Yuxian

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Staring at the massive wooden stump before him, Yu Xian’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

After so much trouble—provoking two powerful enemies, wasting three whole days—all of it was for this.

Though truth be told… he still wasn’t sure what this was.

The object inside had caused his jade pendant to react strongly. But if it turned out to be something like a simple Grade-3 material, say, Sunfire Jade, then all the fuss would have been for nothing.

After all, Yu Xian now had no shortage of items worth over 6,000 spirit stones.

Exhaling slowly, his heart pounded with the thrill of opening an unknown treasure chest.

Yu Xian unsheathed the Earthshaker Sword and began carefully chiseling away.

Too close—the jade pendant was no longer accurate in pinpointing the exact location.

He had to go slow. Caution was key. One wrong move, one accidental strike, and he could destroy the mysterious treasure. He wouldn’t even have a place to cry if that happened.

Chips of wood fell as Yu Xian circled the stump. Soon, he had carefully carved out a wide two-zhang section from the massive log…

Only to reveal… a perfectly smooth chopping board.

Disappointed but persistent, he continued shaving away.

One strike. Two strikes. Three—

There!

A sudden tremor ran through Yu Xian’s heart. He immediately pulled back his sword and brushed away the wood.

A black edge appeared.

The pendant’s heat vanished instantly, replaced by silence.

Excited now, Yu Xian quickly stripped away the rest of the wood around the black object.

What emerged was palm-sized, completely pitch black. He couldn’t tell what it was made of.

It felt heavy in his hand—like a piece of iron or steel. Yet, he had no clue what it actually was.

“How strange…” he murmured.

Apparently, the object had somehow pierced into the tree long ago.

Yet because it was small, it hadn’t killed the tree—instead, it had fused with it over time.

Eventually, the tree was chopped down, turned into building timber, and finally ended up in Yu Xian’s hands.

Who knew how many years had passed since then?

He studied the object for a bit, then raised his hand.

If the jade pendant reacted, this must be some kind of rare treasure—of that, he was certain!

Just because he couldn’t understand it didn’t mean it wasn’t valuable. His knowledge simply wasn’t enough.

And so, he began testing.

First: Fire.

He summoned a fireball and hovered it beneath the “black iron piece.”

But it was like fanning the wind. The object didn’t even glow red. Only the wood debris was incinerated cleanly.

Second: Water.

A coiling stream of water surrounded it, scrubbing it clean—but again, no change.

With both fire and water yielding nothing, Yu Xian brought the object closer, preparing to try the classic “blood recognition.”

But before he could bite his finger, something made him pause.

He frowned, brought the object just inches from his face—and squinted.

There were words on the surface!

Tiny… almost invisible… a hundred times smaller than a fly’s footstep.

Using his spiritual power to enhance his vision, Yu Xian barely managed to make them out.

Ancient Seal Script.

His mother had been bedridden for three years, and during those three years, she had taught him writing—from modern characters to the obscure, ancient forms.

Back then, he had believed:

If I learn just one more character, she’ll smile again. And if she smiles, she’ll get better.

So he studied with everything he had, just to see her smile again.

Yu Xian closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he pushed those old memories deep down and focused on the iron piece.

“Ancient seal script… this thing must be at least ten thousand years old.”

Ten thousand years ago, the human race underwent a great reform. A powerful cultivator had simplified the written script, abandoning the difficult-to-learn seal script in favor of modern, legible writing—so that everyone could read.

Ten thousand years… a long, long time.

He turned the object around, searching for the beginning of the text. And then—

“The Dao of Heaven: It takes from the excess and gives to the lacking.

The Dao of Man: It gives to the lacking and serves the excess.

To take: The Great Dao cannot continue—forever cut off.

To give: To seize Heaven’s creation and defy fate.”*

The words pulsed with power, so small yet burning into his mind.

They spoke of plunder.

The Dao of Heaven sacrifices itself to give birth to all things.

But those who mimic Heaven’s way, endlessly giving and never taking, will perish.

The Dao of Man was the opposite—born with nothing, they must learn, fight, take, steal—complete themselves, and walk their path.

Yu Xian’s throat moved slightly.

It made sense.

A man born into this world—if he neither fought nor learned nor asked—he would gain nothing.

But Yu Xian had his own code:

“Those who treat me well, I will repay with all my heart.

A drop of kindness shall be returned a thousandfold.

Until death—I will never betray them.”

He steadied his heart and continued reading.

Grand Cauldron Body Refining Art

“I observed the Dao of Heaven and compared it to the Dao of Man.

Since Heaven takes from itself to give, and Man takes from others to complete…

Then I shall use Heaven’s loss to fill Man’s lack!

I shall use the human body as a cauldron, the world as a furnace,

Refining the endless essence of Heaven and Earth into the flesh—

To transform Man into Heaven itself!

This is… the Grand Cauldron Body Refining Art.”

Yu Xian had to stop. His eyes stung. He blinked and looked away.

He had memorized the first two layers of the technique, and he understood the general idea.

