182: Five kinds of spiritual fire

On the third day, Chen Cuo arrived at Fire Phoenix Pavilion as promised.

He could have taken a Spirit Crane, but Chen Cuo deliberately chose to walk a portion of the way, stopping only at the foot of the mountain.

As its name suggests, the entire Fire Phoenix Pavilion building resembled a gigantic Phoenix, radiating a unique brilliance under the sun, as if flames were dancing within it, endlessly vibrant.

This was not merely a superficial appearance; the dense runes covering it and the interconnected Formation keystones around it also attested to this fact.

Fire Phoenix Pavilion was located at the highest point of Lingbao Mountain. On Fire Phoenix Mountain, there was an immensely vast platform capable of accommodating nearly 30,000 Cultivators for their Cultivation.

It was also the training ground for the Fire Phoenix Pavilion's Dao Soldiers to practice battle Formations. Beneath the platform, a True Solar Fire Formation was laid out, capable of gathering a large amount of True Solar Fire power.

Every sunrise, when the sun's rays shone upon the Formation, those rays would be absorbed and transformed by the Formation, eventually converging into a powerful force.

The Cultivation Technique practiced by the Dao Soldiers was called "Blazing Sun Fire Technique," a special Cultivation Technique capable of absorbing the power of the sun.

Through Cultivation, they established a mysterious connection with the sun, allowing them to channel the sun's power for their own use.

The True Solar Fire Formation provided them with a continuous supply of energy, making their combat prowess extraordinary. The Cultivation of every Dao Soldier was built up to the Late Stage of Qi Condensation, with each one showing signs of nearing the Perfection of Qi Condensation.

In this battle Formation, one hundred Dao Soldiers could fight an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, one thousand could fight a Middle Stage, and ten thousand Dao Soldiers could fight a Late Stage, even threatening a Golden Core Cultivator by utilizing the Formation.

Cultivating in such an environment, the strength of the Dao Soldiers increased at an astonishing speed.

However, the cost was that the Dao Soldiers would never have the opportunity to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, because the scorching True Solar Fire would burn their meridians.

At the same time, their bodies would also suffer from fire poison, which was very painful, and they had to take the body-protecting Spirit Pills issued by the Sect.

It was also one of the means of controlling them.

The rapidly increasing Cultivation and combat power were merely consuming their own potential.

After all, they were Dao Soldiers. Most of these Dao Soldiers were Martial Artists cultivated by the Sect from a young age. Their Martial Dao Cultivation was also forcibly piled up using Blood Qi Medicinal Pills, and the Spiritual Root Qi they absorbed was also the Sect's Blood Death Qi, lacking any potential for growth.

On the contrary, many external Martial Artists who wished to become Dao Soldiers of the Sect would not receive such training.

For example, if Chen Cuo were an ordinary Martial Artist and joined a School in the Great Snow Mountain as a Dao Soldier, he would likely be brought into the Sect to become a servant to a high-ranking Disciple.

To become such a fighting Dao Soldier, one shouldn't even dream of it, because their loyalty was insufficient.

Chen Cuo was shocked to see so many Dao Soldiers gathered together, realizing that the Sect's foundation was indeed extraordinary.

To the east of the platform was a wide road leading directly to the nearby volcano. On the mountain grew a strange kind of tree; this tree had no leaves, only branches, and was entirely black and very numerous.

Flowing through it was a river resembling lava, coursing through the entire mountain range and extending into the distance along the winding terrain within the Sect, guided by Formations to the underground fire branches of the various halls.

In the forests on both banks, the wind howled and stirred up sand and stones, producing rustling sounds. The lava erupted silently, yet from time to time, fiery red fish-like insects would leap out of the magma. Beside them, some slender green vines clung to the tree branches, which was the only greenery Chen Cuo had seen for a long time.

As Chen Cuo walked along the road, many Spirit Cranes actually flew away from the trees. Unlike the Spirit Cranes around Butian Pavilion, these cranes all had a red crane feather on their heads, and their bodies were small, appearing unsuitable for riding.

Walking and stopping, he finally arrived at the Fire Phoenix Pavilion on the mountain peak. An invisible grand Formation enveloped the building, making it appear mysterious and magnificent.

The moment Chen Cuo's figure appeared, Zhang Zhao pounced over excitedly and said, "Senior Brother Chen, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for a long time. The five kinds of Spiritual Fire have already been collected. Let's start refining the Five Elements Spiritual Fire Sky Flame Lantern for me now!"

"Junior Brother Zhang, you truly make me ashamed, Senior Brother. If the Artifact Refining fails then, I would truly be letting Junior Brother down. Don't worry, I will do my utmost to successfully refine the Tianyan Lamp!"

"Senior Brother..."

Zhang Zhao was naturally overjoyed. With this promise, it was worth him personally coming down to greet Chen Cuo.

