Chapter 1050: Entering the Lava

"Shut up!"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows rose.

"Yes!" Hearing the scolding, the Golden Origin Cauldron immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

Although it stopped, everyone had heard clearly and couldn't help but look over.

"You temporarily took on an artifact forging apprentice?"

"Refined it casually? Dean Zhang, what exactly is going on?"

The Golden Origin Cauldron itself is a Saint Artifact. To refine it and increase its power, one would need at least the strength of a 7-star Artifact Forger... How could you take on a temporary apprentice to do this? An artifact forging apprentice should be of no rank, right? How could such a person... allow a Saint Artifact to advance?

"Oh, last night, I met an apprentice who was trying to commit suicide..."

Seeing everyone's gaze, Zhang Xuan had nothing to hide and explained the previous events in detail.

"You guided an apprentice who couldn't even forge a mundane artifact for half an hour, and then the Golden Origin Cauldron advanced?"

"This... this can't be possible, can it?"

After hearing the explanation, everyone felt like they were going crazy.

Guiding an apprentice to temper a low-grade Saint Artifact... How much confidence must one have in oneself to dare to do such a thing? How profound must one's understanding of artifact forging be to achieve this?

"I heard before that Dean Zhang's artifact forging skills were exceptional, but now I realize... I still underestimated him..."

"Yes, such artifact forging ability has probably reached the 7-star level, or even the peak."

"This single feat is something we cannot compare to..."

The deans of the three major academies all smiled wryly at the same time.

They had learned from Zhao Bingxu that the person before them was a powerful artifact forger, but they only thought he might have reached the 6-star peak. Only now did they realize it was nowhere near that simple. One must know that even a true peak 7-star Artifact Forger could not easily guide an apprentice to successfully temper a low-grade Saint Artifact.

"You... after we parted ways, you saved someone and exposed a fake artifact master?"

Unlike the others' focus, Luo Ruoxi, standing to the side, widened her beautiful eyes and looked at the young man nearby.

"Yes, after you left, I was just about to chase after you when I found someone trying to commit suicide, so... that's why I was delayed!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"So that's how it was..."

Shaking her head, Luo Ruoxi was filled with helplessness.

Yesterday, she had gritted her teeth in anger, thinking this guy had no sense of observation at all, but it turned out not to be the case. As a Master Teacher, upholding the dignity of the "Way of the Teacher" was clearly more important. He knew she had misunderstood him, yet he didn't offer any explanation. If it weren't for the Golden Origin Cauldron being too boastful, she probably wouldn't have known until now... This quality was truly admirable.

"I suspect the core of the lava is where the power erupts, so I plan to go down and investigate..."

Not continuing to discuss that topic, Zhang Xuan's gaze shifted again.

"Where the power erupts?"

Everyone frowned.

"This place is so violent; even if there were formations and folded spaces, they would be destroyed, wouldn't they? How could anything be built here?"

President Han couldn't help but ask.

He had observed this place long ago and had immediately ruled it out. The undulating power beneath, once it explodes, would devastate an area spanning thousands of *li*, showing its immense power... Under such a fierce energy impact, even the most stable folded space or formation wouldn't be able to withstand it, would it?

"Whether it is or not, we'll only know by going down to see. Great power can destroy formations, but it can also sustain their operation! There are pros and cons; it's just that the level is too high for us to comprehend..."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"This..." President Han opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found himself speechless.

What the other person said was correct: water can carry a boat or capsize it. Fierce power can destroy formations, but if utilized properly, it can also become a driving force, allowing formations to unleash even more terrifying power. Of course, this was likely something only a higher-level formation master could achieve; his own strength was far too lacking.

"Alright, I'll go in and take a look first!"

After explaining, Zhang Xuan said no more. He called out to the Golden Origin Cauldron, and with a leap, immediately jumped into the cauldron's interior.

This fellow (the cauldron) was enormous; the part of the cauldron designed to hold charcoal could easily accommodate three or four people. It was just right for it to carry him into the depths of the lava to explore. If left to its own devices, with its unreliable and boastful nature, it certainly wouldn't be able to figure anything out.

"Be careful..."

Seeing him enter the cauldron and about to descend, Luo Ruoxi couldn't help but say.

"Mmm!"

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

"Here I come!" the Golden Origin Cauldron exclaimed excitedly, rushing straight towards the point of power eruption.

At this moment, the power had just finished erupting, and there would be an intermission of about ten minutes. This was the perfect time to enter; otherwise, once the power erupted, even the Golden Origin Cauldron would inevitably be unable to withstand it.

Gurgle gurgle!

As soon as the massive cauldron entered the lava, it immediately produced bubbling sounds. Following that, Zhang Xuan, sitting inside, felt intense heat continuously assailing him from all sides.

The Golden Origin Cauldron was an artifact cauldron capable of melting even iron ore, indicating the extreme temperature inside. Hidden within it, although not in direct contact with the lava, the heat couldn't dissipate in the enclosed environment, making the temperature not much lower than outside. Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan circulated the *Zhenqi* (true energy) within his body, immediately feeling the pressure significantly lessen. He swayed, then stood up: "Golden Origin Cauldron, stop!"

