He Yiming shook his head slightly, feeling utterly helpless at Bao Zhu's actions. Yet, he quickly reflected that if the little creature hadn't possessed this inherent nature, this object would never have ended up in his possession.

The object he now took out from his spatial storage was precisely the stove they had found in a tea shop on their journey east, discovered by Bao Zhu.

Turning the stove over in his hands, He Yiming couldn't help but feel it resembled the 'stove within a stove'—the one lacking the nine fire dragon sculptures.

If it were only the similar appearance, He Yiming wouldn't be this agitated, but anything that captured Bao Zhu's fancy could not possibly be ordinary.

This little one's obsession with stoves bordered on the absolute, far eclipsing the allure of even the imitation Five Elements Rings.

By Bao Zhu’s established habit, this item’s value must certainly surpass that of the imitation artifact. And what could be more potent than a simulated divine artifact? Naturally, a genuine Divine Artifact.

It was upon realizing this point that He Yiming felt such profound excitement surge through him.

He circled the stove once more, and his expression stiffened slightly. Bao Zhu extended its four tiny hooves and, in a peculiar manner, clung tightly to the stove, refusing to let go under any circumstance.

“Bao Zhu, come down first,” He Yiming said, trying his best to sound gentle.

Bao Zhu shook its head instantly, showing He Yiming absolutely no deference.

Frowning, having spent a long time with the creature, He Yiming knew its temperament: if it was set on something, arguing was useless.

With a cold snort, He Yiming set the stove onto the ground, his expression darkening.

A wave of icy chill seemed to drift on the wind. Bao Zhu shivered, its small eyes scrutinizing He Yiming, seemingly calculating whether he was truly angry.

Finally, Bao Zhu released its grip, rising onto its hind legs with its front hooves momentarily suspended. Then, holding the stove high with its front legs, the small, plump body swayed with each step as it approached He Yiming, rubbing the stove against his leg.

He Yiming took the stove back, a mix of amusement and annoyance on his face. Bao Zhu grunted a few times, squatted down, and began listlessly sweeping its short tail behind it. The creature looked inexplicably wronged.

With a sigh of resignation, He Yiming reflected that this creature was not only incredibly spiritual but, more importantly, acutely perceptive of subtle moods—smarter than the cleverest human. Coupled with its overwhelmingly cute appearance and pure white fur that felt as smooth as silk to the touch, it was destined to become everyone’s beloved wherever it went.

He picked up the sulking Bao Zhu, which immediately turned its head away as if disdainful. However, one of its small eyes cast a sidelong glance, clearly monitoring He Yiming’s actions.

He Yiming shook his head. “Little fellow, this might be a Divine Artifact. Do you want to see its power?”

The face that had been turned away instantly whipped back around. The little eyes narrowed happily, and its slightly long nose poked out, affectionately nudging He Yiming’s cheek.

This was how the little one showed affection. He Yiming laughed heartily, placed it behind him, then slightly closed his eyes, attempting to channel his True Qi into the stove.

Bao Zhu seemed to sense the solemn atmosphere radiating from He Yiming and obediently retreated to nestle near his legs. Its small eyes fixed quietly on the stove, anticipating its transformation.

Vast amounts of True Qi poured from He Yiming’s body into the stove—an immense, unparalleled torrent crashing down like a monstrous tidal wave. Yet, no matter how furiously He Yiming’s True Qi surged, the stove acted like a bottomless pit; despite the onslaught, it remained completely unresponsive.

He Yiming let out a long breath, cutting off the futile attack of True Qi.

A soft grunting sound came from beside him. He Yiming turned to face Bao Zhu’s inquisitive gaze, feeling slightly awkward. “Wait a moment, it will be ready soon.”

Bao Zhu tilted its head, neither fully believing nor completely doubting, apparently skeptical of his promise.

He Yiming shot it an exasperated glare before turning back, his gaze locked onto the stove in his hands.

From the previous attempt, He Yiming was certain that with his current strength, without employing the Great Broadsword, he stood no chance of destroying this object. Since that was the case, he could proceed with his experiments without reservation.

Placing the stove flat on the ground, He Yiming sank into a horse stance, his aura swelling forth madly, even stronger than before.

This time, Bao Zhu’s eyes were filled with hope; seeing such a display of presence naturally boosted its confidence.

