234: Lei Tian knows

Holding the dark storage ring, which still held the residual warmth of his teacher, Jiang Donghua felt a rush of complex emotions.

Vengeance, separation, and inheritance—these emotions intertwined, weighing heavily on his heart.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to temporarily suppress his thoughts about his teacher and the Netherworld Sect.

The most pressing matter was to completely master the newly acquired cultivation technique and transform this opportunity into tangible power!

He quickly returned to his familiar and warm alchemy room.

The stone door slowly closed, isolating him from the outside disturbances.

A faint medicinal fragrance permeated the air, and books stood quietly in the corner; this was the place where he could best calm his mind and focus his spirit.

He sat cross-legged on the mat, but instead of immediately starting his cultivation, he once again immersed his Soul Power into the ancient jade slip that recorded the Heaven Burning Furnace Art.

This time, without the urgency and noise of the ruins, he could read and savor the vast information contained within the technique meticulously and without distraction.

A middle-rank earth tier technique, its profoundness was far beyond any cultivation technique he had practiced before.

Inside the jade slip were not cold characters, but streams of inherited light imbued with scorching intent.

His mind was drawn into a world of flames, where he saw the phantom image of a massive furnace rising and falling between heaven and earth, smelting all things and absorbing tremendous energy to transform it into the purest fire-attributed energy.

The technique's execution path was extremely complex, involving many subtle meridians he had never touched, and the demand for Soul control had reached an unbelievably high level.

Every cycle of the great circulation felt like a precise refinement taking place within his body, eliminating the dross from the absorbed Heaven and Earth energy and forging it into incomparably condensed, explosive Heaven Burning Dou Qi.

"Truly profound,"

Jiang Donghua exclaimed in admiration, a surge of excitement rising within him.

He clearly felt that as long as he began cultivating according to the methods of the Heaven Burning Furnace Art, the Dou Qi, which was originally quite abundant in his body, would be further refined and purified. The total volume might temporarily decrease, but the quality would undergo an earth-shattering change, making its power incomparable to what it was before.

This qualitative leap would lead to the loosening of his cultivation barrier!

He had a strong premonition.

"It seems it won't take long for me to step into the Dou King realm!"

This thought burned like a flame in his heart.

From Dou Ling to Dou King, this was a major realm breakthrough, a chasm that countless geniuses could not cross in their entire lives.

Once successful, with Dou Qi Transformation Wings, soaring through the sky, he would truly be considered to have crossed the threshold into the ranks of the continent's powerhouses!

And all of this would be built upon the most solid foundation laid by the Heaven Burning Furnace Art.

He looked at his afk panel.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Nine-Star Dou Ling (9000 / 10000)]

[Main Cultivation Technique: Heaven Burning Furnace Art (middle-rank earth tier)]

[afk Income]

Clone 1: 5 points / hour

Clone 2: 5 points / hour

Clone 3: 5 points / hour

Clone 4: 5 points / hour

Clone 5: 5 points / hour

[Current Total Income: 25 points / hour]

The information on the panel had been updated!

The Main Cultivation Technique section had clearly changed to the Heaven Burning Furnace Art!

"Just as I thought!"

A sharp light flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes.

The afk system's income was directly related to the grade of the cultivation technique being practiced!

When he had previously cultivated a Profound-tier technique, each clone only provided 2 points of income per hour, but now that he had switched to the middle-rank earth tier Heaven Burning Furnace Art, the efficiency of each clone had skyrocketed to 5 points/hour!

The total income had jumped from a pitiful few points to 25 points per hour!

What did this mean?

It meant that even if he did nothing, he would automatically gain 600 experience points every day!

The 1,000 experience points gap to breaking through to Dou King, which seemed distant, now, with the powerful assistance of the afk system, would only take a little over a day at most!

And this didn't even account for the extra boost brought by his own active cultivation!

"Let me try cultivating myself!"

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath, his gaze becoming incredibly resolute.

His hands quickly formed the starting seal of the Heaven Burning Furnace Art, and the Dou Qi in his body began to circulate slowly according to the incomparably profound route.

At the same time, he clearly saw the experience numbers on the afk panel beginning to jump upwards at an unprecedented and extremely stable rate.

[Realm: Nine-Star Dou Ling (9001 / 10000)]

[Realm: Nine-Star Dou Ling (9002 / 10000)]

The Heaven Burning Furnace Art had just completed a minor circulation within his body, and the immense energy had not yet fully dissipated, when Jiang Donghua suddenly opened his eyes, a self-mocking wry smile appearing on his face.

"I really was being a bit foolish."

He patted his forehead.

"With this heaven-defying afk panel, why am I struggling here practicing myself?"

"That's 600 points a day. I'm only 1,000 experience points away from Dou King. At full calculation, that's just a little over one day, less than two days!"

This realization instantly pulled him out of his cultivation state.

While active cultivation could speed things up slightly, compared to the stable and terrifying efficiency of the afk panel, this slight acceleration was negligible.

Every minute and second was precious now. Instead of entering seclusion for arduous cultivation, it was better to deal with more urgent matters—finding out about his teacher Mo Xuan's past and the true nature of the Netherworld Sect.

Vengeance was imminent, and only by understanding the truth would he know how to help in the future.

With his thoughts cleared, he immediately rose, pushed open the stone door of the alchemy room, and quickly walked out.

The Alchemy Department was still a scene of bustling activity. When the students saw him, they respectfully stopped, greeted him warmly, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Senior Jiang!"

"Hello, Senior!"

"Senior Jiang is awesome!"

Normally, he might nod in response, but his mind was uneasy at the moment, so he merely gave a slight nod and walked straight through the crowd.

His goal was clear: first, ask the other elders of the Alchemy Department for information.

Soon, he found the other two elders stationed in the Alchemy Department.

First, he found Elder Ice Red in her private ice chamber.

This female elder was true to her name; her temperament was as cold as ice, and a chilling aura seemed to perpetually surround her, warning others to keep their distance.

Hearing Jiang Donghua inquire about Mo Xuan's past, especially concerning Central Plains and his enemies, a hint of surprise flashed in her crystal-like eyes. She then slowly shook her head, her voice carrying a trace of coldness.

"Elder Mo Xuan has always been reclusive, and he has never mentioned his past to anyone. I have worked with him for many years, and I only know that his alchemy skills are superb and his cultivation is profound; I know nothing else."

She paused, seeming to recall something, and added.

"If anyone in the academy might know some inside details, perhaps it would only be Dean Lei Tian. It is well known that the two of them have a very close personal relationship."

Jiang Donghua's heart sank slightly. After thanking her, he immediately went to find Elder Huang Dashan.

Elder Huang, in contrast to Ice Red, was tall and heavy, like a small mountain, and his personality was quite hearty. However, upon hearing Jiang Donghua's question,

his broad face, which usually carried a smile, showed a troubled expression, and his large hand scratched his head.

"Mo Xuan's old affairs? Ah, this kid, Jiang kid, it's not that this old man won't tell you, it's that I truly don't know!"

"His mouth is very tight; he never talks about his own business. I only know he came from the Central Plains and his background seems quite unusual, but as for the specifics, no one could pry it out of him. Don't go around asking blindly, either. If he wanted you to know, he would have told you himself."

After asking two people in a row, he had gained nothing.

Elder Ice Red's last words echoed in his mind.

"It looks like I really must go and ask Dean Lei Tian."