Burial Furnace

Zhang Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed in the lounge.

The night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, carrying the fragrance of flowers from the courtyard, and gently brushed against his cheek.

He circulated his internal energy, letting it flow slowly along his meridians.

Since he began dual cultivation with Hua Nongying, his meridians have become much wider than before, and his true essence flows more smoothly.

With each breath, one can feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seeping into the body through the breath and pores, merging into the meridians, and transforming into one's own true essence.

However, this speed is only one-fifth of the efficiency when cultivating with Hua Nongying.

After experiencing that kind of feeling, practicing alone is like going back to simple meals after being used to delicacies; you always feel like something is missing.

There was no business that night.

As the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, Zhang Yuan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, which crackled and popped like beans being fried.

He walked to the window, opened it, and the morning air rushed in, carrying the fragrance of dew and flowers, which invigorated him.

It was still early, and Qingmu Town had not yet fully woken up.

On the distant streets, only a few early-rising vendors were setting up their stalls, their shouts coming intermittently, sounding particularly clear in the morning air.

Zhang Yuan returned to the small building.

I went into my room.

I took a bath.

He stood in front of the bronze mirror, examining himself.

The old man in the mirror seemed to have gotten a little younger.

The wrinkles on my face are a little less pronounced than they were a few days ago, and my skin has a bit more radiance; it's no longer that dry, sallow color.

His eyes, in particular, were more expressive than before, with clear black and white, radiating vitality.

He nodded in satisfaction, pushed open the door, and walked out.

The door to the next room also opened.

Hua Nongying came out of the room.

A long white dress, the hem trailing on the ground.

Her long, black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, with a few strands falling in front of her chest.

She wasn't wearing a veil.

That captivating face was thus exposed to the morning light without any concealment.

Her figure is so hot that it's impossible to look away.

A faint fragrance emanated from her and wafted into Zhang Yuan's nostrils. It was fresh, elegant, and refreshing.

When Hua Nongying saw him, she smiled slightly, a smile as bright and beautiful as spring flowers in bloom.

She took out a pill from her sleeve and handed it to Zhang Yuan.

"This is a fasting pill. After taking it, you'll stay full for three days." Her voice was gentle, like a spring breeze in March, softly brushing against your ear. "Shall we begin our cultivation?"

Zhang Yuan took the pill and popped it into his mouth without hesitation.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, transforming into a warm liquid that slid down the throat and into the stomach.

A warm feeling rose from my stomach and spread to my limbs, making me feel warm all over. The feeling of hunger vanished instantly.

"Okay." He nodded.

The two entered the cultivation chamber.

Sit cross-legged facing each other.

The four palms gently pressed together.

Soon, the true essence formed a mysterious cycle within their bodies.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was also drawn in by this powerful attraction, entering their bodies through their breath, merging into their circulation, and transforming into new true essence.

A feeling of ethereal bliss welled up inside me.

It felt so good that I almost groaned out loud.

This kind of cultivation requires no effort, because the true essence circulates automatically.

Zhang Yuan even had time to carefully appreciate the junior sister in front of him.

Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, casting a faint shadow on her cheeks.

She had a straight nose, full lips, and a slight upturn at the corners of her lips, carrying a faint smile.

Her skin was as white as jade, and it shone with a lustrous glow under the light of the luminous pearl, as if it could be broken with a touch.

His gaze moved down and landed on her collarbone.

Exquisite and graceful, like two butterfly wings, peeking out from the neckline.

Further down, there was that prominent bulge, which supported the white dress in a breathtaking arc, rising and falling gently with her breath.

Very pretty.

Although Hua Nongying had her eyes closed, her divine sense could clearly perceive Zhang Yuan's gaze.

A faint blush gradually appeared on her face.

The blush started at the base of her ears, then spread to her cheeks, and finally even her neck was tinged with a light pink.

She couldn't stop him from overthinking, so she could only lower her eyes and pretend not to know.

Time slips away quietly during cultivation.

The light outside the window changed from bright to soft, and then from soft to dim. The luminous pearl, however, shone brightly, illuminating the secret room day and night.

When Zhang Yuan opened his eyes again, the sky outside the window had become hazy.

And just like that, the day passed.

He slowly finished his practice.

The true energy split apart instantly, like two rivers flowing into the sea.

His true essence returned to his dantian, increasing in quantity but, more importantly, becoming more refined.

He could feel that his meridians had widened a bit, and the flow of his true essence was smoother.

Hua Nongying's true essence also returned to her dantian.

After absorbing the purified true essence, her golden core became even more golden and radiant, like a small sun floating in her dantian, a sight of unparalleled beauty.

"Such pure true essence, such a perfect golden core, my advancement to the late stage shouldn't be too far off." Hua Nongying was filled with joy, and a bright smile bloomed on her face.

She took Zhang Yuan's hand and whispered, "Senior brother, according to the records, the effects of our cultivation have surpassed those of the Yin-Yang Ancestor. This is truly amazing."

"No way?"

"The effects of purifying true essence are about the same, and the effects of rejuvenation are also about the same," Hua Nongying explained. "But your speed of converting spiritual energy surpasses, even exceeds, that of any genius with a heavenly spiritual root. The balance of yin and yang has also brought me some benefits."

She paused, then added, "My intuition is absolutely right; I've been meticulously experiencing and calculating everything. Unlike you..."

At this point, a faint blush appeared on her face, and she stopped talking.

Zhang Yuan blushed.

He knew what Hua Nongying was talking about—he had been so focused on watching her that he hadn't paid any attention to the changes in the cultivation process.

But he didn't care about the embarrassment; instead, he was thinking: Why is this happening?

He quickly found the answer.

The Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique has five attributes, corresponding to the five elements.

All five of his spiritual roots were activated, simultaneously transforming spiritual energy.

What does this equate to?

This is equivalent to a prodigy with a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivating with all their might.

The geniuses with Heavenly Spiritual Roots have a single-attribute spiritual root. When cultivating a single-attribute technique, their spiritual root is 100% converting spiritual energy. Although each of his five elemental spiritual roots is inferior to the Heavenly Spiritual Root, when cultivating techniques of all five attributes, all five spiritual roots operate simultaneously, so the total amount of spiritual energy converted is by no means inferior.

The Immortal Transformation Furnace allows him to continuously obtain primal power, enhance his talents, and increase his lifespan.

This improvement in talent doesn't turn him into a single-element prodigy, but rather improves his five elemental roots, continuously increasing the efficiency and speed at which each root converts spiritual energy.

Therefore, when he cultivates dual cultivation, the speed at which he converts spiritual energy surpasses that of any other prodigy with a heavenly spiritual root.

But the true essence of these transformations belongs to him and has nothing to do with Hua Nongying.

The benefits she gained from the balance of Yin and Yang were merely incidental and limited.