Chapter Seventeen: The Dao is Endless

  Scorching, extremely scorching! The scorching air flow rushed into the body from all pores, burning Lin Xiao's five internal organs to the point of almost turning them into ashes. Even if it were a Dan furnace in the wilderness, the temperature of the furnace fire was not comparable to ordinary flames in the mortal world. With Lin Xiao's shallow and superficial true Qi cultivation, how could he withstand the crazy scorching of the furnace fire?

  The sound of Ya'er's panicked crying came from beside his ear, while Lin Xiao, who was fixed in mid-air by the furnace fire and couldn't move, gritted his teeth and mobilized all the Li Huo true energy inside his body, activating the "Yu Huo Ling Jue" controlling fire technique recorded in the True Fire Manual. His ten fingers moved quickly, casting out a series of pale red seals, carrying threads of scarlet Li Huo true energy that slowly wove together into a large net, forcibly wrapping around the raging furnace fire. At the same time, Lin Xiao concentrated all his spirit and carefully observed the changes in the furnace fire.

  The roaring flames, like a mad tiger, twisted and struggled in the large web formed by the Huo Fire Spirit Incantation. Lin Xiao's keen senses felt every roll and shock of the furnace fire, feeling the crazy firepower changing with every thread in the air. Gradually, his driving Huo Fire Spirit Incantation seal became more agile, flashes of red light constantly suppressing the furnace fire, he carefully drew the gradually warming furnace fire into his body through the True Fire Incantation method, after a cycle of refinement and transformation, slowly spewing it out again.

  The alchemical fire in the crucible is directly drawn from the spiritual veins of the earth, combined with some other materials to generate it. The firepower contains abundant fiery spiritual energy. Lin Xiao's efforts, although suffering greatly, also brought great benefits to his true energy cultivation. The alchemy room was originally the best place for the disciples of the Great Luo Dan Tao to cultivate the True Fire Technique.

  With a few "pops", Lin Xiao continuously absorbed the fiery spiritual energy, his skin unable to withstand the scorching heat from the outside world. Several areas of his skin had already turned black and suddenly burst open.

  Yao'er let out a loud cry and was about to pounce on Lin Xiao, who was floating in mid-air. Just then, a large hand reached over from the side and grabbed Yao'er's collar, throwing her to the ground. Qing Wudao shouted: "Yao'er Shimei, how can you be so foolish again? At this critical moment, can't you see that you're interrupting?"

  He stopped the medicine child's impulse, and Qingwu Daoist hastily took out a jade bottle, poured out a few green pills, and turned them into several green misty vapors with true yuan. He injected them far away into Lin Xiao's body. The small grains of medicine contained unimaginable vitality, and Lin Xiao's skin flashed with green light, exploding in blocks, but quickly regenerating pink new skin. In just a moment, Lin Xiao's entire skin was replaced.

  The medicine entered his body, and Lin Xiao clearly felt the help of these few pills. His internal organs, which were about to turn into ashes, were surrounded by a cool breath, and his body was calm and peaceful, no longer suffering from the intense pain of being burned by fire. Lin Xiao's mind was suddenly at ease, and he calmly and methodically performed the Fire Spirit Technique with one hand, slowly controlling the flames in the alchemy furnace while continuously absorbing the spiritual energy from the flames into his body, gradually increasing his true energy cultivation. Drop by drop, point by point, the external fire-type spiritual energy was constantly transformed into Departing Fire True Energy, merging into Lin Xiao's dantian.

  "Marvelous, Lin Xiao's comprehension is indeed unparalleled." Qing Wu Daoist nodded in admiration: "To be able to grasp the changes in the furnace fire so quickly and stabilize a dan furnace that was on the verge of exploding, it's truly remarkable. Hmm, perhaps... actually, Lin Xiao can take care of two hundred dan furnaces' fires at the same time?" Qing Wu Daoist's eyes darted back and forth, already plotting to turn Lin Xiao into a laborer.

  Yao'er glared at Qing Wu with a scowl, coldly snorting: "Two hundred alchemical furnaces? That means from now on, little brother won't have to do anything else, just spend all day setting fires in the alchemy room?"

  Qingwu Daoist was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "Of course, Shixiong didn't mean it that way. However, the more stoves to watch, the more benefits there are for Lin Xiao Shidi."

