Chapter 137: The Transformed Profound Flame
Chapter 137: Chapter 137: The Transformed Profound Flame
Muddy Evil Essence Blood is usually sold for three Lower Grade Spirit Stones per portion, with the price fluctuating slightly based on scarcity.
For example, the Sun Family’s Red Sky Crane Essence Blood, from a beast they exclusively raise, is in such high demand that it sells for five Lower Grade Spirit Stones per portion.
And the price is non-negotiable.
Even at a conservative three Spirit Stones apiece, that would amount to six hundred thirty-six Spirit Stones.
The market price for Profound Spirit Essence Blood is about fifteen Spirit Stones per portion. With twenty-eight portions, the value already reaches four hundred twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
In total, the value already exceeded a thousand Spirit Stones.
’This is far too valuable. I’ll accept it, of course, but I’ll have to make it up to her somehow.’
Lin Changheng knew this gift far exceeded the bounds of simple reciprocity.
But returning it was out of the question—not only because he desperately needed it, but also for the sake of their friendship.
The one thousand three hundred Spirit Stones he had lent her on two occasions were worth slightly less than the total value of the Essence Blood Mo Zhaoli had now given him.
’Even if I don’t make up the difference, I can no longer ask for those Spirit Stones back...’
’Doing so once or twice might be fine, but any more and I’d just be burning bridges.’
’Relationships last through mutual give-and-take. To only take is to treat the other person like a fool.’
Lin Changheng understood this perfectly.
Besides... for him, a channel to acquire Essence Blood was sometimes more important than the Spirit Stones themselves!
Having made his decision, Lin Changheng stopped hesitating. His gaze hardened as he looked toward the Red-eyed Fire Demon’s Essence Blood.
He reached out with his consciousness to the Primordial Cauldron in his Sea of Consciousness and began the Spirit Stealing process, one bottle at a time.
HUMMM...
The Primordial Cauldron vibrated gently, humming ceaselessly as it drained the Essence Blood from one bottle after another.
The twenty portions of Essence Blood were quickly absorbed. Lin Changheng immediately stopped the process and saw that the blood was now stored temporarily within the Primordial Cauldron, not yet funneled into the Treasure Seed or any True Cores.
It swirled and drifted, resembling a vast sunset unfurling across the horizon.
Meanwhile, outside the Primordial Cauldron, two True Cores—one Feihong red, the other crimson—glowed brightly and trembled, seeming to yearn for the Essence Blood.
These were the Red Sky Crane True Core and the Flame-tailed Spirit Fox True Core, both awaiting Metamorphosis.
This meant...
’I can choose!’
Overjoyed, Lin Changheng used his consciousness to guide the Red-eyed Fire Demon’s Essence Blood, slowly injecting it into the illusory Red Sky Crane True Core.
The Flame-tailed Spirit Fox True Core provided the Illusion Concealing Technique, a supportive Demon Technique.
The Red Sky Crane True Core, however, would yield an upgraded Red Sky Demon Fire. It could be used for attacking in Magical Combat and for Alchemy, making it far more suitable for his current needs.
WHOOSH!
The "crimson sunset" was instantly devoured, and the Red Sky Crane True Core began to transform.
Spirit Stealing: 100/100
Metamorphosis: 10/10
...
Essence Blood Full. Metamorphosis Success!
Red Sky Crane True Core · Supreme
Can Refine into Demon Beast Bloodline Ancestor Demon Technique: Red Sky Profound Flame
’Let’s see what you can do! Refine.’
The crimson True Core suddenly solidified, becoming like a pulsing, mystical ember with abstruse Demon Patterns swirling across its surface. At a thought from Lin Changheng, the True Core seemed to move with a will of its own, drifting down and sinking directly into his body—
BOOM!
In that instant, it felt as though his meridians were being flooded with molten lava as a wave of heat unlike anything he had ever experienced swept through his entire body.
But surprisingly, the heat wasn’t violent. Instead, it soothed each of his meridians like a hot spring before converging like a hundred rivers into the sea, flowing directly into his Dantian.
Lin Changheng closed his eyes and looked inward. Within his Dantian, his gaseous Magical Power swirled like smoke and mist. In the very center, the strange, crimson flame flickered. As the torrent of heat flowed in, the flame slowly took on a golden sheen!
