Lingjun, now the spirit of the secret realm, controls everything within it, including the gate.

Therefore, he was actually aware of the silent comfort and companionship from the sweet potato, but he was in a hurry to vent his emotions, which is why he did not show up.

Even though he didn't show up, he still felt Shushu's concern.

The suffocating cold gradually subsided with this warm companionship, no longer feeling unbearably cold.

Perhaps yearning to draw upon this warmth, Lingjun eventually quietly arrived at the gate of the secret realm and transformed into his most authentic cub form.

There was a blond, golden-eyed, black-eyed, soft-looking little boy, about four or five years old, standing back to back with Shushu, separated by a secret gate, trying to calm himself down.

Feeling the gentle tapping on the door, Lingjun felt that the small hand was also brushing away the haze in his heart.

At this moment, Lingjun truly regarded Lu Li and Shushu as family.

Even after returning to the Dragon Clan, in Lingjun's heart, Lu Li and Shushu were still his most important relatives, even closer than blood relatives.

Unbeknownst to the outsider, Lingjun had already changed her status from a good friend to an irreplaceable member of the family.

She was still tirelessly patting the door, and even though her little hands were already a little red, she showed no sign of stopping.

Lu Li stayed by her side the whole time, never leaving her side. The two of them and the mouse silently accompanied, supported, and warmed each other, separated by a door.

Fortunately, Lingjun is very good at controlling and regulating his emotions. After half a day, he had broken free from that depressed mood and recovered.

Then, after recovering, he left the secret realm immediately. This time, he did not transform into his usual adult appearance; he used his most authentic form.

Shushu was only surprised for a very, very short moment before stepping forward and giving him a big hug, clearly recognizing him as Lingjun.

Then, Lingjun took Lu Li and Shushu to a separate space and began to ask them how they found his things.

This was meant to be told to him, and now that Lingjun had asked, Lu Li and Shushu had no intention of hiding anything and told him everything about the former residence.

During this time, he also handed over the soul of the deceased mansion's owner to Lingjun.

Lingjun recognized him at a glance as the master of the man who had pulled out his tendons and skinned him back then.

He instantly realized that the enemy he killed outside the secret realm was actually a scapegoat.

However, now that the mastermind behind it all is in his hands, he should naturally give him a good beating to make up for all the pain he has endured.

Thinking of this, Lingjun asked Shushu for some pills that could preserve the soul, because this person couldn't just die so easily.

Shushu had prepared these things beforehand, and when Lingjun asked, she gave them to him without the slightest hesitation, being very decisive and efficient.

Then, the two people and the rat talked for a while and learned that Lingjun still needed to be carefully nurtured and could not yet leave the secret realm to take human form.

After his fellow disciples readily agreed that Lingjun could come to them at any time if he needed anything, Lu Li and Shushu finally left.

After they left, Lingjun took the soul to the cage specially set up for him and began to entertain him, determined to let him experience what it was like to be worse than dead.

Meanwhile, after leaving Lingjun, Lu Li and Shushu returned to Lu Li's cave together.

There was no trace of the Yao Guang Cauldron in the cave, so they guessed that it must have been wandering around the Liu Yue Sect again. The senior and junior brothers and sisters were not in a hurry to look for it, but instead prepared to meditate and cultivate.

Just a moment before they were about to enter meditation, the Three Spirits and One Sword, who had been out having fun all day, returned.

Upon seeing the blazing fire, Shushu immediately recalled what Lu Li had said before: that once Shushu reached the Golden Core stage, he would be asked to refine a wisp of phoenix flame.

After rummaging through the space again and finding the Rejuvenation Pill and the Cooling Pill, Shushu looked at Lu Li with bright eyes and brought it up.

Seeing that she was so well prepared, Lu Li estimated that the travel time saved by having the Yao Guang Cauldron should be enough for the millet to refine the flame.

Therefore, Lu Li did not refuse and agreed immediately. He first sent a telepathic message to Liu Yu and Yao Guang Ding, and then prepared to activate the restrictions on the cave and take Shushu to the secluded cultivation room.

I don't know if the Yao Guang Cauldron is nearby, or if I'm worried about being locked out of my cave.

Almost immediately after Lu Li sent the telepathic message, the Yao Guang Cauldron rushed back at the speed of light and crashed straight into Shu Shu's arms.

The sudden increase in weight almost startled the glutinous rice, which narrowly avoided falling to the ground; otherwise, the cauldron would have certainly caused a ruckus.

As for Liu Yu, perhaps he was too busy, because after receiving the message, he only replied with a short "okay" and then said nothing more.

However, their master's wife, Liu Ying, sent a long message of instructions and only stopped transmitting after receiving a response from Lu Li.

Now that everything was arranged, Lu Li and Shushu didn't dawdle any longer. They left a musical note outside the door to inform the visitor that they were going into seclusion, and then quickly activated the cave's protective barrier.

It was the same secluded cultivation room, the same Soul-Drawing Stone Bed. After entering, Shushu very skillfully lay down on it and put a Rejuvenation Pill and a Cooling Pill into his mouth.

Shushu then placed the two pill bottles within his reach, transformed back into a little mouse, and waited for Lu Li to bring over the Phoenix Flame.

Lu Li didn't make her wait long. After confirming that her physical functions were fine, he gave Huo Chi a look.

Immediately after, Huo Chi, understanding Lu Li's meaning, quickly separated a thin wisp of flame and went to the glutinous rice, beginning to feed it to her little by little, extremely slowly.

Although Shushu had previously been tempered by Phoenix Fire and had his fur accidentally burned by it, there was still a fundamental difference between that and refining Phoenix Fire.

Moreover, refining Phoenix Fire is far more dangerous than the previous two methods, which is one of the important reasons why Lu Li insisted on refining Millet Potato only after it reached the Golden Core stage.

After all, the Golden Core has already been condensed into a pill and has survived the tribulation of lightning, which doubles the body's ability to withstand the tribulation, thus increasing the probability of success.

Of course, it's just a probability. The moment the Phoenix Fire actually entered, even though the Fire Blaze had tried its best to suppress it, the glutton still felt the intense heat.

Whether it was a hallucination or not, Shushu felt that the more fiercely Huochi suppressed the attack, the more powerful the counterattacks of the phoenix fires became after they entered.

There was no other way, so Shushu could only let Huochi release its suppression, allowing the phoenix fire to quickly enter the body through the meridians and circulate throughout the limbs and bones.