Blazing Heartfire, Lineage Children

Flames were the origin of human civilization, the most violent force between heaven and earth. They were also the power of creation, the supreme method of refining all things upon the path of cultivation.

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Alchemy required fire, artifact forging required fire, and even tempering the flesh and cleansing the marrow could not do without the aid of flames.

Using wood to kindle fire, then using the flames to refine spiritual energy—this upgraded refinement method made Jiang Xuan's efficiency in converting mana several times greater than when he had merely tainted it with his qi and blood.

Coupled with his use of the Azure Glaze Sword as a guide to draw in the vast quantities of wood-element spiritual energy around him, Jiang Xuan refined an extraordinary amount of mana in an extremely short time, far surpassing his usual output.

Better still, the [Clear-Heart Mirror] had long since thoroughly mapped the nine apertures around his heart. Thus, none of this refined mana went to waste—he could even nourish several apertures in one breath.

He thought it, and he did it. With this method, during the latter half of today's morning class, Jiang Xuan nourished even more apertures than he had during the first half.

"Four. Together with the three in my liver, that makes seven."

Yet despite opening so many apertures, Jiang Xuan showed not the slightest joy. His face was instead full of bitterness.

"A miscalculation. I never expected using wood to kindle fire to trigger such a violent reaction."

Opening apertures was certainly cause for celebration, but what had burned just now was no ordinary fire. It was heartfire ignited with his own qi and blood, blazing directly at the source of his heart.

This blazing heartfire was a supreme tool for refining spiritual energy, but it was also a bottomless pit that devoured energy.

In only a few brief moments, all the qi and blood in his body had been burned away.

Moreover, because the heart was the root of qi and blood, and the fire Jiang Xuan had lit had burned in his heart, it had drawn heavily upon his life essence, inflicting a slight injury upon his foundation.

That was plain to see from his current state.

"Huff..."

The instant he stopped cultivating, Jiang Xuan felt wave after wave of darkness sweep across his vision. His face was pale as paper, devoid of the slightest trace of color.

On top of that, the loss of qi and blood made it feel as though all strength had been drained from his tendons and bones. Even lifting a hand felt unbearably heavy.

His breathing was rough and weak, making him look exactly like a consumptive invalid who had been bedridden for years, every breath accompanied by a dull ache tugging at his chest.

"Cough, cough..."

"This is troublesome. This kind of loss can't possibly be made up with just an afternoon of rest. Tonight's cultivation will be affected."

The aftermath of a single cultivation session was so severe that Jiang Xuan naturally felt vexed. Fortunately, it was not all bad news.

With Unity of Man and Sword, Clarity of the Spirit Platform, and the blessing of [Heart: Sincerity], Jiang Xuan had poured nearly all his focus into cultivating the One Qi Sword Art. With his heart sincere toward the sword, his comprehension of the sword path had grown ever deeper. After a morning of cultivation, the progress of his One Qi Sword Art had surged by several hundred points in one go.

[You cultivated the One Qi Sword Art. Technique progress +13]

[You understood the relationship between the liver and wood, gaining insight into the profundities of the One Qi Sword Art. Technique progress +72]

[You understood the mutually generating cycle of wood and fire, heart and liver. Technique progress +117]

[You...]

When the string of notifications ended, Jiang Xuan's One Qi Sword Art had reached Realm 2, Proficient (619/4000).

"As expected of a Purple Precious Grade profession. With the support of two major passive abilities, I can already be considered a genius of the sword path. The minor achievement of the One Qi Sword Art, which others regard as a heavenly chasm, is no obstacle to me at all. At most, I'll be able to push it to the minor achievement realm within ten days."

Naturally, this progress would not catch up to the first round of assessments, but Jiang Xuan had never believed the academy's assessments would consist of only one round.

"The second round of assessments is when this sword art will truly come into its own."

"Huff..."

As he looked at his status panel, Jiang Xuan covered his chest and struggled to breathe through waves of stabbing pain.

Just as he thought he would need at least the time it took to drink a cup of tea to recover, a worried voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Brother Jiang, are you all right?"

The abrupt voice made Jiang Xuan turn his head. Then he saw that it was Dong Hao.

After calling out, Dong Hao did not wait for Jiang Xuan's response. He stepped forward, steadied Jiang Xuan's unsteady body with one hand, then half-supported and half-carried him toward his own seat.

As they walked, he earnestly advised, "Brother Jiang, you absolutely must not be so reckless in cultivation next time. Excessive loss of qi and blood can truly damage the foundation of the flesh directly."

"Even now, you need a serious tonic. Fortunately, I brought Three-Origin Yang-Returning Soup today. It is especially good at replenishing depleted vital energy, and it tastes excellent as well. Brother Jiang is in for a treat today."

"Uh..." Dong Hao's posture of insisting on taking him to eat spiritual cuisine left Jiang Xuan both embarrassed and deeply resistant.

What had happened to his father made Jiang Xuan wary of casually accepting others' kindness—when it came to the things of cultivation Aristocratic Clans, if you took too much, you truly had to repay them with your life.

