The black cauldron shook, emitting waves of divine light. The small figure had been sealed inside for over an hour, with the lid of the cauldron occasionally being blown open, splashing golden liquid everywhere, and the rich aroma was intoxicating.
Faintly, a golden Suan Ni (a mythical beast resembling a dragon) seemed to be trying to burst out, growling continuously. The sound was so vivid that it made the villagers' scalps tingle with fear.
It was not very large, only about a foot long, and it was violently pounding against the cauldron lid. Its entire body was golden, glowing brilliantly, and it occasionally roared at the small figure inside.
The lid of the cauldron trembled violently, making onlookers anxious. The villagers attempted several times to secure the lid tightly, but they were stopped by the old patriarch. This was the soul of the elixir within the cauldron, the essence itself, and it needed to be tempered in this manner without disturbance.
The aroma grew stronger. The heavy black cauldron continued to shed divine light, pouring out through the gaps in the lid. Inside, the small figure floated in and out of consciousness, eyes closed, undergoing the baptism.
"Clang," "Clang."
The golden Suan Ni struggled more fiercely, its entire body burning as if it were a deity. It charged around, battering the cauldron.
The crowd was alarmed, and even Stone Yunfeng was nervous, his eyes wide open, closely watching the elixir soul, which was the divine fragment inherited from the ancient Suan Ni.
“This isn’t good. Will it burst out? The patriarch really won’t let us intervene?” Stone Feixiao asked.
Stone Yunfeng, looking serious, replied, “The cauldron is sealed. If we interfere, it could cause the essence of the elixir to explode and disperse into the world.”
“Ah, this is bad. It’s starting to attack the small figure,” one of the young boys, Er Meng, exclaimed.
Everyone tensed. The divine Suan Ni glowed even more brightly, baring its teeth and claws, spewing clouds of mist, and making thunderous noises as it charged at the small figure.
“Don’t panic. It’s already dead. This is just a fragment of divine essence, without true consciousness,” Stone Yunfeng said.
The small figure inside the cauldron remained serene and motionless, its body glowing. It was immersed in a strange state, detached from the external world, refining itself in the divine light. The runes were forged into its flesh, melting into divine light, and transforming into divine radiance. Every drop of blood was a rune, each serving as an eternal divine furnace, radiating boundless light and nourishing the body.
At this moment, its pores opened wide, and each drop of blood became a piece of divine essence, emitting divine light, as if numerous deities were meditating within.
Divine light burst forth from the small figure, with countless glowing particles, like countless deities singing, reciting scriptures, and shining, illuminating the heavens.
The golden Suan Ni approached, guided by the numerous particles of light, transforming into streaks of divine light that were purified and melted within.
“This phenomenon is so mysterious,” the villagers marveled, though their anxious hearts were somewhat eased.
“Roar!”
The Suan Ni struggled even more violently, retreating from the small figure and crashing against the black cauldron with increasing ferocity, making a deafening noise and causing fears that the cauldron might shatter.
Eventually, the golden Suan Ni grew fiercer, battering the black cauldron and causing it to rumble and shake. At this moment, the cauldron also began to change. The depictions of the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and various creatures on the cauldron seemed to become more lifelike, as if they were about to come alive.
“Hmm, could it be that our clan's ancient artifact was originally a cauldron for refining elixirs?” The patriarch Stone Yunfeng was astonished, noting that it resembled the cauldrons used by major clans.
The enraged golden Suan Ni charged more violently, yet the cauldron became even more ancient and mysterious, with its runes lighting up one by one as if they were self-igniting.
The roars of fierce birds and beasts emerged, though vague, they were not illusions. At this time, the cauldron walls gradually became translucent, beginning to refine the golden liquid inside.
The Suan Ni trembled, its roar echoing painfully in the ears of the villagers. Once a divine entity, its voice now resonated eerily in the village, instilling fear. It was making its final stand, standing upright and emitting electric sparks, as if it really intended to breach the cauldron walls.
The black cauldron shook, and the ancient depictions on its walls became more vivid, with sounds of sacrificial rituals and continuous recitations of scriptures.
“The inherited great artifact seems to be an extraordinary elixir cauldron,” the patriarch Stone Yunfeng was shocked, not expecting the seemingly ordinary black cauldron to be so extraordinary.
At the same time, the golden liquid inside the cauldron surrounded the small figure with even more glowing particles, densely packed, as if countless deities were emerging, meditating, and resonating with the cauldron.
The Suan Ni, now fearful, continued to tremble before being disintegrated. The cauldron refined it into beams of golden divine light that merged into the golden liquid.
In the end, everything calmed down. The cauldron lid was sealed tightly, and the outside world could no longer see what was happening inside.
“Alright, the cauldron is finally sealed. If nothing goes wrong, the small figure will succeed,” Stone Yunfeng said, very excited.
“Patriarch, how long will this take?” Stone Feixiao asked.
“It’s hard to say. The baptism can last from one day to three months,” Stone Yunfeng frowned.
“What?” The crowd was stunned, realizing why the old patriarch had them chop so much black dragonwood in preparation.
For a full day and night, the golden liquid continued to boil without drying up. The small figure floated in and out, his body turning a deep red as if blood might drip out. The golden liquid flowed into his body through his pores, carrying out impurities in a repeated process of baptism.
