Chapter 10: Spirit Furnace, Revisiting the Spirit Furnace

"This is..." Long Dangdang looked at the holy knight in front of him, hesitating to ask.

"Have you heard of the Spirit Furnace?" the holy knight asked.

"Uh-huh." Long Dangdang nodded.

The holy knight then described the origin of the Spirit Furnace, which was basically the same as what the previous person from the Magic Sanctuary had said.

"This is the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace, a gift prepared for you by the Knight Sanctuary. There are many types of Spirit Furnaces, each with its own characteristics, and they are also graded. The more powerful the Spirit Furnace, the greater the cost of using it. This Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace ranks about 36th among the known 87 types of Spirit Furnaces. However, its rarity is comparable to those in the top ten. Moreover, because a great being's first Spirit Furnace was this one, its ranking was significantly boosted. Originally, it should have been ranked outside the top 60."

"The Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace itself has no offensive or defensive capabilities and cannot significantly increase your inner spirit power. However, it can evolve at least three times, making it comparable to the top 20 Spirit Furnaces. For us knights, it has a significant role. When using the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace, it can attract the enemy's attention, making them attack only you and not your companions. Unless you are killed or you interrupt the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace yourself, it will only target you."

"You may not understand the subtleties now, but you will realize its importance in the future. Additionally, the greatest advantage of the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace is that it is the rarest non-attribute Spirit Furnace. It will not burden your body during use, and it consumes relatively little spirit power. It also will not affect your future absorption of other Spirit Furnaces. Therefore, the sanctuary chose it as your first Spirit Furnace, hoping you will like this gift. As for what other abilities it can evolve into in the future, you will have to discover them yourself."

"Also, remember that the Spirit Furnace is not omnipotent. The more powerful the Spirit Furnace, the more it may not be suitable for you. The top ten Spirit Furnaces require a huge cost to use, and some costs are even unbearable. The number of Spirit Furnaces is not necessarily the more the better. You must make a detailed judgment before deciding to fuse a new Spirit Furnace."

Long Dangdang asked, "Holy Knight, how many different Spirit Furnaces can each person fuse?"

"Unknown. Theoretically, there is no limit. However, Spirit Furnaces can easily conflict with each other. Once this happens, it can be a matter of life and death for the fuser. The most known fusions are five. But it is not necessarily better to have more Spirit Furnaces. Spirit Furnaces need to evolve through continuous effort. An evolved Spirit Furnace can be more powerful than several unevolved Spirit Furnaces combined."

Long Dangdang continued, "You just said that the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace is a non-attribute Spirit Furnace, so if I already have a Spirit Furnace, can I still fuse it, regardless of what kind of Spirit Furnace it is?"

The holy knight was taken aback, "You already have a Spirit Furnace? Where did you get it?"

Long Dangdang said shyly, "From the Magic Sanctuary yesterday."

"The Magic Sanctuary gave you a Spirit Furnace?" The holy knight's voice rose a few notches.

Long Dangdang said bashfully, "Yes, the Magic Sanctuary came to give my brother assistance and brought two Spirit Furnaces for him to choose from. My brother chose the Holy Lotus Spirit Furnace, and they let me try the Primordial Vortex Spirit Furnace, saying it might help me increase my innate spirit power to over 90, so I absorbed it."

"Primordial Vortex Spirit Furnace?" The holy knight's voice became even more high-pitched, "You absorbed it successfully?"

Long Dangdang nodded, "It succeeded right away. Will it affect the absorption of our Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace?"

The holy knight fell silent, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

"What is your brother's talent?" he suddenly asked.

Long Dangdang said, "A bit worse than mine, innate magic spirit power of 84."

The holy knight was stunned, and Wei Huo beside him said, "They are a pair of dragons in the same family, indeed. Both are geniuses of our academy."

"What is the Magic Sanctuary trying to do?" the holy knight muttered angrily to himself.

Long Dangdang tentatively asked, "Holy Knight, can I still absorb the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace?"

