143: Chapter 143 was just a joke.

Hearing Gu Changming's words, the expressions of the three froze, unsure of how to respond.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Yubai opened his mouth, then pursed his lips, pondering how to reply, while Chen Shanshui blinked and looked at Sun Ye, who slightly turned his head away, his gaze falling on the ground nearby.

Gu Changming watched their reactions, his eyes flickering slightly.

It wasn't that things had changed and people were different; they were still the same people. It was just that his current self in this life had missed them.

The fate between people is all about timing. For some people and some things, once a single step is missed, everything becomes different.

Following the tone he had just used, Gu Changming smiled naturally and spoke, "It was just a joke... there are no points rebates, but you really can ask her for help once you get there..."

Hearing him say this, the three across from him visibly relaxed.

Then, Cheng Yubai was the first to laugh. "Boss Gu is quite humorous; we almost believed you just now."

Chen Shanshui also scratched his head, pulled Sun Ye along, and gave a couple of sheepish laughs.

Gu Changming nodded and didn't continue the topic.

"Her account info has been sent over. Her name is Su Wan; you can greet her when you arrive."

"Mm-hmm." Cheng Yubai nodded, then said, "Then, is there nothing else?"

"Go ahead." Gu Changming nodded.

Cheng Yubai and the other two said some polite parting words like "See you again, Boss Gu" and "Let's cooperate if there's a chance in the future" before turning around and walking along the desolate path they came from toward the Flowing Fire Camp.

Gu Changming stayed where he was, unmoving.

He watched the three silhouettes departing side by side, watching them drift further and further away.

This was the first time he had experienced this perspective.

Whenever he encountered people before, after things ended, he would find some reason or excuse to leave, leaving his back to the others.

Now, it was he who stood in place, watching others walk away.

In his field of vision, the three were gesturing again. Chen Shanshui's movements were particularly exaggerated, making the other two laugh.

At this moment, Gu Changming understood: they were already a complete circle, a circle that others could not integrate into.

Before that joke, he had hesitated to speak several times, actually harboring other thoughts in his heart.

He couldn't even tell if it was a kind of expectation—expecting them to casually ask where he was going next, or if he wanted to go back to the camp with them to rest. Even if it were just a polite invitation, he would have followed the flow, nodded, and agreed.

As long as they spoke, he could also join their team.

But they didn't say anything. After a polite farewell, they walked toward their own direction.

Watching their departing backs, Gu Changming took a deep breath and then let out a long exhale.

The lingering frustration swirling in his chest seemed to be somewhat dissipated along with that breath.

Well... he had understood long ago that no one can accompany you all the way to the end.

But it didn't matter, because they would become a part of you, staying by your side forever.

It was a saying he had heard a long time ago:

A person's life is composed of many individuals.

Every person encountered constitutes the current self; if even one were missing, he would not be the person he is today.

So even if they didn't know each other in this life and missed one another, before this, they had already become a part of what made him who he was.

...

Once the figures of the three had completely disappeared, Gu Changming also withdrew his gaze and focused on the prompt box on the panel in front of him.

[Congratulations on completing the trial. Reward obtained: Eternal Furnace Cultivation Method.]

That's right, this was the Mental Power cultivation technique Gu Changming had obtained in this trial in his previous life, which became the starting point that changed the trajectory of his fate.

The preciousness of this Mental Power cultivation technique, in terms of its effects, was even more ridiculous than the Key of the Covenant.

If nothing else, in his previous life, his cultivation technique had never changed; he had used it until the very end.

Gu Changming fixed his gaze on it, and immediately, the detailed information of this cultivation method was displayed.

【Eternal Furnace Cultivation Method】

【Core Essence: Within the Spiritual Sea, use a specific configuration and Mental Power guidance to construct an "eternal furnace." Once the furnace is formed, it is ignited, and from then on, it operates automatically and ceaselessly.】

【Core Principle: After ignition, the furnace can use one's own redundant distracting thoughts and emotions, others' mental fragments and origins, and the stray energy in the surrounding environment as fuel, converting them to produce pure Mental Power feedback for the host.】

【Trait 1: Automatic Cultivation: Once the furnace is successfully constructed and ignited, it can achieve continuous, passive Mental Power growth without the need for active maintenance.】

【Trait 2: Continuous Refinement: While increasing Mental Power, it also slowly purifies existing Mental Power. Long-term operation can solidify the foundation and improve Mental Power quality and control precision.】

【Note: This cultivation method has a high threshold, requiring a certain level of Mental Power control precision and initial Mental Power strength. The construction process allows for no errors; if the structure becomes unstable and the furnace collapses, it will cause backlash damage to the Spiritual Sea.】

It looked complicated, but in reality, it could be summarized in just two sentences.

This was a technique that allowed for idle cultivation.

Yes, this was the most heaven-defying trait of the Eternal Furnace Cultivation Method.

As long as the eternal furnace was successfully constructed within the Spiritual Sea, it would act like a pre-set precision program, continuously converting and producing Mental Power for him.

From then on, his cultivation would never cease day or night; whether walking, sleeping, or even fighting, the accumulation of Mental Power would proceed silently.

After scanning through it, Gu Changming clicked the "Confirm Receipt" button.

As the click finished.

Buzz!

A cool and majestic stream of information, like an unlocked floodgate, surged directly into his mind.

Those were the complete and profound cultivation steps of the Eternal Furnace Cultivation Method; every detail and every crucial point of Mental Power operation was incomparably clear.

The information stream quickly ran through his mind once.

But Gu Changming didn't go to read it.

He was too familiar with it.

He didn't know how many times he had practiced and studied this cultivation method in his previous life.

Every node was etched into his muscle memory, and he had already memorized it by heart.

So what he was receiving wasn't these steps or operational techniques, but something else.

Only with that thing could he formally begin practicing this cultivation method.

Otherwise, why would he have kept all this knowledge and these steps in his mind without ever having practiced it?

The information stream transfer was complete.

Gu Changming's palm felt a slight weight as a soft but not dazzling light flashed.

The light faded, and an object lay quietly in his hand.

The object was shaped like a small bronze furnace, its texture neither metal nor jade, warm to the touch, with extremely fine and complex patterns flowing on its surface that were hard to discern with the naked eye.

Yes, it was this small object.

The Inheritance Guidance Object for the Eternal Furnace Cultivation Method.