Chapter 127: Furnace Cauldron

Parents, siblings, relatives...

In the depths of Qin Sang’s heart, what he cared about the most was the close family he had in his previous life.

The identity of the enemy who wronged him didn’t matter at all. He didn’t care about that now. His only regret was the eternal separation between him and his loved ones, never to meet again. He had not yet fulfilled his filial duties to his parents, nor passed on his family line...

There were still many things he hadn’t had the chance to do.

Even though Qin Sang knew it was all an illusion, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He stayed in the familiar home, watching his parents and elder brother discussing household matters, listening to his little sister Qin Zi coquettishly whine. His heart was full of sorrow until the third day arrived, and the red gourd kicked him out.

His body suddenly felt light, followed by a heavy fall to the ground. Qin Sang opened his eyes. His loved ones had vanished, and he found himself staring at the great hall. A trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, regaining his composure. He stood up from the ground with renewed determination.

"Qin Sang greets the sect leader."

Qin Sang bowed respectfully to Sect Leader Yu, and as he glanced around, he noticed there were five others standing beside the sect leader.

One was a young boy who appeared to be of a small age, with a sword strapped to his back. His aura was as sharp as an unsheathed blade, and his expression showed blatant arrogance. He was only at the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

The second was a man in his thirties, with a firm and resolute face. Standing there, his hands hung naturally by his sides, and his gaze was slightly lowered. His eyes were calm and unmoved, without the slightest ripple, and his entire being resembled an ancient tree.

Qin Sang recognized both of them. The young boy was named Chu Wenjian, not only highly talented but also a top swordsman among the disciples of the Qi Refining Realm. He was charming and renowned as one of the rising stars of Shaohua Mountain.

The older man was much more low-key. His name was He Mu, and like Qin Sang, he lived in seclusion, focused solely on his cultivation. He only appeared when the senior uncles lectured at Dao Peak. He had long since reached the thirteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm but had yet to break through to the Foundation Building Realm.

Then there were two middle-aged men and an elderly man with white hair. All of them were cultivators at the Foundation Building Realm.

Qin Sang recognized the elderly man as well. He managed the arts and spells on Treasure Tower Peak and was surnamed Gong.

"To have endured three days within the Red Dust Gourd, your temperament is commendable." Sect Leader Yu nodded in approval at Qin Sang, instructing him to wait by the side.

One by one, more people were ejected from the Gourd Illusion Realm, until only one elder from the Foundation Building Realm passed the trial.

In the end, a total of seven people passed the trial of the Gourd Illusion Realm.

Three from the Qi Refining Realm and four from the Foundation Building Realm.

Sect Leader Yu stepped forward, bowed deeply to the Red Dust Gourd, and said, "Thank you, Senior Uncle Che. The candidates have been selected. I now ask Senior Uncle Che to retrieve the astra."

The Red Dust Gourd immediately transformed into a streak of light, tearing through the sky and disappearing into the horizon. However, the Golden Core master, Senior Che, never made an appearance.

Sect Leader Yu respectfully watched the Red Dust Gourd depart, then waved his fly-whisk to close the hall doors. He turned to face the group, his expression suddenly darkening. His gaze turned as sharp as a blade as he swept it over the seven of them. With an air of unmistakable threat, he spoke slowly and deliberately, "Not a word of what has been said here today may be spread outside this hall. Otherwise, you will die, and your loved ones will suffer. This is the decree of our grandmaster—do not say I didn’t warn you!"

The group's faces immediately became serious. They exchanged uneasy glances, all deeply shocked. A decree from the Spiritual Infant grandmaster carried weight beyond measure. His words were no empty threats. There could be no room for any hope of escape or careless thoughts.

Without hesitation, the seven of them swore an oath to the heavens, vowing to remain silent and never reveal a single word.

Sect Leader Yu watched them make their oaths with indifference. Once they had finished, he pulled out several jade slips from his Mustard Seed Pouch, handing one to each person.

"The art you will be cultivating is recorded in the jade slip.".

