Anomalies in Heaven and Earth

"You've stirred up such a commotion in the Pill Tower, and you don't think I, a Pill Tower Giant, have the right to come see for myself?"

Xuan Kongzi shot Ling Xi an exasperated glare.

"Senior Xuan Kongzi, you must be joking, right?"

Ling Xi shook his head, putting on an innocent, harmless expression as 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 that statement—Ling Xi really had only been training in his room.

As for the celestial phenomenon, it was merely a coincidence.

"Your teacher had to step out for a bit and asked me to look after you."

Xuan Kongzi took two steps forward and lightly patted Ling Xi on the shoulder.

"Come to my place for a while. There are also some things I'd like to ask you."

"It would be my pleasure—I wouldn't dare decline."

After all, they were still on Pill Tower grounds, and Ling Xi couldn't very well refuse some of Xuan Kongzi's requests.

Besides, he also wanted a private conversation with this Pill Tower Giant.

Xuan Kongzi nodded, his gaze sweeping over Cao Ying and Song Qing beside him, but he said nothing.

He simply turned and led Ling Xi toward his own room.

"Brother Song, since Teacher was here just now, why didn't you ask Ling Xi about the Purple Abyss Cauldron?"

Only after Xuan Kongzi and Ling Xi's figures had vanished from sight did Cao Ying finally ask Song Qing beside her.

"Well... I was so taken by that so-called celestial phenomenon that I forgot about it for a moment."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Song Qing's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"I imagine President Xuan Kongzi called Ling Xi over mostly for the Purple Abyss Cauldron too, right?"

"Maybe we shouldn't meddle. Let President Xuan Kongzi handle it?"

Song Qing, having reached the level of a Sixth-grade Alchemist at his age, was no fool.

Though he did harbor some feelings for Cao Ying.

After witnessing today's celestial phenomenon, he dared not rashly offend Ling Xi, whose background remained unclear.

Not to mention whether he could even retrieve the Purple Abyss Cauldron from Ling Xi.

Even if, by some stretch, he did get it back, would the Pill Tower actually let him use it?

"Brother Song is right."

Cao Ying's expression remained calm, but inwardly she cursed him as a coward.

"A celestial phenomenon... just who is this Ling Xi..."

Her gaze followed Ling Xi's retreating figure, and her finely arched brows lifted slightly.

Inside the room, numerous bookshelves were arranged in a seemingly haphazard yet strangely aesthetic order.

Flames of various colors illuminated the entire space, their multicolored glow casting a slightly dizzying ambiance.

"You're quite lucky, kid."

Xuan Kongzi personally poured a cup of water and handed it to Ling Xi before sitting back down at his desk.

"What do you mean, Senior? Where am I lucky?"

Ling Xi stood, accepted the teacup with both hands, thanked him, and then sat back down.

"I was born merely a Descendant Citizen of the Ling Clan. The so-called Dou Di Bloodline within me is so thin it's practically negligible."

"I really don't see where my luck lies."

"Bloodline rank among the Ancient Races doesn't mean everything."

Hearing this, Xuan Kongzi smiled dismissively.

"Back then, that old fellow Yao Chen didn't have a high bloodline rank in the Yao Clan either, yet he still made a huge name for himself across the Central Continent."

"I'd say your fortune and talent even surpass Yao Chen's."

Xuan Kongzi genuinely felt that Ling Xi and Yao Chen shared some similarities.

Both came from Ancient Races, both had equally thin Dou Di Bloodlines, and both possessed enviable talent in Alchemy Skill.

"How could I dare compare myself to the Venerable Yao of those days?"

Ling Xi shook his head modestly.

"Indeed, you cannot."

Ling Xi's words were, of course, mere courtesy, but to his surprise, Xuan Kongzi actually nodded in serious agreement.

Before Ling Xi could say anything, Xuan Kongzi's voice rang out again.

"That old bastard Yao Chen nearly lost his life back then for the eighth-ranked Black Demon Cauldron on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."

"And you, kid, traded just a single Form-Shaping Grass for the third-ranked Purple Abyss Cauldron on the same ranking."

"Compared to you, Yao Chen really is a man of thin fortune."

Ling Xi narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up the Pill Tower Giant before him.

He knew that news of him obtaining the Purple Abyss Cauldron couldn't be hidden—after all, the Dan Family Siblings and Cao Ying had all been present at the time.

But right now, he couldn't quite gauge what Xuan Kongzi was driving at.

"The Purple Abyss Cauldron was once discovered by a senior of our Pill Tower, who made it famous across the continent, earning it a place on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."

"Later, it was lost for many years. Who would have thought it was hidden right in the newly opened space of our Pill Tower?"

Xuan Kongzi's expression was somewhat complicated.

Some things didn't need detailed explanation—the mere fact that the Purple Abyss ranked third on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking said it all.

"Senior, are you telling me all this because you want me to hand the Purple Abyss Cauldron over to your Pill Tower?"

Ling Xi looked at Xuan Kongzi for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

Though the other party was a Peak Dou Venerate powerhouse, Ling Xi felt no fear whatsoever.

"If I had that idea, would you be willing?"

Xuan Kongzi didn't answer directly, instead asking with evident interest.

"I've long heard that when an Alchemist reaches a certain level, they can use heaven and earth as a cauldron and all things in the world as ingredients."

"As for those so-called divine cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, they may be sacred objects, but they're nothing more than products of mediocre alchemists trying to take shortcuts with external tools."

Ling Xi let out a scoff, showing no respect for the Pill Tower Giant before him.

"Though it's said divine objects choose their masters, if Xuan Zi really wants to take back the Purple Abyss, I can't do much about it, can I?"

"You kid dismiss the cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking as worthless, then block me with that 'divine objects choose their masters' line."

Xuan Kongzi couldn't help but scold with a laugh.

"In the end, you just don't want to hand the Purple Abyss over to our Pill Tower. Young as you are, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve."

"What can I do? My teacher isn't around right now. If Senior were to pressure me, I'd only have words to fall back on, wouldn't I?"

Ling Xi shrugged, unsurprised that Xuan Kongzi saw through his intentions.

After all, every powerhouse who could cultivate to Dou Venerate was a wily old fox.

"Divine objects choose their masters... what you said does have some merit."

Xuan Kongzi tapped his fingers rhythmically on the desk, speaking slowly.

"Given your age and your Spirit Realm soul, you're not unworthy of the Purple Abyss, the third-ranked cauldron on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking."

He paused, then added unhurriedly:

"But the Purple Abyss was once a divine object of our Pill Tower, and I can't just hand it over to someone whose background I don't fully know."

"Ling Xi, don't you agree?"