Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Three to Five Days of Arduous Practice in a Single Breath

He strode over to the separate Weapon Casting Platform and slammed his hand down on a mechanism on its side.

Crimson-green Earth Fire erupted from the fissures forged of special Refined Steel below.

He whipped the cloth off the Bronze cage, revealing the Ginseng Doll frantically scurrying in circles inside. When it saw Xu Yunfan lift the cloth, it grabbed the bars with its two small hands, letting out a continuous, miserable squeal.

Its cry was so sorrowful, it was enough to make any listener’s heart ache and their eyes well with tears.

Looking at the searing Earth Fire to the side, the doll probably thought Xu Yunfan was preparing to toss it into the molten rock to be burned to a crisp.

It was naturally terrified.

Xu Yunfan reached out a finger to tease it.

"Relax. I’m not going to burn you. I’m just building you a more comfortable place."

The Ginseng Doll was indeed intelligent. Hearing that Xu Yunfan wasn’t going to burn it, its anxious expression suddenly relaxed, and its little face immediately took on a cocky air.

It muttered strange syllables from its small mouth.

Xu Yunfan, of course, paid it no mind. He was carefully studying the Bronze cage in his hands. With his Celestial Craft Forging Technique, it only took him the time to drink a cup of tea to figure out the secret of how the Bronze cage could imprison the Ginseng Doll.

Aside from the Bronze Cone Spikes on the inside, its greater effect came from the power of the Five Elements of Mutual Generation and Inhibition.

A scripture from the Medicine Hall stated that ginseng is sweet, warm in nature, and belongs to the Earth attribute in the Five Elements. A Spiritual ginseng, if startled, can escape by burrowing into the ground—to say nothing of the Ginseng Doll before him, which was a Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King that had taken human form.

The black juice that the Incense and Candle Sect had previously smeared on the Bronze cage was of the Wood Attribute. Since Wood inhibits Earth, it naturally countered the ginseng and was thus perfect for imprisoning the doll.

Suddenly, Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but sigh. ’If possible, I really wanted to stay by that Dark River and use the Ginseng Doll to cultivate until I achieve Great Mastery of my Divine Skills before re-emerging.’

’Unfortunately, the conditions for imprisoning the Ginseng Doll were too crude. I was worried it might escape at the slightest misstep, which is why I returned to Celestial Craft City.’

「Three days later.」

In the Earth Fire Room, seventy-two Fluorite Lamps illuminated the dark circles under Xu Yunfan’s eyes.

He had spent the last three days without sleep, pouring all his mental energy into designing a Profound Steel Mechanism Box to house the Ginseng Doll.

He tapped the newly cast Profound Steel Mechanism Box with a finger. Within the metallic ring that followed, one could hear the subtle sound of gears meshing.

The mechanism inside, a series of interlocking clasps, was designed based on the principles of the River Vehicle Nine Revolutions. Twelve Tungsten Steel Springs vibrated at different frequencies, maintaining the internal air pressure of the Mechanism Box at precisely nine and three-quarters inches of mercury. This created a gentle, humid pressure, like being deep within the earth.

"Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood..."

Xu Yunfan dipped his finger in sulfur powder and drew a hexagram on a stone slab. ’The Wood Attribute formation that trapped the ginseng in the Bronze cage was ingenious, but it violated the major taboo of a clash between Metal and Wood.’

This new Mechanism Box was forged entirely from Profound Steel and Cold Spring Crystal Sand. Inside, three hundred and sixty Spiral Grooves were etched, imitating the vortex power of the Qiantang Tide. If the Ginseng Doll were to secrete its milky-white liquid, it would flow along these grooves into a collection point below.

Seven Magnetic Stones were embedded in the lid’s opening mechanism, arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper to ensure the ceaseless circulation of Yin Yang Qi.

He turned his head to look at the Ginseng Doll in the Bronze cage, which was grabbing the bars and watching him curiously. The doll was only the size of his palm, so putting it inside the box would allow it to lie down or sit up, not restricting its movement.

In the past three days, he had dissected seven water clocks from a previous dynasty and finally used a specially tanned tree bark to line the interior, which was in turn wrapped in three interlayers of Profound Steel.

As the last Meteorite Iron rivet was embedded into its positioning hole on the outside, an ethereal echo suddenly emanated from within the Mechanism Box.

’It’s done.’

These Meteorite Iron rivets had the effect of reversing magnetism, a necessary step for the function of concealing mechanisms and containing Qi.

Xu Yunfan held the Mechanism Box over the mouth of the Earth Fire, slowly heating it to reshape the highly viscous resin inside, completely sealing any gaps and cutting off the internal flow of Qi from the outside world.

