The next morning, Gu Chen left his courtyard before sunrise.
A small storage pouch hung from his waist.
Inside were several spiritual stones, his clan token, and the list of materials required for the Flame Demon Physique.
The first material had already been obtained.
Fireheart Grass.
Now he needed three Flame Crystals.
According to the resource hall elder, Flame Crystals were commonly found in places where fire-attributed World Energy gathered for long periods.
Unfortunately, that didn't mean they were easy to obtain.
Some could be found near ordinary fire veins.
Others were buried deep underground.
The most valuable ones were often protected by magical beasts.
Gu Chen wasn't strong enough to explore dangerous regions yet.
So he decided to search within the safer territories controlled by the Gu Clan.
Gu Chen arrived at the clan's eastern gate.
A transport airship was preparing to leave.
Several disciples were boarding.
The airship wasn't particularly large.
Its wooden body was reinforced with metal, while several formation plates were embedded beneath it.
A faint spiritual fluctuation surrounded the entire vessel.
Gu Chen looked at it with interest.
He had seen transport airships before, but he had never traveled very far on one.
Tianyuan was enormous.
Even cultivators could require several days to travel between major powers depending on their cultivation and route.
Transport airships existed precisely because ordinary cultivators couldn't always travel such distances efficiently.
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Going somewhere?"
Gu Chen turned.
Gu Qing stood behind him.
"Redstone Ridge."
Gu Qing raised an eyebrow.
"Again?"
"I need Flame Crystals."
"So you're really planning to cultivate that body technique."
Gu Chen nodded.
"I've already obtained the first material."
Gu Qing smiled.
"Then good luck."
Gu Chen boarded the airship.
The journey wasn't long.
After less than an hour, the airship descended near Redstone Ridge.
The area was surrounded by red-colored mountains.
Unlike Redstone Valley, this place contained much stronger fire energy.
Gu Chen stepped off the airship.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt warmth spread through his body.
He looked around.
"Good place."
Flame Crystals were formed when dense fire-attributed World Energy accumulated within rocks over many years.
Finding them required patience.
Gu Chen began searching.
He examined the ground.
Then the rocks.
Then the small caves scattered around the ridge.
After nearly an hour—
nothing.
Gu Chen wasn't surprised.
He continued.
Another hour passed.
Still nothing.
He finally stopped beside a large stone formation.
He closed his eyes.
Instead of looking, he began sensing the surrounding World Energy.
The Ember Scripture circulated slowly.
A faint warmth entered his body.
Gu Chen's perception gradually expanded.
There.
A faint concentration of fire energy beneath the ground.
His eyes opened.
He crouched and touched the earth.
"It's below."
Gu Chen drew his sword.
He carefully cut through the surface.
Several stones were removed.
The deeper he went, the hotter the ground became.
Finally—
Clang!
His sword struck something hard.
Gu Chen carefully removed the surrounding rock.
A small red crystal appeared.
It was only the size of a fingernail.
But the fire energy inside it was dense.
Gu Chen smiled.
"Flame Crystal."
He carefully stored it.
Then he sensed the area again.
There were two more nearby.
It took him another hour to locate them.
Eventually, he obtained all three.
Gu Chen looked at the crystals in his hand.
Two materials.
One remained.
Red Flame Beast Blood.
Gu Chen left the excavation area.
He had barely walked a hundred meters when he heard movement behind him.
He immediately stopped.
Something was approaching.
A low growl echoed between the rocks.
Gu Chen's hand moved to his sword.
A moment later, a beast emerged.
It was larger than the Redscale Lizard he had fought before.
Its entire body was covered in dark-red scales.
Flames occasionally escaped from its nostrils.
Gu Chen's expression became serious.
Rank 1, Level 5 Magical Beast.
The beast stared at him.
Then charged.
Gu Chen stepped backward.
BOOM!
The creature's claws smashed into the ground.
Gu Chen moved to the side.
He didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he observed.
The beast was faster than the Redscale Lizard.
Its physical strength was also considerably greater.
A direct exchange would be dangerous.
The beast turned and charged again.
Gu Chen activated the Flame Phantom Step.
A burst of flame energy erupted beneath his feet.
His body moved sideways.
The beast's claws missed.
Gu Chen's eyes brightened.
The movement technique was difficult to control.
He had only just begun learning it.
But even its basic movement already gave him a noticeable advantage.
He immediately followed with his sword.
Ember Draw!
A red arc flashed across the beast's side.
The scales cracked.
But the wound was shallow.
Gu Chen frowned.
His technique still wasn't strong enough.
The beast roared and swung its tail.
Gu Chen barely avoided it.
The tail smashed into a rock.
BOOM!
Fragments scattered.
Gu Chen's expression became serious.
This beast was dangerous.
He couldn't afford to make mistakes.
The creature charged once more.
Gu Chen waited until the final moment.
Then activated Flame Phantom Step.
His body disappeared sideways.
The beast passed him.
Gu Chen turned.
His sword moved.
This time, he didn't simply swing.
He concentrated his World Energy into the blade.
The red glow became sharper.
Ember Draw!
BOOM!
The sword struck the beast's neck.
The creature staggered.
Gu Chen immediately followed with another strike.
The beast collapsed.
Gu Chen stood nearby, breathing heavily.
His World Energy was nearly exhausted.
He looked at the corpse.
Then smiled.
"Red Flame Beast."
He had found the final material.
After collecting the required blood, Gu Chen returned to the Gu Clan.
That evening, he placed the three materials before him.
Fireheart Grass.
Flame Crystals.
Red Flame Beast Blood.
He opened the Ember Scripture.
The Flame Demon Physique section appeared.
For the first time, Gu Chen could actually begin cultivating it.
But another line appeared beneath the requirements.
Preparation required.
The body must be tempered gradually.
Attempting to force the process may damage the foundation.
Gu Chen's expression became serious.
He immediately understood.
Even after gathering the materials, he couldn't simply swallow them and expect his body to transform.
The Flame Demon Physique was a genuine Body Technique.
It required a specific process.
A specific order.
And careful control.
Gu Chen looked at the materials.
Tomorrow, he would begin.
But before that—
he needed to find out exactly how much his body could withstand.
Because the moment he started cultivating the Flame Demon Physique—
his body would begin walking a completely different path.
And there would be no turning back.