Chapter 2: A Glimmer of Hope

Hearing Tang Ling's furious scolding, Tang Yan remained silent. He knew that although his grandfather's words burned with rage, his father had been missing for many years, and he had neither uncles nor brothers. As the sole heir of the Tang Clan, Old Master Tang still held deep affection for this grandson of his.

Tang Yan was also thinking things over. Now that his cultivation core had been destroyed, even though he knew the formula for refining a Meridian Restoration Pill, the path of Alchemy had nine grades — and the Meridian Restoration Pill was a sixth-grade pill. Looking across the entire Nation of Tingxiang, there were barely any fourth-grade Alchemists to be found. Who could he possibly ask to refine a sixth-grade pill for him?

And what was he supposed to do about his cultivation going forward?

Without the power to protect himself, in this martial world he would be ground to dust without a trace.

Tang Ling couldn't help but feel puzzled. Normally, whenever this brat was bullied, he would kick up a fuss and beg him to seek revenge. So why was he being so well-behaved today?

What surprised Tang Ling even more was that this brat usually dressed in a flashy, slovenly manner — no matter how many times he'd been scolded, he never changed. Yet today, his attire was simple and proper. Had he truly turned over a new leaf, or was something else going on?

And his posture — though he stood with lowered eyes and said nothing, his head bowed, his spine was perfectly straight, carrying a faint air of dignity.

"This time you were lucky that Uncle Mo arrived in time. If he'd been any later, that little beast from the Liu Family might have used the opportunity to finish you off. Be more careful from now on — don't go looking for trouble. If you dare stir things up again, I will administer family punishment! Now get out of my sight!"

Seeing that his grandson offered no reply, Tang Ling couldn't quite tell what was going through the boy's mind. Although the brat's cultivation core had been destroyed, he had never been willing to cultivate in the first place, and Tang Ling had never expected him to achieve anything on the martial path. He only hoped the boy could live a safe and peaceful life and carry on the Tang Clan's bloodline.

"The Young Master seems a little different today," the old steward, who had been silent all along, suddenly remarked.

Old Master Tang nodded and let out a sigh. "I'm not sure if it's just my imagination. Perhaps it's because he's just recovered from a serious illness. Who knows what he'll be like in a couple of days. If he truly has changed, I'll hire a few tutors for him — teach him some business and strategy. If he turns out to be good at managing affairs, that's a path forward too."

Tang Yan was unaware of the conversation between Old Master Tang and Uncle Mo. He walked back with a heavy heart. He had just transmigrated into this world, and his cultivation core was already destroyed — a truly hellish start!

Tang Yan couldn't help but think of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron. If the cauldron still existed, he could use it to cultivate anew. But unfortunately, the Creation Cauldron had fared even worse than him — it had been reduced to ash and smoke entirely.

Though he had no True Qi to control pill fire for refining, Tang Yan was not the type to sit idle. He turned and headed toward the Library Pavilion. He urgently needed to learn about this world — especially its herbs, which were the foundation of Alchemy.

After skimming through a few books, Tang Yan couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth upward. Although this world's culture differed from that of China, the names of the herbs, as well as their properties and effects, were remarkably similar!

Even so, Tang Yan still went through every page of each book, committing the differences to memory. By the time he glanced out the window, the sun had already set. He rubbed his protesting stomach, smiled, and made his way back to his courtyard.

After eating the dinner Little Cui had prepared, Tang Yan sat on his bed and carefully sorted through his thoughts.

He truly had a tenacious life. The forced Breakthrough had caused the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron to explode, yet somehow his soul had transmigrated to another world, giving him a second chance at life.

However, the situation the original host had left behind was equally painful.

First, his father had gone missing ten years ago. The original host had been idle and unskilled. Although the Tang Clan was a prominent family in Yun City, if he had no strength of his own, the moment his grandfather passed away, it would likely spell the end of the Tang Clan.

