yasinovel Chapter 40 Fire Lotus Tempers the Body, Mountain Cauldron Displays its Power
Chapter 40 Fire Lotus Tempers the Body, Mountain Cauldron Displays its Power
In the backyard of the blacksmith's shop, in a secluded shed, the air seemed to become a few degrees hotter because of the crimson and crystalline "Earth Core Fire Lotus".
Chen Shan carefully held the fire lotus in his hands, his withered fingers brushing against the warm and jade-like lotus petals, feeling the boundless vitality and supreme yang fire attribute energy contained within, his eyes filled with admiration and a trace of regret.
"After a century of refinement, nurtured by the earth's veins, the essence of fire condensed in the lotus heart has miraculous effects on martial artists in the Bone Refining and Visceral Refining realms. If refined into the 'Fire Lotus Visceral Refining Pill,' it would be enough to allow a peak Bone Refining realm martial artist to steadily step into the Visceral Refining realm, with an incredibly solid foundation. With the addition of other precious medicinal herbs, it can further enhance its effects of nourishing the five internal organs, removing hidden injuries, transforming tendons and marrow, and improving physical constitution." Chen Shan sighed, "Unfortunately, the auxiliary herbs are hard to find, and there are absolutely no conditions for refining pills here. Forcing its refinement will most likely destroy this precious herb."
He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Yang Jin, his tone turning serious: "The simplest and most direct method is... to take it raw!"
Yang Jin's gaze was calm, and he had already made up his mind.
Just as Chen Shan had thought, the longer he kept such a treasure in his hands, the more dangerous it became.
Liu Zhenwei is not dead. The changes in Heishan'ao are enormous. If the news leaks out, it will surely bring endless trouble.
The only way to succeed is to immediately transform their strength into your own!
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," Yang Jin said in a deep voice. "Uncle Chen, just tell me how to eat it and what I need to be careful about."
A hint of admiration flashed in Chen Shan's eyes: "This substance is extremely potent. Swallowing it directly is like drawing fire from the earth into your body; it's incredibly painful and could even burn you. But your constitution is special, your foundation is solid, and you've cultivated that unique stance training, so perhaps you can withstand it. The key is that you must concentrate all your energy to guide the medicinal power, channeling it as far as possible into your limbs, bones, and internal organs, especially your skin and bones, for tempering. The process is perilous; the slightest mistake could result in burned meridians and damaged internal organs. You…"
"I understand." Yang Jin interrupted Chen Shan, his tone resolute. "Please, Uncle Chen, protect me."
Chen Shan said no more and nodded emphatically.
He quickly cleared a space, let Yang Jin sit cross-legged, and then brought several buckets of prepared cold water and placed them aside.
Yang Jin took a deep breath and adjusted himself to his best condition.
He took the Earth Core Fire Lotus from Chen Shan's hands.
The lotus flower feels warm to the touch, and the natural patterns on its petals resemble flowing flames, while the reddish-gold luster at the heart of the lotus is dazzling.
Without hesitation, Yang Jin opened his mouth and stuffed the entire Earth Core Fire Lotus, along with its leaves and roots, into his mouth!
The lotus flower melts in your mouth, transforming into a torrent of intensely hot, yet rich and pure water that surges down your throat!
"boom--!!!"
In that instant, Yang Jin felt as if a volcano had exploded inside him!
An indescribable burning sensation instantly swept through every inch of my flesh, blood, meridians, and bones!
His skin instantly turned bright red, his hair and eyebrows seemed to be on fire, and the breath he exhaled from his mouth and nose carried a scorching heat wave!
Excruciating pain!
The excruciating pain was like being repeatedly burned by magma, far exceeding any previous medicinal bath!
He could even hear the sound of his blood boiling, and his bones making faint cracking sounds under the intense heat!
But he was prepared, and his will was as strong as steel!
Almost at the moment the drug's effects erupted, the "Furnace Breathing Technique" was already operating at its limit, attempting to guide the violent energy.
At the same time, he subconsciously began to visualize the first move of the Twelve Forms of the Demonic Ape – “Rooting”!
