: Yearning for the Great Dao, Yet Physically Troubled

Oxen plow the fields, donkeys circle the millstone, oblivious to the turning of the sun and moon, and the passing of time.

In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk.

As dusk settled and the sky darkened, Yan Chen left the Forging Hall, his hands tightly tucked into his cotton robe, braving the swirling frost, and returned to his own courtyard.

He quickly chopped firewood and started a fire, ate his meal, set up the charcoal brazier, and then slipped into bed.

"Ugh! The Forging Hall is unbearably hot; I wish I could go shirtless and fight. But outside, the cold is biting, like an ice cellar... This environment is utterly torturous!"

On the bed, Yan Chen curled up, burying his head in his chest, occasionally touching his hot, itchy skin, and sometimes rubbing his hands and breathing on them to relieve his stiff knuckles.

The warm breath he exhaled from his mouth and nose swirled and lingered in the blankets, gradually relaxing his already tired body and making him feel drowsy. Several times, he almost drifted off to sleep.

I had originally planned to take a few glances at "The Crimson Cloud Bright Fire Control Technique," but now I feel like a wilted seedling that has just been planted in the soil, full of ambition but unable to stand tall.

"So be it, let's rest up tonight."

"After we seize the opportunity tomorrow and are fully prepared, we will come back to properly experience the profound mysteries of the Crimson Cloud Bright Light Control Technique."

I slept peacefully through the night, without saying a word.

……

The next day, at 1:15 noon.

Inside the Forging Courtyard.

Yan Chen squatted in a corner of the sword furnace, braving the rolling heat, and handed the last piece of iron to Li Xuanyi. He then collapsed heavily to the ground, feeling his lips dry, his mouth parched, and his head spinning.

After finishing his work, Li Xuanyi fetched a ladle of water from the sword pool, drank a few mouthfuls himself, and then handed it to Yan Chen.

"Have a drink."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Li!"

Yan Chen took the wooden ladle and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

As he swallowed, water droplets soaked his clothes, then dissipated into steam and evaporated.

Yan Chen wiped the corner of his mouth, lowered his eyelids, and glanced at Li Xuanyi out of the corner of his eye.

Faintly, a faint golden light seemed to flicker in his pupils.

"You haven't reached the first level of Qi Refining yet, so just do what you can and don't push yourself too hard."

Li Xuanyi was completely unaware of this and continued speaking to himself:

"The other newcomers seem to be extremely busy, but in reality they are only putting in seven-tenths of their effort, saving all their energy for studying the cultivation technique tonight."

After spending two days together, Li Xuanyi discovered that Yan Chen was not only diligent and humble, but also down-to-earth, hardworking, and understanding, so he had a very good impression of him.

"How can one achieve success and enlightenment without hard work? I, your junior brother, will always remember Supervisor Qu's words!"

Yan Chen looked up, the golden light in his eyes had faded, and his gaze was clear, like that of a seasoned ox or horse who was well-versed in the teachings of the Jade Sleeve Sect.

Li Xuanyi sighed inwardly and shook his head. This Junior Brother Yan was good in every way, except that he was too naive.

Some things are fine to listen to, but why did you actually believe them?

How can someone with such a temperament survive in a cesspool like the Forging Academy?

"Everyone, come and get together! Senior Brother Supervisor has arrived!"

In front of the Forging Academy, a young man wrapped in a cotton robe was waving and shouting.

Yan Chen recognized the young man. He remembered that when he first entered the Jade Sleeve Sect, he was registering his information when the young man and Supervisor Qu entered the main hall together, requesting to be transferred from the Grinding Institute to the Forging Institute.

His name seems to be... Xu Hui?

In the blink of an eye, Yan Chen, along with a dozen or so new mortal servants, arrived at the gate of the Forging Academy.

Meanwhile, Qu Ying, tall, handsome, and refined, finally arrived late.

Beside him were two other people, one of whom was a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a bright yellow cloak and with a calm demeanor.

The other was a woman in purple robes, around 28 years old, with a serene and elegant demeanor, like a snow lotus untouched by the world.

These were the three supervisors from the three academies under the jurisdiction of the Gold Melting Valley. They were all cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining, and they all came to the Fire Forging Academy at this moment.

Upon seeing these three people, the dozen or so ordinary servants who had been making some noise immediately fell silent, and for a moment, even the flickering flames in the sword furnace could be barely heard.

Yan Chen glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. He was very familiar with Qu Ying and Yan Mo, and the middle-aged man was probably the supervisor of the Grinding Institute... Xu Hui's brother-in-law.

These three people are gathered together; could it be that they have something to discuss?

Qu Ying glanced at everyone, smiled, and said calmly:

"It's an old rule of the Gold Melting Valley that after each recruitment of new mortals, they must go to the market down the mountain to make some purchases. I won't go into details, just remember to return to the mountain before midnight."

Having said that, Qu Ying gently waved her hand, and all the mortal servants immediately bowed and thanked Yu Xiu for her kindness.

The three supervisors left the Forging Institute and entered the Warm and Fragrant House across the street.

Everyone then relaxed.

