Earth Core Fire Crystal on the Youth with Exposed Bird!

Looking at Zhuge Qingrou's disordered aura, Yan Ruyu let out a long sigh.

She placed her right hand on Zhuge Qingrou's shoulder, sending gentle spiritual energy into her body, and said softly, "Senior Sister, do you still remember what Master told us? Your heart... is in turmoil."

At those words, Zhuge Qingrou's deep-blue pupils suddenly contracted.

The image of their master teaching the five of them surfaced in her mind.

The words he had spoken while instructing them echoed in her ears once more.

"Is the heavenly secret in your eyes the patterns carved upon a tortoise shell, or the moon's reflection drifting in the river of time?"

"Deduction is like catching the wind. Whether it is the hand holding the counting rods or the heart yearning for an outcome, both are winds that stir the heavenly secrets."

"The heavenly secret is not a fixed number, but a living net woven from every breath and every choice of all living beings. Rather than obsessing over calculating accurately, it is better to understand that change is the eternal Dao."

Gradually, Zhuge Qingrou's heart slowly calmed.

Words she had failed to comprehend before now seemed to grant her a faint glimmer of understanding.

Taking a deep breath, she bowed to Yan Ruyu.

"Thank you, Junior Sister. Without you, I fear I would have suffered qi deviation."

Yan Ruyu merely waved her hand and slowly walked to the windowsill. She gazed northward, her eyes revealing a wistful look.

"If you want to thank someone, thank Master. I didn't really help you with anything.

"I wonder how Master is doing without us by his side. Has he found us a master's wife yet?"

At that, Zhuge Qingrou grew interested as well. "Who knows? Every time we ask, he says he isn't interested in women.

"Yet among the disciples he accepted, Second Senior Brother is the only male disciple.

"Junior Sister, if Master asked me to become his Cultivation Partner, do you think I should agree outright, or reluctantly agree?"

Yan Ruyu smiled and glanced at her petite figure, amusement written across her face.

"As far as I know, Master likes them big."

"Damn it! Yan Ruyu! What do you mean by that?!"

Meanwhile, beneath a small pavilion atop an immortal mist-wreathed mountain.

A handsome young man sat cross-legged on the ground. His silver hair drifted in the wind, his face was as flawless as jade, and he played an ancient zither when he suddenly sneezed several times.

His eyes snapped open, his profound pupils vast as a galaxy.

"Fuck! Who's talking shit about Laozi?!"

After saying that, he pinched his fingers a few times and muttered to himself.

"So it's Third Junior Sister and Fifth Junior Sister, those two little girls. Looks like they miss me.

"Ah, this damned charm of mine."

The smile on his face vanished the next moment.

He looked toward the South Sea Immortal Continent.

"So many people of great fortune have actually appeared! Even I can't fathom them!

"A chaotic age is about to rise! No, I need to go make friends with some badass people too.

"I can't let Horizon Pavilion perish in my hands, Jun Xiaoyao's hands!"

Underground Karst Cave.

Zhang Xuanchen formed hand seals with both hands, and a Blood Contract Formation emerged beneath him.

"Using my essence blood as the guide, I establish you as my life-bound flame!

"Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire! Merge!"

Buzz!

As a hum rang out, the Mysterious Yang Fire instantly merged with his Dantian.

Zhang Xuanchen could clearly sense the connection between himself and the flames.

"It worked!"

He slowly opened his eyes and lifted a finger. A wisp of Crimson Gold flame appeared at his fingertip, dancing lightly.

Its temperature was entirely under his control.

The next moment, Zhang Xuanchen felt wave after wave of pure spiritual energy racing through the extraordinary meridians and eight channels within his body.

As the flames roasted and scorched him, his entire body felt pleasantly warm.

Impurities were continuously expelled from his body. Before long, a layer of foul-smelling grime covered his skin.

At the same time, his cultivation kept rising.

Qi Refining Eighth Layer Late Stage, peak...

Qi Refining Ninth Layer Early Stage, Mid Stage, Late Stage, peak...

Even after breaking through to the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, his cultivation continued to rise without the slightest sign of stopping.

Feeling his cultivation continue to climb even after reaching the Qi Refining Tenth Layer Late Stage, he knew he could not let it rise any further.

