Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

To perform Artifact Refining, fire is essential.

Mortal Artifacts use Mortal Fire.

Magical Artifacts,

naturally, must use Spirit Fire!

Dao Foundation Cultivators, with their Essence, Qi, and Spirit unified as one, can generate their own True Flame. This True Flame is omnipotent, capable of both Alchemy and Artifact Refining.

Innate Qi Refiners, however, do not possess such abilities.

They can only rely on external sources.

The Earth Evil True Flame is one such source.

Dragon Head Mountain, being a nexus of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, is connected to the Earth Veins below and channels a stream of Earth Evil True Flame.

"Senior Brother."

The disciple guarding the earth fire led Zhu Ju to a stone grotto, gesturing inside as he explained:

"The earth fire is ferocious and requires an Array to guide it for use. Operating the Array consumes Spirit Stones, so if you wish to use the Earth Evil True Flame, you must pay a fee."

"Aside from the Core True Inheritance disciples who receive a certain free quota each year, it’s the same for everyone, whether they’re from the Inner Sect or Outer Sect."

"Mm," Zhu Ju nodded, indicating he understood.

"What are the rates?"

"It starts at three days for one Spirit Stone," the Outer Sect Disciple said.

"If you rent for a month, you can get a ten percent discount."

"If you need condensed Earth Evil True Flame, you’ll have to go to the Fire Vein at Celestial Sword Peak. We don’t have that here."

"Three days for one Spirit Stone?" Zhu Ju’s steps faltered slightly. He sighed, took a Spirit Stone from his Qiankun Bag, and handed it over.

"I’ll start with three days."

"Yes, sir." The Outer Sect Disciple acknowledged, took the Spirit Stone, logged it in the register, and pushed open a stone door.

"A Fire Chamber with a Token hanging on it is occupied. You can choose any of the ones without a Token."

Zhu Ju understood.

The passage before him was quite crude, with six stone doors scattered along it. Two of them had Tokens hanging on them.

He pushed open one of the unoccupied stone chambers, and a wave of scorching heat washed over him. The fine hairs on his body instantly stood on end and curled.

If he hadn’t reached the Innate realm, he would have likely been cooked on the spot.

"Hoooo..."

He lightly exhaled a breath of stale air. The Earth Evil Mysterious Skill began to circulate, and his Earth Evil True Body, at the Minor Success stage, took on a faint metallic sheen.

The high temperature immediately became bearable.

The Earth Fire Stone Chamber wasn’t large, only about ten square meters, with a large furnace burning fiercely in the center.

The firelight cast upon his body made it look as if he were coated in a layer of red twilight.

Earth fire!

Evil Qi!

Zhu Ju’s eyes twitched.

Although the environment here was harsh, it would be twice as effective for cultivating the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill.

Unfortunately...

’The fee is too expensive!’

Shaking his head, he took some Mortal Iron from his Qiankun Bag and threw it into the furnace.

At the same time, using a Method recorded in the Artifact Refining Truth, he circulated his True Qi to remotely manipulate the Mortal Iron inside the furnace.

BOOM!

In the face of the Earth Evil True Flame, the hard steel was like flammable wood, and the flames instantly surged.

The Mortal Iron melted into molten liquid at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Refine!"

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed. His ten fingers flew through a Seal Technique as he continuously poured streams of True Qi into the molten iron.

Empowered and guided by the True Qi, the molten iron gradually twisted and deformed.

Until,

it took the shape of a short sword.

CLANG...

A crooked short sword fell to the ground. The intense heat had not yet dissipated, and a faint red glow flickered on its surface.

Zhu Ju had only one word to evaluate the first Weapon he had ever forged.

Ugly!

’No need to rush.’

’This is just the beginning. Besides, being ugly doesn’t affect its use, and I haven’t even shaped it with a hammer and anvil.’

’This is completely acceptable!’

After comforting himself, Zhu Ju once again took out some Mortal Iron and broken Weapons and threw them into the furnace.

Of course, he couldn’t just start by reforging the Five-Pointed Flying Saber. Not only would it be a waste of materials, but he also lacked the ability.

He needed to practice first.

「Three days later.」

Zhu Ju paid another nine Spirit Stones to extend his time.

...

In the Earth Fire Stone Chamber.

Shirtless, Zhu Ju held a heavy hammer weighing several hundred jin, pounding on a blade embryo on the anvil.

CLANG!

CLANG...

With every lift of his arm, the muscles on his back could be seen rippling.

As the heavy hammer slammed down, sparks flew from the anvil, and the shape of the blade embryo gradually became clearer.

After a long while.

CLANG...

Zhu Ju tossed aside the finished long saber, took a deep breath, and retrieved two Weapons from his Qiankun Bag.

