A Miniature World in the Tripod

["Da Chun! Go, become a Great Dao Immortal Artifact, and let those who once looked down on you look up to you!"]

[You cheered Da Chun on.]

[You figured it out; there was nothing to feel bad about.]

[If he could truly become a Great Dao Immortal Artifact, wouldn't that be better than being a bottom-feeder in this chaotic world?]

[Just think about the miserable state of Da Chun wandering with Shen Jia in the second simulation.]

["Yah!!"]

[Da Chun's chubby face scrunched up from the exertion, making him look exactly like Fat Buu.]

[Da Chun forcefully reached his hand toward the red light of the seal.]

[It passed right through!]

["Heavens, just as I thought!"]

[You knew it! The hint you received when touching the Nine Provinces Cauldron in the last simulation definitely meant something!]

["Whoosh..."]

[You felt a nameless gust of wind fiercely blowing up from underground.]

["Da Chun, watch out!"]

[As a martial artist, your stance was steady, but Da Chun was not. He was blown away on the spot.]

[You hastily waved the Myriad Soul Banner to protect Da Chun and quickly rushed toward the surface with him.]

[However, the commotion underground was simply too massive. You and Da Chun were still blasted out of the ground by a tremendous force.]

[You activated your Golden Body state, released your blood qi, and hugged Da Chun tightly, letting your body be battered against the forests and the earth until the impact was fully neutralized and you came to a complete stop.]

["Da Chun, are you alright?"]

[Da Chun still tightly gripped the roasted chicken leg in his hand. He took a bite before answering.]

["I'm fine!"]

[The earth was shaking.]

[At the place you had dug down, dust flew everywhere as the underground rocks crumbled and shot into the sky.]

[The ground bulged upward, like the back of a giant arching up.]

[When it swelled to a certain height, the earth's crust shattered with a loud boom, and the natural pressure of a Great Dao Immortal Artifact blanketed all directions!]

[A giant bronze cauldron, towering a hundred meters high, broke through the soil and quietly stood upon the lands of the Eastern Wasteland.]

[Seeing this, the surrounding demon race scattered in terror, fleeing in all directions like startled birds and beasts.]

["It has emerged..."]

[You saw that the seal on the Nine Provinces Cauldron had disappeared.]

[Undoubtedly, this was the result of Da Chun's touch.]

[The Myriad Soul Banner beside you was also very excited.]

["Oh my goodness! Buddy! You're a god! You actually brought out the Nine Provinces Cauldron? What are you waiting for? Quickly make the Nine Provinces Cauldron recognize you as its master, take it in, and let it keep me company!"]

[At this moment, you felt extremely thrilled inside.]

[You never expected that a mere Golden Body Realm martial artist like you would one day possess a Great Dao Immortal Artifact!]

[You had to know that this Nine Provinces Cauldron was an existence that forced all the top martial artist factions across the Five Regions to sit down and negotiate, eventually leading to the creation of the Cauldron Inquiry Conference.]

[This was a true supreme treasure!]

[Suddenly, you noticed something was wrong with Da Chun.]

["Da Chun, you..."]

[Da Chun's body was flickering between transparent and opaque.]

["Brother Yi, that big pot seems to be calling me over."]

["Da Chun, you are the artifact spirit of the Nine Provinces Cauldron. You were originally a part of it. Do you want to go?"]

["Brother Yi, it seems I really am a cauldron. No wonder many people called me a fool after I became a human. How can a cauldron be a human? Hahaha..."]

[Da Chun still smiled foolishly.]

[His body completely faded, turning into a glowing spiritual body that flew toward the Nine Provinces Cauldron.]

["Da Chun..."]

[Your heart felt a bit heavy.]

[From today onward, the human Da Chun, the Da Chun who had saved your life multiple times and saw you as his only family, was gone.]

[But the Nine Provinces Cauldron would also transform from a 'glorified oversized brick' back to its rightful divine might!]