"Stop here?"

The cauldron paused, surprised.

They had only just entered the lava, not even ten meters deep, and he wanted to stop... for what?

"Mmm!"

Zhang Xuan nodded: "No need to go too deep... Wait for me here!"

After speaking, with a mental command, his Wu Soul immediately left his body, drilling straight out and into the lava. Even though the Golden Origin Cauldron's strength had increased significantly, forty-odd meters was its limit. Furthermore, a round trip would not only be dangerous but also troublesome. Therefore, having it enter was just an excuse to protect his physical body!

His true purpose was his Wu Soul!

The Wu Soul was formless and intangible; although it would be affected by the lava's heat, the effect wouldn't be too significant. Moreover, it could traverse through the lava without losing speed, allowing it to penetrate deeper and uncover more secrets.

"As I imagined, my Wu Soul not only won't be harmed upon entering, but it can also absorb power and grow stronger!"

As his soul entered the magma, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

His Wu Soul was cultivated through the Heaven's Path cultivation technique, making it impervious to intense heat and blazing sun. If it were an ordinary Wu Soul Master, whose body was inherently cold, they would likely be roasted alive even within this cauldron, let alone entering the magma itself.

"This heat can temper weapons, reducing their impurities. Can it also temper the soul body?"

A thought suddenly struck him.

Although the Wu Soul's body was formless and intangible, it was, like a primeval spirit, a conscious, tangible existence. Since weapons could be tempered, why couldn't this?

"Let's try..."

With a mental command, his soul body quietly floated in the lava, slowly absorbing the surrounding heat.

Sizzle sizzle!

A wave of heat immediately surged over, making his soul more resilient and stronger under the immense heat. The impurities contained within were continuously purged, just as he had imagined.

"It really works..."

His eyes brightened.

He had always felt his soul body was too cumbersome, making it very troublesome to enter his physical body. He had wanted to temper it but had never been able to. This intensely hot magma was perfect for the task.

"However, don't rush to cultivate yet. This place experiences an energy eruption every ten minutes. While my soul body might not be harmed, the Golden Origin Cauldron could be directly blasted away. That would be troublesome..."

Although he greatly wished to cultivate and vigorously temper his current soul, he also understood that now was not the time. With a faint smile, he continued flying downwards. The most important thing now was to find the entrance to the relic. As for cultivation, he could definitely wait a bit longer.

His Wu Soul descended, and just as Master Wu had said, the further down he went, the greater the heat became, as if there were distinct zones, with ten meters as a boundary.

"According to my estimation, a Saint 1-dan expert can operate within ten meters, Saint 2-dan's limit is twenty meters, and so on. Master Wu is Saint 4-dan, so he could only reach about forty meters at most. Beyond that, he couldn't go!"

The Wu Soul was very fast. After a few breaths, he reached a depth of forty meters. Feeling the change in temperature over this distance, Zhang Xuan made his conjecture.

"Forty meters is indeed hot enough. Even in my Wu Soul state now, it's becoming difficult to withstand..."

For the first thirty meters, as a Wu Soul, the impact felt negligible, but at forty meters, he immediately felt the heat overwhelming. Even in his soul state, it was hard to resist.

"Continue!"

The Heaven's Path Wu Soul cultivation technique circulated within him without pause, breaking through the forty-meter barrier and continuing downwards.

As soon as he crossed the boundary, he immediately felt as if he had plunged into a pot of boiling oil. Even in his current state, he was being scorched and somewhat distorted. Although he couldn't sweat, he felt his bloated soul body could collapse at any moment, unable to bear it.

"No... This is a place only experts of the Spirit Severing realm can enter. Although I'm a Wu Soul, I've reached my limit..."

His expression darkened.

He had initially thought that with his soul, he would definitely be able to go deeper without being affected. Now, it seemed he had still underestimated the lava's temperature. It was normal that he couldn't withstand it, as even a Saint 4-dan Master Teacher couldn't, and his Wu Soul was currently only at the 9th level Mortal Transformation realm.

Gritting his teeth, he swam down a bit further. Just as he passed the fifty-meter mark, he immediately felt his soul beginning to collapse, completely beyond his control.

The greater the heat, the greater the activity of matter, making it more unstable, just like many solid weapons turning into liquid under extreme heat. Even though the Wu Soul was not material, the surrounding activity was so immense that space itself became unstable, let alone a soul. It instantly began to crumble. He hastily retreated to fifty meters, feeling much more at ease this time, but his brows furrowed.

"I've come down over fifty meters, and still no trace of the relic. Could it be... my calculations were wrong, and it's not here?"

He had just entered sixty meters, still finding nothing. He only felt it getting hotter and hotter, indicating, as Wu Tianqiong had said earlier, that he was approaching the earth's core lava. In such a hot place, even formation flags would melt. Even if there were folded spaces, they certainly couldn't withstand it. Could it be that his previous calculations were mistaken, and the supposed entrance to the relic was not in this location?

While deep in thought, a sudden loud roar came from below, like a giant millstone spinning.

"Oh no? Why did the power erupt early this time... I'm done for..."

His pupils constricted, and then he saw a powerful force suddenly gushing towards him from below!