Chapter 327

Chapter 327: The Spirit of the Fire Cauldron, the Soul Oath, and the Three Rules

“Who dares to offend me, you scoundrel?”

Following a resounding, commanding roar, scorching fire surged from the depths of the cauldron, threatening to incinerate the form conjured by Lu Qing’s spiritual power.

“Has the spirit of the Lihuo Cauldron recovered to this state?”

Lu Qing was slightly alarmed.

However, he remained calm. With a subtle thought, he used a profound technique to dissipate the scorching fire.

“Huh? The Fire Control Art? Boy, who are you, and how do you know the Lihuo Sect’s Fire Control Art?”

The commanding voice was surprised to see Lu Qing so easily dissipate the cauldron’s fire attack. He   was even more astonished

when he recognized the technique Lu Qing employed as the Lihuo Sect’s secret Fire Control Art.   ”I, the Lihuo Sect’s heir, Lu Qing, greet Senior ‘Yan,'”   Lu Qing said respectfully through telepathic communication.   ”Heir of the Lihuo Sect, you said you were the heir of the Lihuo Sect?”   The voice trembled, and the next moment, with a whoosh, a figure appeared before Lu Qing.   The figure, formed from pure flames, was tall and majestic, a middle-aged man with a pair of horns on his forehead.   ”Boy, you just claimed to be a descendant of the Lihuo Sect. What’s your proof?”   The middle-aged man’s gaze fell on Lu Qing, instantly sending a burning sensation through his heart.   However, Lu Qing, with a conscious effort, easily dissipated the heat.   This sight only strengthened the middle-aged man’s conviction: “It is indeed the Fire Control Technique. Boy, where did you steal it from? Tell me the truth!”   With that, endless flames rose from behind him, crushing Lu Qing with overwhelming force.   However, Lu Qing’s expression remained unchanged. “Senior Yan, there’s no need to scare me with illusions. Everything I say is true.”   ”Bullshit! The Lihuo Sect was wiped out tens of thousands of years ago. How can there be a successor? You must have stolen this Fire Controlling Technique from somewhere.   Tell me now, or I’ll incinerate your soul and body!”   the middle-aged man said with a stern look.   ”If you can steal the Fire Controlling Technique, then what about this?”   Lu Qing’s mind stirred, and a surge of spiritual energy permeated the space within the cauldron.   The next moment, the endless flames behind the middle-aged man dissipated, leaving no trace.   ”The control technique for the Lihuo Cauldron!”   The middle-aged man’s face finally changed drastically.   ”That’s impossible. How do you know how to control the Lihuo Cauldron?!”   ”If I say I learned it from Senior Yan, will you believe me?” Lu Qing asked with an enigmatic expression.   ”Boy, are you trying to scare me?” the middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. “Don’t think you can act pretentiously in front of me just because you know a little about controlling the Lihuo Cauldron.   Don’t forget, this is my world!”   As he finished speaking, endless flames reappeared, even more violent than before.   The next moment, as Lu Qing’s spiritual energy dissipated, the flames dissipated again.   The middle-aged man also felt a powerful binding force upon him, exacerbating the pressure.   His expression suddenly darkened.   He finally understood that the boy before him possessed not just a few manipulation techniques, but the most complete method of controlling the Lihuo Cauldron.   Otherwise, he couldn’t mobilize the Lihuo Cauldron’s power to restrain himself, the spirit of the artifact.   But how could this be possible?   The Lihuo Cauldron’s control formula had always been one of the Lihuo Sect’s most secret secrets.   Aside from the Sect Master and several Grand Elders, no one else was qualified to practice it.   And in that battle tens of thousands of years ago, the Lihuo Sect was annihilated. Aside from a few disciples who managed to escape, the rest were practically wiped out.   The Grand Elders and the Lihuo Sect’s leader also perished in that battle.   Only the Young Sect Master escaped with the Lihuo Cauldron, taking refuge in a secret location.   However, with the Young Sect Master’s death in the secret location, the Lihuo Cauldron’s control techniques must have been completely lost.   The middle-aged man was puzzled, and finally, he set his sights on Lu Qing.   ”Boy, stop. I believe you are the heir of the Lihuo Sect. The power within this cauldron is modest. It was painstakingly accumulated by me over many years. It shouldn’t be wasted.”   Lu Qing’s mind shifted, and he released the restraints from the middle-aged man.   ”Senior Yan, please forgive me. I was overly excited. I had no choice but to activate the restrictions and offend you.”   The middle-aged man’s eyes flickered, a hint of resentment showing.   This is the frustration of being an artifact spirit.   As the heirloom of the Lihuo Sect, the Lihuo Sect had enshrined countless layers of restrictions when refining the Lihuo Cauldron.   The purpose is to be able to have absolute control over the Fire Tripod.   To prevent any problems from occurring during the inheritance.   Therefore, even as a spirit of the weapon, it is difficult to harm Lu Qing, who has mastered the complete control formula.   And this is also the real reason why Lu Qing dares to refine the Fire Tripod.   Because even if the refining fails, he is absolutely sure that he can prevent the Fire Tripod from erupting.   ”Boy, tell me, what is your purpose in coming here this time?”   The middle-aged man’s face returned to calm, and he stood in the void and said.   ”Senior, why do you have to ask when you already know the answer? The reason I came here this time is naturally to regain control of the Fire Tripod, to refine and control it.” Lu Qing said frankly.

