Chapter 11: Refining The Body With Fire
As a level one weapons refiner, Evil Lan always refined weapons using very sinister refining methods, and it was those same principles he employed to create three mysterious weapons of the highest caliber. Although Evil Lan was impressed with them all, he was proudest of Fire Sword' one of the top three he produced.
Hungry as he was, Evil Lan wanted to refine something stronger than mysterious weapons. His greatest ambition was to perfect some beyond that. He aspired to create spiritual weaponry!
Currently, in the world, graded weapons were worth a big fortune which only proved how desirable they were. Spiritual weaponry was much more valuable!
As one of the powerful and wealthy families in C County, the Luo Clan possessed only one top grade mysterious weapon,“ the Green Wind Rider Sword” which belonged to Zen's father, Mike Luo. The first-rate enigmatic sword had no equal in the C County, and Mike rarely used it. So, most of the time, it was well kept in a top secret spot at the Luo Clan, which only served to make the sword appear more incomprehensible. It was a highly sought treasure. Since killing Mike, Bryson Luo had been searching for the unique sword, but, his efforts had been in vain so far, with no trace or clues to where it might be found.
Although the sword was the highest quality for mysterious weapons, it was not a spiritual weapon after all. Every clan vied to own one, however, if an individual from an ordinary family were to obtain even one spiritual weapon, it would be devastating not only for the person who had it but for the entire clan. If someone in the Luo clan were to get a hold of one, the weapon would have to be obediently handed over, or catastrophe would befall the whole family!
Along with cons there were pros to owning a spiritual weapon, and they brought equally wondrous treasure as they did devastation. The special qualities the spiritual weapons could be imbued with varied, and some possessed the ability to accelerate the speed Kung Fu was learned, while others improved the owner's combat skills exponentially... the remarkable abilities they each held made people greedily try to secure them despite the possibility of ruin to their entire family tree.
While Zen listened to Evil Lan, he smiled bitterly. Zen's voice dripped with cynicism as he said,“ Crucial components to optimal weapons refinery are the best materials and the hottest fires. Since you lack either, there's no way to refine the most perfect treasure. These are universal principles to refining weapons, which I'm sure you understand better than I do. So, it's difficult to understand how you expect to be able to refine a spiritual weapon using only my flesh and blood! You can't be serious? That's beyond ridiculous...”
Although there was a time when Zen was able to indulge in reading books on many topics, including ones about alchemy and the known weapon refining theories, he wasn't very knowledgeable about either alchemy or weapons refinery. Zen was so obsessed with mastering martial arts that he didn't pay any particular attention to other matters.
However, with the situation he was in now he was desperate, and if there was even just the slightest flicker of hope to persuade Evil Lan to change his mind, he would take it.
“Well, it appears you grasp a little information concerning refining weapons! No matter what, it won't help you,” spat Evil Lan contemptuously. Evil Lan was busily unlatching the chains from the inside of the furnace as he spoke. When he had the clanking chains freed, he yanked hard, making Zen stumble after the insane man. Evil Lan pulled Zen out of the copper furnace, and when Evil Lan hurled him into a nearby cage, he made a deafening “thud” sound that echoed through the cavern as he landed heavily. Looking up at his captor as he was propelled into the small metal prison, Zen saw a smile growing on Evil Lan's face as he proclaimed,“ The rare, precious materials I require are too far away and I am not strong enough to procure them. The fire I am using is second rate. To be able to cultivate a spiritual weapon, I have to utilize a more creative route and employ dark magic since it is the only chance I will have in producing a spiritual weapon. Throwing you in the weapon refining furnace is merely another step to refining the spiritual weapon. Hey! Let's hope for the best! After all, your flesh and blood are very special indeed. Who knows, maybe I will be lucky as always.”
Let's hope for the best...
This was a truth every weapon refiner believed, and the phrase they uttered worldwide.
No one would deny that refining weapons with fire relied on ninety percent strength and ten percent luck.
To most people, it would seem that luck did not play much of a factor in the process.
Still, some weapon refiners created some of the best treasures because of that ten percent luck.
Others however, spent a lifetime following the standard rules, only to end up with nothing to show for their work. In the long run, it all came down to fortune, and some refiners had none or ran out of their luck.
From that angle, luck was slightly relevant while at the same time, it might be considered the most critical part of the whole process.
Weapon refiners would say,“ Let's hope for the best” while refining the weapons because in their hearts, luck was important.
The tradition was the same as uttering “God bless us” which was used by some religious factions.
As he thought about everything, Zen couldn't believe how his life came down to just being a gamble on luck to Evil Lan. A profound unwillingness to accept the reality arose in Zen's heart, but, he laughed bitterly to himself, thinking, 'There's nothing I can do to change this.'
All he could do was sit there and blame himself for being too weak.