With that lesson from the past before him, Jiang Xuan struggled slightly and directly refused. "Brother Dong, thank you for your kindness, but there's no need. I'm fine... cough, cough..."

Jiang Xuan's stiff-necked refusal left Dong Hao both speechless and even more determined.

In truth, seeing Jiang Xuan injured actually made Dong Hao somewhat pleased—if Jiang Xuan had been perfectly fine, where would he have found the chance to bestow favors?

And Jiang Xuan's refusal made him see even more clearly that this was a man of principles.

This sort of person was precisely the kind that someone like Dong Hao, born into a merchant lineage, most wished to bestow favors upon.

"Having principles is good. The more someone has bottom lines and knows gratitude, the more they understand that a drop of kindness must be repaid by a gushing spring. When the time comes, I won't even need to say anything—you'll repay me severalfold, perhaps even tenfold."

With his Treasure-Appraising Eye, he had long since noticed Jiang Xuan's talent. Now, he also knew that Jiang Xuan was a man who valued gratitude and kept his word.

Therefore, when faced with Jiang Xuan's refusal, Dong Hao not only did not let go, but supported him even more firmly.

He half-forcibly led Jiang Xuan toward his seat, feigning displeasure as he said, "Brother Jiang, don't try to act tough at a time like this. I know you have backbone and don't want to accept another person's favor for no reason. But no matter how much you value your backbone, you cannot neglect your body."

"At this rate, you could easily damage your foundation and affect your future cultivation."

"You wouldn't want your injuries to cause all your efforts to go up in smoke when you forge your Dao Foundation in the future, would you?"

To make Jiang Xuan accept his kindness, he added, "If it truly won't do, just consider it a loan from me. You've already borrowed from me once, so borrowing once more makes no difference."

With things put this plainly, Jiang Xuan truly could not keep refusing.

What was more, his body genuinely needed replenishment right now.

In the end, Jiang Xuan stopped struggling and refusing, though he firmly remembered this favor in his heart.

"I owe another favor... Fortunately, it's only the favor of a meal. I can repay it."

Thus, supported by Dong Hao, Jiang Xuan set foot in the front section of the training ground for the first time.

Only then did he truly feel the extravagance and deep foundations of the children of cultivation lineages.

At Star Daoist Academy, Dong Hao actually kept a maid by his side. The girl named Nan Zhi was not an ordinary servant; she was an officially enrolled student of the academy, and whether in the aura around her or in Spirit Root talent, she was even slightly superior to Jiang Xuan.

And cases like Dong Hao's, where students entered the academy accompanied by maids and Daoist Acolytes, were everywhere in the front section.

Quite a few lineage children had more than one or two people around them. Qin Feng, the most talented among them, had a full seven people serving him. And around that group of Daoist Acolytes and maids stood another crowd gazing eagerly, hoping to fill an opening.

Not all of these people were servants born into the Qin Household. Many came from humble backgrounds.

Their initiative in currying favor was not because they were willing to demean themselves. The truth was that following an Aristocratic Clan prodigy like Qin Feng brought real, tangible benefits.

"By following a prodigy like Qin Feng, no one dares bully you in daily life. More importantly, after entering the Divine Firmament Sect's gates in a hundred days, every Outer Disciple must work in exchange for sect contributions."

"But even though everyone works, there are all sorts of twists and turns within it. With someone looking after you, you can obtain idle assignments rich in benefits. Even with mediocre talent, resources piled high can still offer some hope of Foundation Establishment."

"Conversely, ordinary students with neither backing nor connections can only take those grueling jobs that are heavy in workload and offer no freedom. Not only do they earn few resources, but more than half their cultivation time is squeezed away."

With one side gaining and the other losing, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth, cloud and mud.

"No wonder they act this way... For ordinary students with neither great talent nor distinguished family backgrounds, this truly is the best way out."

After sighing, Jiang Xuan shook his head and looked around again. Then, not far from him, he saw Zhou Lin, the original owner's childhood sweetheart.

At that moment, she was carefully opening a food box, spreading out a brocade tablecloth, and serving a refined girl with lowered eyes and a submissive manner.

"That should be Su Linyin."

Unwilling to become too entangled with her, Jiang Xuan merely glanced over before quietly shifting his gaze away.

While Jiang Xuan used the chance to survey his surroundings and silently grasp the living ecology of the lineage children, Nan Zhi had already opened the food box, taken out dish after dish of spiritual cuisine, and arranged them neatly upon the tablecloth.

The Dong Household's foundations were indeed extraordinary. Not only was the food box Nan Zhi had brought to the academy exquisitely crafted, it was also engraved with a constant-temperature formation that could seal in spiritual energy and retain warmth.

As each dish of spiritual cuisine was taken from the food box, it was still steaming as though it had just come out of the pot.

The instant the lid opened, a rich, mellow, tantalizing fragrance mixed with abundant spiritual energy rushed directly at them.

This spiritual cuisine was not only delicious, but also contained exceptionally rich and pure vital energy, making it especially effective at replenishing the body's deficits.

Jiang Xuan's physical essence was depleted to the extreme right now, leaving him at his most "hungry." At the scent, his Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably as he forcibly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Seeing this, Dong Hao chuckled softly.