"I can't just wait for death — I must restore my strength!" Tang Yan furrowed his brow. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to try and see whether his transmigration might have produced some miracle, allowing him to cultivate once more.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, calmed his mind, focused his thoughts, and held his breath, attempting to Enter Meditation.

Five minutes — no response from the cultivation core…

Fifteen minutes — no response from the cultivation core…

Two hours — no response from the cultivation core…

In his previous life, Tang Yan had been a ninth-grade Alchemist. During pill refinement, he would often stand vigil before the cauldron for ten days or half a month at a stretch, and had cultivated an iron will. Yet with his cultivation core showing no sign of life for so long, Tang Yan gradually grew restless.

Fuck, was he never going to be able to cultivate again?!

Just as Tang Yan was about to give up, an incomparably familiar and vast aura suddenly burst forth from his Soul Sea.

Tang Yan's mind shook violently. That aura… it was the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron!

He quickly calmed himself and sank his entire consciousness into his Soul Sea. There, a semi-transparent pill cauldron slowly rotated within it.

"The Supreme Pill Scripture — seize the creation of Heaven and Earth, refine the supreme essence! The cultivator must shatter their cultivation core, break down to build anew, and forge the Supreme Pill Scripture." A deep, resonant voice rang out from within the cauldron. Immediately after, a vast and complex stream of information poured into Tang Yan's mind.

After a long while, Tang Yan finally finished processing the information, and a storm of emotion surged within his heart.

In his previous life, even after his mastery of the path of Alchemy had reached a consummate level, he still needed to rely on a pill cauldron to refine pills. But according to the Supreme Pill Scripture transmitted by the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, once cultivation reached a certain point, one could transform one's own body into a cauldron and refine pills directly — with even greater results!

"Truly extraordinary!" Tang Yan marveled inwardly.

Indeed, just as he had guessed when he first awakened, the ultimate secret of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron was to Refine the cauldron's soul — the final goal of cultivation being the unity of man and cauldron.

In his previous life, he had never grasped the true method of using the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron. Yet in this life, his very circumstances happened to align perfectly with the cultivation requirements of the Supreme Pill Scripture. Truly, it was fate.

Tang Yan began his cultivation in earnest. Sitting in meditation, breathing in and out, he gradually Entered Meditation. His monstrous experience from his previous life, combined with this body's naturally solid constitution, quickly bore fruit — a warm current of energy slowly began to gather in his lower abdomen.

* * *

That night, in Old Master Tang's study, the head steward Uncle Mo reported in a low voice: "My lord, the Young Master did not go out today. Instead, he went to the Library Pavilion."

"What?" Old Master Tang's brow shot up, and he asked urgently, "That boy spent the entire day in the Library Pavilion?"

"Indeed."

Upon hearing Uncle Mo's confirmation, a strange expression crossed Old Master Tang's face. After a long pause, he said, "In the past, that boy refused to train in martial arts, and whenever I told him to read, he'd fall asleep before finishing a single page. And now he's spent an entire day in the study? Does that boy even know how to read? Or did he just sleep soundly in there? Bring me the books he looked at today!"

Uncle Mo gave a wry smile and opened a box he had prepared in advance, handing it over. "The Young Master read quite a few books today!"

"'Complete Pharmacopoeia,' 'Detailed Explanation of Medicinal Herbs,' 'Detailed Geography of the Continent,' 'Two Thousand Years of Nation of Tingxiang History'…" Seeing these titles, the strange look on Old Master Tang's face deepened. "Has this boy truly turned over a new leaf?"

Hearing Old Master Tang's words, Uncle Mo offered his congratulations: "From the day the Young Master was born until now, the books he read today alone outnumber everything he's read before. Perhaps he truly has changed."

"Nonsense — that little rascal has a whole stash of erotic picture books and bawdy histories under his bed, so he's read plenty!" Old Master Tang snorted indignantly, then continued, "Still, reading these kinds of books doesn't fit that little brat's character at all. Let's observe him for a couple more days!"

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Edited by Fat Goose