As soon as Shu Han arrived at the Pure Ice Formation, his gaze was fixed intently on the Pure Ice Jade Pillar, unable to shift his attention elsewhere.

Wei Haolong waited beside him for a while. Seeing Shu Han staring passionately at the pillar without so much as blinking, he couldn't help but tease, "Do you have a fetish for objects? Staring so lasciviously at a mere pillar. Really now?"

"You don't understand anything!" Shu Han retorted without shifting his gaze. Under the Clear Bright Spiritual Eye, the inscriptions of the formations on the jade pillar were vividly visible. The complexity and intricacy of the designs were akin to uncovering layers of a treasure. The deeper he looked, the more he discovered.

"I thought this conversion formation was fascinating when I first observed it. Now, after grasping the essence of the Heavenly Fire Conversion formation, I realize it's even more profound and immeasurable! Whoever conceived this formation is undoubtedly a genius beyond this world."

Wei Haolong remarked, "Everyone says that about my father..."

Seeing Shu Han engrossed in the formation, and feeling uninterested, Wei Haolong left the Pure Ice Formation on his own, leaving Shu Han to his contemplation.

After an unknown amount of time, Shu Han's Clear Bright Spiritual Eye began to feel sore. During his time in Elder Lu's alchemy furnace, he had gained a rudimentary understanding of the Heavenly Fire Conversion formation. But now, he realized that was just the most basic version of it.

To genuinely convert himself into a Pure Ice Jade Pillar and wholly control the heavenly fire, he needed to perfect this formation. However, the formation was too intricate, and it would require a considerable amount of time to grasp it fully.

So, Shu Han employed the Triple Rotation Avatar Technique. He split into three: his main body stayed to comprehend the formation, one avatar went to instruct Song Changyi in body refining and martial arts, and another avatar headed to Elder Lu's cave to study the alchemy manual and gather news about the missing ingredients for the Five Elements True Essence Pill.

Following Shu Han's plan, his main body stayed at the Pure Ice Formation for over a month. During this time, under his guidance, Song Changyi's physique and martial arts skills improved every day.

Proving his standing as the top prodigy of the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, with Shu Han's instruction, Song Changyi's martial prowess progressed rapidly. He was now able to exchange almost a hundred moves in a direct duel with Shu Han.

Meanwhile, Shu Han's other avatar was busy inquiring about the whereabouts of the other three Five Element spiritual herbs but to no avail.

Eventually, he mentioned this to Song Changyi. Demonstrating his loyalty, and after much effort, Song Changyi managed to obtain a millennia-old metal elemental herb for Shu Han - the Golden Edge Bamboo Leaf.

Shu Han wanted to offer compensation, but Song Changyi sternly declined.

However, there was no news about the millennium-old earth and water elemental herbs.

Apart from the absence of these two herbs, another problem plagued Shu Han. That was the Black Abyssal Fire.

After absorbing Elder Lu's heavenly fire, the Black Abyssal Fire's essence had become immensely powerful. But practicing the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique" consumed so much of the fire's essence that Shu Han's Black Abyssal Fire was now just a tiny wisp of what it once was.

If the heavenly fire essence couldn't continue to grow, the practice of the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique" would have to be delayed indefinitely.

Shu Han was eager to see the terrifying power of his physical body after it was fully covered in black patterns.

Regrettably, the Fiery Cloud Onsen was now occupied by those female cultivators, and he couldn't sneak in anymore.

After much thought, Shu Han set his sights on the Earth Dragon Fire essence within the Pure Ice Formation!

This Earth Dragon Fire essence supplied all the pools of the Fiery Cloud Onsen. If he could directly absorb the heavenly fire essence from this formation, it would be much faster than soaking in the Fiery Cloud Onsen.

However, because of this, the Earth Dragon Fire essence in the formation was incredibly powerful. Shu Han roughly estimated it to be a hundred times stronger than Elder Lu's Earth Dragon Fire!

"If I jump in to absorb the Earth Dragon Fire essence, I'm afraid I'll be burned to ashes!"

But Shu Han didn't want to give up this idea, as it was currently the fastest way to increase the essence of his Black Abyssal Fire.

Thus, he began to engrave the formation patterns he had learned over this period onto his body, further refining his Heavenly Fire Conversion formation.

At midnight, when the Pure Ice Jade Pillar's cold was at its peak, Shu Han guzzled a mouthful of Yin water and leapt into the center of the Pure Ice Formation.

The immense underground fissure gushed with scorching Earth Dragon Fire, enveloping Shu Han. The intense heat could melt solid rocks in an instant. However, with the help of the Yin water, Shu Han managed to withstand it and even maneuver comfortably.

It was fortunate that the Pure Ice Jade Pillar was exuding such a strong coldness; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to counteract the fierce Earth Dragon Fire.

Within the flames, Shu Han slowly approached the Earth Dragon Fire essence trapped at the formation's center.

The Earth Dragon Fire essence was a trapped fire dragon.

