Canglan Main Hall.
Lin Chen met Qiao Yuan.
When the two met again, Qiao Yuan still had a cold face: "You coming here has not disappointed me."
Lin Chen understood the meaning behind Qiao Yuan’s words. If he chose to forfeit the challenge of a hundred thousand consecutive victories, then Qiao Yuan wouldn’t need to take the Innate Pill, and he wouldn’t be brought to the main hall by the Sect Leader.
"You don’t need to thank me. I’m not doing this for you, but for the Canglan Sect."
Seeing Lin Chen about to speak, Qiao Yuan interrupted him directly: "Winning a hundred thousand consecutive victories can attract more geniuses to join the Canglan Sect. I hope you won’t let me down."
With these words, Qiao Yuan turned and left, not giving Lin Chen a chance to speak from start to finish.
As he said, he was breaking through to the innate stage not for Lin Chen, but for the Canglan Sect.
Unlike many disciples who joined the Canglan Sect after showing their talents in cultivation, he joined the Canglan Sect at the age of six and has a sense of belonging far beyond other disciples.
When other disciples discussed who was the number one talent under the age of twenty, he chose to challenge Lin Chen, not just out of the arrogance of a genius, but as a protection of the sect’s status.
If Lin Chen wants to be the number one talent under twenty in the sect, he must have the strength to defeat him.
Only by defeating him can he earn that title.
The sect does have rival sects, and once you become first, you become the target for challenges from other sects. Facing these challenges, whether out of fear or failure, would leave weaknesses to be mocked by other powers.
Lin Chen watched the departing figure, his eyes filled with contemplation. Now he understood Qiao Yuan a bit more.
Qiao Yuan is the kind of person who values the sect more than his own life.
If it were someone else today, Qiao Yuan would still do the same.
...
A quarter of an hour after Qiao Yuan left the main hall, Sect Leader Ji Cangtian’s figure appeared once more, only this time holding three flags in his hand.
Ji Cangtian explained to Lin Chen: "These two flags in my hand were crafted by an artifact refining expert from the Thousand Mechanism Domain. They can be considered as two arrays, each flag containing a trace of Innate Fire. In terms of the concentration of Innate Fire, they are absorbable for you, and the flag in my left hand contains the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame."
"Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame?"
Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. On his way to the Canglan Domain, because he practiced the Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique, he inquired from Senior Brother Gao about some innate fires of the Flame Dynasty.
Senior Brother Gao mentioned a few types, one of which was the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame.
The Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame is a very special type of Innate Fire, with toxic mist within its flames, carrying corrosive energy that instantly corrodes whatever it touches into liquid, which is then burned away by the flames.
Certain special items, no matter how hard, can’t withstand the flame, especially against the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame due to its uniqueness.
To refine and absorb the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame requires extreme caution, and now with only three days available, the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame seems unsuitable.
"Sect Leader, what about the other flame?"
"Golden Crow Radiance Flame."
Hearing this name, Lin Chen’s mouth twitched slightly. This is also not a simple Innate Fire.
According to Senior Brother Gao, the Golden Crow Radiance Flame is rumored to be condensed from the essence soul of the ancient fierce beast, the Golden Crow. In ancient times, there was the fierce beast Golden Crow, whose feathers could fan the lands into burning wastelands, incinerating rivers and boiling seas. After its death, its body essence slowly transformed into a special fire.
The unique aspect of the Golden Crow Radiance Flame is its flames containing phantom images of the Golden Crow. Unlike normal flames, even the Li Fire he absorbed and refined in the past followed the rules of fire with a gradual increase in temperature or spreading in a given direction.
But the Golden Crow Radiance Flame is unpredictable and directionless, capable of suddenly releasing terrifying heat or shifting to a different direction.
Ji Cangtian knew these two types of fire were not the most suitable Innate Fire for Lin Chen to refine and absorb at this stage, but the Canglan Sect’s cultivation focused on Canglan Energy, storing enough fire attribute innate energy from these Innate Fires for the disciples to break through.
The fire attribute energy owned by the sect is extracted from those Innate Fires or materials specially containing innate fire attribute energy, causing minimal harm to the disciples.
But to breakthrough with the Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique, the fire attribute innate energy extracted by the sect isn’t enough, the most primitive Innate Fire is necessary.
Original fire requires a special environment, which isn’t available in the Canglan Domain.
"Disciple chooses the Golden Crow Radiance Flame."
Lin Chen did not ask the Sect Leader if there were other Innate Fires. If there were others, the Sect Leader would have informed him.
Since the Sect Leader only brought these two flags, it indicates that the sect has only stored these two types of Innate Fire.
Compared to the Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame, the risks of the Golden Crow Radiance Flame are relatively lower.
To put it accurately, the likelihood of successfully refining it is higher.
"Good."
Ji Cangtian nodded. Lin Chen’s choice of the Golden Crow Radiance Flame was within his expectations. The Purple Nightmare Erosion Flame is too corrosive, and to absorb it safely one should combine it with other pills, allowing the body to defend against the toxic mist before considering refining it.
"I will protect you throughout. If any danger arises, I will act to save you."
Ji Cangtian reassured Lin Chen. Lin Chen’s potential was evident, and he couldn’t stand by idly if Lin Chen encountered danger. However, he didn’t tell Lin Chen that besides him, a master uncle would also be watching.
