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Chapter 569 The Fire of the Seven Great Gates

Xu Yuan currently has two approaches to "refining oneself".

The first method is based on the Dragon Pearl Inner Core and the "Dragon Transformation Technique." After refining myself, I will be able to "merge my two strongest skills into one."

This path will not only allow me to advance to the third tier, but also elevate my strength to a whole new level!

The problem is also obvious.

Neither the Hualong Family nor the Dragon King of the Grand Canal would allow it.

Once I embark on this path, anyone from any of the Dragon Transformation Clan will recognize me at first glance.

However, the reason Xu Yuan still considered this path was because he was clear about one thing:
All the dragon-transforming families are vassals of the Grand Canal Dragon King.

As long as the Dragon King of the Grand Canal agrees to let him cultivate the "Dragon Transformation Method", the Dragon Transformation Clan, no matter how dissatisfied they are, can only endure it.

Obtaining permission from the Canal Dragon King—this seems like a pipe dream, but in the entire Ming Dynasty, there are two beings with the greatest power. Xu Yuan has already met His Majesty the Emperor, so the other, the Canal Dragon King, is not so far out of reach.

The second approach is to continue the previous "fire-refining" method.

Since I draw upon a variety of fires when I refine fire, and my inner fire contains the characteristics of many different types of fire, I will further develop and expand upon them.

In the future, his "internal fire" will be unparalleled in the world.

Fire is the most effective and direct means for cultivators of the seven major sects to suppress evil spirits.

The reason why alchemists can form combat power the fastest at the third-to-last stage is because alchemists have a unique "fire in their abdomen".

The Seven Great Schools, and all other "side schools," were born from learning from and drawing upon evil spirits.

However, cultivators are born with evil spirits as their adversaries.

Therefore, each of the seven major sects actually has its own "fire".

Those who cultivate their destiny are quite special; if their destiny contains the element of fire, then they possess the fire element.

Many cultivators don't have "fire" in their first destiny, but they usually don't participate in battles directly, so whether or not they have "fire" in the early stages is not crucial for them.

However, as one's cultivation level rises and one acquires a new destiny, one will choose a destiny with fire when given the choice.

The essence of divine cultivation lies in the true spirit within the divine.

Their fire is "a spark of fire in God," a spark that is born and accompanies the "true spirit."

Divine cultivators rarely use their "fire" to target evil spirits.

This spark is incredibly precious to those who cultivate the divine, its greatest function being to illuminate, clarify, and enlighten their own true spirit.

It is the fundamental force that ensures the "true spirit" is not contaminated.

If a divine cultivator has to use his own "fire" to burn away evil spirits, it means that all of this divine cultivator's Yin soldiers have been annihilated and he has reached the end of his road.

The most unique among the scholars is that their fire originates from classical texts, from the fire that ignites in their hearts when they read a certain book, a certain historical period, or a certain anecdote.

This "fire" may be due to righteous indignation, ideals and aspirations, or even ambition...

It is called "gentle fire".

However, Wenxiu rarely used his own fire to burn away evil spirits.

This is different from divine cultivation, because literary cultivation often leads to the loss of one's original intention as one cultivates.

The anger and resentment that had been building up when I was a student dissipated.

This "fire" will then weaken, or may even go out completely.

It doesn't affect the level of literary cultivation, but without this "fire," one loses a layer of "protection" in this era full of evil spirits.

Therefore, among the seven major sects, the one with the highest rate of treachery is the one that cultivates literature.

The fire element in martial arts cultivation only emerges after reaching the sixth level and cultivating the "five internal organs' energy."

Because their fire comes from the "heart" among the five internal organs, which corresponds to the "fire" element in the Five Elements theory.

It is called martial fire, or heart fire.

The fire of martial arts practitioners is vast and fierce. Once unleashed, it will rise up in a blazing inferno, burning a sea of ​​fire that covers the mountains and plains.

However, in terms of power, it is not as good as the fire in Danxiu's abdomen.

The fire used by the craftsman is "fire within the orifice".

The craftsman repairs the spiritual aperture.

The more spiritual apertures one opens, the more ingenious one's thoughts become, and the more skillful one's methods become.