From outside the formation, due to the suppression of the Pure Ice Formation, one couldn't perceive the dragon's terrifying size and vast heat.

But upon entering the formation, it was as if entering the dragon's lair. Just getting closer increased the surrounding temperature exponentially.

"How terrifying is this Earth Dragon Fire essence!"

At this moment, Shu Han felt so insignificant in front of this essence!

He knew that this was just a tiny avatar of the Earth Dragon Fire's main vein.

If the avatar was this terrifying, how fearsome must the actual entity lurking within the magma main vein of the Fiery Cloud Peak be!

No wonder Tang Shan'er said that once the Heavenly Fire Mountain Defense Formation is activated, even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator might not be able to break through!

As he stared at the dormant fire dragon within the Earth Dragon Fire, Shu Han clenched his fists and began to deploy his Heavenly Fire Conversion Formation. He seized this opportunity, while the fire dragon was suppressed by the Pure Ice Formation, to absorb its essence power!

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The essence of the fire dragon was vast and deep, like a smoky sea. Within moments of conversion, Shu Han had doubled the strength of his Black Abyssal Fire essence! Overjoyed, he intensified his absorption efforts. However, this move immediately awakened the slumbering Earth Dragon Fire essence!

The fire dragon immediately detected Shu Han's theft of its essence power and let out a silent roar. It began to weave through the Earth Dragon Fire, lunging towards him! Shu Han knew he was in trouble and hurriedly channeled all his energy into the Heavenly Fire Conversion Formation.

Mystical patterns spread around him, much like a miniature version of the Pure Ice Formation.

When the Earth Dragon Fire essence collided with Shu Han's formation, it was as if it had struck a wall. It couldn't break through, and the parts of it that made contact with the formation were immediately converted into pure essence power and channeled into Shu Han, nourishing his Black Abyssal Fire.

"Haha!" Overjoyed, Shu Han mocked the raging fire dragon outside his formation, saying, "Is that all you've got? Just accept it and let me extract your essence!"

However, before his words had even fully left his lips, the fire dragon roared in fury. Its tail lashed out viciously. The moment it struck the conversion formation, it delivered a massive surge of essence power to Shu Han. This quickly exceeded the formation's conversion capacity and broke through, sweeping directly across Shu Han and flinging him out of the Pure Ice Formation.

Boom!

Shu Han crashed into a rock wall. Because of the Earth Dragon Fire essence residue on him, he instantly melted a magma hole in the wall.

In a hurry, Shu Han summoned his ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice Bed and lay on it to recuperate. It took a good while for him to extinguish the heavenly fire burning all over him.

"How terrifying?!"

After being struck by the tail of the fire dragon, Shu Han sat on the Profound Ice Bed and recuperated for half a day before regaining his strength.

One must not underestimate the heavenly fire essence. Even at the hour when the Pure Ice Formation's restrictive power is at its peak, a blow from the heavenly fire essence would have reduced any average cultivator to ashes.

Fortunately, Shu Han cultivated the Heavenly Cold Body and had the conversion formation to weaken the attack of the heavenly fire essence, allowing him to emerge unscathed.

Shu Han released his Black Abyssal Fire, which appeared noticeably more vigorous than before. Moreover, when the Earth Dragon Fire essence broke through the formation, it gave Shu Han a glimpse into the formation's weaknesses, prompting him to contemplate how to mend them.

"Indeed, mere contemplation isn't enough. Practice is the only effective way to test a formation! If it's a formation meant for sealing and converting heavenly fire, it should be tested directly in the presence of the heavenly fire essence. That's the fastest way to identify its flaws."

Shu Han stared at the essence of heavenly fire within the Pure Ice Formation, "Wait for me; I'll be back tomorrow night at the same time! I'm prepared to endure this with you!"

For the next two months, Shu Han would leap into the heavenly fire formation every night at the same hour, provoking the heavenly fire essence to attack him.

In the initial days, he couldn't withstand even one or two rounds of attacks from the heavenly fire essence.

But as his understanding of the formation deepened, Shu Han's heavenly fire conversion formation became more refined. It became increasingly difficult for the heavenly fire within the Pure Ice Formation to repel him.

Eventually, the fire dragon no longer made strenuous efforts to attack Shu Han during that hour. In its limited sentience, it reasoned that using up its essence to attack this persistent pest wasn't as worthwhile as letting him absorb some of its essence.

Seeing the fire dragon no longer attack in rage, Shu Han assumed that his formation had reached perfection and that he was now invulnerable to the Earth Dragon Fire essence.

However, as soon as the hour passed and the restraining power of the Pure Ice Formation weakened, he was promptly slapped out by the dragon's tail again!

In the subsequent days, no matter how he modified the formation, the results were counterproductive. After the specific hour, he couldn't withstand even a single blow from the Earth Dragon Fire essence.

This left Shu Han frustrated for a long time.

After pondering and scratching his head for a while, Shu Han felt that there was no further room for improvement in his heavenly fire conversion formation.

So, why couldn't he withstand the Earth Dragon Fire essence in its normal state?

