Chapter 45 (Part 2)

And Song Qing kept adding all kinds of spirit herbs and spirit plants, as though they were all prepared specifically to melt and restructure Boundless Fire.

It was not easy for an earthly fire to develop sentience. Boundless Fire sensed a mortal danger and anxiously spun in circles inside the alchemy furnace. Unfortunately, it had no brain and could not think of any way to escape.

When Song Qing opened the alchemy furnace again, preparing to throw in more spirit plants, he inadvertently discovered that a subtle change had occurred inside the furnace.

“This is?”

Song Qing paused the refinement and observed the Boundless Fire inside the furnace. That nearly transparent ball of fire was splitting. It also seemed somewhat like a cicada shedding its shell, slowly spitting out a small pale-green flame from within its body.

He did not disturb it and observed quietly from the side. When the pale-green flame and Boundless Fire completely separated, he finally saw clearly that this small pale-green flame was actually a heavenly fire.

After distinguishing it carefully again, Song Qing confirmed that this heavenly fire was Emerald Radiance Fire, ranked ninety-ninth on the Heavenly Fire Ranking. However, the flame was weak, almost in a state near death.

The moment the thought rose in Song Qing’s mind, he changed the object of the fire refining and increased the precious spirit herbs he was placing into the alchemy furnace. This time, however, it was to refine Emerald Radiance Fire’s flame into something larger.

When Song Yuanxi woke from his sleep, he lifted his head and looked ahead, shouting at his father’s back, “Father, is Boundless Fire done being refined?”

He walked over blearily. Song Qing still maintained a bent posture as he peered into the furnace. Song Yuanxi was curious and followed him in looking inside.

“Father, what are you looking at?”

“Heavenly fire.”

“Huh?”

“During the refining process, Boundless Fire split and spat out a small cluster of heavenly fire. It is an Emerald Radiance Fire seed.”

Song Qing pointed toward one corner inside the furnace. The pale-green flame was burning rapidly, and the color of the flame was growing brighter and brighter.

Song Yuanxi found it miraculous and could not help sighing. “This earthly fire is impressive. It actually dared to devour heavenly fire.”

Song Qing also felt pleasantly surprised. “Boundless Fire is extremely good at disguise. It can continuously change its own color and pretend to be heavenly fire. But I did not expect that it could actually use weakness to overcome strength and devour heavenly fire with the body of an earthly fire. This is indeed an unexpected joy.”

Song Qing’s research on earthly fires was not extensive, but since Boundless Fire could devour Emerald Radiance Fire, its energy must not be small.

Immediately, he said, “Yuanxi, I have decided to thoroughly melt and refine this Boundless Fire, then merge it into the Emerald Radiance Fire seed in order to raise Emerald Radiance Fire’s grade. Emerald Radiance Fire is a heavenly fire. Once its grade is raised, its effect will be excellent. As your companion fire for Body Cultivation, it will also be good.”

“But…”

“There is no need to mind Jiang Lanyi’s side. I will find a suitable alchemy flame for her myself.”

Song Qing had great expectations for Jiang Lanyi. Toward his future disciple, he absolutely would not be stingy.

However, plans could not keep up with change. While father and son were discussing it, Boundless Fire, which had originally been curled up in a small corner inside the furnace, suddenly moved. It rushed toward the crack in the alchemy furnace at an extremely fast speed. Almost in the blink of an eye, it fled from inside and directly crashed into Song Yuanxi’s body.

Song Yuanxi only felt his body suddenly become hot, then very, very hot. The scorching, burning temperature left him dazed, as though he had returned to that sea of fire from back then in an instant.

Instinctively, he circulated his cultivation method and resisted with bone refinement.

Taking advantage of the gap, Song Yuanxi observed his own sea of consciousness and unexpectedly discovered that the Boundless Fire that had run inside had already begun refining itself on its own. It was accelerating its fusion with his sea of consciousness by itself.

What the hell was going on?

“Father, that Boundless Fire is refining itself on its own. It… it wants to merge with me,” Song Yuanxi cried out in shock.

The moment Song Qing heard the words “refining itself on its own,” he knew it was already too late. He could only tell him to sit down and enter meditation.

“Yuanxi, circulate your cultivation method and begin cultivating. During the process of Boundless Fire refining itself on its own, continuously absorb its energy for your own use.”

