Chen Lin was startled, his consciousness tautening abruptly like a frightened beast:
"Who?! Who are you?!"
The voice carried a trace of weariness and mockery, almost imperceptible, as if from ancient times:
"I? An Ancient Divine Artifact, the Refining Demon Furnace."
The Refining Demon Furnace? The Origin that brought him Transmigration to this world?
Chen Lin's Heart was pounding in his ethereal consciousness.
"During the Ancient Great War, My Origin was severely damaged, and I fell into slumber... In My stupor, I was unexpectedly obtained by your insignificant Mortal soul..."
The voice paused, seemingly unwilling, yet also helpless,
"Who would have thought you would stumble upon such luck when you went out, playing the trick of your Physical Body shattering into pieces, and accidentally triggered a wisp of My deepest dormant instinct... A Bloodline Recognition Contract, thus formed!"
Chen Lin's mind was greatly shaken.
Recognition? A Divine Artifact's Recognition?
"The Blood Contract is formed. My remaining power is insufficient to maintain your former Mortal body, so I could only envelop your soul, break through the realms, and Transmigrate... Dropping you into this desolate land where the Immortal Dao still exists."
The voice of the Refining Demon Furnace carried a hint of self-mockery.
The amount of information was too vast for Chen Lin to digest at once.
An Ancient Divine Artifact? A great war? A Blood Contract? Transmigration? It was hard to discern truth from falsehood.
But one thing was undeniably clear—the Origin of his Transmigration, the brand on his chest, all stemmed from this!
For a Mortal facing such an existence, investigating the truth was meaningless.
The most pressing matter was to grasp this sole straw and embark on the path of Immortality!
He forcefully suppressed his surging thoughts, stabilized his Heart-Nature, and asked:
"Senior... Then, what exactly are the powers of this Refining Demon Furnace?"
The voice in his mind seemed to perk up slightly, carrying the arrogance and disdain of an Ancient Divine Artifact:
"Powers? Heh, how could you Mortals possibly imagine them?
It can purify the Bloodline of myriad demons, returning them to their Origin, even tracing back to the primeval ancestral Bloodline!
It refines all things in heaven and earth, extracting their purest Origin essence!
In all the myriad worlds, any object that contains Spirit and Dao can enter My Furnace and be transformed into resources for your Immortal path!"
The voice suddenly rose, carrying a sense of indifference as if looking down on all living beings,
"Such profound mysteries are beyond the comprehension of your current ant-like body!
Too many vain thoughts will only disturb your Heart-Nature!"
It was like a basin of ice water poured over him, extinguishing the fervor that had just ignited in Chen Lin.
That's right, his current self was merely the son of a Mortal hunter, unable even to perform the most basic Qi Guiding Technique into the body. What good was having a Divine Artifact by his side?
It was merely a child carrying gold, inviting disaster and trouble.
"Senior's admonition is correct."
Chen Lin instantly sobered up, his attitude becoming extremely respectful and practical,
"This junior, for now, only seeks to enter the immortal sect and guide Qi into his body.
I wonder if Senior can teach me?"
The voice of the Refining Demon Furnace fell silent for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing his quickly settling Heart-Nature.
After a while, the ancient voice finally spoke with a barely perceptible softening:
"Without a Foundation, the immortal path is difficult.
First... survive."
A deep sense of exhaustion surged like a tide, completely engulfing Chen Lin's remaining consciousness.
In the darkness, the ancient voice gradually faded, leaving only a faint but constant warmth at the brand on his chest, proving that everything that had just happened was not an illusion.
Suddenly, Chen Lin's eyes snapped open, his Heart still pounding in his chest, his back drenched in cold sweat and icy cold.
It wasn't a dream.
He subconsciously raised his hand and touched the position of his Heart on his chest.
Through the coarse linen tunic, beneath his skin, the clear outline of the three-legged ancient furnace-like mark was discernible. It now emitted a gentle warmth, like a warm jade held in winter.
