Chapter 56

In the early morning, with dew on his lashes, the forest was fragrant, and the distant dark blue mountain ranges overlapped. A few remaining stars began to fade and disappear in the vast sky, finally vanishing.

“Huff!”

Du Shaofu exhaled a breath of turbid air, opened his eyes, and stretched lazily. His joints crackled, as if containing boundless strength ready to burst forth.

“I wonder when I will be able to fully cultivate the first level of the Golden Feather Refinement.” Every time he felt the changes and improvements in his body after practicing the body-strengthening technique, Du Shaofu was extremely satisfied.

“Miracle! You are a miracle. Cultivating the Golden-winged Great Peng’s cultivation method, how did you manage to do it? It’s absolutely a miracle, unbelievable.” Zhen Qingchun’s voice echoed, and the small tower automatically jumped out of Du Shaofu’s embrace. Energy fluctuations emanated from the tower, and a lecherous face appeared in front of Du Shaofu, his eyes wide with disbelief as if he had discovered a new continent.

“Didn’t you say you needed three days to recover? Why did you recover in just two days?” Du Shaofu looked at Zhen Qingchun with some doubt and asked.

“The essence energy in your body is very pure, much better than I imagined, and the effect is also excellent, so I recovered a day earlier.”

Zhen Qingchun’s gaze was still in shock, as if trying to see through Du Shaofu. He said, “You have quite a few secrets, don’t you? How did you manage to cultivate the Golden-winged Great Peng’s cultivation method? If the Golden-winged Great Peng clan knew that a human had cultivated their method, they would never let you go.”

Du Shaofu rolled his eyes at Zhen Qingchun and said, “You should worry about yourself. If you can’t make me a Spirit Alchemist, I guarantee that you won’t just be tamed by a child’s urine every day.”

“Boy, you’d better show me some respect. You still need my help.”

Zhen Qingchun glanced at Du Shaofu, his old and experienced demeanor contrasting sharply with his teenage appearance, making it hard not to laugh.

“Don’t forget, you also need my help.” Du Shaofu said calmly.

“You!...”

Zhen Qingchun suppressed his anger, rolled his eyes at Du Shaofu, and said resentfully, “I’ll start teaching you how to become a Spirit Alchemist. Although you have some talent, whether you can become a Spirit Alchemist also depends on your luck.”

“Anyway, if I can’t become a Spirit Alchemist, you’ll be in trouble too.” Du Shaofu said calmly, not wanting to be led around by Zhen Qingchun.

“You...”

Zhen Qingchun really wanted to scold him. This boy was simply impossible to deal with. He glanced at Du Shaofu and said, “Have you prepared everything I asked you to?”

“Yes, I have. Do you need it now?” Du Shaofu nodded.

“No, not now. The things I asked you to prepare are for enhancing your spirit root. Before enhancing your spirit root, we need to formally determine whether you can become a Spirit Alchemist.” Zhen Qingchun explained.

“How do we determine that?” Du Shaofu felt a bit nervous.

“To become a Spirit Alchemist, you need outstanding mental power and a spirit root. Both are essential. Your spirit root is poor, but your mental power is far beyond that of ordinary people, which is your advantage.”

Zhen Qingchun’s ethereal face showed a hint of pride. He looked at Du Shaofu and said, “To determine whether you can become a Spirit Alchemist, the first step is to see if you can form a Spirit Furnace Cauldron.”

“What is a Spirit Furnace Cauldron?” Du Shaofu’s gaze became serious as he looked at Zhen Qingchun.

“From the moment of conception, the essence of the human body is like a ring, white as silk. First, the three primary elements are formed, followed by the two kidneys. After the kidneys are formed, the two eyes gradually develop, then the external kidneys. Once the three primary elements are complete, the five organs, six腑 (viscera), and the hundred bones and limbs gradually form. The human body then has the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, corresponding to the five organs: the lungs are metal, the liver is wood, the kidneys are water, the heart is fire, and the spleen is earth. Metal can generate water, and the kidney water represents the essence of the body, so the lung metal represents the primordial energy. Wood can generate fire, and the heart fire represents the spirit of the body, so the liver wood represents the primordial spirit. The heart is the furnace and the fire, the kidneys are the cauldron and the water, forming the Spirit Furnace Cauldron.”