“Father?”

“Do not say more. Do as I say first. I will stand guard beside you.”

Song Yuanxi immediately felt reassured. He closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation. The energy absorbed from Boundless Fire was converted into what he needed for bone refinement, continuously circulating through his body. After three full great heavenly cycles, Song Yuanxi stopped cultivating and opened his eyes.

“How is it?” Song Qing asked.

Song Yuanxi nodded and answered honestly, “I have already completely refined Boundless Fire. It has now become one with me.”

Self-refinement and passive refinement required completely different amounts of spiritual power and speed. Song Yuanxi had never experienced refining an external object in such an effortless state.

Now, Boundless Fire, fully refined, was hiding in the deepest part of his sea of consciousness. It seemed afraid of being seized again, so it had simply transformed into a small wave that looked real enough to pass for genuine, rippling among the billows of his sea of consciousness.

“Father, what exactly is going on?”

“This earthly fire developed sentience. Sensing danger, it made the choice most beneficial to itself.”

Because it did not want to be melted down and refined, it had desperately struggled to survive. This kind of situation often occurred with sentient heavenly fires, but earthly fires… This was the first time Song Qing had heard of it.

“What a pity. Such a sentient earthly fire would have been greatly useful to you if it could have been merged into Emerald Radiance Fire.”

Song Yuanxi, however, did not feel it was a pity. This timid Boundless Fire was actually rather similar to his own personality.

“Father, this is probably fate. I have no destiny with heavenly fire. And I don’t dislike Boundless Fire. Since I’ve already refined it, I’ll use it as my companion fire for Body Cultivation. Although it’s best for Body Cultivators who reach great completion to have heavenly fire, there’s no rule saying that someone with earthly fire can’t accomplish anything.”

Song Yuanxi looked toward the alchemy furnace and said again, “I’ll have to ask Father to spend some more effort and refine Emerald Radiance Fire. Such a precious heavenly fire is perfectly suitable for me to give to Senior Sister Jiang.”

He had thought it was an earthly fire, but unexpectedly, in the end, it was heavenly fire. The grade of the gift had risen, and Song Yuanxi felt very happy.

This joy was visible to the naked eye. Looking at the sincere smile revealed by his son, Song Qing knew his heart was truly open and at ease.

Once again, he saw his eldest son in a new light. At the same time, he also understood the word “opportunity.” The mystery of fate was indescribable. His eldest son might truly have no destiny with heavenly fire.

Thus, Song Qing focused on refining Emerald Radiance Fire. He spent a full half month refining that originally small and weak flame into a normal-sized ball of fire.

When it finally emerged from the furnace, Song Qing marked several pill patterns on the heavenly fire before placing it in a jade box and handing it to Song Yuanxi. “Give this box to Jiang Lanyi. She will know how to handle it.”

The initial refinement had already been completed. As for refining it again until it completely fused with its master, that was something the person refining it would need to consider. Song Qing believed that with Jiang Lanyi’s alchemy level, a mere Emerald Radiance Fire would not be a problem.

Song Yuanxi put the jade box away, thanked his father repeatedly, and said goodbye while he was at it.

When he turned around, he thought of something and turned back again. “Father!”

Song Qing answered, “What is it?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to call you. Goodbye, Father.”

Song Yuanxi very much wanted to ask his father about his cultivation, but when he thought of his mother’s reminder, he ultimately swallowed the question back down.

Holding the jade box, he hardly rested at all and went straight to Jiang Lanyi’s small courtyard.

Before he entered, he was stopped at the intersection outside. A menial disciple stepped forward to block his path, bowed, and said, “Greetings, Senior Brother. May I ask what Senior Brother has come to see Uncle-Master Jiang for?”

“Uncle-Master Jiang?”

The menial disciple nodded and said, “Uncle-Master Jiang is currently refining pills. She gave instructions long ago that if there is no urgent matter, she must not be disturbed. Does Senior Brother have an important matter?”

Song Yuanxi’s expression showed surprise once again, but he quickly understood. More than sixty years had passed. The senior brothers and senior sisters of the past should indeed have already reached Foundation Establishment. After all, their spiritual roots were not poor, and their talent values were also very good.