It is said that once a craftsman opens all 108 "spiritual apertures" in his body, he can glimpse the secrets of heaven!
Craftsmen also need "fire" to temper and forge their creations. Therefore, when a craftsman begins to learn and open his mind, he will have a spark of fire within him.

Craftsmen generally don't use their fire for combat. Similarly, if a craftsman needs to unleash their "fire from within their aperture" to fight an enemy, it means that all their crafted items have been smashed by the enemy.

They were both in a desperate situation.

The practice of Dharma is too complex, with each "Dharma" having its own lineage, and the fire generated by these Dharmas is also different, making it impossible to discuss them in the same way.

If Xu Yuan continues down the path of "refining fire" and "refines himself," he will gain exceptionally powerful fire abilities.

It would be very advantageous to fight against others and to kill evil spirits.

Both approaches have their advantages. The first approach is more difficult, but it is clearly more in line with the true meaning of "self-refinement".

However, the second approach would provide a greater boost to Xu Yuan's combat power.

It's really hard to judge which is better or worse in a short time.

Xu Yuan then decided to start with the second approach. If the first path proved to be unworkable, he would decisively choose the second one.

Don't waste time.

Try to advance to the third rank before the Ghost Festival, and further strengthen your power before the decisive battle.

As Xu Yuan was pondering this, a voice sounded from outside the door: "My lord?"

Xu Yuan was surprised, then smiled, got up, opened the door, and said, "Our yamen's head steward is back."

Yu Yunhang stood outside the door, smiling and clasping his hands in greeting to the official: "My lord, I'm back."

Yu Yunhang was sent by Xu Yuan to Shangsha County to investigate the case of Lord Wei Gang and Jia Shen.

During Yu Yunhang's absence, the government office did indeed experience some operational disruptions.

Especially in daily affairs, when Yu Yunhang was around, he arranged everything perfectly without making a sound.

No one noticed his role.

But with Yu Yunhang gone, all sorts of problems arose.

The patrol teams inside and outside the city were out of order, a case file was missing, and the various departments in the government office were unable to coordinate, and so on.

Especially in the matter of receiving Lord Banlan and the young master, they were very careless.

Banlan Gong, on the other hand, didn't care much about this aspect.

But the young master is very particular. Fortunately, that's his nature. When he's dissatisfied, he'll complain, and once he's done complaining, it's over. He won't really hold a grudge.

"Come in quickly." Xu Yuan called Yu Yunhang in, then asked, "What exactly is the situation in Shangsha County?"

"We have indeed found some things."

Yu Yunhang didn't go alone; he brought four captains with him, as well as Zhang Meng, who possessed the innate talent for investigation.

Yu Yunhang reported the suspicious points he had found to the adults one by one.

Xu Yuan listened and nodded.

When Yu Yunhang was sent there, it was felt that there might be more to the case than met the eye.

But after his father appeared and they talked several times in his dreams, Xu Yuan had already guessed that it was his father's plan that started with the cooperation between Jia Shen and Gou Zhu.

The victim was brought out step by step.

The suspicious points discovered by Yu Yunhang further confirmed Lord Xu's guess.

After Yu Yunhang finished his report, Xu Yuan nodded and said, "You've worked hard. Go and rest for a bit. Let's leave it at that."

Yu Yunhang replied, "Sir, I'm not tired. I just heard from the brothers that the yamen is very busy right now. If there's anything I need, please let me know."

Xu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony: "We really are short-handed, but..."

Xu Yuan smiled and said, "We can't let you go out again. The yamen has been in chaos while you've been gone."

Choose a few reliable people and send them to Lucheng to investigate that Fu Yangwei.

Yu Yunhang was taken aback and asked, "A member of the Fu family?"

Xu Yuan nodded.

Yu Yunhang: "Your subordinate obeys. But please tell me, sir, what exactly needs to be investigated?"

Xu Yuan didn't hide anything: "The Fu family has quietly planted such a person in Lucheng, they must be after me."

This Fu Yangwei is a fourth-rate thug. You must make it clear to your brothers that you must keep it a secret and not reveal your whereabouts. The Fu family is ruthless, and if they are discovered, they may kill you.

"We don't need to give them any specific tasks, just a thorough investigation into what Fu Yangwei has done in Lucheng and whether he has any plans."

