Chapter 1 of 100

Chapter 1

20 min read4,937 words

The sky was a deep blue, and in a small village surrounded by auspicious clouds, an elderly man was conversing with a young man dressed in simple clothes.

"Hmm, eyes gleaming with a thief's light, clothes tattered and shabby, and a demeanor that lacks refinement! Alas, is the future of our sect to be entrusted to such a disciple? Truly, I am ashamed to face our ancestors!" The elderly man, who exuded a sage-like aura, shook his head and sighed deeply.

"Lacks refinement? ! Damn it, I'm only at the third level of the Qi Refinement stage, so of course I can only wear this tattered outfit. Where would I get precious armor or immortal clothing to show off..."

Though Chu He was seething with resentment, he maintained a smile.

In "Cultivation," this hidden quest was extremely difficult. If he hadn't participated in the beta test, he would never have been able to receive and complete the quest. He had spent a lot of effort on this, and if he made a mistake while turning in the quest and receiving the reward, it would be enough to make him spit blood.

"Special task completed. Reward: Purifying Flame (Rank 1, can evolve)." The system's prompt brought him back to his senses.

Purifying Flame? What kind of flame is this? Chu He couldn't help but feel curious. He had heard of the Three Pure Fires, the Golden Core Fire, the Silver Blue Ice Flame, and others, but this Purifying Flame was completely new to him, at least according to the official documentation.

Has the plot changed? He remembered that the reward for this quest used to be the One Yang Fire, which could greatly assist in initial alchemy and refining, and was the fire he wanted to obtain.

Looking at the tiny, pale white flame in his palm, he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration: this flame, as thin as a toothpick, was far from what he knew about fire seeds. Even the weakest flames he knew of were at least dozens of times larger and more imposing.

Moreover, this small flame was almost colorless and odorless, making it impossible to determine its nature. As everyone knew, the flames used for alchemy and refining were mostly yang-attribute flames that emitted intense heat. What could this attribute-less flame be used for?

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap echoed from the sky, like a thousand horses galloping, and a powerful pressure descended from all directions, making it hard to breathe. The two men couldn't help but look up.

When they did, their souls were nearly frightened out of them: they saw countless bright lightning bolts descending from the blue sky, enveloping the entire newbie village.

A bolt from the blue!

"Damn it! Which bastard changed the plot!"

"Lightning Tribulation? ! Heaven has forsaken me!"

Their miserable cries were immediately drowned out by the thunder.

On July 7, 201x, the first virtual holographic game "Cultivation" announced that the East Sheng Divine Land's Ninth Zone would be offline for one day due to server maintenance.

***

"Ahh!" A piercing scream pierced the silence of the dark night, adding a sense of eerie horror. Flashes of magical light darted through the air, and some collided, illuminating a corner.

At this moment, Chu He didn't even dare to breathe. Despite the agony of feeling as if millions of insects were biting him, he tried his best not to make a sound.

"Senior Brother Ding, there are no survivors." A slightly shrill male voice nearby made Chu He's hair stand on end.

"Of course not. My Bone-Eroding Poison is so potent that even cultivators at the innate stage can't withstand it, let alone these Qi Refinement stage novices. As Senior Brother predicted, it was a ploy to lure us away. Let's go support Senior Brother!" A deep, sinister voice suddenly sounded, and in an instant, it was far away, leaving only a faint echo.

After a dozen breaths, confirming that the two had left, Chu He let out a sigh of relief and cursed in his heart: "What a scam! To encounter such a tribulation right after coming here. Damn game! Fortunately, I have a talent for feigning death."

On Earth, although he had to work hard just to fill his stomach, he never faced the threat of death. Suddenly arriving in this unpredictable world and facing danger, he found it hard to adapt in a short time.

His previous incarnation was a disciple from a minor branch of a cultivation family. A few days ago, the family was destroyed by a powerful enemy. The previous incarnation and some others had protected the young master and fled, splitting into three groups. However, the pursuing enemies included several innate-stage experts, and it was unlikely that anyone could escape.

Chu He didn't care about the fate of the others; his survival was the top priority.

