Chapter 206: True Fire Reveals, Distant Message Arrives

Regardless, Ji Yuan still needed to refine his spell formula. Since he had already decided to draw out the Samadhi True Fire by combining it with the Golden Bridge, he had to fully consider the consequences.

To use the Samadhi True Fire, simply reversing the creation of heaven and earth would certainly not be enough. Instead, it would need to be combined with exquisite fire control techniques to form a unique method of fire manipulation.

If it ultimately succeeded, Ji Yuan also hoped to deduce, based on his own circumstances, the true mystical arts and wondrous methods of Samadhi True Fire.

Other issues could be resolved, but the most important was how to generate the Samadhi True Fire, which would require more time for research and might ultimately need an incantation from Ji Yuan himself. The most crucial aspect was ensuring his own safety.

Ji Yuan sat in his small courtyard for five full days. Besides refining his spell, he also simulated the possible paths of the true fire many times.

First, after the Samadhi True Fire emerged from the imagery elixir furnace and reached the elixir chamber via the Golden Bridge, it would surely exit through the qi sea. The most resilient and optimal path thereafter would be to ascend to the solar plexus, pass through the Tanzhong acupuncture point, and follow Xuanji and Tiantu to Chenjiang, then truly emerge from the mouth orifice, appearing within his closed mouth.

Ji Yuan believed this upward path was the most secure, and also the most likely to largely avoid substantial contact with the body's surface.

Although most of the acupuncture points used in cultivation share names and locations with the body's meridians and acupoints, immortal cultivation points are hidden within them. They are naturally closely connected to the body, yet they can also be considered something between reality and illusion, and in some sense, they can be infinitely large or infinitely small.

Although there was a fear of being scorched by the true fire, if Ji Yuan intentionally contained it, he could, through his true intent, imagine the interconnected acupuncture points as a vast space, and by only drawing out a wisp of true fire, reduce the possibility of encountering resistance or damage.

The greatest danger, however, lay in the moment the Samadhi True Fire truly manifested, which was when it emerged from Chenjiang into the mouth orifice. Ji Yuan's idea was to simultaneously employ wind and fire manipulation techniques: using fire control to constrain the true fire, and supplementing it with wind control to blow the true fire out.

In short, he would do everything possible to make the intermediate process brief and efficient, reducing the chance of contact.

As for expelling it from a fingertip or similar methods, he dismissed those ideas. Not only was the distance longer, but the moment it left the fingertip acupoint, it would surely pass over the body's surface.

The mouth, however, was different. When closed, it contained the mouth orifice. When opened to blow, the true fire would emerge, thus avoiding contact with the body's surface.

In fact, if he were to delve deeper, there was another path he could take, and it seemed even a little shorter: downwards...

However little Ji Yuan cared for appearances, he still had his minimum standards. That path, he would absolutely not take!

Five days later, Ji Yuan felt he was fully prepared. For extra caution, he finally went out to a restaurant outside the temple, ordered a table full of good dishes, and ate his fill. Then he returned directly to his room to rest and practice in a reclining position, intending to restore his spent mental energy to perfection.

For the Samadhi True Fire, not much magical power was actually needed; it could even be done without it, as long as he could perform precise fire and wind manipulation. What was most consumed was mental energy, but in that regard, he had ample reserves.

Another three days passed. When Ji Yuan opened his door and stepped out, a thin layer of snow had accumulated outside. The temperature seemed to have dropped to a point where the snow wouldn't melt within just a few days.

Ji Yuan looked at the ground in front of his house. There were small footprints in the snow, evidently left by Hu Yun, the fox. While he had been resting, immersed in his mental state, he wouldn't awaken without a sense of danger, so he had uncharacteristically not heard Hu Yun's footsteps.

During these three days, Ji Yuan had also gained more clarity in his dreams. With his current spiritual perception, once the true fire exited the elixir chamber, the closer it got to the mouth orifice, the stronger the sense of crisis would be if there was danger. Conversely, if there was no danger, it would remain within a controllable range. This was also a way to maintain control.

Having gained this realization, Ji Yuan no longer hesitated. Since it was largely a method of conscious manipulation, no warm-up was needed. He stood directly in the center of the courtyard, his mind focused, and the spell he had comprehended operated within his spiritual landscape. Simultaneously, Ji Yuan's magnificent figure appeared within the spiritual mountains and rivers.

The mountain peaks and the gigantic elixir furnace were still no match for Ji Yuan's height in his spiritual landscape. He reached out and swept his hand toward the edge of the furnace, and a vague gravitational pull enveloped the furnace. He then spoke an incantation to assist.

“True Fire, manifest!”

The incantation echoed within the spiritual landscape.

As his giant hand beckoned outward, a wisp of flame, golden-red within and grayish on the outside, was drawn to the edges of the elixir furnace's orifices. At this moment, Ji Yuan still felt it was unwise to draw too much, so with a thought, he subtly reduced his mental energy. Consequently, that wisp of radiant flame transformed into something resembling a reddish-gray mist.

‘This should be about right!’

Ji Yuan, in his majestic form within the spiritual landscape, flicked his sleeve, and a golden bridge appeared between heaven and earth. That wisp of reddish-gray, smoke-like true fire energy was immediately sent out of the spiritual mountains and rivers and manifested within Ji Yuan's elixir chamber.