Although Zen was making fast progress in the past month, and he was able to improve from the flesh refining level to the organ refining level, it wasn't enough.
Add to that, the fact that there was still a considerable gap between how far along he'd progressed next to what Evil Lan and Bryson could do. His growth had been too slow.
Fate could be a cruel mistress! It was only recently, Zen had finally gotten the chance to hone his skills, practice and strengthen himself, and he was hopeful that he could go so much further, becoming more powerful. Now, he was at the mercy of Evil Lan, and his situation was desperate.
While Zen bemoaned his predicament, Evil Lan was busy in the cave. Whatever he was preparing, it took a long time and was loud. First, Evil Lan was in the corner, hammering away, and then he disappeared into the weapon refining furnace carrying some object. Zen couldn't see what he was doing in there. After a while, Evil Lan came out, sat in front of the stove in an odd pose and clapped his hands.
As Evil Lan sat clapping, the dark weapon refining furnace was lit up. Complex yet elegant runes appeared one after another, as though blooming along the surface of the furnace wall, emitting a dazzling red glow, and lighting up the entire cave.
Hanging, skewered by spears on the walls, living creatures contorted in pain. Their anguished screams filled the room as their blood flowed along the spikes, while it was all sucked into the weapon refining furnace.
The blood flowed along the currents on the weapon refining furnace wall and filled the fragments, making the red light more vivid and fascinating.
After he fired up the furnace, Evil Lan picked up a sword. The black and white sword in Evil Lan's hands must be Fire Sword which was a top grade of the mysterious weapon.
Evil Lan held Fire Sword for a while, gazing with pride and tenderness like the cold metal object were a son. His eyes softened, and his stance relaxed as he stroked it as though he were touching a lover. Watching the scene unnoticed from the off to the side, Zen observed Evil Lan's reaction. It startled Zen to see such fondness on such an evil face. Zen's heart lurched, and he had an unshakable feeling that trouble lay ahead. Evil Lan was a madman.
After taking his time polishing the mysterious weapon, Evil Lan turned his head toward Zen. There was a peculiar smile on his face, and he gave Zen an odd look. He walked over, and as he pulled Zen out of the cage, he said,“ You should feel honored to be integrated into my Hell Fire Sword.”
Realizing it was senseless to respond to this madman, Evil Lan, Zen just shook his head slowly and followed his insane captor. Given how much more powerful Evil Lan was, Zen thought of himself as unlucky. Seeing no way out, Zen sighed thinking that soon he would be consumed by the fire until nothing but ashes remained. It was a pity that his hatred had not been reported, and he was not even capable of revenge. Zen was helpless to anything and felt resentment at the injustice of God. Dang, his weak skills!
At least he wouldn't make it easy for Evil Lan, who had to drag Zen the entire way. They stopped in front of the weapon refining furnace, and Evil Lan repositioned himself before forcing Zen into the furnace.
Within the bowels of the refinery, the hearth was dark, all Zen could see were remnants burning in the fire, and a table sitting in the center of the furnace.
Coming in behind Zen, Evil Lan placed his Perdition Fire Sword on the table, turned, giving Zen a ruthless smile before leaving.
When Evil Lan reached the mouth of the furnace, he stopped suddenly as though he'd forgotten something. He turned back, and with a flick of his fingers, some yellow powder appeared and covered Zen.
As Zen breathed in, he inhaled a small amount of the fragrant yellow powder, and even though it was a tiny portion, it made Zen feel weak all over. He recognized the dust as the Bone-smashing Powder with Ten Flavors. This was a truly vile drug that overpowered a victim paralyzing tendons, muscles, and bones in a short time, resulting in weak limbs.
Rather than give up and be burned alive, Zen had decided that at the chance, he would steal Fire Sword, smash the weapons refining furnace and do all he could to defeat Evil Lan. 'Dang it all to perdition!' he thought, as he watched his plan go up in smoke, all because of the cursed Bone-smashing Powder with Ten Flavors. Zen felt like his body turning weak, soft and worse, it affected his internal life energy, leaving him unable to lift a finger.
'Is this it? Does my life end here?
Once a predator, now the prey. I have only myself to blame for being this weak! My flaw was I let myself be bullied, and now I can't even reconcile myself with events.'
He gritted his teeth, and a desperate look was on his face. In the midst of his thoughts, a flame burst up in the middle of the weapons refining furnace.
The bright, yellow flames reminded Zen of a fiery yellow lotus, and Zen realized they must be the fire of Evil Lan.
The fire spread almost instantly when it appeared, filling the space of the weapon refining furnace. Zen felt the heat on his face, and quickly realized he was enveloped in the flames.
“Ss-izz-zle!”
He heard the sound as his clothes ignited, and instantly burned to ashes.
As the flames engulfed his flesh, he felt the heat, and as he began to sweat, Zen shut his eyes, bit down preparing for pain. After what felt like a long time, he didn't feel any pain and wondered, 'What's going on?
