Chapter 330: The Martial Furnace

Yang Ling grasped the essence of those words—external aid.

“Master, what exactly is this external aid?”

“External aid, you can understand as rare exotic herbs and flowers, precious treasures, divine armaments, elixirs, and things of that nature.”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master said with a faint smile:

“When I was young and breaking through the death tribulation, my master gave me a rare exotic herb from the Water Qilin Cave—the Snow Spirit Marrow.”

“Besides that, there are also many types of external aid that can alleviate the pain of the death tribulation.”

Water Qilin Cave? Yang Ling marveled inwardly. It seemed that martial artists from this era had already discovered the Water Qilin Cave.

“That Water Qilin really has some patience, getting plundered so many times without losing its temper.”

“The danger of the death tribulation lies in that pain. You might be able to endure the life tribulation through sheer will, but the death tribulation requires external intervention.”

“Unless you are exceptionally gifted, with a Spirit dozens of times stronger than an ordinary person, you simply cannot withstand that kind of pain.”

“Many of those Upper Sixth-Rank martial artists who couldn’t get external help and rushed to break through ended up dying from the pain.”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master’s expression grew heavy, as if recalling the agony she had suffered when breaking through the death tribulation back then.

“Spirit dozens of times stronger than an ordinary person?”

Yang Ling’s mind stirred. His Spirit was 200 points, while the Fifth-Rank martial artists he had seen typically had Spirits between 50 and 60 points.

That was probably after they had broken through and increased it.

Before breaking through, it might have been even lower.

“I’m several times higher than them. Does that mean my risk in facing the death tribulation isn’t actually that great?”

Just as he was thinking this, the woman before him spoke again:

“So don’t rush to break through the death tribulation. First, stabilize your foundation. Even if your cultivation level reaches the threshold, don’t be hasty to advance.”

“You can practice your martial techniques a bit more.”

“Wait a few years until the Water Qilin Cave opens, and I’ll see if I can get you a portion of Snow Spirit Marrow.”

“That substance can, for a short time, make your death tribulation as manageable as the life tribulation.”

“If you can overcome the life tribulation, you can naturally overcome the death tribulation.”

Yang Ling smiled bitterly inside. Even if the Snow Spirit Marrow were delivered tomorrow, he wouldn’t be able to get it, let alone a few years from now.

Still, he was deeply grateful:

“Thank you, Master. Your disciple will definitely consolidate his cultivation and not rush to break through.”

He paused. “However, your disciple has one question. Surely there are other things that could replace the Snow Spirit Marrow...”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master nodded slightly:

“Of course there are. Every major sect has its own methods. Some divine armaments can also help reduce the pain of the death tribulation.”

“There are even some rare exotic herbs and flowers that can make your death tribulation completely painless.”

Yang Ling’s eyes lit up.

The Devour Heaven Palace Master let out a scoff:

“But anyone who uses such methods will become mediocre, and breaking through to Fourth-Rank will become exceedingly difficult.”

Why is that? Yang Ling showed confusion.

If you can reduce the pain to nothing, isn’t that a good thing?

“The death tribulation—the more you endure, the more you gain after breaking through it.”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master continued:

“Snow Spirit Marrow is the kind of rare herb that can save your life without reducing the pain in the slightest.”

“You will fully experience a death tribulation so agonizing it feels like dying.”

“As long as you endure it and survive, you will advance to Lower Fifth-Rank.”

“You’ll find that everything before your eyes has changed. What once seemed dangerous to you will become ordinary.”

“Even if someone thrusts a sword through your heart, you can seal your Vital Qi to prevent it from leaking, wounded but not dead.”

Yang Ling’s expression turned solemn. So the death tribulation couldn’t really be avoided? He had to endure it completely?

“The function of Snow Spirit Marrow is to strengthen your Spirit and lock in your life force, preventing you from being tortured to death by the pain.”