It was a terrifying process, extremely intense, and it was unimaginable how an ordinary child could endure such pain.
The golden liquid was not a simple rinse but a fierce assault on the body, like breaking bones and grinding flesh, severing tendons and veins was common.
The small figure gritted his teeth, remaining still, allowing the golden liquid to baptize his body from the outside in, glowing throughout. Despite the intense pain, he felt his spirit becoming more vigorous.
The divine light, aggressively surging, nearly tore apart his internal organs, but in the end, everything was nourished and took on a lustrous sheen. His bones, nearly shattered, were also repaired, becoming firmer and more radiant. Not only was his body baptized, but the divine power also nourished his spirit.
After a full day and night, the small figure underwent an unimaginable transformation.
When morning came, he opened his eyes and said, “Grandpa, the liquid is almost gone.”
“It’s done!” Stone Yunfeng was overjoyed, instructing someone to open the cauldron lid. The small figure emerged, translucent and glowing, with his pores radiating divine light. The villagers were astonished, knowing without a doubt that the small figure had gained immense benefits.
Stone Yunfeng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “Prepare the red precious horn of the Fire Bull Demon and the arm of the Demon Ape, and draw the blood.”
Stone Linhu extracted the ancient true blood from the red, fire-like horn and drained the black liquid from the ape arm, pouring it into the cauldron.
“Bellow!”
In an instant, the roar of the bull shook everyone’s scalp, nearly making them collapse.
“Roar!”
Then came the fierce cry of the demon ape. A magic ape appeared in the cauldron, enraged and crashing into the cauldron along with the red Fire Bull.
Additionally, the golden treasure heart again manifested a Suan Ni, radiating countless golden rays, joining the assault.
“Seal the cauldron!” The old patriarch commanded.
This time, the conflict was even more intense. The three types of true blood—red Fire Bull Demon, golden Suan Ni, and black Demon Ape—all ancient species, struggled and collided violently, attempting to shatter the cauldron.
The ancient ancestors reappeared on the walls of the cauldron, and the sounds of rituals echoed, interspersed with countless recitations, suppressing the three ancient creatures.
Inside, the small figure was similarly dazzling, with endless glowing particles inside his body. His bones and organs moved rhythmically like a powerful divine melody, emitting treasure light and resonating with the black cauldron.
Both the figure and the cauldron were radiant, emitting various runes and Daoist sounds. The space was filled with mist and flowing light, creating a magnificent scene.
This process lasted for two days and nights. Eventually, everything calmed down, and the cauldron lid was blown open. The small figure leaped over twenty meters into the sky.
"Burned, burned!" he kept rubbing his buttocks, his body entirely black except for his pair of lively eyes. He looked like a little monkey covered in soot.
The villagers were stunned. The small figure had just burst open the heavy cauldron lid and leaped so high that it was over twenty meters.
The old patriarch laughed heartily, knowing that the ritual was successful and the small figure's cultivation was complete. After calming down slightly, he commanded, “Quick, remove the fire from under the cauldron and add water immediately. The remaining herbal roots are still precious.”
The small figure landed on the ground, surrounded by a group of children who poked and prodded him, teasing him. Some even brought clean water to help him wash.
People were astonished to find that he had shed an old layer of skin. Underneath the blackened, charred layer was a pristine, sparkling body, glowing with treasure light.
“Wow, Little One, are you a silkworm? How did you shed such a thick layer of skin?” the children exclaimed. Some girls squeezed into the crowd, gazing enviously at his transparent and shiny body.
Embarrassed, the small figure quickly grabbed a piece of clothing and put it on, causing everyone to laugh uproariously.
“Child, let us see the changes that have occurred to you,” one of the clan elders said.
Stone Linhu and others walked up, each extending a large hand to explore him from top to bottom, all exclaiming in amazement as if they were feeling a warm jade.
The small figure’s face turned red as he was playfully poked. The adults still treated him like a newborn. He struggled hard, pushing back with such force that he nearly toppled Stone Feixiao.
The adults laughed heartily, while Stone Feixiao was astonished. “Stop laughing; this little thing's strength is truly remarkable.”
It was known that Stone Feixiao could lift several thousand pounds with his arms, yet he was nearly overturned by a child under four years old, which was quite shocking.
“Come, Little One, lift the cauldron and test your physical strength,” said the patriarch Stone Yunfeng.
“Okay!” The small figure was thrilled and quickly escaped from the group of laughing men, running to the side.
“Lift!”
The small figure picked up a thousand-pound bronze cauldron with ease and then, astonishingly, lifted the five-thousand-pound black-gold cauldron. The people of Stone Village were dumbfounded.
Previously, it was already amazing that the small figure could lift a thousand-pound bronze cauldron, but now he lifted a five-thousand-pound black-gold cauldron in one go, leaving everyone speechless.
“This is not even his limit; try again,” the patriarch Stone Yunfeng trembled, indicating his extreme excitement.
“Boom!”
In the final lift, the small figure raised the heaviest cauldron in the clan above his head. It was an eight-thousand-pound cauldron, adorned with a terrifying beast’s emblem.
Everyone was shocked. Such divine strength at this age had never been heard of before.
“Child, when you grow up, if you don’t hunt a real ancient beast, the divine Xianhu (an ancient deity revered by ancestors), you will owe me,” Stone Linhu exclaimed as he came back to his senses.
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