Treasure Gathering Immortal Furnace

Upon returning to the Xuan Yang Sword Sect, Lu Fan immediately went to the back mountain Taoist temple to meet the two Supreme Elders.

Inside the Daoist cave, Ancestor Jing was sitting in front of a huge forging furnace, continuously pouring infant fire into it, seemingly refining some kind of magical treasure.

Immediately noticing the flash of light coming from the doorway, Elder Jing tilted his head and saw that it was Lu Fan returning. He quickly stood up and asked, "Master Lu, did your journey go smoothly?"

When asked, Lu Fan quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your concern, Ancestor. Although we encountered some trouble, fortunately we escaped unscathed and everything went smoothly."

"In the three months you've been gone, my senior brother Tianhuo has been extremely worried, fearing you might have encountered some danger. That's why he went out to look for you three days ago," Elder Jing said with a sense of helplessness.

These words flattered Lu Fan, who replied, "I am deeply honored by the concern shown by the two patriarchs."

"You are the only Core Formation cultivator in my Xuan Yang Sword Sect, so it's only right that we show you more concern," Elder Jing said, raising his hand slightly. He then added, "You've only recently formed your Core, so I suggest you don't go out anymore. At least make sure your cultivation is stable before you go out again."

"Yes, I was planning to go into seclusion for a few years after returning this time," Lu Fan nodded.

"That's wonderful. There's another piece of good news. A few days ago, I reached an agreement with the Thousand Shadows Sect. They are willing to give up their spot for the treasure hunt in the Fire Cave ten years from now."

"You can go to the Li Huo Cave as a Core Formation cultivator of the Xuan Yang Sword Sect. There aren't many sects going this time. Including the Dao Sect, Sword Pavilion, and Qi Sect of the Great Yan Dynasty, there are a total of six."

"Old Ancestor Jing said slowly."

Upon hearing about exploring the Li Huo Cave, Lu Fan felt a chill run down his spine. To explore treasures with the Great Yan Sect?

What about Jian Ge and Yi Qi Men?

Daozong is alright, as it's his former employer, so there's no real enmity between them. But Jiange and Yiqimen are people he's seriously offended.

Even if I've reached the Core Formation stage now, I'd still be skinned alive if I went there!

"Ancestor...no, no! This disciple's cultivation is shallow, and I don't covet those treasures. I just want to stay in the Xuan Yang Sword Sect and cultivate in seclusion to improve!" Lu Fan was a hundred times unwilling.

They were told they were in the Fire Cave, and they almost died there during their trip to the underground palace.

This made Lu Fan realize that his cultivation was insufficient. Even if he had formed his core, he was only at the early stage of core formation and could not withstand the combined fire of the Sword Pavilion and the One Qi Sect.

Moreover, as the only ancient secret realm in the Great Yan and Feng Kingdoms, the Li Huo Cave Mansion opens only once every hundred years. Not only sects participate, but also some powerful rogue cultivators enter.

For example, Ghost Ghost and Su Meier will most likely get involved. It can be said that all the people Lu Fan has offended over the years will appear in droves.

This creates an extremely serious problem: if he shows his face, those people will be lucky if they don't chop him into pieces.

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

"Hehe, look how scared you are," Old Ancestor Jing smiled helplessly as he looked at Lu Fan, who was covered in sweat.

"Ancestor, as you know, I offended quite a few people in my early years. They searched for me in vain, but if I were to show my face in the Li Huo Cave, even if I had three heads and six arms, I wouldn't be able to withstand it."

"Therefore... I humbly request that the Ancestor rescind his order and allow this disciple to cultivate in peace."

Lu Fan refused again.

However, Elder Jing seemed unwilling to let go of this opportunity for the Xuan Yang Sword Sect to show off, so he raised his hand and said, "You don't need to worry too much. It's not like you're going alone. Senior Brother Tian Huo will go with you."

"Moreover, the Fire Cave will only be open for five days. No one will abandon the treasures inside to fight with you. Once you have found the treasures, the Heavenly Fire Ancestor will take you back. There will be no danger."

Hearing this, Lu Fan felt somewhat helpless. It seemed he couldn't avoid it, but having a Nascent Soul cultivator with him made things a little better.

At least those without Nascent Soul cultivators like the One Qi Sect and the Ghostly Old Ghost would definitely not attack me.

After all, before taking action against him, one should consider whether they can withstand the wrath of the Heavenly Fire Ancestor.

So, the only one who would dare to attack him is probably the Sword Pavilion, and it's likely that Wang Qingzhu will be the one to go. If that's the case, then there's not much of a problem.

But this is just Lu Fan's thought; whether it will be the same when he goes is still unknown.

"Lu Shizhi, don't hesitate any longer. This Li Huo Cave has four levels, and each level contains a large number of rare and precious materials."

"Especially the third level, very few cultivators have ventured into this place so far. If you are lucky enough to make it through, you will surely gain something. This is a rare opportunity."

Old Ancestor Jing advised.

"Since that's the case, then this disciple has no choice but to comply," Lu Fan reluctantly agreed.

"Hehe, that's right. Anyway, you still have ten years. You should go into seclusion to consolidate your cultivation and improve your strength. You don't need to worry about anything else," Elder Jing said with a smile.

"Yes...then this disciple will take his leave first," Lu Fan cupped his hands and slowly left the dojo.

I wonder what they will think when they see their old acquaintances from the Dao Sect again during their trip to the Li Huo Cave Mansion ten years later.

The fact that someone could form a core using a mutated, mixed spiritual root would probably cause quite a stir...

...

After returning to his cave, Lu Fan set up a layer of isolation array, preparing to go into seclusion to consolidate his cultivation.

However, in order to make good use of his time, he planned to enhance his spiritual sense as well, and at the same time, he would take time to refine that ball of demonic energy.

So he took out the Heaven-Mending Furnace and replicated five Grade 6 Soul-Nourishing Pills, along with a batch of Spirit Beast Pills.

As for refining his natal magic weapon, Lu Fan plans to wait until his cultivation is stable before using alchemical fire to refine it.

After all, he needed to stabilize his cultivation, enhance his divine sense, and refine demonic energy all at the same time, leaving him no spare time.

As for feeding the three-eyed crows, Lu Fan summoned Zi Yuan.

"Master, I may have to go into seclusion for a few years. There are too many things to do, and I am too distracted to manage them all. I can only ask you for help with feeding the three-eyed crows," Lu Fan said slowly as he released two three-eyed crows.

"You...you take it away!" Zi Yuan was terrified when she saw the three-eyed crow fly out.

"Grandmaster, don't be afraid. As long as you don't show hostility towards the younger generation, they won't attack you. Just feed them a few spirit beast pills every now and then, and you'll probably be able to advance in a few years," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yuan's eyes held a hint of resentment: "You brat, I'm not your servant! What do you take me for?!"

"I'm multitasking right now because I want to improve my strength as soon as possible. The sooner I reach the Nascent Soul stage, the sooner you can enter the cycle of reincarnation, right?" Lu Fan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin, residing within Zi Yuan's body, seemed to agree. It then raised its hand and sucked the storage bag containing the spirit beast pills from Lu Fan's hand, saying, "I'll help you this once. Don't release me next time unless it's something particularly important. My remnant soul can't withstand any more torment."

"Thank you!" Lu Fan smiled, then sat cross-legged on the futon, swallowed two Soul Nourishing Pills at once, and began to stabilize his cultivation.