Last night's blood-stained beast-skin scroll lay quietly by his pillow.
"Spirit Beast Sect · Qi Guiding Technique · Basic Beast Taming" — Immortal Arts!
He took a deep breath, the cold morning air filling his lungs, carrying the scent of earth and firewood, which slightly calmed his chaotic mind.
Gathering all his thoughts, he got up and carefully hid the scroll close to his body.
Pushing open the creaking door, in the courtyard, Fourth Sister Chen Yunniang was holding a large broom taller than herself, laboriously sweeping away the dead branches and fallen leaves blown down by the cold wind last night.
Seeing Chen Lin come out, a smile immediately appeared on her small face, and she dropped the broom and scurried over.
"Third Brother, you're awake!"
Yun Niang's voice was soft and gentle, like tender sprouts just emerging in early spring,
"Father said you don't have to work in the fields today, he said you have... have important things to do!"
When she mentioned "important things," her large eyes sparkled with curiosity, but she was very sensible and didn't ask further,
"Sister-in-law left food for you warming on the stove, go eat quickly."
Chen Lin looked at his sister's slightly red, frozen face and thin clothes, his heart softened, and he reached out to ruffle her soft hair:
"Got it, Yun Niang, I'm going now."
Walking into the kitchen, a smell of mixed straw ashes and food wafted over.
The embers in the earthen stove were not extinguished, and a chipped coarse pottery basin covered the stove.
He lifted the lid, and inside were several grayish-yellow steamed buns mixed with a lot of bran, a bowl of thin millet porridge reflecting his image, with a few pitifully sparse vegetable leaves floating on its surface.
Next to it, there was even a hard-boiled egg!
The eggshell was rough, and it wasn't large, but it appeared exceptionally precious in the dim light.
In those days, every household in Cangshan Village lived a tight life, cinching their belts.
After paying the heavy land tax, the remaining food barely enough to get by was already a blessing from heaven.
This egg was laid by the family's only old hen. Normally, it was saved for Hu Wa to satisfy his cravings, or taken to the market to exchange for salt and needles.
Today, it was specially left for him...
Chen Lin's nose felt a little sore.
No need to think, this must have been Big Brother Chen Shisheng's idea.
In this family, the silent Father was the pillar supporting the sky, and Big Brother was the backbone silently maintaining the daily necessities.
This silent expectation and trust weighed heavily on his Heart.
He silently sat down, picked up a steamed bun, and with the thin porridge, carefully peeled the precious egg. The egg white was delicate, and the yolk was a warm orange-yellow.
He ate in small bites, and after the last mouthful, with food in his stomach, he regained some strength.
Chen Lin did not delay, immediately returning to his drafty side room, and bolted the not-so-sturdy door from the inside.
Sitting cross-legged on the cold earthen kang, he took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distracting thoughts, and cautiously took out the beast-skin scroll he kept close to his body, slowly unfolding it.
The ancient seal script on the scroll was like a heavenly book, twisted and coiled, exuding an indescribable profound mystery.
Chen Lin concentrated, trying to recall some vague concepts from his previous life about "Dao follows nature" and "Qi sensation in the Dantian," combining them with some simple human meridian diagrams next to the scroll, attempting to understand the "Qi Guiding Technique into the body" method described within.
According to the scroll, he positioned his five centers towards the sky (palms, soles of feet, crown of head), looked at his nose, then at his Heart, tried to empty his mind, and attempted to sense the ethereal "Spiritual Qi" between heaven and earth.
He imagined himself as a dry sponge, craving the invisible "moisture" around him;
He also imagined himself as a stubborn rock, waiting for the essence of the sun and moon to permeate it...
Time flowed by in silence, little by little.
Outside the house, the cold wind whimpered, and dead branches tapped against the window lattice.
Inside the house, Chen Lin was like a clay sculpture or a wooden carving, his breathing light and slow.