Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 207: Radiant Heat

The two joked around for a while, and the conversation naturally turned back to their nearly month-long cultivation in the wilderness. It turned out that since dealing with that terrifying Illusion Flame in Sichuan, Chu Tianyu had developed new side effects—constant intense heat. Not only did Xue Feifei, a woman, feel her body go soft under his influence, but even Liu Xiangshi, with his strong composure, was overwhelmed by the heat, sweating profusely, gasping for breath, and constantly exclaiming that Chu Tianyu’s “charm” was unbearable!
Indeed, if someone were to keep a furnace emitting at least 60 degrees of heat beside them all day, anyone would surely cry out in frustration. Xue Feifei only felt slight softness in her body because she could resist it with Yu Ning’s cold energy. Yet though she could withstand Chu Tianyu’s physical heat, she couldn’t resist his unique, invisible charm—a charm that was indescribable. If she had to describe it in one word, it would be “very, very masculine”!
Actually, Chu Tianyu’s risky move that day proved successful. At that critical moment, he suddenly incorporated Xue Feifei’s cold mist energy, combined with the ability of his Pujun technique to concentrate all power in one point for a burst of force. Thanks to this sudden freezing effect along with the attack, he successfully destroyed the connection linking the Illusion Flame, causing it to disintegrate both physically and mentally. It also lost its connection to the Earth’s core and energy veins, losing any ability to move or think, and could only wander in place, instinctively emitting red light to protect itself. This is why it was eventually absorbed under Chu Tianyu’s relentless attacks.
So it’s not hard to explain why Chu Tianyu’s body now emits heat everywhere. Even Liu Xiangshi, who had only known Chu Tianyu for a short time, had become numb to these changes. Given their brief interaction, nothing astonishing that might happen to his junior brother would surprise or shock him anymore.
As for Xue Feifei, there’s no one who knows a husband better than his wife. Since starting in Motuo, the series of miraculous—even unbelievable—things that had happened to Chu Tianyu had already greatly tested her nerves. So his current display of “charm” came as no surprise to her at all.

However, such intense heat was beyond the bearing capacity of ordinary people. Chu Tianyu could only postpone his return to Beijing, and for Liu Xiangshi, it was his duty to provide protection and find a solution once again! So, after resting for a few days, the three of them set off on another journey through the wilderness. During those days of rest, first, although Xue Feifei wasn’t seriously injured, she had exhausted herself in the battle against the Illusory Flame and slightly damaged her internal meridians, requiring proper recuperation. Second, Liu Xiangshi took advantage of this rare free time to lead Chu Tianyu in thoroughly exploring the entire mountain range and the spring they hadn’t reached yet. Apart from finding the sulfur spring dried up, they gained nothing else, so he had no choice but to turn his attention to studying the crystal-blue stone formed from the Illusory Flame. When Chu Tianyu picked up the stone, it felt warm and smooth to the touch, but nothing special, so he immediately handed it to his senior brother for study, as he was the expert in this area. After examining it, Liu Xiangshi indeed saw more details than Chu Tianyu. Although the entire gem was crystal clear and its structure was fully visible, the mystery lay precisely therein. Liu Xiangshi found a dimly lit place, placed a piece of black cloth from his “Treasure Bag” underneath, then held the gem between his hands and viewed it up close. It wasn’t hard to spot a tiny blue flame burning at the very center of the gem, though its intensity seemed to have reached an extreme, giving it an illusion of transparency. Without this method, it would have been difficult to detect. Because this illusory flame existed within the crystal-clear gem, it easily created a visual beauty, making people think it was just the gem’s inherent luster and causing them to overlook its mystery… Even after uncovering the gem’s secret, Chu Tianyu and the others didn’t know its specific uses or miraculous effects, so they temporarily entrusted it to Liu Xiangshi to study slowly. Moreover, after absorbing the outer red glow of the Illusory Flame, Chu Tianyu not only emitted intense heat but also, at night when absorbing moonlight, was able to complete the refining process within his body on his own, thanks to Xue Feifei’s injury and the lack of her assistance with the “Voice of Heaven and Earth.”

Each time, the absorbed lunar energy naturally converges onto the Ink Dragon Pattern. After being refined by the energy of the Illusory Flame, its sinister qualities are removed, and it is transformed into pure energy before returning to Chu Tianyu’s meridians. This transformation delighted Chu Tianyu greatly, as he could finally break free from the bondage of the sinister lunar energy.

