This man liked to light stoves and stoke their flames to a roaring blaze. Based on what he had just said, Li Banfeng deduced his identity.
Lu Huowang, a local spirit of the newland, and quite a well-known one at that.
He Haiqin had mentioned that this man had long been eyeing the newland Li Banfeng acquired from the Inner States.
The cultivation of local spirits in the newland generally did not exceed the second layer above the clouds. If Lu Huowang wanted to make a move here, Li Banfeng didn't mind having a brawl with him—provided he first figured out what pathway the man belonged to.
Judging by his name, he might be a Fire Cultivator, or perhaps a craft cultivator. His building a stove out of stones here certainly wasn't just to keep warm.
What else could this stove be used for?
Lu Huowang was surprisingly candid. Seeing Li Banfeng staring intently at the stove, he took the initiative to introduce it: "I use this stove to store fire sources. I'm a Fire Cultivator, and Fire Cultivators are constrained in their techniques by their fire sources.
"For example, you're a journey cultivator; as long as you have strength in your body, using Treading Ten Thousand Rivers however many times is no problem. But I can't do that. I have a technique called Three Fathoms of Flame. It consumes an enormous amount of fire. If I use it once today, my fire source is nearly spent, and I can't use it a second time.
"But with this stove, I have nothing to fear. I store a fire source inside it. When the stove uses it once, I can still use it once myself. Doesn't that double my technique's uses?"
Was this man really so honest?
Before the fight even started, he laid bare his entire foundation?
Was what he said true?
It was hard to tell truth from falsehood. Li Banfeng was unfamiliar with Fire Cultivators, but Lu Huowang had indeed stated the defining trait of their kind—they truly were constrained by their fire sources.
Back at Moxiangdian, Chu Shaoqiang had brought in a Fire Cultivator, but that cultivator's battle had mostly been focused on Lü Shuixie and He Jiaqing. Li Banfeng had committed part of that fight to memory back then, and only through consulting books and asking others afterward did he learn that the key to dealing with a Fire Cultivator was extinguishing their fire seeds.
Extinguishing fire seeds could be done in three ways:
First: snuffing them out from afar. Water Cultivators and Mud Cultivators favored this move the most, directing their techniques at the fire seeds to snuff them out without getting close.
This method was the safest. Once a fire seed went out, it could not be rekindled for days, which was why Fire Cultivators loathed fighting Water and Mud Cultivators.
Second: forcibly snatching them at close range. Lühuazi had used this trick, relying on his immunity to burning to close in and rip away fire seeds by force. This method came at great cost, but dealt tremendous damage to Fire Cultivators.
A fire seed ripped away up close was effectively uprooted from the cultivator's body, requiring months to recover.
Third: grinding them down through sheer attrition. A fire seed could unleash a fire source, but not endlessly. When a fire source neared exhaustion, the cultivator had to stop using that fire seed; otherwise, once it was completely extinguished, rekindling it would take days as well.
Li Banfeng could use all three methods, and weaving them together could yield plenty of tactics.
The crucial question was: was Lu Huowang actually a Fire Cultivator?
Misjudging an opponent's pathway often led to catastrophic consequences. Many people had suffered at Li Banfeng's hands because of that, and Li Banfeng had no intention of suffering at anyone else's.
"Both covenant deeds are right here, and the terms of the wager are laid out in plain sight. Li the Seventh, do you dare make a bet with me?" Lu Huowang laid out both the winning and losing covenant deeds in front of Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng nodded. "Agreed."
The moment the words left his mouth, both of them readied themselves for battle.
Li Banfeng struck first, taking a step toward Lu Huowang.
Amidst flying sand and rolling stones, Lu Huowang did not dodge. Instead, blazing flames instantly surged from his body.
This was one of the most troublesome techniques of a Fire Cultivator, known as Unnamed Fire Ignites. The principle behind it was simple: for a brief moment, it turned the cultivator's body into fire, allowing attacks to pass harmlessly through while inflicting damage on the attacker through the flames.
Li Banfeng had unleashed Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. The power behind this step was immense, and the shrapnel of rocks and sand flying about held considerable lethal force as well.
