C1 I Was Reborn in the Furnace

"Boom!"

Beyond the Ninth Layer of Heaven, a colossal boom echoed as the corpse of a Divine Dragon, stretching a thousand feet in length, thunderously collapsed.

Standing before it, a frail old man watched in stillness.

"Ninth Prince, wouldn't it be easier to just let me take the dragon pearl?"

The old man was gaunt, his body quivering as if a mere breath could scatter his bones. Despite the grandeur of the fallen beast before him, he remained remarkably composed. Yet, his sporadic, labored breathing betrayed his utter exhaustion.

"You've slain so many; you've exerted yourself the most..."

Approaching the Divine Dragon, the old man fumbled over the corpse, searching for something. Eventually, his shaking hand reached out and delved into the dragon's brow.

The dragon scales, impervious to Divine Artifacts, seemed to vanish beneath his touch.

When he withdrew his hand, a pearl the size of his palm emerged.

The moment the pearl appeared, a resonant dragon's cry filled the heavens, and a miniature dragon could be seen spiraling joyously around the pearl.

"Hehe..." The old man chuckled darkly, clutching the dragon pearl before vanishing into the ether.

...

"My precious, I've brought the dragon pearl; you're going to grow stronger once more!"

The old man reappeared within a vast canyon, greedily eyeing a massive cauldron beside him as he cradled the pearl.

Standing thirty feet tall, the cauldron's crimson surface was etched with endless Sanskrit, forming an entire world within.

In the outside world, such a treasure would incite a frenzy among the greatest of holy lands.

But the 'precious' the old man referred to was not the cauldron itself, but what resided within it.

With a series of hand seals and an incantation, he summoned a twisted black hole atop the cauldron and hurriedly inserted the dragon pearl.

The black hole snapped shut the instant the pearl entered, seemingly reluctant to reveal even a hint of its essence.

Unbeknownst to the old man, just before the black hole sealed, two faintly glowing spots appeared within, flickering like human eyes.

"If you keep this up, I'm going to start blushing..."

The world within the cauldron was ablaze with nine-colored flames, creating a furnace-like realm all around.

Zhao Xiaoqi watched the dragon pearl slowly become one with him, his eyes tinged with a hint of shyness.

It was his tenth day since he had crossed over.

In his past life, he was an extreme sports athlete.

Seeking the ultimate challenge, he had chosen to ride down an incredibly steep mountain peak.

In the end, he lived up to expectations by fatally crashing.

When he next opened his eyes, he found himself in this accursed place.

Damn it!

That was Zhao Xiaoqi's initial reaction upon arriving. Others had their powerful families as backers, golden fingers paving their way, and beauties counting their fortunes.

So why, when he crossed over, did he end up in a cauldron with some old creep outside calling him "darling" every day?

Who scripted this nonsense?

Moreover, the old creep outside seemed to take particular delight in refining him, so much so that he lost himself in the process.

For the past ten days, the old creep had been bringing back new items daily.

Human Emperor's blood essence, Golden Wing Roc feathers, the core of the Clouded Tree... Each item was more terrifyingly powerful than the last, their mere names enough to impress Zhao Xiaoqi. Even the flames heating the furnace were Divine Flames from the Ninth Layer of Heaven, said to be remnants of a Human Emperor's failed attempt to break the cosmic chains. Today's addition was another dragon pearl.

If he weren't still in human form, Zhao Xiaoqi might have suspected the old man outside was intent on crafting a monster.

"Darling, did you know? Everyone thinks the Dragon Emperor is the mightiest in the Dragon Clan, but only I know the Ninth Prince is the true powerhouse..."

Outside the cauldron, the old creep grinned wickedly, caressing the cauldron with an obsessed look. "At the Divine King Stage, aside from a few ancient immortals in the Dragon Clan, the Ninth Prince is unmatched. Those ancients are too old; their dragon pearls lack vitality and aren't fit for our purposes anymore..."

"Immortal old coot? Who the hell could outlive you?"

