Chapter 31: The Yi Wood Azure Emperor *Cauldron! The Stunning Artifact Spirit!
[*A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and folklore. Hungarian goulash in a traditional “bogrács” (cauldron).]
The 327 newly recruited disciples were swiftly settled within the Qinglian Sect.
Due to the sect’s limited numbers, the distinction between inner and outer sects was abolished.
The remaining six or seven female deacons at the Golden Core stage, along with Grand Elder Xu Qingyao and Senior Sister Nangong Ling, barely formed a teaching team to keep the sect running.
As for Sect Leader Liu Ruyan, she only appeared during critical occasions, occasionally imparting teachings to maintain an air of mystery.
Compared to the established Twelve Major Sects, Qinglian Sect lacked heritage.
However, it wasn’t entirely without advantages.
With Liu Ruyan being recognized as the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Grand Xia Empire, countless merchants and factions actively sought alliances with her.
Although the sect had few members, this reduced competition and ensured every disciple had ample resources for cultivation.
While it couldn’t compare to wealthier sects, its benefits far exceeded smaller ones.
Apart from a few dissenting voices, most disciples were satisfied.
But Liu Ruyan understood the principle of thriving in adversity and perishing in comfort. Shortly after the disciples joined, she announced a major event:
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A grand sect competition was to be held six months later.
To accommodate the new disciples, the competition would be divided into categories.
Those who ranked at the top would not only receive rewards but might also be taken as personal disciples by the Grand Elder or even the Sect Leader herself.
The prospect was undeniably enticing!
An atmosphere of determination and hard work quickly swept through the sect.
At that moment, in a secluded disciple’s cave dwelling deep in the mountains, a young woman dressed in green robes sat cross-legged.
Her bright eyes were fixed on a dilapidated bronze cauldron suspended in front of her, its surface glowing with spirit fire. Wisps of medicinal fragrance drifted from it.
She silently counted the time in her heart.
Still as a mountain, swift as a hare!
Her hands moved with precision, and with a deft flick of her fingers, she extracted two shiny brown pills from the cauldron.
She skillfully shifted the spiritual fire, enveloping the pills to complete the final refinement.
Holding the pills in her palm, each bearing three distinct lines, the young woman could no longer suppress her excitement.
“Aunt Qing, did you see that? I did it!”
Her voice had barely fallen when the cauldron let out a deep, ancient hum.
A faintly glowing figure of a woman emerged from the cauldron, hovering in mid-air.
The figure had long, flowing teal-green hair, its ends tied with a red string. Her brows were like distant mountains, and her eyes shone like pale glass.
Her features resembled a slowly unfurling painting steeped in ancient elegance.
She radiated a gentle demeanor, and the faint smile on her lips seemed to dissolve all barriers.
Draped in a light brown flowing gown, her mature figure exuded grace. Intricate ancient runes were etched along the hem of her dress, flowing with a sense of timeworn dignity.
Beauty?
That word was insufficient to describe her.
The woman, whom the young girl addressed as “Aunt Qing,” looked at her with gentle affection, her gaze filled with tenderness.
Her voice, ethereal and soft, resonated like a breeze in a secluded valley.
“Perfect quality. Xiao Qin, you truly have the greatest talent for alchemy I’ve ever seen in a young woman.”
Blushing slightly at the praise, Zhou Qin felt both proud and shy. “Hmph, Aunt Qing, you’re just teasing me. With your experience, surely you’ve met countless exceptional talents.”
“But I truly believe in your potential the most,” Aunt Qing said softly, reaching out to pat Zhou Qin’s head. However, her hand passed through without resistance.
Even though there was no physical sensation, Zhou Qin’s smile was radiant, as though she were being lovingly cared for by an elder.
Returning to her usual composure, Zhou Qin looked up expectantly. “Aunt Qing, how about now? Do you think the Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron has been repaired a little?”
Aunt Qing hesitated for a moment, wanting to offer words of comfort. But when she saw Zhou Qin’s earnest expression, she chose to speak honestly.
“Compared to the time when you could only refine ordinary-quality pills, the improvement is significant. But in terms of overall restoration, it’s still minimal.”
“Really…” Zhou Qin murmured, a little disappointed. “Isn’t there another way to repair the cauldron?”
At this rate, it would take forever to fully restore it!
After a moment of contemplation, Aunt Qing replied, “There is.”
“What is it?” Zhou Qin immediately asked, her excitement rekindled.
“Since your damaged dantian is now fully bound to the Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron, nourishing your dantian will also aid in the cauldron’s repair.”
“But…” Aunt Qing sighed softly and explained, “After the binding, your dantian and the cauldron share the same rank. This means that unless you consume divine-grade or even higher-grade treasures, nothing will have any effect.”
In the world of cultivation, obtaining divine-grade treasures was practically a pipe dream.
“I see…” Zhou Qin sighed.
The light of hope in Zhou Qin’s eyes dimmed instantly.
Seeing this, the green-haired woman quickly offered reassurance.
“It’s okay. With the current level of repair on the Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron, it’s more than sufficient for now.”
“As your cultivation improves in the future, you’ll be able to refine higher-quality pills, which will speed up the cauldron’s restoration. It’ll form a positive cycle.”
Zhou Qin took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and nodded firmly. “I’ll do my best!”
That inconspicuous, damaged bronze cauldron had become her lifeline after she lost her dantian and all her cultivation, stumbling upon it by sheer luck in her family’s ancestral hall.
Back then, the cauldron was no larger than a bowl and had been casually used as an incense burner to honor the family’s ancestors.
When she became a “cripple” with no cultivation potential, her family abandoned her entirely.
The third elder of her clan, noticing her beauty, decided to marry her off to his foolish grandson as a concubine, hoping she might bear a child with her once-exceptional potential.
On the day she was banished to the family’s ancestral hall to offer prayers before her wedding, Zhou Qin was consumed by despair and helplessness.
In her frustration, she accidentally knocked over the bronze cauldron while offering incense. By a series of inexplicable coincidences, her ruined dantian became bound to it.
It was then that she discovered the cauldron’s extraordinary nature.
The Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron was an ancient artifact once wielded by the Supreme Azure Emperor, a peerless talent of the primordial era.
As a woman of unparalleled power, the Azure Emperor was not only an invincible warrior but also an unmatched alchemist capable of refining divine-grade elixirs.
The cauldron had been her most prized possession, capable of blending the essence of all creatures and elements—beasts, birds, mountains, rivers, and vegetation—into celestial pills and divine medicines.
After her demise, the cauldron became the target of countless immortals vying for its power. Eventually, it was lost to time and fell into one of the three thousand lower realms.
Its divine core shattered, its quality degraded, and it weathered the passage of countless eras.
Now, the Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron was so damaged that it wasn’t even comparable to ordinary alchemical tools.
Yet a divine artifact remained a divine artifact, possessing properties that no common treasure could hope to replicate.
With every batch of pills refined within it, the cauldron would gradually restore itself, inching closer to its former glory as the supreme treasure.
Simultaneously, the dantian bound to it would be optimized, eventually granting the potential to ascend as an Immortal Sovereign.
The green-haired woman before Zhou Qin was none other than the artifact spirit of the Yi Wood Azure Emperor Cauldron. With her vast knowledge of ancient alchemical formulas, she had become Zhou Qin’s guide on the path of alchemy.