Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

Zhang Chi discovered that there was actually an item inside the Pill Furnace—it was a flame.

This Pill Furnace had been emitting an intense heat ever since the day it was discovered. Zhang Chi initially thought it was a problem with the furnace itself, but now he realized it was caused by the flame within.

Although the flame was incredibly hot, it glowed a verdant green like a plant and emitted wafts of a medicinal fragrance.

Furthermore, the flame’s shape was constantly changing. Sometimes it resembled a lotus flower, other times it took the form of a Spirit Ginseng, and a moment later it would look like a Spirit Fruit.

"This... Could this be the legendary Hundred Herbs Spirit Fire?"

As Zhang Chi observed it carefully with his Divine Thought, his eyes couldn’t help but light up.

The Hundred Herbs Spirit Fire was an extremely rare Tier Four Spirit Fire, also known as the Medicine King’s Fire or the Alchemy Divine Fire.

This fire’s combat power was average, but the assistance it provided to an Alchemy Master was immense.

Both the alchemy inheritance and the Celestial True Monarch’s Alchemy Insights mentioned the Hundred Herbs Spirit Fire. The Alchemy Insights even brought it up many times, going so far as to include techniques on how to claim and control it.

But Zhang Chi had always thought this sort of thing only existed in the era of the Celestial Repair Sect and had long since become a legend in the present day.

But now he discovered that the Celestial Repair Sect had actually possessed one, and it was right here inside this Pill Furnace. No wonder the Alchemy Insights mentioned it so many times.

’Good. With this Spirit Fire, plus the Divine Refining Technique and this Pill Furnace, it would be hard for my Pill Success Rate to drop even if I wanted it to. And in theory, this Spirit Fire can also aid in the cultivation of the Li Fire Scripture. This makes it more justifiable for my cultivation to be revealed as advancing a bit faster!’

Zhang Chi was overjoyed.

This Spirit Fire’s combat power was average and it was almost exclusively for alchemy, but it was a Tier Four Spirit Fire after all. It could still be used to kill enemies on occasion.

Using it to aid his cultivation would absolutely allow the Li Fire Scripture to reach the pinnacle among Upper Grade Cultivation Techniques.

Of course, this Spirit Fire was incredibly precious, so even if Zhang Chi were to reveal its existence, he would only do so to a select few people.

People like Master Jian, Zhong Yu, and other fellow sect members. And he would only consider revealing it after he reached the Golden Core stage.

After that, Zhang Chi quickly found the technique for controlling the Spirit Fire within the Celestial True Monarch’s Alchemy Insights.

Immediately after, he opened the Pill Furnace to reveal the Spirit Fire. Leveraging his numerous advantages, he successfully imprinted one Spirit Technique after another into the fire, and it was brought under control within moments.

Because this Spirit Fire was relatively docile, he couldn’t yet absorb it into his body, but there was no problem using it for alchemy while it remained in the Pill Furnace.

Following that, he first used the Pill Furnace and Spirit Fire to refine some ordinary Tier Two Peak and Tier Three Low Grade Elixirs. As expected, the results were excellent.

Once he was familiar with the process, he began to process the Longevity Fruit and refine the Lifespan Extension Pill.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!...

Three days later, one after another, finger-sized golden pills flew out of the Pill Furnace. They were the Tier Two Life Extension Pills.

Although the single Longevity Fruit was only enough for one batch, this batch directly yielded four finished Lifespan Extension Pills.

In addition, there were three Wasted Pills. But even as Wasted Pills, their effects were comparable to a Tier One Life Extension Pill. Moreover, their effects didn’t conflict with the Tier One version, making them quite valuable as well.

"Good!"

Zhang Chi couldn’t help but feel very satisfied.

This Pill Success Rate had clearly exceeded his expectations, and both the Pill Furnace and the Medicinal Fire were to be credited.

At the same time, his luck had also been very good.

He immediately consumed one and soon felt a comfortable warmth spread throughout his body. His own life force had clearly grown stronger.

