Chapter 184: Instant Refinement

Chapter 184: Instant Refinement

Five minutes later…

Li Qingran finished dressing, her face still burning red.

Even though she had only exposed her back, she had still been nearly bare.

Just thinking about her master’s gaze lingering on her skin made her heart quiver and her mind go blank.

"Master..."

Li Qingran lowered her head, gripping the hem of her sleeve, turning around slowly, her voice soft and hesitant.

But—

The gaze was gone.

"Master?"

"Master!"

He left?!

After staring at her back and… well, her butt—

no, wait

, after examining her technique, shouldn’t he have at least said something?!

She stomped her foot in frustration before sinking onto her bed, her hands cupping her scorching cheeks.

Staring out the window at the fading twilight, she murmured dreamily:

"Master must think I’m too stupid…"

"Master’s tests always have hidden meanings. Next time, I have to think carefully before answering."

"If I’m too dumb… will Master start disliking me?"

"After all, Master is such a brilliant, unmatched genius…"

"Hehehe~"

…

…

The ‘unmatched genius’ Chen Huai’an wiped his nosebleed and tightened his belt.

"Heh… mere worldly beauty cannot sway this Lord’s resolve!"

With his back hunched and his hands behind him, he marched forward.

Now that he had mastered Chongxu Spirit Sight, he made Li Qingran demonstrate it at least ten times.

Not because he was distracted by her flawless comprehension or exquisite natural talent.

No, no.

It was because he was a diligent and thorough scholar.

"Nothing more."

"Spirits and phantoms… you cannot hide!"

Chen Huai’an channeled his spiritual energy into his eyes, following the specific meridian pathway Li Qingran had demonstrated.

In an instant—

The world shifted.

"...Oh."

Before him, a perfectly straight corridor stretched inward, flanked by rows of chambers on both sides.

Now it made sense.

It wasn’t that Xiang Xiaoyuan’s map was wrong—

It was that he was wrong.

"Phew. Good thing I didn’t ask Xiang… or I’d have looked like a complete idiot."

With his vision cleared, his target was obvious.

At the far end of the corridor, thick, swirling spiritual filth seeped from the darkness like coiling smoke.

Chen Huai’an grinned.

"Evil spirit… I’m coming for you."

He licked his lips, stepping forward.

On either side, piles of shattered porcelain filled the rooms.

The fragments were as smooth as a young maiden’s skin, and their rich crimson glaze gleamed like freshly drawn blood.

The air grew heavier, the scent of clay and mildew twisting into the stench of decay and old blood.

As he walked deeper—

The scattered shards turned into small mounds.

Then, gradually, they began forming figures—grotesque humanoid shapes, their hollow sockets watching him, their mournful wails thickening the air like fog.

The white candles along the walls flickered, their flames stretching long and twisted.

The shadows cast by the porcelain figures slithered like gnarled vines, writhing against the walls.

Women’s death screams echoed.

Knives grinding against dull stone screeched.

The wet thud of flesh being chopped apart resounded.

Behind him, he could feel them staring—

Hundreds of cracked porcelain faces, their expressions frozen in agony, watching his every move.

At the corridor’s end—

There was no coffin.

Only a stone pedestal.

And atop it—

A porcelain vase.

Its glaze was deep crimson, and within its surface, a delicate human form lay trapped.

The figure was slender and graceful, her curves seductive, but her body was twisted in agony, kneeling, her joints warped in pain and hatred.

"...This vase is definitely worth a fortune."

Even as a complete amateur, Chen Huai’an could tell—

This blood porcelain was flawless.

No wonder the archaeologists had swarmed here.

If he were in their shoes...

He’d come running too.

"Sir has a fine eye."

A chorus of layered female voices whispered from behind.

"That is Mingde-era sacrificial red porcelain… a priceless bone china artifact."

"If sir fancies it… why not purchase it?"

"Purchase?"

Chen Huai’an smiled kindly at the vase.

"Fate has brought this treasure to me…"

"So, of course…"

"I’ll just take it!"

His hand shot out, lightning crackling between his fingers.

Seven writhing thunder serpents surged forth, reaching for the vase.

Before his spiritual energy even touched it, a piercing shriek erupted from within the porcelain.

And from behind—

Hundreds of bone porcelain ghosts wailed in unison.

Chen Huai’an slammed his hand down, gripping the head of the porcelain maiden closest to him.

With his other hand, he drew the Blackscale Sword, turning to face the swarm of howling specters.

His grin widened.

"Kekeke... The finest treasures belong to the most worthy…"

"And to me… you spirits are the real treasure!"

The ghosts didn’t understand his words.

Blinded by hatred, they rushed forward.

So many spirits…

So many to refine…

A blood-red script unfurled in his mind.

A thousand writhing runes slithered into his pupils.

Veins bulged at his temples, dark sigils spreading from his jaw to his cheekbones.

His fingers sank into the porcelain maiden’s skull—

Crack!

Her ceramic head shattered—

Splintered shards melted instantly, dissolving into a thick, inky liquid that seeped into his skin.

Boom!

A violent pulse of raw power exploded from his spine, surging up his vertebrae, igniting every nerve with searing heat.

It wasn’t like the ethereal, cooling flow of Spiritual Qi.

No.

It felt like swallowing an entire river of molten lava—

Every pore of his body spewing violent, burning energy.

Yes.

This was it.

Like taking a hundred vitality boosters at once.

"Demonic arts? So this is demonic cultivation?"

"Holy sh

t… this feels amazing!"*

"KEKEKEKE—!"

Against the crumbling stone walls, his shadow swelled, writhing into a grotesque demonic form.

Porcelain shards splattered like blood ink, painting the chamber in red.

And amidst the ghosts’ furious howls…

Their screams grew tinged with fear.

…

…

Lin Chen lay sprawled on the ground, utterly spent.

Her body was pierced by countless thin porcelain shards, each one embedded deep into her flesh.

The shards trembled with every labored breath.

Her leather outfit was torn beyond recognition, barely concealing her bleeding body.

"Cough… cough…"

She couldn’t move.

The porcelain maiden loomed over her, clutching a bloodstained shard, stepping closer.

The red silk dress had turned to liquid, dripping down in thick rivulets.

"Such a handsome sir…"

"But not as lovely as I was…"

The porcelain maiden’s jagged lips curled.

"Now, dear sir… you will become my next masterpiece."

She raised the shard.

Lin Chen shut her eyes.

Then—

A chilling, inhuman laugh echoed from the void.

"KEKEKEKE… There you are, you slippery little fish!"

The air split apart.

A searing red claw erupted from thin air—

Scales gleaming, fire roaring, heat distorting the space itself.

The porcelain maiden’s head was seized instantly.

A voice filled with frenzied delight boomed:

"BE INSTANTLY REFINED!!!"

…

…