Chapter 3: The Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art

Feeling uncomfortable?

Lin Fan sat alone by the window, the voice of the witch echoing in his ears. Usually, at this time, the sounds that reached him were filled with satisfied, feminine moans. For the witch to speak so earnestly now caught Lin Fan quite off guard. His thoughts drifted back from the past to the reality of the present.

"It is a bit uncomfortable. I once thought she and I would be together for lifetimes to come. Studying the martial path together, together..."

Just as Lin Fan was prattling on, two soft lips suddenly covered his mouth. He snapped his eyes open, staring in astonishment at the woman who had appeared before him out of nowhere. Had this witch actually escaped the Divine Abyss Secret Realm with him?

"If you're uncomfortable, then let's have a go!"

As the words fell, Lin Fan’s robes were stripped away involuntarily, and two naked bodies were soon locked in a passionate, tempestuous embrace upon the bed. Strangely, no matter how loudly and pleasurably the woman moaned, the outside world remained oblivious; even if someone had passed by, they would have heard nothing from within the room.

This encounter did not cease until night had fallen.

Lin Fan looked resentful, like a young wife who had been wronged, leaning against the side of the bed while clutching a support frame and breathing heavily.

"Is this how you comfort people?"

Hearing Lin Fan's indignant question, the voice of the witch—who had long since vanished—echoed in his mind once again.

"Little one, just tell me, didn't it feel good?"

Lin Fan suddenly stopped speaking. Unlike the torture of the past, he had actually felt a hint of pleasure this time—a feeling that was truly worth savoring. However, every time, the one he called the witch was always the one riding above, riding freely. Lin Fan secretly resolved that one day, he would definitely try the feeling of pinning this witch beneath him.

"Didn't you say you were trapped in the Divine Abyss and couldn't leave? Why..."

He had thought he was finally free of the witch's entanglement, but he never expected that she could penetrate the restrictions of the Divine Abyss and leave with him. What shocked him even more was that their intimate contact was no mere hallucination.

"Hmph, how could a little thing like you understand my abilities?" The witch’s voice carried a hint of arrogance. "I have cultivated within you for so many years; I long ago integrated a wisp of my remnant soul into your body. It is a pity that the only function of this remnant soul is to continue sharing pleasure with you; it possesses no combat power. Otherwise, you would only need to point a direction, and whoever you found displeasing, I could wipe them and their sect off the map."

Lin Fan’s heart trembled. He had never doubted the terrifying power of the witch, but he truly had not expected the remnant soul she left within him to exist solely for the purpose of shared pleasure. Thinking of this, his heart trembled again—would the torture of the past two years continue?

"Don't worry, I won't demand from you endlessly as I did before. Your primary task now is to practice diligently. I just sensed the aura of an old enemy in this world. If this remnant soul of mine is discovered by him, you might..."

Lin Fan was immediately shocked. An old enemy of the witch? What kind of terrifying existence would that be?

"Don't be too worried; that aura was very faint. It is possible he has already left this world. In any case, you must hurry your cultivation. Your strength is too weak; it’s not satisfying at all."

The witch's words made the corner of Lin Fan's mouth twitch. That’s not what you said just a moment ago...

The witch’s voice faded from his mind, and he turned his attention to the technique she had given him.

"Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art!"

When Lin Fan truly understood this technique, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. The technique was indeed as extraordinary as he had imagined. It required the practitioner to condense a divine furnace within their dantian, using it to smelt all the fires of heaven and earth to nourish the body. This clearly broke his conventional understanding of the martial path.

Secular martial arts were based on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon, with the technique determining the speed of absorption. The speed of cultivation was also closely tied to one's innate talent and foundation. Yet, this Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art relied on the unique method of smelting heavenly fires; not only could it increase the practitioner's speed of absorbing spiritual energy, but after smelting a flame, the practitioner’s strength would also be greatly enhanced. Lin Fan had never even imagined such a technique.

"Is this what they mean by 'vision determines imagination'?" Lin Fan muttered to himself. No wonder the witch said this technique was perfectly matched to his constitution. He had known more than once from her that he possessed a Pure Yang Body. Fire is Yang, and this Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art truly fit him perfectly.

With this peerless technique, Lin Fan had absolute confidence in returning to his peak. Surpassing Zhong Cheng, the chief disciple of the Origin Beginning Sect—whom the Luo family regarded as a supreme prodigy—was only a matter of time.

Now, what Lin Fan needed to do was not to smelt fire, but to condense a divine furnace within his dantian capable of smelting all fires.

"It's a good thing I didn't refuse the Clan Head's kindness. Otherwise, relying only on absorbing the spiritual energy of the world, I fear it would have taken quite some time to condense the divine furnace."

Lin Fan took out the round pill from his robes. It was the Grade Six Spirit Pill, the [Purple Snow Spirit-Melting Pill], gifted to him by the head of the Lin clan. This pill contained vast energy; even a master at the Divine Pill Realm could increase their cultivation significantly by absorbing it. Now, using this pill as "startup capital" for his cultivation of the Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art was just right.

