Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rebirth
Time trickled away, and in the Jade Spirit Pool, Lin Hu’s fingers twitched unconsciously.
The potent energy contained within the Jade Spirit Liquid seeped into his body through his pores, suffusing him with a tingling sensation that swept over his entire being, ceaselessly mending his battered physique.
As more and more Jade Spirit Liquid energy was absorbed, Lin Hu’s bones and meridians visibly reformed; fractured bones slowly knit together, damaged meridians gradually recovered.
Sensing movement from within the Jade Spirit Pool, Lin Cheng opened his eyes.
He gazed at Lin Hu, whose body seemed to be bathed in celestial aura, and listened to the crisp sounds of bones rearranging themselves. A smile broke across Lin Cheng’s face.
He is saved!
At this moment, Fat Lin lay naked in the pool; his body bore no visible scars, and vitality surged from within. He was nearly fully healed.
Yet the process was not finished. The powerful energy of the Jade Spirit Liquid continued to temper his sinews and bones, fortifying his flesh. Lin Hu’s brow would occasionally furrow, his fists clench, his body tremble, as if enduring immense agony.
Lin Cheng, standing nearby, understood well: the Jade Spirit Liquid was remaking Lin Hu’s body. If he could endure, he would truly be reborn.
“Uncle, are you there?”
“I now possess the Fire Spirit Pearl—can it help Lin Hu forge a fire spirit root?”
“Uncle…”
“Uncle, have you fallen asleep?”
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At this moment, an idea formed in Lin Cheng’s mind: to seize the opportunity of Fat Lin’s transformation within the Jade Spirit Pool and forge his spirit root, so Lin Hu could truly embark on the path of cultivation.
He remembered the white-robed sword cultivator’s words: to wield the ancestral five-element energy of the chaotic world within, one must at least reach the Imperial Realm.
But there was another way—find the Five Element Spirit Pearls and use their power to draw out the ancestral energy.
Now, with the Fire Spirit Pearl in hand, Lin Cheng believed he could use its fire power to help Lin Hu forge a spirit root.
Yet it felt as if a mountain of gold lay before him, and he had no idea how to mine it!
Not to mention whether he could even activate the Fire Spirit Pearl’s power again; even if he did, he didn’t know how to draw out the ancestral energy from within.
“Brother Fire…are you there?”
“Brother Fire, do you know how to draw out my internal five-element ancestral energy?”
Upon hearing “five-element ancestral energy,” the previously silent Fire Spirit Pearl stirred.
“Um…don’t worry. As long as you help me draw out the ancestral energy and forge a spirit root for this fat man before me, I’ll give you a strand of ancestral energy to nourish your spirit.”
The Fire Spirit Pearl seemed to understand Lin Cheng’s words, leaping with intent, but did not act further.
Was it too little?
Lin Cheng wondered and tried, “Two strands?”
The Fire Spirit Pearl remained unresponsive.
Face darkening, Lin Cheng gritted his teeth, “Three strands...no more than that, and whether you can even draw it out remains to be seen.”
After a brief silence, fire energy suddenly enveloped Lin Cheng!
In that instant, his entire body radiated a crimson glow, as if he were a man of fire.
Feeling that immense power once more, Lin Cheng was seized by the sensation of commanding all flames, mastering the heavens and earth.
Steadying himself, he asked inwardly, “Brother Fire, do you know what to do?”
The fire energy within the Fire Spirit Pearl surged again, rushing toward the palm of his right hand, seemingly intending to enter the world of the sword mark rune.
Lin Cheng understood.
With a thought, he found himself standing amid a vast starry sky, gazing upward at the chaotic, mirror-like world before him.
“Well…seems you’re not so clueless after all.”
Hearing this voice, Lin Cheng turned, excited.
“Uncle!”
“So you weren’t asleep…”
White-robed sword cultivator: “…”
“Normally, you’re blocked from contacting me…”
Lin Cheng, hearing this, was instantly unsettled, his face awkward and innocent.
“Uncle, now that I wield the power of the Fire Spirit Pearl, can I help Lin Hu forge his spirit root?”
White-robed sword cultivator: “Do you know how to draw out the five-element ancestral energy from the chaotic minor realm before you?”
Lin Cheng: “…”
He thought to himself, wasn’t that why I sought you?
Seeing Lin Cheng’s blank expression, the sword cultivator shook his head and smiled, “Enough… I know you don’t.”
Lin Cheng blushed, rubbing his nose. At that moment, the sword cultivator beckoned; the Fire Spirit Pearl from his sea of pills appeared in his hand.
He examined it for a moment, then tapped it lightly, sending a white ray into Lin Cheng’s mind.
Handing the Fire Spirit Pearl to Lin Cheng, he said, “Use the method in your mind to sense and establish a connection with this chaotic minor realm, then use the Fire Spirit Pearl’s power to draw out the five-element ancestral energy from within…”
Following the sword cultivator’s instructions, Lin Cheng closed his eyes, focused his mind, and repeatedly attempted to connect with the chaotic world above.
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He now stood like a statue beside the Jade Spirit Pool, oblivious to the earth-shattering change occurring within Lin Hu.
Lin Hu was surrounded by radiant halos; his fleshy body had shed a layer of fat, becoming even more robust and imposing. His skin gleamed like jade, so radiant that even women would envy it.
The energy of the Jade Spirit Liquid had thoroughly transformed Lin Hu’s body, yet a steady stream of energy continued to flood into him, converging at his dantian.
A sphere, the size of a grown man’s fist, took shape, its energy striving to force open Lin Hu’s dantian.
A searing pain welled up in his lower abdomen, causing Lin Hu to curl up in the pool, beads of sweat mingling with the Jade Spirit Liquid.
A faint “pop” sounded, and at Lin Hu’s dantian, a palm-sized core hovered, its interior murky.
Then, the vast energy of the Jade Spirit Liquid found an outlet, pouring ceaselessly into his dantian.
If the Daoist Tianhui knew the Jade Spirit Pool had enabled Lin Hu—who lacked a spirit root—to open his dantian, he would surely be astounded.
With a dantian, Lin Hu could theoretically begin cultivation, but lacking a spirit root, his progress would be far slower than others.
Moreover, without a spirit root—say, one of fire attribute—he could not practice techniques or martial arts requiring such, a major drawback.
Lin Hu’s eyelids trembled, but he did not awaken.
At that moment, Lin Cheng, who stood silently nearby, suddenly opened his eyes and pointed. A streak of crimson energy shot into Lin Hu’s body.
Under Lin Cheng’s guidance, the ancestral fire energy coursed through Lin Hu’s meridians; soon, an indescribable sensation filled Lin Hu’s heart.
As the fire energy swept through him, Lin Hu’s pores began to emit a red aura; his body was like a volcano about to erupt.
Lin Hu had only just recovered, but now agony surged anew.
His fleshy face twisted violently, his body trembled again; the pain of forging a spirit root vastly exceeded the earlier ordeal of body refinement. Both soul and flesh tormented him beyond endurance.
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
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With a sharp crack, flames burst from his body, turning him into a living fire.
Lin Hu, previously unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes, leapt from the pool, soaring three yards high!