Chapter 112: The Six-Ding Dao Fire

“Yin Hua, where did you find such a disciple?”

Amidst the verdant mountains.

In front of a natural cave stood a small farmhouse with fields, fences, a stove, and a rack beside it holding a row of air-dried game meat.

Lord Guanchi and a burly bearded old farmer sat at a stone table by the field, dipping meat into a spicy hot pot.

Lord Guanchi picked up a piece of meat radiating with demonic energy, placing it into the hot pot while asking, “So, what do you think of this new disciple I’ve taken in?”

The old farmer also picked up a slice and dipped it into the pot.

“She’s quite endearing, but clever as a fox and full of schemes. Just now, when she was made to jump into the alchemy furnace, the look on her face—it was as if I was about to refine her into a pill of immortality. Ha! She even tried to run away. Do you think she could escape if we truly wanted to harm her?” The old farmer’s eyes narrowed fiercely, giving him a daunting appearance.

“Better to stay alert, lest one is sold out and ends up counting someone else’s money.”

Lord Guanchi spoke earnestly, lifting the meat from the pot, dipping it in sauce, his voice calm and steady as he said, “Isn’t the lesson of Yuyuan enough? With her nature, I feel somewhat reassured.”

Hearing the name Yuyuan, the old farmer looked up in surprise at him but saw no unusual expression, as if it were a distant past unrelated to him. He quickly changed the subject with a lighter tone, asking, “How do you plan to teach her?”

“Putting aside her mixed demonic bloodline, she’s got the five spiritual roots; foundational cultivation techniques are easy to find, but what about after reaching the Golden Core stage? Does Tai Chi Mountain have any cultivation methods?”

While eating meat, Lord Guanchi replied vaguely, “I’ll send her to the Hall of Nine Sects to look for them. There are many five-element techniques there. No matter what rank she achieves in the Nine Sects’ debate eight years from now, I will send her in.”

The old farmer smiled and raised an eyebrow, asking, “The Hall of Nine Sects? What if she obtains a legacy there?”

“Do you want her to practice in secret, or give up entirely?” Lord Guanchi retorted.

Hearing this, the old farmer fell silent halfway through his words, wearing a nonchalant expression. He continued flipping the meat in the pot lazily, “Whatever, they’ve been watching her closely anyway.”

Lord Guanchi snorted lightly, calm as ever, continuing to enjoy his hot pot. But when he lifted his bowl, his gaze turned toward the northwest, deep and penetrating, as if seeing through thousands of miles.

He saw the towering mountain, as high as the heavens.

...

Night fell.

The hot pot was replaced by roasted meat and wine.

The old farmer took charge of the roasting while Lord Guanchi ate. The old farmer knew that this gentleman had come a great distance just for a meal, though this time he brought along a young disciple to temper her life flame.

As he flipped the skewers and sprinkled seasoning, he looked toward the cave and praised, “Her physical constitution is impressive, able to endure the Six-Ding Dao Fire for so long.”

“It’s just the Six-Ding Dao Fire. What’s so difficult about enduring it?” Lord Guanchi raised his cup.

Savoring the rich spirit wine, he was relaxed and composed.

Hearing him say that, the old farmer detected a different flavor beneath his words, looking at him with mock disdain and teasing, “Oh, oh, oh, starting to be proud of your disciple already, aren’t you?”

---

Inside the vast cave, exquisitely arranged, a massive alchemy furnace stood about ten feet tall in the center.

Within the furnace, crimson flames blazed, flickering with a strange quality. Though burning quietly, they emitted no heat. It was a fire that was fire yet not fire, seemingly formed from something purer and more refined than spiritual energy.

Jiang Min sat cross-legged inside the furnace, enveloped by the mystical fire. Her body emitted a faint precious light, as if undergoing a rebirth.

“Dao fire refines essence, flows to transform form, revives like the shining sun, ascending to the stars...”

In her mind, Jiang Min repeated the cultivation method taught by the old farmer, using it to burn the Dao seed and temper her life flame.

Not only the Dao seed and life flame were transforming in the flames; her physical body also grew stronger as it was scorched by the crimson blaze.

Jiang Min had heard from the bearded elder that this fire was called the Six-Ding Dao Fire, a rare treasure that was fire yet not fire, formed from the resonance of Dao. It could temper the life flame and refine the body—an excellent and precious artifact.

Both the peach branch wrapped around her wrist and the peach branch in her dantian craved this Six-Ding Dao Fire, again stirring a hunger within.

But this time, Jiang Min would not let the peach branch have its way.

