Chapter 107: Body Tempering with True Fire (Third Update, Requesting Monthly Votes)

"Xu Xuan, what are you standing there in a daze for? Master wishes to accept you as his disciple. What an immense honor this is! Why haven't you knelt to pay your respects?" the red-robed youth urged, highly dissatisfied with Xu Xuan's reaction.

For most disciples in the sect, being taken in by a senior steward was a coveted dream. After all, the competition in the lower echelons of the immortal sect was brutal. Having a master to impart teachings and offer protection made the path of cultivation much smoother.

"Thank you for your kindness, Steward Zheng, but before entering the immortal sect, I received guidance from an extraordinary person, which counts as a form of inheritance. Thus, I cannot accept," Xu Xuan replied without hesitation.

He could guess what Steward Zheng was plotting. Furthermore, a disciple like him with a perfect foundation of the ninth layer of Body Tempering was a unique existence in all of Pinghua Town.

Refusing?

Steward Zheng's brow twitched, and the scorching spiritual pressure lingering around them grew even more restless and intense.

"Xu Xuan! What audacity! How dare you reject Master's good intentions!" The red-robed youth flew into a rage. His spiritual power surged, and a layer of pale red flame flared over his body, giving him an imposing, aggressive aura.

Xu Xuan remained unmoved. He paid no heed to this meager spiritual pressure, sneering inwardly: *Is there actually such a thing as forced discipleship in this world?*

"A mentor from the secular world before you entered the sect does not conflict with a true master of the immortal path," Steward Zheng said with a faint smile. Toward the end, his tone turned heavy and solemn. "Moreover, the person you mentioned merely gave you some pointers; you did not formally apprentice under him. Xu Xuan, do you truly not wish to consider this, or do you believe this old man lacks the qualifications to be your master?"

*Lacks qualifications? You actually hit the nail on the head.*

Xu Xuan did not believe a mere Qi Refining cultivator was qualified to be his master. Despite his thoughts, he maintained a composed, neither servile nor overbearing demeanor as he replied, "Steward Zheng speaks too gravely. Cultivation is not the path this disciple wishes to pursue. Furthermore, the bond between master and disciple must be voluntary on both sides; it cannot be forced."

At these words, Steward Zheng's face darkened, and the red-robed youth beside him looked equally grim, nearly losing his temper on the spot. Xu Xuan's refusal not only insulted his master but also degraded his own standing as a disciple. Yet, Xu Xuan's expression remained entirely calm, completely unmoved by the duo's resentment.

"Very well. A forced melon is not sweet," Steward Zheng said, suppressing his anger. After a moment of silence, he asked, "I heard that during the recent expedition to the secret realm, you obtained a third-grade spiritual ingredient, the 'Red Snake Fruit'. Is this true?"

Xu Xuan sneered inwardly. *Finally, we get to the point. I suppose this was your true motive all along.*

"Master cultivates fire-attribute arts, and his cultivation has already reached the Great Circle of Qi Refining," the red-robed youth declared arrogantly. "With the aid of the Red Snake Fruit, he will stand a great chance of breaking through to the Soul Refining stage. Hand over the fruit, and you will surely be rewarded in the future." Once one reached the Soul Refining stage, they could become a sect elder, achieving a monumental leap in both strength and status.

Steward Zheng nodded, sitting upright as he smiled. "Naturally, this steward can trade magic tools, spiritual pills, and other items of equal value with you."

"To answer Steward Zheng, this disciple has already consumed the Red Snake Fruit, and my cultivation has improved significantly because of it," Xu Xuan replied flatly, his words like a splash of ice-cold water.

Steward Zheng and his disciple froze, shocked and enraged, their faces clearly filled with disbelief.

"Hmph! The Red Snake Fruit is a third-grade spiritual ingredient with an incredibly volatile, fiery nature. Even ordinary Soul Refining cultivators would not dare consume it raw. You speak absolute nonsense! You have no respect for your elders!" Steward Zheng roared, finally losing his temper.

"In any case, this disciple no longer has the Red Snake Fruit," Xu Xuan replied, a spark of anger rising in his own chest. Who was he afraid of? The man was just a steward. With his current strength and foundation, even if he couldn't stay in the Wind Feather Sect, he could easily thrive elsewhere. "And even if I did, does Steward Zheng intend to take it by force?"

"You..." Steward Zheng was momentarily speechless. Even if Xu Xuan still had the fruit, he could not openly rob a disciple of the sect.

"This disciple must return to his cultivation. Farewell." Having cast aside all pretense of politeness, Xu Xuan felt a wave of relief. With that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind Steward Zheng and the red-robed youth, both of whose faces had turned livid.

Just as he stepped out of the Spiritual Hall and into the courtyard, a furious roar erupted from behind him. "Arrogant brat! Since you refuse the easy way, you will have to take the hard way! Let's see what you are truly made of!"

The red-robed youth charged out of the hall, a flickering, unstable red flame gathered in his hand as he lunged at Xu Xuan's back. To unleash such a lethal spell at the very start was incredibly vicious.

Xu Xuan's expression turned cold. Circulating his power, a faint red aura surged from his flesh, bones, and limbs, coalescing into a startling crimson glow in his palm.

In an instant, the surrounding temperature spiked, and a scorching, violent wave of heat rushed outward. The red-robed youth felt as though he had stepped into a furnace. Every pore on his body pricked, and even the spiritual power within him trembled in unease.

*Smack!*

A crimson light burst from Xu Xuan's palm. The blazing, fierce energy surged like a raging torrent, instantly tearing the red-robed youth's flame to shreds.

"Ah!" With a miserable shriek, the red-robed youth was sent flying, leaving a charred handprint burned into his chest.

