"Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, run one hundred times!"
Ten days later, a thunderous voice rang through his mind. A warm current surged throughout his body, and the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art underwent its first enhancement.
The enhanced Heavenly Furnace was no longer illusory. It had become almost tangible, silver-white from the inside out, and exuded an air of nobility and grandeur.
"The furnace has changed, and the speed at which it consumes spiritual power is terrifying, too."
Chen Changming silently sensed the change. Fortunately, his spiritual power was abundant, so he didn't need to worry about that.
Now that the Heavenly Furnace had become tangible, Chen Changming decided to undergo another body-tempering session.
As torrents of spiritual power poured into the Heavenly Furnace, the inside was no longer filled with boiling water. Instead, silver flames blazed within. Their temperature was the same as before, but their body-tempering effect had increased tenfold!
Chen Changming's skin grew ever tougher and denser, becoming extremely hard.
Three hours later, even with his Dantian full of spiritual power, the Heavenly Furnace had drained it all.
"According to the technique, once my skin has been tempered to silver, hard as iron and impervious to blades and spears, I can cultivate the second layer's formula."
Weak as he was, Chen Changming felt the enormous changes in his body and smiled in satisfaction. The Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art truly lived up to its reputation as a Nascent Soul-level technique. Though it was difficult to get started and slow to cultivate, the rewards were just as great. The wait had been worth it.
The second layer's formula involved tempering the muscles.
The Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art progressed from skin to flesh, going deeper layer by layer until the entire body had been tempered into something immensely powerful. At the highest levels, one's body could withstand Flying Swords and magical treasures head-on.
If a cultivator got too close, a single slap could kill them.
That was the strength of Body Cultivators.
"Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, run one thousand times!"
Three and a half months later, Chen Changming finally saw the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art undergo its second enhancement.
After this enhancement, the Heavenly Furnace turned gold.
The flames formed from the spiritual power flowing into the furnace also became a regal gold. Their body-tempering effect increased tenfold once again, but so did their spiritual power consumption. For the first time, Chen Changming found that the spiritual power in his Dantian wasn't enough.
"Perhaps I can take a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill now."
A thought occurred to him, and he immediately took out a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill and swallowed it.
Boom!
As soon as the pill went down, it unleashed an astonishing surge of spiritual power. Chen Changming hurriedly circulated the Evergreen Art, guiding it into his Dantian. The Dantian quickly filled, and the remaining spiritual power began to run amok inside his body.
He swiftly circulated the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, pouring the spiritual power in his Dantian into the furnace.
Like this, he continuously converted spiritual power, keeping the flames in the Heavenly Furnace burning.
Chen Changming continued tempering his body.
His skin began to turn silver, a sign that he had successfully cultivated the first layer of the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art.
But the silver skin appeared for only a moment before streaks of gold crept across it.
Could these golden flames let me temper my skin until it turns gold?
The youth wondered silently.
Though both were silver, his skin had become far stronger after the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art was enhanced. If he could now temper it until it turned gold, his skin's defensive power would reach a terrifying level.
A month later.
After consuming dozens of High-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, his cultivation had advanced further. He was now only one step away from the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Another month passed.
After using up all his Spirit Gathering Pills, he finally broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. By then, the golden lines on his skin had multiplied, and they seemed close to spreading across it completely.
A year later.
Chen Changming's entire body was gold, giving him an astonishing appearance.
The Heavenly Furnace disappeared.
The gold vanished, too, and his skin returned to normal.
As long as he circulated the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art, his golden skin would reappear. Even without the gold, his skin was extremely hard in everyday life, and blades and swords could hardly harm him.
At last, he had successfully cultivated the first layer of the Heavenly Furnace Body-Forging Art.
That year, the youth was sixteen, and his cultivation had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
In the eyes of others, such progress was slower than a snail. A sixteen-year-old at the fourth level of Qi Refining was utterly worthless.
Chirp, chirp...
A string of chirps came from his chest. They were made by the Spirit-Devouring Insect.
"I've nearly forgotten about this little fellow!"
Chen Changming slapped his thigh. In recent years, he had been cultivating like mad and had completely forgotten about this little insect.
He looked down and immediately grinned.
The Silver Insect had turned gold, too. It seemed that it had also been tempered by the Heavenly Furnace, and its tiny body should have become much harder.
The insect's aura had also risen to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
That meant it was now a mid-tier, first-level Beast.
"You little insect, you're no ordinary creature. You didn't die, and you even tempered your body just like me."
Chen Changming stroked the insect and spoke with a chuckle.
The Spirit-Devouring Insect moved its tiny mouth and suddenly spat out a stream of silver spiritual power. It kept spitting out more and more until the power formed a sphere the size of a Pigeon Egg.
"What's this?"
Feeling the astonishing spiritual energy radiating from the Pigeon Egg, Chen Changming was a little bewildered.
The energy's aura was remarkably similar to that of a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill!
The Spirit-Devouring Insect flew over with the Pigeon Egg and brought it to the youth's lips, chirping.
"You want me to eat it?"
Chen Changming reached out and caught the Pigeon Egg.
The Spirit-Devouring Insect nodded gently.
"Fine, I'll give it a try."
Chen Changming put the Pigeon Egg into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
Boom...
The Pigeon Egg transformed into a massive surge of spiritual power. The force of it was no weaker than that of a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill.
The youth hurriedly sat cross-legged and circulated the Evergreen Art.
Now that he was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, his Dantian's capacity had expanded again. Taking a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill no longer posed any danger to him.
After a while.
Chen Changming opened his eyes, a look of delight flashing across them.
The Pigeon Egg really was just like a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill. He had never imagined that the golden insect had such a miraculous ability.
Thinking of how that terrifying amount of spiritual energy had flowed into the insect during his cultivation, he understood.
This insect was no ordinary creature.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators had not been searching for the Man-Eating Flower Demon. They had been after this miraculous little insect.
"Do you have any more?"
The youth asked with an eager smile.
The Spirit-Devouring Insect beat its wings and chirped, seeming to tell him that there were no more.
The youth felt a little disappointed.
But then he thought about how the insect was only a mid-tier, first-level Beast. Being able to spit out a single dose of spiritual power comparable to a High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill was already impressive.
The surprise came the next day.
That day, the Spirit-Devouring Insect spat out another Pigeon Egg, exactly like the one from the day before.
At once, the youth understood. The golden insect could spit out one Pigeon Egg a day, which meant he could enjoy one High-grade Spirit Gathering Pill every day.
"No wonder so many people were looking for you. You're really something..."
The youth murmured to himself.
For a moment, he felt immensely fortunate that he had carried Senior Sister away on his back and run, sprinting a thousand li through the night and putting Cloud Mist Mountain far behind him. That way, even if those Foundation Establishment cultivators came back, they wouldn't be able to find him.
Without realizing it, he had escaped a calamity.
Otherwise, when those people came back, they would certainly have found the insect on him. To cover their tracks, they would have killed him to silence him.
At the thought, cold sweat broke out across Chen Changming's back.
This world was too chaotic. Now there was an even more powerful force at his heels, and if he returned to Lingxiao Sect, they might discover him, too.
After all, there were too many suspicious points.
Back then, he had been a mere third-level Qi Refining cultivator, yet he had survived the Beast Tide and returned to the sect safe and sound.
Then, he had suddenly disappeared.
Those Foundation Establishment cultivators must have suspected that he had obtained this miraculous little insect. They had planted spies throughout Lingxiao Sect and even across Yue Kingdom. The moment he went out, they would discover him.