Chapter 686: The "Difficulty" of Re-entering Flame Space

Although Su Chen was curious about the Abyss Realm, gathering information on it wasn’t urgent. He didn’t press the issue, asking instead, “Back in the Flame Space, you told Qin Yun and the others there was a way for those who didn’t meet the qualifications to gain recognition. Was that true or false?”

This question bordered on the level of a core secret.

The Residual Spirit remained silent for noticeably longer, seemingly hesitating. After a long while, he finally volunteered more information. “I lied to them. For the unqualified to be recognized, one must first deceive its spirituality. The Spirit of Sun doesn’t possess ordinary spirituality; it’s not that easily deceived.

“The method I taught them was merely a way to help me escape.

“Time is meaningless within the Sun Flame. After Taixuan Ye died, I don’t know how long it took for me to awaken, but I was sealed by the Spirit of Sun. It was only when they entered that I resorted to deception.”

“A lie?” Su Chen remained noncommittal on whether he believed it or not. “There’s another thing. The Morning Stars who died in the Flame Space—where are their weapons?”

“Weapons?” The Residual Spirit was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a question. He quickly replied, “The weapons were all swallowed into the Spirit of Sun’s belly.”

“Swallowed into its belly?” Su Chen asked, astonished.

“That’s right,” the Residual Spirit explained. “Those Morning Star Artifacts have a portion of the Spirit of the Morning Star’s spirituality attached to them, which the Spirit of Sun can gradually absorb.”

Su Chen frowned, realizing that was why he hadn’t seen those Morning Star Artifacts.

Did that mean he had to pry the Morning Star Artifacts right out of the Spirit of Sun’s mouth?

He asked casually, “Do you have a way to pull those weapons out of the Spirit of Sun’s mouth?”

The Residual Spirit hesitated. “Even if there were a way, it would have to be used within the Flame Space. But right now…”

Su Chen astutely realized this old fox was trying to regain the initiative. He didn’t bother beating around the bush, stating bluntly, “I was just about to ask if you have a way for me to silently re-enter the Flame Space.”

Just as expected. The Residual Spirit breathed a sigh of relief. Back then, the Power of Morning Star on Su Chen could have completely snuffed him out, but Su Chen had chosen to spare this Spirit Fragment of his. The boy definitely had an ulterior motive, which was likely tied to the spirit’s familiarity with the Flame Space.

“If I cooperate, can you let me out of here?” the Residual Spirit asked cautiously.

Su Chen thought for a moment and said, “If you cooperate, I will stop torturing you.”

The Residual Spirit felt a flash of irritation but suppressed it. Naturally, he was unwilling to be forever in Su Chen’s grasp, but he had to take things one step at a time and slowly earn Su Chen’s trust.

This was only the beginning. He didn’t mind cooperating for now.

“Alright,” the Residual Spirit agreed without overthinking it. “Since you have already been recognized, entering the Flame Space silently is relatively simple. It will require about fifty drops of Divine Blood, along with ten portions of pure Deceitful God Faith Power.”

Relatively simple? Su Chen’s brow twitched.

Right now, if he mobilized even five drops of Divine Blood, Qing Cang would immediately come over to kill him, let alone fifty drops. It was utterly impossible to give the spirit that much.

And what was this pure Power of Faith? He had barely even heard of the stuff.

“Is this the only way?” Su Chen sighed, looking somewhat disappointed. “And here I thought you were actually useful.”

Hearing Su Chen’s deliberate provocation, the Residual Spirit’s mind stirred. This might be a chance to seize the initiative.

Feigning hesitation, he said, “Aside from this method, there is one more, but I’m afraid it’s impossible to achieve.”

Su Chen remained noncommittal. “Let’s hear it.”

The Residual Spirit replied, “The primary condition is that you need the Fire-igniting Ash.”

“The Fire-igniting Ash?” Su Chen’s expression turned peculiar.

The Residual Spirit couldn’t see Su Chen’s expression, so he even considerately explained. “That’s right. This is an extremely precious item. As long as you have a wisp of Sun Flame and the Fire-igniting Ash, you can freely enter and exit the Flame Space.

“However, you can only obtain the Fire-igniting Ash if you secure the recognition of the Three Dragons.”

He estimated that given Su Chen’s situation, the boy could probably obtain the recognition of two dragons, leaving him only one step away from three dragons. However, this single step was an insurmountable chasm.

“Recognition of the Three Dragons…” Su Chen murmured. “That sounds quite difficult.”

The Residual Spirit wholeheartedly agreed. “It is extremely difficult. Without a True Radiance Talent, it is impossible to obtain.”

