Chapter 17: Earth Flame Ore, Heavenly Pill Realm!

Deep within the cavern, two figures darted forward in rapid succession. Ten minutes later, Lin Fan finally reached the bottom.

The surrounding stone walls were charred deep crimson from prolonged exposure to intense heat, and a subterranean river surged violently, bubbling with scalding, boiling water. Falling from the tunnel above with no surface to push off from, Lin Fan had no choice but to plunge straight into the river.

So hot!

The boiling water felt like countless fine needles pricking at the youth’s skin. Even with his cultivation of the *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*, a fire-attribute technique, Lin Fan found it difficult to withstand the assault of the searing water.

He swam along the bank, but after barely ten yards, another figure plummeted from above. The youth’s eyes turned cold; he had not expected the assassin, a master of the Spirit Pill Realm, to follow him down.

Hmm?

As the assassin hit the water, he began to thrash about as if drowning. Lin Fan watched, momentarily stunned.

This guy—a dignified Iron-Rank assassin of the Blood-Oath Organization—couldn’t swim?

Reaching the shore, Lin Fan watched the Spirit Pill assassin struggling in the water with an indifferent gaze. He had no intention of saving him. He had heard the story of the farmer and the snake often enough. Besides, this assassin’s sole purpose had been to end his life. Watching the man gradually sink beneath the surface, Lin Fan turned his attention away; in his view, the assassin was surely destined to drown.

He surveyed his surroundings. The cavern was gargantuan, appearing to be a natural formation. The subterranean river carved through the cave, its source and destination unknown.

"The spiritual density in these rocks seems even richer than that of the ore veins. Could these rocks themselves be spirit ore?"

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. Embedded in the crimson stone walls were rocks flickering with a reddish glow. They exuded a dense spiritual aura, far exceeding that of ordinary spirit ore.

"Lady Yue, with your vast experience, do you recognize these stones?"

Lin Fan did not know them, but he hosted a top-tier expert within his own body; whenever he encountered something beyond his understanding, he would politely consult the enchantress.

"You have good luck, kid. These stones are called Earth-Flame Ore. Pluck one, hold it in your hand, and circulate the *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*. You will soon understand the wonders of this Earth-Flame Ore."

Knowing the enchantress would not deceive him, Lin Fan leaped up and struck a protruding rock on the wall with his sword. A crimson stone broke free and fell into his palm.

As he held it, he immediately sensed the thick spiritual energy contained within. Unlike the impure energy of common spirit ore, the energy inside this Earth-Flame Ore was far purer and possessed a singular attribute: fire.

Without hesitation, Lin Fan activated the *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*. The lid of the furnace within his body burst open, and a massive, devouring force surged from his palm, instantly drawing the spiritual energy from the Earth-Flame Ore into his body—or more precisely, into his Heaven-Earth Furnace.

"This..."

In an instant, the spiritual energy of the ore was drained dry. Lin Fan stared in shock at the now-ordinary stone in his hand. "This Earth-Flame Ore actually has such an incredible effect on me!"

From just one piece, he felt his internal spiritual energy advance noticeably—a level of progress equivalent to an entire day of normal cultivation.

Right now, there were at least several thousand pieces of Earth-Flame Ore in this cavern. At his normal rate of cultivation, it would take him at least one or two months to reach the Heaven-Pill Realm. But if he could keep consuming the Earth-Flame Ore, he could successfully enter the Heaven-Pill Realm within a single day.

Looking at the Earth-Flame Ore covering the walls, a spark of greed flickered in Lin Fan’s eyes. He had to take them all; not a single one could be left behind!

Lin Fan secretly regretted not bringing a pickaxe; it would have made harvesting these ores much more efficient. Now, he could only rely on his Fire-Kirin Sword to slowly pry them loose. To harvest all the ore on the walls would likely take at least ten days of effort.

"If the Great Elder and the others don't see me, they will worry. But such a great opportunity is right before my eyes—if I give it up, who knows when I might encounter it again?"

Regarding the ore vein report, he trusted that with Lu Qianshan’s involvement, the matter would be handled properly even in his absence. He only worried that the Great Elder and his companions might grow anxious and take unpredictable actions. This cave was vast and winding; if he left, he might never find his way back.

Forget it. Get the ore first!

Having made up his mind, the youth became a professional miner, continuously digging the Earth-Flame Ore from the walls with his longsword.

After one day, he had one hundred and fifty pieces of Earth-Flame Ore in his pockets.

"Though it’s not as efficient as a pickaxe, it’s decent enough. One hundred and fifty pieces are more than enough."

Lin Fan looked at the pile of ore with satisfaction. At this rate, he could clear the walls in about half a month. Exhausted after a full day of mining, he held a piece of Earth-Flame Ore and successfully consumed its fire-attribute spiritual energy. The fatigue on his face vanished, replaced by anticipation and excitement.

With the speed at which his internal spiritual power was advancing, he wouldn't even need all one hundred and fifty pieces to reach the Heaven-Pill Realm. Recalling his helplessness when facing the Spirit Pill assassin, Lin Fan’s eyes narrowed. He clutched the spirit ore to his chest and frantically circulated the *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*.

The energy was quickly devoured, flowing into the furnace within the youth's body. The lid of the furnace emitted swirling mists, as if refining the energy inside. Endless, pure spiritual power surged from the furnace and poured into his silver spirit pill.

Deep within his dantian, the spirit pill underwent a earth-shattering transformation. The original silver halo completely vanished, replaced by a brilliant golden radiance. Like a sun, the golden glow illuminated his entire dantian, rendering it mysterious and profound. The spirit pill itself transformed from silver to pure gold.

It spun faster and faster until it suddenly came to a complete stop.

The moment it ceased spinning, a powerful force erupted from the spirit pill and surged into Lin Fan’s meridians. Simultaneously, his aura skyrocketed like a wild gale; his spiritual power seemed to ignite, boiling instantly. A mighty force flooded his entire body, coursing through his limbs and bones.

In that instant, Lin Fan’s aura surged, becoming more than ten times stronger than it had been at the Earth-Pill Realm.

Heaven-Pill Realm.

In just one day, with the help of the Earth-Flame Ore, he had successfully entered the Heaven-Pill Realm. He was now only one step away from his peak combat power.

Since he began his cultivation, thanks to his remarkable talent, he had made continuous breakthroughs over ten years to reach the peak of the Spirit Pill Realm. At that time, he was only fifteen, hailed as the number one prodigy of the Tianfeng Empire, basking in boundless glory.

During his two years of imprisonment in the God-Abyss Secret Realm, his cultivation had plummeted from the peak of the Spirit Pill Realm all the way down to Body Tempering. Yet, who could have guessed that after practicing the *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*, his cultivation would soar so rapidly in less than half a month?

And now, he had reached the Heaven-Pill Realm.

Others might assume that because he once possessed peak Spirit Pill cultivation, reaching this point so quickly was merely a restoration of his former strength. Only he knew the truth: he had rebuilt his foundation one step at a time, through his own hard work.

The *Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art*, the technique gifted to him by the enchantress, was likely even more heaven-defying than he had imagined.

"Kid, you've made another breakthrough, haven't you? Very good. Now, let me test you to see if you've become any more formidable!"