Mu Chen, who was about to leave, froze. "I'm listening."

An Zhi coughed. Just breathing alone was already difficult for him, but he still managed to spit the words. "You're what we call… an external body practitioner," he said. "We barbarians of An Tribe don't just temper our bodies—we also practice internal qi… "

"Internal qi? What's that?" Mu Chen's curiosity was piqued.

"Just like how cultivators can use spiritual qi, body practitioners can use internal qi," An Zhi said. "Once you master internal qi, your strength will soar… "

If Mu Chen said he wasn't tempted, it would be a lie. He had seen what An Zhi was capable of. That body, which was the size of a cart, moved with the grace of a leopard—if someone said there was no mystery behind it, Mu Chen would be the first to deny it.

"This internal qi, you mastered it?" Mu Chen asked. If this internal qi was miraculous as An Zhi made it to be—Mu Chen wanted to learn it.

An Zhi smiled. It made the skin around his mouth crack and blood leaked out of it. "Although our An Tribe has fallen… the inheritance has never been broken," he said. "If you help me… I can give it to you..."

Mu Chen thought about it. He had some enmity with An Zhi and his tribe, but it wasn't something he was unwilling to put aside. He was just a passerby in this realm. Was there any point in holding on to grudges, when they would never interact in the future?

"What do you want?"

"I know… you outsiders have healing pills," An Zhi said. "Give… me some, and I will give you the cultivation method for internal qi."

"It's a deal," Mu Chen agreed. A few healing pills for a cultivation technique were nothing. Mu Chen took them out and gave them to An Zhi.

An Zhi threw the pills into his mouth and then managed to crawl into a seating position.

"You are not worried I will poison you?" Mu Chen sneered when he saw An Zhi eat the pills without hesitation.

"If I die, you won't get the technique," An Zhi said.

Mu Chen snorted and stood in silence as he watched An Zhi heal.

'Bad' couldn't describe An Zhi's current condition. If it was an ordinary person, he would've already died. But even though An Zhi survived, without any help he would certainly die soon.

Mu Chen wasn't stingy, the pills he gave were among the best he had. Coupled with the barbarian clan's tenacious vitality, An Zhi's wounds began to heal at a visible speed. The burnt skin fell off revealing tender skin.

Mu Chen stared at An Zhi's left chest where Long Aotian had stabbed, and then at the right.

"I see." Mu Chen narrowed his eyes. When he was talking with Long Aotian, Mu Chen noticed An Zhi's heart was still beating. Mu Chen was curious how An Zhi survived such a fatal blow, so he observed as he healed and discovered the truth.

A while later, An Zhi finished healing. All his wounds had healed, except for his eyes and missing limbs. The tattoos on his skin had vanished, leaving behind bare skin.

An Zhi rubbed the stub of his missing arm and sighed. "Thank you," he said.

"The practice method?" Mu Chen asked.

An Zhi turned to the mound he had come out of and began to dig around. The mound of earth had solidified, but it was still hot, yet An Zhi didn't seem to feel the heat as he clawed with his remaining hand. A few minutes later, he pulled out an elongated object.

An Zhi rubbed off the dirt and Mu Chen was able to see its true appearance.

It was a blackened old scroll.

An Zhi handed the black scroll to Mu Chen.

Mu Chen took the scroll. It was unexpectedly heavy for its size, but what was even more surprising was that it was still cool to touch. It had been inside the lava for so long—all of An Zhi's belongings had burned to ashes, but the scroll was still intact.

Mu Chen opened the scroll.

"It's blank." Mu Chen looked at An Zhi. "Are you trying to cheat me?"

"You can read the contents after you have proven your qualifications," An Zhi shrugged.

"How to prove?"

"Drip a drop of your blood and you will know."

"Just that?"

"Yes, just that," An Zhi said. Mu Chen was about to test it, but he continued. "You should leave here soon. The Xiao Tribe suffered a heavy loss this time, but they will not sit still—they might even join hands with other tribes. If you stay here any longer, you will get involved."

Mu Chen snorted but didn't refute. War was coming. Both the An Tribe and Xiao Tribe had suffered losses, it would be strange if other tribes didn't take any advantage.

Mu Chen tried to put the scroll into the spatial ring but found he couldn't. Seeing this, rather than being irritated, he became happy. Some treasures couldn't be put into spatial rings and had to be carried on the body. The scroll was indeed a genuine treasure. Mu Chen didn't doubt the authenticity of the scroll anymore and slipped it into his robe.

Before leaving, Mu Chen hesitated a bit but still asked. "Do you want me to send you home, or something?"