"My subordinate understands."

Yu Yunhang went to make arrangements as soon as he came out.

There are a few promising talents in the yamen who are worth nurturing. If they do well on this assignment, Yu Yunhang will recommend them to Lord Xu.

After his trip to Beidu, Yu Yunhang has come to a clearer understanding that his master's potential has been fully realized, and he will certainly not be confined to the shallow waters of Nanjiaozhi in the future.

Once we go to the Northern Capital and gain power, there will be plenty of opportunities to hire people everywhere.

The current number of people is far from enough, and some of them will inevitably "fall behind".

Therefore, it is important to prepare early.

If he didn't have this plan, then Yu Yunhang has fallen behind.

……

In Lucheng, Fu Yangwei saw off his eldest son and his party through the back gate of the government office.

The eldest son, Fu Yi, is twenty-nine years old this year, but he is not practicing the "Dragon Transformation Method" but the "True Condensation Method".

The eldest son was not born to Fu Yangwei's wives or concubines, but rather to a woman he had slept with when he was young and promiscuous. Unexpectedly, the woman became pregnant.

They wanted to take this opportunity to extort money from the Fu family.

The poor courtesan and her accomplices had no idea what a behemoth the Fu family was, and they were immediately taken into custody by Fu Yangwei's parents.

After giving birth to their child, the two disappeared from the world completely.

The parents did not consult with Fu Yangwei at all when handling this matter.

At that time, Fu Yangwei was not qualified to offer any opinions.

But Fu Yangwei harbored no hatred.

He had no feelings for that courtesan anyway.

The Fu family kept the child because they genuinely needed bloodlines outside the family genealogy to cultivate other techniques.

For example, the "Ningzhen Method" is a secret teaching of the Repentance Sect that the Fu family obtained after they wiped out a branch of the Repentance Sect.

But in fact……

This was simply a tacit collaboration between the two parties.

The Fu family's repentance sect leadership purged a disobedient branch, and in return, the sect offered a secret technique. The Hualong family dared not openly collude with the repentance sect, but they did indeed need the sect's covert assistance in many matters.

Fu Yi is exceptionally talented, and over the years he has worked hard to prove himself to his father.

Unfortunately, the children born to Fu Yangwei's wives and concubines were far less talented in cultivation than Fu Yi.

Fu Yangwei wanted his eldest son to work for him, and he also subtly hinted at this from time to time:
Your younger siblings are all useless; you should try harder.

Fu Yi bid farewell to his father and, leading a group of elite guards raised by the Fu family, mounted his horse and galloped towards Champa.

These assassins were all notorious bandits from Zhengzhou, wanted by the imperial court.

The Fu family took them under their protection and used secret methods to control their lives.

They had no choice but to die for the Fu family.

The real, trained assassins from childhood are not for Fu Yi to command.

When Fu Yi arrived in Champa, he first went to Xiaoyu Mountain and found a suitable evil spirit, which was captured by his assassins. Then he used magic to condense the evil spirit into a "true medicine".

The "Condensing Truth Method" uses evil spirits and strange creatures as materials to condense true medicines and true spirits.

Once Fu Yi's method is activated, the real medicine will take effect.

The moment a thought arises, the spirit will cause trouble!

……

Di Youzhi was in charge of recruiting laborers. He was now a local strongman in Champa, and in just two days, he recruited more than a thousand laborers.

The task of purchasing materials was naturally handed over to Master Xu's own trading company.

The first batch of tools has arrived, including shovels, pickaxes, and wheelbarrows. We will also need some larger crafting tools later, and we have already made contact with suppliers. We don't need to buy those; we can just rent them.

The first thing the laborers had to do was not to dig, but to build the houses they lived in.

The river supervisor granted them a piece of land next to the dock. They didn't need to build anything fancy; they just needed to put up door gods to ensure that evil spirits wouldn't come in at night and drag people out to eat.

Fu Yi sent a henchman to infiltrate the laborers and, at dinner time, threw the "real medicine" into the large pot in the laborers' kitchen.

That very night, the laborers erupted in uproar.

The workers' housing consisted of forty people sharing one large room.

In one of the seven large rooms, the laborers turned into living corpses and attacked people!

Nearly three hundred people were trapped in seven large rooms, and not a single one survived!

