What is an immortal?

"Truly a sight to behold, unimaginable... Such an improvement can only be attributed to the effects of a seventh-level elixir like the 'Nine-Transformation Leopard Transformation Pill,' wouldn't you say?" Dian Xiaosan exclaimed in amazement.

"This is only the refinement of the body and Mana. Your Divine Souls haven't reached the standard for breaking through to the Dharma manifestation stage. They, too, need refining." Yuan Ming observed the two for a moment and remarked.

Upon hearing this, Hua Zhi and Dian Xiaosan were taken aback, exchanging puzzled glances.

"Master, may I ask if Divine Souls can also be refined?" Hua Zhi blinked her bright eyes and curiously inquired further.

Yuan Ming remained silent, and with a thought, a Dao Seal on his Nascent Soul suddenly shone brightly.

In the next instant, a black-and-white rune Dao Seal flew out from his Dantian, transforming into a colossal Tai Chi yin-yang pattern that hovered above the two's heads.

Before the two could react, the Tai Chi yin-yang pattern began to rotate slowly, and two gentle lights emerged from the white portion, entwining around their bodies.

Under the cover of these lights, Hua Zhi and Dian Xiaosan's forms rapidly shrank, turning into two babbling infants in the blink of an eye.

As the white light rotated, their bodies gradually grew, transforming from infants to children, then from children to youths, finally returning to their original forms.

This process took only a few brief moments.

They seemed to have experienced a cycle of reincarnation, being reborn anew.

Their eyes went from complex to bewildered, from bewildered to awakened, then from awakened to chaotic, ultimately returning to clarity.

This soul refining lifted the burdens from their hearts, making them forget all worries and troubles, leaving them pure-hearted, like newborn infants, with crystal-clear souls untainted.

Feeling an unprecedented sense of ease and freedom, they both showed relieved smiles.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming gently waved his hand, and the Dao Seal of the Life and Death Reincarnation Path retracted slowly.

The recent soul refining was the doing of the awakened Wheel of Life Divine Power from this Dao Seal.

Additionally, he had also awakened the Death Wheel Divine Power, emitting a faint black light capable of annihilating an enemy's Divine Soul directly.

"Now that your minds are pure, you can focus on your cultivation in seclusion," said Yuan Ming, guiding them to a secret chamber in the City Lord Mansion for seclusion training.

...

Within a little over half a month, above the City Lord Mansion, two beams of Dharma manifestation light shot up into the sky, their imposing presence once again shaking the entire city.

After taking the Dharma Manifestation Pill, both Hua Zhi and Dian Xiaosan lived up to expectations, successfully stepping into the Dharma manifestation stage.

Especially Dian Xiaosan, who was not initially considered promising, yet with the fortune of breaking through to the Dharma manifestation stage, he made progress in the Soul Cultivation path too, cultivating the simplified version of the "Moonlight Technique" to the sixth level and successfully entering the Realm of Life Witch.

This event left Wang Fulong and others with immense admiration for Yuan Ming, reaching the point of reverent worship.

They were convinced that it must have been some nature-defying Secret Technique employed by Yuan Ming to help Dian Xiaosan break through the shackles of the Dharma manifestation stage.

Many cultivators, stuck at the bottleneck of the Dharma manifestation stage for years, saw hope for a breakthrough and followed Yuan Ming even more fervently, hoping to receive his guidance and assistance one day.

At this moment, in a newly built hall within the Extreme Fire Realm of the Shura Palace, Xi Hezi and Senior Kong were intently focusing around a scarlet Three-legged Round Tripod.

This towering tripod stood tall, with intricate patterns interwoven, unique runes flickering, and had twelve openings around the furnace's body, unmistakably the legendary Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod.

At that moment, the hall doors opened slowly as Yuan Ming escorted Dian Xiaosan, who had recently broken through to the Dharma manifestation stage, stepping inside.

Yuan Ming was about to speak when his gaze fell on Senior Kong, his eyes flashing with surprise and suspicion.

It had been a long time, and Kong seemed different from before.

He still maintained Yuan Ming's appearance, but there wasn't the slightest sense of illusion, seeming no different from an ordinary person.

Yuan Ming could almost glimpse through his exterior, faintly seeing the bones and flesh within.

