Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 178: Chapter 178: The Evolution of Fen Tian Earth Fire

The ailment known as Fire Poison was actually the result of a flaw in Qin Zhantian’s cultivation technique. This flaw prevented the energy he absorbed from entering the sea of qi within his dantian. Over the years, this unassimilated energy accumulated, rampaging through his body and causing widespread destruction. If Qin Zhantian stopped cultivating, the energy within him would be insufficient to suppress the Fire Poison. Yet, if he continued to cultivate, he would only feed the Fire Poison and make it stronger. It was this vicious cycle that had tormented him to the point of agony.

In Ye Qingchen’s hands, however, this very Fire Poison was a potent supplement. Even a minuscule amount of energy leaked from someone of Qin Zhantian’s realm was of immense benefit to him. Therefore, as soon as he entered his room, Ye Qingchen hung a ”Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and began to refine and purify the Fire Poison.

However, Ye Qingchen was well aware that he was already at the pinnacle of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Master Realm. Without a Breakthrough Pill, advancing to the Great Martial Master Realm would be incredibly difficult. Simply refining the Fire Poison would not guarantee a breakthrough. Therefore, he changed his mind. His new plan was to first purify the Fire Poison and store its essence, absorbing the energy only after he made his own breakthrough.

With the Burn Heaven Earth Fire in his body, refining and purifying the Fire Poison was effortless for him. But now, besides just purifying it, Ye Qingchen wanted to understand the profound, mysterious feeling he had experienced while drawing the Fire Poison out of Qin Zhantian.

He took out a bottle of Fire Poison and began to purify it with his Burn Heaven Earth Fire. With his current skill in alchemy, his control over the flame was exceptionally high. To his dissatisfaction, however, even after he had finished refining the entire bottle, that profound and mysterious feeling failed to appear.

Could it have been an illusion back then? Ye Qingchen frowned in thought but quickly dismissed the idea. Although he had been fully focused on drawing out the Fire Poison for Qin Zhantian, the sensation had been crystal clear. It was definitely not an illusion.

Not one to give up, Ye Qingchen took out another bottle and began the refinement process again. This time, he deliberately activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to closely observe the changes within his body as he once again manipulated the Burn Heaven Earth Fire to purify the poison. As his Dual Pupil Martial Soul continuously scanned his body, his attention finally settled on the Burn Heaven Earth Fire.

That’s it! This is the feeling. I was so focused on the changes within my body that I completely overlooked the Burn Heaven Earth Fire itself. A jolt of joy went through him as he finally understood. He realized that when he had drawn out Qin Zhantian’s Fire Poison, the Burn Heaven Earth Fire had been circulating *inside* his body, which was why the sensation was so profound yet elusive—both clear and indistinct. Now, however, he was projecting the flame *outside* his body to refine the poison, and his focus hadn’t been on the flame itself. That was why he hadn’t experienced that mysterious realization.

As time passed, he finished refining the second bottle of Fire Poison. With his Dual Pupil Martial Soul constantly focused on the Burn Heaven Earth Fire, he could now clearly feel that the flame had grown significantly stronger. The feeling was unmistakable—it was as if the Burn Heaven Earth Fire was evolving!

This phenomenon was completely beyond his understanding. Unsure if the change was for the better or worse, he immediately stopped what he was doing. He began to sift through the memories and inheritance from the Burn Heaven Elder, constantly cross-referencing them with the contents of the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra.

An hour later, he finally understood the reason for the change in his Burn Heaven Earth Fire. It turned out that the Exotic Flames born between heaven and earth were graded. From lowest to highest, the ranks were Earth Fire, Exotic Flame, Heavenly Fire, and Divine Fire. His Burn Heaven Earth Fire was merely an Earth Fire, the lowest grade.

However, the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra recorded that some Heaven and Earth Strange Fires were incredibly special, capable of continuously transforming and evolving under specific conditions! Clearly, the Burn Heaven Earth Fire was one of these rare entities.

At this thought, Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but tremble with excitement. To think that a mere Earth Fire, the lowest grade, had already brought him such immense benefits—not only had his alchemy improved by leaps and bounds, but his strength had also advanced continuously. If the Burn Heaven Earth Fire had the potential to evolve into a Burn Heaven Exotic Flame, what unimaginable advantages would that bring? Furthermore, an Exotic Flame was far from its evolutionary limit. Ye Qingchen was certain that one day, he could evolve it all the way to the level of a Burn Heaven Divine Fire! When that day came, he would possess the world’s strongest Divine Fire in addition to his Dual Pupil Martial Soul. With such power, Ye Qingchen felt he could roam the vast world without fear!

Still, to be cautious, he continued to cross-reference the changes in his Burn Heaven Earth Fire with the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and the inheritance from the Burn Heaven Elder. He finally confirmed that the flame had indeed mutated from absorbing the Fire Poison, and that this mutation was entirely beneficial.

Ye Qingchen suppressed the excitement in his heart, took a deep breath, and resumed refining the Fire Poison. Since purifying the Fire Poison could make his Burn Heaven Earth Fire evolve *and* the refined essence could be used to increase his own strength, it was a classic case of killing two birds with one stone. Why wouldn’t he work at it with vigor?

On top of that, Qin Zhantian was Qin Yue’s grandfather. By drawing out the Fire Poison that had tormented the old man for so long, Ye Qingchen was not only saving his life but also repaying his debt to Qin Yue. All things considered, he was killing four birds with one stone!

And so, Ye Qingchen poured even more energy into refining the Fire Poison. For the next several days, he hardly slept and never once left his room, dedicating all his time to the task.

After refining the last bottle of Fire Poison, Ye Qingchen checked the date and realized the auction was about to begin. He took a bath and finally stepped out of his room.

As soon as Ye Qingchen stepped out, he heard the earnest admonition of Deputy Pavilion Master Liu. ”Qingchen, you must remember to balance work and rest. Sometimes, relentless cultivation alone doesn’t lead to progress.”

Ye Qingchen quickly bowed to Deputy Pavilion Master Liu, then greeted Pavilion Master Zhang and Elder Wuji, who were standing beside him.

Elder Wuji, however, sighed. ”Qingchen’s rapid progress is inseparable from his diligence and hard work. If only Zong Rui were more like him, I could finally rest easy!”