These undead then broke out, causing enormous destruction.

Di Youzhi personally lived on the construction site because Lord Xu had specifically instructed him to guard against anyone secretly plotting against him.

So he brought along his men, and they took turns keeping watch at night.

It was precisely because of these arrangements that Di Youzhi reacted quickly after the incident, preventing further casualties.

But once the incident occurred, rumors immediately spread throughout Champa.

It will be extremely difficult to recruit more workers.

As soon as it was light, Xu Yuan arrived at the construction site. Di Youzhi knelt down in front of the official with a thud: "Your subordinate has failed in his duties. Please punish me, Your Excellency."

Xu Yuan's face was ashen. He shouted, "Get up and take me to see what's going on."

"Yes."

Xu Yuan was followed by the coroner from the Champa government.

Most of the hundreds of corpses were mutilated and showed obvious signs of being eaten.

Most of the first batch of undead were burned to ashes by the fire inside Danxiu's abdomen.

But Zhou Leizi used his "male plowing method" and bean vines grew and entangled the three heads.

Now, these three undead are still hissing and roaring, their eyes bloodshot as they try to struggle out and eat people!

With a flash of sword light, a round hole appeared between the corpse's eyebrows.

The mania abruptly stopped, and the zombie's neck lolled to the side, remaining motionless.

The red light in his eyes slowly faded.

Two coroners stepped forward, and Zhou Leizi withdrew his spell. Dou Yang stepped aside, revealing the living corpse inside.

But just as the coroner was about to begin examining the body, the bloodlust in the zombie's eyes suddenly flared up again, and its purplish-black claws shot out like lightning, heading straight for the coroner's face.

At the same time, the broken corpses placed to the side also let out howls one after another, they all turned into zombies!
The two coroners were terrified.

The claws stopped right in front of their eyes.

The zombie's arm was severed by the sword pellet, and then flames roared up from its abdomen.

The zombies were instantly burned to ashes.

Then, the flames expanded, and the raging fire transformed into a sea of ​​fire, engulfing all the mutated corpses.

Hundreds of mangled undead struggled in the sea of ​​fire, ignoring the flames engulfing their bodies, and rushed toward the center of the inferno.

In the middle of the sea of ​​fire, there was an open space where Xu Yuan and others stood.

But no matter how ferocious they were, they could not withstand the fire in Lord Xu's belly.

Before they could escape the inferno, they were all reduced to ashes, broken and sunk.

Di Youzhi's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "My lord, I truly do not know..."

Xu Yuan raised his hand to stop him: "It has nothing to do with you. These evil spirits... are strange!"

But Lord Xu didn't find it difficult. There were two second-rate and several third-rate people in the Champa government. As long as Lord Ruan Tian didn't suddenly break free from his restraints and fight his way out of Ghost Mountain, Lord Xu had nothing to fear in Jiaozhi!

The coroner, with no other option, bowed to Lord Xu and reported, "Sir, we are no longer needed here."

Zhou Leizi was also annoyed: "These evil spirits are so cunning! It's a pity they burned everything, leaving no clues. How are we supposed to investigate now?"

Xu Yuan turned and left with his hands behind his back: "What's there to investigate? Our Champa Bureau doesn't need to bother with investigations right now."

Lord Xu went straight to the government office, but the young master had gone off to play somewhere again today.

Aunt Jiang will definitely be with him, but Old Master Luo will stay at the government office.

He just got back this morning.

Despite his advanced age, Grandpa Luo is still young at heart and physically strong. He stayed at the Minglou Hotel in Zhancheng last night.

This "Minglou" is a nice new place that was opened in Champa after the previous prefect passed away.

The original ones were clearly backed by the former prefect.

It's almost all been poured out.

Minglou is not as good as Xieliu Lane, but it's not far off.

Grandpa Luo didn't immediately agree to Xu Yuan's request, but slowly sipped his tea and said, "Liu Hu's skills are quite good."

"From now on, I will have him make a soup for the old man every day."

Grandpa Luo nodded, stretched out his hands, and made a ripple in the air—as if there were an abacus in front of him.

When calculating the fate of the victim, if the victim's skill level is too high, the old man needs the assistance of craftsmen to make an accurate calculation.