Yet Lu Huowang's entire body had dissolved into fire, leaving only his fire seeds solid. Using his footwork to protect the seeds, he took virtually no damage from this strike of Treading Ten Thousand Rivers.
This was an exclusive defensive technique of Fire Cultivators, difficult to replicate with artifacts or spiritual items. From this, it was clear that Lu Huowang truly was a Fire Cultivator.
Seeing Treading Ten Thousand Rivers fail, Li Banfeng quickly pulled away, switching to Viewing Flowers from Horseback.
Lu Huowang slapped the stone stove. A fire dragon over thirty feet long burst out from within. Wherever Li Banfeng ran, the fire dragon gave chase, ensuring Lu Huowang's gaze remained firmly locked on him.
Before Viewing Flowers from Horseback could find its mark, Lu Huowang launched his counterattack. Tiny sparks of light flared up in the wild grass beneath Li Banfeng's feet.
This was the Fire Cultivator technique: A Single Spark Ignites a Prairie.
Those flickers of light were sparks generated by the technique.
Though small, their power was astonishing. Li Banfeng dodged swiftly. If his footwork slowed in the slightest, the sparks would ignite his shoes, set his trousers ablaze, and engulf his entire body in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, Li Banfeng's footwork was fast enough. Though the sparks flickered continuously, none managed to touch him.
However, those tiny sparks ignited the wild grass on the ground. A raging fire erupted without warning, spreading rapidly and trapping Li Banfeng in a sea of flames in no time.
A Single Spark Ignites a Prairie was designed specifically to counter cultivators who moved swiftly across wide areas.
The sparks appeared unpredictably to restrict the opponent's speed; reckless journey or martial cultivators would be gravely injured the moment they stepped on one.
The prairie fire meant that the sparks would ignite everything combustible in the surroundings, spreading into an inferno to corral the target's movements.
Trapped in the sea of fire, Li Banfeng appeared to be in dire straits. Lacking room for a burst of speed, maintaining his footwork grew increasingly difficult, yet he showed no panic.
Fire Cultivators were different from practitioners of other pathways; their techniques were exceptionally fierce. Falling into a temporary disadvantage against one was a common occurrence.
If one grew impatient and insisted on a reckless clash, they would likely be reduced to ashes without ever laying a finger on the Fire Cultivator.
Li Banfeng was in no rush. He weaved between the gaps within the inferno. Spotting an opening ahead, he was just about to break out.
Lu Huowang gave him no chance, promptly scattering several sparks across the breach. The flames linked together, cutting off Li Banfeng's escape route while steadily feeding the prairie blaze.
Yet Li Banfeng could always find another seam. He dashed toward a large blue boulder, preparing to break out around its flank.
Lu Huowang sowed sparks in a ring around the stone, forcing Li Banfeng back once more.
Li Banfeng leaped onto a tall tree, bounding through the canopy in another bid to clear the flames.
Seeing through his intention, Lu Huowang scattered sparks again, setting all the surrounding trees ablaze.
Li Banfeng jumped from the tree to the hillside, hugging the slope as he tried to rush out.
Lu Huowang continued to scatter sparks, setting every vine on the hillside on fire.
Li Banfeng grabbed a vine and called out to Lu Huowang, "You missed this one!"
Lu Huowang flicked another spark, and the vine caught fire.
Wait.
Lu Huowang felt something was off.
Did Li the Seventh actually want to break out or not?
He had found so many openings, so why was he still circling around inside the sea of fire?
Could he be trying to exhaust my fire source?
He hit the nail right on the head. Li Banfeng was indeed draining Lu Huowang's fire source.
Fool cultivation techniques did not necessarily require spoken words.
Without uttering a sound, Li Banfeng had deployed the Thousand Deliberations of the Fool.
Now that Li the Seventh was trapped in the flames and Lu Huowang held the upper hand, how should he fight?
If he wanted to trap Li the Seventh to death in one go, he had to take a gamble—pour out all his fire sources to seal off every single breach.