The Cross and Vertical Saber!

And the Nameless Black Saber!

Previously, the Cross and Vertical Saber and the Black Saber had clashed repeatedly, resulting in a few nicks, but this wasn’t because its material was inferior.

On the contrary.

The material of the Cross and Vertical Saber should be stronger than that of the Black Saber.

It was just that the Qi Blood World was full of Mortals, and its Artifact Refining Methods were also mundane. Even the best materials couldn’t be used to their full potential.

As a Weapon forged with a mundane method, its ability to withstand the Six Ren Flying Saber was already proof of its extraordinariness.

And while the Nameless Black Saber was forged by an expert, it was too long and narrow, its design not suiting Zhu Ju’s fighting style.

Therefore...

It must be reforged!

BOOM!

As the two long sabers were tossed into the furnace, the Earth Evil True Flame erupted as if it had tasted something delicious, the Fierce Flames surging violently.

The entire stone chamber became like an oven. Even his Earth Evil True Body, at the Minor Success stage, showed faint signs of being unable to bear it.

"Hoooo..."

Zhu Ju let out a long, stale breath, circulated his Five Peaks True Form Force at full power, and even stuffed a few Elixirs into his mouth.

At the same time.

"Go!"

He formed a Seal Technique with his hands, his eyes glowing with Spiritual Light as the True Qi in his body transformed into wisps of smoke that merged into the two sabers.

The two sabers, comparable to Magical Artifacts, gradually melted and deformed under the continuous searing of the Earth Evil True Flame.

Time slowly passed.

*

*

*

「Yidu.」

Zhu Ju, a long saber hanging from his waist, appeared in the usually bustling marketplace, only to find it deserted.

Stroking his chin, he strolled over to a shop.

"Aunt Tian, I’ll take two boxes of Five-Bean Cake."

"Right away."

The shop door was half-open, as if ready to be shut at a moment’s notice. Inside, a thin woman heard his order and quickly got to work.

As she finished wrapping two boxes of pastries and handed them over, she blinked.

"Oh, it’s you, sir!"

She recognized the customer in front of her. Although he didn’t come often, he would visit once every ten days or half a month.

Each time, he would buy two boxes of Five-Bean Cake.

He would always praise them as he ate, saying the taste reminded him of the pastries from his hometown.

"It’s me."

Zhu Ju nodded and asked casually,

"Has something happened in Yidu recently? Why are the streets so deserted? It’s not usually like this."

"Sir, you haven’t been in Yidu lately?" Aunt Tian sighed.

"There’s a war going on!"

"The General’s Mansion and the City Lord’s Mansion are fighting. They’re accusing each other of betrayal, and who knows who’s right."

She shook her head.

"It doesn’t matter who’s right. It’s been over a month, and we common folk haven’t had a day of peace."

"Worse than no peace," someone interjected.

"It’s more like the people are destitute."

"A bunch of Magicians and Mages are engaged in reckless Combat, and who knows how many people in the city die every day."

Zhu Ju paid, took the pastries, and turned to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu."

But the newcomer had no intention of letting him go.

"The Celestial Capital Sect, as the world’s number one Daoist Sect and the Court’s National Religion, condones evil and enslaves people and ghosts."

"Wan Zhengyang, as a city’s General, should be protecting the local people, yet he imposes exorbitant taxes and commits all sorts of crimes."

"Don’t you have anything to say about this?"

"Say what?" Zhu Ju opened a box of Five-Bean Cake, picked up a piece, popped it into his mouth, and glanced at the other person.

"Tomb Immortal, you’re just a merchant. Since when do you concern yourself with matters of right and wrong?"

The newcomer was none other than the Ghost Market merchant he had traded with many times before.

The Tomb Immortal!

For some reason, he had become a spokesman for the Situ Family.

Zhu Ju spoke as he ate.

"I am just a Loose Cultivator. They can have their fight. I’ll just come back after it’s over and a winner is decided."

He had come to the Magic World only to relax his weary mind after a long period of Artifact Refining, and to see if the chaos here had ended.

He had no intention of getting involved.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu."

The Tomb Immortal took a step forward and said,

"Miss Kongli wishes to see you to thank you for saving her life."

"Situ Kongli?" Zhu Ju asked.

"There’s no need for us to meet, but I am quite interested in the Method she used to refine the Jile Spirit House."

"If she’s sincerely grateful, she might as well just give me the refining method."

"Hmm..."

"I remember the materials from the shattered Jile Spirit House were taken by the City Lord’s Mansion. Shouldn’t those belong to me?"

After all, the Jile Spirit House was destroyed by his own hand.

"Fellow Daoist, why must you keep people at arm’s length?"

