In the central region of the colossal pit, the crystallization was even more severe. The ground lay barren and pitted, a place where the imagined immortal herbs could never have taken root to grow.
Whatever lay here was visible at a glance. Qin Ming's eyes burned with eagerness. He had already reached the spot, gazing at the near-immortal item just inches away.
It was a severely damaged furnace vessel riddled with holes. Yet even in such dire condition, immortal light rose from it in steam, wrapped in auspicious clouds of rosy dawn, while white mist billowed from its mouth.
Moreover, it was accompanied by wondrous phenomena: within the luminous haze, scenes of elixirs taking shape manifested from time to time. Dragons and tigers harmonized as pill vapors soared into the air, as though the furnace were about to open and release marvelous medicines.
This was precisely why Chen Shuhang and Jiang Congyun had suddenly ambushed Qin Ming. Seeing the pill vapors expanding, dragons roaring, and tigers leaping, their heads had spun at once, leading them to believe some immortal elixir remained inside.
Judging by these extraordinary spectacles alone, one could tell how truly remarkable the pill furnace was. Even after a thousand years had passed, it still produced such marvelous sights, far exceeding imagination.
It was quite small—only the height of a palm—engraved with numerous runes. Its lid, half-shattered, lay beside it.
"No wonder those old fogies didn't take it and left it for later generations instead. This thing leaks air all over; it's just too badly damaged."
Qin Ming counted: on this palm-sized furnace body alone were nine distinct holes, not to mention a number of cracks, and the lid was missing an entire chunk.
"Can such a small furnace actually forge weapons too?" he wondered, puzzled, because amidst the shimmering light it shed were vague scenes of weapons being tempered.
Qin Ming looked surprised; perhaps this near-immortal item had other marvelous uses.
The furnace body itself appeared ancient and austere, yet auspicious rosy clouds coiled around its exterior.
Qin Ming did not dare touch it directly with his bare hands. Drawing his mutton-fat jade iron saber, he tested it first. Seeing no reaction, he finally tapped it lightly with his fingertip.
The furnace gave off a crisp metallic chime, sounding like a bell being struck. Confirming there was no danger, Qin Ming finally reached out, picked it up from the ground, and rested it on his palm to inspect it closely.
"It was forged from multiple strange metals, each seemingly more precious than mutton-fat jade iron." Qin Ming suddenly felt his rare, treasured saber had grown dim by comparison.
Various characters covered the vessel. Some were inscribed, others embedded; certain special materials had not been melted directly into the furnace wall.
Certain characters were pure white and warm like jade, yet their luster was comparatively subdued. Trusting his instincts, Qin Ming felt they were even more extraordinary than mutton-fat jade iron.
There were also characters inlaid with "strange gold," bearing natural grain and radiating wisps of purple qi.
"I almost want to pry them loose and forge a handy weapon with them." Qin Ming was merely daydreaming, of course. The furnace was already a near-immortal item; who could bear to melt it down to recast other weapons?
He knew full well that weapons forged from mutton-fat jade iron already possessed extraordinary properties, such as being able to slay unseen, inexplicable creatures. Furthermore, if damaged, they could still recover when nourished by heavenly light.
Qin Ming was certain that the materials of this near-immortal item were even more astonishing. Though nine holes pierced the furnace body, if people beyond the mundane world nurtured it with care, it could probably be fully restored in the future.
Yet an immortal object like this was, after all, too severely wrecked, damaged by an unimaginable force. It would surely require an immense amount of time to gently nourish and repair.
At the very least, after over a thousand years, it had not recovered on its own.
"Presumably, that's precisely why it could fall into the hands of core disciples," Qin Ming recalled Li Qingyue mentioning.
Even if a near-immortal item was damaged, it still held boundless uses for disciples from the outer realm, because it could collect "celestial essence."
The exalted figures of the outer realm could truly dine on rosy dawn and drink the morning vapors.
Yet what they dined upon was not sunlight at dawn, but rare spiritual substances from top-grade Fire Springs; nor did they drink nighttime mist and dew, but rather that mysterious "celestial essence" from the depths of the night sky. If one could drink celestial essence while still a disciple, the benefits went without saying.
Therefore, all the disciples were green with envy, and even the lofty, aloof Cui Chonghe had not hesitated to break the rules to enter the fray.
Qin Ming held up the furnace body and scrutinized it. It was not a conventional round shape, but had eight facets, each bearing a distinct Eight Trigrams symbol.
