Chapter 132 - 130: Starfire Ignites the Prairie
Hong Yuanqing's strength was not weak. In fact, he could be considered the strongest Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist Chen Yuan had ever faced.
He hailed from the Great Xia's elite Vigorous Martial Army, had experienced battle arrays, possessed a deep foundation, and was rich in combat experience.
Furthermore, his superior had been generous, granting him a powerful Cultivation Technique.
However, against two prodigies like Chen Yuan and Gu Lichuan, who were both worthy of a place on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, Hong Yuanqing was doomed to die no matter what he did.
"Brother Chen, your strength is incredible."
Gu Lichuan looked at Chen Yuan, slightly amazed.
He had wandered the Liang Province Desert since he was young and had seen his fair share of Martial Artists.
But Chen Yuan was the first he had ever met who possessed such explosive power and profound foundation while still in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
The power of Hong Yuanqing's Spear Technique was so immense that if he had been the one defending, he could have only blocked two or three moves. He could never have withstood Hong Yuanqing's continuous barrage of powerful attacks like Chen Yuan did.
"Brother Gu, your sword isn't slow either."
Chen Yuan said, "We need to hurry. Let's raid the Hong Family's Treasure Vault and then get out of here."
Outside, Chen Yuan and Gu Lichuan had killed many Hong Family Guards, but they hadn't finished them all off.
These Hong Family guards were essentially Guests, so their loyalty to the Hong Family wasn't particularly deep.
So, after Chen Yuan and Gu Lichuan had killed about half of them, the group of guards scattered and fled. Chen Yuan and Gu Lichuan had no way to pursue them.
Although it was unlikely these guards would be able to call for reinforcements, it was still better to be careful.
Taking the key from Hong Yuanqing's body, Chen Yuan opened the Hong Family Treasure Vault, but he felt a little disappointed.
There weren't many good things inside the Hong Family's Treasure Vault. Even in terms of money and jewels, its collection wasn't as rich as the Qiu Family's.
Chen Yuan guessed that the Hong Family's savings must have all been used by Hong Yuanqing to build this Hong Family Dock Fortress, including purchasing military-grade weapons of war like the Siege Crossbows.
Fortunately, however, the Broken Sword Fire Phoenix hadn't been sold off for money by Hong Yuanqing.
It was, after all, a betrothal gift from the Qiu Family. If the Qiu Family found out, the Hong Family would lose face.
While Chen Yuan was busy looting, Gu Lichuan just stood there, showing no interest in looking around.
In his view, if he had come alone, the most he could have done was kill that bastard Hong Chengwen. He would have had no way to completely destroy Hong Family Castle and might even have ended up being hunted by them instead.
It was because Chen Yuan had taken action that he was able to annihilate the Hong Family. And during their joint battle just now, it was Chen Yuan who had shouldered the immense pressure and blocked Hong Yuanqing.
It wasn't that Gu Lichuan wasn't greedy; he just knew what he should and shouldn't take.
After obtaining the Broken Sword Fire Phoenix, Chen Yuan saw Gu Lichuan's expression and immediately understood what he was thinking.
"Brother Gu, all this gold, silver, and jewelry from the Hong Family is yours. Take it all."
Gu Lichuan shook his head. "This should all be yours, Brother Chen. I'll just go take the heads of those Hong Family members as an offering later."
Chen Yuan smiled. "To put it arrogantly, I'm not short on money, nor am I interested in it."
"Within the Zhenwu Hall, I'm in charge of a Prefecture City. If I just say the word, the Jianghu Forces under my command will be scrambling to deliver money to my doorstep."
"I've already gotten what I wanted. You should keep this gold, silver, and jewelry, Brother Gu."
"Besides, compared to me, you probably need these things more, Brother Gu."
Chen Yuan wasn't short on money, but it seemed Gu Lichuan was.
It wasn't that he was truly poor. A Martial Artist of his Level could earn a fortune just by taking on a random mission.