Seeing this from outside the simulation, Chen Yi's feelings were equally complicated.

"Da Chun really is an artifact spirit..."

At this very moment, the real Da Chun was still enjoying a peaceful life at the Yuelai Inn.

Every action in the simulation had a way back.

But what about in reality?

Should he take Da Chun to become an artifact spirit?

"Let's wait and see. I just feel like things won't go so smoothly. I need to step into all the pitfalls in the simulation first..."

[After the Nine Provinces Cauldron received its artifact spirit, its body flashed for a moment.]

[And then.]

[There was no then.]

["Da Chun? Nine Provinces Cauldron?"]

[You jumped onto the cauldron and shouted a few times, but there was no response.]

["I say... Myriad Soul Banner, do you know how to make a Great Dao Immortal Artifact recognize a master?"]

["I have no clue."]

["Aren't you an immortal artifact? Aren't you familiar with Great Dao Immortal Artifacts?"]

["Aren't you a human? Are you familiar with being an emperor?"]

[The Myriad Soul Banner was as foul-mouthed as ever.]

[Just then, you heard Da Chun's voice coming from inside the cauldron, echoing continuously within.]

["Wow! Brother Yi! It's so spacious in here! There's grass! There's a river! Hmm? There are even peaches!"]

["What's going on?"]

["Brother Yi, I can bring you inside. Do you want to come in and play?"]

["Then... let's go in and take a look?"]

[You felt a suction force beneath your feet, pulling you into the cauldron.]

[You, who should have fallen into the cauldron, instead felt a flash of light around you and landed on a grassy field.]

[Here, the sun was shining brightly, bees and butterflies were dancing, and the air was filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.]

[Not far away, there was a clear little river.]

[By the river stood a peach tree, its pink peaches looking incredibly sweet and fragrant.]

[Da Chun was eating a peach.]

[As soon as he ate one, another immediately grew on the tree. It was truly magical.]

["Brother Yi! There's an endless supply of peaches here! After eating the peaches, my head feels a bit itchy, like I've become smarter!"]

[Chen Yi stood up and walked around.]

["There's a small world inside the cauldron?"]

[Da Chun walked over and said.]

["There's also this."]

[Da Chun raised his hand, and an image of the outside world appeared in his palm, showing the view around the Nine Provinces Cauldron.]

["You can see and hear the outside?"]

["More than that!"]

[You saw Da Chun point with his other hand, and the outside view began to shift from eye-level to a bird's-eye view.]

[The Nine Provinces Cauldron had taken to the sky!]

["Fly!"]

[At Da Chun's command, the Nine Provinces Cauldron flew toward a certain direction.]

[Chen Yi hurriedly stopped Da Chun.]

["Alright, alright, stop flying, lest we attract people over."]

[The Nine Provinces Cauldron landed.]

[After some communication with Da Chun.]

[You realized that Da Chun was not a complete artifact spirit.]

[He looked foolish not because he was an artifact spirit, but because he was incomplete.]

[Therefore, Da Chun could not utilize the full power of the Nine Provinces Cauldron right now; he didn't even know what abilities it had.]

[He only knew about the small world inside the cauldron, that he could perceive the outside world from within, and that he could control the Nine Provinces Cauldron to move or change its size.]

[The Nine Provinces Cauldron, now with a partial artifact spirit, could also merge into your body just like the Myriad Soul Banner.]

[However, there was no process of recognizing a master.]

[Nor was there a need to recognize a master.]

[As long as Da Chun was willing, it made no difference whether the Nine Provinces Cauldron recognized you as its master or not.]

[Unlike artifact spirits such as the Myriad Soul Banner, Da Chun could still maintain an independent human body.]

[He could leave the Nine Provinces Cauldron, but he would still be an artifact spirit.]

"Brother Yi, I feel like if I eat a few more peaches, I'll be able to learn even more moves!"

"Then go inside and eat. It's safe in there, at least."