"This is... the Eight Trigrams Furnace." He felt that simply judging by this design, the furnace's origin had to be extraordinary.
Qin Ming tapped the furnace wall and listened closely to its echoes. It seemed as though some inexplicable Dao resonance was spreading out, unexpectedly making his mind clear and serene.
"What a fine item. I wonder if smashing someone with it would carry an immortal resonance and unmatched power as well."
If people from the outer realm heard him say such a thing, they would probably curse him as a brute.
Qin Ming set down the Eight Trigrams Furnace and fitted the battered lid onto it.
Then, his gaze fell upon another object—a "sheet of paper" smelted from strange metals—which stirred his heart even more.
He had inspected the near-immortal item first because he had heard so many legends and everyone had been discussing it, so naturally he had wanted to handle it with his own hands.
This sheet of paper was also long incomplete, damaged far worse than the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Only a single corner remained, less than a quarter of its original size.
Holding it, Qin Ming looked at the dense, tiny script and several diagrams on its surface. He immediately felt its weight; for something to be placed alongside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, its value was likely beyond imagination.
Upon this "paper," smelted from a blend of diverse strange metals, were twelve holes in total, leaving this already fragmented corner with very little content to read—either missing words or lacking diagrams.
To ordinary people, this remnant corner of scripture was entirely useless; attempting to practice according to it would certainly bring about catastrophic trouble. Qin Ming set it down and rubbed his hands together repeatedly, hoping for an explosion of good luck so he could achieve resonance with it.
"Near-immortal item, lend me some immortal luck!" Qin Ming lifted the Eight Trigrams Furnace once more.
He valued the remnant scripture more, but chose to test the waters with the Eight Trigrams Furnace first.
Qin Ming focused his spirit intently, preparing to resonate with the near-immortal item to see whether he could gain something from it.
And then, his gaze went blank!
With a loud clatter, he threw the Eight Trigrams Furnace to the ground, panting heavily. The haze formed from heavenly light burned his lungs with sharp pain.
Yet even that could not compare to the tremor in his soul. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation—"reading" an ancient relic to sense residual emotional fluctuations from the past, only to encounter peril.
"Just how powerful was that old fellow?" Qin Ming was shaken. Having sensed multiple emotional residues, he had chosen the largest one.
As a result, his consciousness had nearly shattered from the resonance.
It was no longer mere emotion, but a form of Dao resonance, carrying an inexplicable fluctuation. Even though faint, it felt to him like facing vast, surging waves—a single breaker crashing down could send him flying.
"Are all the old fogies of the outer realm this terrifying?" Qin Ming was lost in thought.
Then, his mind went to the old man who had blasted the peerless Overlord into pieces with a flip of his hand.
The old fellow he had confronted through spiritual resonance just now was certainly not Li Qingxu's master, but undoubtedly another towering figure of the outer realm.
"Advancing step-by-step through physical mutation, it seems I still have a very long road ahead!"
Qin Ming took a long time to steady himself before finally recovering.
This time he was exceedingly cautious. Picking up the pill furnace, he concentrated his spirit intently, picking out the weaker emotions while steering clear of that old fellow flowing with Dao resonance.
A moment later, he set down the near-immortal item, resting briefly before "communicating" again. In this manner, Qin Ming resonated with the pill furnace time and again, trying repeatedly, until in the end he even provoked that extremely dangerous emotion once more.
Drenched in sweat, he felt as if his head were about to explode and his soul were about to catch fire. This was far more exhausting than battling Jiang Congyun and Chen Shuhang.
Yet Qin Ming felt profoundly satisfied, his brows and eyes glowing with delight.
Had anyone been present, they would surely have thought he was grinning like a fool, utterly devoid of dignity.
Qin Ming's harvest this time was immense: through resonance with the near-immortal item, he had obtained a mysterious formula that actually concerned the Six Ding Divine Fire!
Only with this fire could one activate the Eight Trigrams Furnace to concoct medicine and forge weapons.
Naturally, Qin Ming had heard of the Six Ding Divine Fire, for it was simply too high-level, tied to near-immortal creatures and god-like beings deep within the boundless night mist world.
Only during the Great Reclamation era could one witness such terrifying flames.
Qin Ming somewhat suspected that the Eight Trigrams Furnace might not have been forged by people beyond the mundane world themselves; it was very likely acquired from near-immortal creatures or god-like beings back during the Era of Great Pioneering.
The Departing Fire Classic he practiced was already a precious, extraordinary art, yet the fire it cultivated was merely departing fire, utterly incomparable to the Six Ding Divine Fire.
