Chapter 46: Mysteries in the Tripod

## Chapter 46: The Profound Secret of the Cauldron

"She unexpectedly came as well," Ye Chen murmured, his gaze fixed on the distance. A flicker of pain brushed his heart. Meeting a former love in this place stirred within him a sense of being separated by worlds. While he no longer harbored affection for Ji Ning Frost, nor did he hold hatred, the pang in his heart was but a fleeting instant.

With a swift motion, Ye Chen produced a ghost mask from his embrace and concealed his face.

A tide of figures surged forward, and Ji Ning Frost flowed with the crowd. She was not alone; beside her walked a youth of leisurely temperament, truly handsome and elegant, like a jade tree against the wind. Every gesture he made exuded a refined and gentle aura. Ye Chen recognized him: Hua Yun, the foremost among the nine true disciples of the Zheng Yang Sect.

"Junior Sister Ji, let us look elsewhere," Hua Yun said, his folding fan lightly swaying, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze, utterly captivating.

Ji Ning Frost's expression remained calm, yet she offered no refusal.

Suddenly, she and Ye Chen brushed shoulders, passing each other like strangers. Former lovers, reunited once more, yet seemingly worlds apart.

Ye Chen continued his steady, powerful strides, not once turning back.

He wasn't sure when Xiong Er found him.

"Why are you wearing a mask?" Xiong Er grumbled, eyeing Ye Chen with displeasure. "This young master searched for you for ages."

"Just bought it, doesn't it look good?" Ye Chen removed the mask.

"Wasting money," Xiong Er scolded. "Let's go. I found a good place to stay. We should rest our feet first."

The two walked one behind the other, heading towards the depths of the You Ming Black Market.

Before them stood rows of pavilions, serving as lodging during the auction.

Upon entering a suite, Xiong Er immediately locked himself in his room, seemingly to delve into his secret scroll for strengthening yang.

"Don't overdo it and die," Ye Chen chided, then turned and entered his own room.

After tightly locking the door, Ye Chen took out the small cauldron. It seemed to have been buried underground for a long time, its surface mottled and ancient qi wafting from it.

"I wonder what profound secret lies within," he mused, producing the Purple Gold Gourd and removing its stopper.

*Buzz!*

Immediately, the Purple Gold Gourd trembled. Then, the small vortex reappeared, and the small cauldron was instantly swallowed whole.

*Buzz!*

*Buzz!*

Having devoured the small cauldron, the Purple Gold Gourd vibrated violently, shaking intensely. Seeing this, Ye Chen's eyes gleamed brightly. Even the Purple Gold Gourd had such a strong reaction; the profound secret hidden within the small cauldron must be extraordinary.

"What profound secret exactly?" He rubbed his hands, barely containing his anticipation, and peered into the gourd.

Inside the Purple Gold Gourd, a hazy mist filled with heart-refreshing spiritual liquid swirled. The small cauldron hung suspended above the liquid, without trembling, without emitting light, just quietly suspended there.

Ye Chen frowned slightly, continuing to wait.

It wasn't until an hour later that the Purple Gold Gourd buzzed and shook, spitting out the small cauldron. What Ye Chen didn't notice was that a drop of fresh blood dripped from the cauldron just before it was expelled, merging into the spiritual liquid within the gourd.

"This... is this all?" Not having uncovered the profound secret within the cauldron, Ye Chen stared at the Purple Gold Gourd in astonishment.

Under Ye Chen's gaze, the Purple Gold Gourd acted as if nothing had happened, leisurely and unhurriedly absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

Waving a hand to retrieve the Purple Gold Gourd, Ye Chen picked up the small cauldron from the ground. It remained in its original state, no different from before it was swallowed.

"I don't believe it," Ye Chen muttered in frustration. With a thought, he summoned his true fire and enveloped the small cauldron.

An hour later.

Ye Chen withdrew his true fire and sank onto the ground, panting heavily. The small cauldron remained intact, just as it was initially, completely unaffected by the true fire that had been burning it for over an hour.

"What are you made of, to actually withstand the burning of true fire?" Ye Chen held the small cauldron, sighing in exasperation. Even true fire couldn't melt it; he truly was at a loss.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath again, holding the Purple Gold Gourd and tilting his head back to gulp down several mouthfuls of spiritual liquid.

*Hmm?*

As the spiritual liquid entered his body, it flowed through him like a clear spring as always. However, something inexplicable made Ye Chen realize that the spiritual liquid he had consumed this time was somehow different from usual. As for where it was different, he couldn't say.

"Why do I have a strange feeling?" Ye Chen tugged at his collar, feeling a dryness and heat in his body. Soon, the blood within him quickened its flow, even seeming to boil, making him feel even more as if he were being burned by fire.

He licked his dry lips and picked up the Purple Gold Gourd again, tilting his head back for another large gulp. However, the burning sensation intensified shortly after.

Shaking his head, Ye Chen felt slightly dizzy, the dryness and thirst attacking him again. More spiritual liquid from the Purple Gold Gourd was poured into his mouth, yet the more he drank, the thirstier he became, and the thirstier he was, the more he wanted to drink. Unbeknownst to him, he had already drunk off a large portion of the spiritual liquid within the Purple Gold Gourd.

"What is happening?" Ye Chen's eyes became glazed, and even his vision blurred. He was so consumed by the intense sensations from drinking too much spiritual liquid that he didn't even notice his cultivation advancing to the sixth layer of the Condensing Qi realm.

*Ah...!*

He let out a low roar, tearing at his clothes, feeling as if his entire body were on fire. It was as if flames were erupting from every single pore.

"Water," he subconsciously grabbed the Purple Gold Gourd, tilting his head back and drinking again, not stopping for a long time.

*Bo!*

Soon, a similar sound resonated from within his body. His cultivation, which had only just advanced, leaped from the sixth layer of Condensing Qi to the seventh layer, and his cultivation directly reached the peak of the seventh layer. At this rate, breaking through to the eighth layer was not impossible.

*Ah...!*

With another low roar, Ye Chen's form began to change. His eyes were filled with bloodshot threads, and veins bulged on his forehead. This was not the end; an inexplicable black mist appeared around his body, and black demonic evil qi flowed from every pore. His black hair, with visible speed, turned blood-red. Most importantly, a demonic light flickered between his brows, and a strange demonic pattern suddenly appeared and then disappeared.

*Wu...!*

He clutched his head, staggering on the ground, feeling a roaring in his mind and as if his head would explode.

He didn't know when he finally collapsed headfirst onto the ground, falling into a coma.

Silence descended upon the room.

He didn't know how long had passed when he finally returned to his original state.

The night passed without incident, and in a flash, dawn arrived. As a sliver of sunlight filtered through the window and fell upon his face, he suddenly sat up. After a brief moment of stupor, he frantically checked his body, only to find his clothes torn and tattered.

"My cultivation," he gasped, perceiving the abundant power within him. His realm had actually climbed three layers, reaching the eighth layer of Condensing Qi.

"What happened last night?" His mind was momentarily hazy, then he recalled the events of the previous night. Waving a hand, he summoned the Purple Gold Gourd, his eyes flickering between bright and dark. Just drinking the spiritual liquid inside last night had led to a series of strange occurrences: his body felt like it was on fire, and his mind roared as if it would explode.

"Does this spiritual liquid have a problem?" Ye Chen removed the stopper from the gourd, just wanting to investigate, but the room door was suddenly kicked open by Xiong Er.

"Let's go, let's go! The auction is about to start."

"Okay!" Ye Chen responded, covering the gourd with its stopper and then putting the Purple Gold Gourd away. He followed Xiong Er out.

(End of Chapter)