He imagined that not only Jiang Lanyi, but senior brothers and sisters such as He Man, Qiu Ran, and the others were probably all early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators now. It was also possible that those with good aptitude, like Liao Xilin, had already reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

Song Yuanxi’s thoughts circled around once before he returned to himself and shook his head at the person before him. “I don’t have any major matter. Since Uncle-Master Jiang is refining pills, I won’t disturb her.”

After saying this, he walked toward the pavilion beside the small path and sat on a stone stool inside the pavilion to wait.

This wait lasted another half month.

When Jiang Lanyi came out of the alchemy room, a menial disciple soon came forward to report. “Uncle-Master Jiang, there is a Senior Brother whose name I do not know. He has been sitting in the pavilion outside and waiting all this time.”

Jiang Lanyi was surprised. The people she knew had basically all reached Foundation Establishment. Even if some were still in the Qi Refining stage, they would still know the menial disciples. How could there be an unfamiliar disciple who had come to find her?

“Is that person still there now?”

“Yes. He has waited for half a month and has not left once.”

Jiang Lanyi’s curiosity grew even stronger. Which disciple had such perseverance? She had to go out and take a proper look.

When she walked out, she saw that figure in the pavilion from far away. Just the sight of that back made Jiang Lanyi freeze on the spot. Her expression changed several times, emotions continuously surging in her eyes. Finally, she hurried over at a light run.

Song Yuanxi seemed to sense something. He turned to look behind him, and the moment he met her face-to-face, he lifted his arm and waved.

With a smile, he shouted, “Senior Sister Jiang! Long time no see!”

Jiang Lanyi ran into the pavilion and stood before Song Yuanxi, carefully examining him. With every glance, the emotions in her eyes grew stronger. The more she looked, the more agitated she became, until her eyes reddened without her realizing it.

“Back then, when I heard Daoist Master mention that you had been gravely injured while training outside the sect and that more than half your vitality had drained away… Junior Brother Song, I was very worried about you.”

“That’s all ancient history. I’m perfectly fine now.” Song Yuanxi bounced up and down to show off his energy.

Jiang Lanyi had never cared so much about a person before. She had been an orphan since childhood and had never experienced familial affection. But in Xuantian Sect, during all those years she spent with Song Yuanxi, little by little, she had come to understand what the word “family” truly meant.

When she heard that Song Yuanxi had been gravely injured, she had once been impulsive enough to want to leave the sect and visit him. Yet after making the decision, she grew lost, because she had no idea where he was. And she also had neither the identity nor the qualification to go.

Now that she saw him return safely, the joy in Jiang Lanyi’s heart was impossible to describe.

“Junior Brother Song, why didn’t you say so earlier when you came to find me? You actually waited outside for half a month. There was no need!”

Song Yuanxi shook his head, suppressing the excitement in his heart as he smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I had nothing to do after coming back. Waiting a while didn’t matter. How could I disturb Uncle-Master Jiang while you were refining pills? That’s serious business.”

“Junior Brother Song, you…”

“Uncle-Master Jiang, now that you have reached Foundation Establishment, you should no longer call me Junior Brother.”

Jiang Lanyi scoffed. For the first time, she felt impatient with this kind of rule. “To hell with uncle-masters and martial nephews. In my heart, you will always be my junior brother.”

Song Yuanxi laughed until he nearly doubled over, then nodded and said, “True. I also rather hate this behavior of assigning seniority according to cultivation. But it doesn’t matter. Uncle-Master, just wait. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll be my senior sister again.”

“That would be excellent.”

The two of them no longer tangled over the matter of titles. The joy of reunion filled them both, and each of them had many things they wanted to pour out.

Jiang Lanyi quickly led him into the small courtyard and took out two jars of Evergreen, handing them to Song Yuanxi. “I knew you loved drinking this. I got them from Daoist Master Yunxi and saved them all for you.”

The Evergreen in Song Yuanxi’s storage bangle had long since run out. During those final years in the secret land, he had missed this taste terribly. Now that he saw it again, his mouth unconsciously began to water, and he was almost unbearably greedy for it.

He directly opened one jar, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in great swallows. Only after drinking more than half the jar did he sigh in satisfaction. “When it comes to brewing wine, my father is still the best. This wine is incredible!”

Jiang Lanyi looked at the vivid, lively Song Yuanxi, and warmth filled her heart. She laughed along with him. “If you like it, I’ll give you all the Evergreen I’ve saved over the years.”

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