Seemingly unaware of Yuan Ming's scrutiny, Kong looked at Dian Xiaosan, "Dian Xiaosan, the path of cultivation is arduous. Advancing to the Dharma manifestation stage is a long-cherished wish that many cultivators seek yet find difficult to attain. Are you prepared to become the Artifact Spirit of this Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod?"

"Senior, my mind is made up, and I will not change my resolve." Dian Xiaosan nodded, speaking with determination.

Yuan Ming watched everything unfold without showing any signs of surprise.

The whole story had long been told to him by Kong.

The reason Kong imparted the simplified version of the Moonlight Technique to Dian Xiaosan, elevating his Soul Power to the level of a Life Witch, and asked Yuan Ming to help him break through to the Dharma manifestation stage, was for one purpose: to nurture a seventh-level Alchemist.

In the Chuyun Realm, sixth-level Alchemists were few, maybe twenty or thirty, but seventh-level Alchemists, as far as Yuan Ming knew, were only three, located at the Heavenly Saint Academy, the Taixuan Sect, and the Bright Moon Palace.

In Alchemy, the gap between the sixth and seventh level was greater than the sum of the gap from level one to level six, and those who could break through had exceptional talent in the Alchemy Dao.

Dian Xiaosan had good talent in Alchemy, but merely good. With conventional methods, the possibility of advancing to a seventh-level Alchemist was nearly impossible. After much thought, Kong devised an unconventional approach, achieving seventh-level Alchemist status through being an Artifact Spirit.

The Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod is a Pill King Pavilion Inheritance object, used by countless Alchemy Masters. When this tripod reaches Great Perfection as a Spirit Treasure, there is a high probability of awakening the True Meaning of Alchemy.

As a sixth-level Alchemist, Dian Xiaosan, by relying on this True Meaning of Alchemy, would certainly advance in his Alchemy Technique, having the opportunity to glimpse the realm of a seventh-level Alchemist.

"In past life, everyone desired for Artifact Spirits to cultivate diligently to free themselves from the shackles of a Spiritual Treasure and transform into human form. It's rare to see someone like you willing to turn from human to Artifact Spirit," Xi Hezi remarked, shaking his head with a smile.

"My life's goal is the Alchemy Dao, with no other pursuits. However, my aptitude is limited. Without a fortuitous encounter, a sixth-level Alchemist is my zenith, and a seventh-level is beyond reach. Now that the opportunity presents itself, how can I miss it?" Dian Xiaosan's demeanor was filled with resolve.

"I will say upfront; this method isn't foolproof, with only a forty to fifty percent success rate. Even so, are you resolute?" Kong asked.

"I will not regret it. For this endeavor, I've already shamelessly used a Dharma Manifestation Pill, and the expenses on Soul Cultivation have been immense. Even if I fail, I will harbor no resentment," Dian Xiaosan answered honestly.

"Good!" Kong raised his hand, injecting a surge of pure Mana into the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod.

The crimson pill furnace trembled slightly, emitting twelve different colors of light, dazzling and magnificent.

The top lid of the pill furnace floated gently upwards, with smoke swirling inside.

A flash of determination and anticipation appeared in Dian Xiaosan's eyes. Without hesitation, he leapt in, sitting cross-legged inside the pill furnace.

With a "clang," the lid fell heavily, sealing Dian Xiaosan in the depths of the pill furnace.

Immediately, rays of light shot up from the ground, and an extremely intricate array gradually emerged.

Yuan Ming observed carefully and discovered that this array was ingeniously combined from the refining, capturing spirit, and melding spirit arrays.

Though the individual arrays were not of high grade, their combination reached the sixth-level magic array.

When the light of the array completely enveloped the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, Kong's figure flickered and he drifted above the crimson pill furnace.

Sitting cross-legged in the void, his hands quickly shifted spell formulas, and a surging desire power erupted from him, transforming into a blinding white light that rapidly merged into the pill furnace below.

The twelve streams of Earth Fire within the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod surged out, tightly enveloping the furnace body.

The temperature inside the grand hall rose sharply, scorching waves billowed.

Suddenly, a heartrending howl resonated from within the pill furnace, soul-stirring.