  Yaoni curled her lip, raised her head high and coldly laughed: "Just take care of the fire in a dan furnace, every time one thousand dan pellets are produced, can't I get one dan medicine? Humph, when did I lack that little bit of dan medicine? As long as I, Yaoni, just move my hands, all kinds of dan medicines will come pouring out; do we still need to worry about Little Shidi not having enough dan medicine to increase his power?"

  Qing Wu Dao Ren's face turned black, and he looked at the Dan furnace that was still frantically erupting with a hint of helplessness. He dryly laughed and said: "It is indeed, it is indeed, Medicine Daughter Shifu said it correctly!"

  Qingwu Daoist and Yao'er were whispering here, but in Lin Xiao's body, an extremely strange change had already taken place.

  The secret that Yao'er and Lin Xiao jointly kept, the lotus in the underground cave, was actually an extraordinary treasure of heaven and earth. Unfortunately, its effect was too strong, causing Yao'er to unknowingly eat countless lotus seeds over the years without truly unleashing their effects. All Yao'er knew was that eating these lotus seeds seemed to slightly increase her power!

  Lin Xiao had been taking a lot of lotus seeds during this time, and the strange spiritual energy contained in those lotus seeds was actually all hidden inside his body. Now that the furnace fire had entered his body, Lin Xiao continuously used the True Fire Technique to absorb the surging furnace fire spiritual energy in an attempt to suppress the dan furnace that was about to explode. His body temperature soared, but it just so happened to force out a bit of the lotus seed's contained spiritual energy. It was precisely because he needed a strong true fire that he could truly refine the lotus seed's contained spiritual energy. Lin Xiao desperately inhaled the fiery spiritual energy, which just so happened to meet the requirements for refining the lotus seed's spiritual energy.

  A faint, seven-colored mist spread throughout Lin Xiao's body. Whenever it encountered the fire energy he had swallowed, it immediately evaporated into a hazy mist that merged with his surroundings. Unbeknownst to Lin Xiao, this seven-colored mist brought him significant benefits. His foundation became more stable, his yang energy more robust, and even his mental state was tempered. In short, Lin Xiao underwent a comprehensive optimization, with all his attributes enhanced.

  Gradually, Lin Xiao felt that the external flames didn't seem so hard to control after all. He waved his hands in a spiritual gesture, and a thumb-thick red light continuously entered his body through his mouth and nose. The internal flame true energy had grown three to five times stronger than before, vigorously surging and rolling within him. The warm flame true energy spread throughout his entire body, causing Lin Xiao to sweat profusely, but at the same time, he felt an inexplicable joy and excitement that came from the transformation of his human nature - a great joy and delight!

  Another faint seven-colored mist emerged from Lin Xiao's body, refined by the fire energy and merged into his surroundings. The smile on Lin Xiao's face grew brighter, and for no reason, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement, and surprisingly, while performing the Fire Spirit Incantation, he began to sing a folk love song from the Guihua City region. Located in the northwest border, the people of Guihua City were known for their boldness, and this love song vividly described a man's ardent emotions towards his loved one, with its daring and explicit lyrics making even the Qingxu Daoist blush repeatedly!

  Qing Wu Dao Ren smiled wryly and lowered his head, thinking to himself: "To use the Huo Ling Jue to control the furnace fire while cultivating the Zhen Huo Jue, and yet still have the mind to sing a song? Lin Xiao's talent is indeed astonishing. But this song, it doesn't seem quite suitable for us cultivators."

  Yao'er was squatting on the ground with a tilted head, laughing and holding her chin with both hands, saying: "Little Shidi, sing another one. Hmm, what does 'xiang xiang ni de lian er' mean? Hmm, Qingwu Shixiong, do you know what 'xiang xiang ni de lian er' means?" Yao'er made a cute expression and looked at Qingwu with curiosity.

  Qingwu's body trembled slightly, and he dryly laughed: "This, Master doesn't know, Master doesn't know." As he spoke, he retreated towards the Danfang main gate. Joking aside, if Qingwu dared to explain to Yaoyao today what 'fragrant fragrant your neck' meant, within a moment, Danfuxing and Danxia, two of his masters, would come with swords drawn and wouldn't stop until they chopped him into seventeen or eighteen pieces!

