Martial Dao Melting Furnace

Deep within Lu Lin's sea of consciousness, an exquisite, compact furnace hovered quietly.

This furnace had existed since the very beginning of his transmigration.

During the first five days, Lu Lin had once been full of anticipation, thinking this was his golden finger. Yet the furnace remained as silent as a dead thing, without the slightest movement, and that anticipation gradually cooled until he had nearly given up.

He had never expected that the instant he dug up that Inferior Spirit Stone, the silence would be broken.

[Inferior spiritual energy discovered. Can be exchanged for one month of bitter cultivation. Exchange?]

This line of text hovered above the furnace, clear and unmistakable.

"Spiritual energy... from the Inferior Spirit Stone? Is this the only thing that can activate this furnace?" Lu Lin's thoughts flashed like lightning. Without the slightest hesitation, he chose decisively...

"Yes!"

The next moment, the Inferior Spirit Stone in his palm trembled slightly. A warm, pure stream of energy flowed out, traveling along the meridians of his hand and surging upward against the current, plunging straight into his sea of consciousness and vanishing without a trace.

At the same time, the silent furnace seemed to have been injected with life, a layer of hazy faint light rising over its surface.

Above the furnace, several new lines of text quietly emerged:

Martial Dao Melting Furnace: Owner, Lu Lin.

Cultivation Time: One month.

Martial Dao Technique: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.

[Cultivation time can be directly infused to improve martial dao techniques.]

The Inferior Spirit Stone in his palm had already turned into a pinch of dull, lusterless ash.

"Martial Dao Melting Furnace! Absorbs spiritual energy, converts it into cultivation time, and directly improves techniques!" A brilliant light surged in Lu Lin's eyes, and he instantly understood its core function. "Let's test the effect... add it for me! Infuse this one month of cultivation time entirely into the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!"

The thought had barely moved!

[After one month of bitter cultivation, the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art has steadily improved and been practiced to the twenty-eighth form.]

In an instant, Lu Lin fell into a wondrous state. It was as if he had personally experienced a full month of bitter cultivation.

Sweat scattered, his muscles and bones ached, and every move and stance was practiced step by steady step. In the end, like water reaching the channel already carved for it, he pushed the technique to the twenty-eighth form! A warm current then flowed through his limbs and bones, dispelling his fatigue and bringing an unprecedented sense of comfort.

The mine tunnel was dark and silent, with only the sound of his own heartbeat. Lu Lin threw down the iron pick without hesitation and immediately began practicing.

The first form, the second form... the twenty-second form, all completed in one breath! Immediately after came the twenty-third form, which had previously been like a heavenly chasm...

This time, his movements were like drifting clouds and flowing water, silky smooth, without the slightest obstruction! The twenty-fourth form, the twenty-fifth form... all the way to the twenty-eighth form, each came in one stroke, until he tried the twenty-ninth form and that familiar tearing agony struck once more.

"It really works!" Lu Lin was wildly overjoyed, almost ready to shout aloud. "One Inferior Spirit Stone equals one month of bitter cultivation! I only need two more, no, at most two more, and I'll definitely be able to master all thirty-six forms and step into the first level of Body Tempering!"

Originally, he had already had no hope and had only been unwilling to accept it, making a dying struggle. But now, he could live.

If one could live, who wouldn't want to live?

He took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, picked up the iron pick again, and his digging movements filled with strength and drive he had never had before.

As the iron pick swung, it even seemed a little lighter.

Unfortunately, his good luck seemed to have run dry. By the time the setting sun sank in the west, aside from digging enough Black Iron Ore—more than three catties—to complete the day's task, he had not seen that milky-white light again.

Lu Lin was not discouraged. Inferior Spirit Stones were rare to begin with. According to the memories of his predecessor, in the two and a half months since he had come here, he had only dug up twelve pieces, averaging one every five or six days.

He still had fourteen days. The chance remained.