The holy knight had recovered, "Of course. Here, absorb the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace first. This weekend, bring your brother to the Tenglong City Knight Sub-Sanctuary."

There were three days until the weekend, and Long Kongkong calculated in his mind.

The holy knight said, "Focus your mind. I will now fuse the Spirit Furnace for you. The fusion method for each Spirit Furnace is different. In the past, the most basic requirement for fusing a Spirit Furnace was a third-rank profession, which means spirit power of over 200. But after many years of experimentation by the sanctuary, each Spirit Furnace now has a detailed corresponding spirit power. The requirement for the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace is around 100 points, and your combined inner and outer spirit power is sufficient."

As he spoke, his left hand flashed, and he tapped Long Dangdang's chest four times, creating four points of white light. Long Dangdang felt as if his body was penetrated, and his inner spirit power was instantly activated. The holy knight pulled his right hand, and a point of golden light carefully cut his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of fresh blood. The red blood floated up under the holy knight's spirit power and gently landed in the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace.

Instantly, the originally softly glowing white small tripod furnace burst into brilliant light. A beam of white light quickly released from it and landed on Long Dangdang's chest.

A warm sensation stimulated all his pores to open instantly, and the inner spirit power swirling inside his body spread out. It felt like an invader was entering his body.

The white light flickered, and the small white tripod furnace slowly flew to Long Dangdang's chest under the guidance of the white light, gradually seeping into his body.

The warmth instantly turned into a burning heat, as if a branding iron was searing his chest. Long Dangdang clenched his teeth and remained silent. His Holy Lotus Spirit Furnace was stimulated and had the urge to release, but he suppressed it with his willpower.

Fortunately, the burning did not last long. After a few breaths, the small white Spirit Furnace had disappeared into his body.

A faint white light rippled through Long Dangdang's body, making his skin surface gradually glow.

Long Dangdang felt countless hot energies spreading from his chest to every corner of his body, including his brain. Countless profound truths accompanied the hot energy, surging into his mind. On his chest, with the light flickering, small Spirit Furnace imprints continuously appeared.

This was the process of the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace fusing with Long Dangdang, using his blood as a guide and spirit power as a medium, making this heavenly essence condensed and magical Spirit Furnace a part of his body.

The holy knight's face showed satisfaction, "The fusion was very smooth. Very good. However, the fusion of the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace will consume a large amount of your innate spirit power, and your total spirit power will decrease for a period of time. You will need to recover it through cultivation."

Long Dangdang asked, "Will the spirit power decrease every time a Spirit Furnace is fused?"

The holy knight shook his head, "Not necessarily. Each Spirit Furnace is unique and has its own characteristics. It's all different. Well, it won't affect your class later. Remember to bring your brother to the sub-sanctuary this weekend."

"Yes."

The holy knight left, and Wei Huo took Long Dangdang to have breakfast and then returned to class.

At the same time, on the other side, the head teacher of the first-year class one of the Magic Academy was at the door of Long Dangdang's dormitory.

Because Long Dangdang, or rather, the substitute Long Kongkong, did not go to class today.

Standing outside the dormitory door, Si Yu raised her hand to knock, but suddenly, she felt something and frowned. She was a fifth-rank mage with strong mental power, and she could clearly sense a strange suction force coming from inside the dormitory. The suction force was not targeting objects but the elemental forces in the air. A spirit gathering array? No, that's not possible! A spirit gathering array couldn't have such a good effect, even from outside the dormitory.

But she was sure that her student was still cultivating. Could it be that he had entered a deep meditation state so soon after starting? This was a time when he should not be disturbed.

Thinking this, Si Yu did not knock. To ensure the safety of her genius student's cultivation, she even stayed and guarded the door.

And this wait lasted the entire morning.

Until the sun was almost at the center of the sky, the suction sensation inside the room gradually subsided. Soon, the door opened, and Long Kongkong, wearing the Magic Academy uniform, walked out.

