When Shu Han slapped the fire dragon away, it whimpered and gazed at him with pitiful eyes.
Scratching his head, Shu Han casually threw a piece of the Ancestral Tree Heart. The fire dragon immediately jumped around joyfully.
Seeing Wei Haolongg standing by the formation, looking utterly petrified, Shu Han jumped out of the Pure Ice Formation and approached him, asking, "What's the matter? Your eyes are as wide as brass bells."
Pointing at the fire dragon inside the Pure Ice Jade Pillar, Wei Haolong stuttered, "Th-that... that..."
"What's with your stuttering? That's Wang Cai!"
Wei Haolongg swallowed hard, "Wang Cai? Are you treating the Earth Dragon Fire Origin as your pet dog?"
Shu Han laughed heartily, "Wang Cai may not be the brightest, but after two months, I've tamed him."
"Tamed?"
Wei Haolongg nearly fainted from shock. He mumbled, "Tamed? That's the Heavenly Fire Origin! Are you even human?"
Shu Han boasted, "So what if it's the Heavenly Fire Origin? As long as it has a consciousness, understands its nature, and you tame it with patience, it will be tamed! Don't believe me? Stretch your hand inside."
Doubtfully, Wei Haolongg reached his hand into the Pure Ice Jade Pillar. His own Earth Dragon Fire surged out, protecting his hand from the formation's Earth Dragon Fire.
Seeing Wei Haolongg's hand approaching, Wang Cai swam to the edge of the formation and suddenly lunged, trying to bite. Startled, Wei Haolongg quickly withdrew his hand, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"You bastard! Didn't you say it's tamed?"
Shu Han burst into laughter, "I said I tamed him. You didn't, and my Wang Cai doesn't know you!"
Wei Haolongg trembled with anger, "Damn it, I shouldn't have been worried about you! I can't believe you tamed the wild Earth Dragon Fire Origin. Oh right, you better come out. That mad elder has been roaming around my courtyard all day, and he's quite intimidating!"
Mad elder!
Only then did Shu Han realize he'd spent too much time absorbing the origin in the Pure Ice Formation. The Black Abyssal Fire inside him had already accumulated enough strength. He should've visited the mad elder sooner to learn the next part of the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique."
Consequently, he followed Wei Haolongg out of the Pure Ice Formation, teamed up with Song Changyi, and went together to meet the mad elder.
As usual, upon seeing Shu Han, the mad elder greeted him with a flurry of punches and kicks, also directing his onslaught towards Song Changyi. Together, the two of them took on mad elder, and the black patterns on their bodies grew simultaneously.
After exhausting the Black Abyssal Fire accumulated over two months, the black patterns spread to cover Shu Han's right shoulder.
He noticed that the further he practiced the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique," the slower his progress became. At this rate, by the time he reaches the "Fiery Sun Dominating the Sky" stage, the black patterns wouldn't cover his entire body.
It wasn't that mad elder was holding back any secrets. It was purely due to the insufficiency of the Heavenly Fire Origin. Shu Han felt that, given this rate of consumption, even if he were to directly consume Wang Cai, it wouldn't be enough to fully cultivate the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique."
The power of the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique" was boundless, and so was its consumption!
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The following days were rather peaceful.
Shu Han's avatar remained busy in his cave, researching artifact refining and repairing talismans.
Repairing the Grand Transfer Talisman severely drained his consciousness. He had to be entirely focused to accurately fill in the missing strokes. After every three strokes, he'd feel dizzy, with his consciousness almost entirely exhausted.
Luckily, with the Heart-Seeker Holy Petal, Shu Han could quickly replenish his lost consciousness, allowing him continuous attempts at repairing the Grand Transfer Talisman. He couldn't afford to rest, for according to Elder Lu's records, hundreds of repair methods had been postulated. Shu Han had no idea which was the correct one and could only try them one by one.
While his avatar was busy, his main body wasn't idle either. He spent his time in the Pure Ice Formation, leveraging Wang Cai to enhance his Heavenly Fire Origin. Once he accumulated enough, he would invite Song Changyi and approach the mad elder for guidance.