Carrying the bamboo basket on his back, he left the mine tunnel. At the entrance, the stewards of the Blood Baleful Demon Sect were counting and registering.

"Kid! Where's your ore? Less than three catties again? Do you want to slack off and wait to die?" A steward with a face full of thick jowls swung his leather whip. With a crack, it lashed across the abdomen of a thin, withered youth, instantly splitting skin and flesh.

The youth spasmed all over from the pain, cold sweat pouring down, but he could only beg in a trembling voice, "Steward, sir... this lowly one really did his best... My luck has been too bad these past few days... Please give me a few more days, I'll definitely make it up... I'll definitely make it up..."

"Hmph, you'd better make it up! Otherwise..." The jowly steward sneered as he registered it in the records, the threat in his tone self-evident.

When it was Lu Lin's turn, the jowly steward looked him up and down with a mocking smile. "You brat, you're actually a good hand at mining. You can scrape together enough every day. What a pity, you're too much of trash when it comes to martial arts. If I remember right... you've got half a month left, don't you? Heh heh, what a shame."

Lu Lin silently handed over the ore, carried his empty basket, lifted his iron pick, lowered his head, and walked quietly back to the communal bunkhouse. After simply wolfing down a few mouthfuls of coarse food, he collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

His body was already exhausted to the limit.

At dawn the next day, shouts rang out again on the martial arts field.

Lu Lin unfolded his stance, driving straight from the first form through the twenty-second, then smoothly and effortlessly striking out the twenty-third form, followed immediately by the twenty-fourth, before stopping at just the right moment, "stuck" there.

He deliberately controlled his progress, not daring to expose the shocking feat of breaking through six forms in a single night. That would definitely draw suspicion.

His plan was to "improve" by one or two forms a day, advancing step by steady step.

Sure enough, the goateed steward only glanced at him a few times with slight surprise and did not investigate further.

"Did you see that! As long as you're willing to put in deathly effort, even Lu Lin can break through! Do you all think you're even worse than him?" The goateed steward seized the chance to loudly berate them, using Lu Lin as an "example" to spur everyone on.

Hope kindled in the eyes of the other martial artists, and they trained even harder.

After cultivation ended, it was mining again, day after day. Unfortunately, his luck was still poor. He only dug up four catties of Black Iron and saw no trace of a Spirit Stone.

Time flowed by in tedium and hardship.

Six days later, when Lu Lin's iron pick once again chiseled open the stone wall and revealed that familiar milky white, his heart gave a fierce jump.

The second Inferior Spirit Stone!

The Martial Dao Melting Furnace responded instantly, greedily drawing in the spiritual energy within it, once again transforming it into one month of cultivation time.

Lu Lin did not hesitate, pouring it all into the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!

[After one month of bitter cultivation, the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art steadily improved, and you trained it to the thirty-fifth form.]

The familiar warm current swept through his entire body once more. Lu Lin immediately began practicing, his moves surging like a roaring river, running straight from the first form through to the thirty-fifth, only to be blocked before the final thirty-sixth form.

"What a pity. Just a little short. But it doesn't matter. I still have nine days. Even without Inferior Spirit Stones, if I train on my own, nine days will be enough."

Lu Lin clenched his fists tightly.

Hope was already within reach.

Night fell. Lu Lin handed in the Black Iron Ore, returned to the shared bunkhouse, ate dinner, then went to bed early.

Two hours later, Lu Lin got up and silently made his way outside.

Although only the final form remained, he did not dare slack off. If he had no time during the day, then he would train at night.

He had to seize every moment and master the last form as soon as possible.

On the martial practice field, the bright moon hung high, scattering strands of moonlight.

Many figures could be seen training bitterly beneath the moonlight.

Here, time was life. He was not the only one cultivating hard in the middle of the night.

Lu Lin did not linger. He left the martial practice field and walked along the mountain path for a while before arriving before a pile of jagged rocks. Then Lu Lin plunged straight in.

