Chapter 91 – Forging the Body into a Furnace, Winning—Winning Big!

[Instance: Pot-Lifting Brute]

[Minimum Requirement: Qi Condensation Stage Level 1]

[Description: An ancient Body Cultivator’s mine where, due to unforeseen changes, the corpses of ancient cultivators have mutated, fusing with cauldrons and transforming into evil spirits that endlessly wander the mine, unable to rest in peace.]

[Note 1: Death in the instance does not affect the main body.]

[Note 2: The instance resets every three months.]

[Note 3: When entering the instance, immersion mode can be selected.]

Lu Chen read the instance description and quickly deduced its origin. Without a doubt, it was modeled after Kangding Peak in the Azure Cloud Sect.

“Fusing with cauldrons, transforming into evil spirits…”

As Lu Chen pondered these words, he envisioned the challenges he would face in the Pot-Lifting Brute instance. Unsurprisingly, all his enemies this time would likely be Body Cultivators.

Before entering the instance, Lu Chen took stock of his recent gains. Setting aside experience points for now, his focus was on the metal-element Divine Ability—Body-Forging Art—acquired after defeating the Gold-Devouring Ant-Man, and the faint Fist Intent—Mountain-Crushing Fist—the Ant-Man had grasped at the cost of his life in a final, desperate act.

[Body-Forging Art: Beginner 1/1000]

[Effect: Devour metal to temper the body, forging a steel-like physique. At Major Achievement, shape into a weaponized form (Weapon Type: Not Selected).]

[Mountain-Crushing Fist: Beginner 1/1000]

[Effect: Momentum like mountains, fists like peaks—a single strike can crumble ranges!]

Unlike other Divine Abilities that show notable effects early on, Body-Forging Art was unique. Before reaching Major Achievement, it resembled ordinary Body Refining techniques, with little to distinguish it. However, upon achieving Major Achievement, it allows a cultivator’s body to temporarily rival Magical Artifacts or Magic Treasures, with the form shaped according to the cultivator’s choice.

For instance, if Lu Chen chose “Body-Forging Sword,” using this ability would imbue his body with the sharpness of a Spirit Sword. Similarly, “Body-Forging Shield” or “Body-Forging Spear” would grant corresponding effects, offering immense versatility.

Yet, Lu Chen had an unconventional idea for his Body-Forging form: Body-Forging Furnace. While a Body-Forging Sword would enhance his already diverse offensive capabilities, it wouldn’t bring about a qualitative change. In contrast, a Body-Forging Furnace could address his current lack of defense while boosting his combat prowess in extreme conditions.

This wasn’t mere speculation but a reasoned inference based on the existing cultivation system. A cultivator’s “Golden Core” formation closely mirrors an Alchemist’s pill refinement process.

“Consider heaven and earth as the furnace, creation as the artisan, Yin and Yang as the charcoal, and all things as the copper…”

A cultivator’s body is akin to an Alchemy Furnace, while the Spirit Root resembles the herbs used in Alchemy.

• The Qi Condensation Stage nurtures the herbs, drawing Qi into the body.

• The Foundation Establishment Stage refines the herbs, condensing Qi into liquid.

• The Golden Core Stage fuses the herbs, coalescing the liquid into a pill.Is the human body… not a microcosm of the universe itself?

If he could truly use his body as a furnace, the Purple Mist as fire, and the Green Lotus as wood…

Then, as long as he could compensate for the shortcomings in the Water and Earth Divine Abilities,

His Five Elements Divine Ability method would be considered a minor achievement.

Lu Chen had a premonition that once he reached this stage,

His Five Elements Divine Ability would undergo a qualitative transformation.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen couldn’t help but sigh, “No wonder it’s often said that cultivation involves not only refining the body but also the mind… Skill, body, and mind—none of the three can be neglected.”

Spells and Divine Abilities represented skill, the Physical Body represented the body, and the Divine Soul represented the mind.

Lu Chen’s ‘skill’ had already reached a considerable level, so it was time to focus on the ‘body.’

As for the Divine Soul, which represented the ‘mind’… that was beyond his current ability to cultivate.

Because refining the Divine Soul was a hallmark of Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

“My next priority is to raise the Rank of the Body-Forging Art Divine Ability while also practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist on the side.”

“Although I primarily focus on Sword techniques, stones from other hills can serve to polish jade.”

“If my assumptions are correct, the Mountain-Crushing Fist skill should be one that can be directly cultivated to the Dao-Grade, allowing me to comprehend Fist Intent.”

“Even if I can’t integrate the Fist Intent into my Sword techniques, at the very least, it will enrich my combat methods—a win-win situation.”