*What!*

Steward Zheng gasped in shock from within the hall. He had intended for his disciple to teach the boy a lesson, but he had never expected him to be defeated in a single exchange.

A faint red glow enveloped Xu Xuan, dyeing the surrounding dust red before quickly receding back into his flesh and bones. This was his first time using his origin energy; otherwise, the red-robed youth—who was at the fourth layer of Qi Refining and had launched a preemptive strike—would have been difficult to handle.

Steward Zheng rushed over to check his disciple's injuries. Centered around the charred handprint on his chest was a residual crimson energy that was invading his meridians.

*This brat's physical energy is terrifying. Did he really consume the Red Snake Fruit?* Steward Zheng was secretly alarmed. He quickly fed his disciple a healing pill and circulated his own spiritual power. It took a long time to finally neutralize that fierce, scorching energy.

"Master, that brat is too arrogant! He showed you no respect and even injured me. You must punish him!" the red-robed youth said, his face twisted in resentment as he gnashed his teeth.

"Rest assured. He is at most a martial cultivator comparable to the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining. Once I find an opportunity, I will ensure he never rises again," Steward Zheng said, his face clouded with malice.

***

Xu Xuan returned to his pavilion on the northern cliff, feeling thoroughly refreshed. Having embarked on the path of ancient body tempering, his strength had soared. He would not go out of his way to provoke others, but he would show no mercy to those who crossed him.

He had held back when injuring the red-robed youth. Had he struck with his full strength, the terrifying physical power of a body cultivator would have shattered the youth's chest completely.

Back in his quarters, Xu Xuan retrieved a small formation plate from the Starry Sea and set it up around the pavilion. A formation plate was a device that contained a highly compressed array, powered by spirit stones to run simplified formations. This particular plate, which he had obtained from the storage bag, could activate an illusion array to mask any fluctuations of spiritual energy in the area.

Once the formation plate was activated, a strange ripple of energy enveloped the northern cliff pavilion. With his privacy secured, Xu Xuan retrieved the True Fire Furnace. The ancient cauldron-like furnace featured a small dragon's snout at the front and an opening on the side for inserting materials.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Xuan channeled a faint fiery glow into his palm and patted the cauldron.

*Hum!*

The miniature furnace glowed with a faint halo, and Xu Xuan immediately brought out a piece of crimson fire-attribute ore.

At first, there was little reaction. But as Xu Xuan continuously channeled his origin energy, a dim red light spread from the core of the furnace. It flowed along the lines of the formation carved on its surface, eventually gathering at the dragon's snout. As the red light spread, the miniature furnace expanded, growing to several feet in height. It could actually change size at will—the power of a divine ability!

"It worked!" Xu Xuan was overjoyed. He quickly tossed in several fire-attribute materials. Instantly, flames of various colors flickered within the furnace, emitting a heat that closely resembled true fire.

True fire was typically nurtured from the essence of vital energy by cultivators who had reached the Soul Refining stage. It was used to refine magic treasures and was rarely used lightly.

"Quickly adjust the furnace. You don't need to refine pills right now; you need to extract the true fire..." the remnant soul of his past life prompted in his mind, suggesting several methods he could try.

Although the remnant soul's memories were fragmented, his perspective belonged to a much higher realm. Xu Xuan spent a long time experimenting before he finally got the hang of it.

Strands of pale red origin energy danced on his fingertips, sinking into the patterns on the back of the cauldron. After several adjustments, he managed to gather all the flames inside the furnace toward the dragon's snout.

*Whoosh—*

A dark red stream of fire, about half a foot long, shot out from the dragon's snout.

Exhaustion was beginning to set in, but the remnant soul's voice urged him, "Quickly, draw the true fire to temper your body!"

He quickly opened his palm and circulated his origin energy. His entire hand turned pale red, radiating a blazing heat as he brought it into contact with the dark red stream of fire spewing from the dragon's snout.

*Siss!*

A searing, burning sensation rushed through his palm and into his body. Xu Xuan let out a muffled groan.

He quickly sat cross-legged. While drawing the dark red fire into his body to temper his flesh, bones, and blood, he occasionally tossed more materials into the furnace.

The process was excruciating. The bone-deep burning sensation was almost comparable to the agony he had felt when consuming the Red Snake Fruit.

"Tempering the body with true fire... only you could come up with such a crazy idea! I could easily play with fire and burn myself to ashes!" Xu Xuan cursed through gritted teeth. His flesh trembled violently from the burning pain, and his mind was pushed to its absolute limit.

In truth, Xu Xuan could regulate the intensity of the fire by controlling the amount of materials he fed into the furnace. If the pain became unbearable, he could pause to catch his breath. As long as he remained vigilant, the danger was manageable.

"Hehe, tempering the body with true fire is the fastest and most effective way to forge your physique," the remnant soul replied, sounding like a schemer whose plot had succeeded. "If you hadn't obtained the True Fire Furnace and possessed so many fire-attribute materials, you wouldn't even be able to dream of this method."

Sweating profusely from the pain, Xu Xuan gritted his teeth and endured. He knew that the path of a body cultivator demanded immense willpower and perseverance.

Moreover, the True Fire Furnace was burning through fire-attribute spiritual materials every second. It was practically the same as burning spirit stones...

Thus, Xu Xuan suffered not only physical agony but also financial heartbreak. However, the effects of this true fire tempering were undeniably spectacular.

After just half an hour, Xu Xuan could feel his origin energy growing stronger, and his body felt sturdier and more powerful under the tempering of the true fire.

*At this rate, it won't take more than a month or two for me to forge the Bronze Cast Physique!* Despite the suffering, Xu Xuan was filled with joy and anticipation.