Divine Fire Refining the Heavenly Body

The great black cauldron trembled, radiating waves of precious light. Its lid was jolted open from time to time, stirring hundreds upon thousands of streams of divine radiance.

As time passed, it seemed to come alive, as though it were breathing. With each breath, it "swallowed" vast quantities of sacred substance descending from the heavens.

At the same time, the flames burning beneath it began absorbing the faint mist stirred up by the falling starlight. The fire grew fiercer, until it enveloped the entire cauldron.

"This is... the theoretical legend-divine fire refining the heavenly body?!" Only now did the old chief finally remember why these scenes had seemed familiar. They matched an account in one of the five pill formulas passed down by their ancestors: the strongest foundation-building baptism.

No wonder he had felt this was unlike a medicinal bath. No matter how extraordinary a medicinal bath might be, it could never give rise to such phenomena. The significance was entirely different.

"Chief, what did you say? What is divine fire refining the heavenly body?" The villagers were baffled. They had never heard of such a thing, and their curiosity was instantly ignited.

"It is an ancient legend, a theory that exists only in conjecture." The old chief seemed deeply excited, as though he had witnessed a legend being born. "According to the pill formulas passed down by our ancestors, even without cultivating bone text or divine radiance, one can reach an inconceivable level through physical training alone. That is an innate body.

"By conjecture, once such a person reaches attainment, their arm strength alone would be enough to seize a god. Needless to say, their growth after undergoing refinement by divine fire would be even greater."

"What? How is that possible?!" Cries of shock rose one after another. Reaching a level where one could capture and kill gods through physical training alone—was that still human? Not even a Primordial Era true-blood could do that.

"Indeed, how could it be possible? That is why the pill formulas passed down by our ancestors call it a conjecture from theoretical legend." The old chief first agreed with the villagers, then changed tack. "But since this conjecture was recorded in the five pill formulas, it means there was a path ahead that could be glimpsed. And hasn't it been proven now?"

"This..." Many villagers opened their mouths, wanting to speak. But facts spoke louder than words, and they fell silent, their thoughts surging.

"Chief, is this really possible? I mean, could something else have caused this situation? For instance, might he once have been a powerful cultivator who has now lost his cultivation?" Though the truth was right before their eyes, many still could not believe it. They could not comprehend that anyone could be so formidable as to reach that level through physical training alone.

"Impossible. If even you could think of it, how could our ancestors not have tried it? According to the records, such shortcuts are not recognized and would diminish the attainment." The old chief shook his head.

"Could someone that formidable really exist in this world?" Even after hearing the old chief's explanation, the skeptical villagers could not come to terms with it for a long time. They felt as though all their years of living had gone to the dogs.

"There are always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens! Legend has it that the children of heaven-ranked primordial ferocious beasts can unleash a force of a hundred thousand jin even as newborn cubs. I believe there must also be exceptional people among the human race, favored by The Heavens," the old chief said.

"Ah!" Everyone cried out, profoundly shaken by the comparison.

If Di Yi truly was exceptional, like a heaven-ranked primordial ferocious beast, capable of exerting a hundred thousand jin of force in childhood, how terrifying would he be now that he was grown?

Even millions or tens of millions of jin might fall short.

Perhaps he really could seize a god through strength alone.

And now, undergoing the refinement of divine fire and absorbing the divinity within the essence of primordial remnants, he would likely rise to an even higher level.

There was no need to think twice. He would surely enter an utterly terrifying realm, fearless even when facing several gods alone, and perhaps even able to turn the tables and kill them.

"Come to think of it, I really... don't think I've ever seen Di Yi use runes, or seen any sign of him wielding a Precious Technique." At that moment, Shi Yunshan recalled his experiences traveling with Di Yi and murmured, "He doesn't even know much about cultivation. He didn't know what blood moving was. Could it be... gulp."

He swallowed hard,

and the more he thought about it, the more shaken he became. Splitting mountains and shattering rocks came as naturally as breathing; capturing and killing huge beasts was as easy as taking something from a pouch. Thinking back carefully, it seemed that all Di Yi had ever displayed was physical strength.

"Yunshan, is what you say true?! If so... this will be a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for Stone Village!" Hearing Shi Yunshan's words, the old chief's eyes suddenly lit up, and a plan began to form in his mind.

He could see that someone who could prove the existence of divine fire refining the heavenly body would inevitably reach heights unmatched by anyone before or after him, enough to stir the winds and clouds beneath all of heaven.

Helping an established powerhouse and helping one who was about to grow into his power held entirely different meanings. Through this, Stone Village might gain the friendship of a future supreme being.

"Glug, glug..."

Compared with the scattered conversations outside the great black cauldron, its interior was another world entirely.

As the process of "blood activation" grew ever more profound, the light emanating from the creatures' blood and the essence of their five viscera inexplicably took on the forms they had possessed in life, resembling one deity after another.

They bared their fangs and brandished their claws, spewed clouds and mist, and let out peals of thunder. Drawing on the light of divine radiance, they attacked Di Yi fiercely with astonishing force.

Di Yi paid them no mind and let them attack.

He felt no pain. On the contrary, their attacks left him feeling wonderfully comfortable, like a massage, as though even his hidden ailments had improved considerably.

A medicinal bath like this... I need to warn Stone Village not to use it carelessly on those little rascals. Di Yi knew he was different. If the old chief saw that he was unharmed and tried to recreate the experience for those little rascals, things would go badly. He needed to give him a warning.

If those little rascals underwent such a medicinal bath, never mind whether they could survive-even breathing would be difficult.

And even if they could breathe, that would only mean they had cleared the first hurdle. Many more torments awaited them.

For instance, the liquid in the cauldron continually entered his body through its openings, flushing through him. To his senses, it felt like fine needles passing through him one after another. If those little rascals experienced it, the pain would surely be little better than having their bones split and their flesh ground.

Then there were the ferocious beasts formed from the creatures' blood and the essence of their five viscera. Those inflicted genuine pain upon flesh and skin that even adults might not endure. If those little rascals experienced it, they might well die of pain on the spot.

Beyond those, there were other intense stimuli, likely enough to send those little rascals through the gates of death several times over.

Thus, time flowed slowly onward. Without realizing it, Di Yi assumed a solemn, sacred bearing, immersed in a wondrous state.

Streams of light rushed into his body. They were celestial light that had slipped in from outside the cauldron, roaming ceaselessly through his flesh and blood and helping him absorb the creatures' blood and the essence of their five viscera.

Meanwhile, the pores all over his body opened, releasing tiny motes of light, as though something were condensing within them. They shone in harmony with the crystalline divine radiance inside the cauldron.

If anyone from Stone Village could have seen him, they would have recognized what Di Yi was undergoing.

His flesh and blood were producing mysterious patterns-great dao fragments-which merged into his blood and stimulated divine radiance, thereby refining the creative power of heaven and earth to nourish his body.

In other words, he had crossed the threshold into true attainment. Without realizing it, he had entered the blood moving realm land and stepped onto the first stage of the path of cultivation.