Unless it was the fire above departing fire—the "Nanming Departing Fire"—which was also a wondrous flame mastered by god-like beings.
"Truly worthy of a near-immortal item—you gave me such a massive surprise!" Qin Ming marveled, tapping the Eight Trigrams Furnace as if it were a musical instrument, listening to its tones.
His mind wandered as he murmured to himself, "The night mist world is truly boundless. It seems vast secrets lie hidden there—near-immortal, god-like... Even opening up a tiny corner of that realm holds immense value."
Soon, he pulled himself back to reality; all of that was far too distant for him.
Even the matter before his eyes left him feeling somewhat helpless.
Because the Six Ding Divine Fire was of far too high an order, even with the formula in hand, he could not practice it right now.
Even with the extraordinary art of the Departing Fire Classic, he had only reached the second realm; and only after enhancing his foundation in the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest had he managed to master part of the Outer Sage domain here.
"I'm sitting atop a mountain of treasure, unable to use it," Qin Ming whispered.
Then he shook his head with a chuckle. "Not quite. I'll save it for the future and tap into it slowly."
Undoubtedly, the Six Ding Divine Fire was far too elite; wherever it went, it was enough to serve as the pillar of an entire sect.
"I wonder if the outer realm still possesses this formula. Perhaps my doing so has brought it back into the world."
Qin Ming stroked the near-immortal item, set it aside, and picked up that remnant corner of scripture once more. Calming his thoughts, he began to resonate.
Sure enough, the emotions of that terrifying old man were present here as well, wrapped in Dao resonance. Qin Ming avoided them, choosing to resonate with other residual emotions instead.
Once, twice... He made repeated contact, perceiving continuously, and in the final stage even went so far as to "offend" the old man to confirm that the text he obtained was completely accurate.
He tossed aside the remnant page and collapsed backward onto the ground, gasping for breath and letting the terrifying haze of heavenly light sear his nose and mouth. It took a good while before he recovered.
"Qingyue has no small blessing in store; this is definitely the true heritage on a single sheet of paper!" Qin Ming muttered.
And in truth, that was indeed the case. There was only a single "sheet of paper" here, existing alongside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, carrying an astounding secret art.
"A tremendous background!" Qin Ming looked at the paper, noticing its material was similar to that of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
"I wonder if I'll be able to practice this cultivation method once my cultivation realm reaches the right level," he murmured, caressing the remnant paper.
On this metallic paper, he had seen the old man's warning to his personal disciple: before reaching the third realm, do not even think about it, and do not even touch this paper, or grave trouble will ensue, and you will practice yourself to death.
"No need to think so much for now!" Qin Ming rose to his feet. The road was still long and the future far ahead; for now, he needed to advance with both feet firmly on the ground. He searched the area to see if any other items remained.
"Hm?!" Qin Ming was surprised. Adopting an attitude of giving it a shot, he dug three feet into the ground and actually made a discovery: a few metallic lumps were embedded beneath the crystallized ground.
He stared closely, unable to calm his racing heart. The materials were far too unusual: some resembled purple gold yet were distinctly different, covered in dense, miraculous patterns.
Others were pure white like jade, yet far more subdued than mutton-fat jade iron, with some inexplicable divine charm concealed within.
Qin Ming searched and dug patiently across this area, ultimately unearthing a handful of metal fragments, though all together they did not even amount to the size of a fist.
He could already tell that these mysterious materials had once been incorporated into heavy treasures; for instance, that piece of purple gold still retained the faint shape of a sword tip.
That piece of "red copper" must have originally been a spearhead!
Looking at it this way, many remarkable, extraordinary artifacts had been utterly destroyed, leaving behind only the essence blended within them—these strange metals.
Qin Ming's eyes changed. The handful of scraps in his palm might very well be priceless!
Luofu Immortal Mountain had once been a paramount blessed land, one of the foremost foundations of people beyond the mundane world; otherwise, they would never have sought to propel its transformation into a grotto-heaven.
The remnants left here were truly astounding.
Qin Ming stuffed the whole handful of strange metallic lumps into his robes and swept the area several more times until he was certain nothing else remained.
He prepared to depart; it was time to face the challenges outside.
He also tucked the broken furnace lid and that remnant sheet of paper into his robes to prevent them from being lost in the midst of a fierce battle.
Then, gripping one of the near-immortal item's furnace legs, Qin Ming strode outward through the dense heavenly light.
Chapter 117