116: Giant Refining Furnace

The moment Lu Chen put away the stone box, he caught a glimpse of something pressed under the bottom out of the corner of his eye.

It was a neatly folded piece of paper, its edges completely yellowed and marked with the traces of time.

If the stone box hadn't been moved, it would have almost blended in with the color of the stone table.

He reached out and picked it up; it felt soft and brittle to the touch, as if it would shatter with the slightest force.

Unfolding it carefully, he saw several lines of calligraphy on the paper, bold and powerful as if etched into the page; though the ink had faded, it was still clearly legible.

"I have been obsessed with Artifact Refining all my life, only realizing the wonder of the harmony between thunder and fire in my later years. However, heaven did not grant me enough time, and the Great Dao is difficult to reach. Spending my life's blood, I occasionally obtained Rare Metal and drew upon Earth Fire and Heavenly Thunder. After forty-nine years, I finally completed these nine 'purple lightning hibernation stings.' This item's nature is fierce and can only be controlled by pure thunder spirits. If nurtured and tempered with the same source of thunder over a long period, its spirituality may increase, or even... undergo some incredible changes. I hope those who come after will use them well and not let this bright pearl be covered in dust. Fire Refining, final words."

The handwriting was scrawled yet carried a sense of persistence and regret; in just a few words, it expressed all the hardships of the refinement and his expectations.

Lu Chen finished reading in silence, carefully folded the paper that carried the final obsession of an Artifact Refining Great Master, and tucked it into his robe.

Then, without lingering any longer, he turned and walked out of the Stone Chamber.

Behind him, the stone door slid shut noiselessly, fitting perfectly as if it had never been opened.

Returning to the front hall, he found that Su Li was no longer where she had been.

The middle stone door, carved with cloud patterns, was currently rising slowly and was about to close.

Clearly, Su Li had taken the Opportunity while he was retrieving the treasure to enter the door that belonged to her.

Lu Chen's gaze swept over it, with no intention of prying.

Opportunities depend on one's own ability; since he had already obtained the purple lightning hibernation sting, he would not covet what others had gained.

His gaze fell upon the last one—the stone door on the left carved with leaping flame symbols.

The flame patterns on the door were as crimson as blood, as if they were still burning quietly, emitting a restrained sense of scorching heat.

He already possessed five Spiritual Roots and naturally had an affinity for fire-attribute things.

Now that he had obtained a great treasure, he felt a bit of curiosity about what lay behind this flame door.

Just then, the middle stone door closed completely.

A flash of light and shadow appeared beside him, and Su Li's figure quietly emerged.

Her breathing was slightly rapid, her cheeks were slightly flushed with excitement, and a lingering joy remained in her eyes; clearly, she had gained much.

Seeing Lu Chen standing before the left flame stone door, observing it, her eyes flickered slightly as if she were weighing her options.

Immediately, she stepped forward, gave Lu Chen a formal bow, and said in a clear but solemn voice, "Senior Brother Lu, being able to arrive here safely is entirely thanks to your protection and your breaking of the Restrictions along the way. I entered this Immortal Cave to seek a sliver of Opportunity, and now that I have gained something in the middle room, I am satisfied and do not dare to be greedy. Whatever lies behind this last door shall belong to you, Senior Brother. I will simply wait outside."

These words took Lu Chen slightly by surprise.

He had originally thought Su Li would propose exploring together and then discussing the distribution, in which case he might have compensated her with Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills as appropriate.

He hadn't expected her to be so sensible, taking the initiative to give up this last chance.

Lu Chen glanced at her; this woman was indeed tactful.

He pondered for a moment; he was not a pretentious person, and since he had accepted her favor, he would not take advantage for free.

He reached into his robe, took out a pre-prepared Storage Pouch, and tossed it over gently.

"In that case, take this as compensation. Whatever is behind the door no longer has anything to do with you."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a certain decisiveness.

Su Li caught it instinctively and swept her Divine Sense inside; a look of surprise immediately flashed across her face.

The value of the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills in the bag far exceeded her estimates, and there were even one or two items suitable for advancing her cultivation, which Lu Chen had clearly prepared in advance.

The last trace of regret in her heart vanished, and she hurriedly bowed again, "Thank you for the generous gift, Senior Brother!"

Lu Chen said no more and turned to face the flame stone door.

He did not immediately test it with Thunder Techniques—this door was of the fire attribute, so perhaps it required fire spirits to open it.

