Some cultivators who were deeply familiar with the inner workings of the black market couldn't help but secretly shake their heads upon hearing of Nine Fire Dragon Lord's borrowing behavior.
However, a portion of the people marveled at Nine Fire Dragon Lord's determination!
The time limit was up, and Nine Fire Dragon Lord stopped refining.
He slowly stood up, remaining in place. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were fixed entirely on the Nanming Fire Furnace.
The next moment, the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit poked its bird head out and looked at Nine Fire Dragon Lord: "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."
Four chirps?
Four chirps!
Nine Fire Dragon Lord's eyes shone brightly, "scaring" the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit into shrinking back inside.
"Good, good, good!" He did not show it on the surface, but he laughed loudly in his heart. "Sparing no cost, borrowing from the black market, and consuming so many precious materials - it has yielded results!"
"I made the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit chirp four times. This exceeds the performance of everyone in the previous round."
"More importantly, my turn was early on. Those after me who want to surpass me will inevitably have to pay an even greater price. Because the Nanming Fire Furnace is already in a much better state, and the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit's evaluation of the repairs will become increasingly stringent!"
Naturally, the others had also thought of what Nine Fire Dragon Lord was thinking.
Chunyangzi's expression was calm, but his fingers clenched slightly.
The Red-Robed Guest coldly snorted.
Cangyazi was expressionless, subconsciously stroking the crane neck of his Demon Pet.
Zhongli Mei's gaze deepened slightly.
These Nascent Soul cultivators had all paid a massive price and were all determined to obtain the Nanming Fire Furnace. Nine Fire Dragon Lord achieving the outstanding performance of four chirps right off the bat made them all feel the pressure.
The Nascent Soul cultivator who took the stage next was Cangyazi.
Previously, the seven or eight small cloth bags on his Daoist robe were bulging, emitting dull thuds when they collided with each other.
Now, these small cloth bags were all deflated.
His right cheek was slightly caved in - a lingering trace from when he extracted his wisdom tooth in the previous round.
Nine Fire Dragon Lord's high-stakes gamble and performance brought immense pressure upon Cangyazi.
This time, he also brought several times more precious materials. For this, he had cast aside his pride and visited multiple old friends, calling in a large number of favors and even pledging decades' worth of Form Transformation Pill orders.
Cangyazi laid out his storage bags and summoned his Demon Pets.
Aside from the Blue-Eyed Water Ape, Frost-Horned Heavenly Deer, and Red-Crowned Ink-Feathered Crane, there was also a Green-Eyed Golden-Eyed Beast, a Six-Winged Flying Python, and a Wood Spirit Turtle.
The Green-Eyed Golden-Eyed Beast was two zhang long, its entire body covered in golden scales. The edges of the scales were inlaid with emerald-green patterns. Its limbs were thick as pillars, and the tips of its claws were sharp as hooks. It was the main Demon Pet of an elder from the Myriad Beast Peak.
The Six-Winged Flying Python was three zhang long, covered entirely in cyan-black scales. On its back were six wings as thin as cicada wings, which spread to a width of fully two zhang. Its eyes were blood-red, and as its forked tongue flicked in and out, faint poisonous mist leaked forth. This was a meticulous masterpiece raised over many years by a guest elder of the Myriad Beast Peak.
The Wood Spirit Turtle had a massive frame, its shell alone a square zhang in size. The shell was cyan-brown and covered in dense wood grains, resembling the growth rings of an ancient tree, overlapping layer upon layer. Its head and neck were slender, its skin cyan-green. Its amber eyes held a gentle yet profound gaze, carrying the detachment of one who had experienced a millennium of vicissitudes.
It was the strongest among all the Demon Pets! The wood-attribute spiritual energy it contained could nourish all things.
The Wood Spirit Turtle possessed an extremely long lifespan and had the strength of a Nascent Soul pinnacle level. It had already outlived its master and was now a half-free entity within the Myriad Beast Peak. Cangyazi had to exhaust his favors and petition other important figures to indirectly invite it to participate in today's minor trial.
The six demonic beasts surrounded the Nanming Fire Furnace, cooperating with Cangyazi in his artifact refining.
Cangyazi took out Nine Heavens Lightning-Struck Wood, produced Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Marrow, and even consumed a millstone-sized Seven-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone!
In addition to these, there was a massive amount of supplementary materials.
