The Furnace Exploded—Where the Hell Was My Hair?

"Moo moo!"

Big Black Ox kept kneading his shoulders. It could not handle such delicate work, only rough labor.

"Old Ox, it's fine. I need a few days to recover my mana."

"Moo!"

Big Black Ox answered that even if he took a few years, it would be fine.

Another three days passed before Chen Xun restored his depleted mana. Today, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit surged as he shouted:

"The auspicious hour has arrived! This Seat is Starting the Furnace to Refine Pills! May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and give Chen Xun some face!"

"Moo moo moo moo!"

The pill furnace spiraled into the air, and stalk after stalk of spiritual herbs continued flying into it. Before long, there were once again puddles upon puddles of wasted medicinal liquid. Cold.

Another three days passed. His mana recovered, Chen Xun sat cross-legged, veins bulging on his arms as he roared:

"The auspicious hour has arrived! This Seat is Starting the Furnace to Refine Pills! May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and give Chen Xun some face!"

"Moo moo moo moo!"

The pill furnace spiraled into the air, and stalk after stalk of spiritual herbs continued flying into it. Before long, there were once again, once again puddles upon puddles of wasted medicinal liquid. Cold.

A month later, Chen Xun's fingers trembled faintly and the corners of his mouth twitched as he said softly:

"The auspicious hour has arrived. This Seat is Starting the Furnace to Refine Pills. May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and give Chen Xun some face..."

"Moo..."

The pill furnace spiraled into the air, and stalk after stalk of spiritual herbs continued flying into it. Before long, there were once again, once again, once again puddles upon puddles of wasted medicinal liquid. Freezing cold.

Another month passed. Big Black Ox was listless, while Chen Xun's eye sockets had sunk deep and his hair flew wildly about. In a trembling voice, he said:

"The auspicious hour has arrived. This Seat is Starting the Furnace to Refine Pills. May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and give Chen Xun some face, please."

"Moo~..."

The pill furnace spiraled into the air, and stalk after stalk of spiritual herbs continued flying into it. Yet this time, the fragrance of medicine wafted forth, and Chen Xun finally grasped the essence.

A gleam flashed in Big Black Ox's eyes. It slowly stood up, desperately wanting to say the words "fucking awesome," yet unable to force them out.

"Old Ox, I did it! I did it, hahaha..."

Chen Xun chuckled madly, his eyes bloodshot as though he wanted to swallow the pill furnace whole. So many spiritual herbs—who knew how many spirit stones had gone down the drain.

Sure enough, in this Cultivation World, not even dogs would become pill refiners. It was only barely acceptable if an immortal sect had your back.

"Moo moo~~" Big Black Ox was incredibly excited. Looking at the dozen-plus pure white pills, it kept kneading Chen Xun's shoulders.

The medicinal fragrance filled the entire Mountain Cave. It was simply too wonderful.

"Record it first. This is all experience."

Chen Xun had nearly lost himself in delight, but this was the Major Event. He promptly took out a booklet and began writing and drawing, reviewing it every day. Time was what he lacked least.

"Old Ox, try the effects."

"Moo."

They each flicked a pill into their mouths. It slid down smoothly, and Chen Xun and Big Black Ox both jolted as pure medicinal power spread through their bodies.

That feeling was like... roaming the ocean, yet being incomparably free, bringing the utmost pleasure.

"Comfortable..."

Chen Xun could not help saying it. As the medicinal power spread, the bottleneck seemed to loosen. Another Heavy Feather Pill entered his mouth, and he continued refining it.

Cheerful mooing rang continuously from Big Black Ox's mouth as it sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Fucking awesome!!"

"Moo!!"

The third pill entered their mouths, and the bottleneck that had held them back was like floodgates thrown open. They instantly broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement! Chen Xun and Big Black Ox jumped around in Great Joy. They did not want to be stuck to death at some realm.

"Don't refine pills this month. Stabilize our realm first."

Chen Xun said excitedly, "Then let's find a river and take a bath. We'll start the furnace next month!"

"Moo moo." Big Black Ox nodded furiously. All things were difficult at the beginning.

In the days that followed, they lived a Three points and one line life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset—cultivating seeds, refining pills, and cultivating.

Another year passed in a rush. The Ascension Convention opened as scheduled, yet Ox-Leading Bandit No Longer Existed.

The Liao Family was furious. They had once again set an ambush for nothing, with strength they had nowhere to use. No one knew what the bandit looked like, much less where it came from. It was as if it had vanished from the face of the earth.

Inside the Mountain Cave, Chen Xun added Longevity Points to the Essence of All Things again.

In the latter half of the year, Chen Xun successfully refined three more furnaces of pills. They ate pills while consolidating their realms, neither arrogant nor impatient. To Chen Xun and Big Black Ox, time was the cheapest thing of all.