He lowered his mind, trying to channel the burning fire into the earth like roots absorbing nutrients, to stabilize himself.
However, the medicinal power of the Earth Core Fire Lotus is simply too great!
While the first technique, "Rooting," can solidify the foundation and guide gentle energy, it seems powerless against this violent torrent, which is like a volcanic eruption of the earth's veins!
The surging fire energy rampaged through his meridians, as if it wanted to completely burst and burn through his body!
At this critical moment, Yang Jin's spirit was involuntarily elevated and sublimated by the excruciating pain and the instinct for survival!
The blurry image of the demonic ape in my mind suddenly became clear in its second form!
The demonic ape raised its head to the sky, its arms slightly outstretched, as if about to roar!
It is not a real roar, but a prelude to an "outburst" that gathers all the strength, spirit and will of the body to the peak, about to break through the restraints and shake the world!
A kind of "momentum" that is drawn back but not released, yet full of infinite tension!
At this moment, Yang Jin seemed to transform into a demonic ape that looked up to the sky and roared!
It's no longer about passively "taking root" and enduring, but about actively "absorbing energy," "accumulating momentum," and "exploding"!
His breathing rhythm, based on the "Furnace Breathing Method," naturally underwent a subtle change, becoming deeper and longer. With each inhale, it was as if he was swallowing the raging fire elemental energy in his body along with the energy of heaven and earth, condensing it between his chest and abdomen!
His body involuntarily leaned back slightly, his arms seemed to open outwards, and the speed at which his blood and qi flowed through his body became even more frantic amidst the excruciating pain. Under the crimson light of the fire, the stone-like luster beneath his skin began to change into a dark red, almost black color!
"This is……?!"
Chen Shan, who had been nervously guarding Yang Jin, noticed the change in Yang Jin's aura, especially the strange posture of him looking up at the sky and the "explosive" intent that he was holding back. His pupils suddenly contracted and his heart was filled with shock!
He originally thought that Yang Jin was only practicing some kind of special stance training to improve physical condition and assist breathing, at most something peculiar.
But now it seems this is no ordinary stance training at all!
This is clearly a visualization technique that contains extremely profound martial arts essence and points directly to the origin of "intention"!
The martial art of "Splitting the Mountain" is a technique that requires practitioners to hone their skills and comprehend the "meaning of the mountain" through practice. It's like having someone carve a mountain themselves, a difficult process with limited achievements.
The technique that Yang Jin is demonstrating at this moment involves visualizing objects that inherently contain the "meaning" of "rooting" and "accumulating power" for explosiveness. If a cultivator directly imitates or approaches this "meaning," it is equivalent to copying a master's painting that already contains artistic conception!
Starting point and efficiency are worlds apart!
"No wonder...no wonder his comprehension is so amazing and his progress is so rapid! It turns out that he has inherited such a visualization technique that directly points to the origin of 'intention'!" Chen Shan was extremely shocked, and at the same time, he completely understood how terrifying Yang Jin's potential was.
This cannot be explained by a simple "encounter"; behind it, there is probably an unimaginable inheritance!
Just as Chen Shan was in shock, the changes within Yang Jin's body reached their most critical moment.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the silent mountain cauldron trembled violently when it sensed the surge of the immense, pure medicinal power of the Earth Core Fire Lotus, far surpassing any previous one!
On the body of the cauldron, the blurry mountain and river patterns seemed to come alive, emitting a faint glow!
An invisible suction force emanated from the mountain cauldron, like a black hole in the universe, and began to frantically devour the essence of the supreme yang fire that was rampaging through Yang Jin's body and almost bursting him apart!
[High concentration of Earth Vein Fire Spirit Essence detected... Conversion in progress...]
[Earth's Essence +1.5... +1.8... +2.2... +3.0...]
The absorption efficiency of the mountain cauldron is astonishingly high, and it is extremely domineering!
Like the most greedy glutton, it directly strips away the purest and most fundamental part of the medicinal power, transforming it into pure "earth vein essence" points for storage!
