Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Seventy-Seven: Metamorphosis

At this moment, the small cauldron floated quietly before Ye Junze, its continual emission of strange fluctuations serving as a reminder that what had just transpired was no illusion.

“But what does it all mean?” Ye Junze pondered the visions that had appeared in his mind, murmuring to himself.

“‘Remolding,’ ‘vessel,’ ‘rebirth,’ ‘release’—what do these words signify?” He wrestled with the meaning, unable to string the familiar terms together into understanding.

Lowering his head in resignation, Ye Junze thought, “I recognize each character, yet when combined, they become so confounding.”

He raised his gaze once more to the cauldron overhead, hoping to glean some connection from its form.

Meanwhile, Meng Yuan observed Ye Junze, now awake but possessed by a peculiar air, as though lost deep in contemplation. Wishing to comfort him, Meng Yuan hesitated, seeing Ye Junze silent, and refrained from disturbing his thoughts, remaining as before, a quiet guardian at his side.

Ye Junze fixed his eyes on the small cauldron, feeling its strange waves, yet he could not fathom what it sought of him.

Suddenly, a thought struck him—a flash of insight coursed through his mind like lightning.

“That’s right, why not try it this way?” He clapped his hands excitedly.

Yet a flicker of hesitation crossed his face as he wondered, “But will it actually work?”

The doubt was short-lived. Soon, his gaze steeled with determination and confidence, and he declared, “No matter, I must try first.”

Resolved, Ye Junze prepared to enact the idea he had just conceived, uncertain whether it would succeed.

With this in mind, he began to channel spiritual energy through his hands. As his movements quickened, it became clear he was employing the Intent Guidance technique he had learned during the morning lesson.

This time, as he activated Intent Guidance, his actions were noticeably swifter—evidence of proficiency gained through repeated practice.

Ye Junze, focused on the technique, was unaware of this increase in speed. He calmly continued, gathering spiritual power, forming a ball of energy that unmistakably took shape as the small cauldron he had manifested during the morning’s assessment.

Bolstered by prior success, Ye Junze conjured the cauldron with far greater speed; the process from start to finish was brief, and the cauldron appeared with ease.

The instant he grasped the manifested cauldron, a sudden change occurred.

The small cauldron before him, upon the successful manifestation of its duplicate, erupted in intense light. At the same moment, the strange sensation Ye Junze had felt earlier grew stronger, as if the cauldron was reacting to the presence of its counterpart.

Ye Junze, at the center of these events, sensed a resonance between the cauldron in his hand and the one before him.

Just as he wondered at the cause, he saw a beam of light shoot from the luminous cauldron towards the one he had created.

In a blink, the light touched the manifested cauldron. At that instant, the cauldron lifted from his grasp, floating freely beyond his control.

The cauldron ascended steadily, until it reached the level of the glowing cauldron, connected by the beam of light, and halted.

Ye Junze, beset by questions and unable to comprehend the scene, wished to act but had no direction. He could only gaze helplessly at the two cauldrons overhead, waiting to see what would unfold.

As if responding to his inner confusion, the cauldron answered.

Following Ye Junze’s gaze, he saw the glowing cauldron link itself to the manifested cauldron via the beam, then suddenly spin rapidly.

With its rotation and the light it emitted, the cauldron now looked from afar like a spinning sphere of brilliance.

The speed increased, soon becoming nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.

Dazzled by the intense light, Ye Junze squinted against the sting.

He wondered, “What is this cauldron trying to do? It’s been so long, and I have no clue.”

Meng Yuan, silent until now, had watched the proceedings closely. Like Ye Junze, he observed for a long while, and seemed at last to gain some insight, as if attuned to Ye Junze’s doubts.

Then Ye Junze heard Meng Yuan’s voice: “From what I’ve observed, the previously damaged cauldron is undergoing some kind of inheritance ceremony.”

Surprised, Ye Junze replied, “Meng Yuan? You’re still here? You’ve been so quiet I thought you’d gone somewhere.”

“I’ve been here all along, you just didn’t notice,” Meng Yuan’s cold voice responded.

“All right, all right, that’s not important,” Ye Junze waved him off, “But what do you mean by this inheritance ceremony?”

“It seems the cauldron, as a divine artifact, has retained some consciousness. Sensing its end, it seeks to transfer itself into the cauldron you manifested via the technique,” Meng Yuan explained calmly.

“So its time is up?” Ye Junze asked, uncertain.

“That’s one way to put it,” Meng Yuan agreed.

Ye Junze nodded, satisfied, then posed another question, “But why the manifested cauldron? Couldn’t it be something else?”

“Perhaps because the cauldron you created matches the original’s peak condition in every aspect. Thus, the inheritance ceremony proceeds flawlessly, ensuring no errors,” Meng Yuan answered dutifully.

Ye Junze accepted the explanation without doubt; Meng Yuan was usually reliable.

Another thought struck Ye Junze, prompting him to ask, “And the strange fluctuations the cauldron emitted earlier—have you any theory about them?”

“The exact reason is unclear, but my guess is that after you manifested the cauldron this morning, it sensed something and used that method to attract your attention,” Meng Yuan replied, unflagging in his patience.

“I see,” Ye Junze mused for a moment, finding the explanation plausible, and nodded.

He gazed at the two cauldrons overhead, murmuring, “I wonder how long this so-called inheritance ceremony will last.”

He wished to resume cultivation, but the cauldron’s affairs preoccupied his mind, leaving him unsettled. He decided to wait until the changes concluded before continuing his practice.

As the cauldron spun fiercely, Ye Junze noticed its golden glow seemed to shrink considerably, as though something was being transferred via the beam from the original cauldron to the manifested one.

He turned his attention to the manifested cauldron, seeing it now emit a continuous glow, its fluctuations even stronger than when first created, imbued with a newfound solidity, as if infused with countless indescribable elements.

Observing the shrinking cauldron and the burgeoning counterpart, Ye Junze thought, “It’s just as Meng Yuan said—a true inheritance.”

...

Ye Junze’s thoughts ebbed and flowed with the transformations of the two cauldrons. Time slipped by, and eventually, the once-vigorous spinning cauldron slowed.

The intense light it had radiated also faded, allowing Ye Junze to clearly see its current form.

He now beheld a cauldron the size of a baby’s fist, and though small, the ceremony seemed not yet complete. The cauldron continued to spin, as if entrusting its entirety to the other.

At last, as time passed, the tiny cauldron vanished from Ye Junze’s sight, leaving only the manifested cauldron still shining.

After spinning for a while, the cauldron came to a halt.

Ye Junze now saw that the cauldron before him was utterly transformed from the one he had previously manifested—a new cauldron, thoroughly renewed.

Bathed in golden light, its color no longer a blend of creamy white and gold, but wholly golden throughout. It now resembled precisely the cauldron Ye Junze had seen in earlier visions.

Both its appearance and material matched that image, and Ye Junze quietly wondered, “Is this cauldron now the one I created, or the former, or perhaps a fusion of both?”

No one could answer that question; it would be for Ye Junze to discover in the days ahead.

Yet after a moment’s observation, Ye Junze realized something: although the new cauldron was vastly improved, he still sensed no spirit within it. In other words, whether old or new, the cauldron remained a spiritual artifact bereft of its spirit, still requiring Ye Junze to restore its soul himself.

“The road ahead is long,” Ye Junze sighed.