“If you’re in a hurry, I could go find other things to help you break through the death tribulation. But the benefits you’d gain afterward wouldn’t be as great.”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master said with some emotion:

“When you reach Upper Fifth-Rank and start preparing to advance to Fourth-Rank, you’ll know just how crucial this life and death tribulation is.”

“Master, your disciple is willing to wait for the Snow Spirit Marrow.”

Yang Ling stated his position.

Seeing that he wasn’t just paying lip service, the Devour Heaven Palace Master revealed a hint of satisfaction.

“Master, how does one break through from Upper Fifth-Rank to Fourth-Rank?”

Yang Ling seized the chance to ask.

Not everyone could receive instruction from a Fourth-Rank Grandmaster.

Once he left this dungeon, the Fourth-Rank Grandmasters outside wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

He would be leaving this dungeon tonight, so the more useful information he could gather, the better.

“You’re only Upper Sixth-Rank. Why do you want to know how Upper Fifth-Rank breaks through to Fourth-Rank?”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master frowned slightly.

Yang Ling: “Your disciple is rather greedy.”

After a brief silence, the Devour Heaven Palace Master couldn’t help but let out two soft laughs.

Her usually cold expression seemed to carry a hint of warmth.

“Greed is good. To be a martial artist, you must be greedy. If you’re not greedy, you won’t go far on the path of martial arts.”

The Devour Heaven Palace Master nodded lightly:

“To advance from Upper Fifth-Rank to Fourth-Rank, you need to forge a martial furnace within your body. It can also be called a Vital Qi furnace.”

“A furnace?”

“Have you seen a blacksmith’s forge before?”

“Your disciple has seen one.”

“It’s the same, except it’s forged inside your body.”

“So this places extremely strict demands on your physique and your Vital Qi.”

“If it’s not forged well, you will die.”

“A flawed furnace, if lit with flames too intense for it to bear, will shatter.”

“Therefore, the life and death tribulation of Upper Sixth-Rank is a crucial step. It determines whether this martial furnace of yours is qualified to withstand the martial flames you are about to ignite.”

“Your Vital Qi should have reached the standard. But you still need to temper it further, until it reaches a point where it can no longer increase.”

“Then, with the Snow Spirit Marrow, you break through to Lower Fifth-Rank. You will have a body strong enough to forge your martial furnace.”

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Return to Qingyun Mountain to cultivate. I’ll have someone prepare a room for you here. Move in tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master.”

...

Late at night, Qingyun Mountain.

Yang Ling sat in the courtyard, quietly gazing at the star-filled sky.

But his mind kept replaying the Devour Heaven Palace Master’s words.

Her hint to nurture his Vital Qi to the peak of Upper Sixth-Rank was clearly telling him that it wasn’t just enduring the death tribulation that brought benefits at Lower Fifth-Rank.

The higher his Vital Qi, the greater the benefits when breaking through to Lower Fifth-Rank!

“Jiu Xingkong was just 1 point of Agility away from facing the death tribulation, yet he didn’t take that step.”

“I initially thought he simply couldn’t increase that 1 point of Agility. Now I see... he was probably nurturing his Vital Qi. His goal was Fourth-Rank Grandmaster!”

“So breaking through to Lower Fifth-Rank isn’t as simple as I thought.”

Yang Ling clenched his fist secretly, then slowly relaxed.

He had originally planned to ignore Vital Qi and break through to Lower Fifth-Rank directly.

Then make up for the Vital Qi gap with his peers later.

But now that he knew Fourth-Rank required forging a Vital Qi furnace within the body,

that plan had to change.

“Once I’m out, I need to find a way to increase my Vital Qi. Ten thousand points is just the standard for Upper Sixth-Rank, not the limit...”

The time on the status panel reached the final second of the mission deadline.

[Congratulations on becoming the Devour Heaven Palace Master’s personal disciple]

[Congratulations on completing the Second Stage of the Devour Heaven Palace dungeon. Evaluating results...]

[Mission Evaluation: S+]