Upon this discovery, Evan Yang paused, fixing his divine sense directly on the stone sculptures. He counted carefully—there were six beauties in total.
"Why do I feel like these stone sculptures are staring at me?" Evan wondered, feeling uneasy as he looked at the beauties.
No matter how Evan observed, the stone sculptures acted like lifeless objects, showing no sign of looking at him. After a long while, he reluctantly withdrew his divine sense from the cauldron.
"What kind of cauldron is this, anyway?" Evan muttered after pulling back his divine sense.
"Could it be the Fire-Heaven Furnace?" An old man's voice sounded. Evan was already used to this voice and asked curiously, "What's the Fire-Heaven Furnace?"
"The Fire-Heaven Furnace is the number-one pill cauldron on the continent. Legend says it was found in an ancient ruin, then taken by a powerful cultivator, and eventually disappeared without a trace," Old Clam said, sounding uncertain.
"How do you know this is that cauldron?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"Look at the lid—isn't there a flame-shaped 'fire' character embossed on it?" Old Clam replied.
Evan looked closely at the lid and saw it was true. Still confused, he pressed, "If it's the top pill cauldron, it should have some extraordinary qualities. Why does it seem dead, like a broken object, and can't be used at all?"
"That I don't know. If we ever get the chance, we should ask someone who's actually seen the furnace," Old Clam said, shaking his head helplessly. He'd only heard rumors and couldn't give a definite answer.
After listening to Old Clam, Evan Yang pondered for a long time and tried countless methods. No matter what he did, the cauldron showed no reaction—it was just like a broken pill furnace.
Finally, left with no choice, he went to Ethan Lin's room, set down the pill furnace, and asked, "Brother Lin, are you sure your family doesn't have any records about this cauldron?"
"No, it was already like this when we got it." Ethan Lin shook his head.
Seeing that Ethan Lin didn't know either, Evan could only say, "Alright, I'll give it back to you. But I have a suggestion—never show this cauldron to anyone else, or it could bring disaster."
Evan's warning made Ethan Lin pause, then after thinking for a moment, he said, "Brother Yang, just leave the pill furnace with you for now."
"Huh? What's up?" Evan asked, confused.
"The Wu Family already knows I have this cauldron. Sooner or later they'll try to take it from me, but I can't bear to let it go. That's why I'd rather leave it with you." Ethan Lin knew Evan had the strength—especially after today, when he easily refined so many pills. If the Wu Family came for Evan, the cauldron would be safe.
Evan understood what Ethan Lin meant. He wanted to see the cauldron's true nature anyway, so he agreed, "Alright, I'll keep it for now. If you need it, just let me know."
"Thanks, Brother Yang." Ethan Lin felt relieved as he handed over the cauldron.
"Don't mention it. Get some rest." Evan patted his shoulder.
After leaving Ethan Lin's room, Evan returned to his own. He looked at the pill cauldron—unable to solve its mystery, he decided to put it away for now.
After searching for a while, he took out the Space Ring Lynn Snowmoon had given him. "Might as well use it," he thought.
That night, Evan refined the Space Ring. It was his first time refining a treasure, so his speed was a bit slow. When he finished, he lifted his right hand and admired the ring embedded there, smiling, "Not bad at all." He opened its internal space and sent his divine sense inside. Since the ring was now linked to him, it was easy to see every corner and move items in at will.
For safety, Evan transferred everything from his old cloth storage pouch into the ring. When he picked up the three Spirit Crystal Ores, he remembered the three souls inside.
Evan hid the ring inside his body—a new ability granted by refinement. Now, when he didn't want to use it, he could make it invisible within himself.
"Come out," Evan said, placing the three Spirit Crystal Ores on the table.
The once quiet Spirit Crystal Ores suddenly shone, and three soul shadows flew out. Seeing their new surroundings, they looked around curiously and asked, "Did we leave that place?"
"Yes," Evan nodded.
The three souls flew around the room, confirming there was no force holding them back. Then they came to Evan and smiled, "Thank you, Master."
"Master?" Evan looked at them, confused and curious.
Soul One answered, "From now on, we'll follow you, so you're our master!"
Evan wasn't sure about the true potential of these three souls—if they grew stronger than him, would they end up killing him?
Just as Evan was lost in thought, Old Clam spoke up, "Kid, hurry up and accept—this is a rare opportunity!"
"Why?" Evan asked via voice transmission.
"Once a soul truly recognizes someone as its master, it will serve them for generations and never betray its human master. If it does, it'll be destroyed instantly," Old Clam explained, drawing on his experience as a seasoned cultivator.
