After his bewilderment, Ye Feipeng read through the Creation Furnace Technique several times over.
Finally, he stared at the short poem at the end of the technique, lost in thought.
"The Great Dao is fundamentally simple; Creation is ever selfless.
The true method is passed down to all under heaven, yet only the fated shall comprehend."
...
Muttering the verse under his breath, Ye Feipeng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"That's it! As they say, the Great Dao is supreme simplicity; a true transmission takes but a single phrase.
"This Creation Furnace Technique looks so crude, but looking down on it would be a colossal mistake!"
The chubby youth regained his confidence.
"Immortal Restoration is an organization that has existed since ancient times. Though it may have fallen somewhat into decline, its heritage is profound.
"How could its prized collection possibly compare to ordinary common goods?!
"Creation... good fortune! To obtain this technique is truly Ye Feipeng's great fortune!"
Amidst his excitement, the chubby youth crushed the jade slip and exited the Vanguard Realm.
Darting swiftly, he dived into an ocean trench near the deserted island and began cultivating according to the method of the Creation Furnace Technique.
"Mobilize the power of the internal secret reservoirs..."
Ye Feipeng closed his eyes, silently sensing the power harbored within his body.
In an instant, he seemed to fall into a state of dormancy, the aura fluctuating around him settling into silence.
Just like that, over a month passed.
On this day, a strange flush suddenly surfaced on Ye Feipeng's face.
Above his head, the phantom of a Kunpeng materialized right on cue, letting out a resounding cry in unison.
*Pfft!*
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the brown wings on his back snapped wide open.
A massive surge of energy seemed to abruptly erupt within his body.
It surged continuously; wherever it traversed, huge bulges formed beneath the surface of his skin.
It looked like a fleshy lump roving all across his body.
Yet instead of shock, delight spread across Ye Feipeng's face.
"The power of the secret reservoir is truly extraordinary! I originally thought I had already tapped all the potential of the Kunpeng bloodline.
"Who knew there's still so much left to go!"
Even as Ye Feipeng rejoiced, another vast and primordial surge of power abruptly welled up inside him.
As if struck by a violent impact, the chubby youth spat out another large mouthful of blood.
"I drew on too much at once—can hardly take it."
His body was already somewhat deformed under the battering of this colossal force, and Ye Feipeng's expression instantly turned solemn.
"I must refine this power quickly.
"The body is a furnace, Creation the artisan. The secret reservoir like charcoal, all things like bronze!"
Recalling the essential mnemonic from the technique, a sharp gleam flashed through Ye Feipeng's eyes.
His fat, somewhat warped body suddenly grew incandescent at a speed visible to the naked eye.
*Boom!*
A rumble like the crash of a giant hammer faintly resonated from within his body.
The moment the sound rang out, Ye Feipeng's body couldn't help but shudder violently.
Yet the bulges roaming over his body seemed to shrink slightly under the force of that fierce hammer blow.
Though barely noticeable, Ye Feipeng could clearly sense the change in himself.
"Good!
"Again!"
A look that said "just as I thought" flashed in his eyes.
Another hammer strike fell.
...
Under the relentless, successive pounding, those two vast clusters of secret reservoir power were gradually absorbed by Ye Feipeng's body.
The strength of his physical body was reinforced once more.
In just a short time, it had improved by roughly a tenth.
Just as Ye Feipeng was ecstatic over this transformation, his body—glowing incandescent like a furnace—seemed to overload, fine cracks fracturing across its surface.
It looked as if it would shatter in the next instant, unable to bear the strain.
Ye Feipeng's face changed drastically.
Yet before he could react, a sliver of blue light abruptly bloomed in his dantian.
The deep blue wove through the crimson glow as if it possessed a will of its own, steadily mending Ye Feipeng's injuries.
At the same time, countless tiny motes of blue light surged toward Ye Feipeng from the waters around the trench in endless waves.
It was not merely pure water-attributed power; it also carried pure life energy.
Nourished by this, the chubby youth's furnace body stabilized once more.
"Splendid!
"The technique said that the tempering process must not be rushed, or it would harm oneself.
"Just now, because it was my first time cultivating it, I was too impatient and drew on too much secret reservoir power.
"My body was overloaded—it was like taking in tonics too rich for a weak constitution.
"Yet who would have thought the Vast Sea Pearl could mend the injuries to my physical body!
"In that case, doesn't that mean..."
The more he thought, the more excited he became.
The thud of giant hammer strikes resounded once more.
Having tasted the benefits, Ye Feipeng could not wait to continue cultivating.
Inside the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan, who had watched the entire process from start to finish, couldn't help letting out a sigh of admiration.
"Is this the power of the Kunpeng bloodline?
"The physical constitution of ancient demon beasts truly cannot be matched by humans."
Li Fan had given the Creation Furnace Technique to Ye Feipeng partly out of a desire to experiment.
He wanted to see whether combining this method of tapping secret reservoirs with a demon beast bloodline would produce any unexpected changes.
The result had indeed exceeded Li Fan's expectations a bit.
Perhaps because a demon beast bloodline naturally endowed a physique vastly superior to ordinary mortals, Ye Feipeng's tolerance for the tempering of the Creation Furnace Technique far exceeded that of Li Fan's clone.
After all, when the clone cultivated the furnace technique, it first had to gingerly mobilize a tiny wisp of secret reservoir power to strengthen the physical body.
Only after the body reached a certain toughness could the tempering begin.
Yet with Ye Feipeng, that strengthening step was bypassed entirely.
Or rather, he was simultaneously strengthening his physical body while tempering it.
The risk was immense, but the results were also far superior.
However, Li Fan could not copy this approach.
If he forced himself to do so, the outcome would be his body collapsing under the tempering, shattering to pieces, leading to death and the cessation of his Dao.
And the reason Ye Feipeng could pull it off, apart from the robust physique granted by his demon beast bloodline, was the indispensable aid of the Vast Sea Pearl.
That pure life energy was also a tremendous tonic for the Kunpeng.
"Who would have thought you had a healing function? You treat him better than a favored son."
Li Fan snorted inwardly.
When he had used the Vast Sea Pearl for Foundation Establishment back then, he had never enjoyed such treatment.
...
Whatever Li Fan thought did not affect Ye Feipeng's cultivation progress.
Having no need to worry about bodily harm allowed him to temper his flesh with near-reckless abandon.
Another month and more went by. Ye Feipeng not only completely absorbed the two clusters of secret reservoir power he had previously mobilized, but his originally chubby body also gradually grew leaner under the repeated tempering.
Once he was skin and bones, several more surges of secret reservoir power burst forth with a roar.
His body inflated like a balloon.
With rumbling hammer strikes, Ye Feipeng's strength soared rapidly in this cycle.
Chapter 278