Inside the side room, Zhuge Hongming sat cross-legged, circulating his qi and regulating his breathing.
Suddenly someone kicked the door open, shouting, "Dad, I'm here to keep an eye on you!" The voice was so loud it could be heard from miles away.
Zhuge Hongming frowned, pretending not to hear.
Chang Deng casually sat down on the stool, crossed his legs, and looked at Zhuge Hongming.
After watching for a while and seeing that he didn't react, Changdeng couldn't sit still and said earnestly, "I say, old man, really, you're getting old and your brain isn't working well anymore. You've actually been controlled by a little girl. Tsk tsk tsk."
Zhuge Hongming's lips twitched, and he clenched his fist.
Changdeng seemed oblivious, continuing to ramble on: "This time, it was thanks to Young Master Qirong and my unparalleled bravery that we were able to resolve this crisis; otherwise, you would have turned into dust and bones much earlier."
Zhuge Hongming suddenly opened his eyes and shouted in a strong voice, "You little brat! I'll beat you to death!"
He jumped off the bed and pulled out a long stick from somewhere, swinging it at the lamp.
Changdeng immediately dodged, and the father and son chased each other in a small hut, making the room a mess and chaotic place.
This was the situation Qi Rong encountered when she arrived.
He paused for a moment, then went inside anyway, stopping the one-sided massacre.
Zhuge Changdeng hid behind Qi Rong as if he had seen his savior, "Finally someone has come to save me! My father has gone mad and is going to beat me to death!"
Zhuge Hongming glared at him, making a move to strike again, but Zhuge Changdeng trembled, slipped away, and disappeared in a flash.
Qi Rong looked at the father and son and found it quite interesting.
The room returned to calm, and Qi Rong sat facing Zhuge Hongming, asking, "Senior Zhuge, how are you feeling?"
Zhuge Hongming drank a cup of tea to calm his breathing, and after a moment said, "I'm fine now, but I still feel a bit tightness in my chest."
Qi Rong: "It's normal. Generally, when someone is hit by the Soul-Locking Technique, their soul is bound, which is fatal for cultivators. Fortunately, you have profound cultivation and discovered it early, so this outcome is already very fortunate."
Zhuge Hongming expressed his gratitude to Qi Rong, saying, "This time, we owe a great debt to Young Master Qi." He paused, then added, "Young Master Qi is indeed very knowledgeable. He has a thorough understanding of the rare technique of Soul Chaining, and he even knows how to break it. He is truly remarkable."
Qi Rong sensed the probing in his words, but remained composed: "Senior, you flatter me. I've simply read a lot of books."
Zhuge Hongming: "Young Master Qi, what brings you to Tianqi Academy this time?"
He was aware of the duel between Zhuge Changdeng and Li Jiang, but he did not believe that Qi Rong and Qing He's arrival was merely as companions.
He had met Qinghe and that child before, and he still vividly remembered what Tianqi Kingdom had done. He could tell that Qinghe was calm, composed, and purposeful, and was by no means a casual or idle person. As for the young master Qirong who was with her, he was even more so.
Qi Rong smiled and said, "To be honest, I came here for a certain elixir."
Zhuge Hongming was slightly surprised, clearly not expecting him to have come for the elixir.
Zhuge Hongming could tell at a glance that the young nobleman before him was no ordinary cultivator. Although he deliberately concealed his strength, Zhuge Hongming could still feel the oppressive aura emanating from him, a pressure that came from someone who had long held a high position.
Would someone like that also worry about elixirs?
"What kind of elixir?"
Qi Rong looked at him and uttered three words: "Lu Yuan Dan".
Zhuge Hongming immediately frowned.
Qi Rong felt a chill in her heart upon seeing his expression, but still said, "I have previously sought out many alchemists to refine this pill, but none of them succeeded. I have heard that Senior Zhuge is famous throughout the world for his alchemy skills, so I came here to give it a try. I wonder if Senior can help me refine this pill?"