"Thank you, Sect Leader."
Lin Chen nodded, and Ji Cangtian said no more. Even with him protecting Lin Chen, whether Lin Chen could refine the Golden Crow Radiance Flame in three days depended on Lin Chen himself. No one could assist him in that regard.
"Go!"
Ji Cangtian swung his right hand, and the flag landed in the center of the main hall, starting to spin.
As the flag rotated, Lin Chen seemed to hear a high-pitched, sharp cry emerging from the flag, causing his entire body’s blood to boil.
Terrifying screech!
The next moment, a resounding voice echoed through the hall.
The spinning flag suddenly vanished, replaced by a golden shadow spreading its wings and singing as it crashed towards the top of the hall.
Stars flowed in the direction of the hall, barring the golden shadow from breaking through, and it reluctantly fell back to its original spot, allowing Lin Chen to see clearly what the golden shadow was.
A three-legged creature, like a bird but not a bird.
The Three-legged Golden Crow!
At this moment, the golden crow’s shadow disappeared, and terrifying flames like a scorching sun instantly filled a fifty-zhang area around the hall, with flames like a blazing sun distorting the space.
Ji Cangtian looked at Lin Chen, and Lin Chen nodded, "Sect Leader, I’m going."
As he approached the range of the flames, Lin Chen felt an unbearable pain in his muscles and bones—this was not ordinary high heat, but a violent energy containing ancient fierce intent, with streams of golden fire stabbing into his pores like a thousand red-hot steel needles.
No wonder it is the Golden Crow Radiance Flame.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, operating the Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique, allowing a faint layer of Li Fire to appear on his body, dissipating the stinging sensation.
One step, two steps, three steps.
Bang!
At the moment of touching the flames, Lin Chen’s figure was instantly engulfed.
"Little guy, I hope you can create a miracle again this time."
Watching Lin Chen being swallowed by the flames, Ji Cangtian squinted his old eyes slightly.
...
Bang bang bang!
Within the flames, Lin Chen’s body staggered frequently.
The Golden Crow Radiance Flame, unlike the Li Fire, not only contained terrifying high temperatures but also the turbulent energy within its flames crashed about wildly. In just a few seconds, Lin Chen’s complexion turned pale, and the Li Fire on his body dimmed.
Lin Chen forcibly operated the Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique, with crimson veins gradually appearing on his body, a mark of Li Fire faintly visible on his brow, and his entire figure continuously expanding until he transformed into a ten-zhang giant, only then managing to stabilize under the violent impact of the Golden Crow Radiance Flame.
Lin Chen was not pleased just because his figure stabilized; this was merely the first step, still a far cry from his goal.
He was now just standing firm in the Golden Crow Radiance Flame. The next step was to absorb the Golden Crow Radiance Flame, which was the most challenging part.
When he absorbed the Innate Li Fire before, he only needed to withstand the terrifying high temperature. Now, he must not only withstand the terrifying temperature but also the violent energy of the Golden Crow contained within.
Whether the meridians in his body could withstand it, even Lin Chen was unsure.
"I’ve come this far; there’s no way I can give up now."
Lin Chen took a deep breath, and his surrounding Li Fire gradually lightened. As the Li Fire faded, the Golden Crow Radiance Flame energy began to approach his body.
"Absorb for me!"
Three breaths later, Lin Chen lightly shouted, and his entire body, like a whale swallowing, started to draw a surge of Golden Crow Radiance Flame energy into his body.
The Golden Crow Radiance Flame entered his body, transforming into a Golden Crow, suddenly striking and crashing through his meridians with flame torrents.
Crack crack crack!
Lin Chen’s meridians around his body nearly charred under the impact of this violent energy, and his bones emitted the crisp sound of jade shattering.
Outside the flames, Ji Cangtian squinted with his old eyes slightly, his right hand already raised, ready to pull Lin Chen out of the flames immediately if something went wrong.
The surging Golden Crow energy crashed violently within the meridians, eventually rushing towards the Dantian. Yet, in Lin Chen’s sea of consciousness, a small figure representing his Divine Soul suddenly opened its eyes, with a faint blue light igniting in its pupils—the Heart of Canglan perceived the danger and manifested independently, with icy-blue energy surging from the heart, flowing over his scorched body like a tide, forging a cycle between the collapse and rebirth of flesh.
Seeing this scene, Ji Cangtian lowered his raised hand once more.
...
...
At this moment, outside the great hall, Liang Hanyang and Chai Daoqi anxiously paced back and forth, knowing that their junior brother was inside the hall absorbing the Innate Fire.
With the Sect Leader present, their junior brother would not be in life-threatening danger, but they still wanted to know the result at the first moment.
"Second Senior Brother, do you think Junior Brother can succeed?"
"He should be able to, right?"
Liang Hanyang didn’t give a definite answer, as three days was simply too short a time.
If the time were longer, Junior Brother could slowly familiarize himself with the characteristics of the Innate Fire and refine it bit by bit. But with only three days, it meant that Junior Brother had to absorb enough Innate Fire from the beginning.
Otherwise, within three days, he definitely could not refine enough Innate Fire to allow the Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique to make a breakthrough.