Otherwise, his foundation might become unstable.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he circulated his cultivation technique and relentlessly compressed the vast spiritual energy within his body.

A quarter of an hour later.

Zhang Xuanchen rose to his feet.

His cultivation had thoroughly stabilized at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer Late Stage.

"I really hit the jackpot this time. Not only did I obtain the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire, my cultivation also soared to the Qi Refining Tenth Layer Late Stage!

"Once I go home and temper it for a while, I should be able to begin Foundation Establishment in two years! That's only two years later than Brother!

"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad!"

After admiring himself for several seconds, he turned his gaze toward that enormous chunk of Earth Core Fire Crystal.

Just as he was about to collect the fire crystal.

The mountain above the karst cave was suddenly cleaved apart by a beam of sword light!

Boom!

A cultivator covered in wounds, his flesh split open and his entire body drenched in blood, crashed heavily into the ground beside Zhang Xuanchen.

The tremendous impact left spiderweb-like cracks across the ground.

Immediately afterward, a voice rang out.

"Ye Xingyun! If you know what's good for you, hand over the Third-grade Lava Fire Lotus!"

A Middle-aged Man in purple robes slowly descended into the karst cave.

More than ten cultivators stood behind him.

The weakest among them were at the Qi Refining Peak, including four cultivators at Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

When they saw the Earth Core Fire Crystal floating above the center of the lava.

Their hearts shook in terror.

"This is... an Earth Core Fire Crystal! Hahaha, Ye Xingyun! You really have brought me a great gift! The day Zhao Tianhai rises has come!"

Zhang Xuanchen's expression turned incomparably ugly.

Damn it.

What the fuck did Ye Xingyun have to do with this?!

He could have come quietly and left quietly, but now everything had gone to hell.

But getting him to give up was absolutely impossible!

His figure flashed to the Earth Core Fire Crystal, and he directly stowed it in his Storage Bag.

Without a second thought, he fled!

At this sight, Zhao Tianhai's eyes nearly split with rage as he roared.

"Brat! How dare you!"

With an angry bellow, his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation erupted in full as he chased after Zhang Xuanchen!

The Earth Core Fire Crystal was a Third-grade Top-tier Earth Core Fire Crystal!

And such a huge piece at that! Compared to the Earth Core Fire Crystal, what was a Third-grade Top-tier Lava Fire Lotus worth?

Even a fool knew which one to choose!

The others were still frozen in shock.

They truly had not expected there to be an underground karst cave here!

And someone inside it!

And that someone was fucking completely naked, without a single thread on him!

Ye Xingyun, grievously wounded and coughing blood, had no time to care about any of that.

"Brother, thank you!"

He thanked Zhang Xuanchen inwardly, then instantly fled in the opposite direction!

Better a dead fellow Daoist than a dead poor Daoist.

Saving his life came first!

A Purple-robed Elder at Foundation Establishment Early Stage quickly came to his senses and shouted, "Li Ming, Ye Xingyun is severely injured. Less than one-tenth of his combat strength remains. Take two Qi Refining Peak disciples and pursue him! You must reclaim the Lava Fire Lotus!

"I'll go help Senior Brother Zhao!

"This time, both the Earth Core Fire Crystal and the Lava Fire Lotus will belong to our Purple Cloud Sect!"

"Yes, Senior Brother Wang Chao!"

Li Ming accepted the order and led two Qi Refining Peak disciples in pursuit of Ye Xingyun's escape route!

Wang Chao, meanwhile, led the remaining disciples and closely followed Zhao Tianhai's trail!

"Tianlan Sect disciples, heed my command! Zhao Tianhai is pursuing the Youth with Exposed Bird, who has an Earth Core Fire Crystal on him! Seize it at any cost!"

"Xiao Clan disciples, heed my command..."

As disciples from all the major factions spread the news, in less than half a minute, nearly every cultivator in the Earth Vein Volcano range learned that an Earth Core Fire Crystal was on a naked young man!

Watching Zhao Tianhai draw ever closer behind him, Zhang Xuanchen could only curse his mother in his heart!

If he ever got the chance to see Ye Xingyun again, he would beat him until even his own mother would not recognize him!