"After cultivating all morning, Brother Jiang must be hungry. To be honest, I've long been starving as well. Hurry and eat. My mother prepared far too much for me, and I can't finish it alone. Leaving it untouched would just be a waste."

As he spoke, he personally handed a pair of clean bamboo chopsticks to Jiang Xuan and warmly urged him to begin eating.

Since things had come to this, Jiang Xuan no longer stood on ceremony.

"Thank you, Brother Dong."

"It actually worked?!"

"Why?"

At the rear of the training ground, the students who had thought Jiang Xuan was merely putting on an act were all stunned where they stood when they saw Dong Hao take him away again and treat him like an honored guest.

No matter how they thought about it, they could not understand what Jiang Xuan, whose Spirit Root was only Profound Middle Grade, had that was worth Dong Hao treating him so differently.

Dong Hao's string of actions even gave many of them an absurd thought. "Could Dong Hao be an idiot? Does he just like entertaining people who put on airs?"

The instant that thought surfaced, they snuffed it out themselves.

After yesterday, quite a few people had imitated Jiang Xuan and performed all kinds of strange actions. Yet no matter how much those people fussed about, they had not drawn even half a glance from Dong Hao.

"What exactly is Jiang Xuan hiding?"

Filled with confusion, many grew increasingly envious and jealous of Jiang Xuan.

But some began to entertain a different thought.

"Could Jiang Xuan actually be capable? Are we simply blind and unable to see it?"

While those at the rear of the training ground discussed Jiang Xuan heatedly, quite a few lineage children in the front, along with their accompanying maids and Daoist Acolytes, also turned their gazes toward him.

It could not be helped. Dong Hao's treatment of him was simply too exceptional, and it was currently the noon break, so everyone had ample leisure to watch the spectacle.

Fortunately, though the gazes directed at Jiang Xuan were either disdainful or intrigued, most merely looked once. No one came over to pick a fight.

But just when Jiang Xuan thought he could finish his meal in peace and return, one of the lineage children not far away, someone from roughly the same circle as Dong Hao, suddenly approached with a dark expression.

"Dong Hao, what are you doing?! You've made our entire group lose face!"

The furious, dissatisfied accusation instantly wiped the smile from Dong Hao's face, and his expression darkened.

"Guo Shaoshang, what I do is not for you to point fingers at!"

"And lose face? I don't recall doing anything shameful."

Glancing sideways at Jiang Xuan, Guo Shaoshang snorted coldly. "You still say you haven't! Bowing and scraping before a lowborn student, currying favor with a mud-legged nobody like this—you've trampled the faces of us lineage children into the dirt!"

"Open your eyes and look around! Everyone else is laughing at us!"

The gazes around them did indeed carry a hint of mockery, but Dong Hao's expression did not waver in the slightest. He merely sneered. "To let others' gazes sway your mind—Guo Shaoshang, you truly are useless trash that cannot be propped up."

"And I do not recall Star Daoist Academy—or the elders of the Divine Firmament Sect a hundred days from now—looking at one's origins when evaluating rank. Strength and talent are the only passes that let us establish ourselves in the Divine Firmament Sect."

"Trash is trash. You can't even tell what matters most."

"You..."

Seeing Guo Shaoshang's fury mounting, with an open quarrel with Dong Hao about to erupt, another youth from their group immediately stood and stepped between them.

"Enough, enough, you two. We are on the same team. It is far too worthless to quarrel over a lowborn student."

After placating them, the youth named Zeng Jun glanced at Jiang Xuan, then smiled at Dong Hao. "Brother Dong protects Jiang Xuan so fiercely. It seems you think very highly of him?"

"Of course." Dong Hao nodded, making no attempt to hide his regard for Jiang Xuan. "In my view, Brother Jiang's potential is greater than that of the vast majority of lineage children. He will certainly enter the Dao-Bearing Class with a 'Good' rating, and in the future, he may even become a true fellow disciple of ours."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Guo Shaoshang. That phrase, "greater than the vast majority of lineage children," clearly carried another meaning.

Those words made Guo Shaoshang's anger surge even higher.

Before he could erupt, Zeng Jun stepped forward again, wearing an impartial expression. "Since Brother Dong thinks so highly of him, while Brother Guo remains unconvinced, why not make a wager? Set ten days as the limit and bet on whether Jiang Xuan or Shaoshang will be the first to open thirty-six apertures and obtain a 'Good' rating."

To make Dong Hao accept the bet, he added, "If you win this wager, I will never object again if Jiang Xuan wishes to join our team in the future."

Upon hearing this, Nan Zhi, who had been standing by in attendance, could not help secretly transmitting her voice to Dong Hao. "Young Master, be careful. You're being set up! That Zeng Jun clearly sent Guo Shaoshang over to provoke trouble on purpose, intending to spur you into making this wager!"

After hearing his maid's warning, Dong Hao showed no surprise whatsoever. He merely sent back a faint reply, his tone full of understanding. "I know—this scheme was something I deliberately pushed along and personally brought about."