Evan was startled, then smiled at the three souls. "Alright, I'll be your master—but you have to obey me. Unless I give the order, don't use force."
"Of course! Whatever Master tells us to do, we'll do." the three souls replied in unison.
"Alright, stay inside the Spirit Crystal Ores for now. I'll find something to act as your vessel later," Evan decided after thinking it over.
The three souls obediently returned to the Spirit Crystal Ores. Evan then stored the crystals in the ring and continued sorting through his belongings.
"Is this that screw?" Evan finally focused on the screw-like object he'd accidentally obtained in that independent space.
Evan examined the ordinary-looking screw, turning it over in his hand before deciding to try refining it.
But it was as if the screw was protected by some barrier—Evan couldn't refine it at all.
Refinement means using the power of the Core-Formation Realm to devour a weapon, turning it semi-illusory while preserving its essence. But there's a drawback—if the refined treasure is damaged or destroyed, the person who refined it will suffer serious backlash.
Right now, the ring was a semi-illusory treasure—it could appear or hide at will.
But the screw showed no signs of being refined at all.
"Is it sealed?" Evan wondered. He suspected the screw was sealed, so he tried his breaking method to undo it, but was immediately repelled.
This was the first time his supposedly omnipotent breaking method had failed—Evan couldn't help but be shocked.
Old Clam reminded him, "It's not that your technique isn't powerful, but that whoever sealed this object used many layers of seals. Once you grow stronger, you can use your method over time to break them."
"It was so easy to break your blood coffin, but now this screw is such a hassle?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"It's different. That person thought he could corrupt me by using a simple seal on the blood coffin, so he only placed a basic seal outside. If he had used multiple seals to trap me, you wouldn't have been able to break them with your current strength," Old Clam explained, shaking his head.
"So that's how it is." Unable to break the seal, Evan reluctantly put the screw away.
"You should choose a Life-Bound Weapon now," Old Clam suddenly suggested.
"Life-Bound Weapon?" Evan shook his head, clueless about the term.
"A Life-Bound Weapon is a treasure refined by a Core-Formation cultivator and linked to their divine sense. It becomes much more powerful than using it alone. For example, this pearl is my Life-Bound Weapon, but since my true body was destroyed, I had to entrust my soul to it," Old Clam explained to Evan, who hadn't refined a Life-Bound Weapon before.
After listening to Old Clam, Evan finally understood what a Life-Bound Weapon was. To clear up his doubts, he asked Old Clam about things to watch out for during Core-Formation cultivation.
Evan soon realized that, at the Core-Formation stage, he could only refine one Life-Bound Weapon. Only when his strength increased could he refine more.
After all, Life-Bound Weapons require nurturing with divine sense. If he wasn't strong enough and tried to refine multiple, the backlash could cause them to self-destruct—a risk Evan didn't want. So he decided to refine just one.
He decided to choose one of the three daggers.
When Old Clam saw Evan pick up a dagger, he asked curiously, "Why choose such a rusty dagger as your weapon?"
"Don't underestimate it—this dagger is powerful! Since I got it, it's helped me fend off countless enemies. Even treasures that can't be broken by magical tools are at least treasure-grade or higher," Evan said confidently.
Seeing Evan determined to refine the rusty dagger, Old Clam could only sigh and go rest, leaving Evan to his task.
"If only it weren't rusty—it'd be even sharper!" Evan thought, looking at the dagger.
As dawn approached, Evan sat cross-legged in his room and began refining the dagger.
Following Old Clam's instructions, Evan used his divine sense to control the dagger, making it float before him. He began to 'corrode' it bit by bit, watching as it slowly turned illusory. Finding the process too slow, he increased his effort.
But even with extra effort, the process was still slow—not as simple as Old Clam had described.
"At this rate, ten days won't be enough," Evan cursed inwardly, anxious.
Evan had no idea the dagger was far stronger than ordinary treasures. For someone of his strength, even ten days wouldn't suffice. As he struggled, a ball of flame suddenly appeared.
The scene startled him. He looked closely and realized the flame was the colorless fire from his green pill. It shot toward the dagger and wrapped around it.
The sudden change left Evan flustered, but he quickly noticed the dagger was disappearing much faster.
"Can it speed up the refinement?" Evan was shocked by the discovery.
Startled, Evan hurried not to slow down, afraid the flame might suddenly stop helping. He quickly joined in, devouring the dagger at full speed.