“Just you?” The middle-aged man showed a hint of sarcasm, “I’m not looking down on you, kid, you’re just a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and you’re dreaming of controlling a spiritual weapon. Isn’t that a bit too unrealistic?”

“There’s one thing, senior, you made a mistake.” Facing the middle-aged man’s ridicule, Lu Qing didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he said seriously, “I’m not in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but in the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, I just broke through not long ago and am now in the initial stage of Qi Refining.”

“Initial stage of Qi Refining? That’s impossible!” the middle-aged man blurted out, “Your spiritual power is so strong, how could you be only in the initial stage of Qi Refining!”

“That’s because the cultivation method I’m practicing is a bit special.” Lu Qing said calmly, “and not long ago, I was lucky enough to survive a heavenly tribulation. The power of my soul was cleansed by the tribulation thunder, turning from yin to yang, so I can be stronger than cultivators of the same level.”

“Survive the Heavenly Tribulation and refine your soul power with tribulation thunder?” The middle-aged man was once again shocked. “Boy, are you kidding? With your cultivation, you can summon tribulation clouds and survive the Heavenly Tribulation?”

Lu Qing didn’t argue, only smiled.

But his confident expression calmed the middle-aged man. He

finally calmed down and began to observe Lu Qing.

Then, with this perception, his expression gradually became solemn.

He discovered that Lu Qing’s soul power was truly extraordinary.

Not only was it incredibly strong and tenacious, but it was also imbued with yang energy, not just the ordinary feminine soul power.

Most importantly, he sensed a hint of tribulation energy in it.

The middle-aged man was no stranger to the concept of tribulation energy.

When he was first refined by the Lihuo Sect, he had experienced the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation and ultimately emerged from it.

So, what Lu Qing had just said was not a lie. He had truly experienced a Heavenly Tribulation and successfully survived it?

The middle-aged man was suddenly filled with doubt.

“It seems that Senior has seen through it.” Lu Qing smiled faintly, “I am not deceiving you, am I?”

“The rules of heaven and earth have only just begun to evolve and become finalized, yet you are already able to trigger the calamity clouds and survive the heavenly tribulation.

Boy, could you be the legendary person of destiny, destined to suppress the anomalies of heaven and earth for an entire era?”

The middle-aged man stared at Lu Qing intently, his face filled with astonishment.

“I don’t understand what you mean by ‘destined one,'” Lu Qing said. “I simply wish to ask, Senior, whether you are willing to cooperate with me

and hand over control of the Lihuo Ding.

As a spirit, you should know that it’s nearly impossible for a spirit weapon to advance on its own .

Even if you survive until the end of this era of immortal cultivation, it’s unlikely to be achieved.

But with my help, it won’t be difficult for the Lihuo Ding to become a top-grade spirit weapon.

Even further, it’s not impossible for you to break free from your cage and achieve freedom.”

“What if I disagree? What will you do?” the middle-aged man asked, looking at Lu Qing.

“Then I will have no choice but to offend you and force you to refine me,” Lu Qing said without hesitation.

“Do you think you, at the mere Qi Refining Stage, can refine me?”

“Senior, why not try?”

the middle-aged man fell silent.

If Lu Qing had dared to say such things at the beginning, he would have considered him wishful thinking and fanciful. He

would have unceremoniously incinerated him as the price for daring to offend him.

But now that Lu Qing possessed the complete Lihuo Sect’s manipulation techniques, it was impossible for him to incinerate his spiritual power.

Even expelling him from the Lihuo Cauldron would be extremely difficult.

More importantly, Lu Qing’s spiritual power, tempered by the baptism of the heavenly tribulation, was not only resilient but also imbued with yang energy, making it invulnerable to fire.

If he truly wanted to forcibly refine the Lihuo Cauldron, he could not afford to be careless.

Otherwise, if Lu Qing refined even one or two levels of the cauldron’s restrictions, he would be completely at a disadvantage.