From the integrated memories: he had been hit by the aftereffects of the Bone-Eroding Poison, which, though minimal, was enough to kill the low-level previous incarnation.

Suddenly, a sense of panic arose in his heart. He was only at the third level of the Qi Refinement stage, and without good antidotes or methods, he would likely die in a few breaths.

Suddenly, a mysterious connection formed in his mind, and a small, pale white flame appeared in his right palm.

He hadn't expected it to come with him, and some information flashed through his mind: Purifying Flame. Can be used for alchemy and refining, with a 20% purification effect on the target (limited to one use).

"It has no offensive power and can only be used for alchemy and refining. What use is this? It can't cure the poison in my body." Chu He was disappointed with this strange flame that couldn't even cook food.

Moreover, it could only be used once on the target, making it seem rather useless.

"Ah!" Chu He noticed something odd: his previously cold right hand was now warm, as if his blood was flowing again.

The Purifying Flame, which was originally pale white, now had some black spots, and it conveyed a feeling to Chu He: like having eaten a few bites of food.

But what was it eating?!

In his inner vision, Chu He saw that his entire body's meridians and flesh were covered with varying amounts of black impurities, even penetrating his bones. This was the Bone-Eroding Poison.

On his right hand, the black impurities were noticeably lighter compared to his left hand.

Could it be that this flame caused it?

With doubt, he directed the flame to move from his wrist to his shoulder.

The flame felt like an extension of his body, and controlling it with his mind was very convenient. In cultivation terms, this flame was Chu He's life-bound object.

Indeed! It could consume harmful toxins and impurities without harming his body, truly living up to its name of "Purifying." Chu He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy: it seemed this flame wasn't entirely useless, and he had a chance to survive!

The Purifying Flame, being weak, took a dozen breaths to remove 20% of the toxins and impurities from Chu He's upper body.

It was now completely black, clearly "full," and needed time to digest the toxins, similar to a skill cooldown in a game. However, these toxins and impurities could serve as "nutrients" for its evolution.

Fortunately, the amount of Bone-Eroding Poison in his body was minimal. After removing 20% of it, Chu He felt a bit better, but the situation was still not optimistic.

After a while, amidst the intermittent sounds of wild beasts, the Purifying Flame was ready to activate again.

The Purifying Flame looked the same as before, but Chu He knew it had grown slightly.

This time, the target was the same area previously purified.

In a short while, Chu He's face lit up with joy: it really worked!

This time, the Purifying Flame removed another 20% of the toxins and impurities.

Seeing the hope of recovery, Chu He's worries vanished. He almost wanted to stand up and roar to vent his emotions.

As his emotions calmed, Chu He carefully considered the miracle: it must be because this flame was his life-bound object, allowing unlimited use on himself. He also noticed that as the Purifying Flame grew stronger, the time it took to consume and transform impurities seemed to decrease.

He still couldn't help but curse in his mind: how could the recovery time be so long? Even in a game, no skill had such a long cooldown! This wasn't scientific.

If this continued, as long as he reduced the toxins in his body to a minimal level, he could try to use spiritual energy to slowly expel the remaining toxins, eliminating the threat.

First, he needed to find a cave to hide in. In this wilderness, with his weakened state, he might become prey to a fierce beast at any moment.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to find a small cave that could barely accommodate him.

As dawn approached, Chu He had reduced the toxins in his body to the minimum. The more he progressed, the more effective the Purifying Flame became, even capable of purifying multiple times in succession.

The final step was to use the Qi-Enhancing Pill to further clear the remaining toxins.

The Qi-Enhancing Pill, which could boost qi and nourish the body, was a common pill used by Qi Refinement stage cultivators to aid their cultivation. Although not very potent, its effects were long-lasting and gentle, with minimal side effects, even with long-term use.

Chu He only had a bottle of low-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills, and their effects were limited. Even for a cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refinement stage, he needed to take several pills to achieve the desired effect.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu He spat out a mouthful of foul black blood and felt refreshed.

With the greatest threat resolved, Chu He's next focus was on escaping.

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