If he wanted to conserve his fire sources, he couldn't keep plugging every hole. But if Li the Seventh broke out of the inferno, all the fire sources he had spent so far would go to waste.
Should he gamble or not?
Lu Huowang hesitated for a long while, burning through a fair amount of his fire source in the process.
If he kept agonizing like this, there was no telling how much more fire source he would lose. Lu Huowang shook his head, his thoughts gradually clearing.
He shouldn't be agonizing over whether to gamble; he needed to see whether gambling was even useful.
The original purpose of A Single Spark Ignites a Prairie was to restrict Li the Seventh's movements, not to trap him to death directly.
How had he confused the two?
Li the Seventh was a journey cultivator above the clouds; he could slip through any crack. Wasting so much fire source on this was utterly pointless.
What was I thinking just now? How did I make such a foolish blunder?
Lu Huowang hurried to withdraw the technique, entirely unprepared for Li the Seventh to suddenly charge right into his face.
Lu Huowang erected a wall of fire before him to block Li Banfeng's approach.
Relying on the Benevolent Dwelling Heart technique, Li Banfeng forced his way straight through the fire wall, closed the distance, and swung his sickle in a savage slash.
Lu Huowang was shocked. He never imagined a journey cultivator could endure so much punishment.
He cast Unnamed Fire Ignites once more, transforming his body directly into blazing flames.
Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes Discerning Autumn Down, seeing everything with complete clarity this time.
There were six clusters of flame on Lu Huowang's body that suddenly flared with intense brightness the moment he used the technique. They were located at his left shoulder, right shoulder, throat, navel, left knee, and right knee. These six clusters of flame were Lu Huowang's fire seeds.
Why were there only six?
With Benevolent Dwelling Heart still active, Li Banfeng didn't stop to ponder. Relying on his blazing hand speed, he tore through the flames, ripping three fire seeds off Lu Huowang's body.
With his combat power impaired, Lu Huowang tried to dodge, but Li Banfeng was far too fast. In the tangle of blows, Li Banfeng snuffed out two more of his fire seeds.
A Fire Cultivator gained one fire seed with each layer of cultivation. Since Lu Huowang was above the clouds, he had to have at least ten fire seeds. Six had been located, five were extinguished, and only the one on his left knee still glowed. Where were the rest?
Unable to spot the remaining fire seeds for the moment, Li Banfeng focused entirely on the seed on the left knee.
Lu Huowang suddenly ceased to be nervous.
Knowing Li Banfeng's target was the fire seed on his left knee, he went all out to protect this single seed.
The two fell into a fierce stalemate. Over by the stone stove, a thirty-foot fire dragon erupted once more.
Three Fathoms of Flame again?
Just how many charges of Three Fathoms of Flame were stored in that stove?
The technique was undeniably formidable. The ferocious fire dragon was enough to force Li Banfeng back momentarily.
Yet Lu Huowang's goal was not merely to repel him; he intended to decide the match with this blow.
While the fire dragon pinned Li Banfeng down, Lu Huowang unleashed Raging Fire and Crashing Thunder.
The thirty-foot dragon turned into a roiling crimson cloud hovering overhead. If Li Banfeng took a single step, he would be struck by blazing fire converted into lightning.
Lu Huowang had no fear of fire thunder; being hit by it wouldn't harm him in the least. He fought Li Banfeng right beneath the cloud of fire, moving freely while Li Banfeng was virtually immobilized.
This tactic proved remarkably effective. Lu Huowang turned his arms into fiery serpents, raining down a ferocious barrage of attacks, forcing Li Banfeng to rely solely on his Carefree and At Ease technique to dodge and parry.
Did he have any other options?
He had plenty. Li Banfeng possessed numerous means to break the deadlock.
He could use Mind Traversing a Thousand Mountains to alter the battlefield environment, then counterattack or disengage.
He could use Sprawling Compound to borrow Madam's Sound Cultivator techniques for a counterstrike.
He could also release his shadow to seize the fire seed from Lu Huowang's left knee while he was distracted.
But would doing so truly secure Li Banfeng's victory?
Li Banfeng was staring intently at Lu Huowang's left knee.
