Chapter 205: True Flame Thoughts

From Jiyuan's perspective, the old turtle's cultivation journey had certainly been arduous. Some of the misfortunes, however, were self-inflicted, as his initial attempts to help others were clearly self-serving. If he had been as selfless as the Great Green Fish, he would have encountered far fewer problems.

Nevertheless, the old turtle's sincerity in seeking the Dao was undeniable. His long and arduous experiences had also taught him to truly cherish things, a quality that was equally commendable.

For the old turtle, the events of the past two days certainly marked a significant turn of fortune.

Moving with the grace of a swimming dragon, Jiyuan strode leisurely as if shrinking distances, his robes fluttering in the night breeze. To anyone who might have seen him, he would have appeared truly ethereal, like an immortal.

Even with a verdant fishing rod slung over his shoulder, it was hard to say whether it detracted from this ethereal aura or merely added a unique touch to it.

Although Jiyuan had long since departed, he could still faintly hear the old turtle's last words, prompting him to ponder for a moment.

He realized he had encountered many people and events, from commoners to royalty. While he occasionally played a role in guiding developments or setting things in motion, for the most part, he preferred to be a mere observer. This was because he understood that in a flourishing human society, people from all walks of life found their own ways to live. Or perhaps, deep down, he simply knew that in the bustling mortal world, there were countless others capable of influencing events.

Upon reflection, the choices available to spirits and demons were far more limited than those for humans, as they typically only had one path: cultivation. Some of these paths were misguided detours, while others were broad, straight roads. It was rare to encounter individuals whom he deemed to have the potential to become key players, making it entirely appropriate to offer assistance when the opportunity arose.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiyuan lightly traversed the city wall using his martial arts, then leaped back into Chunhui Prefecture. He continued to ponder as he headed towards Huiyuan Academy.

Sometimes the term "destiny" is more profound than it appears. "Opportunity and destiny"—destiny is one aspect, and opportunity is the other. Both timing and predestination are essential and cannot be separated.

From Jiyuan's current perspective, the simplest example was the fierce tiger demon, Lu Shan Jun.

When he first arrived in this world, his encounter with the fierce tiger demon was incredibly perilous. He had to rack his brains, feigning compliance and speaking enigmatically, to trick the creature and narrowly escape. For a time, Jiyuan felt both fear and aversion towards this tiger demon.

Later, upon receiving the sword intent scroll from the tiger demon, his aversion significantly diminished.

In the subsequent years, as Jiyuan's abilities grew, he gradually perceived the tiger demon's commitment to its promises and its positive nature. He also sensed its sincere devotion to cultivation and its deep respect for him as a "mentor." Furthermore, Lu Shan Jun, as a demon path "chess piece," possessed an exceptionally strong sense for the flow of events, leading Jiyuan to view him with increasing favor and confidence that he could atone for his past misdeeds.

However, if the initial encounter had been different, with the current Jiyuan first meeting the man-eating tiger in front of the mountain god temple, the outcome, though not guaranteed, would very likely have been a single sword strike, eliminating it.

Seen in this light, the concept of destiny and opportunity is truly profound. Given that the old turtle was able to meet Jiyuan at this particular time and gain this spiritual affinity, it's hard to say whether his hundreds of years of hardship were ultimately a loss or a blessing.

Outside Huiyuan Academy, just as Jiyuan arrived, Hu Yun happened to leap over the academy wall.

Jiyuan had initially expected Hu Yun would be reluctant to leave and that he would need to call for her. However, it seemed the red fox had developed a much stronger sense of discretion, which was evident even in such minor matters.

Jiyuan said nothing, nor did he intend to go in and bid farewell to Yin Qing. He took Hu Yun and left Chunhui Prefecture on a cloud. After bowing respectfully towards the City God Temple from a distance, they flew towards Ning'an County.

After returning to Ning'an County, Jiyuan continued his usual routine, meticulously studying and comprehending the profound techniques at his disposal. Hu Yun, however, no longer remained in Ning'an County, spending most of her time back in Niu Kui Mountain.

It was rumored that Lu Shan Jun was involved, and Jiyuan did not intervene. When it came to the intricate details of demon cultivation, Lu Shan Jun was far more adept than he was, and it was beneficial that he was willing to take time from his own practice to "guide" Hu Yun.

For those engaged in cultivation, whether human or demon, time always seemed to pass quickly. Before they knew it, winter had arrived.

That day, inside Ju'an Small Pavilion, Jiyuan had just finished reading a bamboo slip. It was precisely the "Qi Guiding Art," one of the two cultivation texts he had originally acquired.

Over this period, Jiyuan had reread this "Qi Guiding Art" countless times, sometimes meticulously analyzing and cross-referencing, and other times simply reading it repeatedly.

Jiyuan was not doing this idly; he was attempting to deduce a practical and effective esoteric technique.