Thus, a whole year passed by peacefully.
During this year, Shu Han had asked Song Changyi and Wei Haolongg to inquire about the whereabouts of a thousand-year-old water elemental spiritual herb. But to date, there was no news.
It made him anxious. He understood that such ancient herbs were rare, especially pure water elemental ones. Not receiving news within a year was understandable since, in the cultivation world, a year is merely a blink of an eye.
Even if Shu Han was impatient, there was nothing he could do, especially considering Wei Haolongg and Song Changyi had wider connections, yet they too came up empty-handed.
Now, with only two months left until the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard event, achieving a spot in the top three no longer concerned Shu Han.
After a year of cultivation, the black patterns now covered both his hands. The physical strength it brought made even Shu Han marvel at its intensity.
He once tried to spar with Wei Haolongg again and found that with just his physical strength, he could match Wei Haolongg's Quadra-Heavenly Fire Dominating Break Technique.
But when he employed the Eight-Direction Evil-Breaking Sword, Shu Han easily overpowered him.
With such strength backing him, Wei Haolongg immediately wore a worried expression, concluding that aside from Song Changyi, probably no one in the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect could match Shu Han.
A few days later, Bai Xingyan successfully emerged from his cultivation retreat.
Bai Xingyan had secluded himself for nearly three years, undergoing a tremendous transformation in his demeanor. He evolved from a once-humble character to radiating newfound confidence. He also completed the task Shu Han had assigned to him ahead of schedule.
The premium magic tool, Spirit Snake Sword, the premium magic tool, Mysterious Iron Heart-Protection Mirror, and 1,500 Fire God Talismans were all accomplished. His cultivation had also successfully reached the pinnacle of the twelfth level of Qi Refining.
Seeing his disciple emerge, Shu Han nodded approvingly, "You have good aptitude. You've completed in three years what took me over five."
Bai Xingyan, slightly embarrassed in front of Shu Han, chuckled, "Master, you might not know, but during these three years, I have consumed countless Qi Gathering Pills and expended numerous spirit stones to reach my current state. Describing my aptitude is... complicated."
Unaware? I went through the exact same process back in my day!
Patting Bai Xingyan on the shoulder, he comforted, "Don't belittle yourself. Next, you should achieve the next goal I've set for you—to rank first in the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect's Earth Fire Leaderboard!"
Bai Xingyan wryly smiled, "I'm afraid I might disappoint you, Master. Historically, the top ranker of the Earth Fire Leaderboard in Fiery Cloud Instant Sect has always been a once-in-a-century prodigy. I fear I might not stand a chance against them."
"Indeed, that's a challenge. But there are still two months left. Your cultivation level is not inferior to theirs, and your magic tools are certainly not weaker. What you lack is mastery over the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation and combat experience. For the next two months, I'll personally spar with you. As long as you have confidence, first place is within reach."
Tears of gratitude welled up in Bai Xingyan's eyes. With Shu Han's encouragement, he mustered newfound confidence.
Consequently, Shu Han employed his external incarnation, which he hadn't used in a long time, to teach Bai Xingyan combat skills, deepening his understanding of the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation. He secretly used the Heavenly Creation Fluid to improve Bai Xingyan's physique, eliminating the side effects of long-term pill consumption, ensuring that his magical power was robust and abundant, far surpassing cultivators of his level.
Shu Han firmly believed that with such meticulous grooming, Bai Xingyan would possess strength far beyond his peers. Whether or not he could achieve first place on the Earth Fire Leaderboard was ultimately up to fate.
Achieving the top spot would grant the cultivator the Fiery Cloud Baptism during the Foundation Establishment stage, greatly benefiting their future cultivation journey.
Time flowed on, and days continued to pass peacefully.
However, 21 days before the Heavenly Fire List event, an anomaly occurred.
That day, while Shu Han was cultivating in the Pure Ice Formation as usual, the ceaseless underground fire dragon suddenly stopped its eruption. Moreover, a terrifying suction force emanated from the fissure.