Chapter 67: Above High Heaven, Six Ding Divine Fire!

Dragon Boat City, Third District, Special Hospital.

Comprehensive Inpatient Building.

Chen Nuanyu wrung out the cloth and wiped the woman’s body. The usually reticent girl uncharacteristically rambled on.

"Mom, I can’t stay long this time, I still need to earn money for the medical bills. You should eat more at each meal. I’ll ask the caregiver to take a photo of every meal for me."

"Cover yourself well when you sleep at night, don’t catch a cold..."

"Also, buy whatever you feel like eating, don’t be frugal. I’m really good at earning money now."

Listening to her daughter’s chattering, the woman whose legs had turned to withered wood forced a smile, reaching out to stroke Chen Nuanyu’s long hair.

"It’s because of me that you’re burdened."

"What are you saying?"

Chen Nuanyu glared at the woman:

"Burden? I’ve told you, earning money is easy for me now, I’ve found a good employer."

"Employer?" The woman asked worriedly, "Nuanyu, I’ve heard there’s this trend nowadays, unspoken rules..."

Chen Nuanyu was momentarily speechless, then said helplessly:

"Don’t worry, Mom, my boss is really a good person."

Before the woman, the coldness in her melted away, and she spoke warmly:

"Although this little boss can be a bit eccentric at times, he’s okay."

The woman was puzzled, not quite understanding what her daughter meant:

"So is he a good person or not?"

Chen Nuanyu thought seriously for a moment, then said:

"If you really want to say he’s a good person, he’s certainly not, but he’s not bad either."

She knew her appearance; although the little boss’s behavior was sometimes strange, he had never really crossed any line,

For her, it wasn’t great, but it certainly wasn’t bad.

At most, she would just play along, pretending to be very scared.

The woman said nothing, just grasped her daughter’s hand worriedly.

Chen Nuanyu also held the woman’s hand tightly.

’Knock knock knock’

The sound of knocking rang out, the door of the ward was pushed open, and a courier stepped in asking:

"Is Ms. Chen Nuanyu here?"

"I am she." Chen Nuanyu resumed her cold demeanor: "What’s the matter?"

"Your delivery."

"Delivery?"

She frowned lightly and stood up:

"I don’t remember ordering anything."

The courier shrugged:

"The address is here, and the name matches... it’s a small letter."

He handed over an envelope, confirmed receipt, then turned and left.

Out of the hospital.

The courier suddenly shivered, the cloudy color in his eyes faded, he looked around in confusion, muttering to himself:

"How did I end up here?"

He patted his head, his memory fragmented, recalling nothing.

Meanwhile, in the ward.

Chen Nuanyu examined the white envelope, sealed with wax, imprinted with two ancient characters.

[High Heaven].

What is this?

She scrutinized the envelope, feeling that it contained some indescribable essence; clearly new, yet it seemed to exist for ages and would continue for many more years,

no decay, incorruptible, immortal, imperishable...

Chen Nuanyu tried to tear open the envelope—failed.

Her heart tightened, she exerted sudden force, nearly three thousand pounds of strength tugged at the envelope, yet still couldn’t destroy the thin envelope, not even a sliver!

It seemed she could only open it by removing the wax seal.

"Nuanyu?" the woman asked in confusion.

"It’s nothing, Mom, no idea who sent me this letter."

Suddenly, she recalled that day, that terrifying and mysterious old man.

Chen Nuanyu furrowed her brows, attempted to remove the wax seal—with ease, opened the envelope, inside was a piece of paper and a small wooden plaque.

The plaque appeared ancient and dignified, exuding a flavor as if timeless through countless ages,

This feeling was a thousand times stronger than that on the envelope!

Just staring at the plaque, she felt an involuntary shudder, as if gazing upon some inconceivable existence, some unspeakable thing!

She took a deep breath,

Chen Nuanyu carefully examined the plaque, the front still bore the words High Heaven, while the back had a painting of vague significance,

In the painting, flora and fauna, mountains and waters, all were present, also a Taoist Temple, a Buddhist Temple, and a school,

And also the sun, moon, and stars, but all beneath the Taoist Temple, Buddhist Temple, and school.

What was most astonishing was that all these complicated scenes were housed within a palm-sized painting,

With Chen Nuanyu’s eyesight, taking a closer look, focusing her vision, she could even see needle-point-sized flora and fauna vividly carved!

No detail or texture was missed.

What kind of craftsmanship is this??

She looked at the piece of paper, the top had three large characters.

’Invitation Letter’.

Chen Nuanyu carefully read.

’Above High Heaven, permission granted for your name’

’If willing to accept this letter, drop blood on the plaque, can enter Heaven-Interchangeable Tao’

’Chen Nuanyu, receive’

A mere three lines.

"Heaven-Interchangeable Tao..."

Uncontainable excitement surged within Chen Nuanyu, Heaven-Interchangeable Tao!