There were numerous types of "Qi Guiding Art," but since all of them merely involved two steps—generating a sense of Qi and drawing in spiritual energy—they typically lacked elaborate names. Furthermore, given the generally straightforward naming conventions in the cultivation world, regardless of differences in content, they were all simply referred to as "Qi Guiding Art."

However, if one were to truly analyze them and assign each "Qi Guiding Art" a precise name, the one Jiyuan possessed should rightly be called the "Method of Heaven and Earth Transformation," or, to sound more impressive, the "Grand Method of Heaven and Earth Transformation."

While it sounded like an attention-grabbing title, upon closer inspection, it was merely a Qi Guiding Art, similar to methods such as the "Solitary Cave Hanging Light Method" or the "Tree-Transformation Light Absorption Method."

Although Jiyuan's magical power wasn't yet immense, he had long surpassed the stage where he needed to deliberately circulate the Qi Guiding Art to draw spiritual energy into his body. Nevertheless, this "Method of Heaven and Earth Transformation" gained a new significance due to the presence of the inner realm within him.

The principle of Heaven and Earth Transformation envisions the outer world aligning with the inner world, manifesting within oneself to absorb spiritual energy. However, the inverse method Jiyuan was now researching, referencing this concept, involved the inner world aligning with the outer world and manifesting outside the body.

Achieving such a reversal was inherently extremely rare. Furthermore, for ordinary cultivators, even if their inner realm manifested externally, it would only encompass a small space, perhaps equivalent to an alchemy furnace within that realm, and others would be unable to perceive it, thus having minimal impact on the external world.

Even for Jiyuan, while his external manifestation of the realm was grand and extraordinary, it was primarily useful during lectures or occasionally for enhancing his presence.

But Jiyuan was no ordinary person. The fluidity of his thought processes far exceeded that of common individuals in this world, even surpassing immortals, demons, gods, and devils. This wasn't a matter of superior intellect but purely a difference in perspective.

What immortals and demons might only slowly comprehend through prolonged cultivation, Jiyuan could often grasp immediately upon witnessing an event, a single thought leading to a profound realization.

This was the case once more.

When considering the possibilities of externally manifesting his inner realm, beyond simply revealing Dao essence, Jiyuan's first thought was the Samadhi True Fire.

Its power had only been demonstrated once, yet it had remained etched in Jiyuan's mind ever since.

To be precise, that past incident hardly constituted a display of its true power. Lady Hong was merely singed at the edge of the vast sea of Samadhi True Fire, without even touching the flames. Had it not been for the unique state of Yin Zhaoxian, who served as a conduit, that faint heat from the true fire likely wouldn't have permeated.

Jiyuan dared not attempt that method again. However, now that he had thoroughly researched the inverse "Heaven and Earth Transformation" method, he might just be able to draw the Samadhi True Fire out of his alchemy furnace.

"Tsk tsk... The realm's alchemy furnace remains steadfast and difficult to manifest—that's one issue. The Samadhi True Fire is simply too dangerous—that's the second..."

Strictly speaking, the furnace within the inner realm's alchemy furnace also served to control the true fire. Both the furnace itself and the true fire contained within it were extremely weighty within the realm; once formed, the furnace typically remained immobile.

The inverse method he was developing could, at best, only draw a portion of the true fire out of the alchemy furnace, but it could not make it manifest externally. Even this limited process was incredibly taxing on his mental energy.

Fine snowflakes began to drift from the sky. The jujube tree in the courtyard swayed in the wind, and ice crystals fell from the gaps in its canopy, landing on Jiyuan's head, hair, and forehead.

This subtle coolness seemed to pierce Jiyuan's mind, prompting him to suddenly grasp the key.

'The Golden Bridge of the Dan Chamber!'

However, Jiyuan's brow furrowed once more.

The Golden Bridge was the sole connection between the alchemy furnace and the pill chamber, and the crucial point where pill essence transformed into magical power. It was fundamentally a bridge from the ethereal to the material, the mystical foundation of a cultivator. Indeed, it was capable of working with Jiyuan's refined method to channel and guide the true fire.

The problem, however, was that once it exited the Golden Bridge of the Dan Chamber, the Samadhi True Fire would directly come into contact with Jiyuan's physical body.

'Would it burn me to death?'

It was understandable that Jiyuan was overthinking. Even though the Samadhi True Fire originated from within him, everything existed within his inner realm, and the chess piece had also been manifested by him. Yet, that piece had still been subjected to the fire and nearly cracked from the heat. It was difficult to say whether Jiyuan himself would be burned to death.

"I've certainly had my share of the old dragon's wine. Dragon's Ambergris, brewed by a true swamp dragon, is known for its nourishing properties and ability to quell flames. Surely, I won't just instantly drop dead..."