Chapter 32: Cao Youqian — "I Want to See Where My Limits Lie"
"What kind of tone is that?"
Chu Feng spoke with mild annoyance. "You can doubt my cultivation level, but don't you dare question my skills. Makes it sound like I only became the head of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute because of connections."
"Disciple misspoke."
Xiao Chen looked embarrassed and thought to himself, I truly deserve to be scolded—how could I doubt Master?
The Miscellaneous Dao Institute had only ever had one disciple—of course Master had inherited all its crafts.
After all, Wendao Institute didn't raise freeloaders.
"Master, could you teach me how to brew tea?"
"Of course."
Chu Feng smiled. "The art of tea isn't really about brewing tea—it's about brewing a person's state of mind."
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Xiao Chen became interested and asked Master to elaborate.
"First, before making tea, you must be calm. When boiling the tea, you need to devote your full attention. Ideally, you should even infuse your own intent into it."
Chu Feng explained unhurriedly.
Xiao Chen replied, "I understand the first part, but I don't quite get what you mean by intent."
"Intent refers to your willpower—but it could also refer to sword intent. I once heard the old headmaster say that in ancient times, powerful cultivators could brew tea using their Dao intent. The tea they brewed could let others taste the truths of the Dao…"
Chu Feng wasn't making things up—those words had genuinely come from the old headmaster.
Back then, he had even vowed solemnly that one day he would brew a cup of tea infused with the Dao.
But reality was harsh. Chu Feng couldn't even be considered a proper cultivator, so how could he possibly brew tea that contained the essence of the Dao?
Yet to Xiao Chen, these words struck like thunder on a clear day.
His heart was shaken to its core.
Seeing the shocked look on his disciple's face, Chu Feng thought smugly, This brat is so easy to impress. All I did was casually show a little something, and he's already this amazed.
After a moment, Xiao Chen snapped out of it.
"Master, may I start practicing now?"
"Of course."
Chu Feng gave up his tea table and watched Xiao Chen's performance.
While the two of them focused on the art of tea—
Inside the earth fire cave—
Cao Youqian was having a miserable time. After just one hour, several spots on his skin were already scorched.
From time to time, he could even smell the scent of roasting meat.
But he didn't dare relax, especially not when it came to certain critical areas.
He guarded them carefully with spiritual power. If anything got burned off… he'd regret it for life.
Until one reached the Nirvana Realm, regeneration of lost limbs was impossible.
Time passed by the second.
Daylight soon faded.
Chu Feng checked the time. Not quite nine hours yet.
He didn't bother returning and had Xiao Chen start roasting meat right there as they waited for Cao Youqian to finish cultivating.
Within the cave, Cao Youqian was in torment.
He'd been inside for six hours already.
His spiritual power was nearly depleted—he had overestimated his own strength.
In theory, a Half-Step True Fate cultivator should have no problem lasting a full day in a second-grade earth fire.
But he was still far from the standard of a proper Half-Step True Fate cultivator. In the earth fire, his spiritual power drained faster than usual.
Damn it!
If I come out now, all my effort will be wasted. But if I stay… I might end up as roast pork.
No—I have to push myself.
I need to see where my limits truly lie.
If I really can't go on, I'll ask Master for help.
He continued circulating his technique, enduring the scorching tempering of the earth fire.
That night, behind the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, all was silent. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, filling the heart with peace.
Aside from the occasional chirping of insects and birds, not a sound could be heard.
Xiao Chen had already entered a state of meditation. Chu Feng sat quietly beside him with eyes closed, occasionally extending his divine sense to check on his second disciple.
With his divine sense, Chu Feng could clearly see a figure within the earth fire, surrounded by circulating spiritual energy.
Seeing that the person was still alive, Chu Feng didn't think much more of it.
Nine hours passed.
Chu Feng picked up the jade token and controlled the formation, extinguishing the flames within the earth fire.
Thud!
A dull sound came from the fire pit, as if something heavy had collapsed inside—followed by complete silence.
Xiao Chen instantly opened his eyes and flew toward the fire cave at once.
Inside, a charred and bloated figure lay on the ground, barely recognizable.
If not for Cao Youqian's eyelids still twitching slightly, Xiao Chen would've thought his junior brother was already dead.
"W…water…"
Cao Youqian squeezed out the two words with all the strength he had left.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen immediately took out water from his storage pouch and poured it into his mouth.
Gulp, gulp…
Cao Youqian drained the entire jug in one go. With great effort, he looked toward Chu Feng, who had just landed, and said weakly, "Master… I didn't disgrace you…"
"Mhm, you did well."
Looking at the disciple whose hair had been completely burned off, Chu Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Chen'er, take Da Qian back up. Teach him the Sitting Meditation and Forgetting Technique so he can enter a meditative state and recover."
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Chen obeyed and helped Cao Youqian out of the fire cave.
After leaving, he asked, "Master, in this state, how is Junior Brother supposed to meditate?"
Chu Feng replied, "Give him a Rejuvenation Pill first, let him recover a bit."
"Yes."
Xiao Chen placed the Rejuvenation Pill into Cao Youqian's mouth.
Once the pill was swallowed, Cao Youqian's internal spiritual power was quickly replenished.
He propped himself up with difficulty and said, "Master, I'm starving."
Chu Feng said, "We saved some roast meat for you—eat what you can."
Upon hearing the words "roast meat," Cao Youqian immediately felt physically unwell, as if he were about to vomit.
But having something was still better than nothing. He began devouring the meat like a starving beast.
Half an hour later, it wasn't until his bare, bald head caught a chill that Cao Youqian remembered he wasn't wearing any clothes.
With practiced ease, he put on his robe and bowed toward Chu Feng.
"Master, I've made a fool of myself."
Chu Feng waved his hand. "Don't worry. We won't speak a word of this."
Xiao Chen also nodded. "Junior Brother, I'll teach you the Sitting Meditation and Forgetting Technique. It can help you recover your spiritual power in the shortest time."
Cao Youqian lit up with joy. He hadn't expected his master to possess such secret arts.
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother."
Xiao Chen began teaching him following the method Chu Feng had passed on.
At the moment, Cao Youqian was in agony—his whole body felt like it was on fire, and it seemed as though much of his flesh no longer even belonged to him.
Even so, he endured the pain and sat cross-legged, striving to enter a meditative state.
Seeing this, Chu Feng didn't linger any longer and returned to his own courtyard, ready for a well-deserved rest.
In the days that followed, Chu Feng and Xiao Chen remained by the fire cave, delving into the art of tea.
Cao Youqian, meanwhile, continued cultivating within the cave.
Time passed without notice in the mountains. A month soon went by.
By now, Cao Youqian had grown used to this training method—tempering his body in the earth fire by day, taking recovery pills and eating beast meat by night, and meditating to restore his energy.
Most importantly, he discovered that the medicinal residues clogging his meridians were being refined by the tempering of the earth fire.
The pill toxins in his body were being expelled through his skin, and what shocked him most of all—his previously stagnant cultivation was now progressing at a visible pace.
At this rate, he could break through to the True Fate Realm within a few months.
That night, after only an hour of cultivation, Cao Youqian suddenly opened his eyes.
He realized that the spiritual power stored within his body had already reached its peak. If he continued cultivating, it would begin overflowing and forcibly push him into the True Fate Realm.
He stopped not because he didn't want to break through, but because the Five Elements chapter of the Chaotic Body Tempering Art clearly stated: one must at least complete tempering in one of the five elements before breaking through, or risk destroying all their efforts.
"Senior Brother, I can't hold back my cultivation any longer—it's about to break through. What should I do?"
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