Chapter 4

Spiritual energy poured down from above, and at first, Qin Zhengfan felt an indescribable comfort, as if a gentle stream was slowly flowing into his body, circulating within, bringing a coolness tinged with warmth.

"This is the path of spiritual energy through your twelve main meridians. You must remember it well, for no one will guide you again in the future!" A stern voice echoed in Qin Zhengfan's ear.

Qin Zhengfan's mind was suddenly alert, and he no longer paid attention to the comfortable feeling of coolness and warmth. Instead, he focused his mind on following the flow of spiritual energy within his body, trying to memorize the route it took.

After an unknown amount of time, the gentle stream began to surge, gradually becoming like a turbulent river, making Qin Zhengfan feel as if he were being constantly battered and inflated, as if he were about to burst like a balloon.

Not only that, the coolness disappeared, replaced by an intense heat, as if flames were burning fiercely within him, threatening to turn him to ashes.

But because of Fang Hong's warning, Qin Zhengfan did not panic. He gritted his teeth and endured, firmly holding his mind to prevent it from collapsing.

Impurities and a mixture of sweat and blood continuously seeped out of Qin Zhengfan's skin.

A stream of blood flowed over a red jade pendant hanging around Qin Zhengfan's neck. The red jade pendant emitted a faint red light, as if a flame were flickering within.

Qin Zhengfan, with his eyes tightly closed and his mind focused, did not notice this change, only vaguely sensing a subtle connection with something.

Initiating spiritual energy is a dangerous process, and it was even more dangerous for Fang Hong to transmit part of his spiritual energy to a physically weak mortal. Even with Fang Hong's cultivation, he was on high alert, not daring to be distracted, and he did not notice the change in the red jade pendant.

A full moon broke through the clouds, casting a cold, silvery light onto the desolate mountain.

Fang Hong's face showed a complex smile, a mix of relief and regret.

"Indeed, he can integrate part of my spiritual energy, but his physical foundation is too weak, only reaching the third level of spirit gathering. However, it's already quite good, better than I expected!"

The smile on Fang Hong's face gradually froze. Then, his body, like an old wineskin unable to contain the wine inside, began to crack, and a vast amount of spiritual energy gushed out from the cracks.

This gushing spiritual energy should have dissipated into the world, but when it gushed out, it seemed to be attracted by a great force, all of it being drawn into the red jade pendant hanging around Qin Zhengfan's neck.

The red jade pendant grew brighter and brighter, and finally, it transformed into a shadow of an ancient phoenix, which merged into Qin Zhengfan's forehead.

As the ancient phoenix shadow merged into his forehead, Qin Zhengfan felt an intense headache, as if his entire head were about to explode. This feeling was even more direct and clear than the earlier sensation of his body being about to burst, as if it were targeting his soul!

Qin Zhengfan thought his master was still transmitting power to him, so he only dared to focus his mind.

Qin Zhengfan's consciousness became increasingly blurred, and eventually, he felt like a flickering flame in an endless darkness, about to be extinguished.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Zhengfan finally fainted.

In his unconscious state, he had a long dream.

He dreamed of an incredibly massive phoenix, its wings spreading to block out the sky, and with each flap, fiery balls fell like suns.

He also dreamed of many grand battles and vast worlds.

...

As the sun set, the afterglow dyed the clouds on the horizon red.

Qin Zhengfan slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, he found the world more colorful and vibrant than ever before.

The ants crawling around him and the butterflies flying in front of him, which he used to see as blurry due to his nearsightedness, were now clear, even their antennae and patterns visible, as if he were looking through a magnifying glass.

The world seemed to have unveiled its veil before him, becoming more transparent, clear, and colorful.

His thoughts, shocked by the changes in the world before him, gradually returned to his senses.

Scenes from the previous day flashed through his mind.

"Master!" Without checking the changes in his body, Qin Zhengfan quickly got up from the ground and saw Fang Hong, who had already passed away.

Seeing Fang Hong, tears uncontrollably streamed down Qin Zhengfan's face.

Although they had been master and disciple for less than a day, Qin Zhengfan felt as if they had known each other for a long time, as if Fang Hong had been teaching him for years.

After shedding tears for a while, Qin Zhengfan finally composed himself, bit his finger to draw blood, and dripped a drop onto the Heavenly Phoenix Ring.

The blood seeped into the Heavenly Phoenix Ring, and Qin Zhengfan discovered a strange connection with it, as if the ring were a part of his body.

The space inside the Heavenly Phoenix Ring was not large, about one meter high and wide, and two meters long, totaling two cubic meters.

There were not many items inside: a stack of talismans with strange symbols, a horizontal saber, a sword, a bow, a set of white clothes, a set of armor with a lustrous surface, and some books and gold made of unknown materials.

Qin Zhengfan knew that the talismans were the spiritual talismans his master mentioned, the saber, sword, bow, clothes, and armor were the spiritual weapons, and the books were the cultivation techniques and various spiritual arts his master left for him to study.

Qin Zhengfan had no time to study the use of the talismans and spiritual weapons or to read the books. The most urgent task was to bury his master properly.

Qin Zhengfan focused his mind.

A horizontal saber and a set of armor appeared in his hands.

Seeing the saber and armor appear in his hands with just a thought, Qin Zhengfan did not feel surprised; instead, his eyes welled up with tears again.

All of this was thanks to his master.

Qin Zhengfan quickly suppressed his grief and carefully dressed Fang Hong in the armor.

The armor, being a spiritual weapon, would not decay like a coffin, making it suitable for use as one.

After dressing his master in the armor, Qin Zhengfan used the horizontal saber to dig a grave beside a cypress tree.

This cypress tree was planted when his grandfather passed away, and it had been seven years, now lush and full.

The saber, when plunged into the ground, sank to the hilt, cutting through the rocky soil as easily as tofu, startling Qin Zhengfan.

However, having already experienced more astonishing things, Qin Zhengfan quickly calmed down and diligently dug a deep square pit. He then carefully placed his master inside, tears streaming down his face as he covered him with soil.

After everything was done, Qin Zhengfan noticed the sun had already set behind the mountain, the afterglow dyeing the clouds on the horizon red.

"I clearly remember it was just getting dark when my master transmitted power to me. How is it evening again? Could I have been unconscious for a whole day?" This realization startled Qin Zhengfan, and he quickly checked his phone.

Looking at the screen, Qin Zhengfan was shocked again. The date showed that he had been there for two full days.

"Fortunately, it's only two days. Otherwise, my second uncle would have been worried if he came to my house tomorrow and couldn't find me!" After being startled, Qin Zhengfan felt a bit relieved and looked down the mountain.

In just a moment, the area below had become dark, with the evening mist spreading.

If it were before, Qin Zhengfan would have seen a blurry scene, but now, he could see the trees and grass on the hillside clearly, as if using a telescope.

"I wonder if eagles see the ground from the sky like this. It's truly amazing. It seems I can return home without any problems, and climbing the mountain at night will be cooler!" Qin Zhengfan marveled inwardly, then bowed three times to his master and said, "Master, I'll go home first and come back to pay my respects another day."