Afterward, he divined his Lifespan and discovered it had indeed been extended by forty years.

He then consumed another finished pill, along with two Wasted Pills, and his Lifespan increased by another eighty years.

With this, his maximum Lifespan reached 480 years, rivaling that of some Fake Core Cultivators.

After all, a Fake Core not only meant lower cultivation, but also a smaller increase in Lifespan—typically only 100 years more than a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A Low Grade Golden Core increased it by 200 years, while Middle Grade and higher quality ones all granted an increase of 300 years.

Zhang Chi then put away the remaining two Lifespan Extension Pills and the one Wasted Pill.

He even used a special technique from the Celestial True Monarch’s Alchemy Insights to preserve these Spirit Pills. Combined with his Storage Ring, their shelf life could easily exceed a hundred years.

Of course, if he used the specialized containers the Celestial Repair Sect had for storing the Small Heaven-Repairing Pill and Element Condensing Fruit, the pills’ shelf life would be even longer.

Afterward, Zhang Chi continued his Cultivation in Seclusion, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Early one morning, a letter from the Sect was delivered, and it was from none other than Shangguan Hui.

Not only did she agree to the trade, but she also solemnly thanked Zhang Chi, stating that she would ensure he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. Whether he wanted Spirit Stones or a future Element Condensing Fruit, the choice was his.

Furthermore, she said that she had already set out for the Demon Abyss to find him directly, but that her letter would likely arrive sooner.

’It seems the importance of Core Formation Spiritual Objects to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator is far greater than I imagined.’

Zhang Chi wasn’t surprised by this, but he still sighed with emotion.

He had obtained nearly all the Core Formation Spiritual Objects he needed—and even had extras—back when he was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Naturally, he didn’t understand just how desperate ordinary cultivators were for these items.

In fact, when Shangguan Hui received Zhang Chi’s letter, she was so excited she jumped up on the spot, as giddy as a child over a hundred years old. She even had to repeatedly check if she was dreaming.

She immediately replied to the letter and then boarded a Floating Airship, rushing toward the Demon Abyss.

She even brought Li Ruohai and Yan Tengfei along with her.

Firstly, it was to see Zhang Chi and Zhong Yu, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time. Secondly, it was to have them act as escorts to prevent any mishaps with the Core Formation Spiritual Objects along the way.

Although the chances of something happening were minuscule, she was just that cautious.

After all, this one additional Core Formation Spiritual Object could very well allow the quality of her Golden Core to reach Middle Grade. Not only would that grant her an extra hundred years of Lifespan, but her future cultivation would also be faster, and her strength would be greater.

—

’Her reply didn’t ask for my help in refining the Dust Condensing Pill. Is it because she doesn’t know my true skill and doesn’t trust me? But that’s normal. After all, the level I’ve shown publicly is nowhere near enough to refine this Pill!’

Zhang Chi noticed another detail in the letter but didn’t pay it too much mind.

He then crushed the Jade Scroll containing the letter and prepared to continue his sword practice.

ROAR!

But at that moment, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from the distance. The roar came from the Demon Abyss.

ROAR! ROAR!...

Soon, even more roars followed, each one tremendous and terrifying.

’What’s going on? Why are these Demon Beasts and Demons getting restless so early today?’

Zhang Chi couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

He immediately took out a Tier Two Turtle Shell and performed a divination.

’Not good! The situation at the Demon Abyss has finally worsened, and a major change is imminent!’

’Fortunately, this year’s smuggling operation is already complete, and the Corpse Puppet and Spirit Snake haven’t gone far!’

Zhang Chi looked at the results of the divination, his gaze instantly turning grave.

He then observed the situation within the Demon Abyss through the Spirit Snake’s perspective and saw that, just as he’d feared, vast numbers of Demon Beasts and Demons were appearing, charging toward the Azure Dragon Ridge defensive line in wave after wave, even in broad daylight.