mountain. How did you return so soon?"
"A beast tide broke out. I nearly lost my life, so I hurried back."
Chen Changming sighed, raised the Storage Bag in his hand, and said with deliberate seriousness, "Miss, I have more than a dozen first-level, early-stage Beasts here. Does the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion buy them?"
"Of course."
The young lady smiled and had Shopkeeper Xu come in to take the Storage Bag and assess its contents.
Chen Changming fell silent for several breaths, then slowly said, "Miss, I'd like to cultivate in the Ziyuan Secret Realm."
"Has someone threatened you?"
The White-Clad Woman's brows knit slightly. She immediately sensed the unease deep in the young man's heart.
"The Blood Demon Sect sent someone to sneak into Cloud Mist Mountain and assassinate me..." Chen Changming didn't hide anything. Quite a few people had seen it, after all, so he explained the situation to the White-Clad Woman.
The White-Clad Woman frowned when she heard the whole story.
"How did a lowly outer disciple like you provoke the Blood Demon Sect?"
"Some time ago, I was on a mission in Penglai Village and killed a gravely wounded disciple of the Blood Demon Sect. His name was Leng Shankui. I heard he held some standing within the sect..."
Chen Changming told her the truth.
"So he was from the Leng Household. No wonder."
The White-Clad Woman's expression cleared. She waved a hand and smiled. "Very well. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion protects the Ziyuan Secret Realm, so it's quite safe. You can cultivate there."
Chen Changming quickly thanked her.
After that, escorted by a man from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Chen Changming entered the Ziyuan Secret Realm without incident.
"At least I'm safe for now."
The moment he entered the secret realm, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. The massive stone weighing on his chest finally fell away.
The Ziyuan Secret Realm was beautiful, with plenty to eat and drink, abundant spiritual energy, and reliable security. It was perfect for keeping a low profile and quietly building up his strength.
He went to inspect the medicinal fields. After confirming that they didn't need watering, Chen Changming left.
Since he planned to cultivate here for a long time, he needed to build a cave dwelling far from the medicinal fields. That way, it would be quieter, and people wouldn't disturb him easily.
The Ziyuan Secret Realm was quite vast, with several mountain ranges stretching for hundreds of miles. After crossing a few peaks, the young man stopped beside a small river.
"This place will do."
Chen Changming surveyed his surroundings, satisfaction showing on his face.
A river flowed before him, mountains rose behind him, and dense vegetation surrounded the quiet spot. The air was fresh.
The young man walked to the cliff face, took out the Purple Lightning Sword, and began carving out a cave dwelling.
He wasn't worried about anyone seeing the sword.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's guards were all stationed at the medicinal fields up ahead, and there wasn't another soul in sight here.
An hour later, the cave dwelling was finished. Chen Changming also cut a stone bed, table, stools, stove, and other furnishings from the rock for everyday use.
"I wonder how effective this High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill is..."
Sitting on the stone bed, he took out a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill and examined it for a while, but still couldn't bring himself to swallow it.
He only knew that one Mid-grade Spirit Gathering Pill was equivalent to ten Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. If the same ratio applied, then one High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill would be equivalent to a hundred Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.
If he took it rashly, his body might not be able to withstand it.
Chen Changming took out two Storage Bags. They belonged to the two disciples of the Blood Demon Sect.
After searching through them, the young man was rather disappointed. Aside from some gold and silver, the two bags contained fewer than ten Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills combined. They were even poorer than he was.
Chen Changming swallowed a Spirit Gathering Pill and began cultivating the Evergreen Art.
Two days later, after using up all his Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, he went to the medicinal fields and struck up a casual conversation with the guards, discreetly fishing for information.
Two or three hours later, Chen Changming returned satisfied.
He had figured it out: one High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill was equivalent to a hundred Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. Unless one had exceptional talent or a powerful physique, it was absolutely unwise to take one lightly. Otherwise, the spiritual energy released by the pill would swell the body until it burst.
"My dantian has a large capacity to begin with. Even with my poor spiritual roots, maybe I can still take a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill..."
Back in his cave dwelling, Chen Changming's expression shifted for a long while, but he still couldn't bring himself to swallow the High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill.
After a while,
he decided to cultivate the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art.
This body-tempering technique was the most powerful cultivation art he had at the moment. It could be cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Before this, he had only grasped the first layer's incantation. But cultivating it had seemed too difficult, so he had set it aside and only picked it up again now.
The first layer of the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art required him to use spiritual energy to construct an illusory furnace—the Heavenly Furnace.
Then, he would temper his body inside it.
This first step stumped Chen Changming.
With his level of aptitude, it took him a full six months to condense half of a transparent Heavenly Furnace. It lasted only a few breaths before vanishing.
Another six months passed.
Chen Changming finally managed to condense a complete Heavenly Furnace, but it still lasted only a short time—nowhere near the duration required by the cultivation art.
The Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art required the furnace to last three shichen to be considered adequate.
Only when the Heavenly Furnace was stable could he proceed to temper his body.
"With my aptitude, I really am useless..."
Chen Changming had no choice. Since he'd already chosen this path, he had to grit his teeth and swallow the bitterness.
Fortunately, he continued cultivating the Evergreen Art throughout that year, and his cultivation slowly increased, though he still hadn't broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Chen Changming had thought that, since he had successfully formed the Heavenly Furnace, lasting for three shichen would come quickly. But he hadn't expected that going from a few breaths to three shichen would take him another year.
All told, it had taken two years for the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art to reach the initial stage.
That year, Chen Changming was fourteen.
He still hadn't broken through the Evergreen Art for the fourth time, but he had a feeling it was close. Once the Evergreen Art broke through, it would greatly increase the speed of his cultivation.
With the Heavenly Furnace successfully formed, he began the actual body-tempering.
Only when he could temper his body in the Heavenly Furnace for three shichen would he have officially mastered the first layer.
Whoosh, whoosh... Chen Changming circulated the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art. The spiritual energy inside the furnace roared like boiling water, and its temperature rose sharply. He felt the scorching heat sear his skin.
The first layer tempered the skin.
After just half a shichen, Chen Changming couldn't endure it any longer and had to stop.
His first attempt at actual body-tempering had failed.
He wasn't discouraged. He had suffered so much to cultivate this art. He believed he could endure even this unbearable pain.
With repeated attempts, he gradually lasted longer. At last, after another year, Chen Changming could temper his body inside the Heavenly Furnace for three shichen.
The young man had finally mastered the first layer!
And he eagerly anticipated the first strengthening this cultivation art would bring!