Chapter 558 - 71: Jade Furnace Golden Cauldron

「Three years later.」

In the manor, beneath a tall ginkgo tree, the Qiu Sisters leisurely savored tea with Fang Cheng.

The two women had since adopted the local customs, changing into the tight-fitting attire favored by the female cultivators of Qianyu Heaven, which perfectly outlined their beautiful curves.

"This Snow Foam is one of the finest Spirit Teas in this world. It can even strengthen the divine souls and heal the hidden injuries of Tribulation Realm Cultivators."

Qiu Wen Si’s voice was gentle as she smiled faintly and poured tea for Fang Cheng.

She had now consolidated her Early Stage Dharma Phase Cultivation. With Fang Cheng’s strong support over the past few years, she had refined a great number of Demon Souls, and her strength had become several times greater than it was three years ago.

Furthermore, she had acquired a suit of Profound Celestial Battle Armor through Chongxuan Academy’s channels. Her combat power had soared, and she frequently went to the Outer Void to hunt Celestial Demons and harvest Demon Souls.

Fang Cheng usually lived in seclusion, focusing on his closed-door cultivation. He had given the Fire God Gu and Void God Gu to Qiu Wen Si for her protection and also had a Dream Spirit Incarnation act as her Guardian.

While honing her skills, Qiu Wen Si had reaped great rewards in the Outer Void, slaying a considerable number of Tier Four Celestial Demons.

Besides the Demon Souls, the remaining materials from these Celestial Demons were also quite valuable.

The two sisters found a partner in the market district and handed over all these Celestial Demon materials. In return, they had the partner conduct a long-term search for Dao Pattern Spirit Jade and various Spiritual Medicines.

Qianyu Heaven was not only rich in resources but also maintained long-term, stable connections with many other World Heavens. The Spiritual Medicines Fang Cheng needed to refine the Cyan Dragon Divine Pill were quickly gathered.

As for Dao Pattern Spirit Jade, Qiu Wen Si had also accumulated a significant amount for Fang Cheng, contributing over a million creation points.

As for Qiuyu Tan, she spent most of her time accompanying Fang Cheng in his cultivation and attending to his daily needs.

In his spare time from his arduous training, especially after being "brutally killed" in various ways by the Demon Lord’s incarnation in the Spirit Ruins Treasure Realm, Fang Cheng always needed someone to help him relax his mind and body and dispel his violent tendencies. During these times, he relied entirely on Qiuyu Tan.

Qiu Wen Si would also occasionally join in...

In his spare time, Fang Cheng had Qiu Wen Si find the many "Dual Cultivation Secret Methods" in Chongxuan Academy’s collection. He studied them extensively, took their best parts, and combined them with his years of cultivation experience with his many dao partners and concubines. One day, he had a sudden epiphany and created a Dual Cultivation Secret Method of his own.

This technique was the magnum opus of Dual Cultivation Secret Methods. It secretly conformed to the Yin Yang Creation Path and had miraculous effects in boosting cultivation, breaking through bottlenecks, refining external objects, and healing injuries.

It just so happened that the academy asked him to give a lecture, so he chose "The Dao of Dual Cultivation" as his topic, expounded on its various wonders, and passed down this Secret Technique.

He had benefited from Chongxuan Academy, so this act was also a way of returning the favor.

Unexpectedly, he became famous overnight because of this technique.

His Secret Technique was named the "Yin-Yang Two Forms, Jade Furnace Golden Cauldron, Luan and Feng Guide." After cultivating it, many students immediately began to revere him as a Saint Master.

Fang Cheng’s lectures, held once every few months, were eagerly sought after by countless students.

Some even contacted many "like-minded individuals" and formed an organization called the Golden Jade Association, where they often exchanged notes on the Secret Technique. The group gradually grew in size.

Within the academy, Fang Xuezhen also gained a nickname—Jade Furnace Golden Cauldron.

Some speculated that since Fang Xuezhen could create such a powerful Dual Cultivation Secret Method, he must have countless Fairies following him.

A saying circulated privately within the Golden Jade Association: "At the sound of the Luan and Feng Guide, thin veils fall; at the hearing of the Cloud and Rain Art, silk sashes come undone."

According to rumors, in a secret palace of the Golden Jade Association, there hung a portrait of "Jade Furnace Golden Cauldron" Fang Xuezhen. In the portrait, his left hand formed a Taiji Talisman, and his right hand drew a Joyful Union Array. This was interpreted by some as "crushing a Qianyuan Pill with his left hand, and undoing a Mandarin Duck Knot with his right."

As for other romantic anecdotes, they were simply too numerous to count.

