Chapter Twenty-One: Fire Element Spirit Stone
At this moment, the Demon Tiger’s aura had reached its peak. Even Lin Cheng, who had retreated to a safe distance, was forced to channel the Five Elements Sword Body with all his might to withstand the overwhelming pressure. And this was when the Demon Tiger was not intentionally targeting him; otherwise, just the sheer force of its presence would have been more than Lin Cheng could endure.
A thunderous roar echoed.
The Demon Tiger leapt high, its white-clawed paws enveloped in light, and slammed fiercely into one corner of the water curtain barrier. This was a blow fueled by the last vestiges of its life essence—a strike at the height of its power.
A crisp cracking sound rang out.
The water curtain, at that corner, shattered like a mirror, and cracks spread across its surface.
With a resounding crash, the barrier broke open, creating an opening wide enough for two people to pass through side by side.
“Hurry... go in...” The Demon Tiger called out to Lin Cheng with difficulty.
Without hesitation, Lin Cheng clutched the little demon, flashed forward, and dashed through the opening.
“Young man, remember your promise.”
...
As Lin Cheng watched the barrier slowly mend and heal itself, the Demon Tiger crashed heavily to the ground. Its aged eyes seemed to struggle to open, as if wishing to glimpse the world once more. But in the end, they closed, heavy with exhaustion.
Inside the mine, Lin Cheng turned to look outside, but the barrier blocked his view; the outside world was now hidden from sight. He gently patted the little demon’s head, and together, man and beast ventured deeper into the mine’s winding passages.
The sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent darkness. Using an illuminating stone from his storage pouch, Lin Cheng wandered onward, soon realizing that they were steadily descending.
The heat grew ever more intense, and the acrid smell of fire nitrate filled the air. Were it not for his constant use of the Five Elements Sword Body, he would never have been able to approach such a place.
He had no idea how long they had walked. When they turned a corner at a fork ahead, Lin Cheng’s eyes suddenly brightened, shaking off the drowsiness that had crept upon him.
Before him, a cavern the size of three rooms flickered crimson, its walls studded with countless fiery red crystals.
Fire attribute spirit stones!
His heart pounded wildly. So many fire attribute spirit stones, laid bare before him—it felt as if happiness had struck him dizzy.
Lin Cheng stood, stunned, lost in thought. There must be an incredible number of fire attribute spirit stones here.
He had struck gold!
He had truly struck gold!
Without delay, he scrambled to gather the spirit stones, plucking them from the walls with hands and feet.
After more than two hours of labor, Lin Cheng finally looked at the now bare cavern walls, satisfied, clapping his hands and laughing like a fool.
Sitting cross-legged, he began to count the spirit stones one by one, unable to contain his excitement at his first acquisition of such wealth.
Two thousand seven hundred thirty-seven...
...
Two thousand seven hundred eighty-eight!
...
A total of two thousand seven hundred eighty-eight fire attribute spirit stones!
He laughed aloud, his voice echoing through the cavern.
Rich! Truly rich!
Lying amidst the pile of spirit stones, Lin Cheng waved his arms and legs in excitement, grinning from ear to ear.
The little demon watched him with a dazed, bewildered expression—was his big brother losing his mind?
Calming himself, Lin Cheng sat cross-legged, grabbed two spirit stones, and noticing the longing in the little demon’s eyes, understood at once.
“Little demon, since you’re not afraid of the fire’s miasma, you must be a fire attribute spirit beast... What’s mine is yours. Use as many fire attribute spirit stones as you like.”
The little demon nuzzled against him happily, and so, surrounded by fire attribute spirit stones, man and beast began their cultivation.
...
Time lost its meaning in the cave. Days passed—three, five, perhaps weeks.
The entire space was saturated with fire attribute energy, swirling around Lin Cheng in red whirlwinds.
As he absorbed the energy from two more spirit stones, Lin Cheng opened his tightly shut eyes.