  Lin Xiao was still unaware of the commotion caused by Yao Er and Qing Wu. He only felt that his body's sensations were getting better, and the external flames seemed to have no significant effect on him. Even when the intense furnace fire sprayed onto his body, it only made him feel a slight warmth. The true energy within his body had already reached a certain limit, and it seemed that Lin Xiao could no longer control them freely. Lin Xiao's mind shifted, and he stopped paying attention to the external flames, instead focusing wholeheartedly on mastering the true energy within his body.

  The fire in the crucible had subsided, and now only a thumb-thick red glow was spraying out of the crucible, being continuously absorbed into Lin Xiao's body. Lin Xiao's meridians were already occupied by a faint misty red true energy, and as the external spiritual energy continued to pour in, the true energy was still being produced in the dantian, Lin Xiao's meridians were gradually becoming unable to withstand the pressure brought by the expanding true energy, he even felt that his meridians were slightly painful. Newborn Li Huo true energy was constantly surging out of the dantian, and the true energy in the meridians was getting more and more, as if the meridians would burst at any moment.

  A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind, and Lin Xiao immediately followed the true fire method to surge the true energy towards several other meridians. At the same time, he silently recited the incantation and began to use the unique secret method of the Great Luo Dan Dao to compress the extremely large but incredibly thin Lihuo true energy within his body. The external fire-type spiritual energy that had been constantly pouring into the dantian to generate new Lihuo true energy was immediately mobilized by the seal, and it no longer transformed into new true energy. Instead, it formed a large net in Lin Xiao's meridians, tightly trapping his true energy and continuously compressing inward.

  A piece of crimson light like crystal emerged from under Lin Xiao's skin.

  The Qing Wei Taoist, who was arguing with Yao'er, exclaimed in shock, his hand trembling as he pointed at Lin Xiao: "How, how is this possible? Lin Xiao is still cultivating the first layer of the True Fire Technique?"

  "Huh? Ah, yeah!" Yao'er excitedly blinked her eyes and giggled: "It's fun, little Shidi has only been practicing the True Fire Technique for a few days."

  A crisp, fine sound echoed within Lin Xiao's body, the red glow under his skin dissipated, and he slowly opened his eyes, getting up gradually. He swung his hands in slight astonishment, and with a flip of his palms, a wave of heat burst out. With a 'whoosh', the thick stack of books that Qing Wu Dao Ren had thrown to the ground suddenly caught fire, burning fiercely.

  Lin Xiao shouted loudly: "Qing Wu Shixiong, hurry and put out the fire!"

  Before the words had fallen, Yao'er had already rushed to Lin Xiao's front in extreme anger and frustration, delivering a heavy punch to Lin Xiao's abdomen, sending him flying tens of meters away.

  "Damn little brother! Eldest Sister-in-law just told me last night not to let our mouths touch, and also to beat up any man I see who's not wearing clothes! Where are your clothes?" Yao'er puffed out her eyes, clenching her fists fiercely, looking like she was about to rush over and continue beating Lin Xiao.

  Lin Xiao was punched by Yao'er and curled up on the ground like a large shrimp. He raised his head with extreme grievance and called out to Yao'er in difficulty: "Yao'er Shijie, my clothes... they're all burned!"

  "Huh?" The medicine child was stunned, and suddenly slapped her own forehead: "Ah, you went into the fire to save this dan furnace! Uh, you don't have my protective charm, your clothes are definitely not going to be saved! Uh, you didn't deliberately take off your clothes, did you? According to what Shifu said yesterday, a man deliberately taking off his clothes in front of me is '调～～～', uh, what was it again? Ah yes, it's '调戏' (harassment)!" She tilted her head and muttered to herself for a while, but it's unclear what she was saying.

  Lin Xiao was crouched on the ground with a look of grievance, his hands clutching his head, and he simply didn't want to speak anymore.

  The punch was extremely heavy, almost dispersing the true energy that Lin Xiao had just successfully compressed after breaking through to the second layer of the True Fire Technique. He felt a bit speechless and tragic, but seeing Yao'er about to blow up the alchemy furnace again, he remembered what Dan Fengsheng said: if Yao'er blew up the furnace again, she wouldn't be allowed to enter the alchemy room for another step. Lin Xiao wasn't stupid, how could he dare to rush into the flames with only the first layer of True Fire Technique? If he hadn't rushed in, how would his clothes have been burned off?

  This punch is really unjust.

  Lin Xiao lay on the ground, humming and chuckling, unable to get up for a long time.