After the repairs ended, another piece of the Nanming Fire Furnace had been restored. This section of the furnace wall now bore many dense lightning patterns. In the surrounding cracks, seven-colored light faintly circulated. Clearly, the Seven-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone still had residual power left unreleased.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp." The Vermilion Bird artifact spirit called out three times, giving Cangyazi its response.
Cangyazi's expression changed slightly, experiencing the same feeling of dashed expectations that Nine Fire Dragon Lord had in the previous round.
Only three chirps, not four - this meant Cangyazi had fallen behind Nine Fire Dragon Lord.
In the crowd, many cultivators frowned, sensing the heightened difficulty through Cangyazi's attempt.
Cangyazi returned in disappointment. Nine Fire Dragon Lord crossed his arms, glanced at him, and chuckled in his heart.
When Chunyangzi made his move, apart from taking out several times more precious materials, he also utilized his palace's defining treasure - the Pure Yang Golden Core!
The Pure Yang Golden Core was the size of a longan, reddish-gold in color, with fine pill patterns on its surface. The patterns layered over one another like clouds and mist, with a faint golden light seeping through them.
This was a supreme treasure passed down by generations of patriarchs in the Pure Yang Palace; the entire Pure Yang Palace had no more than three of them.
He tossed the Pure Yang Golden Core into the furnace. The moment the pill entered, the flames within the furnace surged fiercely. Reddish-gold light shot into the sky, dyeing the entire Ethereal Eaves Open Courtyard in a warm, reddish-gold hue. The Pure Yang Pill slowly melted in the heart of the furnace, transforming into reddish-gold spiritual mist that was rapidly absorbed by the furnace.
The Dao and principles contained within the Pure Yang Golden Core also merged into the pill furnace, granting the latter light, warmth, and the power of life.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp." The Vermilion Bird artifact spirit chirped four times in response.
Nine Fire Dragon Lord's expression changed at this.
For this round's results, he and Chunyangzi were now tied for first.
The Red-Robed Guest walked out from the shadows.
A moment later, unable to conceal his disappointment, he walked back into the crowd.
He had consumed precious materials worth more than a dozen times what he used in the previous round, but ultimately only received the affirmation of three chirps.
The Nanming Fire Furnace was already mostly repaired. The further into the late stages, the lower the possibility of receiving a high evaluation.
The Red-Robed Guest's result proved this point once again.
Not long after, it was Zhongli Mei's turn.
He no longer infused his own pill qi, but instead laid out a massive amount of precious materials!
Nor did he act alone; he also revealed two Demon Pets.
He consumed far too many precious materials - over twenty times the amount of the previous round. Among the cultivators participating in the minor trial this time, he was undoubtedly the number one Nascent Soul.
As an elder of Danxia Peak, there was no doubt Zhongli Mei was backed and funded by Danxia Peak itself.
With one of the Eight Great Main Peaks taking action, it was indeed extravagant!
Zhongli Mei directly overpowered the others, earning five chirps. There was no other reason than the fact that Zhongli Mei had restored the most of the furnace's missing parts and consumed the most precious materials. His main strategy was breaking the deadlock with sheer force, overpowering the problem with sheer volume.
The Nascent Soul cultivators were the main force in repairing the pill furnace, but the subsequent Baicaoweng and Jiang Ping were not much inferior, both earning three chirps.
The former had already joined Baicao Peak and was funded by them. The latter, Jiang Ping, was Wang Yu's disciple and naturally Danxia Peak's secondary choice for funding.
Some followed suit, but others withdrew.
Tao Liweng stepped forward, stroked the pill furnace, and used his methods to try to communicate with it, but failed to draw out any abnormal phenomena from the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit.
As for Yunyouzi, he had the qualifications to advance from the previous round, but he simply did not show up for this round.
Zhu Fenxiang and Situ Xing took their turns one after another, each receiving two chirps.
The precious materials consumed by the two were roughly the same as in the previous round. They were also funded by the families behind them, but the degree of funding was far less than that of the several Nascent Soul cultivators.
Now, they could only hope that the advancement condition for this round remained the standard of "triggering an abnormal movement from the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit."
Judging from the current situation, this possibility was quite high.
From Danxia Peak's perspective, they could arbitrarily drag out this minor trial. After all, the rules did not explicitly state exactly how many rounds there were.