But Gu Lichuan was used to a carefree lifestyle. When he had money, he would go to restaurants to eat and drink, and the wine he drank was the finest stuff, costing hundreds or even thousands in silver for a single pot.
Of course, when he was broke, he wasn't picky either. He was just as happy drinking a pot of cheap, cloudy wine that cost only a few copper coins.
Hearing Chen Yuan say this, Gu Lichuan didn't act coy any longer.
"Alright then, I won't be polite with you, Brother Chen. It just so happens I need to make a trip to Yunshan Prefecture in Ping Province, and I could use some silver coins."
With that, Gu Lichuan found a bag and stuffed the silver ingots and gold bars inside to take with him.
As for some of the larger pieces of jewelry that were inconvenient to carry, Gu Lichuan didn't take them.
Chen Yuan took some Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines, and then found another good item.
It was a red fruit in a Jade Box, and even through the box, he could smell an extremely rich medicinal fragrance.
This was a thousand-year Vermilion Fruit, which could be considered a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine.
Chen Yuan looked at Gu Lichuan and asked, "Brother Gu, did you come here this time to attend the Medicine King Valley's Alchemy Furnace Assembly?"
Gu Lichuan nodded and said, "I was planning to drop by the Alchemy Furnace Assembly to watch the excitement after I return from Yunshan Prefecture, but not to participate. I just want to witness this grand Jianghu event."
"The entry ticket to the Alchemy Furnace Assembly is a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine. How could an Independent Martial Artist like me, with no Sect or Family, possibly have one? So I can only watch from the sidelines."
Although unrefined Spiritual Medicine wasn't as precious as an Elixir, a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine was still a rare treasure that one could only hope to stumble upon by chance.
Even if some Independent Martial Artists managed to obtain a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine by chance, they would use it to trade for cultivation resources, not as an admission ticket to join the fun at the Alchemy Furnace Assembly.
Therefore, although the Alchemy Furnace Assembly was considered a grand Jianghu event, most of the attendees were Martial Artists from various Sects, Noble Families, and other major forces.
Very few Independent Martial Artists could afford to attend.
"What a coincidence. This will do nicely as an entry ticket."
Chen Yuan tossed the thousand-year Vermilion Fruit directly to Gu Lichuan.
Although this thousand-year Vermilion Fruit was precious, after taking charge of Kaiping Prefecture, Chen Yuan had accumulated a considerable amount of Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines, so he wasn't lacking this one.
'Gu Lichuan is destined to reach the pinnacle of the Sword Dao in the future, and his character has been tested. There's definitely no issue with him.'
'Befriending him now is a low-risk, high-reward investment. I definitely won't lose out.'
Of course, putting aside such pragmatic considerations, Chen Yuan also felt that Gu Lichuan at this point in time—with his carefree and unrestrained personality, even being a bit of a talkative and enthusiastic chatterbox—was very different from the future Cold-faced Sword Venerable and was great for making friends with.
Gu Lichuan caught the thousand-year Vermilion Fruit and gave Chen Yuan a strange look. "Brother Chen, if we hadn't just met for the first time today, I'd almost suspect you were my long-lost brother from another mother."
"You're being so good to me... you don't have any improper intentions, do you?"
"That's a sickness, you know. It can be cured."
"I had a friend like that back in Liang Province. I took him to the biggest brothel there, got him a different girl every day, and we managed to straighten him out."
"Brother Chen, forgive my bluntness, but it's best to treat this kind of sickness early."
Seeing Chen Yuan's face darken, Gu Lichuan quickly laughed and said, "Just kidding! Brother Chen, you're a generous man, so I won't be polite with you either."
"When we get to the Alchemy Furnace Assembly, I'll help you eliminate a few strong rivals first. I'll do my best to help you win that Divine Pill from the cauldron."
Chen Yuan shook his head helplessly.
'He was beginning to seriously doubt if this Gu Lichuan was really the same person as the future Cold-faced Sword Venerable. The difference was just too great.'