Concealing the mechanism, containing the Qi, disturbing the magnetic field—it all came down to this.

Leaping tongues of flame licked the surface of the Profound Steel, yet fine dewdrops condensed in the gaps of the inner layer.

After a moment, Xu Yunfan slung the Profound Steel Mechanism Box diagonally across his chest. The strap’s buckle made a crisp CLICK as it connected with the Profound Steel Mechanism Box on his back that held the Gilded Mace, linking the two together.

Xu Yunfan moved around a bit and nodded slightly.

All in all, it was like a slightly bulging, mechanical sling bag. In a fight, he only needed to release the mechanism securing it to his chest, and it would quickly slide down to his lower back and lock firmly in place.

It interfered with neither the placement of his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer nor the drawing-port for his Divine Gilded Mace.

’Perfect!’

In the glow of the Earth Fire, the two Mechanism Boxes looked as one, like the spine of a Profound Armor Fierce Beast.

Ordinarily, it just looked like a slightly bulging mechanical sling bag, but when he hooked his thumb on the triangular knob on his chest and turned it clockwise seven-tenths of a rotation, the entire device would slide down along the Nine-Linked Rings, its scale-like plates forged from Meteorite Iron gliding toward his lower back.

Twelve barbs on the bottom of the Mechanism Box had already locked onto the iron-scaled belt like a spider’s legs.

Xu Yunfan casually took down his Heavy Hammer and executed a half-form of "Fire Tree, Silver Flower." The wind from the hammer’s swing caused a nearby Everlasting Lamp to dim suddenly, yet the Mechanism Box on his back remained as still as if it were welded in place.

He opened the mouth of the Profound Steel Mechanism Box and brought it up to the Bronze cage.

The Ginseng Doll seemed to sense something and bared its teeth at Xu Yunfan in a snarl.

The moment the Profound Steel Mechanism Box was unsealed, its three hundred and sixty Spiral Grooves inside began to glow with a faint, cold blue light as they reacted to the formation of Ice Crystals.

Seeing Xu Yunfan open the Bronze cage, the Ginseng Doll suddenly arched its back, and millions of golden tendrils instantly burst from its soft white hands and feet.

These roots, strong enough to drill through granite, slammed against the Bronze Cone Spikes, but Xu Yunfan had already pressed a mechanism on the box with his thumb.

Amidst the hum of the Big Dipper Magnetic Stones, seven Meteorite Iron barbs suddenly shot out from the mouth of the box, precisely hooking onto the Bronze cage’s Five Elements Lock.

"What are you running for? It’s not like I’m going to eat you!"

The Bronze cage instantly broke apart, and the doll prepared to burrow into the ground.

Unexpectedly, the Mechanism Box then spewed out a large amount of condensed mist, causing the Ginseng Doll’s body to stiffen instantly.

In the next instant, countless Bronze threads coated in the black juice rapidly wrapped around the doll, forcefully dragging it into the Mechanism Box.

Xu Yunfan gave his wrist a slight shake, and the sound of the Qiantang Tide suddenly emerged from within the Mechanism Box.

The twelve Tungsten Steel Springs could be seen vibrating in a crisscross pattern, actually converting the Ginseng Doll’s struggles into motive force to turn the River Vehicle Nine-Turn Disc.

As the last half of a golden tendril disappeared into the box’s opening, the Big Dipper Magnetic Stones slammed shut with a loud CRACK. The Profound Steel Mechanism Box, which weighed over twenty pounds, felt as light as an empty container in his palm. Only a muffled thudding could be heard from the honeycomb filter on the inner layer.

Xu Yunfan opened a small aperture on the Mechanism Box. The Ginseng Doll’s head immediately popped out and squeaked wildly at him.

He reached out and pushed the Ginseng Doll’s head back in. As he did, he took a deep breath from the opening.

An overwhelming, fiery energy spread rapidly from his mouth and nose into every corner of his body, causing his Pure Yang Inner Breath to start circulating along with it.

’You have absorbed a stream of pure Qi of Ginseng. A small amount of Spirit Marrow has entered your body. Your Pure Yang Qi Skill has been stimulated and begun to circulate on its own. Your Pure Yang Qi Skill Level has increased significantly.’

’You have absorbed...’

That single breath alone was equivalent to three to five days of his arduous cultivation.

His Pure Yang Qi Skill alone had increased by thirty-two points.

*(Author’s Note: Too tired. I’m taking a day off. I’ll write 10,000 characters tomorrow!)*