Throughout the absorption process, the speed increased significantly. The absorbed lunar energy was sometimes so dazzling that even Liu Xiangshi and Xue Feifei standing nearby found it hard to bear. Meanwhile, as the Illusory Flame refined the cold lunar energy, it itself underwent transformation as well—the external heat gradually diminished. Although this change wasn’t enough to alter Chu Tianyu’s currently scorching nature, it provided a solution to this side effect, one that required no effort and happened naturally…

Especially when Xue Feifei’s injuries improved slightly enough for her to harness the Power of the Cosmic Sounds, combined with Chu Tianyu’s absorption, the efficiency of absorption increased by two times. The energy refined by the Illusory Flame then went through another cycle of Jade Condensation and integration with the Power of the Cosmic Sounds, quickly forming an even more powerful force that circulated throughout Chu Tianyu’s body. This abundance allowed his dantian’s vital energy to gather significantly, and after a long absence, true energy finally returned to his body!

Although this was only a small improvement compared to before, it showed that the replenishment of his energy had far surpassed the rate at which the Purple Void Dragon Core needed to absorb large amounts of vital energy for “hatching,” thus creating the situation that filled Chu Tianyu with joy.

And this was just the beginning. With further cultivation, his vital energy would grow at an exponential rate. No one knew what kind of immense power these two types of energy—internal and external—would unleash in the future, and even Chu Tianyu himself was eagerly looking forward to it!

At the same time, by practicing together with the Core to Seek the Idyllic Fields, Xue Feifei also indirectly absorbed a great deal of lunar energy, providing a continuous supply of energy for the cultivation of the Green Dragon energy within her body. On the day they practiced together, Xue Feifei’s injuries fully healed. In the following days, she followed Chu Tianyu’s lead, raising her cultivation level by several notches. Such speed and such progress left her in awe—her previous efforts seemed wasted; a year of hard training was not even comparable to these effortless days of practice…

While Xue Feifei was sighing, Chu Tianyu was enjoying the moonlight by the roadside, murmuring to himself, “Huh, what’s going on? It seems the moon has been gray and dull these past few days, with no luster at all. It should be almost the 15th already, right?” Whenever he heard Chu Tianyu speak like this and saw the moonlight essence flowing into his body like a pillar, his senior brother Liu Xiangshi could only turn away, shaking his head and sighing, “Alas, in these times, people’s hearts have become corrupt!” Although both Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei had made great progress in their skills, Chu Tianyu’s internal heat still hadn’t subsided, so he couldn’t return yet. Thus, Liu Xiangshi seized the opportunity to drag them on another journey, saying there were still several beautiful places in the sacred mountains and marshes to explore. But from Chu Tianyu’s eager words, it was clear he was after some precious treasures he had previously wanted but couldn’t obtain. Now that he had these two powerful “husband and wife” at his side, he was eager to seize them all! This made Chu Tianyu sigh again, “Alas, in these times, people’s hearts have become corrupt!” So, the group continued to train and search for treasures, wasting more time. After helping their senior brother defeat a unicorn spirit beast, two male and female white pythons, and navigating two extremely dangerous areas, Chu Tianyu’s internal heat finally subsided thanks to the moon energy he absorbed every night and Xue Feifei’s assistance, allowing him to control it freely. Xue Feifei, having merged moon energy with the energy of the green dragon, also saw her skills improve dramatically, nearly reaching the level of Chu Tianyu’s masters. She herself couldn’t believe such progress! As for Liu Xiangshi, he was overjoyed with their discoveries—after all, the various precious treasures in his arms were truly substantial and genuine. He just wanted to return quickly to reunite with his uncles and study these treasures as soon as possible, so that those useful ones could be given to Chu Tianyu to help the world. After all, as idle people in the mountains, they didn’t need such things.

So before parting, Master Liu took out many precious pills from his treasured treasure bag and gave them to Chu Tianyu. He also joked, “Tianyu, I don’t really have much to give you. Considering your ongoing health issues, I thought it better to prepare more pills for you. Once I’ve studied these treasures further, I’ll hand them over to you. From our time together, the impression I have of you can be summed up in eight words: utterly astonishing and terrifying!”