So, strictly speaking, Lu Qing’s words were not an exaggeration.

He truly had the ability to gradually refine the Lihuo Cauldron.

However, the middle-aged man found it difficult to accept the idea of being controlled by a Qi Refining Realm expert.

Even spiritual artifacts have their own pride.

Since his creation in the ancient era of immortal cultivation, he had been firmly under the control of the Lihuo Sect.

His status was also highly respected within the sect.

Aside from the Sect Master and several Grand Elders, no one in the entire sect was worthy of speaking to him.

Even the sect’s seeded disciples and true disciples at the Jindan stage were required to be respectful in their presence, daring not to overstep their bounds or offend.

Now, the middle-aged man was reluctant to be controlled by a mere Qi Refining Realm novice.

“It seems you are reluctant, senior. Don’t blame me for offending you,”

Lu Qing observed the conflict on the middle-aged man’s face and shook his head.

He had offered every possible coaxing and persuasion, and if the other party remained resistant, he would resort to force.

While he didn’t want to force the refinement, the resistance of the weapon spirit would undoubtedly increase his mental and physical energy a thousandfold.

But since the other party wouldn’t yield, he didn’t need to waste any more words.

With his mind surging, Lu Qing’s spiritual power instantly seeped into the surrounding space.

It soon reached the first barrier, forcing it to be refined.

The middle-aged man immediately sensed this change, his expression changing before he sighed.

“Alright, stop for now. I agree.”

Lu Qing’s spiritual fluctuations paused.

He glanced at the middle-aged man’s expression, sensing no sign of a joke. He

slowly withdrew his spiritual power and waited in place.

“But before I hand over control, I need to establish three rules with you,” the middle-aged man said sternly. “If you disagree, I would rather die than resist your refinement.

Believe me, with your current level of cultivation, it will take decades or even centuries for you to control the Lihuo Cauldron even with my obstruction.”

“Senior, please tell me,”

Lu Qing said noncommittally, listening to the middle-aged man’s threat.

“First, you may refine the restrictions of the Fire Tripod, but you must swear a soul oath not to enslave my soul and turn me into a puppet.

This is the most important point. If you disagree, then nothing can be done.

Even if I die, I will never hand over control of the Fire Tripod to you!”

The middle-aged man spoke these last words with unwavering conviction,

as if he would completely renounce Lu Qing if he disagreed.

“That’s easy. I have no intention of enslaving you, senior. After all, the Fire Tripod needs your help to unleash its full potential.”

Lu Qing nodded in agreement without hesitation.

The enslavement the middle-aged man referred to was actually the way the immortal cultivators controlled spiritual artifacts.

In the ancient world of immortal cultivation, the major sects had two distinct methods for controlling their spiritual artifacts.

One method involved completely refining and enslaving the artifact spirit, ensuring its complete obedience to the controller’s commands.

The other method involved not refining and enslaving the artifact spirit, but rather collaborating with it, sharing control with the spirit.

It’s hard to say which of these two methods is superior; each has its pros and cons.

The former method completely refines and enslaves the weapon spirit, allowing for complete control of the weapon. However, it significantly reduces the weapon spirit’s spiritual power.

Further advancement to a higher spiritual weapon grade becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The latter method fully preserves the weapon spirit’s spiritual power, allowing it to independently control the weapon in battle, adding an extra layer of combat power.

However, the drawbacks are equally significant.

If a weapon spirit betrayed its master at a critical moment, refusing to contribute, or even backstabbing,

it would be extremely dangerous and could directly lead to the master’s death.

Therefore, in the ancient world of immortal cultivation, the vast majority of sects and powerful individuals who possessed spiritual weapons chose to completely enslave and refine the weapon spirit, bringing it under their control.

Even those who did not enslave the weapon spirit would impose numerous restrictions to prevent the spirit from betraying them.

Only those with special experiences, where the master and weapon spirit had absolute trust and friendship, would completely unrestrict the weapon spirit.

Of course, such examples are extremely rare.

Even in the tens of thousands of years of the ancient immortal cultivation era, there have only been one or two such cases.

The Lihuo Sect chose not to enslave the Lihuo Cauldron’s spirit, but to control and restrict it with restrictions.

Lu Qing knew this, so the middle-aged man’s request was not surprising and he agreed.

Of course, the most important thing was, as the middle-aged man said, if he fought to the death.

With Lu Qing’s current realm and cultivation, it would be extremely difficult to enslave and refine him.

There was basically no chance of success.

Seeing that Lu Qing agreed to the first condition, the middle-aged man smiled.

“The second condition…”

(End of this chapter)