After they finished looting, Gu Lichuan went and cut off the heads of the Hong Family members, preparing to take them to the village as an offering for that girl.
Once they were down the mountain, Gu Lichuan cupped his fist. "Brother Chen, after I pay my respects, I have to go to Yunshan Prefecture on business. I should be able to make it before the Alchemy Furnace Assembly begins. We'll meet again at Medicine King Valley."
Chen Yuan nodded. "Take care on your journey, Brother Gu."
After the two parted ways, Chen Yuan didn't rush to continue his journey. Instead, he returned to the small town, preparing to first master the basics of the Celestial Fire Secret Manual.
Ordinary Martial Artists were actually incapable of perceiving the Fire Origin within the Broken Sword Fire Phoenix.
That's why for both Qiu Tianzheng and Hong Yuanqing, the Broken Sword Fire Phoenix was little more than a broken Celestial Soldier in their hands. Although its material was excellent, it was rather useless.
Only those who practiced the Celestial Fire Secret Manual or already possessed a Power of Origin could perceive it.
And Chen Yuan happened to have both.
Channeling his Killing Intent Origin into his body, Chen Yuan grasped the sword hilt. In an instant, the Power of Origin within the broken sword erupted.
Although it was only a sliver of power, it was incredibly scorching. It felt as if Chen Yuan was holding a piece of Celestial Fire magma, and an intense, burning pain shot through his hand.
But Chen Yuan's expression didn't change. He immersed his consciousness into it, using his Killing Intent Origin to merge with this Fire Origin and comprehend the power within.
Half an hour later, Chen Yuan released the sword hilt.
The broken sword, made of Celestial Soldier material, had now become incredibly fragile due to the dispersal of its Power of Origin, and it instantly shattered into dust.
Chen Yuan glanced at his hand. Despite his current physical toughness, it was now covered in scorched marks.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Yuan immersed his mind and began to practice the Celestial Fire Secret Manual.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
To master the basics of the Celestial Fire Secret Manual, one first needed to ignite the True Qi within their body and condense a sliver of Starfire.
When this Starfire eventually grew strong enough, it could transform into the ultimate Celestial Fire, creating a conflagration that could incinerate the heavens and annihilate the earth.
But this first step was incredibly difficult.
Many people cultivated Fire Attribute True Qi, but igniting that True Qi inside one's own body? That sounded like a fairy tale.
However, since Chen Yuan had already comprehended the Fire Origin, this step was exceptionally easy for him.
He even used the Power of Fire Origin directly to ignite the Starfire in his body. Instantly, a crimson flame rose within his Reincarnation Sea.
In that instant, all the True Qi in his Reincarnation Sea seemed to ignite, and its circulation speed became several times faster than before.
If it weren't for Chen Yuan's formidable physical body, the impact from that single moment would have been enough to severely injure him.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuan activated his Inner Vision God Observation Method, continuously merging his True Qi into the flame to gradually bring it under control.
This process took nearly two days before Chen Yuan could barely control this wisp of Starfire.
"What domineering power!"
Opening his eyes, Chen Yuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
He now understood why the Celestial Fire Secret Manual was ranked as Celestial Level Upper Grade.
It wasn't just because it allowed one to cultivate a Power of Origin, but because once the internal Starfire was lit, the explosive power it granted was simply astonishing.
Normal Secret Techniques that burned True Qi simply caused a more intense consumption of True Qi.
The Celestial Fire Secret Manual, however, used Starfire Power to completely ignite one's own potential, unleashing the force of a wildfire.
Moreover, this wasn't simply burning one's own power; otherwise, it would be no different from suicide.
While igniting oneself, the Starfire Power also accelerated the operation of the Reincarnation Sea, frantically drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from the outside world as fuel for the fire.
And this was only its power in the Early Stage.
Once cultivated to the Great Success stage, unleashing the wildfire's momentum would truly be a power capable of incinerating the heavens and annihilating the earth.