The remaining 60% of the medicinal power, after being "filtered" by the mountain cauldron, although reduced in total amount, became exceptionally mild and pure. It also seemed to have been harmonized by the aura of the mountain cauldron, making it more compatible with Yang Jin's body and cultivation techniques.
This portion of the medicinal power no longer violently impacts the surface, but rather, like a hot spring, silently seeps into the depths of Yang Jin's bones, internal organs, and bone marrow cavities!
Yang Jin could clearly "feel" that his bones were becoming denser and more lustrous and resilient under the nourishment of the medicine, with a faint luster like warm jade, and their hardness and toughness far exceeded those of before!
A tingling and warm sensation spread deep within my bone marrow, as if undergoing some kind of transformative metamorphosis, and the newly generated blood seemed to carry a scorching and vibrant aura.
The internal organs are enveloped, cleansed, and nourished by the gentle and mellow fire element, just as they are repeatedly washed by the earth's spiritual spring, becoming more solid, powerful, and full of vitality.
Some minor injuries and impurities left by long-term malnutrition and cultivation are quietly burned, purified, and expelled from the body.
Although the skin and flesh were also strengthened, the qi and blood became more vigorous and condensed, and the strength increased again, the improvement was far less significant and substantial than that of the bones and internal organs.
The main medicinal effects of the Earth Core Fire Lotus are indeed more inclined towards "purifying the body" and "cleansing the marrow"!
His martial arts realm did not leapfrog several minor realms as expected, but remained steadily at the peak of the early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, only a step away from the middle stage.
However, his solid foundation, pure blood and qi, and strong bones and internal organs have reached a level that is unmatched by other martial artists of the same realm!
More importantly... physical constitution!
Improve your martial arts foundation!
This means that his future path in martial arts will be smoother, his potential will be greater, and he will find it much easier to break through bottlenecks than others!
After an unknown amount of time, as the last wisp of gentle medicinal power was completely absorbed, the crimson flames on Yang Jin's body gradually subsided, and his skin returned to a deeper, more restrained dark red-black, like black iron repeatedly tempered by the earth's fire.
He slowly opened his eyes, and two faint flames seemed to flash briefly in the depths of his pupils. His entire demeanor became more composed and dignified, and his eyes were clear and bright, as if they could see through the dust of the world.
He slowly exhaled a long breath, carrying a faint scent of sulfur and lotus, the breath deep, steady, and continuous.
With a slight thought, I communicated with the mountain cauldron, and a brand new attribute panel appeared before my eyes:
[Master of the Cauldron: Yang Jin]
[Refining the Cauldron Spirit: Earth-Walking Marmoset (Gray)]
[Fusion rate: 37.5% → 59.3%] (The powerful medicinal power of the Earth Core Fire Lotus cleanses the marrow and transforms the essence of the body, greatly increasing the fusion rate)
[Earth Vein Essence Reserves: 12.35 points → 92.15 points] (Nearly 40% of the purest medicinal power of the Earth Core Fire Lotus was absorbed and converted)
[Mountain Blessing: Clearly perceptible → Deeply blessed (continuous)] (The meaning of the mountain deepens, the connection with the earth becomes closer, and the affinity for earth and fire energy increases)
------
[Martial Arts Realm: Late Skin Refining Realm → Peak Early Flesh Refining Realm! (Incredibly solid foundation, pure blood and qi, bones like warm jade, strong internal organs, improved physical constitution, greatly increased potential)]
[Current Status: Peak, transformed, blood and energy abundant, senses sharp]
[Cultivation Technique: Mountain Battle Diagram - Twelve Forms of the Demonic Ape (Incomplete) - First Form 'Rooting' (Proficient) - Second Form 'Accumulating Power' (Beginner)]
[Cultivation Technique: Furnace Breathing Method (Proficient)]
[Cultivation Technique: Standing Mountain Stance (Proficient)]
[Practical Technique: Mountain Splitting Style (Mastery → Consummate Skill)] (The meaning of the mountain is more deeply integrated with one's own strength, and the palm (blade) force can be generated three feet away from the body to form a distinct "qi force", greatly increasing its power)
------
[Spiritual Talent:]
• Iron Rock Skin (Intermediate Prototype → Intermediate Stable): Increased defense, strong resistance to blunt force, cutting, piercing, and high-temperature burning. After bone strengthening, the overall resistance to impact is significantly enhanced.