With a thought, the Bing Fire Thunder Flame rotated slightly, and a wisp of pure fire-attribute spiritual energy rose from his Dantian, flowing through his Meridians to his right palm.

In an instant, a ball of dark red, scorching flame rose from his palm; at the core of the flame, hair-thin purple electric arcs flickered faintly. Thunder and fire intertwined, emitting a strange and restrained fluctuation.

This scene caught Su Li's eye, causing her pupils to constrict and her heart to be secretly shocked.

She had long known that Lu Chen's Thunder Techniques were astonishing, but she never expected him to have such accomplishments in the Dao of fire as well, and even be able to make the powers of thunder and fire vaguely blend without interfering with each other!

Just how many more methods was this Senior Brother Lu hiding?

Su Li suppressed the turmoil in her heart, obediently stepped back a few paces, and held her breath in concentration, no longer disturbing him.

Lu Chen focused his mind and calmed his breath, slowly pressing the flame in his palm, which contained a trace of the Power of Thunder, toward the center of the leaping flame runes on the stone door.

"Buzz..."

The stone door vibrated slightly, and the blood-crimson flame runes seemed to be infused with life, suddenly lighting up!

Scarlet light flowed continuously, and a scorching but not violent aura emanated from the door.

Following that, the heavy stone door made a dull creaking sound and slowly sank into the ground, revealing a deep passage behind it that slanted downward, with faint heat waves surging out.

A hot wind blew against his face, carrying a dry scent of sulfur.

Lu Chen glanced back at Su Li, saw her standing safely in the distance, nodded, and without further hesitation, his figure flashed as he disappeared into the passage where red light flowed.

Following the corridor inward, the passage was not long, similar to the previous one, with no hidden mechanisms or Restrictions.

Lu Chen's steps were steady, and before long he reached the end, stepping into a fairly spacious Stone Chamber.

As soon as he entered, a lingering scent of metal and mineral embers that had not dissipated for years wafted toward him.

This place was very different from the simply furnished meditation room he had visited earlier.

The space was much more open, and the four walls and the ceiling were still that charred black color, as if they had undergone countless days and nights of roasting by furnace fires, appearing exceptionally rough.

In the center of the Stone Chamber, the most eye-catching thing was a colossal object.

A giant Tripod Furnace about a zhang high and over two zhang in diameter, its entire body a dark greenish-black with a faint metallic cold gleam.

The furnace's shape was ancient and simple, with a rounded body and three legs shaped like beast heads; although covered in dust, its rugged and powerful lines were still visible.

The belly of the furnace was plump, and above it was a heavy lid with a knob cast in the shape of a strange beast howling at the sky, its appearance fierce.

On the furnace walls, there were faint, complex cloud and flame patterns that seemed both naturally formed and carved; however, they were currently dim and devoid of Spiritual Qi.

A steady, heavy aura that had undergone a thousand temperings emanated from the furnace; though no flames rose, one could still imagine the scorching scene of the roaring furnace fires and the forging of iron into steel in the past.

Other than that, there was nothing else in the Stone Chamber, making it appear quite empty.

On the ground near the furnace feet, various colored and irregularly shaped stones and mineral fragments were piled messily; however, they had all lost their Spiritual Qi and were dim, no different from ordinary rocks.

In the corner of the room, a few rusty items like anvils and fire tongs, their original forms unrecognizable, were scattered and covered by thick dust.

Lu Chen's gaze slowly swept across the room, finally falling back onto the giant Tripod Furnace, lingering for a moment.

Although he knew very little about the Dao of Artifact Refining, he could recognize that this was an exceptionally high-quality Artifact Refining furnace; judging by its form and residual charm, it must have been extraordinary in its day.

Unfortunately, the Dao of Artifact Refining was not his forte; for him, this furnace had no spiritual energy fluctuations to absorb, no Artifact Refining methods to reference, and was impossible to carry or use—it was nothing more than a heavy, giant, lifeless object.

A trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed through his heart. After all, stepping into this flame door, he had harbored some hope of finding a fire-related treasure.

However, as soon as this disappointment arose, it was suppressed.

The gains from this trip had already far exceeded expectations; that set of incredibly powerful purple lightning hibernation stings, which perfectly matched his Cultivation Technique, was enough to outweigh anything else.

To gain is my luck, to lose is my fate; one cannot ask for too much to begin with.

He let out a soft breath, and his expression returned to calm.