Walking steadily With Each Step was what mattered most. They had now broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement—terrifying indeed!

"Although these spiritual herbs have extremely harsh growing conditions, our Essence of All Things seems capable of overcoming everything."

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox opened another chamber within the Mountain Cave. It was filled with spiritual herbs, all several decades old.

He had read in the Compendium of Spiritual Herbs that these spiritual herbs had to grow in Spirit Soil. They could not be planted in ordinary dirt.

"Moo~"

Big Black Ox looked upon their domain and beamed with joy. Spiritual energy practically rushed into their noses, and they now cultivated here.

"It's just that this Pill Refining Furnace is far too flimsy."

Chen Xun frowned, always feeling that the furnace was not quite right. "Looks like we'll have to replace it someday."

Big Black Ox nodded. It did not understand pill refining very well, but it felt that the outer shell of the Pill Refining Furnace had deteriorated somewhat.

In the second year, though Chen Xun did not refine pills, he remained extremely busy, constantly studying the Compendium of Spiritual Herbs, reciting and researching it every day.

Big Black Ox managed the patch of spiritual herbs. Once they reached maturity, it picked them and placed them in the Medicine Box.

The days ultimately passed peacefully. There were not so many troublesome matters coming to their door.

Another Ascension Convention came, bringing many unfamiliar faces. They were filled with ambition and high spirits, determined to ascend in a single stroke.

Some familiar faces merely shook their heads and sighed. That Year, they had mocked the people wearing Ox-Leading Bandit masks, but now they themselves wore masks. With the opportunity right before them, resentment inevitably stirred in their hearts.

They looked down on the mortal world. They would rather grow old and die in Nine Stars Valley than return in disgrace. Who knew how many withered bones lay buried deep within the Ningyun Mountain Range.

Those selling booklets, on the other hand, were filled with Great Joy. There were more and more people in the same trade now, and they were in dire need of fresh blood.

What most people did not know was that there were actually many Ascension Conventions like this. The Ten Great Immortal Sects would not hold them in only one place.

The Liao Family also gave up completely and continued doing business in Nine Stars Valley. It was only a small matter; there was no need to let others laugh at the Liao Family for being petty.

That bandit had probably been gnawed until its Bones Gone by some demon beast, they thought.

Inside the Mountain Cave, after Chen Xun added Longevity Points to the Essence of All Things, he calmed his mind and gathered his spirit, preparing to start the furnace and refine pills.

Big Black Ox had prepared the spiritual herbs and acted as a cheerleader at the side, vigorously rubbing Chen Xun's shoulders and back.

"Now that This Seat's mana has greatly increased, I wish to start the furnace and refine pills. May Immortals and Buddhas bless me and give Chen Xun some face!"

Chen Xun's gaze sharpened. His robes fluttered without wind, and his black hair drifted upward behind his back. The sense of ceremony was fully maxed out.

"Moo~~" Big Black Ox let out a long bellow.

Chen Xun's technique was practiced. Stalk after stalk of spiritual herbs rapidly entered the furnace, all going smoothly.

Originally, refining one furnace of pills required three days of recovery. Now, he needed only two.

Time rushed by, and more than half a year had passed when a deafening blast suddenly erupted from the Mountain Cave. The Pill Refining Furnace exploded...

Chen Xun's face was covered in black soot, his face full of bewilderment as thick black smoke poured from his mouth. He now had a horseshoe bald hairstyle, the entire patch in the middle blown away.

"Moo!!"

Big Black Ox's eyes were full of panic. It snorted out heavy breaths and hurried forward to inspect him. Thankfully, he was unharmed.

In an instant, its legs went weak. Its large eyes curved into crescents as it took tiny steps backward, its belly constantly twitching while suppressed Sounds of Nasal Breath continued to escape.

"The furnace actually exploded."

Chen Xun frowned slightly, still not realizing the severity of the problem. "Looks like magical artifacts suffer wear and tear too."

"Why does the top of my head feel a little chilly?"

Chen Xun sensed that something was terribly wrong. He touched it with his hand, then touched it again. His features gradually twisted. "WHERE THE HELL IS MY HAIR!!!"

A lion king-like roar of fury rang through the Mountain Cave, shaking loose bits of stone.

"Caw caw..."

Big Black Ox was nearly done for. Strange cries came from its mouth; it had never seen Chen Xun look like this before.

Chen Xun silently pulled the Bandit Mask over his head. His blood-red eyes turned toward Big Black Ox. "Old Ox, die for me!"

"Moo~~!!!"

A heaven-shaking scream erupted from the Mountain Cave, like the sound of slaughtering a cow during New Year.