’Is it transforming?!’
Far from alarmed, Lin Changheng was delighted, and he watched the process intently.
As the torrent of heat from the True Core continued to pour in and merge, the golden color grew deeper and richer, while the ember’s overall hue became darker, more profound.
FWOOSH!
Finally, with a flash like oil hitting a hot pan, the flame flared once and then contracted. A dark-gold ember, pulsing with light and flickering restlessly, had finished its transformation in his Dantian.
Yet, Lin Changheng felt no discomfort.
’So this is... the Red Sky Profound Flame?’
Lin Changheng couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
It had lost its previous sinister feeling, replaced by a grand, righteous, and overwhelming aura. No one who saw it would ever guess this was a Demon Fire originating from a Demon Beast!
With a thought, he directed a wisp of the gaseous Magical Power in his Dantian toward the dark-gold flame, allowing it to be slowly scorched.
He observed it carefully for a moment. He saw no signs of demonic taint. On the contrary, as the flame’s tongue flickered, it seemed to possess the ability to temper and refine.
His heart settled.
He then deliberately guided his Magical Power, making it flow like a gentle stream over the flame. A continuous SIZZLE filled the air.
Lin Changheng’s eyes brightened. He watched as his once-diffuse Magical Power was continuously refined in the flame. Impurities were incinerated into nothingness, its mixed nature was purged, and it became far more pure. Its former insubstantiality vanished, replaced by a clearly more compressed state.
It was an unavoidable fact that all Cultivators had impurities in their Magical Power. This could be due to inherent flaws in low-level Cultivation Techniques, or from cultivating too hastily and carelessly, which prevented the complete purification of Spiritual Qi before it was stored in the Dantian. It could also stem from elixir residue, corrupt environmental qi, or even hidden injuries from Magical Combat that left an enemy’s Foreign Magical Power lurking within.
The causes were many, but they all hindered the liquefaction of Magical Power, a crucial step for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
The same was true for insubstantiality. The more refined, dense, and potent one’s Magical Power became, the more easily it would liquefy, and the simpler it would be to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Therefore, a major step in preparing for the Foundation Establishment Stage was to re-refine and purify one’s Magical Power, eliminating as many impurities and as much insubstantiality as possible. This was done to overcome one of the three great barriers: the Mountain of Qi.
Typically, Cultivators could only use a brute-force method: circulating their Magical Power again and again, using their Cultivation Technique to drive the refinement process.
This method was not only time-consuming but could never achieve a ’perfect’ result; it could only mitigate the issues as much as possible.
More powerful, higher-tier Cultivation Techniques had fewer inherent flaws to begin with and produced a much more significant refining effect later on.
This was the fundamental gap between Loose Cultivators, family cultivators, and Sect Cultivators. Cultivating a common, run-of-the-mill technique automatically made achieving Foundation Establishment significantly more difficult.
But now, Lin Changheng seemed to have found a different ’path’.
And that path was the Red Sky Profound Flame!
In its previous form as the Red Sky Demon Fire, faint traces of Demon Qi were always present, forcing Lin Changheng to keep it contained to avoid the trouble of it contaminating his Magical Power.
Now that the Red Sky Profound Flame was majestic and pure, having undergone a profound transformation, and his experiments had yielded such pleasing results, he could naturally put it to use.
This was a method ordinary Cultivators wouldn’t even dare to dream of!
Who would dare to harbor a flame within their own body without absolute, one-hundred-percent certainty?
Though it couldn’t compare to the Pill Fire of a Core Formation Cultivator, it already showed a glimmer of its potential.
Inhale... Exhale...
Even Lin Changheng’s calm composure was shaken. He took several deep breaths; this concerned his Foundation Establishment, and he couldn’t afford to be careless.
He had a distinct feeling that Foundation Establishment was truly within his grasp!
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK...!
Just then, a soft knock came from the door.
Hm?
’It’s late. Who could be looking for me?’
Though puzzled, his hands moved swiftly. With a sweep of his sleeve across the table, the vials of Essence Blood vanished. Only then did he go to open the door.