Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 536 Refining the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame

While Master Yuxiao was exploring, Ji An and the other person chatted idly.

"Senior brother, how confident are you in your guess?"

A flash of memory crossed Zhengyang Zhenren's eyes as he said:

“I retrieved the records from the Treasure Pavilion and carefully compared them with the spiritual objects that have repeatedly erupted from Crimson Flame Peak. I believe there is a greater than 50% probability that there is a dried-up spiritual vein underground.”

The probability is not low; it's worth taking the risk.

Ji An scratched his head, and said excitedly:

"If there really are depleted spiritual veins deep within the Earth's core, what would they leave behind?"

A third-tier spiritual vein—who knows how many treasures it might contain? The sect will become richer, and everyone's lives will be better.

"Junior brother, didn't you already check? There will be many fire and metal elemental spirit items, so the possibility of finding spirit stones is already very low."

Master Zhengyang sighed, "Spirit stone veins are eroded by magma and it's almost impossible for them to survive."

Ji An smiled and said:

"If we can obtain a batch of third-tier spiritual items, the sect's treasury will be greatly enriched."

"Haha, then we'll have the resources to buy more batches of medicinal herbs, giving you more opportunities to practice."

The two chatted happily, as if they had already discovered that they possessed a depleted spiritual vein.

Half an hour later, Master Zhengyang became a little nervous. He stood up and paced back and forth.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and still no sign of Master Yuxiao appeared.

He paced faster and faster, occasionally pausing to stare at the scorching lava lake, his eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Ji An advised:
"Senior brother, please stop walking back and forth, you're making my eyes blurry."

Senior Brother Yuxiao must have discovered something, otherwise he wouldn't have taken so long.

No monk would joke with his life, so he wasn't too worried.

The reason they haven't come out for so long is probably because there are many branching paths in the underground tunnels, which would greatly affect the efficiency of exploration.

Master Zhengyang remained silent, partly out of concern and partly because he knew there was no way to rescue his junior brother if he were in danger.

The two started chatting again, but their eyes were fixed on the lake.

Two quarters of an hour later, the magma in a certain area in the center of the lake suddenly split apart, and Jade Cloud Immortal flew out from it.

He had a bright smile on his face and was holding a fist-sized Fire Crystal in his hand.

Master Zhengyang's serious expression immediately relaxed, and he laughed heartily:
"It looks like you've brought good news."

Master Yuxiao landed beside them, nodded, then shook his head:
"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Master Zhengyang rebuked him harshly, "Don't be so boring, just say it!"

"The good news is that there is indeed a dried-up spiritual vein, but the bad news is that it will be very difficult for us to obtain the spiritual items."

Master Yuxiao described in detail the situation inside the passage. It wasn't complicated, but it was quite deep.

With the power of a mid-grade third-tier fire-avoiding pearl, it's not enough to dive deeper, otherwise it might cause varying degrees of damage to the magic weapon.

Master Zhengyang reached out his hand, "Give me the Fire-Avoiding Pearl, I want to go and see it for myself."

Master Yuxiao handed over the Fire-Avoiding Pearl and the dark jade bottle containing the stalactites. "Wait a moment, I'll draw a simple map for you, which will save some time."

He took out a blank jade slip, entered the information, and handed it over, saying:

"I used five drops of stalactite, and wasted some while searching for the path."

When the dark red stripes on the Fire-Avoiding Bead's protective shield begin to flash, it indicates that the external environment has become a threat to a mid-grade, third-tier Fire-Avoiding Bead.

At this point, we need to make plans in advance.

Master Zhengyang took the jade slip, placed it on his forehead, examined it carefully, and said:
"Wait for my good news."

He summoned his natal magic weapon, the Xuanhuang Pagoda. The small pagoda spun above his head, and thousands of auspicious wisps of energy descended to protect his entire body. Then, he manipulated the Fire-Avoiding Pearl to quickly descend.

Half an hour later, True Man Zhengyang emerged from the lava lake and came ashore, saying:
"The depleted spiritual veins are located much deeper underground, making them very difficult to mine."

Additionally, I tried to continue diving a short distance after the Fire-Avoiding Bead issued a warning, and found that continuing to dive consumed a great deal of mana.

I think it's necessary to have someone forge a high-grade, third-tier magic weapon so we can dive deeper and obtain more spiritual items.

Master Yuxiao nodded, "I agree."

However, we need to prepare the materials for refining a high-grade third-tier magic weapon ourselves, and it's impossible to refine it in a short time.

We need high-grade third-tier materials, which our sect simply cannot produce right now.

Master Zhengyang put away the fire-avoiding pearl and laughed:

"Once the merchant ships arrive, we will make a big deal with the cultivators of Central Continent. As long as they can afford the price, the materials will not be difficult to purchase."

The discovery of the depleted spiritual veins at Crimson Flame Peak did not affect anyone's lives; the news only spread among the Golden Core cultivators of the sect.

Due to the dangers of the environment, Master Zhengyang abandoned his plan to use the Fire-Avoiding Pearl to collect spiritual objects.

The main problem is that we don't have enough stalactites to search for in the deep magma for long periods of time.