• Vibration perception (eight zhang → twelve zhang): The range is expanded, and the perception is more acute and delicate, capable of distinguishing extremely subtle vibrations.
• Stone Control (can affect the rock structure within 150 kg → can affect the rock structure within 350 kg, greatly improving precision and response speed): more flexible control.
• New Talent: Earth Fire Affinity (Weak → Significant): Enhanced sensitivity to earth fire energy, improved resistance to negative effects of earth fire environment, and slight activation of earth fire energy to assist in attack or defense (requires practice).
• Root Bone Enhancement (Hidden): Significantly improves bone strength, organ vitality, blood and qi purity, recovery ability, and potential, making the path of martial arts much smoother.
------
【Ruler of Mountain Beasts: Pangolin (Atu - Evolving)】
[Status: Having absorbed a massive amount of earth vein jade marrow, its energy is saturated. It has formed a stone cocoon and entered a deep evolutionary slumber...]
[Evolution Requirements: ??? (Evolving, progress unknown)]
[Expected Abilities (Based on Pre-Evolutionary Speculation): Increased body size, strengthened carapace, a qualitative leap in digging and traversing abilities, initial manifestation of ley line manipulation abilities, and potential mutation of acid abilities...]
Peak early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm! A terrifyingly solid foundation! A staggering 92.15 points of earth vein essence reserves! Atu has even begun his evolution into a "Mountain-Piercing Earth Dragon"!
Although this harvest did not bring about a crazy leap in his cultivation level, it laid a perfect foundation for Yang Jin's martial arts!
The I Ching cleanses the marrow, revealing boundless potential!
Yang Jin felt the condensed and heavy yet ceaselessly flowing blood and qi within his body, like molten mercury, and felt the immense power contained in his bones and the vibrant life force of his internal organs. He gently clenched his fist, and the air was squeezed out with a low whimper.
He now has absolute confidence that he can crush Han Li, an ordinary early-stage Body Refinement Realm cultivator, head-on! Even when facing the heavily injured Liu Zhenwei, he has the confidence to truly contend with him and even launch a counterattack!
"How does it feel?"
Chen Shan's voice came through, filled with undisguised shock and relief, his gaze lingering especially on Yang Jin's knuckles, which faintly shone with a jade-like luster, and his clear, bright eyes.
Yang Jin stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Shan: "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Chen! I feel... as if I have been reborn, and the road ahead is suddenly clear!"
Looking at the young man before him, whose temperament had undergone a complete transformation and whose foundation was as solid as a mountain, Chen Shan was filled with emotion.
He knew that after this ordeal, Yang Jin's potential had been fully unleashed, and the shallows of Black Mountain Pass would probably no longer be able to hold him back.
"Excellent! The I Ching cleanses the marrow, transforming one's body and soul! This is an unparalleled opportunity for building a foundation in martial arts!"
Chen Shan exclaimed in admiration, then turned his gaze to the corner, where A Tu's dwelling place had been completely encased by a thick, shimmering, dark brown stone shell, forming an oval-shaped stone cocoon, from which faint but powerful pulsating sounds could be heard.
"Atu it..." Yang Jin also noticed it.
"It should be undergoing a crucial transformation. Having devoured so much earth vein jade marrow and spent years underground, it has accumulated enough; this is a qualitative change," Chen Shan said in a deep voice. "Once it emerges from its cocoon, it will become a tremendous asset to you. However, this will take time."
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Yang Jin again, his tone turning serious: "Next, we need to deal with the mess outside. The three major martial arts schools suffered a crushing defeat, and Liu Zhenwei escaped with serious injuries. This place is safe for now, but it's no longer a place to stay. We must decide on our next step as soon as possible."
Yang Jin nodded, his eyes sharp.
His increased strength gave him more confidence and composure in the face of the impending storm.