At this moment, Ji Yuan felt a warmth spread through his body. Though his expression remained unchanged, joy welled up in his heart, knowing that the true fire had indeed been drawn out.

It entered Tanzhong, ascended Xuanji, passed through Tiantu, and reached Chenjiang...

The true fire flowed upward, guided by Ji Yuan's mental energy. In an instant, it neared the mouth orifice. A burning sensation grew increasingly intense, but fortunately, Ji Yuan didn't feel any pain. Likewise, there was little to no sense of danger.

This reassured Ji Yuan, and he immediately guided the true fire into his mouth orifice.

At this moment, Ji Yuan felt as if he were holding a piece of charcoal in his mouth. It was scalding but tolerable, though there was no need to keep it there.

He extended his hand and beckoned, and a fist-sized stone near the jujube tree floated up. At the same moment, Ji Yuan opened his mouth and blew outward.

“Whoosh…”

A gentle gust of wind, carrying a wisp of reddish-gray 'smoke,' blew from Ji Yuan's mouth, and in an instant, struck the stone.

The true fire energy, manipulated by Ji Yuan, after enveloping the stone, caused the stone to visibly turn red. However, it did not melt into lava as Ji Yuan had imagined, but instead turned directly dark and ashen.

The true fire energy seemed to dissipate into nothingness after losing its target.

Ji Yuan frowned, looking at the stone suspended in the air. Then he released his control. At that moment, the stone could no longer maintain its shape and turned into dust, scattering onto the ground.

He instinctively reached out and caught some of the ash. It felt cool to the touch, but upon careful inspection with his magical eye, he could faintly perceive traces of fierce fire essence lingering.

Ji Yuan looked at the large jujube tree beside him, then at the Green Vine Sword behind him, muttering to himself as if also asking them.

“As expected of Samadhi True Fire, I suppose…”

However, Ji Yuan seemed to have forgotten that there was arguably a fourth party present. Hidden in a corner of Ji Yuan's embrace, a certain paper crane, still in its folded state, quietly burrowed deeper into his clothes.

“Knock, knock, knock… knock, knock, knock…”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the gate.

“Mr. Ji, are you home? Mr. Ji?”

“Knock, knock, knock…”

“Coming, coming.”

Ji Yuan replied as he walked quickly towards the courtyard gate. Opening it, he saw a young constable standing outside, his face still somewhat youthful, bowing and rubbing his hands at the entrance.

Seeing Ji Yuan open the door, the constable was clearly pleased. He quickly greeted Ji Yuan with a cupped-hand salute, then pulled several letters from his pocket.

“Mr. Ji, you’re finally back! I came a couple of days ago too, but no one was home then. Here, these are your letters. They might have been written a while ago, but they only arrived at the post station two days ago, so I brought them to you!”

Ji Yuan returned the greeting and took the letters. Seeing how cold the constable looked, he offered a courtesy.

“Oh, thank you, thank you. It’s cold outside, why don’t you come in for a cup of hot water?”

Ji Yuan, of course, hadn't boiled any water, but for him, preparing a pot of hot tea was incredibly simple.

The constable rubbed his hands and stomped his feet, glancing inside the Quietude Pavilion. The door was open, and it looked dim inside. Though the jujube tree in the courtyard was covered in snow, it remained verdant.

“Uh… I still have duties to attend to, so I won’t trouble you…”

“Alright, alright, please feel free, young officer.”

“Very well, farewell!”

After exchanging courtesies with him again, Ji Yuan watched the constable walk away until he disappeared at the end of the alley.

He wondered if the constable truly had other business, or if the lingering reputation of Quietude Pavilion as a haunted house persisted, making him reluctant to enter, even after all this time.

He looked at the letters in his hand. The seals didn't indicate how long ago they were written. One was from Yin Qing, one from Master Yin, and surprisingly, one was from the one-armed swordsman Du Heng.

Ji Yuan closed the courtyard gate and walked back to the stone table in the courtyard, looking down at the letters as he sat. He first opened the letters from Master Yin, and after a quick glance, determined they weren't urgent. Then he opened Du Heng's letter and read it carefully.

To Mr. Ji, please read:

Heng traveled to the banks of Autumn River in Jinzhou. There, he heard locals speak of an evil woman who enjoyed gouging out and devouring human hearts. Panic gripped the two counties. Government constables had no way to apprehend her. Trusting his martial arts, Heng and his friends patrolled day and night, waiting with drawn blades...

...This demoness was sinister and not like ordinary people. Heng and his friends fought fiercely all night. Thirteen were killed or injured, seven ghost children were slain, and the demoness was decapitated. Her blood was thick, black, and incredibly foul-smelling. Afterward, three more friends succumbed to poison and could not be saved...

Heng believed this matter was highly unusual, and no longer an ordinary worldly calamity. Therefore, he sent this letter to you, sir.

Respectfully submitted by Du Heng in the autumn of the Jia-Shen year, when all sounds are hushed.

The letter spanned two pages. Though the handwriting wasn't particularly elegant, it was powerful and striking, like iron strokes and silver hooks.

The more Ji Yuan read the letter, the more his brow furrowed. Such a matter—did the deities there not concern themselves with it? Or perhaps it was merely an evil martial artist who had practiced some sinister art?