Shu Han felt that the Pure Ice Formation was not as simple as it appeared. The most crucial patterns and settings of the formation were surely encrypted and cleverly hidden. Mere observation and deduction couldn't reveal this core part.

This was not surprising. Every formation designer would encrypt and hide the most valuable parts of their designs.

The designer of the Pure Ice Formation was a prodigious genius; how could he not have any tricks up his sleeve?

Shu Han sighed deeply. Looking at his Black Abyssal Fire that had grown significantly, he thought it was time to continue with the next stage of cultivation under the guidance of the old madman and to inquire about the core patterns of the Pure Ice Formation from Wei Haolong at his private residence.

Three months later, Shu Han finally emerged from the Pure Ice Formation.

At the entrance of the cave, he met Song Changyi, who came to seek guidance, and told him, "Brother Song, your current skills and physical condition are ready to face the master."

Upon hearing this, a reluctant expression appeared on Song Changyi's face. After pondering for a while, he reluctantly said, "Alright! Then, please lead the way, Brother Yu. Honestly, if I hadn't promised my mother, I wouldn't want to learn the 'Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique'."

Shu Han laughed, "If you don't perform well, the master might not impart this secret technique to you. Then, you'll have a legitimate reason not to learn it."

But Song Changyi replied adamantly, "No! Since I promised my mother that I'd learn the 'Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique', I must master this technique. I have to fulfill the promise I made to her."

Shu Han was taken aback, "Alright then, good luck to you. As you know, the master isn't mentally stable."

So, Shu Han led Song Changyi to Wei Haolong's private residence. He didn't know how to find the old madman, but once they left the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, the old madman would automatically approach him.

After passing through layers of bamboo forests, Shu Han arrived at the residence. Various women's clothes were scattered around, causing Song Changyi to frown.

"Entering a female cultivator's private quarters without an invitation is inappropriate. Brother Yu, perhaps we should wait outside," said Song Changyi.

Shu Han laughed, "What female cultivator's quarters? Just wait. Wei Haolong! Are you still alive? We haven't seen you for three months; were you taken by a lust demon to your death?"

"Damn you!" Wei Haolong's voice echoed from within the residence, cursing, "You come here and immediately curse me? It's been three months! I thought you died in the Fiery Cloud Onsen. I was getting ready to collect your body! Wait a moment, let me touch up my makeup first!"

After a short while, Wei Haolong emerged dressed as a woman, standing at the entrance of the hut. He flaunted his appearance, saying, "How do I look today? Sister Gu Panchun's visit has given me many inspirations!"

Suddenly, his gaze landed on the bewildered face of Song Changyi. Alarmed, he pointed at him and exclaimed, "Him! Why is he here?"

Song Changyi confusedly asked, "Who is this woman?"

"Wei Haolong!"

"Ah!" Wei Haolong shouted in anger, "Yu Tiancheng! What did you promise me? You said you wouldn't reveal my cross-dressing! I'm going to kill you!"

Without hesitation, Wei Haolong summoned his silver spear, turning into a streak of fiery light, aiming straight for Shu Han's heart.

Shu Han's eyes sparkled, laughing, "Finally, a real spar with real weapons! Don't hold back. Let me experience your family's Heavenly Fire Dominating Technique!"

Whoosh!

The blazing silver spear approached Shu Han rapidly, but Shu Han merely raised his dark-patterned right hand, effortlessly blocking the sharp tip.

Wei Haolong's expression changed. He swiftly turned and swung the spear horizontally. However, Shu Han simply raised his right hand, and as the spear struck, a burst of flame erupted.

While Shu Han remained unscathed, the impact sent a painful jolt through Wei Haolong's hand.

"You little...!"

Wei Haolong quickly retreated, aware he couldn't let Shu Han get close.

"Knowing each other's abilities, no need for courtesies!"

In an instant, a dense, molten-like Earth Dragon Fire emanated from Wei Haolong's hands, covering the entire silver spear.

The spear, absorbing the Earth Dragon Fire, glowed a scorching red.

Wei Haolong's power, at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, fully erupted. He seemed to be bathed in molten lava, holding the spear and floating in mid-air, dancing with it in rapid succession.

In moments, countless fiery meteors burst from the spear, turning the serene bamboo forest into a fiery purgatory.

Song Changyi exclaimed in alarm, "Heavenly Fire Dominating Break Technique! Brother Yu, he's serious!"

Song Changyi prepared to intervene, but Shu Han chuckled, "It's fine! It's just a spar, Brother Song. Just watch from the side."

Facing the incoming meteor shower of flames, Shu Han acted swiftly. His right fist moved with such speed that it left dark afterimages, appearing as if one hand produced dozens of fists.

The dense onslaught of fiery meteors was deflected punch by a punch by Shu Han. The scattered flames turned the courtyard into a sea of fire, burning countless women's garments.

All of Wei Haolong's treasured outfits were set ablaze. However, he showed no signs of stopping. Shu Han thought, "This kid is truly enraged now!"