67: Great Sun Body Forging Technique

In the inner hall of Elder Liu Duan's Immortal Cave on Spirit Forging Peak, which was filled with the scent of scorching metal.

Upon hearing Yao Delong's inquiry about how to temper his Physical Body to the limit of Foundation Establishment and condense his Golden Core.

Liu Duan nearly spat out the mouthful of strong spirits he had just downed.

"Hahaha! Kid, it seems the quality of the Golden Core you wish to condense must be quite high! And you've certainly asked the right person this question!"

Liu Duan wiped the liquor stains from his beard and laughed heartily, his eyes flashing with the brilliance characteristic of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster.

"Come, come! Sit down and let's talk! It just so happens you can keep this old man company for a couple of drinks!"

He pulled Yao Delong to a seat, signaled the attendant Disciple to quickly bring drinks and food, and then slapped his thigh, launching into an animated explanation:

"Kid, do you know what the core of the Artifact Refining path is? It is balance!"

"The core Formation is like a Cultivator's Origin of spiritual power, driving the power of the Magic Treasure! The Magic Treasure itself is the container that carries the core and conducts that power!"

He used the panyan gold puppet as an example.

"That panyan gold puppet! I forged Scarlet Flame Gold Essence into it precisely so that its 'container' would be strong enough. It can withstand the power impact of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage without collapsing!"

"But because the core Formation hasn't been upgraded, even with the strength of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, it can only unleash the combat power of the Early Nascent Soul Stage!"

"And Divine Sense is the crucial hub that coordinates the operation of the Formation with the endurance of the container! The three are indispensable; otherwise, at best, the Magic Treasure's power will be compromised, and at worst, it will be like scrap metal, worthless!"

He stared intensely at Yao Delong: "Physical Body cultivation follows the same principle!"

"The extreme Yang Cultivation Technique you practice has spiritual power that is incredibly rigid and Yang, incomparably tyrannical! It is like a violent energy core!"

"How could an ordinary 'container'—which is your Physical Body—perfectly carry such power? Not to mention compressing and condensing it to achieve a supreme Golden Core!"

"It is like me wanting to forge a peerless divine sword using Nine Heavens Thunder Fire for the core Formation; you wouldn't use a piece of common iron for the sword billet, would you? Before the Formation could even be triggered, the common iron would have already melted into slag!"

"Therefore!" Liu Duan's voice rose, carrying the force of an epiphany; "Body Refining is the process of tempering your 'container'! It is like tempering the billet of a divine Sharp Weapon! Only through a thousand refinements can you remove the dross and extract the essence, making it tough and pure enough to carry the terrifying energy of the extreme Yang spiritual power within you!"

Yao Delong listened with surging emotions, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun! The fog that had troubled him for days suddenly cleared! Artifact Refining is like Body Refining, and Body Refining is like Artifact Refining! The logic was surprisingly interconnected!

"Elder, your insight is profound! This Disciple has learned much!" He stood up and bowed sincerely; "May I ask, Elder, do you have a Body Refining technique suitable for my pure Yang power?"

"Hehehe, you kid hit the nail on the head right away!"

Liu Duan proudly stroked his messy beard and rummaged through his dirty Storage Pouch for a long time; he pulled out a crimson Jade Slip that felt neither like gold nor jade, yet warm to the touch, and slapped it onto the table.

On the surface of the Jade Slip, several ancient and vigorous characters, seemingly containing a blazing dao rhyme, shone brilliantly—Great Sun Body Forging Art!

"I obtained this when I was traveling in my early years, in a volcanic Immortal Cave left behind by an ancient Cultivator! It fits your pure Yang path perfectly!"

There was a look of nostalgia and a trace of imperceptible heartache in Liu Duan's eyes. "This technique is extremely tyrannical. It requires drawing upon strange Essence Fire from between heaven and earth to temper one's body. The process is extremely painful, like being placed in a furnace! It cannot be cultivated by those without great perseverance and great determination! But once successful, the strength of the Physical Body will be comparable to a top-tier Body Refining Yao Beast of the same rank! It can even complement your pure Yang Cultivation Technique, helping you forge your Physical Body into a true 'Sun Furnace,' laying the most solid Foundation for condensing a supreme Golden Core!"

Yao Delong stared fixedly at the crimson Jade Slip, feeling the blazing aura emanating from it, which faintly resonated with the pure Yang spiritual essence within his body; his breathing could not help but become a little heavy.

This was the answer he had been bitterly searching for!