Lu Huowang was unleashing technique after technique, yet the fire seed on his left knee never fluctuated in brightness—a stark contrast to when he used Unnamed Fire Ignites earlier.
A Fire Cultivator's strength stemmed from their fire seeds. In his current flurry of techniques, the seed on his left knee wasn't doing anything at all.
Then where were the fire seeds providing the power? If he couldn't find them, defeating Lu Huowang was out of the question. As Li Banfeng was still observing, he suddenly heard a noise in the distance.
"*Hawk-ptui!*"
Li Banfeng frowned. That sound seemed to come from Tang Changfa.
The noise gave Lu Huowang a terrible fright. He roared toward Tang Changfa, "What do you think you're doing?"
Standing beside the stove, Tang Changfa said expressionlessly, "Just came over to watch the excitement."
Lu Huowang glared at Li Banfeng. "Let me tell you, this is a fair match. You can't just let outsiders interfere!"
Li Banfeng chuckled. "He didn't interfere. Didn't he just tell you? He's only watching the excitement."
While the two were still trading blows, Tang Changfa cleared his throat again: "*Cough, cough, cough—hawk-ptui!*"
Lu Huowang flinched once more. In that moment of distraction, Li Banfeng snuffed out the fire seed on his left knee.
With that, all six fire seeds on Lu Huowang's body were extinguished, yet he was still able to use Fire Cultivator techniques.
Where on earth were the remaining fire seeds? Behind his back?
"*Hawk-ptui!*" Tang Changfa spat another glob of thick phlegm right at the stone stove.
Unable to endure it any longer, Lu Huowang snapped at him, "How can you be so disgusting!"
Tang Changfa gave a snort. "Why are you being so delicate? I'm just a spectator spitting twice. What's it to you?"
Lu Huowang had no time to argue with Tang Changfa. The Raging Fire and Crashing Thunder technique was short-lived; as soon as its duration expired and the fire cloud overhead dispersed, another thirty-foot fire dragon leaped out of the stove.
That stove sure can store a lot!
Li Banfeng finally knew where the fire seeds were.
Before the fire cloud could reform, Li Banfeng launched a kick straight at the stone stove.
Lu Huowang lunged forward, throwing his body in front of it.
Li Banfeng struck with Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. Lu Huowang didn't dare use Unnamed Fire Ignites, taking the hit entirely with his flesh and leaving his body riddled with bloody punctures.
As Li Banfeng prepared to bring down another stomp, Lu Huowang waved his hands frantically. "Stop! I surrender!"
"You truly surrender?" Li Banfeng held his foot suspended in midair, halting the strike.
Lu Huowang nodded. "You caught my weakness. A bet is a bet, and a loss is a loss. I have nothing more to say."
What was Lu Huowang's weakness?
It lay in this very stove. Lu Huowang was a Fire Cultivator on the first layer above the clouds. Among local spirits, his cultivation was not particularly high, but his reputation was considerable.
He had clashed with other local spirits many times and rarely suffered defeat, all because of this stove.
Not only could it store vast quantities of fire sources, but it could also house fire seeds.
A Fire Cultivator gained one fire seed per cultivation layer. He had eleven fire seeds in total—six on his body, and five in the stove.
When others attacked Lu Huowang, they often overlooked the stone stove. Yet packed with fire sources and working in tandem with five fire seeds, the stove could continuously unleash techniques, creating a two-on-one dynamic tailored to the nature of a Fire Cultivator.
Such a method was baffling. Fire seeds were an intrinsic trait of a Fire Cultivator; how could they be transferred into a stove?
Especially a rudimentary stove built of stones—nothing about it looked like such a sophisticated piece of craftwork.
Li Banfeng had unraveled Lu Huowang's tactics quickly, thanks in no small part to Tang Changfa's hint.
But how did Tang Changfa know about Lu Huowang's method? Could the two have known each other before?
Looking at Tang Changfa's blank face, it didn't seem as though he had met an acquaintance.
Li Banfeng said to Lu Huowang, "Since you accept your loss, hand over the covenant deed to the territory!"
