A Flame Essence was an amazingly powerful natural force. In normal circumstances, when it was a highly potent medium-grade human-step Flame Essence, one would have to be a late Houtian master from a sect, or a peak Houtian master to absorb it. Not only that, but one would usually need the assistance of some rare treasure like the Glacial Ice Divine Spring.
But Lin Ming was currently relying entirely on his own powerful body and strength to forcibly tame this Flame Essence. His advantage was that his meridians were incomparably tough, but the burning pain still felt like he was being roasted from the inside out, spreading through his body like a tide. Lin Ming revolved his azure true essence to protect his meridians. The azure true essence was endless; even after being burned away by the flames, it would quickly regenerate.
With such support, Lin Ming began to stamp out the flames that rampaged through his meridians. Each time, the Flame Essence would weaken, but the Heretical God Seed would grow stronger.
Under this reversal, another quarter hour passed and Lin Ming was finally able to take complete control of the situation. Now, absorbing the Earthcore Crimson Flame was only a matter of time.
Chi chi chi!
The Heretical God Seed’s Flame Essence danced excitedly, greedily devouring all of the power of fire and constantly growing.
To a normal martial artist, a Flame Essence was no different from a weapon. Once a weapon was forged, its grade was already decided. Later, when they became stronger, they would have to replace their weapon just like they replaced a Flame Essence.
But this situation would never occur with the Heretical God Seed. The Flame Essence could absorb other Flame Essences and grow from them.
An hour later, Lin Ming used his soul force to tow a tiny amount of crimson flame through his meridians. These were the final dredges of the power of fire in his meridians, and they had fully integrated within him. With the enhancement of his fusion compatibility, the Earthcore Crimson Flame became increasingly lively.
“The absorption has finally ended.”
Lin Ming let out a light breath, and absorbed all of the leftover flames into the Heretical God Seed. Then a vast power of fire erupted from within, integrating with the fire origin energy he had gathered while cultivating the ‘Vermillion Bird Forbidden Divine Chronicle’.
There was a slight popping sound, as if something had cracked apart, and Lin Ming was surprised. Then, he was ecstatic. He had finally broken through to the middle Pulse Condensation period!
He had finally made his breakthrough. With the little bit of medicinal strength left over from the Heaven Opening Pill, the absorption of the Flame Essence, and also the month-long high-intensity cultivation within Ancestor Chi Yan’s mountain range, these three factors had come together and enabled him to complete his breakthrough. It had been a long and difficult process.
If he were a normal martial artist, things wouldn’t have been so troublesome. After taking a Heaven Opening Pill, as long as his body didn’t explode from the energy, then he would be able to rush to the late Pulse Condensation period or even the peak Pulse Condensation period in a single go.
This was the price Lin Ming had to pay in order to lay down the most solid of foundations. Every time he made a breakthrough, he would have to pay two times, or even three times the cost of a normal martial artist.
It wasn’t only Lin Ming, but also sect geniuses like Jiang Baoyun, Bai Shuxuan, Qin Wuxin, and others. Before they reached the Xiantian realm, they would have to make a perfect breakthrough at every stage. This was also why they were superior talents that could fight above their ranks, and the reason they were leagues above any common martial artist.
If there was ever a day that their talent was insufficient to carry them to a complete breakthrough, then that would be the signal that they had reached the end of their cultivation road. In the future, it would be exceedingly difficult to reach a higher realm.
After breaking through to the middle Pulse Condensation period, Lin Ming needed to remove all the impurities in his body that he had recently acquired. He readied himself to return to the Seven Profound Valleys so he could calmly cultivate. While he was there, he would also learn the Mirage Faction’s camouflage techniques and explore the mystery of Jiang Baoyun’s spiritual attack.
The Southern Wilderness was quite close to Lin Ming’s hometown. But, he could not visit his hometown on the way back. He was alone, and now with Ouyang Boyan prowling at the edges, he didn’t want to be exposed to the public. Doing so would only invite danger towards his family.
If Lin Ming didn’t kill Ouyang Boyan, his heart would never be at peace.