Silence reigned in the circular vault. The air, completely drained of the Void-Silver Flame's oppressive heat, felt hollow. Fang Lin sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, his chest rising and falling in slow, measured rhythms.
In his Spiritual Sea, the Ancient Spatial Furnace hummed with an idle vibration. Inside it, the Dark Flame Spirit was curled up like a contented beast, periodically letting out a small, echoing burp of silver sparks. She had eaten her fill. The trial was over.
But for Fang Lin, the true work had just begun.
He turned his consciousness inward, descending into the vast, dark expanse of his Dantian.
There, four flawless orbs hung suspended in the void. The Frost Core, cold and absolute, born of the Frozen Heaven Sutra. The Life Core, pulsing with verdant, relentless vitality, a product of the Nine Nether Phantom Body. The Death Core, a black hole of annihilation, birthed from the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture. And finally, the Dark-Flame Core, volatile and seething, formed by the Abyssal Flame Core-Stone.
Creation and destruction. Ice and fire. Life and death.
Normally, such diametrically opposed forces existing within the same Dantian would result in instantaneous, catastrophic explosion. A mortal vessel could not contain paradoxes.
But Fang Lin's foundation was anything but mortal.
He willed the cores to move.
Slowly, they began to orbit each other. Not fusing. Never fusing. Fusion meant annihilation. Instead, they ground against one another like massive, cosmic millstones. Frost scraped against Flame. Life rubbed against Death.
*RUMBLE.*
The friction between the four flawless cores produced an energy that defied the laws of the World. A dense, primordial grey mist began to bleed from the space between the cores. It was heavy. So incredibly heavy that just looking at it in his inner vision made Fang Lin's soul tremble.
It carried the absolute freezing point of frost, the burning incineration of dark flame, the boundless recovery of life, and the terminal decay of death. It was everything, and it was nothing.
"Four-Pillared Cosmic Force," Fang Lin murmured aloud, his eyes snapping open. The name felt right. It felt inevitable.
He didn't admire it for long. He raised his right hand and flipped his palm upward. With a thought, a jagged piece of dark metal materialized from the spatial pouch. It was the Ashen Crucible Core Token—the absolute authority over Ou Yezi's entire legacy realm.
To claim the realm, he needed to refine it. A normal cultivator would spend days, perhaps weeks, slowly grinding down the ancient will inside such a supreme token with their blood and Qi.
Fang Lin didn't have months.
He reached deep into the center of the millstone in his Dantian and extracted a single wisp of the grey mist, to try something.
It traveled up his meridians like liquid lead. His veins bulged, turning a dark, bruised color as the sheer density of the Four-Pillared Cosmic Force strained his pathways. If his meridians had not been repeatedly shattered and rebuilt through his brutal cultivation, this single wisp would have torn his arms apart.
The grey energy pooled in his palm, wrapping around the jagged metal token.
It didn't glow. It didn't crackle. It just warped the air around it.
The ancient will inside the token immediately flared up, trying to resist the intrusion. But the moment the Four-Pillared Cosmic Force touched it, the resistance shattered. It wasn't a battle of attrition; it was complete, conceptual domination. The primordial grey mist was simply too heavy, too superior. The ancient will was crushed flat, instantly submitting to Fang Lin's authority.
In a matter of minutes, the jagged metal melted into his palm, imprinting itself directly onto his soul.
The entire Ashen Crucible—the spatial realm, the Ore-Purification Centrifuge, the Trial of Fire Vault—was now his to command.
Fang Lin was flabbergasted while the Dark Flame Spirit's eyes bulged out, she was astonished, and muttered, "What in the world...."
Fang Lin asked the spirit, "Did you understand why it happened?"
The Dark Flame spirit responded with just a "No". It was also completely speechless.
Fang Lin exhaled, a grey wisp escaping his lips. With the realm secured, he closed his eyes and turned his attention to the glabella between his eyebrows. The brand left behind by Ou Yezi pulsed warmly against his skin.
