In his room, Lu Ming opened his eyes, a flicker of emerald flame seemingly passing through their depths.
"Flame of Life..."
Lu Ming immediately sensed his Divine Ability Bone. The "Fire Lotus Mark" was engraved upon it, but compared to before, the mark now held an emerald-green flame seed.
The flame seed burned slowly, its fire filling every part of Lu Ming's body with warmth. Its abundant vitality constantly nourished his flesh and blood.
"Although this Flame of Life is gentle, it's still a mysterious and powerful Spirit Fire. Without this Fire Lotus Mark, taking it into my body would probably have been extremely difficult."
As far as Lu Ming knew, some extraordinary, wondrous Spirit Fires did exist in the vast world. And it was not just Spirit Fires; there were other similar existences as well.
Divine lightning, sacred water, strange winds, mystical earth... all these were collectively known as the Essence of Heaven and Earth.
Certain supreme divine abilities beyond his imagination required such Essence of Heaven and Earth as their foundation before they could be cultivated.
The Essence of Heaven and Earth was exceedingly rare and possessed boundless divine might. Even a grandmaster might not be able to subdue it upon encountering it. The reason he had been able to take the Flame of Life's flame seed into his body so smoothly today was the existence of the mysterious divine ability known as the "Fire Lotus Mark."
"What level of divine ability is Buddha's Fury Flame Lotus?"
Lu Ming gazed thoughtfully at the Fire Lotus Mark on his Divine Ability Bone. As he sensed it, the inheritance contained within the mark was ancient and obscure, impossible to convey in words. It could only be comprehended through the infusion of an inheritance.
Take the fire-fusing method within the inheritance, for example. It contained countless mysteries, and without the inheritance imprint on his Divine Ability Bone, cultivating it would have been all but impossible.
And even though Lu Ming had mastered it, he was unlikely to be able to pass it on as a divine ability method like the other divine abilities he had cultivated... after all, he himself had learned it through an inheritance, so how could he understand its underlying principles?
That would only be possible if he reached an extremely high realm in the future and analyzed and deconstructed the fundamental principles of this divine ability.
As Lu Ming marveled at the mystery of the "Fire Lotus Mark," he suddenly heard voices outside the room. They belonged to Lu Jin and Lu Qingyan, but the dutiful Lu Mengmeng was keeping them both outside.
Clearly, Lu Mengmeng had carried out Lu Ming's earlier instruction not to let anyone disturb him without even recognizing her own kin.
Lu Ming shook his head in amusement and got up to open the door. Sure enough, he saw Lu Jin, Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei being held outside by Lu Mengmeng, her little hands spread wide and her small face full of determination.
Lu Jin and the others had not tried to force their way in. Instead, they smiled and teased Lu Mengmeng, trying every trick they could to coax her aside.
"Brother, I didn't let them in to disturb you!" The moment she saw Lu Ming come out, Lu Mengmeng proudly claimed credit.
"Well done." Lu Ming stroked her hair and praised her. After sending her off, he welcomed Lu Jin and the others into the room.
"A-Ming, how is your recovery going?" Lu Jin asked with a gentle laugh.
"Grandpa, I was never badly hurt. Father, how are things at the hall?" Lu Ming said with a smile.
Though Lu Qingyan could hardly conceal the weariness in his eyes, he was in high spirits. "As many as a hundred disciples have joined the hall in the past two days. The training grounds are nearly overflowing now."
In the past, the Thunderfire Hall had maintained only around a hundred disciples in total each year. Yet in just two short days, that number had doubled. The growth was nothing short of astonishing.
Judging by the most basic entrance fee, this batch of new disciples alone would bring the Thunderfire Hall an income of around twenty thousand Heavenly Gold Sand, enough to give the hall considerable breathing room.
"There are too many new disciples, and we're struggling to teach them all. I've already promoted Gao Yu, Yuan Da and the other senior disciples who have completed three rounds of bone refinement to apprentice hall instructors. They can teach the basics and help ease some of the pressure of teaching divine abilities," Lu Qingyan said.
"But they can only teach Lower Divine Abilities. They're still a long way from mastering Middle Divine Abilities themselves, so we plan to bring back two veterans who left the Thunderfire Hall in the past to serve as hall instructors. After all, with the advantage of superior Primordial Qi over the coming year, the Thunderfire Hall should have more and more disciples, and its income should be enough to hire two Great Divine Ability Practitioners as instructors."
