The caravan Steward then turned to the Female Cultivator and Lin Changheng, managing a smile. "Thankfully, you were both alert. The consequences would have been unthinkable otherwise. When we get back to the clan, I’ll be sure to record a merit for you."

Lin Changheng shook his head. "I just happened to notice, but I didn’t react in time. Fortunately, the Fellow Daoist beside me was decisive and called out a warning, preventing greater losses."

The implication was that the Female Cultivator beside him deserved more credit. In truth, he didn’t want to stand out.

Only by being inconspicuous, almost invisible, could he protect everyone from the front in an emergency without drawing any attention.

The Female Cultivator tilted her head to glance at Lin Changheng in surprise, her eyes flickering, but she didn’t say anything more.

"A merit is a merit. It’s based purely on the facts, nothing else."

The caravan Steward made the final decision.

"Yes."

Lin Changheng and the Female Cultivator could only reply in unison.

...

At dawn, before anyone else was awake, Lin Changheng went straight outside. After greeting the Steward who was still on watch, he sat on a large boulder and began to meditate, facing the rising sun.

But his hand was hidden deep within his robes, continuously taking out vials of Essence Blood from his Storage Bag, uncorking them, dipping his fingers inside, and absorbing them for Metamorphosis.

Qi Cultivation Cultivators do not have Divine Sense that can be projected outward. They only possess Divine Thought, which cannot leave the body. Therefore, as long as he blocked their line of sight, there was no fear of being exposed.

Not long after, Lin Changheng withdrew his hand and quietly sighed in relief.

His vision pierced through the illusory, "seeing" the Primordial Cauldron at the center of his sea of consciousness. His gaze fell upon an extremely conspicuous, solidified Dao Fruit within it.

[Fire Crow Treasure Seed·Fifth Layer]

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

[Metamorphosis: 10/10]

...

[Essence Blood Full, Metamorphosis Success!]

[Fire Crow Dao Fruit: Supreme]

[Can Refine into the atavistic Divine Ability of a Demon Beast bloodline: The True Intent of Fire Manipulation]

Then, the scene before his eyes abruptly changed.

The Primordial Cauldron stirred once more.

Bells chimed and the cauldron rumbled as the beasts on its walls came to life.

Next, the same Flame Realm unfolded, but the unnamed, flaming giant bird that resided within it was nowhere to be seen.

"Hm?"

The next instant, a vast, wondrous, ancient, and mysterious feeling welled up, washing over his mind. ’This is?’

He immediately realized his perspective was different, as if from an extremely high dimension.

He glanced down slightly, only to see most of the Flame Realm submitting beneath his feet—and his "feet" were no longer human feet...

But "Sharp Claws!"

The Sharp Claws were cast from molten gold, as large as palace pillars. They resembled dragon claws but had three toes, connected by webs of flowing fire.

The backs of the claws were covered in crimson jade-like Scale Armor, from between which spewed crimson-purple True Fire.

An unbelievable, yet extremely real, thought entered his mind.

’Have I become that giant bird?’

Lin Changheng tried to turn his head and, sure enough, he saw a body of Feathers woven from flowing lava.

His wings spread, like clouds hanging from the heavens, obscuring the entire sky.

More importantly, this boundless sea of flames was entirely within his perception. Every single spark was under his control.

And he was the absolute Monarch of this Flame Realm.

It felt as though with a single thought, these flames would move at his command, burning through the heavens and causing the world to fall.

However, after about three breaths’ time, everything suddenly vanished, collapsing like a receding tide.

The Flame Realm, the giant bird incarnation, the wondrous feeling, the absolute control over fire—it was all as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus, a momentary flash.

’Was that the complete Fire Manipulation Divine Ability?’

Though Lin Changheng felt a sense of loss—the feeling had been too powerful, too wonderful, creating a stark contrast with reality—he quickly adjusted. At the same time, he came to a realization. ’A True Spirit! That flaming giant bird is definitely one of the legendary supreme True Spirits, born of heaven and earth, favored by the Celestial Dao!’

’A True Spirit that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Immortals, one that legends say can battle a True Immortal!’

...

’Refine into the True Intent of the Fire Manipulation Divine Ability!’

Suppressing the tumultuous thoughts in his mind, Lin Changheng directly activated the Red Dao Fruit.

The Dao Fruit instantly trembled, on the verge of collapse, then transformed into a streak of red light that shot into his Divine Soul.

The sensation was hard to describe, but Lin Changheng’s first, intuitive feeling was that his control over fire had broken through the limits of ordinary flames.

It wasn’t just mortal fire; he could now try to control some rare Exotic Flames, including strange fires of heaven and earth, a Cultivator’s True Fire, and more.

It was on a completely different level.

But now was not the time to test it.

Just then, the sound of footsteps and voices came from the ruined temple behind him. Lin Changheng feigned finishing his exercises and jumped down from the boulder.

"Let’s go. Time to continue the journey back."

The caravan Steward glanced at the diligent Lin Changheng with a hint of admiration.

He then raised his voice and called out. The group fell into their positions, and the pack-horse caravan moved onward. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

...

「Three days passed.」

At dawn, the Black Water River once again appeared before the caravan.

Lin Changheng also let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As they crossed the river, Lin Changheng stood alone at the prow, admiring the beautiful morning scenery of the river.

From a distance, the black water looked like ink, with a thick fog rising from it.

But up close, the water was almost transparent. It only appeared pitch-black because it reflected the black mud at the bottom, earning it the name "Black Water River."

Just then, someone approached. It was the caravan Steward, who had come to ask about Lin Changheng’s identity.

His eyes flickered for a moment, but Lin Changheng still bowed and answered, "I dare not hide it from you, Senior. My name is Lin Changheng."

After all, a senior at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer had asked. Besides, he was traveling with their caravan—to put it bluntly, he was acting as a bodyguard. It wouldn’t be right to refuse. Besides, he might need to travel with them again in the future, so it was important to maintain good relations.

He then said frankly, "But I hope Senior can help me keep my identity concealed."

"Alchemist Lin?"

The caravan Steward looked at the man in the bamboo hat before him, somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected this person to be the very Pill Master who had defeated Lü Bailian and obtained the Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance.

He had heard of his fame long ago and knew he was expected to advance to Middle Grade in the future. He then smiled, nodded, and agreed, "Rest assured, I will help you conceal it."

"Many thanks."

Lin Changheng clasped his hands in a salute.

The two chatted for a while longer. As the ferry was about to dock, the caravan Steward suddenly changed the subject. "If Alchemist Lin needs to purchase anything from the outside world in the future, feel free to come find me at the Foreign Affairs Hall. The Outer World isn’t safe these days; it’s better to travel in a group."

"Alright, thank you, Senior."

Lin Changheng, of course, wouldn’t refuse. "I might just have to trouble you in the future, Senior."

"Of course, of course."

The caravan Steward stroked his beard and smiled.

"Farewell, Senior."

The ferry docked, and Lin Changheng bid his farewell and departed alone.

"Alright." The caravan Steward also went off to handle the follow-up matters for the trip.

At that moment, the Veil Hat Female Cultivator who had been traveling with them also came out of her cabin. After whispering something to the steward, her dress swayed as she drifted away toward the Gui Feng Dojo in the core area.

...

When Lin Changheng returned to his small courtyard, the sight of a thin layer of dust on his table gave him a long-missed sense of security.

First, he slept soundly for a whole night, only slowly waking in the dead of night.

After casting a few Cleaning Skills to tidy up the house and courtyard, Lin Changheng took out the remaining Essence Blood to once again complete his unfinished experiment.