In reality, Fang Cheng had not gotten involved with any of the female cultivators of this world. These were just fantastic tales fabricated by busybodies for the sake of gossip.

When he learned of these rumors, he merely laughed them off and didn’t pursue the matter.

These days, his main focus was on improving his Magical Cultivation, tempering his physical body, and battling the Demon Lord’s incarnation in the Spirit Ruins.

As he invested more creation points, his understanding of the "Mixed Element Seven Tribulations Diagram" deepened, and the power of its seven ultimate techniques continued to skyrocket.

Although he was still no match for the Demon Lord’s incarnation, the time he could last against the Demon Lord had extended from being killed in two moves at the beginning... to being annihilated in three.

Today, after emerging from the Spirit Ruins Treasure Realm, Fang Cheng summoned the two Qiu Family sisters. He planned to enjoy some tea and idle chat for a while before going to the bath to relax and dispel the psychological trauma left by the Demon Lord.

Unexpectedly, a student hurried out of the high tower and came straight to the manor, asking to see Fang Cheng. He said he was there to deliver a message for School Principal Du Ruo.

Qiuyu Tan led the man into the manor and brought him to the base of the tree.

After bowing to Fang Cheng, the student dispensed with the pleasantries and said urgently, "Lord School Principal, the Outer Void has been attacked by a Demon Tide! Many students are trapped within it. School Principal Du Ruo sent me to ask for reinforcements. Please, my lord, act quickly to save them!"

Fang Cheng set down his teacup, glanced at Qiu Wen Si and the other woman, and asked faintly, "What is the scale of this Demon Tide? How is it that even Scholar Du can’t handle it?"

The student replied, "This Demon Tide appeared very suddenly. The early warning arrays we set up in the Outer Void gave no feedback at all. According to Du Xuezhen, there are at least a dozen Tier Five Celestial Demons in this wave, and the grade of several of them is not low."

Fang Cheng nodded. "Alright, I understand. You may go back first. I’ll be over shortly."

The student bowed once more, then hurriedly departed.

At his side, Qiu Wen Si said, "School Principal Du Ruo herself has a Peak of Dharma Cultivation, and with her Tier Five Middle Grade Profound Celestial Battle Armor, her strength is comparable to a Tribulation Realm Great Power. If even she is asking for help, it seems the situation in the Outer Void is dire."

Having been at the academy for three years, Fang Cheng and the others already knew that this woman, Du Ruo, had an extraordinary background. She was vaguely considered the leader of the academy’s many School Principals, and beneath the Ji Jiu, her strength was the greatest.

"I’ll go take a look. You two wait here."

Fang Cheng stood up and said, then drifted out of the manor and arrived before the high tower.

As it happened, several other School Principals from the academy had also been invited.

Like Fang Cheng, these five School Principals had no duty to guard the high tower. On a normal day, aside from cultivating, they gave lectures.

One of the female cultivators seemed unremarkable, yet she caught Fang Cheng’s attention.

The woman’s appearance was ordinary, at most deserving of the word "comely." But her eyes were exceptionally bright and spirited, full of wisdom, giving one the feeling of being embraced by a spring breeze.

This woman also seemed to be a School Principal, but Fang Cheng had never seen her in his three years here.

Fang Cheng just had a gut feeling that this woman possessed some kind of top-tier heritage, one that could even pose a slight threat to him.

This was an intuition he had developed after cultivating the "Mixed Element Seven Tribulations Diagram."

’This woman probably possesses the heritage of a Spirit Immortal...’

Fang Cheng was now a celebrity at the academy and was even somewhat famous in the other nearby academies. The other School Principals greeted him with smiles, and they all walked into the high tower together.

Inside the tower was still a vast Ping Lake. Beneath the peach tree in the lake, Du Ruo’s tall, graceful figure was nowhere to be seen.

After the group entered, ripples spread across the lake’s surface. A spatial fluctuation pulsed, instantly teleporting the six of them into the Outer Void.

Beyond the floating continent in the void, dense and endless hordes of Celestial Demons swarmed the Profound Gold iron-net Grand Array.

A brilliant streak of light shot through the mad tide of Celestial Demons like a bolt of lightning, letting out earth-shattering booms from time to time.

Occasionally, the streak of light would pass through the Profound Gold iron net, dropping off a group of "students." After being rescued and returned to the array, these students didn’t linger. They each performed a Secret Technique, their bodies flashing with light as they vanished on the spot, teleporting back to the academy’s high tower.

All six of them could see that the streak of light rescuing students from within the Demon Tide was none other than Du Ruo.

With no time to waste on words, the six of them immediately took action, rushing to aid Du Ruo!