Su Chen narrowed his eyes and continued, “Is the Fire-igniting Ash all that’s needed?”

The Residual Spirit sighed. “The Fire-igniting Ash is only the first difficulty. There is a second difficulty, called the Cultivation Residence.”

“The Cultivation Residence?” Su Chen’s expression grew even more peculiar. He took the initiative to ask, “And what is that?”

The Residual Spirit pondered for a moment before explaining. “It’s rather complicated. The Sun Flame Space left behind by Taixuan Ye is actually a relatively common method used in the Abyss Realm to select successors.

“There are many trials within it. The high temperatures in the Flame Space are unbearably hot; even those at the Morning Star Tier would struggle to endure it. The Cultivation Residence is akin to a type of clearance that allows Low-tier Professionals to survive inside.”

“Is that so?” Su Chen asked in amazement. “To think such a thing exists.”

“However…” the Residual Spirit added, “you must pass the Sun Trial to qualify for the Cultivation Residence. That refers to the third and sixth floors of the Spiritual Tower. Even with a True Radiance Talent, it would take considerable effort to pass.”

“The Fire-igniting Ash and the Cultivation Residence,” Su Chen murmured. “Aside from these two requirements, is anything else needed?”

“No,” the Residual Spirit volunteered. “You should have already obtained the recognition of two dragons, and you are only one step away from the Three Dragon Shadows. I have a way to help you increase your recognition level.”

The Residual Spirit had finally showed his hand. He deliberately brought up the numerous benefits that could only be obtained through the recognition of the Three Dragons and a True Radiance Talent, only to follow up by claiming he had a method.

Su Chen remained noncommittal, merely asking, “Do this Fire-igniting Ash and the Cultivation Residence have any other uses?”

Seemingly to make his words more appealing, the Residual Spirit rapidly said, “The Fire-igniting Ash has so many uses that it’s hard to explain them all at once. With the Fire-igniting Ash, the cost of executing any methods within the Flame Space is vastly reduced.

“For example, when pulling the Morning Star Artifacts out of the Spirit of Sun’s mouth, retrieving one or two pieces would take almost no effort at all with the Fire-igniting Ash.

“And then there’s the Cultivation Residence, which is the most critical key. To give a simple example, you can use the Cultivation Residence to create a mimetic projection to walk through the Flame Space.”

“It actually has that kind of function?” Su Chen was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t discovered that when he studied it earlier.

“How about it? If you and I join forces, we can definitely push you into the position of the Chosen One,” the Residual Spirit coaxed gently.

“The Chosen One…” Su Chen asked leisurely. “How do we do that?”

“The method is quite complex. Right now, the most important thing is to collect Divine Blood and pure Power of Faith.”

The Residual Spirit’s voice grew inevitably urgent, seemingly believing that he was gradually seizing the initiative.

But Su Chen shook his head. “There’s no need for all that trouble.”

The Residual Spirit faltered, not yet understanding what he meant. But then he saw Su Chen reach out his hand. A fiery glow flared up around them like a veil, and a wisp of ash resembling golden sand floated up from his palm.

“This is… the Fire-igniting Ash!” The Residual Spirit’s voice suddenly pitched high in disbelief. “You… you actually obtained the recognition of the Three Dragons, but you clearly don’t have a True Radiance Talent!”

He was genuinely astounded. The recognition of the Three Dragons was extraordinary, leaving one just a single step away from being the Chosen One. He knew full well how difficult it was, yet Su Chen clearly only possessed Twin Divine Dawns.

However, the Residual Spirit then realized just how foolish he had been moments ago. This brat was clearly baiting him for information! In his attempt to tempt Su Chen by inflating the value of the Fire-igniting Ash and the Cultivation Residence, he had actually divulged quite a few of their uses.

After a moment, he said unwillingly, “There’s still the Cultivation Residence…”

“I’ve already opened it,” Su Chen said casually.

This time, the Taixu Residual Spirit surprisingly didn’t feel all that shocked.

“So, are you going to choose to proceed as you just said, or are you going to swallow your words?” Su Chen’s voice was calm.

The Residual Spirit struggled internally. Entering the Flame Space was only a matter of moderate importance. If he fell out with Su Chen over this right now, the worst that would happen to the boy was losing access to the Flame Space. But what the spirit himself stood to lose was his “life.”

After a moment, the Taixu Residual Spirit’s voice rang out, “Since the words have been spoken, how can I swallow them back? Ignite the Fire-igniting Ash and use the Cultivation Residence to receive it. Then, you can silently immerse yourself inside.”