After clarifying his thoughts, Lu Chen immediately prepared to enter the ‘Dungeon: Cauldron-Carrying Warrior’ to practice.

If luck was on his side, by the time he emerged from the Instance,

Both the Mountain-Crushing Fist and the Body-Forging Art would have seen significant improvements in their Ranks.

In addition to cultivating these two skills, Lu Chen had another goal for this Instance:

To see if he could further elevate the Rank of his current Innate Divine Ability.

After all, in the joint exam Instance, Lu Chen had not only personally slain four Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends, earning a total of 6 Soul Crystal Shards (Green),

But he had also obtained many ordinary Soul Crystal Shards (White) from the White-Faced Spider’s nest.

After synthesizing the white Soul Crystal Shards into green ones, his Innate Divine Ability was not far from reaching the second realm.

[Innate Divine Ability · Heretical Avatar: First Realm 20/30]

[Current Experience Points: 4325]

“Though I know it’s just a dream, I still hope this Instance… will allow me to gather ten green Soul Crystal Shards.”

Dungeon: Cauldron-Carrying Warrior… Begin!

Inside the Cauldron-Carrying Warrior Instance, as soon as Lu Chen opened his eyes, he found himself in a pitch-black Mine.

“Clang, clang…”

Hearing the strange sounds nearby, Lu Chen immediately turned toward the source.

A peculiar ‘Black Iron Cauldron Man’ came into view.

Apart from its iconic Black Iron Cauldron body,

The Cauldron was surrounded by human limbs, connected to the rotting flesh that filled the interior space of the Cauldron.

Coupled with the bizarre human face on the Black Iron Cauldron Man’s belly, the entire creature exuded an indescribable eeriness that was deeply unsettling.

The Black Iron Cauldron Man, not far from Lu Chen, seemed completely unaware of his arrival.

It remained focused on mining the black Ore embedded in the Mine walls.Under Lu Chen’s curious gaze, it finally managed to dig out the black ore from the mine wall after considerable effort.

Holding the fist-sized black ore in its hands, it excitedly let out two incomprehensible cries.

Then it abruptly tossed the ore directly into its Black Iron Cauldron body.

When the ore landed on the flesh at the cauldron’s mouth, the densely packed rotting flesh inside immediately began to squirm.

It voraciously devoured the black ore.

After consuming this black ore, the Black Iron Cauldron Man’s body seemed to undergo some changes.

Not only did its black cauldron body turn slightly bluish, but its size also visibly increased.

Seeing this, Lu Chen immediately looked at this Black Iron Cauldron Man’s status panel.

【Name: Black Iron Cauldron Man】

【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage Third Layer】

【Characteristics: A special creature fused with a cauldron body, physically strong, possesses certain martial arts】

Just a small fry at Qi Condensation Stage Third Layer?

Confirming that it posed no threat to him and had no other special features, Lu Chen immediately walked toward it.

When he approached within about ten steps of the Black Iron Cauldron Man.

The long-quiet Black Iron Cauldron Man finally showed movement.

It turned its body toward Lu Chen’s direction, and the rotting flesh in its Black Iron Cauldron seemed stimulated, instantly boiling.

“Meat… meat… meat!!!”

The Black Iron Cauldron Man stared at Lu Chen, the human face on its abdomen immediately emitting excited sounds.

Then its somewhat bloated body suddenly surged forward, pouncing directly at Lu Chen.

It appeared as if it wanted to devour Lu Chen on the spot.

Looking at this approximately 1.5-meter-tall Black Iron Cauldron Man, Lu Chen didn’t even draw his Ink Dragon Sword, instead assuming the Mountain-Crushing Fist’s starting stance, waiting calmly for the right moment.

When the Black Iron Cauldron Man came within three steps of Lu Chen, he suddenly threw a powerful punch.

Although this punch wasn’t as spectacular as when the Gold-Devouring Ant-Man executed it, it was still heavy and forceful, creating gusts of wind in the tunnel.

Boom!

Lu Chen’s fist struck the Black Iron Cauldron Man’s body, immediately producing a clear metallic ringing sound.

The next second, the Black Iron Cauldron Man’s body was sent flying backward, crashing against the wall behind it and exploding into numerous black metal fragments with a splat.

【You have slain a Black Iron Cauldron Man (Qi Condensation Stage Third Layer), gained 30 experience points, Black Iron Ore*1…】

【Black Iron Ore】

【Type: Material】

【Description: A common ore that can be used to forge weapons】

Looking at the status information after killing the Black Iron Cauldron Man, Lu Chen’s expression showed little change.