Zhuge Hongming remained silent for a long time, then got up and paced back and forth at the door with his hands behind his back.
After a long while, he looked at Qi Rong and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Qi came because of the Lu Yuan Pill, so you must know a lot about the effects of the Lu Yuan Pill and the more than eighty kinds of rare medicinal materials required for its refining."
Qi Rong nodded, "Indeed, and the most important ingredient, the Heavenly Cicada, is now in my hands."
Zhuge Hongming: "With the medicinal guide, the other herbs are no problem, but I still cannot refine the elixir for you."
Qi Rong was taken aback: "If you are worried that outside forces will seize the pills and disturb the academy, there is no need to worry. I will protect the academy during the pill refining process."
However, Zhuge Hongming shook his head, "Tianqi Academy has stood for a hundred years. Even if they have the desire to steal, they don't have the courage." He looked at Qi Rong and said, "The reason I can't refine pills is because I don't have a medicine cauldron."
"Medicine cauldron?"
Zhuge Hongming: "That's right. The Lu Yuan Pill is not an ordinary pill. Once it is refined, it will be a divine product. During the refining process, one must be extremely careful and have exceptional concentration of mental energy. Only in this way can the heavenly fire become purer and the chance of success increase. In order to successfully refine the pill in one go, one also needs an incomparably sturdy cauldron with abundant spiritual energy. In the world today, only the Nine Bell Heavenly King Cauldron can withstand the immense spiritual energy of the Lu Yuan Pill."
Qi Rong: "I have heard of the Nine-Bell Heavenly King Cauldron. It is said to be a medicine cauldron used by a great master who became a god through alchemy. Before becoming a god, that great master regarded the cauldron as a treasure and kept it with him day and night. He had a deep affection for it, but after he became a god, the Heavenly King Cauldron disappeared quietly and could not be found no matter how the world searched for it."
Zhuge Hongming smiled and said, "You do know a lot, but there's one thing you're wrong about. The Heavenly King Cauldron wasn't lost; it was sealed away by its owner."
"Oh?" Qi Rong asked, "Why?"
Zhuge Hongming: "Perhaps it was out of reluctance. No one wants their cherished possession to belong to another. So they simply sealed it away. However, it left a glimmer of hope. It is said that as long as you find the direct descendant of that great power, you can use his blood to open the great formation, and the seal will be broken, and the Heavenly King Cauldron will see the light of day again."
Qi Rong: "Senior Zhuge, you must already know where the Nine Bell Heavenly King Cauldron is sealed, right?"
Zhuge Hongming was very frank and said directly: "The Heavenly King Cauldron was formed with a spirit. After it was sealed, it absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and accumulated over time to form a mountain. The current Yangqu Mountain is the former Nine Bell Heavenly King Cauldron."
The pale golden sunlight streamed in through the door, casting a long shadow of Zhuge Hongming. In the backlight, he sighed and continued, "The legend of the Heavenly King Cauldron is as old as ever. No matter how many years have passed, countless alchemists still search for the bloodline of great masters, but unfortunately, they always come up empty-handed. Back then, I was one of them. After all, seeing the legendary Nine-Bell Heavenly King Cauldron is the dream of every alchemist."
He looked at Qi Rong and said, "If you can find the Heavenly King Cauldron, I really should thank you for fulfilling my wish."
Qi Rong pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "I hope our conversation today is known only to heaven and earth, and not to others, especially Qing He."
The shrewd and perceptive Zhuge immediately understood his meaning: "You intend to go to Yangqu Mountain alone?"
Qi Rong did not speak, but the answer was self-evident.
"Excuse my frankness, but the sealing power on Yangqu Mountain is formidable. It's best not to approach it lightly without absolute certainty. Besides, we haven't found the bloodline of a powerful being yet, so having more people to help is always a good thing..."
Qi Rong interrupted him, "I don't want Qinghe to worry, and besides, I need to get the Lu Yuan Pill as soon as possible."
Seeing his determination, Zhuge Hongming said nothing more.
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