Exhaling deeply, he felt his cultivation state and couldn’t suppress a smile of satisfaction.
True Qi Realm, High Stage Eight!
Just the energy from a dozen fire attribute spirit stones, converted to sword essence, had propelled him through two levels, breaking into the eighth stage of the True Qi Realm. Though the Five Elements Sword Body had not yet broken through, he felt his body growing ever stronger.
The Five Elements Sword Body Art truly was powerful!
Lin Cheng could not help but feel elated. Now that he had reached the high stage of the True Qi Realm, he could begin training in the Heavenly Peak Five Clouds Sword, taught by the White Robed Swordmaster.
Filled with anticipation for this sword art, Lin Cheng steadied himself, deciding to leave and return to Qingyang Sect before beginning his practice.
He turned to check on the little demon, who was still absorbing the energy from the fire attribute spirit stones. Noting how much larger the little demon’s body had grown, Lin Cheng refrained from disturbing it.
He looked around the cave and noticed, in front, a slightly raised gray stone platform, about two or three feet square, the size of a meditation cushion. Curious, Lin Cheng walked over.
When he had first entered, the abundance of fire attribute spirit stones had seized his attention, leaving him no time to properly examine the cavern.
Standing before the gray stone platform, Lin Cheng inspected it closely.
At its center was a small hole, about the size of an egg, and the smooth surface was etched with a network of interwoven runes.
Rubbing his chin, Lin Cheng felt a chill. Could this be a sealing array?
Was something sealed beneath it?
Driven by curiosity, Lin Cheng half-closed one eye and peered into the small hole at the center.
He moved closer, pressing his face to the platform, but could not discern anything inside.
Just as he straightened up, intending to give up, a plume of crimson smoke began to rise from the hole.
The sudden spectacle startled Lin Cheng. But as he realized that this crimson smoke was actually extremely pure fire energy, understanding dawned.
The abundance of fire attribute spirit stones in this space was surely due to the accumulation of fire energy beneath this hole over countless years.
Lin Cheng could not fathom what lay beneath the stone platform, able to emit such pure fire energy so regularly.
As he pondered in confusion, the voice of the White Robed Swordmaster sounded in his mind.
“Interesting...”
Lin Cheng exclaimed, “Ah! Uncle! You finally spoke...”
The White Robed Swordmaster was silent for a moment.
Lin Cheng asked, “Uncle, do you know what’s going on here?”
The White Robed Swordmaster replied, “It’s a minor thing... But whoever did this has great courage, to seal a Fire Spirit Pearl here, generating a constant supply of fire attribute spirit stones.”
Fire Spirit Pearl!
Lin Cheng cried out in astonishment.
“Isn’t the Fire Spirit Pearl a legendary treasure of heaven and earth?”
The White Robed Swordmaster said, “Indeed! It contains the power of fire spirit.”
Lin Cheng marveled, “I never imagined such a heavenly treasure truly existed...”
The White Robed Swordmaster explained, “The Fire Spirit Pearl is formed from the fire spirit source energy of the Five Elements in heaven and earth, possessing boundless fire power. In the hands of a fire attribute cultivator, it can burn the heavens and boil the seas... But, to have the Fire Spirit Pearl recognize its master, this person is clearly not capable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sealed it here.”
As if struck by a thought, Lin Cheng asked in confusion, “Uncle, tell me... which is more powerful: the ancestral energy of the Five Elements world in my body, or this Fire Spirit Pearl?”
The White Robed Swordmaster glanced at Lin Cheng, speechless. “Can you not ask such trivial questions?”
“The Fire Spirit Pearl is merely formed from the fire spirit source of the Five Elements, and that fire spirit source is only a part of the ancestral energy of the Five Elements. Do you understand?”
“The reason it is called ancestral energy is because it is the first breath of creation in the chaos, the origin of all things. There is almost nothing that can compare to it.”