Chapter 240: The 'Shattered Weapon' Path Belonging to Xiao Yan!
"Why go through all this trouble?" The one who answered Xiao Yan was Jiang Lin, shrugging helplessly.
"Didn't Elder Yao tell us about the legend of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint? Do you think the Pure Lotus Demon Saint could be considered a 'spiritual weapon'?" Jiang Lin sighed lightly. The story of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint had inspired him a lot. It had intelligence, could cultivate by itself, and had some special powers of heaven and earth—wasn't this exactly how weapon craftsmen in the past understood spiritual weapons?
Yao Chen and Xiao Yan exchanged a look of surprise. After Jiang Lin's reminder, they realized this was indeed the case! As long as the material of a spiritual weapon was not limited to metals, then strange fire could almost be regarded as an ethereal "spiritual weapon," perfectly fitting the definition of a spiritual weapon!
"Also, I wonder if Elder Yao has ever thought about this: the number of strange fires... perhaps it's not fixed? Elder Yao, you know more than us, so I'd like to ask—when the strange fire ranking states that there are twenty-three kinds of strange fire, does that mean we've entered a time without spiritual weapons? And another very strange thing is that the first strange fire doesn't have a fixed name, right?" (The original work had a bug with the number of strange fires.)
When this question was raised, Yao Chen immediately felt two gazes fall on him. He fell into silence for a moment and then shook his head. "The strange fire ranking wasn't created by later generations of strong ones, but passed down from the Eight Clans. That means when the strange fire ranking was passed down, it was already complete. Later generations had intense debates about the last Dou Emperor, the Tuo She Ancient Emperor. Some said that the Tuo She Ancient Emperor was one of the twenty-two strange fires, having devoured the other twenty-one and transformed into the world's number one strange fire, the Emperor Flame. Others said the Tuo She Ancient Emperor was a special fire from heaven and earth, which devoured the twenty-two strange fires and became the first strange fire."
"There are many contradictions in both arguments, and neither side could completely convince the other," Yao Chen shook his head. As a former medicinal expert, he was very familiar with the strange fire ranking, especially since the Burning Technique he obtained might be the cultivation method of the Tuo She Ancient Emperor!
"However, most forces today accept the first explanation: that the first strange fire didn't exist initially, and only after the Tuo She Ancient Emperor devoured all the other strange fires did it come into being."
"You're right, the original strange fire ranking had only twenty-two types because of the existence of the Tuo She Ancient Emperor, which added one. In other words, the number of strange fires has increased, no matter how it happened. The reality is, there are more strange fires now," Yao Chen's eyes showed a trace of reminiscence as he sighed. "There's a rumor that on the day the Tuo She Ancient Emperor ascended, he returned all the strange fires to the world. Perhaps... the first strange fire that didn't exist originally was left behind too. It's hard to say."
"As a weapon craftsman, you should know the Spiritual Weapon Ranking, right? You must know how the Strange Fire Ranking came into being," Yao Chen looked at Jiang Lin with a complex expression.
This strong young man of the Spirit Clan in front of him seemed to have a clear vision, always able to spot the blind spots in things others considered self-evident.
Jiang Lin nodded, speaking softly. "The tenth spiritual weapon, the Strange Fire Heavenly Sealing Tower, has a total of twenty-two floors. So in the ancient clan's inheritance, the Strange Fire Ranking had twenty-two types. After the Tuo She Ancient Emperor era, the Strange Fire Ranking became twenty-three types."
The ancient Eight Clans were confused about what exactly the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's original body was. Who was he among the twenty-two strange fires? They felt that the Void-Swallowing Flame, the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, and the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame didn't resemble the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's body. The Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame had always been an ancient clan's inherited fire, which had only been cut off during the Tuo She Ancient Emperor era. Later strange fires were not as potent as the earlier ones, so many of the ancient clans believed that the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's strange fire was not on the list, leading to two legends.
"Well, Brother Lin, are you saying..." Xiao Yan's eyes widened, his heart beginning to form some terrifying thoughts.
"What I'm saying is, strange fires will increase. What seems innate may actually be created later on," Jiang Lin smiled slightly. "And once we admit that strange fires, which seem to be innate, can increase, then the origin of strange fires can be deduced: they are a special type of 'spiritual weapon,' and spiritual weapons can be forged."
"Strange fires can be 'forged'!" Xiao Yan and Yao Chen exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of astonishment in each other's eyes. This... was an incredibly bold idea!
Yao Chen, especially, looked at Xiao Yan in shock. As a member of the medicinal clan, he could think of more things than Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan using the Burning Technique to devour strange fires—wasn't that a process of 'shattering the weapon'?! And the birth of the ancient Eight Clans was basically related to the eight spiritual weapons on the Spiritual Weapon Ranking! The creation of the ancient Eight Clans was a process of shattering weapons! And Xiao Yan was now treading the same path!
Jiang Lin subconsciously glanced at Yao Chen and, seeing his astonished expression, he understood what was on his mind. Both the Strange Fire Ranking and the Spiritual Weapon Ranking were things Jiang Lin learned from Hu Lei, so he understood exactly what Yao Chen was thinking.
Earlier, Yao Chen didn't understand what kind of cultivation method the Burning Technique was or why it could level up. Now, Yao Chen understood the Burning Technique and why it leveled up by devouring strange fires.
It was somewhat amusing that Yao Chen, who had obtained the Burning Technique first and was the first to discover its secret, was now outpaced by Jiang Lin, a 'young spirit' from outside the Spirit Clan... or rather, a 'ghost.'
"So, really don't cultivate recklessly. Many times, you can avoid suffering if you just think it through," Jiang Lin said, shaking his head after explaining his understanding of the Burning Technique. The ghost fire boy and the ghost fire old man were always too wild. Even though the research-minded talents were right beside them, they still stubbornly made decisions without informing Jiang Lin first, forcefully choosing to endure hardship.
"The Burning Technique has a very high potential. It feels like the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's cultivation method. If you keep going down this path, Dou Saint is possible."
Upon hearing Jiang Lin's 'successful insight,' Yao Chen's face twitched slightly. This guy hadn't even looked at the Burning Technique but seemed to understand it better than him, the first person to discover it.
"Dou Saint?!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up with excitement, his voice trembling.
Seeing this, Jiang Lin smiled helplessly. "Perhaps the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's path is walkable. The Burning Technique's future is, almost without a doubt, bright."
Jiang Lin had cleared the fog for Xiao Yan's future. There was no need to hesitate; if he just kept walking down this path, there would be significant rewards.
"Alright, you've got a few months. First, heal your meridians. The Burning Technique will be able to help with that," Jiang Lin said, after clearing Xiao Yan's doubts. He was now going to ask Xiao Yan for his reward.
The strange fire Dou Qi and the strange fire energy in the spiritual space were all valuable things.
And the most important thing—now that Xiao Yan had the fire-type crystal core, once Xiao Yan was incorporated into Jiang Lin's Burning Technique cycle, Jiang Lin would essentially gain an external fire-type crystal core!
The cultivation penalty from their joint training would be perfectly countered by the fire-type crystal core!
At the same time, Jiang Lin would also be able to attempt refining Xiao Yan's strange fire Dou Qi and strange fire energy!
A win-win situation!
And when faced with Jiang Lin's 'dual cultivation' invitation, Xiao Yan was naturally moved and extremely grateful.
Wuwuwu! Brother Lin finally agreed to cultivate with him! So moving!
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1