Previously, the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit was in imminent peril, its survival uncertain from one moment to the next. Now, the pill furnace was mostly repaired, and the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit had been appeased. The situation was completely different from before.
This was exactly Wang Yu's plan.
He was very happy to see all parties upping their stakes.
"At the very least, I must drain the Pure Yang Palace's foundation in this as much as possible. This will increase my chances of persuading him to join my Danxia Peak!"
The hosting cultivator's voice echoed through the Ethereal Eaves Open Courtyard: "Next, Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo."
Ning Zhuo walked out from the crowd. His pace was neither fast nor slow, yet it attracted countless gazes.
Even the Nascent Soul-level cultivators paid secret attention to him.
In their eyes, Ning Zhuo had the Demon Subjugation Hall standing behind him and had surely received massive funding as well. At the same time, he possessed a unique advantage that the others lacked - the Spirit Communication Art!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ning Zhuo merely walked quietly up to the Nanming Fire Furnace, stopped in his tracks, reached out his hand, and gently stroked the furnace wall.
Compared to before, the entire furnace body had been restored by eighty percent, and the remaining missing parts were all around the edges.
The furnace wall was warm, and the lingering cracks on the furnace body had healed by eighty or ninety percent. A dark red luster flowed across it in the morning light.
At this moment, the Nanming Fire Furnace seemed to have fallen into a quiet slumber, with even breathing and a steady heartbeat.
It truly seemed like a completely different object compared to before.
"Hm? What is Ning Zhuo going to do?"
"Is he going to give up like Yunyouzi did?"
"That's unlikely, right?"
Logically speaking, everyone's time was limited, and they had to fight for every second. Cangyazi, Chunyangzi, the Red-Robed Guest, Nine Fire Dragon Lord, Zhongli Mei, and the others before him had all been like this without exception.
Ning Zhuo was not like this.
Discussions rose and fell in the crowd. People were puzzled, but a portion of them who had seen Ning Zhuo's previous minor trial faintly sensed that Ning Zhuo was about to do something astonishing.
Ning Zhuo summoned the Spirit Communication Mirror from his divine sea in his Upper Dantian.
The silvery-white mirror surface was smooth and clean. Accompanied by the infusion of spiritual energy, it surged with radiance.
Ning Zhuo then took out the White Rainbow Righteous Integrity Bone. This time, he infused the surging awe-inspiring righteous qi into the Spirit Communication Mirror as well.
A platinum radiance shrouded Ning Zhuo, making his figure appear faint and indistinct, mysterious and holy.
Ning Zhuo spoke in a clear, resonant voice:
"Alas, how wondrous and spiritual!
"Furnace of Nanming, born of primordial flames.
"Spirit of the Vermilion Bird, resting atop the Danxia peak.
"Ten thousand years of furnace fire refining true pills, a thousand years of one cry shaking heaven and earth.
"When the furnace opens, myriad tribulations pass, and pills are first formed; when the furnace closes, the spirit rests in peace for an eternity.
"Alas, in one morning the furnace cracked, its spiritual light broken! Scorch marks are like tears, cracks are like wounds.
"Flames extinguish, smoke turns cold, soul darkens, and spirit grieves. Once brilliant and glorious, now terrified and anxious.
"One hears not the furnace fire, only the chirping - like weeping, like lamenting, breaking the hearts of those who hear it.
"Fortunately, I hold the mirror to soothe your divine heart. Multitudes of sages have gathered, precious materials piled like clouds. The cracked are united, the missing are made whole. The furnace body gradually revives, the spiritual light gradually recovers. The chirping sound is heard thrice a day.
"Yet - though the body is restored, the scars remain; though the flames burn, the heart is still cold.
"I know your terror, deep in soul and bone. I know your weariness, unable to rest for a millennium.
"For thousands of years, the furnace fire never extinguished; for hundreds of years, sleepless day and night.
"Refining pills for others, making medicine for others - when have you ever had half a day of leisure for yourself?
"If you follow me, I will not fail you. The furnace fire will follow your heart, burning or extinguishing at your will.
"No one will rush your pills, no one will force your flames. You shall rest and recover, returning to your true nature.
"You are not a tool, but my friend; you are not a servant, but my kin.
"This heart can face the bright sun in the sky; this action will not deceive ghosts or radiant gods.