Chen Cuo looked at Zhang Zhao before him. His enthusiasm surprised him a little, but at the same time, he felt a touch of relief.

He smiled and said, "Alright, then take me to see it."

The two arrived at the Flame Chamber within the Fire Phoenix Pavilion, the place where the Spiritual Fire was stored.

One person was already waiting there. That person was tall and handsome, exuding a scorching heat.

It was none other than Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai, the Pavilion Master of Fire Phoenix Pavilion.

"Chen Cuo greets the Pavilion Master!"

"No need for formalities. We are both Foundation Establishment Cultivators, just call me Senior Brother." Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai spoke coldly, yet a gentle smile graced his face.

Chen Cuo had also learned about this person's temperament and knew him to be someone who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

So he replied, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, could you please take out the Spiritual Fire for me to examine!"

Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai nodded in agreement upon hearing this. He took out the five kinds of Spiritual Fire one by one. They were Chi Yan Fire, Cold Pond Azure Wave Fire, Profound Serene Azure Lotus Flame, Jin Yan Fire, and Tianxuan Stone Ming Refined Flame.

These five kinds of Spiritual Fire each had their own characteristics: Chi Yan Fire was extremely hot, Azure Wave Fire was bone-chillingly cold, Profound Serene Azure Lotus Flame carried a strong vitality, Jin Yan Fire was incomparably sharp, and Tianxuan Shi Ming Essence Flame was profound and weighty.

When Chen Cuo saw that yellowish-brown Shi Ming Essence Flame, his heart immediately trembled, and he exclaimed, "A Third-Grade Spiritual Fire!"

He had originally thought that the most precious flame among them should be the water-attribute Spiritual Fire, as such flames were the hardest to find.

Tianxuan Shi Ming Essence Flame, a top-grade earth-attribute Spiritual Fire, must be born under the illumination of the Tianxuan Star. It can ignite its surroundings, turning fire into stone, possessing unparalleled power and dominance.

At this moment, perfectly fusing these five kinds of Spiritual Fire to refine the Five Elements Spiritual Fire Sky Flame Lantern would be no easy feat.

Chen Cuo took a deep breath, suppressed the pleasant surprise in his heart, and then said, "Senior Brother, I have an impolite request. I would like to make a trade with Senior Brother, I wonder if it's possible?"

Chen Cuo knew that this fire must have been specially sought out by Zhang Zhao, and there was only this one, no other. However, Chen Cuo still wanted a wisp of it to help Little Fire within his body take form and nurture a fire seed.

This would consume time for Little Fire's transformation and spirit nurturing. A Second-Grade Spiritual Fire was completely unnecessary, but a Third-Grade Spiritual Fire, even in the hands of a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator, was a precious treasure.

Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai probably guessed Chen Cuo's meaning, but he didn't refuse immediately. He wanted to know what Chen Cuo had that could move him.

So he said, "What kind of trade is it, Junior Brother? You can speak plainly!"

"With this Third-Grade Spiritual Fire as the foundation, I have a very high chance of refining the Five Elements Spiritual Fire Sky Flame Lantern into a Magic Treasure.

At the same time, this will be the first Magic Treasure I refine. I wonder if Senior Brother is willing to give it a try.

However, I need Senior Brother to help me find extra Five Elements Spiritual Fire seeds, and to give me a wisp of the Shi Ming Essence Flame."

"Junior Brother can truly refine Magic Treasures? You're not trying to trick me, are you!"

Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai was equally surprised. Being able to refine Magic Treasures at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment was rare even within the Sect, and it was also such a special, Five Elements attribute Magic Treasure.

"I have a seventy percent chance. I can swear an oath that if it fails, I will compensate with a treasure of a higher grade!"

"Good, since Junior Brother has the courage, then please try. You can first separate a wisp of the Shi Ming Essence Flame!"

"There is still some Chi Yan Fire left in the Pavilion, and I also have connections for Jin Yan Fire. As long as Junior Brother refines it successfully, the Chi Yan Fire will be given to you on the spot. I don't have the rest."

Pavilion Lord Duan Canghai also felt a pang of heartache. Separating the fire seed would cause the power of the Spiritual Fire to decrease. If the refining failed, it would be a huge loss.

The reason Chen Cuo wanted to say this in advance, rather than waiting until the treasure was successfully refined before separating the fire, was because a Third-Grade Spiritual Fire already possessed deep sentience. When separating the fire seed, its sentience must be preserved, otherwise it cannot be re-nurtured into a fire seed.

Therefore, Chen Cuo could only inform him in advance and then separate the fire, rather than requesting it afterwards.

Moreover, once the Tianyan Lamp was refined, the Five Elements Spiritual Fire would merge into one, and it would no longer be the Shi Ming Essence Flame.