Chef in the Apocalypse

Elder Qing had been looking at Jayce for a while, enough to make him feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, despite being rather handsome, the aura he was emitting unconsciously was frightening.

Perhaps all Nascent Soul cultivators released this kind of pressure unknowingly, just like the Sect Master and the man in front of him.

Eventually, Elder Qing broke the silence.

"I guess I should take this time to welcome you to the sect. My name is Elder Qing, one of the Elders of the Vermilion flame sect and the one in charge of the Core Disciples. Considering we’ve postponed your first lecture, how about you demonstrate your cultivation techniques for me so I can get a better grasp of your capabilities."

Jayce was a little reluctant at first, since he had received his cultivation technique from Rubick. Would this Elder recognize the technique and be able to discern his identity from this?

However, he ended up agreeing after a few moments. Since he had already spun a tale to the Sect Master that he chanced upon an inheritance, he should also be able to use it as an excuse.

"Okay." Jayce nodded, choosing to sit down in a lotus pose and begin cultivating.

Elder Qing sat behind him and placed his palm on the center of Jayce’s back, using his divine sense to inspect the routes his Qi would take.

Although it felt a little foreign, Jayce managed to calm his breathing and began circulating his Qi according to his cultivation technique. While he no longer had his manual since it was in the spatial ring back on Earth, he had memorized everything up to the late Core Formation stage.

The Soaring Dragon technique was as domineering as its name indicated, causing his Qi to wind throughout his meridians with a ferocity befitting of such a title.

As Elder Qing followed the Qi, his brows furrowed slightly. He had seen techniques like this before which greatly increased the power of one’s Qi, however they all had tremendous drawbacks.

Not only could the Qi be detrimental to the meridians, it also had a higher chance of causing Qi deviation, due to the difficulty associated with controlling such wild Qi.

He was about to remove his hand, but just then after finally making a full circulation, the Qi seemed to settle down.

Elder Qing gawked at the Qi which seemed to now be placid like a tamed kitten. However, judging by the aura, he could tell that at a moments notice it would once again turn into a terrifying dragon.

’Just what kind of cultivation technique is this!?’

It seemed as if this teen had full control over his Qi which may be possible with years and years of training and a solid foundation, however this was more likely a result from a wondrous cultivation technique.

Not only this, he could see that the boy had refined meridians which were perfect for containing the boisterous Qi from the technique.

He pulled his hand away from Jayce’s back and stood up.

"It’s a shame that you have lost the cultivation manual." Elder Qing said with a sigh.

Jayce managed to keep a straight face, even managing to let out a believable sigh. "Yeah, but thankfully I’ve memorized up to the Core Formation realm."

"Truly lucky. Unfortunately, you’ll have to find an appropriate cultivation technique in order to advance to the Nascent Soul realm in the future. While we do have some in the sect, they may not be compatible with your Qi." He explained.

Jayce nodded. However, he wasn’t too worried. He believed that Rubick would be able to provide him with the second half of the Soaring Dragon cultivation technique when they met in 12 months time at Earth.

That was of course if he kept his promise.

"Well, I can now understand why your Qi is so domineering. The Sect Master also told me that you’re a body cultivator too, what realm are you in?" He asked.

"Ah, I’m not too sure Elder. I was in the Foundation realm, but after getting ambushed I think I had a breakthrough." Jayce replied.

’A breakthrough after getting your ass kicked?’ Elder Qing was a little skeptical, but he still smiled. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Body cultivation is a little different than cultivating your Dantian. Think of your body being a weapon, the more you refine and sharpen it, the stronger it is."

Of course Jayce was aware of all this, having received the Divine Body Arts in the spatial ring from Rubick. It had been quite a painful journey to increase his body’s strength up to foundation realm.

Not to mention the Heavenly Tribulation which had almost burnt him to a crisp merely a day or so ago. Were it not for his hardy body, Jayce would have turned into fried chicken in a mere few moments.

"If you don’t mind, let’s head to the magma pools. We’ll be able to tell how refined your body is by how deep you can dive. Don’t worry, I’ll be able to fish you out if anything happens." Elder Qing remarked with a small smile.

’Magma Pools? Is that the heavenly treasure that the Sect Master was talking about?’ Jayce thought questioningly.

The way Elder Qing so nonchalantly invited him to go there made Jayce aware just how much Core Disciples were valued within the sect. Since he had already heard of the Magma Pools, he decided to agree.

He then followed the Elder through the air, heading deeper down into the volcano. The further down they went, the higher the temperature rose until even Jayce was beginning to feel his mouth dry up.

Even with his comprehension of the Law of Fire, Jayce was affected by the heat, showing just how hot it really was.

Soon enough, Jayce saw the glow of the magma shining against the walls of the volcano. Once they flew over the edge, a whole expanse of bubbling magma greeted him, sending steam and black smoke upwards.