Burial Furnace

When Zhang Yuan woke up, he found that it was already broad daylight.

There was no one around.

Qi Jiaojiao had left sometime earlier; only a few strands of long hair remained on the pillow, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air, proving that she had once been there.

Zhang Yuan sat up, stretched, and felt refreshed and full of energy.

He rolled out of bed and was about to get dressed and wash up when his gaze suddenly fell on the table beside the bed.

There was a jade slip there, with a piece of paper underneath it.

The handwriting on the note was delicate and beautiful.

"Old man, you are still vigorous despite your age, even more courageous than young people. You are exceptionally talented, unparalleled in the world. I will give you a cultivation technique—the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique, the treasure of our Joyful Union Sect, but no one has been able to comprehend it for thousands of years. If you can comprehend it and cultivate it, you will break through faster, and may even become younger. Ascending to the Immortal Realm is not impossible."

"Holy crap, is this for real?"

Zhang Yuan was dumbfounded. Last night, he was tempted by Qi Jiaojiao in every way and couldn't resist breaking his vow. Qi Jiaojiao actually thought he was exceptionally talented and left behind a sect-protecting technique of the Hehuan Sect.

He only succeeded because he possessed the Immortal Transformation Furnace.

He picked up the jade slip and placed it between his eyebrows.

A vast and complex amount of information flooded into his mind.

It really is the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique!

But the problem is—he can't understand it at all.

The pathways of those meridians are too complex, the methods of transforming true qi are too mysterious, and the principles of yin and yang harmony are too profound.

He was like a primary school student who had just learned to read, suddenly given a textbook of advanced mathematics. He recognized every word, but when put together, he couldn't understand a thing.

No wonder no one has been able to comprehend it for thousands of years.

The difficulty of this technique is simply beyond imagination.

Without hesitation, he put the jade slip into the Immortal Transformation Furnace in his dantian.

"boom--"

Dark golden flames instantly ignited, engulfing the jade slip.

In less than a breath, the jade was reduced to ashes.

A surge of primordial power flowed from the Immortal Transformation Furnace and entered Zhang Yuan's body.

His lifespan was extended by approximately three days.

Moreover, that primordial power carries a wealth of information!

It surged into his mind like a tidal wave, exploding deep within his consciousness.

He saw a young male cultivator dressed in white, sitting opposite a stunningly beautiful woman, their palms touching, practicing a profound cultivation technique.

The male cultivator had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a face as beautiful as jade, and an extraordinary temperament, like a celestial being banished from heaven.

His every movement was fluid and graceful, and every breath he took was in harmony with the Dao. His true essence circulated between him and the female cultivator, forming a perfect Yin-Yang closed loop.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to be summoned, surging in from all directions, flowing into their bodies with their breath, and being refined in the convergence of yin and yang, transforming into pure true essence.

The speed at which his true essence grew was astonishing!

It can even be equivalent to cultivating with mid-grade spirit stones.

Moreover, it has another benefit: it purifies true essence.

Zhang Yuan was beaming with excitement.

He has now fully comprehended the "Yin Yang Rejuvenation Technique".

The core of this practice lies not in techniques, but in the understanding of the principles of Yin and Yang.

Only by truly understanding the principles of Yin and Yang's mutual generation and mutual support can one unleash the power of this technique.

Through the feedback from the Immortal Transformation Furnace, he directly obtained the Yin-Yang Ancestor's complete understanding and insights into this cultivation technique.

"We've struck it rich! This time it's really big!" Zhang Yuan grinned from ear to ear.

He sat cross-legged and circulated his true energy according to the methods of the "Yin Yang Rejuvenation Technique".

But he soon discovered a problem—this technique could only be practiced by women.

Without the cooperation of a female partner, he alone is simply unable to complete the cycle of yin and yang.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to put it into practice." Zhang Yuan stroked his chin, and the image of Liu Ruxue involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

He washed up and went out of the store.