It truly is the mysterious elder from that day!

Mom’s illness... can be cured!

Without hesitation, she cut her finger, letting a drop of blood fall.

The blood flowed over the wooden plaque, strangely gathering around the words "High Heaven," dyeing these ancient and dignified characters red,

In the next second, the curtains in the ward closed automatically, the door suddenly locked, and the lights dimmed to an eerie gloom!

Chen Nuanyu and the woman on the bed glanced around in confusion, both sets of eyes landing on the corner of the room.

There, without anyone knowing when, appeared an elderly man in his twilight years.

Zhong Mountain.

"You... you’ve come!" Chen Nuanyu’s heart pounded wildly.

The elder’s body was translucent, yet it exuded an immortal and undying aura,

as if it had existed since ancient times and would certainly endure through the ages.

He nodded slowly, speaking in a gentle, deliberate manner:

"Before joining my High Heaven Association, you must offer something — your Eternal Burning Heart. In return, your mother’s illness shall be healed as a blessing."

"After joining, you may engage with others who have made a name in the High Heaven, exchanging secrets of the Heaven-Interchangeable Tao. Are you willing?"

"I am willing!" Chen Nuanyu agreed decisively. She didn’t know what the High Heaven Association was, nor did she care!

She just wanted to cure her mother’s illness.

The woman’s face, however, showed fear:

"Heart? Heart? Niuniu, don’t agree, don’t agree!"

She cried out for help, yet her voice couldn’t escape the ward at all.

The ethereal old man approached the woman, soothing her kindly:

"I won’t take her physical heart, only a certain quality from it. It won’t harm her life."

The woman gasped, calming down after a long pause:

"Rea... really?"

Her voice trembled.

The elder nodded slightly, introducing himself:

"My name is Zhong Mountain, from the High Heaven."

He reached out, gently touching the woman’s forehead, and asked:

"I will buy the disease that brings you pain, the root that turns you into withered wood, and your memories of this moment."

"In exchange, you will receive a coin."

"Are you willing?"

The woman looked at her daughter in confusion, seeing her daughter nodding vigorously, she finally nodded slightly as well.

"The contract is established, the transaction complete."

The elder’s voice resonated like the clang of a great bell,

A coin fell onto the bedside table, spinning slowly, spinning,

During its spin, the wood-like and decayed condition of the woman’s legs began to recede bit by bit.

When the coin finally stopped spinning and lay quietly on the surface of the table,

the woman’s withered legs completely returned to normal.

She quietly drifted off to sleep.

Far away, a young boy was voraciously devouring Star Beast meat.

A moment later.

Only then did "Zhong Mountain" look at Chen Nuanyu:

"I will take your Eternal Burning Heart as the price for your mother’s vicious disease. Your heart shall remain, but the Six Ding Divine Fire that makes it eternal will belong to me."

"Are you willing?"

Chen Nuanyu rushed to the bedside, gently caressing her mother’s legs.

Her eyes filled with tears, she responded without looking back:

"I— I am willing!"

"The contract is established, the transaction complete."

A barely perceptible wisp of flame quietly separated from her heart, melting into nothingness and disappearing from sight.

Chen Nuanyu felt a sudden emptiness in her heart.

But in that instant,

certain bindings upon her vanished as well, and the heart tempered by the little flame for eighteen years, finally revealed its extraordinary brilliance!

She lost it, yet the heart forged by the flame for eighteen years remained.

The heart began to beat fiercely, and with each beat, it unleashed the results of the fire’s refinement.

With each intense heartbeat, Chen Nuanyu, who had reached the Perfection of the Third Refinement, ascended to the Fourth Refinement.

With the next heartbeat, she achieved Minor Achievement of the Fourth Refinement.

The third, fourth, fifth times.

Great Success, Perfection, and then Five Refinements!

The heart beat intensely eighteen times, as if counting the eighteen years.

Muscles rolling, tendons stretching.

Eight Refinements Minor Achievement, yet merely scratching the surface.

Her skin grew as radiant as divine jade, her eyes became incomparably bright, radiating an imperceptible divine glow.

Far away, Zhang Fusheng had three question marks appear on his forehead.

Aren’t you a destiny’s chosen girl?

Lucky you didn’t consume some gourd-shaped Golden Cores, or you’d be like having a Fire Eyes Golden Gaze forged into you?

Meanwhile, in the ward.

The elder watched this scene quietly, his expression unchanged, speaking in a low voice:

"Having made a name in the High Heaven, I will allow you to keep your memory and won’t enforce a vow of secrecy."

"But I suggest you remain tight-lipped."

"When I summon you from the High Heaven, the plaque will guide you on what to do, how to meet me."

"You are no longer yourself."

The semi-transparent elder vanished, the blood on the plaque dried at that moment, and everything fell perfectly into place.

The Six Ding Divine Fire hovered silently within the contract.