Lu Huowang looked at Li the Seventh, not having expected him to actually demand the deed. He had assumed Li the Seventh would want to befriend him and let the matter drop.
That was wishful thinking on his part.
Had Lu Huowang won, would he have let Li the Seventh off? Would he have forgone He Yuxiu's territory?
When they fought just now, every move Lu Huowang made was vicious, aiming straight for Li Banfeng's life. How could Li Banfeng possibly spare him?
"Fine!" Lu Huowang lifted the stone stove from the ground. "I'll take you to the deed."
A rudimentary stove built of stones could actually be picked up intact.
There was true craftsmanship here—seemingly rustic, yet extraordinarily delicate.
Li Banfeng followed Lu Huowang into the wilderness. Tang Changfa was uneasy and wanted to trail behind, but Li Banfeng signaled for him to wait where he was.
The two walked over thirty li through the wilderness. Lu Huowang pointed to an old poplar tree ahead. "The deed is right beneath that tree."
Li Banfeng said, "Go dig it up."
"You don't dare dig it yourself?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Indeed, I don't. I'm afraid you'll pull a dirty trick."
Lu Huowang set the stove beside him, leaned down, and dug beneath the tree.
After digging for a while, he brought out a jar. "My deed is inside."
Li Banfeng said, "Open it and let me see."
"Open it yourself!" Lu Huowang hurled the jar toward Li Banfeng.
At the same time, a plume of blue smoke rose from the stove.
A fiery serpent shot out of the stove, just as the jar was about to land in Li Banfeng's hands.
Li Banfeng didn't catch the jar, slipping aside to avoid it.
The fiery serpent caught up to the jar and coiled around it. With a deafening boom, the jar exploded.
Lu Huowang glared viciously at Li Banfeng.
Standing far away, Li Banfeng hadn't been harmed in the least. The jar was packed with gunpowder, which Li Banfeng had smelled long ago using his Exquisite Hundred Flavors technique.
"You're quite the gambler, kid. Weren't you afraid it wouldn't go off?"
Lu Huowang offered no reply. Transforming himself into a fire dragon, he charged forward to battle Li Banfeng to the death.
He hadn't counted on the jar of explosives actually killing Li the Seventh; he had only wanted to seize the initiative.
Li Banfeng laughed. "What, can't afford to lose?"
Lu Huowang truly couldn't afford it. Unwilling to hand over the deed, his only remaining choice was to fight for his life.
Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to drag it out. Dodging aside, he tossed out the old teapot.
*Splash!*
The old teapot dumped a pot of water directly onto the stove.
A dense cloud of steam billowed up, and the flames inside looked ready to die out. If all those fire seeds were extinguished, his very life would be in jeopardy.
Lu Huowang scrambled to save the stove. A halo lit up beneath Li Banfeng's feet, shaving off a layer of flesh and blood from his body.
Lu Huowang collapsed. Li Banfeng stepped forward, grabbed him, and tossed him into the companion dwelling first, followed by the stone stove.
Hong Ying looked at the bloody mess that was Lu Huowang, then at the stove beside him. Before she could speak, Lu Huowang blurted out:
"What kind of monster is this?"
Hong Ying flew into a rage, drew her sword, and pinned Lu Huowang to the floor.
There was still a flicker of flame in the stove. Lu Huowang tried to use Unnamed Fire Ignites to turn into fire and slip free of the blade.
Yet Hong Ying's movements were blindingly fast. In a flurry of sword light, she punched over sixty holes through Lu Huowang's body.
By the time she finished her sixty-odd thrusts, Lu Huowang still hadn't managed to light his fire.
"Yingying, don't fool around! My husband still has use for him!" the gramophone hurriedly stopped her.
Hong Ying sheathed her sword. "Relax, he won't die. I know how to hold back."
The gramophone stared at the stove for a long time, unable to suppress an exclamation of praise: "Great craft conceals its art. What an ingenious construction!"
The companion dwelling sighed. "You really have an eye for it. This craft method has been lost for many years!"
Li Banfeng didn't rush back into the companion dwelling. First, he went to find Tang Changfa.
