Chapter 31: The Incinerating Flame Technique

Damn it, so it turns out I was just overthinking things. Conspiracy theories are never helpful. Cao Chengyu took quite a while to calm down. It was the first time in his life he had ever committed such a reversal of right and wrong—how embarrassing... Yet, deep inside, a fluttering excitement stirred within him. What was that feeling? It seemed as if the doors to an entirely new world had opened before him.

Having dealt with the unexpected events at Spring Blossom Pavilion, Wei Xiao’er called out to Boss Cao with noticeably more sincerity than before. Meanwhile, Cao Chengyu mused that since Luo Yuzhu had only begun refining the Human Poison Pill three days ago, it would be some time before the next round of pill-making. So he stepped out for a stroll, and before he realized it, found himself at the Melody Hall.

The place was much like a brothel. Even in the afternoon, it was brimming with men of high quality, sipping tea and listening to music—everyone seemed to be enjoying their lives. As a man of principle, naturally, he joined them.

After an afternoon immersed in music, Cao Chengyu returned home, inexplicably purchasing two ounces of green tangerines—not for any particular reason, just for their tart and tangy taste.

A few days later, Luo Yuzhu emerged from seclusion.

The two sat across from each other in the tea room. Amid laughter and conversation, Cao Chengyu recounted the events of the other day to Luo Yuzhu, immediately eliciting bursts of charming laughter from her.

“You sly fox, I never thought you could be so eloquent,” she teased.

“…”

“By the way,” Luo Yuzhu suddenly frowned in puzzlement, “Why is there a scent of green tangerines on you?”

“Uh…”

“Xiao’er brought them to me. That sour flavor is perfect for clearing the mind,” he replied.

These days, Cao Chengyu had been practically living in the Melody Hall and had gradually grown fond of green tangerines for their ability to mask other scents.

“I see,” Luo Yuzhu replied, not thinking much of it, but her gaze grew intense. “Let’s continue refining the Human Poison Pill. The pills nurtured by your body are becoming more and more potent. I can feel it—just ten more rounds, and I’ll be ready to attempt breaking through to the Purple Palace Realm. If I keep up this momentum, within half a year, I’m confident I’ll make it.”

Cao Chengyu’s eyes lit up at her words. Achieving the Purple Palace at seventy-one—he would surely have hopes for the Golden Core in this lifetime, and perhaps even further. He smiled, shy and pleased.

“As for Sister Luo’s requests, you need only ask. Chengyu can handle them all.”

“Haha~”

…

Half a month later.

[Cao Chengyu]

Age: 14.9

Cultivation: Mid stage of Spirit Refining Realm (58%)

Cultivation Technique: Huangting Scripture

Skills: Basic Alchemy Method (first tier), Basic Artifact Refining Method (first tier artifact)

Spells: Object Manipulation, Windwalking, Azure Flood Dragon Sleeve (mid-tier 16%), Five-Wheel Fire Method (mid-tier 23%), Black Tortoise Shield (low-tier 98%), Yellow Cloud Technique (mid-tier 42%)

Secret Techniques: Poison Eye (mid-tier 19%)

Divine Ability: Law Derivation (?)

[Evaluation]: Famous Jade-Faced Gentleman of Heaven Monitoring Tower, his reputation seems to be spreading widely~

In three months, he would turn fifteen. According to mortal ethics, he was already at the age to marry and start a family.

The Black Tortoise Shield was about to upgrade to a mid-tier spell, so Cao Chengyu planned to enter closed-door cultivation for three days to push it to the next level.

He had accumulated 1,300 contribution points—more than enough to spend at the Scripture Repository. Physical cultivation techniques could also be put on the agenda.

After spending over a month at Spring Blossom Pavilion, Cao Chengyu finally decided to return to his dormitory. Upon arrival, he found, to his surprise, ten pounds of jade spirit rice hanging at his door—the monthly harvest, he supposed. Yet not a single person was present; who knew where everyone had gone to have fun, not even inviting him along.