According to the records of the technique, the most important step was to accumulate energy and condense the divine furnace. If he were to accumulate it slowly, it might take three to five months, or even half a year, and he might still not have enough energy.

As the pill slid down his throat, it immediately turned into a continuous stream of energy, rushing into his limbs and bones, circulating through his meridians, and finally converging in his dantian. As the energy poured in, Lin Fan immediately began to circulate the technique’s mantra. Above his dantian, the thick, droplet-like energy began to rotate rapidly—faster and faster, until the speed was impossible to track with the naked eye.

*Hum!*

After a night of effort, a metallic sound suddenly emanated from above Lin Fan's dantian. Following this, a flash of fire appeared, and an energy furnace radiating an ancient, desolate aura manifested within his dantian, as if it had taken complete possession of it.

Meanwhile, unknown to Lin Fan, the moment he successfully condensed the divine furnace, a strange phenomenon appeared over the Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital. Almost everyone looked up. At the very top of the sky, above what seemed like the Milky Way, a phantom resembling a god of fire emerged. Its divine eyes, brighter than the sun, glanced at the capital once, then bowed, before vanishing—as if it were paying homage to some terrifying, world-shaking power.

This anomaly not only startled the great families of the Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital, but even the current Emperor of the Heavenly Wind Dynasty stared at the sky in a daze.

"It is rumored that some peerless geniuses trigger natural phenomena when breaking through realms. Such a sight must mean that a remarkable, peerless prodigy has appeared in our capital. Investigate! You must find out who triggered this phenomenon."

As the Emperor’s order fell, many masters poured out of the capital to search for the one who had caused the anomaly.

As the head of one of the four great families, Lin Jingtian opened his mouth and glanced back in the direction of where Lin Fan was staying. Lin Fan had only returned yesterday, and today this phenomenon occurred in the capital; he couldn't help but suspect that it was related to Lin Fan. After all, Lin Fan had said himself that he had come from the Divine Abyss Secret Realm.

"Could it really be the little guy?" the Great Elder muttered to himself, only to be glared at by the Lin Clan Head.

The latter whispered sternly, "Regardless of whether it is or not, the fact that Little Fan returned from there must be kept secret, or the consequences will be endless."

"I understand!"

Unlike the speculation within the Lin family, the situation in the Luo family was quite different. The head of the Luo family, Luo Xiu, was filled with soaring pride. Facing the guards sent by the Emperor, he did not hide his arrogance at all, declaring generously, "That is correct. My youngest daughter, after years of cultivation, has finally stepped into the Origin Mansion Realm today. We thank His Majesty for his favor and the Imperial Court for their protection."

Once these words were out, the news swept through the Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital like a swarm of locusts. Almost everyone agreed that it was the breakthrough of the Luo family’s gifted daughter, Luo Qingyi, that had triggered the heavenly phenomenon.

That very day, the Emperor issued an edict bestowing upon Luo Qingyi the title of "Princess Qingyi," with a status comparable to the Crown Prince. Because of Luo Qingyi, the Luo family completely solidified their position as the number one family in the Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital—an unshakable status.

Not only that, but a shocking piece of news also broke: Luo Qingyi would soon become the personal disciple of the Origin Beginning Sect’s Sect Master. Zhong Cheng, the chief disciple of the Origin Beginning Sect and one of the Ten Talents of the Southern Wilderness, would personally escort her into the sect.

This news was even more staggering than Luo Qingyi being made a princess. The Origin Beginning Sect was one of the eight great sects of the Southern Wilderness, a sacred place of cultivation that countless people dreamed of entering. While ordinary people struggled to be accepted into one of the eight great sects, Luo Qingyi had become a personal disciple of the Sect Master herself. It could be said that she had gained power overnight and soared to great heights.

If Luo Qingyi’s cultivation were to advance further to the Divine Soul Realm, the status of the Luo family would inevitably become even higher than that of the Heavenly Wind Imperial Clan.

These three pieces of news struck the other three great families of the Heavenly Wind Imperial Capital like three bolts of lightning. In particular, the Lin family, which had conflicts with the Luo family, fell into a heavy silence upon hearing the news. No one could have expected that the days ahead for the Lin family would be difficult. Even though the Third Miss of the Lin family was also a disciple of one of the eight great sects, there was a vast difference between being a personal disciple of the Origin Beginning Sect’s Sect Master and being a personal disciple of a mere Elder. The gap in status was simply too great.

Lin Fan was naturally unaware of all that had happened. At this moment, he walked out of his room, looking radiant and full of self-confidence.

"This Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art is truly heaven-defying. I have only just condensed the divine furnace and haven't even begun to smelt fire, yet my cultivation has already reached the True Spirit Realm. If I can smelt one or two flames, it may not be impossible to reach the Origin Mansion Realm before the sect selections! But there are so many complicated and chaotic fires in the world—how should I go about finding them?"