He focused his divine sense into the brand, unlocking the knowledge hidden within.
Instantly, a deluge of ancient text and profound insights flooded his Crystal Soul. It was the *Furnace of the World-Pillar*.
As he began to formally practice the circulation route, the absolute brilliance of the Core Art revealed itself. It was a supreme Fire-based art, perfectly attuned to his Dark-Flame core, designed for the absolute pinnacle of artificing and forging.
But as the route completed its first cycle, Fang Lin felt a terrifying sharpness hidden beneath the intense heat.
"Eradication," he whispered.
His eyes widened slightly in realization. The Furnace of the World-Pillar didn't just burn impurities away during forging. It contained the complete Law of Eradication and Destruction. It erased flaws from existence. If used in combat, it wouldn't just incinerate an enemy's flesh; it would eradicate their very concept from the world.
"You finally noticed, idiot."
The voice echoed in his mind, dripping with haughty satisfaction. The Dark Flame Spirit materialized in the physical world, manifesting as a small, flickering projection of a black-and-silver bird perched on his shoulder. She hiccuped, a tiny puff of Void-Silver flame escaping her beak.
"It's a terrifying art," Fang Lin admitted, slowly stopping the circulation. "If I'm not careful, I could erase the very materials I'm trying to forge."
"Of course it's terrifying. It was created by a Sovereign," the Dark Flame Spirit scoffed, though there was a distinct edge of awe in her voice as she looked at him. "But honestly, the art is the least terrifying thing in this room right now."
Fang Lin remained silent, letting her speak. She was a spirit of ancient lineage; her assessment was worth its weight in spirit stones.
"You are at the Early Core Formation realm," she began, pacing back and forth on his shoulder. "Just that. Early Core Formation. But your foundation..." She shook her head. "You possess four flawless cores. That alone makes you a freak. Then you add this... this grey absurdity you just used to casually dominate a Sovereign's realm token."
She stopped and stared directly into his eyes.
"I live in your Spiritual Sea. I see it all. Your Mortal Will has reached the absolute peak. Your Soul skills are sharp enough to sever minds. You possess the Chaos Void Extreme Physique, which gives you a body tougher than a mature demonic beast. Your innate techniques..."
She let out a long, whistling breath.
"If you combine your base cultivation, your peak Mortal Will, your Soul skills, your extreme physique, your innate techniques, and the Four-Pillared Cosmic Force... Fang Lin, your Battle Prowess cannot be measured by normal standards."
"Can I kill a Peak Spirit Manifestation expert?" Fang Lin asked, his voice devoid of arrogance, seeking only empirical truth.
The Dark Flame Spirit laughed, a sound like grinding coals. "Kill one? Boy, if a Peak Spirit Manifestation expert stood in front of you right now, you could tear their spirits out before they even finished drawing their sword. Your combat prowess doesn't just jump stages. It breaks the mathematical scale of the World."
Fang Lin nodded slowly. That was all he needed to know.
He didn't care about titles. He didn't care about breaking scales. He only cared about survival, and the strength required to ensure it.
He stood up. The movement was effortless, his Asura Flesh propelling his weight upward like a feather.
The trial was complete. He had devoured the Void-Silver Flame and had a peak Mortal Will, secured the Ashen Crucible, synthesized the Four-Pillared Cosmic Force, and acquired the Furnace of the World-Pillar.
He also had gained the massive wealth of his late Master.
There was nothing more left for him here.
And more importantly, Lin Wan was likely tearing the ruins apart searching for him. If he disappeared for too long, her suspicion would become a problem.
He really did feel bad for Lin Wan, because she was the one who had invited him here.
Fang Lin cracked his neck, the sound echoing sharply in the silent vault. With a thought, he used his newly acquired authority over the realm to open a direct spatial tear. He stepped through, leaving the cold, empty stone floor far behind him.
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