"Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus? What grade of divine ability is that?"
Lu Ming rubbed the space between his brows, which ached slightly, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes. From the information he had received in his mind, this mysterious divine ability had no grade at all.
Even so, Lu Ming could still sense that this mysterious divine ability seemed extraordinarily unusual.
The immortal, magnificent air it gave off, along with a hint of destruction that made the soul tremble, all proclaimed how extraordinary it was.
He closed his eyes slightly and sensed the Divine Ability Bone within him.
The Divine Ability Bone was glazed in color, clear and flawless, with five strands of Glazed Heavenly Light circling it. It seemed to have been born from the concentrated Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and was filled with an air of mystery.
But some flecks of gold still remained on his glazed Divine Ability Bone, the root cause of its failure to truly become a Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone.
Even so, Lu Ming was already satisfied. After all, his current "Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone" had been won for him by the Lu Clan's ancestors with their own blood and bones and the foundations they had accumulated over a hundred years.
Lu Ming also saw a divine ability imprint on his Divine Ability Bone that had not been there before.
It was a mysterious fire lotus imprint, brimming with unimaginable spirituality. As the light of its flames flickered, it seemed to breathe, just like a living thing.
It seems to be a fire divine ability, but what can it do?
Just as Lu Ming was wondering, the fire lotus imprint suddenly released a suction force, swallowing every bit of Primordial Qi in his body. The next moment, the flames on the lotus brightened, forming a ring of fire that slowly swept across his Divine Ability Bone.
An indescribable heat rose up, so intense that Lu Ming felt a burning pain.
But the next moment, Lu Ming sharply sucked in a breath of cold air.
As the ring of fire spread across his Divine Ability Bone, he saw clearly that some of the gold flecks on it had quietly vanished.
A tiny wisp of glazed radiance emerged and joined the five strands of "Glazed Heavenly Light" already circling the Divine Ability Bone, making them a little clearer.
The Fire Lotus Mark, meanwhile, gradually dimmed, as though its power had been exhausted.
Lu Ming stared blankly at the sight, stormy waves surging in his heart.
This mysterious fire lotus could actually temper a Divine Ability Bone and raise its grade?!!
That was simply unheard of!
Anything in the world capable of raising a Divine Ability Bone's grade was an exceedingly rare and precious spiritual medicine or great pill. Even divine ability grandmasters would be tempted to fight over one.
Yet this mysterious fire lotus could do just that!
If he kept tempering it over time, wouldn't Lu Ming be able to cultivate nine strands of "Glazed Heavenly Light," make up for its flaws, and gain a true Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone?
At the thought, Lu Ming's breathing grew heavy.
A divine ability like this was simply too incredible. No wonder the powerful being who had schemed against the Lu Clan coveted it so deeply, even going so far as to lay a vicious curse on the Lu Clan's bloodline.
In his excitement, Lu Ming carefully contemplated it, and more information flowed through his mind. This divine ability called "Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus" seemed to have two effects.
The first was "refining," and the second was "fusion."
The so-called "refining" should be the effect he had just seen: tempering a Divine Ability Bone and raising its grade.
As for this "fusion"...
It actually uses an extremely profound method to fuse various heavenly and earthly Spirit Fires into a fire lotus. Its power... cannot be measured or fathomed; it bears the essence of destruction.
Lu Ming was surprised. This divine ability certainly made some bold claims. But although he still did not know just how powerful this technique of "fusing flames into a lotus" was, at the very least, its ability to "refine bone and raise its grade" truly surpassed his imagination.
With that thought, Lu Ming opened his eyes. Whatever the case, this mysterious "fire lotus divine ability" was indeed a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Is there anything else?"
Lu Ming looked around curiously. The Lu Clan had paid an unimaginable price for this opportunity, and he had entered this place carrying his ancestors' hopes. He had to eat his fill to do them justice.
As he looked around, Lu Ming immediately noticed that after the stone lotus had turned into a fire lotus and vanished, three mottled stone platforms stood off to one side ahead.
Lu Ming hurried over. As he drew closer, he saw that each platform held a lotus pedestal cast from stone, and at the centers of the pedestals were three extremely tiny flames.
"These are... three flame seeds?"
Lu Ming was a little surprised. He looked at one of the flame seeds, which was emerald green. Though it was extremely faint, the vibrant vitality it gave off was astonishingly powerful.
Strangest of all, at the heart of the tiny flame was a little medicinal herb.
A flame seed that looked like a medicinal herb?
Lu Ming was amazed. Just then, he felt the "Fire Lotus Mark" on his Divine Ability Bone tremble slightly, as if transmitting some information.
Flame of Life: it could extend life, heal injuries, and was adept at nurturing all manner of herbs.
