Under the watchful eyes of many in the courtyard, the golden light emanating from the lotus leaf containers in Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling's hands grew increasingly intense, and the changes only ceased after a while.
Nine dazzling golden rays rose from the lotus leaf container in Zhou Fuling's hand, emitting an extremely rich fragrance that made one's mouth water.
Nine golden Pill Qi?
Yan Qing, Ye Yuan, and the others all showed a hint of envy in their eyes. This quantity was more than twice what they had obtained. If Zhou Fuling absorbed and refined these golden Pill Qi, her Primordial Qi would definitely be greatly enhanced, and she might even be able to directly condense two Divine Ability Dharma Mark runes.
Meanwhile, the commotion at Lu Ming's place also subsided. Streams of golden Pill Qi rose up, seemingly imbued with spirituality, and flowed slowly within the lotus leaf container, resembling golden spirit fish.
Those were... eleven strands of golden Pill Qi?!
hiss!
Many people gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
Yan Qing, Yan Zhizhi, and the others were dumbfounded. This kid actually managed to obtain eleven strands of golden Pill Qi? Two more than Zhou Fuling?
Ye Yuan and Ye Ling exchanged a surprised glance. It was normal for Lu Ming to have more pills than them, given his advantage in the Spirit Pill Jiao thanks to the " True Explanation of Six Refinements of Clear Qi," but how did he manage to get more than Zhou Fuling?
Zhou Fuling was also somewhat surprised. Looking at the surprised face of the young man beside her, she felt that she had seen similar surprise in him many times in the past few months of knowing him.
" Zhou Xuan, how come he obtained more golden Pill Qi than Fuling? What exactly did you do during the Spirit Pill Jiao?" At this moment, Cheng Shan, who was sitting next to Zhou Xuan, suddenly spoke up with suspicion.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression shifted, and their gazes turned to Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan was the presiding officer of this Spirit Pill Jiao, and it could be said that any changes within the Spirit Pill Jiao were entirely under his control.
If Zhou Xuan wanted to, he could even influence the outcome of the Spirit Pill Jiao.
However, it was clearly inappropriate for them to voice such suspicions, since the Spirit Pill Jiao was initiated by Zhou Xuan alone. If he were to show any favoritism, they would have no reason to question it.
But Cheng Shan didn't hold back and asked the question directly in front of everyone.
Zhou Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then said irritably, "Why would I tamper with things? This was just an opportunity for the younger generation; of course, everyone should rely on their own abilities."
"You may not have consciously tampered with it, but the changes within the Spirit Pill Jiao are at your beck and call. Perhaps you inadvertently stirred up the Pill Qi, tilting it towards Lu Ming's side," Cheng Shan analyzed, pursing her lips.
"Otherwise, tell me, why did Fuling obtain less Pill Qi than Lu Ming? She clearly surpassed Lu Ming in both Primordial Qi and Clear Qi."
Zhou Xuan was also surprised by the result. When he heard Cheng Shan's analysis, he was at a loss for words. Could it be that Lu Ming was just lucky? Did more of the Pill Qi just happen to drift to his side?
"You good-for-nothing Fourth Uncle, you don't help your own family, but instead side with this brat. I bet you don't want any of those rare herbs you've collected anymore." Zhou Fuling put her hands on her hips, her eyebrows furrowed, and glared angrily at Zhou Xuan.
"Uh, Fuling, how could that be? How could I not favor you?" Zhou Xuan quickly explained.
"Thank you so much for your care, Master. I will always remember this great kindness!" Lu Ming suddenly realized what was happening, his face full of gratitude, and he bowed sincerely.
"Well..."
Seeing this, Zhou Xuan was immediately plunged into deep self-doubt. Could it be that he had unintentionally favored Lu Ming, causing more of the Pill Qi to flow towards Lu Ming during the Spirit Pill Jiao?
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't get an answer. He could only shake his head helplessly, too lazy to think about it anymore.
Let them think what they want. Anyway, he was the one who single-handedly brought about the Spirit Pill Jiao, so even if he favors someone, it's his choice.
" The Pill Qi cannot last forever. You should hurry and absorb it directly into your bodies. Over the next few days, cultivate diligently and absorb it all." Zhou Xuan waved his hand, quickly changing the subject.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming and the others dared not delay. They opened their mouths and inhaled deeply into the golden Pill Qi in front of them, and streams of golden light entered their bodies directly through their breath.