But it was… madness.

Refining your own body as a cauldron?

How insane must the creator have been? Probably never practiced it himself, hence why it ended up buried inside a tree!

Still…

Yu Xian couldn’t deny he felt drawn to it.

Am I also crazy?

He chuckled and stored away the iron piece.

This technique was dangerous beyond compare. One wrong step, and you’d burn alive—flesh, soul, everything.

It required immense willpower—willpower beyond ordinary cultivators.

And that, Yu Xian believed, he had.

But he needed to be certain.

This path… must be walked with full conviction, no hesitation. Only then could one move forward.

He smiled faintly, cleared away the wooden debris, and returned to his bed.

He had just entered the late Qi Condensation stage. His first task was to stabilize the realm.

Then perhaps—just perhaps—expand his spiritual sea to three zhang.

Ten Days Later
When Yu Xian finally opened his eyes again, ten days had passed.

His cultivation had stabilized, and his spiritual sea had expanded to 2.8 zhang.

All of the premium wood essence liquid had been absorbed.

A message from his master pulled him from meditation.

His master was about to start alchemy.

Yu Xian hurried to the rear garden, where Elder Xiao Wusheng was already preparing.

“Come, come!” the old man waved, grinning. “Today I’ll be refining a Grade-4 Jade Spirit Pill. Rare stuff. If I hadn’t just grasped the Ten-Thousand Pill Incantation, I wouldn’t dare touch it.”

“Master is truly a genius in pill refinement!” Yu Xian praised.

“Aiyo, you sweet-talking brat!” Elder Xiao laughed. “But truly—when it comes to pill refining, I am one in ten thousand!”

Yu Xian smiled, but a flash of sadness flickered in his eyes.

Why was he so steady in pill refining?

Because he had boiled almost ten thousand bowls of medicine—each one hoping it would heal his mother.

Anyone in his shoes would become steady too…

As the familiar red-gold cauldron landed in place, Xiao Wusheng began explaining the ingredients.

137 types of herbs. 16 portions of demon beast flesh. One Grade-4 beast pill.

“Disciple,” he said solemnly, “this is my first time refining this pill. I cannot guarantee success.”

Yu Xian’s face changed. “Then I should leave.”

Even a silent observer was a potential variable in high-tier pill refining.

“Stay.”

Xiao Wusheng’s voice stopped him.

“You’re here to learn. Whether I succeed or not is secondary. This opportunity—to see such a pill made—you might not get it again.”

Yu Xian nodded silently.

He understood.

Even failure was valuable knowledge.

Xiao Wusheng added, “From now until the end, I won’t speak. Learn all you can.”

And then it began.

The Grade-4 Jade Spirit Pill.

Rare. Valuable. Complex.

The techniques flew faster than the eye could track—Yu Xian’s brain overheated, but he pushed through, memorizing every motion.

At the peak, Xiao Wusheng poured in spiritual essence and roared:

“Jade Spirit Pill Soul—Heaven and Earth, lend me your power! Release!”

BOOM.

The pill furnace opened. Fragrant steam rose. And a single glowing pill flew out.

Round and translucent like a pearl, it radiated a moon-like luster.

The Jade Spirit Pill!

A top-tier recovery and explosive power pill.

In ten breaths, it could raise a cultivator’s level by one full realm.

Even Yu Xian’s entire fortune wouldn’t be enough to buy it.

Xiao Wusheng caught it, surprised. “Mid-grade? I expected low-grade at best!”

Yu Xian blinked in confusion. “Mid-grade… isn’t that bad?”

The elder laughed. “For me, yes! I’ve reached my limit in alchemy. This is probably the best I can do.”

Then he looked at Yu Xian with pride.

“But you… you will surpass me. You will become not just a master, but a grandmaster alchemist!”

Yu Xian nodded seriously. “I will not disappoint you.”

“Good.” The elder smiled, then added, “But remember—you are doing this for yourself, not just for me.”

They sat together, discussing pill techniques.

But just as they were getting into the details, a snow-white pigeon appeared in the sky.

It bypassed all of the sect’s defenses and dropped a letter straight into Xiao Wusheng’s hands.

“A letter?” Yu Xian asked curiously.

The elder opened it with a sigh.

“It’s an invitation from Medicine King Valley. They’re holding the Alchemy Grand Gathering four months from now. It’s held once every five years—they always invite the top alchemists from the major sects and famous wandering alchemists.”

“Medicine King Valley? That sounds impressive,” Yu Xian’s eyes lit up. “Surely there’s much to learn from them.”

“Impressive, my ass!” Xiao Wusheng cursed. “It’s just a way to mock and poach talents from other sects. I haven’t attended the last four because of that nonsense. They spy on our techniques and lure alchemists to defect.”

But then he looked at Yu Xian thoughtfully.

“Never mind. I’ll go this time—and I’ll take you with me.”

“You’re sharp. You always learn something. Let’s go take advantage of them instead!”

Yu Xian grinned.

“Sounds like a great idea, Master.”