The town of Aoki was already bustling with activity in the early morning.

Vendors were setting up their stalls on both sides of the street, their shouts rising and falling.

Vegetable vendors, meat vendors, cloth vendors, candied hawthorn vendors—all sorts of people bustled about.

Zhang Yuan first ate breakfast, then bought a gift and came to a slightly dilapidated house.

I knocked gently on the door.

"Who is it?" came an old and weak voice from inside.

"Junior Zhang Yuan has come to pay a visit to Senior Liu," Zhang Yuan said loudly.

After a while, the door was opened.

A thin old man stood at the door, wearing a faded gray robe. His hair and beard were all white, his face was covered with deep wrinkles, his eyes were sunken, and his skin was loose. He exuded an aura of old age.

His name is Liu Boyuan, and he is 110 years old this year. He is a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. In his youth, he traveled all over the country, visited many places, and knew a lot of things.

"Zhang Yuan?" The old man sized him up. "You're the Zhang who runs the crematorium?"

"It is indeed I, the junior." Zhang Yuan cupped his hands in greeting. "I have heard that Old Master Liu is very knowledgeable, so I have prepared some small gifts in the hope of hearing him tell some stories and broadening my horizons."

Liu Boyuan glanced at the fruit and wine he was carrying, a smile appearing on his face. He stepped aside to make way for him: "Come in."

Zhang Yuan walked into the courtyard.

There are several jujube trees in the courtyard, and a stone table and two stone benches under the trees.

Liu Boyuan wiped the stone bench with his sleeve and invited Zhang Yuan to sit down.

Then he took the wine that Zhang Yuan brought, opened the lid of the pot, and smelled it.

"Good wine," he praised, pouring himself a glass and then one for Zhang Yuan. "What story would you like to hear?"

Zhang Yuan picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then asked, "Does the old man know the story of the Yin-Yang Ancestor?"

"The Yin-Yang Ancestor? That's a figure from three thousand years ago. Why are you suddenly interested in him?"

"I overheard some legends about him by chance and became fascinated, wanting to learn more about him," Zhang Yuan said.

Liu Boyuan leaned back in his chair, gazing into the distance, as if he had traveled through time and returned to that distant era.

"The Yin-Yang Ancestor, whose real name is Qin Mubai, was born with mixed spiritual roots of the five elements, which is considered the most useless talent in the cultivation world. However, his comprehension is the best in the world, and he can understand the essence of any cultivation technique that comes into his hands."

"In his youth, he traveled extensively, visited renowned teachers, and read widely, accumulating profound knowledge. At the age of eighty, he suddenly went into seclusion with three beautiful women. When he emerged three years later, he had transformed into a young man in his early twenties."

"It is said that he created a cultivation technique called the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique, which allowed him to rebuild his foundation, rejuvenate himself, and become the most powerful cultivator. He founded the Yin-Yang Sect, recruited many disciples, and became famous throughout the world. At the age of five thousand, he shattered the void and ascended to the Immortal Realm, leaving behind an eternal legend."

As Liu Boyuan finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and his eyes were full of emotion.

"Unfortunately, after his ascension, no one in the Yin-Yang Sect was able to comprehend the essence of the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique."

After centuries of research, they could only simplify and adapt it, turning it into a cultivation technique called the "Yin-Yang Harmony Technique," and changing their sect to the Harmony Sect.

"The Hehuan Sect's cultivation methods are only suitable for women. Although dual cultivation can accelerate the cultivation speed, it is far inferior to the original Yin Yang Rejuvenation Technique."

However, most of the disciples of the Hehuan Sect are women. They can cultivate the Yin-Yang Hehuan Technique alone even without a male partner, and the speed of cultivation is quite fast.

If a suitable target can be found for the replenishment, the process will be even faster.

Liu Boyuan paused, his expression turning serious: "Therefore, although the Hehuan Sect has a bad reputation, its strength should not be underestimated. You must never provoke them, or you won't even know how you died."