The simple information made Lu Ming's pupils abruptly contract, and he could not help showing his shock. This so-called "Flame of Life" could actually extend lifespans and heal injuries. More importantly, it also possessed the special ability to nurture all manner of herbs. Any spiritual herb placed in the fire would grow faster, gaining in age and medicinal potency.
"Hiss, what a peculiar flame."
Lu Ming marveled. The "Flame of Life" had a gentle nature, making it extremely weak in attack, but its abilities to extend life and nurture spiritual herbs could fully make up for that shortcoming.
"I never thought such a wondrous Spirit Fire existed in the world." Thunderfire Hall specialized in certain fire divine abilities, so Lu Ming knew there were many Spirit Fires of extraordinary power in the world. But this was truly the first time he had heard of a flame like the one before him that could nurture spiritual herbs.
Unfortunately, the "Flame of Life" was currently just a flame seed and had not yet become a true Spirit Fire. Even if it did, its abilities would still need to be cultivated and gradually strengthened.
Lu Ming looked at the second stone platform. The faint flame rising from the seed there was milky white, with the faint shadow of a lotus at its center.
Lu Ming stared at the milky-white flame, and his vision gradually grew blurry. He abruptly came to his senses, a trace of lingering fear rising in his heart as he looked at the flame with newfound wariness.
Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame: it purified all things, bewitched minds, and controlled people like slaves.
"This flame can actually bewitch people's minds. It's only a flame seed, yet I nearly fell for it. If it were at its peak, wouldn't a single glance turn me into its slave?" Lu Ming could not help taking a step back. He then went around it and walked toward the first stone platform.
At the center of this stone platform was a perfectly round, pitch-black bead, with black flames drifting slowly upward. The black fire was extremely strange: it seemed both real and insubstantial. Though plainly there before his eyes, it was like a mass of nothingness that could not be touched.
Lu Ming also sensed that as he approached the pitch-black flame seed, a suction force seized his Primordial Qi and silently drew it into the seed.
His Primordial Qi had actually been devoured.
Void Devouring Flame: born in the void, without form or shape, it could swallow the heavens and devour the earth.
Lu Ming gazed at the three wondrous flame seeds and stood there in a daze for a long while, his heart surging. Was this the opportunity the Lu Clan's ancestors had preserved only by paying the tragic price of their clan's near-annihilation...?
No wonder it had drawn covetous eyes and schemes.
Whether it was the Fire Lotus Mark or the three extraordinarily wondrous flame seeds before him, each was an unimaginable divine treasure.
If he used and nurtured them well, they would surely become his greatest source of confidence on the great path of divine abilities.
"Can I take these flame seeds?"
After some thought, Lu Ming walked toward the "Flame of Life" seed to try. Of the three flame seeds, only this one was somewhat gentle. The other two made his heart tremble, so to be safe, he would test the "Flame of Life" first.
He reached out to grasp the "Flame of Life" on the stone platform.
When his palm was still about a foot away from the "Flame of Life," a soft halo spread from the top of the stone platform, protecting the flame seed within it and bouncing Lu Ming's hand away.
"Sure enough, it's not that easy to take..."
Lu Ming had expected as much. He clenched his hand into a fist, circulated the Primordial Qi in his body, and smashed his fist hard against the light barrier, sending ripples across it.
"With my current strength, I can't break through this light barrier." Lu Ming made an estimate. If he wanted to break the barrier and take out the "Flame of Life" seed, he would probably have to complete at least three rounds of bone refinement.
He then boldly tried the "Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame" and "Void Devouring Flame" seeds as well. He found that their stone platforms also had protective light barriers, and judging by their strength, they were even stronger than the one around the "Flame of Life."
Seeing this, Lu Ming could only abandon the idea of taking the flame seeds for now. He was in no hurry, though. The opportunities inside the black ring had already far surpassed his imagination, and he believed that with his "Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone" and the power of the mysterious fire lotus, he would break through to the Dharma Rune Realm sooner than expected.
Lu Ming raised his gaze toward the depths of this space, where a mysterious mist made it difficult to see. He did not know whether other secrets lay hidden there.
He tried to enter, but the mist was like a barrier, preventing him from going any farther.
Lu Ming grew thoughtful. His strength was insufficient; perhaps only when he grew stronger in the future would he be able to break through the mist and explore more of this place's secrets.
At that thought, Lu Ming took another look at the mysterious space. Then, with a thought, his figure instantly turned insubstantial and vanished.
The mist-shrouded plaza fell silent once more.
Only the three flame seeds on the stone platforms continued to flicker gently with tiny flames, as they had since time immemorial, eternally unchanged, as though they had witnessed the passage of endless ages.