"Changfa, you did a great service today. I'll get you something nice in a bit."
Tang Changfa shook his head. "You're the shopkeeper. Doing work for you is only natural; how could I dare ask for a reward?
"Besides, I didn't really help much just now. I only spat a couple of times."
Li Banfeng smiled. "How did you know Lu Huowang's fire seeds were inside that stove?"
Tang Changfa looked slightly sheepish. "At first, I didn't know they were in the stove; I suspected he had hidden them somewhere else. Later, when I noticed that the stove kept unleashing techniques, I realized something was wrong."
Li Banfeng paused. "Do Fire Cultivators often hide fire seeds in other places?"
Tang Changfa thought it over carefully. "His method can't really be called common. In the past, there were two factions among Fire Cultivators: one called the Form-Following faction, whose members kept all their fire seeds on their bodies, and another called the External-Body faction, whose fire seeds were kept elsewhere.
"Seeing someone keep half on his body and half in a stove like this is a first for me too."
The Form-Following faction and the External-Body faction—this was the first time Li Banfeng had heard of either concept.
Tang Changfa's actions also baffled him.
"Why did you spit at that stove just now? Even if there was no water, taking a leak would have been more effective than spitting, wouldn't it?"
Tang Changfa chuckled. "I spat to trick him. That's another way to use Speaking with Utmost Certainty. Even though I didn't speak, I made him believe I was a Phlegm Cultivator."
"A Phlegm Cultivator?" Li Banfeng had never heard of such a pathway. "Do you mean a Disease Cultivator?"
Tang Changfa shook his head. "I've never seen a Disease Cultivator, but I have seen a Phlegm Cultivator. That pathway is formidable—the greatest nemesis of a Fire Cultivator."
"Isn't a Fire Cultivator's greatest nemesis a Water Cultivator?"
"It really isn't! Water and fire counter each other mutually, so everyone assumes Water Cultivators are their greatest foil. In truth, Phlegm Cultivators counter Fire Cultivators far more brutally.
"Some fires can't be put out completely with water. If the core isn't snuffed out, it can flare up again in the wind. But spit a glob of thick phlegm over the fire source, and the flame is smothered dead for good!"
Li Banfeng pictured the process. "Just how big would that mouthful of spit have to be?"
Tang Changfa said, "A Phlegm Cultivator is a pathway of their own; of course they have unique methods. When a Phlegm Cultivator spits, they can easily blanket an entire rickshaw. Those with high cultivation can drown the parlor hall of our shuyu if they put their backs into it."
That image... Li Banfeng didn't dare think about it too deeply. "Old Tang, go back and rest first. I still have some business to attend to."
"Shopkeeper, let me come with you."
"No need. Get a good night's sleep; we still have to travel tomorrow."
Having sent Tang Changfa off, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling, only to see the family gathered for a meal.
"You're already eating?" Li Banfeng froze for a moment, then snapped angrily, "I still had questions for him!"
The gramophone placed the blame squarely on Hong Ying: "Blame her. Just because someone called her a monster, she stabbed him over sixty times. The lad couldn't hold on, and eating him was the only choice left.
"I already asked a few things on your behalf. You wanted his covenant deed, right? He drew a map for me. You'll be able to find it by following the map."
Li Banfeng looked at the map Lu Huowang had left behind. It was stained with blood and drawn very crudely.
"He didn't just scribble randomly to trick me, did he?"
Hong Ying was entirely confident. "He wouldn't dare. His soul was scared out of his wits. Even if I told him to lie, he wouldn't have had the guts."
Li Banfeng looked at Lu Huowang's stove. "Did he say anything about where this stove came from?"
The gramophone replied, "He made this stove himself. He said he's the sole inheritor of the Fire Cultivator External-Body faction."
"Madam has heard of the External-Body faction too?"
"More than just heard of them—I've seen plenty in my day. It's just that the External-Body faction later died out, though I never did figure out why.
"Precious husband, this stove is of immense use. It can store a great many things! I must study the craftwork inside carefully. Just wait, your humble servant will fashion a fine piece of household property for you!"
Chapter 532