Moreover, at that level of calculation, Grandpa Luo could only perform it once a day at most.

But that's unnecessary today.

Grandpa Luo quickly came to a conclusion: "At the canal dock..."

He gave Xu Yuan the address of a canal wharf. Xu Yuan was very familiar with wharves now and could tell at a glance that it was an inn.

Just as Lord Xu was about to leave, Old Master Luo was about to finish speaking when he continued to manipulate the air with his hands, calculating: "This person is... Fu Yangwei? Hmm, it seems he has some blood relation to Fu Yangwei, but the relationship is very strange... an illegitimate child?"

How did this involve the Repentance Teachings?
The Condensing Truth Technique involves—

At this point, Old Master Luo's hands suddenly paused, and more than a dozen extremely fine wounds appeared crisscrossing on his ten fingers!

Old Master Luo's expression changed, and he immediately stopped moving his hands!
Fine beads of blood slowly seeped from those wounds.

Old Master Luo broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, carefully pulling his hands out—it felt as if… his hands were being held in the mouth of a sleeping giant beast, and if he were to accidentally wake the beast, his hands would be gone.

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed, the sword pellet hovered in front of him, and the fire in his abdomen reached his mouth!

If any further changes occur, Lord Xu will be able to lend a helping hand immediately.

Time suddenly seemed to drag on, and beads of sweat gathered on Xu Yuan's temples, dripping down his face. Finally, Grandpa Luo withdrew his hands and let out a long sigh.

As he lowered his arms, an ancient book slipped out of his sleeves.

Judging from the binding, this ancient book originally had twenty or thirty pages, but now only a few thin pages remain.

The top page features a portrait of Mr. Luo.

The flames ignited automatically, burning away the page above.

The rest is blank.

Old Master Luo was heartbroken: "There are only four pages left. I still need to find another third-rate writer to paint my portrait, which will cost a lot of money and cost my eldest son a favor. Sigh..."

His hands were now covered in blood, but he couldn't put away the ancient book. He could only stretch out his hands in front of Xu Yuan and say, "Hey, alchemist kid, give me some medicine."

Xu Yuan then took two medicinal pills, crushed one and applied it to the wound, and fed the other to him.

Grandpa Luo noticed the wound had stopped bleeding immediately and looked at Xu Yuan with surprise: "Not bad, you're skilled!"

He was overconfident and started calculating without using the abacus. He accidentally calculated something he shouldn't have and almost lost both his hands!

Besides greatly enhancing his calculation abilities, the abacus could also protect him from some dangers.

What cultivators fear most is calculating things they shouldn't, because not only will the object of their calculations be aware of it, but they will also be targeted by something that doesn't exist in the mortal world!
Injuries are the least of your worries; you might end up having your hands examined, your blood drained, or your soul stolen!
However, this injury was no small matter; it was imbued with a strange power that was extremely difficult to dispel.

Old Master Luo had a similar experience before, and he also took the medicine pills of a third-rate alchemist.

But the wound bled for two whole days before slowly healing after the strange power on it gradually dissipated.

Xu Yuan's medicine pills were even more effective than those of third-rate alchemists.

Only Xu Yuan himself understood that the fire in his abdomen, which was used for alchemy, was a fusion of various "fires." The resulting pills might not necessarily be more effective than third-rate ones, but they contained other wonders, such as the ability to dissipate strange powers.

After bandaging his wound, Grandpa Luo first put away the ancient book, then sighed, "I was careless."

"But my calculations should be correct. Go and arrest them."

"This time, I have caused trouble for you, sir. Please rest assured, I will definitely find a way to make it up to you."

Xu Yuan left those words behind and hurriedly led his men away; capturing the person was the priority.

Upon arriving at the canal dock, the criminal was found without any difficulty.

Fu Yi was celebrating with his assassins in the room.

"The young master stirred up chaos at the construction site with just a few moves. Impressive skills!"

"Among the master's bloodline, the eldest son is the most outstanding!"

"Now that this task has been completed, Master should definitely include the eldest son in the family genealogy."

Outside, Xu Yuan was about to make a move when he heard this and stopped. The last "lice" quietly appeared on his fingertip and slipped through the crack in the door.

(End of this chapter)