  Qingwu Daoist's eyes did not glance sideways as he rescued the fire. With a few palms, he extinguished the flames on that pile of books and while tidying up these books, he muttered in a low voice: "No harm, no harm, this set of records from the Danfang Scripture Pavilion, there are at least three to five thousand sets stored in the library, each new disciple has to copy once, burning this one is also harmless."

  Qingwu Daoist only felt his own back heart sweating profusely, the words that Yaoyao had just said were really too shocking. Danxia told Yaoyao not to let her and Lin Xiao touch mouths again? Hmm, simple-minded Yaoyao probably wouldn't do such a thing, could it be that Lin Xiao, this newly-entered junior brother, was actually that kind of dissolute young master? If so, then he would truly be wasting his good innate qualities. To know, the path of cultivation is boundless, without a firm Dao heart, how can one step by step climb that nearly infinite Dao path?

  "Must have misheard? It should be that Lao Dao recently formed a Golden Elixir, and his mood is too excited, so he misheard." Qing Wuyi said in a muddled tone: "How could Lin Xiao Shidi and Yao'er Shimu be like that?"

  A slight cough came from the entrance of the Dan Fang, Qing Wu Dao Ren turned his head to look and hastily bowed to say: "Greetings, Master Shibo Wan An, greetings, two Shu Bo Wan An."

  Dān Líng Dào Rén, Dān Fú Shēng, and Dān Xià Huǎn Bù walked into the Dan room. Dān Líng Dào Rén looked at Lin Xiao who was curled up on the ground with satisfaction, smiled slightly, and then turned around and left again. Qīng Wū Dào Rén's eyes rolled over, and he quickly followed Dān Líng Dào Rén out, closing the Dan room door very carefully behind him.

  Dan floated a faint smile and nodded towards Dan Xia: "Qing Wu is indeed clever."

  Dan Xia snorted coldly and glared at Dan Fusheng: "Are the Flower Wind and Medicine that I picked up not obedient?"

  "Of course, of course, how can Qingwu compare to them? Ah~~~" Dan Fusheng nodded quickly and shook his head. With a flick of his wrist, a white Taoist robe appeared in his hand. He casually tossed it onto Lin Xiao's body. Lin Xiao endured the severe pain in his abdomen and quickly put on the robe, then slowly got up and bowed to Dan Fusheng and Dan Xia.

  Dan floated in life and chuckled a few times without saying anything.

  Danxia then reached out to bring the medicine over, gently embracing it in her arms, and with narrowed eyes, smiled slyly at Lin Xiao: "Xiao, we both saw what just happened."

  "Ah!" Lin Xiao stared at Danxia in shock, how could this be? With their cultivation level, they just watched as Medicine Fist knocked himself to the ground with one punch?

  Danxia burst out laughing and hastily said, "Your Shibo and Shifu, as well as your Shiniang, were all shocked that you broke through to the second layer of Zhenhuo Jue in just a short period of time. However, they didn't expect... Medicine's movements were also too fast." Danxia's smile seemed to carry a hint of teasing, as if saying to Lin Xiao: We're just watching you get beaten up, what can you do? Who told you to get your clothes burned off?

  Dan floated lightly and coughed, beckoning Lin Xiao to come over with a wave of his hand. In a gentle tone, he said: "Xiao'er, come here. You've been my disciple for more than half a year now, but I haven't had a serious talk with you yet. Today, there are some important things I need to tell you."

  Lin Xiao responded with a sound, secretly glancing at Yao who was making faces at him, and after respectfully bowing to Dan Xia, he followed Dan Fuxing out of the Dan room.

  Dan floated with his hands behind his back, completely letting Lin Xiao lead him on a wild run through the Hui Chun Valley, pointing out all the various medicinal gardens and restricted areas to him. Finally, he brought Lin Xiao to a small lake in the valley, standing at the edge of the grassy shore, quietly watching the lively fish swimming about in the shallow water.

  The lakeside is lush with grass and trees, with many rare flowers and plants. The dense vegetation surrounds the small lake, where Dan Fu Sheng and Lin Xiao Li stand, on a three-zhang-square piece of grassland.

  A few small carp, about the size of a thumb and three to five inches long, were playing happily in the shallow water near the shore. Their quick and agile movements left Lin Xiao stunned.

  "Xiao Er." Dan Fu Sheng suddenly spoke up.

