Chapter 787: Mysterious Power

"Indeed, it's a bit strange," Zu'an said, taking out a new set of clothes to change into while observing Daji. It was truly difficult to connect the quiet, beautiful woman before him with the historical fox spirit empress who had captivated so many. "You could say she has a mind, but her eyes are usually dull, and she can't even speak; yet if you say she doesn't, she won't even let me touch her."

Mi Li scoffed repeatedly, "As expected, you're a pervert. You see a beautiful woman and immediately want to do strange things."

"I was just testing, alright?" Zu'an quickly defended himself.

Mi Li rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with him. "Now that you've made the Nine Cauldrons recognize you as master, do you know what functions it has?"

Zu'an wiped the blood from his body. Although the injuries looked frightening, they were not serious given his current physical strength. "I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Let me try to communicate with it first..."

He closed his eyes, connecting with the ancient and profound will in his mind. A moment later, he opened his eyes with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Mi Li asked curiously.

"Because the Nine Cauldrons are incomplete, only a small portion of their functions can be used right now. They can primarily be used for alchemy, and you already know its characteristic for alchemy," Zu'an replied.

"I know?" Mi Li was confused. She had never personally touched the Nine Cauldrons back then, so how could she know?

"You should have known just now at Shen Xuzi's place. The Nine Cauldrons' alchemy characteristic is that it combines the features of all those cauldrons: the Furnace of Goodness, the Furnace of Evil, Frugality, Extravagance, and so on?"

Mi Li was both surprised and delighted. "Doesn't that mean it combines the advantages of all other cauldrons?"

"Exactly." Zu'an beamed. Earlier, when he heard Shen Xuzi introduce his miraculous cauldrons, he had longed for each of them. However, different cauldrons were mutually exclusive and couldn't be possessed together.

As a result, the Nine Cauldrons now perfectly fulfilled his desire to have all those features.

He couldn't help but say, "I wonder if the Nine Cauldrons have a replication function, subtly copying the characteristics of those other cauldrons."

Mi Li, however, shook her head. "I think it's quite the opposite. It's more likely that those cauldrons, having been with the Nine Cauldrons for so long, were subtly influenced by its aura. Because they themselves are not ordinary artifacts, they were able to manifest some of the Nine Cauldrons' characteristics. Of course, even if they aren't ordinary, they are still far inferior to the Nine Cauldrons, which is why each only inherited a small portion of its abilities and came with so many arbitrary restrictions."

"I see." Zu'an also found her analysis more logical. He quickly took out the medicinal herbs he had prepared earlier. There was plenty of Sky Crane Ganoderma and Crimson Star Jade at the Imperial Hospital, but only two Purple Heaven Spirit Flowers remained, which had been seized from the red dragon's lair outside Brightmoon City.

There had originally been several more, but they were unfortunately wasted when he tried to refine elixirs with an ordinary cauldron, causing an explosion.

"I hope this time it succeeds." Zu'an placed the various medicinal herbs into the Nine Cauldrons according to the proportions recorded in the "Ancient Scroll of Gathering Essence," then called Daji to tend the fire for him.

Daji stared with wide eyes. Perhaps it was an illusion, but there seemed to be a hint of reluctance in her gaze. However, she did not refuse, still extending her slender, fair hand to control the fox fire, which began to envelop the cauldron for alchemy.

At such moments, Zu'an was truly in sync with her, able to perfectly control the intensity of her flame.

Zu'an was very curious: if they were so in sync, why couldn't he sense what she was thinking?

However, he quickly focused his mind and began to concentrate on the alchemy.

Surrounded by the fox fire, the Nine Cauldrons became translucent, and the changes in the medicinal herbs inside were almost visible to the naked eye.

Mi Li couldn't help but exclaim, "This cauldron is truly top-notch for alchemy! You see, the success rate of ordinary alchemy isn't high largely because it's an extremely delicate process. Throughout the process, if there's slightly too much or too little of an ingredient, or if the heat isn't right, it can easily lead to failure. Alchemists usually rely on extensive practice to master this, but now that you can directly observe the changes in the herbs inside the cauldron, you can address issues specifically. This completely bypasses decades of arduous experience for others!"

At this moment, Zu'an felt no relief at all. He said gravely, "No, I feel the heat is still significantly lacking."

"Is Daji's cultivation level too low right now?" Mi Li frowned.

"No," Zu'an shook his head. "The feedback from the Nine Cauldrons suggests something is missing. How should I put it? It seems to require another kind of flame, but I don't understand the specifics."

"Oh?" Mi Li could now also observe the situation inside through the Nine Cauldrons. She saw that the surface of the medicinal herbs was gradually turning pasty, but there was clearly no change within. Her mind raced, and she quickly realized, "I understand! The Nine Cauldrons likely require the balance of yin and yang for alchemy. Daji's fox fire is yin. As the saying goes, 'solitary yin produces nothing, solitary yang cannot endure.' At this moment, another supremely potent yang flame is needed alongside it to successfully activate the Nine Cauldrons."

Zu'an was dumbfounded. "But where can I find another flame now?"

He knew that due to his cultivation method, he hadn't awakened elemental powers like other cultivators after reaching the sixth rank. The only reason he could use fire was by borrowing Daji's fox fire.

Where could he conjure fire from thin air now?

Under normal circumstances, he might have been able to slowly figure something out. But now, with alchemy in progress, it was like an arrow on the string – there was no way to stop midway. Otherwise, these precious medicines would be completely ruined, and who knew when he could gather them again.

Mi Li also frowned deeply, clearly troubled by the same issue. However, with her extraordinary insight, she quickly thought of a solution.

"Doesn't your 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' awaken a strange bird with corresponding unique abilities every time you break through a level?" Mi Li quickly asked.

Zu'an nodded. "That's right."

Given their current relationship, there was no need to hide anything from her.

Mi Li said, "The strange birds you previously awakened were, in order: Da Feng, Bai Ming, Lan Fu, Xue Huang, and Qing Luan. If I'm not mistaken, these should correspond to the Nine Phoenix Progeny."

"The Nine Phoenix Progeny?" Zu'an was startled.

Mi Li nodded. "Exactly. Legend has it that the Phoenix has nine divine bird offspring, each with unique abilities. The cultivation method you practice is called the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture,' and you happen to have awakened these types of birds, so it's no coincidence."

Zu'an had actually had this suspicion before, but he hadn't been as certain as she was.

Mi Li continued, "If I recall correctly, among the Nine Phoenix Progeny, there's also a Fire Phoenix, which inherited the Phoenix's ability to control flames. If you can awaken this divine bird, you should be able to produce a supremely potent yang flame. Judging by the sequence, it should be almost its turn."

Zu'an gave a wry smile. "It's strange, actually. Before, every time my cultivation level increased by one rank, I would awaken the ability of a divine bird. But this time, even though I've clearly broken through to the eighth rank, for some reason, no new strange bird has appeared."

Mi Li replied, "Cultivators after the eighth rank are qualitatively different from those before it. I suppose it's because you've only just broken through and are still at the threshold of the eighth rank; your cultivation hasn't yet reached the requirement to trigger the Fire Phoenix."

"Then there's nothing we can do now," Zu'an said, his head aching. "Where am I supposed to raise my cultivation level in such a short time?"

Just now, he had absorbed Ma An's cultivation, but Ma An was only a sixth-rank cultivator, so it was merely a drop in the bucket for his own cultivation improvement.

Mi Li's expression was somewhat odd. "Have you forgotten there's still a power within you?"