After all, with his current strength, a Qi Condensation Stage Third Layer Black Iron Cauldron Man could no longer provide him with substantial rewards.

Lu Chen took out the Black Iron Ore dropped by the Black Iron Cauldron Man and held it in his hand.

The next second, the hard Black Iron Ore was crushed in his grasp.

The metal energy within was quickly absorbed by his body…

【Body-Forging Art: 11/1000】

Looking at the increased experience for Body-Forging Art, Lu Chen murmured: “As expected, the minerals in this Instance can also serve as nourishment for cultivating Body-Forging Art…”

Thinking this, the Azure Lotus Eyes in his pupils immediately began to rotate continuously, activating their X-Ray Vision ability as he looked toward the surrounding mine walls.In an instant, the scattered ores embedded in the mine walls were clearly visible to Lu Chen.

A moment later, he approached a section of the wall and threw a Mountain-Crushing Fist directly at it!

Bang!

Under the force of the heavy punch, the sturdy wall instantly shook and cracked with numerous fissures.

However, Lu Chen did not continue punching. Instead, he looked somewhat surprised at the cracks on the wall.

After all, this was the same fist that could kill a Black Iron Cauldron Man in a single blow.

Yet now, it could only create a few cracks on the wall.

No wonder that Black Iron Cauldron Man seemed to have been digging for a long time—the ore vein was this hard?

After a brief moment of astonishment, Lu Chen finally resumed his frenzied assault on the mine wall.

Bang! Bang! Bang!…

He only stopped when he had punched out the Black Iron Ore from within the wall.

Grasping the Black Iron Ore, which was a size larger than the one dropped by the Black Iron Cauldron Man, he crushed it with a single grip.

【Body-Forging Art: Entry-Level 26/1000】

Seeing the increased experience for the Body-Forging Art, Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction and surveyed his surroundings.

Within a twenty-meter radius of the ore vein, there were still many unexcavated Black Iron Ores.

If he absorbed all of these, he could likely raise the Body-Forging Art’s experience to around five hundred.

In a way, this was equivalent to saving five hundred experience points out of thin air.

Although Lu Chen’s daily cultivation experience gain was already quite fast,

not to mention the enormous “1 million” experience required to advance the Dragon Transformation Sword Intent beyond the Dao,

just to raise his cultivation to the Perfection of the Qi Condensation Stage, he still needed a full “20,000 experience points.”

Moreover, he needed to accumulate even more experience for future learning of “Water Divine Abilities” and “Earth Divine Abilities.”

Therefore, for him, it was best to save as much experience as possible.

After all, most Cultivation Manuals and Divine Abilities progress relatively quickly in the early stages.

Cultivate on your own in the early phase, then rely on experience points in the later phase—

this was undoubtedly the most rational way to use experience points.

Money is saved, not spent!

Over the following period, Lu Chen directly transformed into a diligent little miner, continuously digging for ore in the mine.

In truth, if he had chosen to use sword techniques for mining, he could have extracted all the Black Iron Ore from the walls in at most ten minutes.

Occasionally, when some Black Iron Cauldron Men appeared, Lu Chen would take the time to dispatch them, gaining a bit more experience in the process.

Three days later in the game.

“Huff… have I reached the limit?”

Lu Chen looked at the Body-Forging Art, which could no longer be improved, and regretfully stopped his mining actions.

He realized that if he wanted to further enhance the skill level of the Body-Forging Art, he would need to find some special ores.

【Body-Forging Art (Furnace Form): Proficient 1/2000】

【Effect: Can consume metal to temper the body, forming a steel-like physique; at Major Achievement, can forge a weaponized body】

【Special Effect · Furnace: Increases elixir absorption effect by 10%】

【Mountain-Crushing Fist: Proficient 146/3000】

In three days, Lu Chen not only raised the Body-Forging Art’s skill level to “Proficient,”

but also, when the skill advanced from “Entry-Level” to “Proficient,” he chose the “Furnace Form” as the body type he would forge.And the effects of this Furnace Form certainly did not disappoint him.

Aside from the basic enhancement of physical attributes, it also had a very special effect—it could increase his absorption efficiency of elixirs.

For Lu Chen, this was undoubtedly a tremendous boost.

With the same elixir, others could achieve at most 100% of its effects, but he could reach up to 110%.

This wasn’t just a simple increase in effect—it also meant greater efficiency!

Many elixirs had cooldown periods between uses!

For example, the Foundation Establishment Stage Essence Nourishing Pill that Lu Chen had been longing for could only be taken once a day.

A single Essence Nourishing Pill could provide him with at least 500 experience points.