Sitting on his meditation cushion, Cao Chengyu closed his eyes and began to refine the Black Tortoise Shield. This spell possessed both water and earth attributes. It could form a thin water shield to defend against attacks from all directions, with three triangular earth shields orbiting around it to block heavy strikes.

The direction Cao Chengyu pursued in his refinement was to strengthen both its defense and duration.

It didn’t take much effort—less than a day to complete the upgrade.

The new defensive spell was called the Lightless Shield. The earth attribute vanished entirely, leaving only complex water attribute runes. When the water waves condensed to their utmost, they turned black, thus the name Lightless Shield.

Mana consumption was considerable, as expected for a mid-tier spell. Only cultivators at the Dao Body stage could wield it fully. Cao Chengyu could manage three uses before running dry. Even so, at his level of mastery, he was able to conserve some mana.

With this, all his spells had been upgraded. Within the Spirit Refining Realm, his arsenal could be considered luxurious.

Yet, why did he always feel an urge to test them out on someone?

After emerging from seclusion, Cao Chengyu went straight to the third and fourth floors of the Blue Guard Scripture Repository. The spells and secret techniques here were still only low-tier, but their quality far surpassed those on the lower floors. Among them, he discovered at least ten incomplete mid-tier spells.

There were also three openly displayed mid-tier spells, priced at 1,500 contribution points. Even someone as wealthy as him couldn’t afford them, let alone the average Blue Guard. They were likely showcased just to inspire ambition.

After some consideration, Cao Chengyu settled on two incomplete mid-tier physical cultivation techniques and one low-tier sword technique. The sword, king of all weapons, suited him well.

One physical technique was called Tiger’s Might, designed to strengthen vital energy and build a solid foundation. The other was the Scorching Body Fire Method. Mastery of it allowed one to temper oneself with the fires of heaven and earth, not only enhancing the body but also refining the spirit.

It was rated only low-tier for two reasons: the fires of heaven and earth were rare, and the method for self-preservation was poor, with a success rate of less than one percent. It had long gathered dust in the repository, and no one dared to attempt it.

When Cao Chengyu found it, he noticed another person’s handprint on its cover, indicating someone had recently consulted it. This piqued his curiosity.

He dared to practice it because his Law Derivation divine ability could help him perfect self-preservation methods. But what gave the other person such confidence? Was he the protagonist?

Suppressing his doubts, Cao Chengyu inquired about it during registration with his colleagues. To his surprise, he learned that the technique had recently been exchanged by a certain Xiao, who had defected from the Heaven Monitoring Tower.

But hadn’t that fellow become a disciple of Chen Yuqing? Why would he forsake the Water Technique for a Fire Method?

The suspected protagonist seemed to be accumulating more and more secrets, leaving Cao Chengyu unsure what to make of it.

Nevertheless, he decided to take the Scorching Body Fire Method—who knew what secrets it might hold?

As for the low-tier sword technique, it was called Spring Rain Transforming Sword, imitating the dense and continuous force of spring rain. Its thirteen moves each delivered a swifter strike than the last. Among low-tier techniques, it was quite impressive.

Once learned, he could let the Huangting Scripture automatically refine it. He didn’t lack powerful moves; what he needed were some standard attack methods.

Having handled these matters, Cao Chengyu plunged once more into closed-door cultivation.

He still had over sixty Yellow Bud Pills, but their effectiveness was waning. The ideal of consuming them all the way to late-stage Spirit Refining was unlikely. His body seemed to have developed resistance, and he would need another type of pill to assist his cultivation.

It was at this moment that Lucky Star Liu Yun returned.

Finding Cao Chengyu at home, Liu Yun pulled him aside for a chat. True to his reputation, Liu Yun brought news of an auction—rumored to be an internal event hosted by the immortal clans of the capital.

Perhaps the pill recipe Cao Chengyu sought would be found there.