I Am A Prodigy

Chapter 617: First Try at Refining

Refining in the kitchen... How should one put it?

Let’s just say it was rather unique and funny at the same time.

The reason was simple. Ye Lingchen could not produce fire. He was not a superhuman, and could not procure a flame in his palm like in the movies. Therefore, Ye Lingchen thought of using the gas stove.

Although starting the fire with the stove was a little weird, it was simple and straightforward. By theory, it should work.

In fact, Ye Lingchen not only used a gas stove, he also used a cooking pot.

Ker-tuck!

The gas stove was set alight, just like one would when cooking. He then placed the cooking pot above the flame.

He thoroughly heated the empty pot until it started producing crackling sounds. Only then did Ye Lingchen placed the two pieces of jade in the pot. [1]

As the jade was placed in the cooking pot, nothing much happened. The temperature seemed to have no effect on the jade whatsoever.

Ye Lingchen frowned. It seems that he would really need to do it according to the refining methods.

He took a deep breath. The spiritual energy in his body started flowing along his meridians, then covered his palm. After that, he slowly moved it toward the stove.

Spirit energy, release!

Based on Ye Lingchen’s cultivation level, the spiritual energy within his body was limited. He could only form a thread out of it and guide it toward the flames.

Whoosh!

The moment his spiritual energy made contact with the flames, the temperature shot up immediately. The fire spread outwards and enveloped the cooking pot with the flames going as tall as half a meter, engulfing the entire pot.

‘OMG, that’s fearsome!’

Ye Lingchen immediately restricted the flow of spiritual energy.

That was his first try at refining. He did not expect the effects of spiritual energy on fire to be that strong—it was terrifying.

‘If I had a bigger reserve of spiritual energy, just how terrifying would the flames be?’

At the same time, he could feel that the flames were not only stronger. Its temperature was way beyond that of an average flame. The entire kitchen took on a red hue as the temperature rose. Even Ye Lingchen himself felt that it was unbearable.

Sizzle!

The water nearby the gas stove sizzled as they quickly evaporated.

‘My gosh, this is crazy!’

‘If I improved my cultivation, wouldn’t this turn into Samadhi True Flames[2]?’

Ye Lingchen paid careful attention to the situation in the pot as he retorted. He was regretting his decision to attempt refining in his kitchen.

He had crossed the Rubicon.

Wiping the sweat on his forehead, he followed the refining techniques imprinted into his mind and started calming down his mental state, aiming to manage it in the shortest possible time.

He used too much spiritual energy earlier, yet at that moment his spiritual energy output was too low. He tried to slowly dial it up.

Another thing to note was adjusting his mental strength. He had to keep a close eye on the changes to the flames and the jades at the same time.

Ye Lingchen slowly closed his eyes and had his mental strength envelop the stove before him. He felt a mysterious feeling coming from it.

Fortunately, he had upgraded his Wood Spirit Constitution to the intermediate level and had a natural sensitivity toward nature. It was not too taxing for him to use his mental strength.

Fwoosh!

The flames burned on. The jade that remained unchanged finally showed some signs of change. It melted like ice under the flames as a weird liquid trickled out from within.

‘F*ck, this pot can’t stand the high temperature!’

Ye Lingchen’s heart skipped a beat and his eyelids twitched wildly.

‘Bloody h*ll, this is making it difficult for me.’ That was his poor planning. He should have bought a better pot.

At that point, he could only roll with it and pray for the pot to melt slower.

He did not stop there. The jade melted even faster. Finally, both jade completely liquefied and melded together.

Sizzle!

The liquid gave off a sizzling sound as the impurities within it were cleansed along with the high heat. The volume of the liquid was reducing at an alarming rate.

‘It’s almost done.’

Ye Lingchen let out a breath and started to divide the liquid into four round jade pendants.

Under the special circumstances, he did not bother to carve any patterns on. He could only imprint a spirit gathering formation on the jade pendants so that spiritual energy would converge around the wearer, allowing it to constantly improve the wearer’s body.

