When Lu Ming saw Zhou Fuling abandon the group and walk towards him, a sense of foreboding flashed through his mind. Then, as the Primordial Qi transmission entered his ears, his expression, which had been one of anticipation, instantly turned bitter.
Damn it, I got myself into trouble while watching the show.
Zhou Fuling arrived at the table at the Thunderfire Hall. She first gracefully clasped her hands in greeting to Lu Jin and the others. She ignored Lu Ming directly, but instead smiled at Lu Mengmeng, who was quietly and quickly devouring delicate pastries, and said, " Mengmeng, eat as much as you want, I'll make sure you're full."
Lu Mengmeng nodded excitedly, "Thank you, Sister Fuling!"
Zhou Fuling smiled and patted her pigtails before turning to Lu Ming, raising her snow-white chin, and saying, "Come with me."
Although Lu Ming felt helpless, he did not refuse, because Zhou Fuling's words, "It's time to repay your kindness," directly eliminated all other reasons.
During this time, Zhou Fuling and Zhou Xuan have helped him so much. Let alone this small matter, even if it meant risking his life to accompany Zhou Fuling into the Black Rain Zone, he would have no reason to refuse.
His expression returned to calm, and he got up and followed Zhou Fuling toward the small group.
Behind them, Lu Jinglei watched the two figures and couldn't help but tease, " A-Ming really has a way with women. Before, the girl from the Li Clan liked to cling to him, and now this niece of the shop owner is getting so close to him too."
"I'm just worried about creating some unpleasant romantic entanglements," said Lu Qingyan's father, expressing some concern.
"Hey, men are born into this world, so it's natural for them to be romantic. Which of these aristocratic family heads doesn't have a harem of wives and concubines to perpetuate their bloodline? I say that with such talent, A-Ming should marry more wives to help our Lu Clan grow. Only with more bloodlines can our Lu Clan regain its former glory. Father, don't you think that makes sense?" Lu Jinglei said casually.
Lu Jin was slowly stuffing tobacco into his pipe when he heard Lu Jinglei's words. He thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "If A-Ming can really give my Lu Clan a bunch of descendants, then I can truly die without regrets."
For Lineage to grow, its population is the key.
Lu Qingyan gave a wry smile and said, "Father, A-Ming is only fifteen years old. You're thinking too far ahead."
"You'll be sixteen next month... not young anymore. When I was this age, I was already married, and a few years later, you were born," Lu Jin said leisurely.
While they were talking about these nonsensical things, Lu Ming had already followed Zhou Fuling to the group of people.
" Lu Ming has recently been studying Dao of Alchemy with my fourth uncle and is quite talented. My fourth uncle asserted that although his Divine Ability Dharma Mark patterns are slightly weaker due to the time he has spent cultivating, his performance in gathering Qi in this Spirit Pill Jiao will definitely be among the best." Zhou Fuling smiled, her smile filled with deep appreciation.
"He also has talent in Dao of Alchemy?" Yan Qing and the others were hearing this information for the first time, and immediately looked at Lu Ming with some surprise and doubt.
"Not only will I be among the top, but I will definitely take first place in this Spirit Pill Jiao and gather the most Pill Qi. Since we know each other, you should try to avoid the area where I am, lest you end up with nothing while I take it all." Facing their astonished gazes, Lu Ming showed no humility whatsoever, but instead revealed an arrogant expression and spoke with extreme arrogance.
"You!"
Upon hearing this, everyone glared angrily.
"You've only cultivated a few Divine Ability Dharma Mark, yet you dare to spout such nonsense here," Yan Zhizhi sneered.
"Even if Uncle Zhou passed on his Dao of Alchemy skills to you, with your shallow foundation, how much of it can you actually use? Gathering Pill Qi ultimately depends on true ability." Ye Ling also looked displeased.
"Arrogant." Li Shuang coldly uttered two words.
Yan Qing remained expressionless, her gaze towards Lu Ming carrying a cold smile.
"Anyway, I've fulfilled my duty to remind you. You'll find out when the time comes." Lu Ming didn't hold back at all.
The crowd grew increasingly angry and, too lazy to argue with him any longer, turned and left.
Seeing them break up, Lu Ming lazily clapped his hands, looked at Zhou Fuling who was staring in disbelief, and said, "What's the big deal?"
"You... you're being too arrogant. What if you can't keep your promise?" Zhou Fuling stared at Lu Ming with a strange expression. She had indeed asked Lu Ming to come and help her divert some of the fire, but she never expected that Lu Ming would be even more aggressive, killing the conversation in just a few words.
Now she doesn't have to worry about how to deal with these guys, but Lu Ming's arrogant attitude has offended them.
"If you can't do it, you can't do it. What do you mean, 'what to do'?" Lu Ming said, puzzled.
Zhou Fuling was speechless. "Wouldn't that be a little embarrassing?"
Lu Ming was utterly bewildered. Was it really so shameful to say a few boastful words? Was her ability to withstand criticism so low? Her mental fortitude was incredibly weak...