Inside the jade slip was only one art, called the

Sutra of Profound Jade Cauldron.

After reading the introduction to the art, Qin Sang couldn’t help but frown in confusion.

This

Sutra of Profound Jade Cauldron

seemed to be different from the legendary yin-yang dual cultivation arts. The art had three stages in total, and it was only suited for male cultivators from beginning to end.

There were no methods for female cultivators to practice it, nor was there any mention of how it would achieve the balance of yin and yang or the intermingling of heaven and earth. Without a partner, how was one supposed to explore the Dao through dual cultivation with such an art?

Just then, Sect Leader Yu spoke, "When you cultivate with this dual cultivation art, the vital energy within your body will deplete. However, there’s no need to worry. The sect will provide you with the Nine-Yang Pill to help you replenish your vital energy..."

Before he could finish, the Gong-surnamed cultivator suddenly lifted his head, his face filled with rage as he glared at Sect Leader Yu. He shouted, "Senior Brother, why do you not dare speak the truth? What rubbish dual cultivation art! Isn’t this just an evil method of energy extraction? We’ve worked ourselves to the bone, and what’s our reward? To become some cauldron? This is absurd! Ridiculous!"

His words were like a bombshell, shaking everyone present.

Sect Leader Yu’s expression shifted slightly.

The others were hit with a sudden realization. Reflecting on Sect Leader Yu’s earlier words, it was clear they were being treated as furnace cauldrons. Otherwise, how could a proper dual cultivation art from a righteous sect drain vital energy?

Some among them had already sensed that something was wrong, but they hadn’t expected the Gong-surnamed cultivator to be so blunt, exposing the hidden truth without a shred of respect for the sect leader.

Chu Wenjian’s brows furrowed sharply upon hearing this. He pressed, "Senior Uncle Gong, can the Nine-Yang Pill really make up for the loss of vital energy from becoming a furnace cauldron? What other damages are there?"

The Gong-surnamed cultivator let out a cold laugh, ignoring Sect Leader Yu’s darkened expression, and loudly declared, "The Nine-Yang Pill is indeed a rare spiritual medicine, and even if your partner is merciful, at most it can restore ninety percent of your vital energy. Unless you’re lucky enough to find certain kinds of rare treasures, which, as far as I know, Shaohua Mountain has none of in its stores. As for the fate of a furnace cauldron, if it were only the depletion of vital energy, why would such energy extraction arts be despised and condemned as demonic arts by all? After this so-called ‘dual cultivation,’ the best outcome would be having your primordial spirit implanted with a suggestion, making you believe you’re deeply in love and unable to leave the other party. In worse cases, you’d become a complete slave, your primordial spirit utterly exhausted, turning you into nothing more than a worthless husk, a waste! A pile of discarded medicine dregs!"

These words caused an uproar, leaving everyone pale with shock.

They were horrified by the sinister nature of the

Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron

, and even more so by the fact that Sage Mawu of Shaohua Mountain, a member of the righteous path, had actually practiced such a demonic art of energy extraction!

The group cast grateful glances at the Gong-surnamed cultivator, then turned their eyes to Sect Leader Yu, waiting for an explanation.

"Junior Brother Gong, I understand your hatred for energy extraction arts ever since Junior Sister Liu was killed by a demonic cultivator in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield," Sect Leader Yu said, suppressing his anger but allowing Gong to finish speaking before he responded. "However, how could Senior Aunt Mawu, of all people, be associated with demonic cultivators? She specifically chose disciples within the sect because she didn’t want to harm innocents. You needn’t say it—I was going to explain the pros and cons to all of you anyway. Whether you choose to proceed or not is entirely up to you. There will be no coercion. Though it’s true that the Nine-Yang Pill won’t fully restore your vital energy, and your Qihai will be somewhat smaller than those at the same cultivation stage, this will only put you at a slight disadvantage in combat. It won’t affect your overall cultivation stage, and it’s not something that can’t be remedied in the future..."

The Gong-surnamed cultivator sneered. "And what about the primordial spirit?"