Having done all that, Ye Lingchen finally stopped channeling his spiritual energy and killed the flames.

After that, he raised his hand in a dashing pose and the water in a nearby bucket flew into the air, seemingly beckoning his call, and dove straight into the pot.

Whoosh!

The price of acting cool was the water from the bucket being splattered all over the kitchen.

Ye Lingchen could not be bothered with those details. He controlled the water to flow around the four jade pendants. The temperature in the pot was still very high as a large amount of steam could be seen as the water quickly evaporated.

‘It’s finally done!’

Ye Lingchen took a breather, then looked at the four pendants in the pot with a satisfied smile on his face. However, when he saw the trashed kitchen, his expression froze.

The bottom of the pot transformed from round to square-shaped. Even the stove was partially melted and the cupboard was badly burnt. If not for Ye Lingchen’s constant control, the entire kitchen would have gone ablaze.

‘Cough cough. Although the process hit some snags, the result is still good.’

Fortunately, his parents were not home, or he would be forced to give an explanation for all that.

Ye Lingchen brought the four jade pendants closer for a better look. When placed in his hands, they felt soft and warm, making them feel malleable. They felt great and comfortable to the touch. These pendants would definitely qualify as top quality white jade.

The four jade pendants had the exact round disk shape with a small hole in the middle. On the surface, it was smooth and shiny. However, when placed under the microscope, one would notice that around the edges of the jade were some unique microscopic patterns arranged uniformly.

Refining was truly mentally taxing.

Ye Lingchen’s forehead was covered in sweat and his clothes were drenched. His mind was blank, feeling as though he could pass out any moment along with a minor headache.

That was the sign of having one’s mental strength exhausted. Apart from that, his spiritual energy reserves were also almost empty.

Nevertheless, it was not without benefits. At least he had gained better control over his mental strength and spiritual energy. He would also be more proficient in his refining skills.

Smiling gently, he kept the four jade pendants. He then ran to the nearby supermarket and furniture mall to replace the pot, stove, cupboard, and all the other things in the kitchen.

He would of course purchase the best items, thus giving off a strong impression. He also never bargained, resulting in very happy shopkeepers.

Only then did Ye Lingchen have some free time, and he fell asleep immediately on the bed.

That was the first time he slept that soundly in some time, and only waking up when it was six in the evening.

In the evening, Xu Zhen and Ye Jin returned home and were surprised to see the brand new kitchen. As expected, they started reprimanding Ye Lingchen for his foolish expenditure. By their estimate, the things in the kitchen could at least last another three years.

However, when they saw the four jade pendants Ye Lingchen had, a sincere smile appeared on their faces.

Their son was undoubtedly a filial one. Not only did he think about his parents, he had also thought about his grandparents.

Moreover, the jade pendants had a simple yet noble design—it was elegant and graceful. With just one look, it would give off a special feeling, making one fall in love with it at first sight.

[1] Dear readers, don’t you dare place your jade into the cooking pot like that. NEVER, EVER, do that. Don’t make us go “Haiyaa!” your sorry buttocks for destroying a pot and precious stones like that. Thank you for reading. Sincerely yours, Endless Fantasy Translation team.

[2] 三昧真火 (San Mei Zhen Huo / Samadhi True Flames) – This term is coined by joining from two parts, “San Mei / Samadhi” from the Buddhist Sanskrit scriptures, and “Zhen Huo / True Flame(s)” from Daoism. It’s also known by the alternate name of 三昧神火 (San Mei Shen Huo / Samadhi Divine Flames). There are two interpretations for the source of the three flames (implied in Samadhi to be three). First: Divine flame, elite’s flame, commoner’s flame. Second: Ordinary flame, intense flame, and celestial flame. To make it simple without going through the philosophical aspect of what each flame represents, the TLDR is to treat this as a 3-in-1 mix of flames from different aspects. Sometimes, yours truly wonders if I have no life going to this extent to provide TN on a passing reference that does not matter to the storyline. Have fun reading 😀