Chapter 42: Borrowing Fire
Only then did Wu Yunzi continue, "For now, you only need to have a general understanding of these things. The most important thing at the moment is how to control this flame. Your 'Seven Meridians Fire Control Technique' has reached the first level, and you can barely control the size of the flame. When refining different elixirs, the transformation of the flame is also different, and the fire timing required for each step is not the same." As he spoke, he demonstrated the fire control technique once, and Gan Ping listened seriously beside him, originally thinking that refining elixirs only required sufficient firepower, but didn't expect there to be so many steps.
These two people, one willing to teach and the other eager to learn, quickly grasped the basic method of controlling flames. Xuan Mingzi stopped paying attention to them, leaving them to practice on their own. Just now, when explaining, that mischievous fire monkey was also listening with wide eyes, looking like he was seeking guidance with a humble heart, making Gan Ping and Wu Yunzi burst out laughing, but it's unknown whether this little guy could understand these secrets.
The flames at the bottom of the furnace danced under Gan Ping's command, sometimes growing larger and sometimes smaller. Gan Ping was also aware that as he controlled the flames, two types of internal energy were slowly circulating within him. It seemed that this process of refining elixirs could indeed cultivate internal energy, but the speed was rather slow, likely due to his lack of experience. However, these two types of internal energy resonated with the flames under the furnace, and as he inhaled and exhaled, the flames jumped in a rhythmic pattern. Wuyan Zi stroked his beard, watching Gan Ping intently, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. Fortunately, those senior elders adhered to tradition and did not easily accept disciples, even refraining from using the Spirit Measuring Instrument lightly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to recruit this exceptional talent under his own guidance. It was truly a stroke of luck that this disciple could control the flames with such mastery in no time, and his comprehension was simply flawless.
Just as Wu Yunzi was sighing, Gan Ping also sighed in his heart. As a member of the family, he knew that he could easily learn this fire control method not only because he possessed the Sanhuo Rongyuan Jue and Taiyi Pure Yang Xinjing, two decisive fire system heart methods, but also because the Wàng Jiǎng Shān Míng Hún Huà Sī Shù (Misty Soul Silk Technique) of Xuan Mingzi's school had played an important role. This Wàng Jiǎng Shān school specialized in cultivating secret techniques for the soul, and Gan Ping had already cultivated some of them. At present, his soul power was several times stronger than that of disciples of the same realm. If he were now a disciple of the evil sect's Dà Cuì Zé Wàng Jiǎng Shān, he would have to transform his soul into silk threads and control one by one the evil spirits of the magic treasures, driving them to fight each other. In this way, his soul power would be dispersed, with each part being extremely small. However, Gan Ping was currently only cultivating the technique to expand his soul power and had not transformed his soul into silk. His soul power was concentrated and not scattered, so controlling a wisp of flame was naturally easy.
From then on, Gan Ping began to perform the duties of a furnace boy, taking charge of the flames under the stove every day when refining the elixir, and it was during this time that Wu Yunzi opened the furnace to refine the low-grade elixirs needed by his disciples. It was only a few simple low-grade elixirs, so naturally he could let Gan Ping take care of the fire, but if it were high-grade elixirs, just the changes in the flames would be countless, and even if Wu Yunzi let Gan Ping do as he pleased, with his current cultivation level, he wouldn't be able to hold on. However, when refining these simple elixirs, if Gan Ping made any mistakes, Wu Yunzi could make up for it a bit from the side.
As he became more skilled in the use of flames, Gan Ping was no longer as nervous as he had been at first, and occasionally shifted his attention to Wu Yunzi, who was refining the elixir, carefully observing his technique. Wu Yunzi had always intended to pass on this elixir-refining technique, and now he did not hide it, slowing down his speed, allowing Gan Ping to learn from him in secret. Within a few days, the elixirs needed by the disciples of the sect were already refined, and Gan Ping no longer had any use for them, leaving him with a lingering feeling of incompleteness.
Wu Yunzi saw him being diligent and felt very pleased, but still instructed him to rest. For several days, he adjusted Gan Ping's training, and his own research on those few types of elixir formulas was also put aside. Having been busy for so long, this little kid also needed a break. The way of literary and martial arts is about balance and harmony, cultivation doesn't have to be all about bitter practice.
Gan Ping also understood Wu Yunzi's thoughts, so he took Huo'er and left the Dan room. For more than a month, he had been studying the art of controlling fire in the seventh layer of the Earth Fire Temple every day. It had been a long time since he saw Ming Fan and other servants of the Earth Fire Temple. These people were mostly idle every day, except for Gu Xun, the senior brother who took advantage of the leisure time in the Earth Fire Temple to cultivate hard every day. Unfortunately, due to his poor aptitude, he had made little progress all along.
Upon entering the grand hall, Gan Ping was astonished to find that the originally quiet Fire Temple was now bustling like a marketplace. Several long queues stretched out, winding all the way outside the temple. Looking at the people's clothing and attire, not one of them seemed to be from the Miao Cheng Sect. This made Gan Ping extremely curious. Taking a closer look, he saw Gu Xun standing at the front of the hall, his face stern, while Ming Fan and other disciples were weaving in and out of the crowd, handing out numbered plaques to each person. On the high seat in the center of the hall sat an elder from their own sect, but unfortunately, this elder's eyes were slightly closed, apparently in meditation.
At this time, the quick-witted Ming Fan had sharp eyes and saw Gan Ping, who was dazed, and hurriedly called out to him. Gan Ping responded by running towards him. Ming Fan rummaged through his pockets for a while, pulled out a walnut, and tossed it at the fire on Gan Ping's shoulder. He stroked its small head with his hand and laughed, saying: "Gan Ping, didn't you go to the seventh floor to watch the furnace today?" Gan Ping usually entered the underground alchemy room on the seventh floor of the Earth Fire Temple every morning and wouldn't come out until sunset. Today, he came out during the day and saw such a lively scene, which made him very excited. He said: "Today's elixir has been refined, and Master Wuyun let me move around freely. Why are there so many people here? It seems they're not from our sect."
Ming Fan saw the curiosity on Gan Ping's face and said, "You've forgotten about time while being underground. It's now the end of the month. Every month, the Earth Fire Temple opens to outsiders, and nearby scattered cultivators come to our Miao Cheng Sect to borrow earth fire. Of course, it's lively." As he spoke, he handed a token to a tall, bearded man standing beside him. The man had been waiting impatiently, but since he needed something from them, he had to endure the wait and pretend to show gratitude on his face, while secretly resenting the two Daoists who were disturbing him.
Ming Fan handed out a sign to each person in the queue, saying: "This sign is proof of entry into the Earth Fire Temple. Later, they will go to Big Brother's place to register and mark the quality of the earth fire they want to borrow." Suddenly, he smiled and said: "Gan Ping, your luck is really good. If you had delayed coming out for a while, the five floors below the Earth Fire Temple would have been closed, and it would have taken three days to come out."
Gan Ping was shocked to hear this and hastily asked, "Why do you want to seal off the lower five layers of the Earth Fire Temple?" Ming Fan rolled his eyes and said, "This earth fire is a treasure of our sect, not something that can be used by just anyone. Outsiders can only access the first five layers. If they want to delve deeper, I'm sure the cost will be substantial. However, this isn't something we low-ranking disciples are in charge of managing." Gan Ping's heart stirred slightly as he realized that Wuyanzi must have known today was the day the Earth Fire Temple was open to outsiders and had deliberately sent him out. It seemed that after a while, the lower five layers would be sealed off, which meant he wouldn't need to go to the seventh layer again for the next three days. Clearly, Wuyanzi had done this on purpose.
