Chapter 1687: Kong Temple Appears

The Heavenly Fire Tribulation is a trial where even Golden Body Realm experts face near-certain death, and countless masters have perished.

At the headquarters of the Master Teacher Pavilion, many Nine-star Master Teachers spend decades, even centuries, preparing before attempting to break through to the Golden Body Realm, only then daring to face the scorching flames.

This guy, however, at Saint 9-dan, Universe Spatial Realm, had already attracted it – and it was the supreme Heavenly Fire, the most powerful kind.

Just when everyone thought he couldn't withstand it and would be burned to death, they discovered that not only was he perfectly fine, but he was also using the flames to forge artifacts.

Unbelievable!

A group of Nine-star Master Teachers were utterly flabbergasted, looking at each other, not knowing what to do.

They had imagined him being burned to ashes, or perhaps barely surviving with severe injuries, but they had never imagined him entering the Heavenly Fire to forge artifacts.

He's having too easy a time of it!

Controlling lightning tribulation to attack those stronger than him, and now even using Heavenly Fire to forge artifacts...

Big brother, is the Heavenly Dao yours to command?

It came to punish you, not to let you borrow some fire!

While thoughts of exasperation filled their minds, they saw Zhang Xuan in the air turn his head and ask, "Do we have any Glacial Spirit Liquid here? Lend me some; I need to quench something."

"Glacial Spirit Liquid?"

Ren Qingyuan's face twitched. Unable to refuse, he could only say, "Yes!"

With a flick of his wrist, a jade bottle flew straight over.

"Many thanks!"

Zhang Xuan casually took it, his true qi surging, and abruptly slapped the bottle.

Whoosh!

Streams of spirit liquid immediately surged towards the Golden Origin Cauldron before him.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

White mist rose, and smoke billowed all around.

In artifact forging, the proportions and fusion of ores and metals are very important, but compared to quenching, they are still of lesser significance.

Glacial Spirit Liquid is a supreme treasure for quenching weapons; any Nine-star Blacksmith Master would prepare some. With so many Nine-star Master Teachers present, they were bound to have some, and sure enough, he got it when he asked.

"This is... the weapon he forged?"

Soon, the smoke and dust dispersed, and Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. The many Nine-star Master Teachers and Ren Qingyuan eagerly looked over, all of them twitching at the corners of their mouths, almost fainting.

They had thought that with the aid of Heavenly Fire, the weapon forged would surely be extraordinary and divine, likely at least a Great Saint-level divine artifact. But the result was... Could anyone tell them what on earth this lump was?

It was pitch black; it didn't look like a cauldron, nor a brick, nor even excrement... He had been striking it for a long time, and his technique looked profound... But what exactly had he struck into existence?

"This... was probably a cauldron before, wasn't it?" a Nine-star Master Teacher said, somewhat uncertainly.

"Not really, it looks like a shoehorn now!" another Nine-star Master Teacher added, stroking his chin. "Hmm, a shoehorn that resembles a brick..."

"..." Zhang Xuan.

"Haha, my Golden Origin Cauldron has indeed advanced! Thank you, Master..."

However, it immediately sounded somewhat puzzled: "Master, what happened to me? Why does my head feel so square, and why do I wobble when I walk... And where are my legs?"

"Well... I thought your legs didn't look good, so I trimmed them for you!" Zhang Xuan said, without a trace of embarrassment.

"Trimmed them off? Then... where's my furnace for forging artifacts?" The Golden Origin Cauldron searched for a long time but couldn't find it, finally unable to hold back.

"I thought it was too big, so I filled it with Golden Essence Spirit Stones..." Zhang Xuan said, without batting an eye.

"Then how am I supposed to forge artifacts or refine pills?"

"Forge what artifacts, refine what pills... Don't you think your butt is big now? It perfectly suits your offensive style – just sit on people!" Zhang Xuan said with utmost seriousness. "I think you're much handsomer now than before..."

"Much handsomer? Haha, I knew it, my Golden Origin Cauldron is the handsomest... From now on, I'll surely be able to attract many female cauldrons!" With a loud laugh, the Golden Origin Cauldron was greatly satisfied.

"..." Ren Qingyuan.

"..." The Nine-star Master Teachers.

Did this master and servant have some fundamental misunderstanding of aesthetics?

From afar, it looked exactly like a brick!

It was the first time they had seen a cauldron that looked like this!

Oh well, geniuses have their own ideas... as long as they're happy!

Ignoring the shock and frustration of the crowd below, Zhang Xuan looked at the Golden Origin Cauldron before him.

Although too many Golden Essence Spirit Stones were used, making it look like a lump, its quality was not to be underestimated.

It had already reached the level of a Great Saint divine artifact.

Moreover, its weight was terrifying; even an Immortal Realm initial stage expert, if sat upon, would probably be flattened into a paste on the spot.

"Go and comprehend your power, strive to control it soon..."

Extremely satisfied, he put the Golden Origin Cauldron into his folding space and turned his attention inward to perceive the changes in his body.

After being tempered by the supreme Heavenly Fire, not only did his cultivation break through to the Great Saint level, but all impurities in his body's cells were completely removed, exuding vitality like a newborn, filled with rich life force.

"This is... the Grand Perfection of the Unbreakable God Realm?"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Under the tempering of the Heavenly Fire, he had directly reached the Grand Perfection of the Unbreakable God Realm, a stage others would need countless years to achieve.

Not only that, his physical body and true qi already showed a tendency to transform into the Golden Body. It seemed that with a little consolidation, he could once again attract the Heavenly Fire Tribulation and attempt to break through to the true Golden Body Realm.

"My physical body is at Grand Perfection of the Unbreakable God Realm... my soul at Grand Perfection of the Golden Body Realm. With the Golden Origin Cauldron and Dragon Bone Divine Spear, I can even contend with late-stage, or even peak, Immortal Realm experts!"

He clenched his fists.

Once cultivation reaches the Great Saint level, each minor stage is like a chasm, incredibly difficult to cross.

In just one day, not only did his soul advance to Grand Perfection of the Golden Body Realm, but his physical body and true qi, through Master Kong's top-grade breakthrough method, also reached the peak of the Unbreakable God Realm, with power surging within him. At this moment, even if Xingmeng Sword Saint and others combined forces, they might not be able to contend with him without external aid.

It could be said... his progress was truly immense!

Before, without burning Master Kong's blood, he could only flee when encountering those Spirit Race members. But now, he possessed the power to fight them.

"However, having just advanced, I still need some time to control it to unleash my strongest power!"

His soul and physical body advanced in two separate stages, so there were still some imperfections in his control of power, not yet complete. However, it didn't matter; given a few days, he should be able to seamlessly integrate them and unleash even greater combat power.

After examining the Golden Origin Cauldron and himself, Zhang Xuan finally flew down.

Although he had attracted the Heavenly Fire Tribulation in the Confucius Temple Ancestral Hall this time, the flames were almost entirely absorbed by him alone, and the surrounding buildings were unharmed.

As soon as he landed, Luo Ruoxi also walked out from the main hall.

"Many thanks, Hall Master Ren..."

Coming before Ren Qingyuan, Zhang Xuan cupped his fists and was just about to express his gratitude, acknowledging that without Ren Qingyuan's permission to enter, he wouldn't have gained such insights. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake, and another sun appeared in the sky, its light dazzling and illuminating all directions, seeming to envelop the entire continent.

Within the sun, a colossal temple spanned across, like a magnificent celestial palace.

"The Confucius Temple... has appeared..."

Ren Qingyuan's pupils constricted.