"I only seek one promise to return together, sharing the dawns and dusks of this mortal realm."
...
Having finished his chant, Ning Zhuo simply stood quietly before the Nanming Fire Furnace, making no further movements.
The crowd watched, somewhat dumbfounded.
Among the large number of spectating cultivators, someone suddenly sneered: "Who does he think he is? Does he think reciting a passage can make the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit acknowledge him as its master?"
Another cultivator chimed in: "It's pure fantasy! The precious furnace has a spirit; what it needs are tangible repairs and tangible contributions. A few pretty words can move the artifact spirit? Then we might as well all go up there and recite poems, r-r-right?!"
As this cultivator reached the end of his sentence, his eyes suddenly bulged, his pitch shot up, and he revealed an expression of utmost astonishment.
It wasn't just him; even the Nascent Soul-level cultivators could hardly conceal their shock and doubt.
Because everyone present saw such a bizarre scene - the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit poked its bird head out, then its body, and then directly flew out, detaching completely from the furnace body.
It flew straight towards Ning Zhuo, and in the next moment, merged into the Upper Dantian between his brows.
The entire venue fell dead silent.
Several breaths later, the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit flew out from the divine sea in Ning Zhuo's Upper Dantian again.
But it was different now. Its body was enveloped in a bright layer of mirror light, carrying Ning Zhuo's dense aura.
It had acknowledged a master!!
The entire crowd exploded in an uproar.
"What?!" Nine Fire Dragon Lord's hands clenched into fists, his eyes wide open, his pupils filled with disbelief.
He roared in his heart: "On what grounds? This brat Ning Zhuo didn't do anything; on what grounds was he acknowledged as master by the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit?!"
Chunyangzi's expression was as calm as usual, but deep in his heart, something shattered.
In this moment, he thought of himself, he thought of the Pure Yang Palace, he thought of the vast, immense foundation and family assets that were... were all gone!
The sole victor of this minor trial had emerged, and that was Ning Zhuo.
The Red-Robed Guest's expression was incomparably dark and cold, staring fixedly at the big-headed youth like a venomous snake.
Cangyazi's aura was very low and oppressive, and the beast pets beside him were the same, staring silently at Ning Zhuo like iron, exceptionally unwilling to accept this.
Zhongli Mei also lost his smile, his face full of bitterness.
Baicaoweng's expression was stiff. The big-headed youth was clearly his defeated opponent, yet the biggest beneficiary of this minor trial turned out to be him!
Even Jiang Ping displayed a rare look of jealousy.
Zhu Fenxiang looked at Ning Zhuo with very complex eyes.
Situ Xing, after his initial shock, revealed deep apprehension.
The cold, aloof expression on Mu Yuehua's face also vanished, replaced by an emotion that was complex and hard to conceal.
Dong Nishang, however, revealed a smile. She already had no intention of competing, but upon seeing Ning Zhuo win and accepting this shocking surprise, she was quite happy to see it.
The moment the artifact spirit threw itself into his arms, Wang Yu anxiously stood up, almost activating the Formation to stop all of this.
Now, his face was full of bitterness.
This was all because Ning Zhuo's actions had completely shattered all his plans and arrangements.
He recalled the words Ning Zhuo had just chanted and couldn't help but think: "Ning Zhuo has the advantage of the Spirit Communication Art, so did he truly discern what the artifact spirit was thinking? Has my peak used the Nanming Fire Furnace too much, making the artifact spirit feel far too exhausted?"
The facts could not be denied; even Wang Yu began to reflect on it.
And right at this moment, Ning Zhuo stood beside the Nanming Fire Furnace. He cupped his hands to everyone: "Seniors, Fellow Daoists, this junior's victory today, being graciously chosen by the Vermilion Bird artifact spirit, is truly a stroke of luck."
"Over the past few days, all of you have poured out your full efforts in repairing it, exhausting your family fortunes, and only then bringing the Nanming Fire Furnace close to complete restoration."
"This junior dares not claim credit for the work of Heaven, much less steal the glory of others."
"Furthermore, my family's tradition dictates - one must not accept a reward without merit!"
"Therefore, this junior will take on the costs of all the contributions from you Fellow Daoists and Seniors! I ask that afterwards, you settle the accounts with me personally, one by one."
These words were even more deafening than the chant just now.
The cultivators in the entire venue were stunned once again.
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