In mere moments, He Yiming’s hands shifted subtly, forming an arcane hand seal.

Within this confluence of seals, a faint, ghostly ball of fire seemed to reside, and within that flicker of light was contained power too immense to be believed.

With a grave expression, He Yiming sent this ball of fire into the stove.

His heart was fraught with tension; this was his final resort. If even this newly learned Fire Manipulation technique failed to ignite the stove, then he truly was powerless.

At that point, whether the stove was the legendary Nine Dragon Furnace or not would make no difference to him.

A stove that could neither be used nor controlled, no matter what secrets it held, remained just a stove.

As a faint, spectral flame entered the stove, He Yiming’s expression shifted, and a wave of pure joy washed over him.

Under his control, the trace of fire energy seemed to trigger a profound change. He could clearly sense a force within the stove being drawn to this tiny spark, stirring restlessly.

Though he hadn't truly seized control of this power, He Yiming could already feel how vast and overwhelming it was.

In the face of this energy, He Yiming felt utterly insignificant.

He was already a master of the Three Flowers Realm, a notable figure in the entire world. Yet, before this hidden power, he couldn't summon the slightest will to resist.

This mere distant, spiritual contact delivered an extreme shock to He Yiming’s will.

The sensation was akin to a colossal mountain descending from the heavens, giving him the feeling that his life could end at any moment.

A massive roar erupted from He Yiming’s mouth as he threw the stove away as if it were burning coal.

He gasped violently afterward, his heart filled with extreme shock.

Bao Zhu, startled by his bellow, quickly scurried out, retrieved the stove, and rushed back to present it before He Yiming.

Hesitantly, He Yiming picked up the stove again. Stroking the head of the understanding Bao Zhu, the shock in his heart gradually subsided.

When everything settled, his feelings were a complex mix of surprise and apprehension.

That momentary experience confirmed the stove was extraordinary. Even if it wasn't the legendary Nine Dragon Furnace, it was undeniably a treasure of immense significance. The problem was that the power contained within it was too overwhelming; with his current strength, attempting to command that power was akin to an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly overestimating himself.

As had happened just moments ago, his mere attempt to seize control nearly crushed him before the internal power even had a chance to erupt.

Fortunately, he had decisively cast the stove aside. Had he delayed even a second longer, even if his body survived, the mental pressure alone would have shattered him.

He let out a soft sigh, the feeling of standing before a treasure trove but lacking the key to the door was intensely frustrating.

After pondering quietly for a long while, a new thought sparked in He Yiming’s mind.

If control was impossible, perhaps guidance was feasible.

He calmed his mind again, slowly dispelling the terrifying visions from his memory; such lingering impressions were detrimental to a cultivator.

True Qi gathered once more, and a sequence of bizarre hand gestures flowed above the stove. The faint, ghostly fire reappeared, but this time the power contained within it was significantly diminished.

He Yiming dared not attempt to contend with the power inside the stove again. He slowly drew out the True Qi, thread by thread, employing a technique of using minimal force for maximum effect—attempting only to guide the power out to see how potent it truly was.

Slowly, he struck the stove again with the subtle flame.

Instantly, he sensed that terrifying, almost despair-inducing power once more.

However, unexpectedly, this power did not emerge from the stove as He Yiming had envisioned. Instead, there was absolutely no reaction whatsoever.

The tiny spark of fire he had sent in seemed to vanish into an infinite sea of flame, creating not even a ripple before disappearing.

At this point, He Yiming was truly at a loss.

He turned to face Bao Zhu, their eyes meeting, yet he couldn't conceive of a viable solution.

Sighing deeply, he offered a wry, bitter smile inwardly; the power within was simply too arrogant…

Yes, the feeling this power gave him was arrogance. It was as if the force inside the stove possessed a sliver of sentience. When He Yiming couldn't touch it, it simply ignored him. When He Yiming mastered a way to make contact and tried to exert control, it retaliated fiercely. And when He Yiming tried to coax it, it acted like an aloof, ancient beast, utterly deaf to the summoning calls of the ants beneath its feet.

Holding it high above his head, He Yiming felt infinite contemplation.

It truly was a Divine Artifact. But would keeping it near him prove to be a blessing or a curse?

Suddenly, within He Yiming’s otherwise chaotic Dantian, a movement occurred—a power equally immense began to stir restlessly…