Zhen Qingchun looked at Du Shaofu and said, “The Spirit Furnace Cauldron is the palace of the primordial energy, capable of bearing all things. It is the first thing a Spirit Alchemist must achieve. Watch carefully, and I’ll show you what a Spirit Furnace Cauldron is.”

As he spoke, Zhen Qingchun’s ethereal hands continuously formed seals, intricate and mysterious. Energy fluctuations changed continuously as the seals formed, and various runes appeared in the seals.

Du Shaofu’s gaze was fixed on Zhen Qingchun’s seals. Whenever Zhen Qingchun was serious, Du Shaofu felt that he didn’t seem like a fraud at all. The aura he exuded was something a fraud could never fake, even if they could mimic his appearance, they couldn’t mimic the intangible aura.

“Boom!”

When the last seal was formed, Zhen Qingchun’s ethereal body trembled, and a cauldron-sized furnace appeared in the air in front of him. The furnace was enveloped in white, green, black, red, and yellow energy, with runes swirling around it, seemingly capable of infinite transformations, giving birth to all things in the universe. A scorching heat spread out, and a terrifying aura swept through like a storm.

“Whoosh.”

Under the scorching heat, Du Shaofu staggered back. The immense pressure around the furnace made his blood feel as if it were about to freeze, and his whole body trembled. Under the immense pressure, he felt like he was about to kneel.

Du Shaofu’s gaze was fixed on the furnace, where the runes formed the furnace, and the scorching flames danced, the runes vast and unfathomable.

“Hmm.”

Zhen Qingchun retracted the Spirit Furnace Cauldron, his eyes showing a hint of doubt. He had shown this to make the boy feel a bit inferior, but he didn’t expect that the boy could withstand the scorching heat and the powerful aura. Even a Pulse Layer cultivator would find it hard to resist, yet this boy, who was at the先天 (Xian Tian) stage, easily withstood it.

“This must be the benefit of cultivating the Golden-winged Great Peng’s method. This boy is practically a human Great Peng.” Zhen Qingchun marveled, acknowledging that such talent was indeed rare.

“Was what you just formed the Spirit Furnace Cauldron?”

As the furnace in front of Zhen Qingchun disappeared, Du Shaofu came back to his senses, his eyes still filled with shock.

“Yes, what I just formed was the Spirit Furnace Cauldron. But given my current state, I can only form it slightly.”

Zhen Qingchun looked at Du Shaofu, his gaze somewhat proud, and said, “You saw the Spirit Furnace Cauldron I formed. The human body has the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, corresponding to the five organs: the lungs are metal, the liver is wood, the kidneys are water, the heart is fire, and the spleen is earth. Metal can generate water, and the kidney water represents the essence of the body, so the lung metal represents the primordial energy. Wood can generate fire, and the heart fire represents the spirit of the body, so the liver wood represents the primordial spirit. The heart is the furnace and the fire, the kidneys are the cauldron and the water, forming the Spirit Furnace Cauldron. Try to understand it well. Once you can form the Spirit Furnace Cauldron on your own, it will prove that you have the talent to become a Spirit Alchemist. Ordinary people cannot become Spirit Alchemists. Although you have some talent and good mental power, whether you can become a Spirit Alchemist depends on your understanding.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

Du Shaofu nodded. From the Spirit Furnace Cauldron Zhen Qingchun had formed, he seemed to have gained some insight. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in understanding.

“Hmph, take your time. Even the most talented people need more than a month to understand the Spirit Furnace Cauldron. No rush, take it slow.” Zhen Qingchun said lightly, his lecherous eyes showing a hint of pride. He didn’t believe that the boy wouldn’t kneel and beg him for help. With his own talent, which everyone once praised, and with careful guidance, it still took him a whole month to form the Spirit Furnace Cauldron.