Moreover, the stone milk that can quickly replenish the mana of a Golden Core cultivator belongs to the third tier of spiritual objects. If the resources collected are not of a high enough tier, the cost may exceed the harvest, which would be awkward. Three months passed quickly, and that evening it was Ji An's turn to cast a spell on the spiritual field.

He activated the mimicry array, passed through the passage to the lava cave, and saw the Azure Lotus Burning Heart Flame flickering on the lotus seedpod.

The lotus pods, as if cast in gold, shimmered with golden light under the flickering spiritual fire of heaven and earth.

Ji An was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed surged into his heart. The Heavenly Spirit Fire had matured!

After a moment of excitement, he calmed down and continued casting his spell.
The next day at dawn, Ji An returned to the Lava Cave. He carefully took the lotus seedpod and teleported to Ningcui Cliff and then to Chaoyang Peak.

When he carried the lotus seedpod into the Wuji Hall, he astonished Master Zhengyang.

"Senior brother, as you can see, the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame has matured. Next, I will divide the flame into three parts and refine one part."

The divided embers are difficult to preserve for long; please confirm the other two candidates as soon as possible.

"I understand. The Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame is more suitable for alchemists. I prefer to give the flame to Han Yan."

Moreover, the Azure Lotus Burning Heart Flame has the effect of increasing the chances of forming a Golden Core, so Han Yan would be more confident in breaking through to the Golden Core stage after obtaining it.

I haven't decided who to leave the other spark yet; I'll think about it carefully these next few days.

When are you planning to give it to Han Yan?

"Now is not the time."

Master Zhengyang shook his head and explained:

"Once the seed of the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame is refined by a cultivator, it will take root in the cultivator's dantian, becoming connected to the cultivator's bloodline and sharing life and death."

In that case, if the cultivator dies, we will lose a spark.

I have high hopes for Han Yan, but I will not give her the Dao Seed until she reaches the Five Qi Gathering Realm.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, the sunk costs would be too high. He wanted to do everything he could to ensure that the alchemists who obtained the Fire Seed could break through to higher realms and serve the sect for a longer period of time.

He paused and asked:
"How long can a fire starter be preserved at most?"

"Ordinary preservation methods can only preserve the fire for forty or fifty years. If high-level spiritual plants are used to preserve the fire, it may last for two hundred years."

What kind of spiritual plant do you think is best for preservation?

"It is best to preserve it using the heartwood of the finest Azure Dragon Wood."

Master Zhengyang said in a deep voice:
"Just do as you say."

Now is not the time to talk about costs; of course, we should use better materials to preserve the fire.

With the matter settled, Ji An began to condense the fire seed using a secret technique.

The three-inch-tall, child-sized fire continued to collapse and shrink inward.

An hour later, Ji An let out a long breath. At this moment, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire had transformed into three solid masses the size of soybeans.

This substance has three colors: blue, red, and white, just like the original Azure Lotus Burning Heart.

"It's done."

Ji An took out a piece of top-grade Azure Dragon Wood, dug out the core, and then continuously infused it with magical restrictions for refining.

Two quarters of an hour later, the wood core shrank to a cylinder half a foot high. He split the cylinder along the center line, dug a hole the size of a finger in the very center, put one of the embers in, and put the cylinder back together.

He bound the cylinder with gold thread and attached a second-grade high-level spirit-sealing talisman.

After resting for a while, Ji An took out a piece of top-grade Azure Dragon Wood and processed it in the same way, finally sealing the fire inside.

Master Zhengyang thoughtfully brought over a pot of spiritual tea and said:
"This is the Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea you sent. Have a cup of tea and relax."

"Thank you, senior brother," Ji An began to drink his tea. The previous actions had left him somewhat mentally exhausted.

He took out the Soul-Nourishing Pendant hanging around his neck and adjusted the power of the magic array to the maximum, so that it could release more substances that nourish the soul.

After drinking a pot of tea, Ji An felt he had recovered.

"Senior brother, please protect me. I am about to begin refining the Heavenly Spirit Fire."

"Junior brother, feel free to do as you please in the hall. I will go out and seal off the hall to ensure that nothing interferes with you."

Master Zhengyang walked out of the main hall and opened the magical barrier by making a hand seal.

Ji An enveloped the fire seed with his magic power and swallowed it. Then he looked inward at his body and used his divine sense to control the fire seed to enter the Fire Element Divine Palace for tempering.

The tinder, the size of a soybean, grew smaller and smaller until it was only the size of a sesame seed.

He once again used his divine sense to control the fire seed, guiding it along a specific route into his dantian.

The spark fell and floated beside the primordial fire. Only when it reached this point did Ji An feel relieved.

The next step is to use the primordial fire to rekindle the spirituality sealed within the seed, then nurture the seed to grow stronger, and finally form a unique spiritual fire belonging to the cultivator.

This was a slow process, and Ji An was not in a hurry. He controlled the fire seed to bathe in the primordial fire, and then waited quietly.

The primordial fire is the fire of life, and at the same time, it is a cleansing process that can endow the spark with a spiritual light bearing its mark.

Don't be fooled by the gentle appearance of the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame; it is extremely domineering. Without this cleansing process, the cultivator himself would be reduced to ashes by the spiritual fire of heaven and earth.

When the fire reignites the three-colored spiritual flame, it signifies the completion of one's merits.

(End of this chapter)