"You caused such a commotion in Pill Tower, and you still won't let me, one of Pill Tower's giants, come take a look?"
Xuan Kongzi glared at Ling Xi, exasperated.
"Senior Xuan Kongzi, you're joking, aren't you?"
Ling Xi shook his head, his face wearing an innocent expression that could fool anyone. He spread his hands and said:
"What did I do?"
"I've just been cultivating in my room the whole time!"
There was nothing wrong with what he said. Ling Xi really had only been cultivating in his room.
As for the strange phenomenon in heaven and earth, it had merely happened to coincide.
"Your teacher went out for a while and asked me to look after you."
Xuan Kongzi stepped forward and patted Ling Xi on the shoulder.
"Come by my place. There are a few things I'd like to ask you."
"I would gladly do what you ask; I wouldn't dare ask for more."
After all, they were on Pill Tower's turf. Ling Xi really couldn't refuse a request from Xuan Kongzi.
Besides, he wanted a chance to speak with this Pill Tower giant alone.
Xuan Kongzi nodded. His gaze swept over Cao Ying and Song Qing, but he said nothing.
He simply turned and led Ling Xi toward his room.
"Big Brother Song, with Teacher there just now, why didn't you ask Ling Xi about the Purple Abyss Cauldron?"
Only after Xuan Kongzi and Ling Xi had disappeared from view did Cao Ying finally ask Song Qing beside her.
"Th-this... I was so taken aback by that so-called strange phenomenon in heaven and earth that I actually forgot."
A sheepish look crossed Song Qing's face, then quickly vanished.
"President Xuan Kongzi probably called Ling Xi over because of the Purple Abyss Cauldron, right?"
"I think we'd better not meddle. Let President Xuan Kongzi handle it."
Song Qing had naturally not become a Sixth-grade Alchemist at such a young age by being a fool.
Though he did have some feelings for Cao Ying,
after witnessing that so-called strange phenomenon today, he didn't dare rashly offend Ling Xi, whose background was a mystery.
Never mind whether he could get the Purple Abyss Cauldron back from Ling Xi.
Even if he did manage to get it back, would Pill Tower really let him use it?
"Senior Brother Song is right."
Cao Ying kept her expression unchanged, but inwardly she cursed him for being useless.
"A strange phenomenon in heaven and earth... Just who is this Ling Xi...?"
Looking toward the spot where Ling Xi had disappeared, Cao Ying's elegant brows lifted slightly.
Bookshelves stood in orderly disarray throughout the room. Though the place seemed cluttered at first glance, it had a peculiar beauty to it.
Flames of many different colors lit the entire room. Beneath their multicolored glow, everything seemed faintly dreamlike.
"You're a lucky kid."
Xuan Kongzi poured Ling Xi a cup of tea himself and handed it to him, then returned to his desk.
"What do you mean, Senior? How am I lucky?"
Ling Xi rose and accepted the teacup with both hands. He thanked Xuan Kongzi before sitting down and speaking.
"I was born among the Descendant Citizens of the Ling Clan. The Dou Di Bloodline Power in my body is so faint it might as well not exist."
"I really don't see how I'm lucky."
"The bloodline rank of an Ancient Race doesn't mean everything."
At that, Xuan Kongzi smiled, unbothered.
"Back then, that old fellow Yao Chen didn't have a high bloodline rank in the Yao Clan either, but didn't he still make a great name for himself in the Central Continent?"
"I'd say your fortune and talent are even greater than Yao Chen's."
Xuan Kongzi genuinely thought Ling Xi had a lot in common with Yao Chen.
Both came from Ancient Races, both had faint Dou Di Bloodlines, and both had Alchemy Skill that inspired envy.
"How could I compare myself to Venerable Yao in his prime?"
Ling Xi shook his head modestly.
"Indeed, you can't compare."
Ling Xi had only been speaking out of courtesy, but to his surprise, Xuan Kongzi nodded in earnest.
Before Ling Xi could say anything, Xuan Kongzi spoke again.
"Back then, that old geezer Yao Chen nearly lost his life over the Black Demon Cauldron, ranked eighth on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."
"But all you had to do was trade a single Form-Shaping Grass to get the Purple Abyss Cauldron, ranked third on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."
"Compared to you, Yao Chen really was an unlucky fellow."
Ling Xi narrowed his eyes slightly and sized up the Pill Tower giant before him.
He knew he couldn't keep his acquisition of the Purple Abyss Cauldron a secret; the Dan Family Siblings and Cao Ying had both been there.
Even so, he couldn't quite tell what Xuan Kongzi was getting at.
"The Purple Abyss Cauldron was discovered by one of my Pill Tower predecessors, who made it famous across the continent and earned it a place on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."
"It was lost for many years. Who would have thought it had been hidden in a newly opened space belonging to Pill Tower?"
Xuan Kongzi's expression grew somewhat complicated.
Some things needed no explanation. The Purple Abyss Cauldron's third-place ranking on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking said enough.
"Are you telling me this because you want me to hand the Purple Abyss Cauldron over to Pill Tower?"
Ling Xi looked at Xuan Kongzi for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
Though Xuan Kongzi was a Peak Dou Venerate, Ling Xi wasn't the least bit afraid of him.
"If I did, would you be willing?"
Xuan Kongzi didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked with interest.
"I've heard that once an Alchemist reaches a certain level, they can use heaven and earth as their cauldron and everything in the world as ingredients."
"Those cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking may be divine treasures, but they're nothing more than tools for Alchemists who lack skill and want to take shortcuts by relying on external aids."
Ling Xi gave a derisive laugh, showing the Pill Tower giant before him not the slightest courtesy.
"They say divine treasures choose their masters, but if Elder Xuan really wants to take the Purple Abyss Cauldron back, what can I do about it?"
"You call the cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking worthless, then use 'divine treasures choose their masters' to shut me down."
Xuan Kongzi couldn't help laughing as he scolded him.
"You just don't want to hand the Purple Abyss Cauldron over to Pill Tower. You're young, but you sure have a lot of tricks."
"What can I do? My teacher isn't here, and if you try to force me, I can only resort to a few verbal tricks, can't I?"
Ling Xi shrugged. He wasn't surprised in the least that Xuan Kongzi had seen through him.
After all, anyone who managed to cultivate to the Dou Venerate level was an old fox.
"Divine treasures choose their masters... You do have a point."
Xuan Kongzi tapped a steady rhythm on the desk as he spoke slowly.
"With a Spirit Realm soul at your age, you're worthy of the Purple Abyss Cauldron, ranked third on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."
After a pause, Xuan Kongzi continued leisurely:
"But the Purple Abyss Cauldron was once Pill Tower's divine treasure. I can't hand it over to someone whose background I know nothing about."
"Ling Xi, wouldn't you agree?"
Before you continue