From outside the cauldron, one couldn't see inside, but from within, the view was crystal clear. Zhao Xiaoqi couldn't help but roll his eyes at the old man's remark.

Since his soul had claimed this body, he'd been subjected to the daily ramblings of that old degenerate just beyond the cauldron's walls. Ten days might not seem like a long time, but it wasn't short either. Yet, it had been ample for Zhao Xiaoqi to gain a grasp of this new world.

The rambling degenerate, known as Faang Hee, was among the elite, perched at the pinnacle of this world. But aside from Zhao Xiaoqi, no one was aware of the existence of such a formidable character.

To be exact, no one was aware that this formidable character was still among the living.

Historical records suggested that Faang Hee, despite his prodigious talent and a life spent roaming the world, should have met his maker a hundred thousand years ago.

However, Zhao Xiaoqi was well aware that the old man had indeed survived until the present.

Every day, Faang Hee's soliloquies outside the cauldron unwittingly revealed secrets unknown to many. A hundred thousand years prior, as Faang Hee was on the brink of death, he usurped the body of a prodigy.

But that prodigy's body paled in comparison to his original vessel, resulting in lesser achievements for Faang Hee in that lifetime.

Thus, Faang Hee concocted a daring plan: to craft his own body, to forge the most impeccable vessel the world had ever seen!

Since then, Faang Hee had turned into a veritable mad scientist, seeking the finest Celestial Materials and Earthly Treasures in every reincarnation to create the ultimate body.

A hundred thousand years and forty-eight bodies later, Zhao Xiaoqi, now in the cauldron, was the forty-ninth—and the most flawless of them all.

Yet, by some twist of fate, Zhao Xiaoqi had preempted Faang Hee in claiming this unparalleled body.

Once Zhao Xiaoqi understood the full story, his disdain for Faang Hee transformed into something akin to admiration.

He even began to see Faang Hee, the old eccentric, in a more favorable light.

Faang Hee's face was a mass of wrinkles, so crinkled and unsightly that it was hard to look at without feeling a sense of revulsion.

Yet, once Zhao Xiaoqi learned of Faang Hee's deeds, particularly that he himself had become a beneficiary of those actions, his perception shifted. Suddenly, Faang Hee's visage seemed to carry a hint of benevolence.

"If you keep this up, I'd be embarrassed to go outside and end your life..." Zhao Xiaoqi mused.

Outside the furnace, Faang Hee was lost in his own world, excitedly talking to himself. He recounted tales of the outside world and shared the saga of his life. He believed, based on years of experience, that this would minimize the new body's rejection of his soul. With the strongest body in history and his soul that had lived for a hundred thousand years, he might just break the cosmic chains and ascend to emperorhood!

Zhao Xiaoqi, however, interpreted Faang Hee's incessant ramblings as a form of... prenatal education.

For the first time, witnessing Faang Hee's relentless chatter, Zhao Xiaoqi felt a twinge of embarrassment.

Even though he hadn't stepped out of the furnace and his body was still in the process of being refined, Zhao Xiaoqi could sense its formidable power. He had the impression that if he wished, he could effortlessly shatter the Creation Furnace.

But he refrained. Aside from his physical prowess, his cultivation was virtually non-existent. Charging out in his current state would be futile against this undying elder.

Luckily, the old man had no inkling that the body within the furnace now housed a soul, and not just any soul, but a mature one. In his daily monologues, he unwittingly revealed the secret technique for soul transference.

There would come a time during the transference when Faang Hee would be as vulnerable as any ordinary person, devoid of any combat ability. That was the moment Zhao Xiaoqi was waiting for—the perfect opportunity to strike.

For now, Zhao Xiaoqi's task was to remain patient.

As days slipped by, Faang Hee ceased his quests for powerful adversaries and treasures. He lingered near the furnace, periodically checking the heat and the surrounding formations.

The flames inside the furnace grew more intense with each passing day, and Zhao Xiaoqi's anxiety mounted in tandem.

He recognized the signs—the day of refinement was upon them, and Faang Hee was on the verge of opening the furnace.