Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art

"This Lingxiao Sect is no longer a place to stay. I must seek another path. If I don't leave soon, the moment that Qin Changtian returns, I fear I shall be in grave danger..."

Chen Changming muttered to himself, turned, and exited the Lingxiao Sect, heading straight for Lingyun City.

The journey was exceptionally smooth, leading him directly to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, where he met the Young Lady.

The woman in white looked at Chen Changming and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Chen, what brings you here in such a rush? I recall you went to Cloud Mist Mountain; why have you returned so quickly?"

"A beast tide occurred. I nearly lost my life, so I hurried back."

Chen Changming sighed, raised the Storage Bag in his hand, and said with deliberate earnestness, "Young Lady, I have over a dozen first-rank early-stage demonic beasts here. May I ask if the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is buying?"

"Naturally, we are."

The Young Lady smiled and gestured for Shopkeeper Xu to enter, taking the Storage Bag to tally the contents.

Chen Changming remained silent for a few breaths before speaking slowly, "Young Lady, I wish to go to the Ziyuan Secret Realm to cultivate."

"Has someone threatened you?"

The woman in white knitted her elegant brows, instantly sensing the unease deep within the youth's bones.

"The Blood Demon Sect sent people to infiltrate Cloud Mist Mountain to assassinate me..." Chen Changming did not hide it; since many people had seen it at the time, he confessed the matter to the woman in white.

The woman in white frowned upon hearing this.

"You are but a lowly outer sect disciple; how did you incur a grudge with the Blood Demon Sect?"

"A while ago, while executing a mission in Penglai Village, I killed a severely wounded Blood Demon Sect disciple. This person was named Leng Shankui, and it is said he held some status within the Blood Demon Sect..."

Chen Changming told her the truth.

"So it was someone from the Leng family; that explains it."

The woman in white looked enlightened. She waved her hand with a smile and said, "Very well. I have the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion guarding the Ziyuan Secret Realm, so it is quite safe. You may cultivate there!"

Chen Changming hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Shortly after, under the escort of a man from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Chen Changming successfully entered the Ziyuan Secret Realm.

"At last, I am safe for the time being."

The moment he entered the secret realm, the youth let out a sigh of relief, and the heavy boulder that had been pressing upon his chest finally fell away.

The Ziyuan Secret Realm boasted beautiful scenery, ample food and drink, rich spiritual energy, and guaranteed safety—it was the perfect place for him to lie low and develop his strength in silence.

After entering the medicinal field and patrolling for a round, he discovered there was no need for watering, so Chen Changming left the area.

Because he intended to cultivate here for a long time, he needed to build a cave dwelling far from the medicinal fields to ensure it remained relatively quiet and free from easy disturbance.

The Ziyuan Secret Realm was not small; it contained several large mountains stretching for hundreds of miles. After crossing a few peaks, the youth stopped beside a small river.

"This place is good."

Chen Changming looked around, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

With a river in front, mountains behind, and dense vegetation all around, the environment was secluded and the air fresh.

The youth walked to the cliff face, drew his Purple Lightning Sword, and began to dig into the rock to carve out his cave dwelling.

He did not worry about being seen with this sword.

Because the guards of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion were all stationed at the medicinal fields ahead, there was not a single soul here.

An hour later.

The cave dwelling was finished. Chen Changming used stones to carve a stone bed, table, stool, stove, and other items to facilitate his daily needs.

"I wonder how effective this High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill is..."

He sat on the stone bed and took out a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill, observing it for a moment, yet he lacked the courage to consume it.

He only knew that one Mid-grade Spirit Gathering Pill was equivalent to ten Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. If one followed this ratio, then this single High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill would be equal to one hundred Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.

If he were to consume it rashly, his body would not be able to withstand it.

Two more Storage Bags appeared in Chen Changming's hands, taken from those two Blood Demon Sect disciples.

After a thorough search, the youth was quite disappointed. Aside from some gold and silver, the two Storage Bags contained fewer than ten Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills in total—they were even poorer than he was.

Chen Changming swallowed a Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pill and began to cultivate the Evergreen Art.

Two days later, having exhausted all his Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, he went to the medicinal fields and intentionally chatted with the guards to secretly gather information.

Two or three hours later.

Chen Changming returned, satisfied.

He had already figured it out: one High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill was equal to one hundred Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills. Unless one possessed superior aptitude or a powerful physical body, one must never consume it lightly, or the spiritual energy released by the pill would cause one to burst.

"My dantian capacity is naturally large; even if my spiritual roots are inferior, perhaps I might be able to consume a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill..."

Back inside the cave dwelling, Chen Changming's expression shifted for a long time, yet he still lacked the courage to consume the High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill.

After a while.

He decided to cultivate the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art instead.

This body-forging technique was currently the most powerful cultivation method in his possession, capable of taking him directly to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Previously, he had only grasped the first layer of the incantation, but because the difficulty of practicing it was so high, he had not continued at the time and had left it shelved until he picked it up again now.

The first layer of the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art required the use of spiritual power to construct an illusory furnace—the Heavenly Furnace.

Then, one had to temper their physical body within that furnace.

This first step, however, stumped Chen Changming.

Given his aptitude, it took a full half-year before he could condense even half of a transparent Heavenly Furnace, and it lasted for a very short time, vanishing in just a few breaths.

Another half-year passed.

Chen Changming was finally able to condense a complete Heavenly Furnace, though the duration was still very short, falling far short of the technique's requirements.

The Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art required the Heavenly Furnace to be sustained for three hours to be considered qualified.

Only when the Heavenly Furnace was stable could one proceed to the subsequent tempering of the physical body.

My aptitude really is trash...

Chen Changming felt helpless, but since he had chosen this path, he would have to swallow his teeth and keep going even if they were shattered.

Fortunately, throughout this year, he had continued to practice the Evergreen Art, and his cultivation had grown slowly, though he had not yet broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Chen Changming had originally thought that since the Heavenly Furnace had been successfully condensed, sustaining it for three hours would be quick, but he had not expected that the span from a few breaths to three hours would cost him another year.

All in all, it had taken two years for this Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art to be considered initially mastered.

This year, Chen Changming was fourteen.

The Evergreen Art had not yet reached its fourth breakthrough, but he had a premonition that it was coming soon; once the Evergreen Art broke through, it would also greatly increase his cultivation speed.

With the Heavenly Furnace successfully condensed, he began the formal body tempering.

Only by successfully tempering his body within the Heavenly Furnace for three hours would it signify that he had officially mastered the first layer of the technique.

Whoosh, whoosh... Chen Changming circulated the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, and the spiritual power within the Heavenly Furnace emitted a sound like boiling water, the temperature inside the furnace rising sharply as he felt a scorching heat searing his skin.

This first layer was for tempering the skin.

After only half an hour, Chen Changming could no longer persist and had to stop.

His first formal body tempering was a failure.

He was not discouraged; he had endured so much hardship to practice this technique, and he believed he could withstand this extreme pain as well.

Through constant attempts, extending the time little by little, Chen Changming was finally able to temper his body within the Heavenly Furnace for three hours after another year.

The youth had finally officially mastered it!

And in his heart, he looked forward to the first enhancement this technique would bring!