With one's body as food, refining flesh and blood, merging with the divine soul, this process was so brutal and painful that even someone like Yuan Ming, who had suffered much hardship, couldn't help but furrow his brow and show a look of compassion upon hearing the howl.

Fortunately, the pain didn't last long. With a soft "puff," the dreadful howl abruptly ceased.

Immediately, the light inside the pill furnace intensified, a blurred bloody light spread from within, quickly covering the entire furnace.

A faint red shade gathered over the twelve-colored Earth Fire, as if stained with fresh blood.

Subsequently, rune inscriptions began to surface one after another on the furnace body, glowing with a subtle light, as if conveying some ancient secret.

The moment the thirty-sixth rune condensed, all runes resonated with each other, forming a brand new rune array.

At the same time, a prolonged "buzz" sounded from within the pill furnace. The roaring flames swiftly retracted, and the blood light on the furnace was wholly absorbed, merging into the furnace body.

Everything returned to tranquility, the light of the array on the ground gradually dimmed, but only the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod continued to emit residual warmth, oscillating with waves of ripples.

"How did it go?" Yuan Ming stepped forward and asked.

Before Kong could respond, a virtual light suddenly floated out from the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, rapidly condensing into a human figure—Dian Xiaosan.

"It's a success. I have fused with the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod. This treasure has now condensed thirty-six runes, becoming a Great Perfection Spirit Treasure," Dian Xiaosan said with a smile.

"Have you awakened the True Meaning of Alchemy?" Yuan Ming further inquired.

"It doesn't seem so..." Dian Xiaosan closed his eyes to sense, then shook his head with a pale face.

Yuan Ming felt a thud in his heart. He and Kong put in painstaking efforts with the aim of creating a seventh-level alchemist, but if the True Meaning of Alchemy couldn't be awakened, all their efforts would be in vain.

"The casting is not yet over. Yuan Ming, take out the Eight-Colored Lotus Seed!" Kong's voice rang in Yuan Ming's ears like morning bell evening drum, pulling him from his contemplation.

Yuan Ming came back to his senses. With a gentle twist of his wrist, a delicate lotus seed appeared in the palm of his hand.

The lotus seed emitted eight-colored spirit light, resembling a miniature rainbow, shimmering with astonishing spiritual energy.

Yuan Ming had spent considerable effort searching for the Nine-Colored Lotus Seed during this time, but unfortunately, he hadn't found it and only found the Eight-Colored Lotus Seed.

Though the Eight-Colored Lotus Seed wasn't as perfect as the Nine-Colored Lotus Seed, it still had the effect of transforming spiritual objects, albeit with a smaller chance.

Yuan Ming tossed it up, and the Eight-Colored Lotus Seed transformed into a streak of flowing light, flying into the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod.

Under the high heat steaming, the lotus seed quickly vaporized into eight-colored spiritual qi, weaving into the body of the tripod like threads.

"Merge into the tripod and carefully comprehend," Kong's timely voice advised, like a guiding light for the lost.

The Artifact Spirit that Dian Xiaosan had become didn't hesitate at the words, merging into the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod.

He seemed to step into another realm, witnessing various scenes of pill refining from the tripod's past.

These scenes flitted past his eyes like a running horse lamp, each imbued with profound alchemy.

Dian Xiaosan's mind immersed in it, forgetting the distractions of the outside world, wholeheartedly comprehending.

He observed every detail and every change carefully, as if engraving the alchemy of the tripod deep in his heart.

Kong continued his casting, streams of desire power poured into the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, with the surrounding void echoing hazy sounds, as if deities and buddhas were chanting scriptures, or countless people were shouting.

Yuan Ming displayed an expression of astonishment but did not speak to disturb.

After an unknown length of time, rays of seven-colored spiritual light suddenly shot out from the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, gushing forth an intangible power.

Under the effect of this power, the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod completed another advancement, a Pill Treasure True Intent condensed, perfectly merging with Dian Xiaosan's Artifact Spirit consciousness.

With the fusion completed, the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod quaked violently, its size rapidly shrinking.

Eventually, it transformed into a colorful tripod the size of a palm, quietly floating in the air, emitting a faint spiritual light.

The Artifact Spirit that Dian Xiaosan had become once again floated out above the pill furnace.

This time, there was no hint of regret on his face, replaced by uncontrollable joy.