In the middle of the rock pile was a flat patch of ground. It was not large, but it was quiet, which suited Lu Lin.

He set his stance and began cultivating from the first form, training all the way to the thirty-sixth form, only stopping when a tearing pain came from his muscles.

He rested for a while, then continued...

Again and again, only after more than an hour did Lu Lin return to rest.

He did not dare overtrain. He had to ensure enough sleep, after all, there was still heavy labor the next day...

Lack of sleep and poor spirits would only make him get half the result with twice the effort.

In the blink of an eye, another five days passed, and Lu Lin once again dug up an Inferior Spirit Stone.

This time, however, Lu Lin only converted it into cultivation time. He did not pour it into the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.

Because he felt that the final form was about to be completed. He was only missing the kick at the threshold.

And there were still four days left.

He wanted to wait until he had mastered it, then add cultivation time and see the effect.

That night, in the rock pile.

Lu Lin cultivated the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art again and again.

On the fifth round...

"Roar!"

A roar, low and deep like the cry of an ancient ape, burst from his throat. A thin layer of blood-colored mist abruptly rose over his body, and his sinews and bones rang together, letting out a dense series of crackling explosions like beans being fried! His muscles knotted like coiling dragons rising and falling. His fists and feet tore through the air, carrying a faint sound of wind being split!

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Lu Lin withdrew his stance and stood still.

Though drenched in sweat, he felt comfortable from head to toe, his spirit complete and his qi full. The world before his eyes seemed to have become clearer and more vivid.

"I did it! The thirty-six forms of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art are perfected, my qi and blood run through my whole body... This is the power of the first layer of Body Tempering!" He walked to the side of a huge rock weighing over a hundred catties, wrapped both hands around it, and lifted it with ease.

It was said that the first layer of Body Tempering possessed three hundred catties of tremendous strength. The name matched the reality.

"The second layer of Body Tempering increases strength by three hundred catties, and the third layer can reach a thousand catties. And breaking through to the fourth layer of Body Tempering, the realm of 'training sinew and flesh,' can grant two thousand catties of tremendous strength... Once the ten layers of Body Tempering are perfected, what kind of scene would that be?" Lu Lin's heart raced with longing.

Body Tempering had ten layers in total, corresponding to the ten layers of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art, divided into four stages: nourishing qi and blood (first to third layers), training sinew and flesh (fourth to sixth layers), tempering bones (seventh to ninth layers), and strengthening the organs (tenth layer), also known as the early, middle, late, and peak stages of Body Tempering.

However, such tyrannical strength was still fragile and unbearable before true immortal masters. This filled him with an even deeper awe and curiosity toward those mysterious, unfathomable immortal methods.

"I have the Martial Dao Melting Furnace. Everything is possible. Add it for me!" With a thought, he willed it.

At once, the qi and blood within his body surged and swelled like boiling water, blazing hot as fire!

[After one month of bitter cultivation, unfortunately, due to the lack of treasures that improve qi and blood, progress was slow, and your qi and blood increased slightly.] Words appeared above the furnace.

Lu Lin sensed carefully. His qi and blood had indeed grown somewhat, but the increase was limited.

"Treasures that improve qi and blood..." Lu Lin murmured.

At the bottom level of this demonic sect, where could he get such resources? He could only rely on time to slowly accumulate them.

At this moment, the Martial Dao Melting Furnace's information updated once more:

Martial Dao Melting Furnace: Owner, Lu Lin.

Cultivation: Body Tempering First Layer.

Cultivation Time: Zero.

Martial Dao Technique: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.

Inner Space: One chi.

"Inner space?" Lu Lin froze, then was instantly wild with joy. In that moment, he understood—this was the storage space opened up by the Martial Dao Melting Furnace!

Concentrating his will, he "saw" inside the furnace, where a tiny space one foot in length, width, and height quietly existed.