If he hadn’t cultivated the ‘Body-Forging Art’ before, he would have only gained a minimum of 500 experience points per day from the Essence Nourishing Pill.

But with the ‘Body-Forging Art,’ Lu Chen’s daily experience gain from the Essence Nourishing Pill increased to 550 points.

An extra 50 per day, 500 more in ten days, 5,000 more in a hundred days…

By rough estimate, wasn’t this equivalent to gaining a massive amount of extra experience out of thin air?

Win, win big!

Lu Chen felt that his decision to cultivate the ‘Furnace Form’ of the Body-Forging Art was truly wise!

Based on his previous experience with skill cultivation, the effects of a skill often improved as the skill level increased.

Moreover, at each stage beyond the ‘Major Achievement’ level,

either the original skill effects would undergo a qualitative transformation, or new skill effects would emerge.

Therefore, once he advanced the ‘Body-Forging Art’ to the next Realm,

not only would the existing elixir absorption effect receive a significant boost, but it would also undoubtedly unlock additional, even better skill effects.

Win, win twice!

Although he had only heard of others using people as Cauldrons, he had never seen anyone refine themselves into a Cauldron.

But one had to admit that Lu Chen’s current approach of forging his body into a furnace was indeed the most suitable path for him.

After all, experience points were what Lu Chen lacked most and needed the most urgently.

He would never let go of any skill that could improve his experience gain efficiency!

Since Black Iron Ore was no longer useful to him now, Lu Chen quickly left the mine tunnel where he had spent three full days.

As he stepped out of the tunnel, a larger mine appeared before him.

Not only was the space here more expansive, but the Cauldron Men active here were no longer just Black Iron Cauldron Men—a new type had appeared.

【Bronze Cauldron Man】

【Cultivation: Qi Training Stage Six】

【Characteristics: A special creature fused with a cauldron, physically strong, possessing certain martial arts and simple spells】

Unlike the Black Iron Cauldron Men, who only knew martial arts, the newly appeared Bronze Cauldron Men could already perform some simple spells.

With the help of his Azure Lotus Eyes, Lu Chen quickly deduced the reason they could use simple spells.

If his guess was correct, their ability to cast simple spells stemmed from the intricate patterns on their Bronze Cauldron bodies.

At this thought, Lu Chen suddenly grew curious about the person who had created these Bronze Cauldron Men.

According to the Instance’s description, these Cauldron Men were the result of the fusion between the physical bodies of Kangding Peak cultivators and their cauldrons after death.

But here was the question: Lu Chen had indeed known for a long time that Kangding Peak used cauldron-bearing to train their martial arts.But what he couldn’t figure out was why Kangding Peak would place so many cauldrons inside a mine.

It couldn’t possibly be because the cultivators of Kangding Peak needed to carry cauldrons on their backs while mining, could it?

This reasoning was not only far-fetched but also didn’t make much sense.

What miner would carry a large cauldron on their back while digging in a mine? That would be pure madness!

After much contemplation, Lu Chen thought perhaps these cauldrons in Kangding Peak had some special effects he wasn’t aware of.

So much so that even in the mines, Kangding Peak had to place some cauldrons here to suppress or resolve certain special circumstances.

Thinking this, Lu Chen suddenly felt his understanding of the Azure Cloud Sect was still too limited.

Since in the game he had always stayed within Danyang Peak focusing on alchemy,

although he had been an Inner Disciple for some time, he had never visited the other peaks and thus wasn’t familiar with their situations.

Danyang Peak had the special ‘Yangming Earth Fire’ which helped the peak’s cultivators in alchemy.

The Sword Pavilion of Hidden Sword Peak was also a unique feature.

Then what about the remaining Azure Cloud Peak, Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, and Kangding Peak?

Regarding the secrets of Kangding Peak, Lu Chen was now filled with curiosity.

Perhaps during this instance, he might get a glimpse of the answer.

With this thought, Lu Chen immediately walked toward the Cauldron Men in the distance.

His appearance instantly attracted the attention of the numerous Cauldron Men in the mine, causing them to stop their mining actions and surround him.

Watching the large number of Cauldron Men slowly approaching him, Lu Chen somehow produced two white bandages and began wrapping them around his hands as he walked toward the Cauldron Men.

He murmured to himself: “I haven’t tried fusing the vibration technique of the Dragon Transformation Sword Art with the Mountain-Crushing Fist before. This seems like a good opportunity to test it out.”

“I hope you can last a bit longer, at least… don’t disappoint me.”

As the words fell, Lu Chen took a step forward and charged fiercely toward the dozens of Cauldron Men before him.

Creating the imposing stance of him alone surrounding all of them!

(End of Chapter)