  "Yes!" Lin Xiao bowed respectfully to Dan Fusheng.

  "Look at these fish, aren't they happy?" Dan Fusheng pointed to the fish in the lake and asked Lin Xiao softly.

  Lin Xiao was stunned for a long time before responding dryly: "Disciples are not fish, I don't know if they're happy."

  "Fantastic!" Dan Fusheng looked at Lin Xiao in surprise, and sighed: "Lin Shan, you've got a good son! Heh, these fish seem happy!"

  With a wave of his hand, a fist-sized ball of water condensed from the lake and wrapped around a small fish, flying into Dan Fusheng's palm. Dan Fusheng gently tossed the water ball in his hand and said calmly: "We are just a small fish between heaven and earth, thinking we have found our pleasure, but unaware that the will of heaven is like the master's hand, only needing to grasp lightly..."

  His palm was about to make a false union, and Dan Fusheng's floating life made the gesture of using force to pinch the water ball. Lin Xiao had no doubt that with Dan Fusheng's skill, this palm would pinch down, and the fish in the water ball would surely turn into flying ash!

  Turned into flying ashes! Lin Xiao suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

  Heaven's will is like a knife, heaven's will is unpredictable. Under the power of heaven and earth, even those who cultivate the Tao are just like this fish in Danfeng Shoushan's palm, seemingly carefree and happy, yet unable to control their own life and death.

  He casually tossed the water ball back into the lake, and the fish that had been on the verge of life and death was again swimming lightly with its tail, playing with its companions in a group.

  "Since you've entered the Dao, you're a cultivator. We cultivators pursue nothing but the unmeasurable Heavenly Dao." Dan Fuxing looked up at the sky and sighed faintly: "The Heavenly Dao is vast, sometimes even with my level of cultivation, I feel tired and afraid. If one doesn't have a firm Dao heart, it's better not to step onto this path."

  Turning his body, Dan Fuxing lightly tapped Lin Xiao's forehead with his finger and smiled: "Dao, Wuyue! If you can't hold on, it's better to extinguish that heart early."

  "The internal strife among the many princes of the Great Yuan Kingdom has already been quelled two months ago, a new king has ascended to the throne, and the world is now at peace. Taking advantage of my Dàluó Tiān Dào's five-year seclusion to refine the elixir, the quiet demonic door, blood-killing demonic path, and other demonic sects that infiltrated the Great Yuan Kingdom have been invited by my Dàluó Tiān Dào to join forces with the three orthodox schools, seven gates, many high-ranking individuals, as well as the five most famous scattered immortals in the cultivation world. Together, they were driven out far away." Dàn Fú Shēng said calmly: "The Black Knife bandits of Guī Huà City, 9,857 people from top to bottom, including Wú Tiān Lìng Zhǔ who killed your father, have all been beheaded."

  Lin Xiao was stunned!

  Will the blood feud that destroyed the family be settled by the sect's single-handed cleanup? The revenge of the Great Luo Dan Dao is so fierce and ruthless!

  Lin Xiao Meng's head knocked heavily onto the ground, tears streaming down his face, yet he didn't make a single sound of crying.

  Dan floated in life with a faint smile, his large sleeve swept around and lifted Lin Xiao up. He chuckled lightly and said: "Seven days ago, the day you started cultivating the True Fire Technique, the orthodox cultivators invited by my Dan Luo Tao had heavily defeated the Silent Demon Gate and other demonic sects. The master of the Silent Demon Gate was forced to surrender, the Blood Killing Magic Path's leader's soul scattered, and a group of demonic cultivators were already in disarray."

  He gently said to Lin Xiao: "Set your mind at ease and strive to pursue this boundless and endless Tao!"

  Lin Xiao only felt a cold and icy air flow from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, his whole body feeling refreshed, and his heart was even more clear and empty. The psychological shadow brought by Hei Dao Fei and Ba Wang Zhu was swept away in an instant.

  As Tan Fu Sheng said, calm down and slowly pursue this endless Tao.

  Heaven's Way!

  Lin Xiao looked up at the sky, and as soon as he thought of the word "Tian Dao", he couldn't help but feel a wave of fear, his heart filled with trepidation.

  The sky is a brilliant blue without bounds, this small lake is so tiny. Standing by the lake, Dan Fusheng and Lin Xiao are also insignificant.

  In the face of this vast and boundless universe, all things are but ants.