Pill Qi entered his body, Lu Ming immediately felt an extremely pure and gentle Primordial Qi being released within him, seemingly transforming into golden mist that enveloped his Divine Ability Bone.
At this moment, the Divine Ability Bone emitted a clamor of desire, absorbing the golden mist continuously like a whale sucking in water.
At this moment, Lu Ming could clearly feel that the Primordial Qi within his body had visibly increased.
The Dharma Mark runes on the Divine Ability Bone sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
"At this rate, once I've completely absorbed this golden Pill Qi, I'm afraid... I'll be able to gain three more Divine Ability Dharma Mark?!" Lu Ming estimated for a moment, then his eyes gleamed with undisguised elation.
Doesn't that mean that the number of Divine Ability Dharma Mark in his body will soon reach ten?!
Judging by the timeline, he broke through to the Great Divine Ability Practitioner less than three months ago, yet he has already cultivated ten Divine Ability Dharma Mark?!
"Is this the importance of cultivation resources?"
Lu Ming couldn't help but sigh. His rapid improvement was due not only to his own Sub-Heaven-Grade Divine Ability Bone grade and the Fire Lotus Mark, but also to the cultivation resources he had acquired during this period, such as the Golden Pupil Spirit Fish, the Red Jade Flat Peach, and the current Spirit Pill Jiao. These resources were equally crucial.
If his ten Divine Ability Dharma Mark were revealed, it would surely cause a great deal of shock.
However, Lu Ming did not intend to expose himself. Instead, he planned to keep a low profile for the next period of time. Otherwise, if this information were exposed, it would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the Golden Gang Sword Hall. At that time, there was no guarantee that they would do something extreme.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lu Ming sat back down in his seat, satisfied.
"Brother, are you tired? I saved this for you."
He had just sat down when a small hand reached out from the side, clutching a piece of pastry. Lu Mengmeng's dark eyes held undisguised concern. That alchemy furnace was terrifying; even sitting outside, one could feel the intense heat emanating from it. It was unimaginable what kind of suffering one would endure inside.
Lu Ming knew this was his sister's gesture, so he took it and casually popped it into his mouth, mumbling, " Mengmeng, when I become a master Dao of Alchemy, I'll hold a special Spirit Pill Jiao just for you."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mengmeng was immediately frightened and shrank behind Lu Qingyan, her small body curled up into a ball, trembling.
That's terrifying! If someone were to Spirit Pill Jiao, they would be burned to ashes.
While Lu Ming was teasing Lu Mengmeng for fun, Zhou Xuan coughed lightly and his expression became serious. Seeing his expression, the bigwigs from various factions present understood that serious business was about to begin.
Zhou Xuan paid such a high price to hold a Spirit Pill Jiao for all the forces in Qingyuan Market; it was certainly not a good deed done for nothing.
Now that they've enjoyed the benefits, it's time for them to pay the price.
"Gentlemen, the ' Rain Weakening Period ' is coming soon, and you all know its importance. In order to stabilize and strengthen the ' Great Divine Ability Restriction,' each family will need to send a Divine Ability Master and several Great Divine Ability Practitioner to help set up the ' Restriction Flag.' This matter concerns the survival of my Qingyuan Market, so I hope you can all give your full support and not slack off," Zhou Xuan said in a deep voice.
Everyone had anticipated this, and they all solemnly agreed. They had no reason to refuse, because once the Black Rain Season broke out and destroyed the " Great Divine Ability Restriction," Qingyuan Market would fall into the same state as those other towns that had been swallowed up in the past. They would lose the foundation they had built up over the years and suffer heavy losses.
"Afterwards, I will inform each family of the location where they are responsible for setting up the ' Restriction Flag.' At that time, each family must persevere in the black rain for some time until the ' Restriction Flag ' is successfully set up and connected with the ' Great Divine Ability Restriction.'"
"We will follow the master's arrangements." All the managers nodded.
Thus, everyone was happy.
The banquet became much more relaxed, and after some time, everyone got up to say goodbye.
Lu Jin and his group also got up and left. Lu Mengmeng followed behind, patting her round belly contentedly. She was full and a little sleepy, and wanted to go home to sleep.
"Brother, Sister Fuling is calling you."
Lu Mengmeng yawned, and then she saw Zhou Fuling standing at the side door ahead, waving at Lu Ming.