He solemnly picked up the Jade Slip and bowed deeply: "Elder, your great kindness will be engraved in this Disciple's heart! If I achieve success in the future, I will certainly not fail to live up to your guidance today!"

"Hahaha! Say no more, say no more! Drink, drink!" Liu Duan laughed and raised his wine cup; "Come, come, kid, keep this old man company until we're drunk! Starting tomorrow, your body is going to have to suffer!"

That night, the inner hall of Spirit Forging Peak was rich with the aroma of wine, and heroic laughter and the sound of clinking cups echoed incessantly.

The lingering effects of the strong spirits from the inner hall of Spirit Forging Peak still present, Yao Delong walked through the tipsy moonlight, his footsteps unsteady as he returned to that simple thatched cottage on Luoxia Peak.

In the eighty-plus years since his Transmigration to this world, he had never drunk like this.

Even though his cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, drinking such strong, spirit-infused wine so freely, coupled with his agitated emotions, left him feeling lightheaded, and the scenery before his eyes spun slightly.

"The after-effect of this spirit wine... is truly tyrannical."

He chuckled softly, shook his heavy head, and could no longer support himself; he fell face-first onto the hard bed board, and almost instantly sank into a deep sleep.

He slept until the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the simple window lattice, casting mottled light and shadows on his face, before he slowly woke up.

Outside the window, twilight had already gathered.

Rubbing his still-throbbing temples, Yao Delong sat cross-legged; the residual drunkenness was quickly dispelled by the pure Yang spiritual essence flowing within his body, and his eyes regained their clarity, sharp as an eagle's.

With a thought, that crimson Jade Slip that felt warm to the touch appeared in his palm.

He took a deep breath, and his immense Divine Sense, like a trickling stream, cautiously probed into the Jade Slip.

Boom!

In an instant, a massive torrent of information rushed into his Sea of Consciousness!

Great Sun Body Forging Art

A sense of ancient vastness and tyranny rushed towards him!

The core of the technique was to use the strange Essence Fire, the most Yang and fierce in heaven and earth, as a hammer, and the Cultivator's own Physical Body as iron, tempering it a thousand times to remove the dross and extract the essence!

The danger and pain of the process were beyond what words could describe; only those who experienced it personally could truly understand.

How to draw fire, how to control fire, how to step-by-step temper the bones, Meridians, flesh, and skin from the inside out... every step was meticulous and extremely dangerous!

The names of the various strange fires of heaven and earth mentioned—Nine Nether Flame, South Bright Separation Fire, Sun Essence Soul, Earth Lung Poison Fire... were all unheard of, both fascinating and heart-palpitating.

"System!" Yao Delong thought to himself, "Upgrade my understanding and control of the Great Sun Body Forging Art!"

【Ding! Unknown grade Body Refining technique Great Sun Body Forging Art introductory chapter detected. Consuming 10 points of yin-yang value can raise your understanding from initial control to the 'Extraordinary' Realm. Confirm?】

"Introductory chapter? Unknown grade?" Yao Delong's heart stirred, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it, "Confirm! Upgrade immediately!"

【yin-yang value - 10 points. Current yin-yang value: 66 points. Deduction starting...】

An indescribable, cool, and profound sensation instantly merged into his Sea of Consciousness.

The obscure, profound, and difficult-to-understand text of the technique in the Jade Slip now melted away like ice and snow, becoming incomparably clear!

Every key point, every bit of heat control, every characteristic of the Essence Fire, and the subtle reactions during the tempering of the Physical Body were deeply branded into the depths of his Soul, completely understood!

It was as if he had been exploring and training hard on this path of Body Refining for decades! This was the 'Extraordinary' Realm of understanding!

Yao Delong opened his eyes, brilliance radiating from them, no longer having a shred of confusion. He quickly reviewed his own conditions.

"Strange fires of heaven and earth are hard to find... but I currently have two fires in my possession!"

The first is the Innate Pill Fire deep in his Dantian and Qi Sea, which, following the Perfection of the third chapter of the 《Pill Classic》 and continuous nourishment by the pure Yang spiritual essence, had become increasingly condensed, pure, and vibrant!

The second is the Solar True Fire within the golden crow setting sun sword in his hand, which could be activated by pure Yang power and burn everything to ashes!

"Three types of Essence Fire are needed to complete the first layer of Body Refining; the Innate Pill Fire provides gentle nourishment, keeping vitality endless; the Solar True Fire is extremely Yang and tyrannical, tempering away Impurities!"