Lu Jin and the others no longer treated Lu Ming as a child. They had even begun telling him about the hall's affairs and discussing them with him.
Lu Ming nodded. Bringing two veterans back as hall instructors was a workable solution.
But after Lu Qingyan voiced the idea, Lu Ming saw that Lu Jinglei, standing beside him, looked somewhat gloomy. He immediately asked, "Is there a problem?"
"We've approached a few, but they're all a little hesitant," Lu Jinglei said in a muffled voice.
Lu Ming was taken aback. By rights, the Thunderfire Hall had just claimed the position of leading hall and was at the height of its influence. Coming back now would not only provide a stable income, but also let them cultivate in the hall's superior Primordial Qi environment. What was there to hesitate about?
Lu Jin spoke calmly. "It's probably because the Thunderfire Hall has fallen out with the Golden Gang Sword Hall this time. After all, Lin Changkong refined a breath of True Qi and became a True Qi Master. His formidable reputation has only grown."
Lu Ming fell silent. He had forgotten about that. Although the Thunderfire Hall had claimed the position of leading hall, it had become outright enemies with the Golden Gang Sword Hall.
And Lin Changkong had displayed the strength of a True Qi Master at the hall competition.
Although Lu Jin had ultimately sealed the newly advanced True Qi Master with a special divine ability and forced a draw, everyone knew that once Lu Jin lost the advantage of surprise, that method would not work nearly as well in the future.
A True Qi Master was, after all, a level stronger than a Feather Robe Master.
Under these circumstances, those veterans who had left the Thunderfire Hall naturally had more reservations.
"Their concerns are only human. They all have families to support and don't want to get too entangled in grudges. There's no hurry. If we wait a little, someone should be willing to come." Lu Jin took it in stride and did not feel hurt.
Lu Ming looked at Lu Jin and asked, "Grandpa, is it possible for you to refine True Qi and become a True Qi Master?"
Most of the pressure on the Thunderfire Hall came from Lin Changkong, the True Qi Master. If Lu Jin could break through, that pressure would no longer exist.
Lu Jin fell silent.
Lu Qingyan said softly, "Whatever else you may say, you at least have the Thunderfire Hall as your family's foundation. But when your grandfather inherited the Lu Clan back then, he truly had only himself to hold it up with all his strength. Relying on his Middle-Grade Divine Ability Bone, he fought his way out from the very bottom. He hovered between life and death countless times before carving out a family enterprise and building the Thunderfire Hall we have today."
"He has countless hidden injuries left over from his youth. They damaged his foundation long ago and exhausted his potential. That's why, despite having entered the Feather Robe Realm many years ago, he has never been able to advance another step. This may already be your grandfather's limit."
Lu Ming gazed at Lu Jin's aged face, covered in wrinkles as though carved by a blade. Countless years of wind and frost lay within them, and Lu Ming could not help feeling a sting in his nose. He truly could not imagine how much pressure and hardship Lu Jin had endured in his youth, or how much effort and struggle he had put in, to build the Thunderfire Hall entirely on his own.
If Lu Jin had not persisted and fought so hard, how could the Lu Clan have lasted long enough for Lu Ming to appear?
The hardships the old man had endured were far beyond anything Lu Ming could compare to.
"Why tell the child all this? I've lived to see the last Divine Ability Child of my Lu Clan appear. Even if this old life of mine were cut short, I could meet my ancestors with a smile." Seeing Lu Ming's reddened nose, Lu Jin tapped his pipe against the table and scolded Lu Qingyan.
Then he smiled and teased Lu Ming. "A-Ming wants to see his grandfather become a dragon, does he? Unfortunately, these old bones will have to disappoint you."
His words carried a hint of self-mockery.
Lu Ming looked at Lu Jin's thin, aged body and could almost sense a heavy air of approaching twilight around him. But then, suddenly, something stirred in his heart.
He remembered the Flame of Life he had just obtained.
The flame had a wondrous healing effect.
Could the Flame of Life help heal the hidden injuries that have accumulated inside Grandpa's body over the years? If it can, then it may still be possible for Lu Jin to refine True Qi!
At the thought, excitement rose in Lu Ming's heart. His eyes lit up as he immediately said to Lu Jin, "Grandpa, hold out your hand."