Some hurried down the mountain in small groups, while others chattered amongst themselves about what had just happened.

Even more lustful fools dared to comment on the appearance of the supervising officer without any restraint, only to be quickly interrupted by two ordinary servants who covered their mouths and glared at them.

Yan Chen was not in a hurry to go down the mountain. Instead, he glanced around and noticed that the young man named Xu Hui had left alone.

Strangely, the direction he took wasn't the path down the mountain; it seemed more like he was circling around the Forging Academy, and then...

Directly leading to the backyard of that warm and cozy house?

Yan Chen glanced at it casually a few times, then stopped paying attention.

Following the footsteps of the people in front, we slowly made our way down the mountain.

There's only half a day to go down the mountain to buy things, and besides, there's a risk of robbery at night in the market, making it extremely dangerous.

Therefore, most people will return to the mountain around Shenshi (3-5 PM).

Fortunately, three hours was still plenty of time for Yan Chen.

You can peacefully fulfill that karmic opportunity!

The town at the foot of the mountain is called "Xuchunfang" and is located between three hills of varying heights.

Yan Chen glanced over and saw that the wooden stilted building was like a randomly pieced-together building block, leaning to one side and leaning to the other, connected by a series of stone steps.

Each shop had a cloth banner hanging in front of it and lanterns lit up. The narrow stone-paved road was piled with all sorts of things, from cultivation tools to daily necessities, dazzling the eyes and overwhelming the senses.

Entering the narrow alleyway filled with shouts and hawking, Yan Chen turned sideways, lifted his foot with difficulty, and casually glanced at the items sold on the stalls on both sides.

One was a sword manual, priced at two thousand magic coins. The seller was a burly man with a bushy beard, a face covered in scars, and wide, fierce eyes, making him quite intimidating.

The other party claimed that their sword technique was obtained through the grace of the Taoist tradition, and therefore it was legal and compliant to sell it here.

But Yan Chen was suspicious of the other party's appearance.

This is probably what Wang Guian despises as "heretical and unaffiliated practitioners".

Another one is the "Qi-Nourishing Pill," which can help cultivators of the Bing Fire Dao gather the vital energy of the universe. It is priced at five hundred magic coins per pill.

Yan Chen was quite tempted, but upon seeing the price, he had to back down.

Even after a day of hardship, he could only earn a hundred magic coins. He was not fortunate enough to enjoy a pill that cost five hundred magic coins.

Seeing this, the vendor continued to patiently persuade him.

Sales jargon such as "top-quality spiritual materials, refined with pure fire" and "the manager of Cui Shu Lou has stepped down, so we're selling at half price."

Yan Chen had heard of Cui Shu Lou, which was the largest merchant house in Xu Chun Fang.

According to Li Xuanyi, the building is backed by two large valleys, Rongjin Valley and Danlan Valley, and most of the managers are ordinary people who are replaced every three years.

That being said, he simply couldn't believe that Cui Shu Lou's pills would end up being sold at street stalls.

Yan Chen ignored it, his mind racing, and continued walking at full speed, treading the slippery stone steps, winding and turning, ignoring the surrounding noises.

It took quite a bit of effort before a lush, dense bamboo forest finally came into view in the distance.

Fragrant branch forest.

"As cause and effect show, the opportunity lies hidden beneath a shallow pond 219 steps east of the Fragrant Branch Grove."

Seeing that no one was around, Yan Chen silently recited the word "steady" in his mind, suppressing his fiery restlessness, calming his mind and walking slowly forward.

"Thirteen, fourteen...twenty-five."

A cold wind blew, bamboo leaves rustled, and sand and stones flew up like fine rain, pattering against Yan Chen's cotton robe.

In this way, step by step, counting silently in my mind.

"Two hundred and eighteen, two hundred and nineteen..."

In less than a quarter of an hour, bathed in the dim light of the evening, a shallow pond, like a mirror, could be seen hidden among the dense bamboo grove not far away, reflecting a faint glow.

"Yes, this is the place!"

Yan Chen squatted on the ground, staring at the ice pool in front of him. Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it down with all his might!

Click!

The ice pool has shallow cracks and segregation cracks.

With each relentless pounding, it could no longer withstand the force and was torn open, revealing a large hole filled with shards of ice, from which a chilling aura emanated.

Yan Chen pursed his bluish-purple lips, rolled up his sleeves, and stretched out his hand in one go, spreading his five fingers to touch the bottom of the pool, stirring and groping back and forth.

In an instant, the cuffs of the cotton robe were covered with a layer of glistening frost.

As his arm sank deeper into the water, the ice crystals on his sleeves suddenly melted. Yan Chen paused for a moment, then revealed a strange expression.

"Beneath the icy pool, there is another fiery spring hidden?"

"A double whammy of ice and fire!?"

Without thinking twice, Yan Chen's five fingers seemed to touch something slippery, and he suddenly grabbed it with force and lifted his arm out!

Whoosh!

The next moment, water splashed and froze on the ground.

A lively spirit fish, about the size of a baby's forearm, covered in mud from the bottom of the pool and radiating wisps of heat, was being held tightly in Yan Chen's hand!