He picked up a small pebble, and with a slight thought, the pebble vanished instantly, appearing inside that palm-sized space. With another thought, the pebble returned to his palm.

"Wonderful! This is even more hidden than an immortal master's storage pouch!" Lu Lin felt greatly reassured.

It seemed the marvels of this Martial Dao Melting Furnace went far beyond simply improving cultivation arts.

The next day, early morning.

Only the final three days remained before the three-month deadline.

On the martial drill ground, Lu Lin's figure stretched like a demonic ape, his fist wind howling, his leg shadows lashing like whips as he completed all thirty-six forms of the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art in one breath, practicing them to his heart's content! His movements were rounded and unhindered, and the surging momentum of his blood qi could be clearly felt!

This smooth, flowing breakthrough instantly drew dozens of gazes from all around—envy, jealousy, doubt, excitement... all kinds of emotions intertwined.

"You... actually did it?" The goateed steward could hardly hide his astonishment as he carefully sized Lu Lin up and down.

Over these days, Lu Lin's "steady" improvement had long since caught the attention of several stewards. After all, everyone knew how poor this boy's innate foundation had been before. In the end, they could only attribute it to "thick accumulation bursting forth thinly"—he had seemed dull-witted in the early stages, but in truth, his foundation had been built incomparably solid, and once it erupted, nothing could stop it.

In history, it was not as if there had been no such precedents.

"Open your eyes wide and look carefully!" The goateed steward immediately pointed at Lu Lin, his voice ringing loud. "Heaven rewards diligence! As long as you train like you're courting death, even Lu Lin can break through to the first layer of Body Tempering! Do you all think you're even worse than him?!"

These words were like a shot to the heart, instantly igniting the flames in the eyes of the other martial men!

That was right. If even Lu Lin could do it, what reason did they have to fail? For a time, the shouts on the martial drill ground grew even louder, and the ruthlessness with which they trained abruptly increased by several degrees.

After training ended, the goateed steward called Lu Lin over and handed him a crude little wooden box. The instant the lid opened, a rich and distinctive fragrance spread out, carrying a faint trace of bloodiness.

Inside the box, a round, full medicinal pill, crimson in color like a bead of blood, lay quietly.

"Blood Qi Pill!" Lu Lin's pupils shrank slightly.

This item was refined primarily from the fresh blood of spirit beasts. For Body Tempering martial men, it had a miraculous effect in nourishing blood qi and accelerating cultivation!

"Correct." The goateed steward closed the wooden box and stuffed it into Lu Lin's hands. "According to the Demon Sect's rules, anyone who steps into the first layer of Body Tempering may receive one Blood Qi Pill every ten days. Take it and cultivate properly." His tone was flat, without the slightest trace of praise.

"Many thanks, Steward." Lu Lin accepted the wooden box and bowed, but his heart felt not the slightest bit relaxed.

He knew very clearly that this was no gift. Stepping into the first layer of Body Tempering meant their "use value" had increased, making it worth the Demon Sect's investment of this tiny bit of resources to "nurture" them slightly. But if they could not meet higher requirements later, their end would only be worse than being fed to Demon Wolves... their essence blood would be drained dry, and they would be refined into "human pills."

"Mm." The goateed steward nodded expressionlessly, then his tone suddenly turned cold. "Since you're at the first layer of Body Tempering, your strength has increased. Naturally, the Black Iron Ore you hand in each day must also increase. From today onward, six jin per day! Do you understand?"

Lu Lin's heart chilled, and he lowered his head as he replied, "Understood!"

They really were ruthless! He had just broken through, and the task had immediately doubled!

He tightly gripped the wooden box containing the Blood Qi Pill, a flame burning in his chest:

"Just wait... With this Martial Dao Melting Furnace... one day, I will rise! I will use martial might to fell immortals and carve my way out of this Blood Baleful Demon Cave!"