Cloud Capital

After more than half a year on Big Dipper, Lu Chen finally truly set foot on the Immortal Path. He reached the Life Spring Realm, gained an endless supply of divine power, and could wield all manner of supernatural abilities and spells, becoming an immortal in the eyes of mortals.

A streak of rainbow light crossed the sky, and Lu Chen landed in the little courtyard. The excitement of first acquiring extraordinary power finally settled.

After all, he had once been an ordinary person living in a modern city. Flying through the heavens and burrowing through the earth under his own power had belonged only to myths and legends. Now those legends had come true for him-how could he not be excited?

In the days that followed, old Gu Ling began teaching him some Profound Art techniques. Though they were hardly profound, they were the only supernatural abilities and spells Lu Chen could learn at present.

As for the secret of the syllable "ba" within the Six-Character True Words, the supreme Buddhist divine art he had obtained on Mars, it was not something a mere Life Spring cultivator could wield.

He would have to enter at least the second great secret realm, the Dao Palace Realm, before he could begin to comprehend it. Otherwise, how could it dare be called a supreme divine art?

In just another month, Lu Chen learned every Profound Art technique old Gu Ling knew, making the elderly cultivator marvel that the younger generation was truly formidable.

"I have a daughter named Qingxia. Her aptitude wasn't very good either. Back then, I exhausted all my resources just to set her on the path of cultivation. It's been many years since I last saw her." For some reason, old Gu Ling suddenly began speaking of his family.

"Then it seems I have a senior sister." Lu Chen smiled.

"Ah! Cultivation is difficult. I don't even know what realm she's reached now." Old Gu Ling's expression suddenly grew solemn. "Xiao Chen, your aptitude is exceptional, and your future has no limits. One day, you're bound to reach heights I cannot even comprehend. If fate brings you and Qingxia together, I hope you'll look after her a little for this old man."

Lu Chen nodded earnestly. "Rest assured, Master. Since she's my senior sister, we'll certainly support each other in whatever ways I can."

"Good. With that, I can die content." A smile appeared on Gu Ling's aged face.

Three days later, this old cultivator of mediocre aptitude finally reached the end of his allotted years and passed away in the little town in the Border Wasteland.

In the mountains outside town, Lu Chen personally fashioned a coffin from wood and buried the old man who had guided him onto the Immortal Path, letting his soul return to his native soil.

"Unless you become an immortal, whether you're a Great Emperor standing at the very summit or a low-level cultivator, the years will eventually turn you into a mound of yellow earth." Standing before the gravestone, Lu Chen felt sorrowful.

The Profound Art the old man had taught him could hardly be called extraordinary, but it had helped him set foot on the Immortal Path. That was a great kindness.

Unfortunately, he had already used up the bottle of Divine Spring water he had brought out of the Desolate Forbidden Zone while in the Great Wilderness. Otherwise, he could have prolonged the old man's life for a while.

As for the divine medicines and Precious Medicines he knew of through his "foreknowledge," they were either in terrifying death zones or far away in other regions.

Faced with a million li of unbroken Great Wilderness, and an Eastern Wasteland where crossing between regions meant traveling hundreds of millions of li, he was powerless at present.

Having set foot on the Immortal Path and gained the ability to travel far, Lu Chen finally left the little town in the Border Wasteland.

The Flowing Cloud Dynasty's territory was fairly vast, stretching six thousand li from north to south and four thousand li from east to west. By rough calculation, it covered a full six million square kilometers, more than half the area of China on Earth.

Yet countries like the Flowing Cloud Dynasty were insignificant within the immense Eastern Wasteland, existing in countless numbers. That alone showed how boundless Big Dipper was.

Two days later, Lu Chen entered the imperial capital of the Flowing Cloud Dynasty-Cloud Capital.

It was an ancient city of a million people, the most prosperous place in the country. As he walked along its bluestone avenues, vendors' cries rose one after another, and occasionally he could sense cultivators hidden amid the mortal world.

He wandered around, taking in the bustling atmosphere of this ancient society, then came to a top-class restaurant. The moment he entered, he detected the auras of several cultivators.

Two young men of distinguished bearing sat at a table by the window. They were two of the cultivators in the restaurant.

"Fellow Daoists, pardon the interruption." Lu Chen approached with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting. He wanted to inquire about a few things.

The two young men looked him over, set down their wine cups, and casually returned his greeting. "You're very courteous, fellow Daoist. Is there something you need?"

"I've only just arrived in Cloud Capital. Seeing others who follow the same path, I hoped to ask for some news of the cultivation world. Please forgive the intrusion." Lu Chen explained his purpose.

"I see. Please sit, fellow Daoist." The two young cultivators did not refuse and invited him to join them.

"Thank you." Lu Chen sat beside them, waved over a waiter, and ordered some more wine and dishes.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he asked them, "Do you know where powerful natural divine flames can be found near the Flowing Cloud Dynasty?"

"Natural divine flames!" One of the young men said, "Are you looking to practice Artifact Refining, fellow Daoist?"

"Exactly." Lu Chen nodded.

After cultivators opened their Bitter Sea, the vital essence within it would form strands of Primordial Divine Patterns above its surface. The number of patterns that condensed varied according to their aptitude.

Once the number of divine patterns reached a certain threshold, cultivators would use them to temper their own "artifact" within their bodies.

In theory, they could forge one artifact in each minor realm. Their first artifact would also be their natal artifact, growing stronger as their own cultivation realm rose.

Artifact Refining naturally required flames. Even tempering within the body was no exception. Powerful fire energy was needed to assist the process and complete the forging more quickly.

When Ye Fan first set foot on the Immortal Path, he had not understood this principle, leaving him unable to temper his divine patterns into the shape of a cauldron for a long time.

Later, he turned the tables on Elder Han of Spirit Ruins Paradise and killed him, acquiring the secret alchemy cave abode he left behind. Only after draining all the spiritual energy from its fire vein did he barely manage to temper his Primordial Divine Patterns into the shape of a cauldron.

Lu Chen understood the principle, so naturally he needed to find a place with powerful flames to temper his Primordial Divine Patterns. Otherwise, if he foolishly relied on mental power alone to forge his Life Weapon, how long would it take to give it shape?

Besides tempering the Primordial Divine Patterns of his own Bitter Sea into an artifact, he also had to incorporate powerful materials and forge them into the same weapon shape. Only when the two became one would his natal artifact be complete, allowing it to unleash its full power when wielded.

And his material was Divine Mark Purple Gold, one of the nine great immortal metals. To forge it into shape, he absolutely needed powerful flames.

"Well..." The two young cultivators opposite him thought for a moment before one shook his head. "I've never heard of any place with powerful flames near the Flowing Cloud Dynasty. If you want to practice Artifact Refining, fellow Daoist, I'm afraid you'll have to search for a fire vein in the Great Wilderness yourself. That's what we do when practicing Artifact Refining."

"I truly don't know of any natural divine flames in this region," the other young cultivator said. "But I've heard that in one country in the Southern Region, there's an immense Fire Domain. Many great figures go there to practice Artifact Refining."

"Do you mean the Fire Domain in the Wei Kingdom of the Southern Region?" Lu Chen naturally knew of that region of natural divine flames. Unfortunately, it was far too distant, and he had no way of reaching it now.