The Tomb Immortal shook his head, refusing to give up.

"You killed Xing Suanzi and saved Miss Kongli. Whether you like it or not, you are already standing against Wan Zhengyang."

"Besides..."

"Wan Zhengyang wants to become a True Man, so he will definitely massacre the entire city to complete his transformation. Even for the sake of the people of Yidu, we cannot let him run rampant."

"Becoming a True Man requires a blood sacrifice?" Zhu Ju frowned upon hearing this.

"It seems I should stay far away from Yidu."

"Fellow Daoist..." The Tomb Immortal was speechless. After a pause, he said,

"The Situ Family has Demon Beast Flesh."

"Good stuff." Zhu Ju nodded.

"A few years ago, I might have been tempted, but Demon Beast Flesh is not of much use to me now."

"Then..." The Tomb Immortal’s eyes narrowed.

"What about a Demon Beast Inner Core?"

"Since you, Fellow Daoist, can ignore the Evil Qi in Demon Beast Flesh to temper your Physical Body, I imagine a Demon’s Inner Core would be even more effective."

Hm?

Zhu Ju stopped in his tracks.

...

An Inner Core is the essence within a Demon’s body, a condensation of its Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and the repository of its Magical Power.

Generally speaking.

A Demon that possesses an Inner Core is bound to be extremely powerful.

In the Main World, they would at the very least be a Great Demon comparable to the Dao Foundation Realm, or perhaps even stronger.

Ordinary Demons, whose Essence is scattered throughout their bodies, cannot condense an Inner Core.

An Inner Core offers many benefits.

It can be used in place of herbs to concoct a Foundation Establishment Pill, it is an indispensable ingredient for certain Spirit Pills, and even consuming it directly can greatly advance a Cultivator’s Cultivation.

Its value far exceeds that of Demon Beast Flesh.

"Young Master Zhu."

Inside an inconspicuous manor, Situ Kongli, her face veiled, sat across a long table and sighed softly.

"It really isn’t easy to get a meeting with you."

"Where is the Demon Beast Inner Core?" Zhu Ju got straight to the point.

"I highly suspect this is just a ruse."

Demon Beasts with Inner Cores are extremely rare even in the Main World, and hunting one requires the combined efforts of multiple Dao Foundation Cultivators.

Over here...

To be honest.

Even their so-called True Men are unlikely to be stronger than a Late-Stage Innate expert, let alone a Dao Foundation Cultivator.

So,

how could they possibly hunt a Demon with an Inner Core?

"Rest assured, Young Master Zhu, the Situ Family does indeed possess an Inner Core. It is an heirloom left by an ancestor." Situ Kongli sat up straight.

"However..."

"I need something in exchange."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju frowned.

"What could I possibly have that’s worth an Inner Core?"

"You do!" Situ Kongli said.

"Iron Evil Stone!"

"The Iron Evil Stone that can be used to forge Breaking Technique Weapons."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju understood. He hadn’t expected that the Iron Evil Stone would become something the Situ Family was determined to acquire. He nodded.

"Alright."

"But before that, I want to confirm that you actually have a Demon’s Inner Core." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"This..." Situ Kongli hesitated for a moment.

"No problem!"

She took out a wooden box and opened it. Inside was a small amount of gray powder.

"Please take a look, Young Master!"

Zhu Ju took the wooden box. With a flick of his fingers, he formed an imperceptible Seal Technique. In his eyes, the powder in the box immediately began to glow with a faint halo.

Spiritual Qi!

Very dense Spiritual Qi.

But...

It was much weaker than a legendary Inner Core.

"Young Master Zhu," Situ Kongli said unhurriedly, seeing the doubt on Zhu Ju’s face,

"This Inner Core has been in the Situ Family’s possession for a hundred years. It hasn’t just been a decoration, so it’s inevitable that some of its power has been depleted. But there should be no doubt that it is an Inner Core, correct?"

Zhu Ju sat up straight, propped his chin on his hand, and fell into deep thought.

He had never come into contact with a Demon Beast Inner Core before, so it was difficult to tell if it was real or fake from a bit of powder. However, it was true that it contained immense Spiritual Qi, which would also help increase his Cultivation.

Even if it wasn’t an Inner Core, it was something similar.

"How many Iron Evil Stones do you want?"

"Ten thousand!"

"That’s impossible!" Zhu Ju’s expression changed.

Although he had a good number of Spirit Stones and some Iron Evil Stones, and the mine sold Iron Evil Stones to anyone regardless of identity, ten thousand was not a quantity he could get his hands on.

"Two thousand!"

"Two thousand at most. And you’ll need to pay an extra deposit in Spirit Jade."

"Otherwise, the deal is off!"