An Zhi shook his head. "It will be too late if I go back. I will make my final stand here." He looked at Mu Chen with his hollowed eyes, and Mu Chen somehow sensed his determination.

Mu Chen didn't know how An Zhi was going to deal with hundreds of barbarians in his current situation, but he had no desire to wait and find it out. He admired An Zhi's courage and tenacity, but there was no need for him to mix in these muddled waters.

Mu Chen looked at An Zhi's stalwart figure and sighed. A depressing aura hung around him, like a person who was about to face his death. He shook his head and left.

After Mu Chen left, An Zhi stood in a daze for several minutes. Then he hopped towards the bottom of the crater where the lava was bubbling. The lava splashed around, but An Zhi didn't care. When he was just a foot away from the lava pool, An Zhi stopped and knelt.

An Zhi fumbled around and picked up a jagged piece of rock. He stabbed his broken arm with it. Blood spurted, but An Zhi didn't even flinch.

An Zhi dipped two fingers into the wound. Using the blood, he began to draw symbols all over his body.

"O holy spirit, thou who hast been born of flame and molten earth… " An Zhi began to chant in a deep and sonorous voice. "I offer thee my body, soul, and spirit…"

An Zhi knelt and recited his chant for a long time. After he finished, the only sound was that of the roaring lava.

For a long time, nothing seemed to happen. But then the surroundings turned quiet. The bubbling lava simmered down, even the wind became peaceful.

A red flame crept out of the lava pool and hovered in front of An Zhi. It pranced around him like a curious toddler. Sometimes it came close but distanced itself.

An Zhi seemed to have sensed the presence of the spirit and raised his head. He began to whisper the chant once again.
The fire spirit stopped in front of him. After a moment's pause, it shrunk in size. The pea-sized flame approached An Zhi's forehead and bored into it, leaving behind a flame-shaped mark.

"Aargh!" An Zhi howled as his body twitched and shuddered. The symbols he had drawn began to gleam with blood light. Not knowing when, the pool of lava had overflowed and surrounded him.

A tentacle of lava rose from the pool and latched onto An Zhi's leg. Another one splashed on his back, one grabbed his arm.

An Zhi howled. His body could no longer bear the heat and he was soon covered in cracks and blisters.

The lava turned into tendrils and bore into the cracks. An Zhi's screams became more desperate, but at this point, his body was no longer under his control.

The lava kept pouring and drowned An Zhi, and his figure disappeared along with his screams…

At the base of the mountain, Mu Chen heard An Zhi's howls and shook his head. In his opinion, they were just the desperate cries of a man who had lost all hope with nowhere to vent his frustration.

Mu Chen was more interested in the scroll he got from An Zhi and wanted to study it in detail. His current location was far from safe for a detailed study, worse, a war might break any time soon, so Mu Chen increased his speed and soon left the snow-fire—now only fire—mountain behind. He didn't go in the direction of An Tribe or the demon's grave but instead picked another. Mu Chen only hoped that he would not run into another barbarian village.

Mu Chen continued to travel for several miles. He was still inside the forest, but it was an unmarked one.

Mu Chen found a small cave for himself. After chasing away the bear monster that occupied it, he sat cross-legged and took out the scroll.

The scroll looked ordinary from the outside, but Mu Chen couldn't identify the material used. Other than a tiny engraving that looked similar to An Tribe's symbol, there were no other markings on the scroll.
Mu Chen opened the scroll and spread it flat on the ground.

Mu Chen bit his thumb and dripped some of his blood on the scroll.

The drop of blood fell on the flat surface of the scroll and disappeared, but nothing happened.

"Absorbed?" Mu Chen picked up the scroll and watched it from every angle, but didn't find any trace of blood.

Did An Zhi lie? Mu Chen thought about it and shook his head. He wasn't mistaken—this scroll was certainly a treasure.

If An Zhi didn't lie and the scroll was unresponsive, it only meant one thing.

"Am I not qualified?" Mu Chen's face twitched. "I don't believe it," he snorted.

Mu Chen squeezed his thumb once more, dripping several drops of his blood this time. All of Mu Chen's blood was absorbed, yet there was no change in the scroll.

Mu Chen's face turned grim, but he was unwilling to give up. He raised his hand over the scroll and slit the wrist.

Blood splashed on the scroll in huge volume, but none of it fell outside it as it was absorbed instantly. Mu Chen's face turned pale, but he persisted. He felt like he was feeding an insatiable monster. But even if it was him, he couldn't continue to lose his blood forever and had to stop.

Mu Chen looked at the scroll.

No change.

Even after he lost a few pints of blood, the scroll didn't change. All his expectations were dashed, Mu Chen felt deflated as he faced the truth.

The scroll was useless.