After Ace upgrades the thief's space, everything has been reinforced, and he can start the next phase without any worries.
He adjusts his mental state before removing something from his thief's space. Before him, in the center of the room, a massive dark steel cauldron, its surface engraved with heavenly runes.
This was a heavenly ascension grade-2 cauldron that he had refined just for the Universal Ascension Black Physique, and he called the Universal Cauldron because it was created with the intent to cultivate the Universal Ascension Black Physique.
After all, since he was using heavenly-grade weapons, he knew the ordinary cauldron wouldn't last long.
Ace was also planning on upgrading this Universal Cauldron further as he cultivates the Universal Ascension Black Physique, and he hoped that this cauldron would stay with him until he reached the end of the Universal Physique path, making it proof of his convictions!
Looking at the Universal Cauldron, Ace took a deep breath before his expression turned solemn, and the next moment, with a thought, the Demonic Black Spirit Fire was released from his body!
The pitch-black ethereal flames fueled by his Primordial Darkness Qi instantly engulfed the Universal Cauldron. The symbols on the Universal Cauldron came alive, and the black cauldron started to turn blacker instead of red as it heated up.
The Universal Ascension Black Physique was divided into ten realms, from 1st Grade to the 10th (Forbidden) Grade, and each realm has two parts, the Universal Potion Refinement and Universal Body Refinement Technique.
The Universal Potion was the concoction that needed to be refined first, and it was mandatory to cultivate the Universal Physique. All the details of fire control and refinement processes were included.
Once Ace felt the Universal Cauldron had reached optimal temperature, he instantly released the 99 Upper-Ascension Grade-1 refined weapons as they hovered around him like dark stars.
But he didn't just throw them all together; he needed to follow a strict pattern, or with the tiniest mistake, the entire process would be ruined, and that's where all his experience of forging came in handy.
Ace then sent the first weapon inside, but since these were heavenly weapons with a quasi-spirit grade, they also had some level of spirituality, so it was tough to use them as mere material. Ace was using the Universal Cauldron and primordial spirit. Qi. The moment the weapon was inside the Universal Cauldron, it instantly resisted, gleaming with an eerie, dark aura.
Ace sneered as he started to chant a spell, which was a part of Universal Potion Refinement, and the next moment, the weapon instantly trembled before all the resistance vanished. The Universal Cauldron became even darker, like a black hole, as the weapon started to melt into glistering dark droplets.
Once the dagger was completely turned into liquid, Ace instantly threw more weapons, and this time, he sent two. This was the unique process of Universal Potion Refinement, each time he needed to increase the number of weapons at the exact moment the previous weapon turns into molten liquid.
Time passed, from 2 weapons turned, 4, then 8, 16, 32...
By the time he sent the final batch, Ace's entire body was drenched in sweat, and his Qi was almost exhausted. This was the first time in a while that he had experienced Qi exhaustion, not to mention mental fatigue, because he needed to be fully focused. However, Ace didn't falter as he threw a spirit recovery pill in his mouth and instantly recovered his Qi before he started to chant another spell to complete the final process of the refinement process.
The Universal Cauldron began to shake as countless runes shimmered on its surface while the mortal liquid was swirling, and as Ace chanted the spell, tiny glyphs started to appear within the liquid. Ace felt a massive amount of spirit. Qi being absorbed! A minute passed, and Ace's entire Qi was gone. Still, his eyes shimmered brightly because the Universal Cauldron stopped shaking, and the dark liquid within was now completely stabilized, which means the Universal Potion was successfully concocted! 'Now comes the most painful part, the Universal Body Refinement Technique... 'Ace took a deep breath, and despite his fear, his eyes were filled with resolved!
The clothes on his body vanished, revealing his leaned, chiseled body, completely flawless like a divine art. He inhaled deeply, steadying his resolve. The surrounding air grew heavy and dense with the oppressive presence of the Universal Potion, and he could feel the terrifying power within.
Gritting his teeth, he jumped into the Universal Cauldron and instantly sealed it!
The moment Ace's body came in contact with the Universal Potion, Ace screamed at the sheer temperature of this thing. His skin instantly started to melt, and his mind was filled with excruciating pain.
He finally understood the reason behind the system's warning and why this path had killed many; this pain wasn't something any human could endure.
But Ace has been suffering from heavenly punishment ever since he stepped into the cultivation world, and his will to live was extremely tenacious.
'No! I need to use the Universal Body Refinement Technique before I kill myself!"
Ace endured the pain despite his entire skin peeling off; he instantly started the Universal Body Refinement Technique!
At this moment, the system's voice rang.
"[Universal Ascension Black Physique refinement process initiated!]"
But Ace was too busy salvaging his current situation, so he didn't pay any attention. However, when he started the Universal Body Refinement Technique, he found that the pain had suddenly increased. To his horror, once he started the technique, it seemed he couldn't stop it at all as the process of his body melting became even faster!
'I can't lose consciousness, or it'll be over!' Ace couldn't see anything, but he didn't forget the instructions, and he knew if he lost his will, he'd be dead!
So, he focused all his attention on remaining sane, but alas, it was too difficult as each second seemed like years, and he didn't know how long he could last, and the pain seemed to be only intensifying further...!