That's strange!' There was a slight amount of heat, not even enough to make him feel more than minor discomfort.
Questioning the lack of sensations thoroughly confused Zen, and his eyes flew open so he could see. When he looked down, he saw that although he was nude because his clothes were turned to ashes, his body was intact. Not only that but, his hair wasn't even singed! Zen was thoroughly confused!
“Is it because I am not afraid of the burning fire?” he whispered.
An idea came to mind suddenly. It was a long shot, but Zen was desperate since he thought he was going to die. He filled his heart with ecstasy.
Although he wasn't sure, what he was witnessing now was related to the unbelievable scene that happened the day he was in the cellar. Zen knew something incredible occurred after that. 'Is it because I am actually a mysterious weapon, that the fire is not burning me?'
He wondered as the fire outside of the furnace grew higher.
Golden flames were constantly shooting through the air, shifting into large invisible hands and pummeling Zen as they neared him. More flames were doing the same to Fire Sword lying on the table simultaneously. The greater the fire grew, the hotter Zen was, and yet, oddly, he still only felt a twinge of irritation.
Unlike Zen, Fire Sword was affected and as the body and hilt of the sword glowed red as the metal heated, the black and white runes along the sword's length sparkled with a peculiar gleam, as though it was absorbing the fire's energy.
'While refining a weapon, the most important element of the process is controlling when to burn it with fire, and then infusing the fire's energy into the sword while it is red hot. What an interesting and unique method! Now, the flames are engulfing Fire Sword, here and there...' Zen contemplated silently. It was notable to mention that although Zen was within the furnace, engulfed in flames himself, he was watching the refining process in its entirety with interest.
While Zen stood there in the midst, mesmerized by the refining process, Evil Lan's surprised voice came from outside the large kiln. Clearly, he sensed something unusual.
Since the process had continued long enough for the hot flames to burn Fire Sword into malleable glowing metal, Evil Lan expected Zen to be ashes, but, when he looked in and saw an unscathed Zen, Evil Lan wondered, 'How can the young man still be alive?
Although the boy is human, he carries the scent of a mysterious weapon. Something must be wrong. I wonder, could it be that the boy is as strong as a piece of mysterious weapon?'
Thinking of the possibility excited Evil Lan, and his face lit up. Given the fact that he never used established techniques, preferring to employ more sinister methods, Evil Lan relished this. The more bizarre the material, the more he savored it.
As a matter of fact, he incorporated the raw elements of yin and yang into his beloved Hell Fire Sword. Now, considering that yin and yang were opposing principles by nature, weapon refiners would usually avoid combining these two materials together. However, Evil Lan went against the well-known procedures and supplies, to refine his first-class mysterious weapon, and his method proved suitable, luckily.
All due to his hope for the best!
Seeing the strange power Zen possessed thrilled him that much more. While the fire he had burning was second grade, it was still ten times more powerful than a general fire. Even his fire didn't harm the young man! Evil Lan was absolutely thrilled.
Observing the young man standing there as flames continued to lick his unharmed skin, Evil Lan was both pleasantly surprised and depressed at the time. Obviously, Zen's body was a great treasure that didn't fear the fire, or had his black magic failed him? What should he do now?
After pondering over it for a while, Evil Lan reached into his pocket and he took a pill out. The pill was blue-gray with striations reminiscent of flame on the surface of the medicine.
“The Fire Melting Pill!”
Evil Lan exclaimed. This third-grade pill was worth a city, and it could raise a fire to the next level in a short period of time. To get this one pill, he exchanged a top rate mysterious weapon which disturbed him for a long time.
Not willing to waste the precious Fire Melting Pill, Evil Lan had kept it for many years now.
Hesitation filled his eyes as he turned it over, and he knew utilizing it today could be quite a gamble as he rolled it between his fingers and considered whether or not he should. Reminding himself, Evil Lan thought, 'Each time I took a big gamble, I successfully forged a prime mysterious weapon. This time, if I win the bet, it will raise the trouble Fire Sword to a higher level. Hmmm, possibly, even making it a spiritual weapon...'
As soon as the thought popped into his mind, Evil Lan's heart thudded hard against the walls of his chest in anticipation. Evil Lan didn't need any further encouragement to pop the Fire Melting Pill into his mouth, excitedly, believing he would be as successful this time as he had been previously.
As soon as Evil Lan swallowed the Fire Melting Pill, his throat was as hot as the blazing fire. While fire spurted from his eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth, he roared. The fire within now flowed through his body until it jetted from him and into the weapon refining furnace.
Thanks to the power of the Fire Melting Pill, Evil Lan's fire was much stronger and had increased by one rank. As it blazed, the entire cave was full of exceptional heat, and the living people in his many cages far from the heat burned, filling the cave with the screams of tortured victims and smells of flesh crisping.