She had entered the furnace to temper her life flame—to empower it so that it could eventually refine the peach branch into her destined treasure. She could not let the peach branch absorb the flame again and grow stronger. When would she ever achieve her goal?

Moreover, delaying the progress of refining her treasure was one thing, but exposing the peach branch’s devouring power was far worse.

She would not lose the greater for the lesser.

Jiang Min’s gains from this venture were already great; after all, not everyone had the chance to temper their life flame with the Six-Ding Dao Fire.

Seizing this opportunity to strengthen her life flame was paramount.

...

Three more days passed.

As the sun set, the old farmer and Lord Guanchi sat in lounge chairs, basking in the sunlight.

Having nearly exhausted their long-overdue conversation, the old farmer’s face looked somewhat numb as he glanced toward the cave. If it were not for sensing that Jiang Min was still alive, he would have thought something had gone wrong.

“She’s still holding on?” he asked.

“Reluctant to leave your fire, perhaps?” Lord Guanchi chuckled softly.

The old farmer snorted coldly. “If you say so, then I really am reluctant.”

“I asked about her situation. She has practiced several methods of body and physical cultivation, and has taken rare treasures like Thunder Jade Marrow, Fire Jade Marrow, Wind Jade Marrow, among others. Her physical constitution is much stronger than other cultivators at her level,” Lord Guanchi explained.

On the way here, he had inquired roughly about Jiang Min’s cultivation, which was mostly as expected but also somewhat surprising.

Her Dao foundation was complete; her divine consciousness cultivation, physical state, and swordsmanship far exceeded those of peers, with an impressive and solid cultivation realm.

However, since she had learned swordsmanship and Dao arts on her own, the knowledge was somewhat scattered and lacked synergy, preventing her from exerting her full potential.

---

If she had a proper master to guide her, things would be much better.

The old farmer, hearing the mention of several precious treasures, asked in surprise, “She comes from a good background?”

“No, she’s just an ordinary farm girl who started as a servant in the Eastern Spirit Sect. The sect didn’t help her much; everything she has achieved is through her own effort,” Lord Guanchi shook his head slowly.

“Tsk... sounds like a fairy tale,” the old farmer said, eyes wide.

Suddenly, he leaned closer to Lord Guanchi and proposed, “Yin Hua, how about you let me take her as my disciple? I’m a farmer, and she comes from a farming background too. My sword cultivation isn’t weak, and I know a few demon cultivators—”

Lord Guanchi cut off his fanciful idea. “If she doesn’t enter the Nine Sects, are you going to steal a five-element technique from the Great Hong Dynasty, or go to the Hall of Nine Sects for her?”

The old farmer was speechless.

Damn it—within the territory of the Ten Kingdoms, how could there be no five-element techniques above the Golden Core stage? Surely, he wouldn’t be sent to fetch... that technique.

Lord Guanchi shook his head slowly. “However, I can satisfy one of your wishes—I’ll let her report your name if she ever gets into trouble.”

The old farmer was unyielding, slapping his thigh and cheerfully saying, “Ha ha, fine! If she reports my name, she counts as my disciple.”

Inside the cave, Jiang Min slowly opened her eyes.

In them danced flames that gradually faded as her cultivation method ended.

“That’s about enough.”

“Though my cultivation hasn’t changed, I feel like I’ve undergone another rebirth. The benefits of tempering the body with the Six-Ding Dao Fire will probably become apparent as I continue to cultivate.”

Jiang Min tidied her clothes and stepped out of the cave.

Under the setting sun, the two Nascent Soul cultivators lying on lounge chairs turned to look at her.

Jiang Min hurriedly cupped her fists and said solemnly, “Thank you, Lord Sanshi, for helping me temper my life flame with the Six-Ding Dao Fire. Thank you, Master.”

“My Six-Ding Dao Fire—why are you thanking him?” The old farmer was indignant, glaring playfully.

“Ha ha ha!” Lord Guanchi laughed heartily, standing and waving his sleeve. “We’ve eaten the meat and drunk the wine. Yuyao, let’s go.”

The flying boat took off again, vanishing into the horizon beyond the sea of clouds, heading toward the setting sun.

Onboard the flying boat, Lord Guanchi stood at the bow with hands behind his back, turning to look at Jiang Min.

“As we set off back to Tai Chi Mountain, is there anything left unresolved?”

Is she leaving Jinyun Kingdom?

Jiang Min felt a pang of melancholy mixed with anticipation.

Yet focusing on one matter, she cupped her fists and requested earnestly, “Master, please sever the celestial fate binding me to my family.”