"Hey, beautiful teacher?" As soon as he stepped out, Long Kongkong saw Si Yu. "Are you here to take me to class? Is the Magic Academy's treatment so good?"

Si Yu looked at him, her eyes brightening. Long Kongkong's eyes were exceptionally bright, full of energy, and even had a hint of inner refinement. This was clearly the effect of a very thorough and highly effective meditation. She couldn't help but admire him in her heart. Truly a genius! While other students were still trying to grasp the feeling of meditation, he had already entered a deep meditation.

"What time is it?" Si Yu said.

"Uh!" Looking up at the sky, Long Kongkong scratched his head. Just as he was about to say something, he remembered Long Dangdang's instructions and said, "Teacher, let's hurry to class."

"It's lunchtime now. What class? I'll take you to the cafeteria first." Si Yu said.

"Sure! I'm really hungry."

Each sub-academy in the Sanctuary Academy has its own dedicated cafeteria. When Si Yu brought Long Kongkong to the cafeteria, the first-year class one students were also gathered for lunch.

The Sanctuary Academy's tuition is expensive, but the food is quite good. Classes are held five days a week, and students stay on campus, with weekends off to return home, then come back for classes, in a cycle.

Si Yu brought Long Kongkong to get food and joined his classmates for lunch.

Long Kongkong's eyes lit up immediately. Seeing the obvious imbalance of genders, he almost burst out laughing. This was what school should be like, much better than the Knight Academy with its constant storms and flowers.

"Hello, teacher." The students greeted Si Yu as soon as they saw her.

"Stay seated, continue eating. Yes, this morning, Long Dangdang entered a deep meditation, so he didn't come to class. Everything will be as usual in the afternoon."

"Wow, you can enter a deep meditation already?" As soon as Long Kongkong sat down, a pretty female classmate looked at him with shining eyes. "How did you do it? I tried for a long time yesterday and couldn't."

Long Kongkong said proudly, "It's like sleeping. Just follow what the teacher said, and it feels like you're falling asleep. It's really comfortable, and when you wake up, it's even better than sleeping."

"Can you teach me?" the female classmate asked.

"Sure, no problem." Long Kongkong, who was always lively, readily agreed.

"Me too! Teach us too." A male classmate sitting opposite immediately said.

Long Kongkong rolled his eyes, about to refuse, but suddenly remembered Long Dangdang's earnest instructions from the previous day. He coughed and said, "Just follow what the teacher said."

Si Yu said, "The meditation experience of beginners is different for everyone, but they all lead to the same goal, which is to enter a deep meditation. Long Dangdang, during the afternoon class, share your experience of entering the meditation state yesterday to give everyone some inspiration."

Feeling the gazes of his classmates, especially the female classmates, Long Kongkong felt a bit elated, "No problem, I'll take everyone to the next level."

That afternoon's class was the most serious Long Kongkong had ever been.

When he shared his meditation process with his classmates, their unified reaction was, "We don't understand the world of geniuses."

After dinner, Long Dangdang and Long Kongkong gathered in the Magic Academy dormitory.

Long Dangdang gave Long Kongkong the things he received from the Knight Sanctuary, including the storage ring.

"Brother, can we switch completely? I want to stay at the Magic Academy. I feel that my enthusiasm for learning has greatly increased today. You don't know how it feels when female classmates look at me with admiration. It's really..."

Long Dangdang's face darkened, "What did we agree on yesterday? About being low-key?"

"Uh... I want to be low-key too! But my strength doesn't allow it! By the way, here are the notes." As he spoke, Long Kongkong took out six different but clearly exquisite notebooks.

"Why so many?" Long Dangkong was surprised.

Long Kongkong said proudly, "When I told the female classmates I wanted to borrow their notes, everyone was willing to lend them to me. I picked the six prettiest ones, including my desk partner, Aisha. I've decided to score them on appearance, voice, and other aspects tomorrow and rank them. Oh, it's so wonderful."

"Long Kongkong, get lost!"