Although he thought this to himself, Lu Ming's face showed a heavy expression as he said, "Senior Sister, you've even mentioned repaying my kindness, so naturally, I, your junior brother, will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Seeing how serious he was, Zhou Fuling felt a little embarrassed and said, "It's not that serious, is it?"
"Sigh, never mind. Fortunately, supernatural combat is not allowed during the Spirit Pill Jiao. But I was worried that you were too confident, and they might deliberately come to your area to compete for it, delaying your collection of Pill Qi."
"But don't be afraid, I'll stop them."
"This isn't Spirit Fish Banquet. I'm the host, and I'll definitely protect you."
Lu Ming smiled nonchalantly, waved his hand, and walked back to the table at the Thunderfire Hall.
Zhou Fuling gazed at the young man's tall and upright figure, blinked her beautiful eyes, and realized that she had known him for some time and found him quite interesting.
Despite being only from the Third-Tier Divine Ability Hall, he didn't show the slightest inferiority complex when facing direct descendants of powerful families like Ye Ling and Yan Qing. No, not only when facing them, but even when facing her, this kid remained neither humble nor arrogant.
Before he began cultivating the supernatural powers of Dao of Alchemy, she was the one who taught him basic Dao of Alchemy knowledge such as identifying herbs and recognizing their medicinal properties every day. If he wanted to get closer to her, this would be a good opportunity. However, after each lesson, Lu Ming would not linger. He would politely thank her and leave immediately.
Even back then, if she hadn't forced him to say "senior sister" later, Lu Ming would never have taken the initiative to say it first.
In her perception, Lu Ming seemed to be maintaining a subtle distance. This wasn't a deliberate attempt to attract her attention, but rather a genuine sense of confidence and self-assurance that seemed to originate from somewhere deep within the young man.
This confidence made him indifferent to their so-called aristocratic family status.
That's very intriguing.
Zhou Fuling's beautiful eyes flickered slightly. She composed herself, turned around, and returned to Zhou Xuan's side, sitting down to wait quietly for the Spirit Pill Jiao to begin.
Seeing that it was almost time, Zhou Xuan stood up, his hearty laughter echoing in the courtyard.
"I've already discussed today's ' Spirit Pill Jiao ' with you all, so I won't waste any more time on it, therefore..."
"Let's get started."
As Zhou Xuan's voice rang out, all the Great Divine Ability Practitioner in the spacious courtyard were instantly invigorated, their eyes burning with fervor.
Even the Divine Ability Master among the various factions couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity in their eyes.
Spirit Pill Jiao —that's a rare thing in Qingyuan Market.
Under the watchful eyes of many, Zhou Xuan smiled calmly. He stretched out his palm, and a powerful aura of Clear Qi swept out, bringing with it a rich fragrance of elixirs. Within the Clear Qi, a point of light appeared and then swelled in the wind.
A pill furnace shaped like a lotus leaf appeared in mid-air.
The Clear Qi flowing around the alchemy furnace was rapidly expanding, and after a moment, it floated in mid-air like a magnificent alchemy tower.
The Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi seemed to be drawn in by some force, continuously flowing into it.
Inside the alchemy furnace, hundreds of pills could be vaguely seen floating and sinking in the Clear Qi, eventually transforming into a misty sea of clouds that flowed within the furnace.
Zhou Xuan formed a hand seal, and with a soft "poof," flames rose from beneath the lotus-leaf-shaped alchemy furnace. The flames slowly burned, as if melting the elixir within, and gradually, an extremely rich fragrance of elixir permeated the air, enveloping the entire ward.
An ordinary person takes a couple of puffs and immediately feels refreshed and invigorated.
The most intense reaction came from the Great Divine Ability Practitioner present, who were completely captivated by the fragrance of the pills. It was a familiar scent, the very same Dharma Pattern Pill they used in their daily cultivation.
Furthermore, due to the special effects of the Spirit Pill Jiao, the medicinal power is not only enhanced at this time, but also becomes more easily absorbed.
Zhou Xuan stopped and stood still, his voice echoing in the courtyard.
"However, I must warn you beforehand that the main ingredient in this Spirit Pill Jiao is the Dharma Pattern Pill. Therefore, the more Pill Qi you absorb, the weaker the effect of the Dharma Pattern Pill will be in the future, as you will develop drug resistance."
"This weakening effect will last for several months, after which it will gradually disappear."
"Furthermore, you cannot perform a second Spirit Pill Jiao within the next year; otherwise, impurities from the elixir will accumulate in your body, and any future elixirs will be less effective."
"Inside the alchemy furnace, the alchemical fire grows increasingly intense over time. Therefore, if you feel that your resistance has reached its limit, you should voluntarily leave the furnace to avoid damaging your foundation with the alchemical fire, which would be a greater loss than gain."
"Finally, supernatural combat is forbidden inside the alchemy furnace, otherwise the Pill Qi will easily be scattered. Anyone who violates this rule will be expelled."
" The Spirit Pill Jiao ceremony has begun. Esteemed talents, if you are ready, please enter the furnace to gather vital energy."