When Lu Ming said those words, Lu Qingyan naturally saw Xu Xiong and Zhao Changming not far away. He also understood Lu Ming's meaning: he wanted to stop the two from collecting the Pill Qi in order to vent his anger.
"If you decide, I'll follow and protect you, lest they become desperate and do something rash." Lu Qingyan smiled. He didn't stop him, because he also felt a bit angry and murderous towards the Golden Gang Sword Hall's actions.
Although Zhang Yue Peach Mountain Band, the Golden Gang Sword Hall was also an accomplice, and Lin Changkong's malice towards their Thunderfire Hall was almost undisguised.
In just a few short months, the relationship between the Thunderfire Hall and Golden Gang Sword Hall has deteriorated to a level far exceeding that of the Red Sand Hall has been a rival for many years.
After all, the competition between the Red Sand Hall and the Thunderfire Hall was mainly due to the fact that both halls were proficient in fire magic, which led to competition and grudges. However, Lin Changkong of the Golden Gang Sword Hall wanted to destroy their Thunderfire Hall and take the lives of their entire family to claim credit with the noble lady of the Great Golden Crow Hall.
This cannot be described as a simple enmity.
However, the Golden Gang Sword Hall was indeed stronger, so they could only endure it. But the current " Spirit Pill Jiao " was a special case. Supernatural combat was strictly prohibited here, and everyone could only rely on their own abilities to collect Pill Qi. But Lu Ming was a machine for harvesting Pill Qi.
Therefore, whenever he makes a move, he will disgust the other Qi gatherers quite a bit.
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's smile grew even brighter. He immediately activated the mist beneath his feet and swaggered towards the area where Xu Xiong and Zhao Changming were located.
When Xu Xiong and the other man saw him heading towards their Qi-gathering area, their expressions immediately turned icy, and killing intent flashed in their eyes.
"Get out of my way!" Xu Xiong shouted in a cold voice.
However, in response, thirteen beams of clear light suddenly shot over and landed in the alchemical mist surrounding them. The clear light swirled and, in just a short moment, absorbed thirteen Pill Qi.
"You little brat, how dare you!" Xu Xiong roared in fury. This kid actually dared to snatch their Pill Qi right in front of him?!
Over the years, it has always been the Golden Gang Sword Hall that bullies the Thunderfire Hall. When did a brat from the Thunderfire Hall dare to challenge him head-on?!
"What? You want to fight?"
Lu Ming sneered, toying with the Pill Qi in his hand before tossing them into the lotus leaf container, his face full of mockery and provocation.
"Brother Xiong, calm down. Using your supernatural powers here will get you expelled," the young man named Zhao Changming beside Xu Xiong reminded him.
Xu Xiong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a low voice, "Ignore him, quickly collect the Pill Qi."
Then they quickly took action, using their Primordial Qi to pull together a cloud of pill mist and began to rapidly refine it, condensing the Pill Qi hidden deep within.
However, as they completely refined the cloud of pill mist and extracted a Pill Qi from it, they were shocked to find that the surrounding pill mist had become much thinner.
Thirteen beams of clear light shuttled back and forth, sweeping away a great deal of Pill Qi right before the two of them's eyes.
"Let's go, let's go somewhere else!"
Xu Xiong trembled with rage, his eyes turning ferocious, but in the end he could only suppress his anger and abandon the area.
To their annoyance, Lu Ming didn't stop there. Instead, he stuck to them like glue, and wherever they went, his thirteen beams of clear light would rush over, taking the surrounding Pill Qi away before they could reach them.
After half an incense stick's time, Xu Xiong and Zhao Changming, working together, had only managed to collect less than ten Pill Qi.
Lu Ming alone, however, harvested over a hundred threads.
You want to die!
Once again, after being followed and harassed, Xu Xiong finally erupted in a furious roar.
Lu Qingyan stood in front of Lu Ming, his eyes fixed sharply on Xu Xiong, wary of a sudden attack.
But Xu Xiong, panting heavily, forced himself to endure it. He stared at the two men with a cold look in his eyes. At this moment, he understood that Lu Ming was taking this opportunity to retaliate.
"What a vindictive little brat."
Xu Xiong's face was grim. "Unfortunately, in the end, you are still inferior in strength. Even after being bullied like this by my Golden Gang Sword Hall, you only dare to vent your emotions with such childish tricks. A pathetic weakling."
Lu Qingyan's face darkened. He knew that the other party was alluding to the Golden Gang Sword Hall's repeated schemes against the Thunderfire Hall over the past few months.
"Don't be smug. These grudges will be settled one day," Lu Qingyan replied coldly.
Xu Xiong grinned, his smile full of contempt, "Trying to settle scores with this little brat's disgusting tricks? That's laughable."
However, Lu Ming never responded to Xu Xiong's taunts. Instead, he silently activated the thirteen beams of clear light to continuously absorb the Pill Qi contained in the pill mist surrounding Xu Xiong and Zhao Changming.
When Xu Xiong saw Lu Ming continuously taking away his Pill Qi, his eyes twitched involuntarily, and veins appeared on his forehead.
This little brat is really stubborn and won't listen to either soft or hard tactics.
"Brother Xiong, what should we do? With this kid sticking to us, we can't gather Qi at all." Seeing Lu Ming constantly taking away the Pill Qi, Zhao Changming became a little anxious. He had finally gotten this opportunity, hoping to use it to condense a Divine Ability Dharma Mark and save himself half a year of hard cultivation. But he didn't expect it to be ruined by this brat from the Thunderfire Hall.
If they were outside, Xu Xiong would have already made his move, taking the opportunity to severely injure Lu Ming and teach this arrogant brat a lesson. However, the Spirit Pill Jiao forbids supernatural combat, so he was helpless against Lu Ming's methods.
Frustrating!
"It's alright. The fire inside the alchemy furnace is rapidly intensifying, and the alchemical mist will be automatically refined by the heat of the fire. At that time, all the Pill Qi will be revealed without further refinement, and that will be the opportunity for a bountiful harvest. Although this little brat is relying on the advantage of the clear light, his own foundation is insufficient, and his Primordial Qi is weak. He will definitely not be able to withstand the scorching heat of the alchemical fire for long. Perhaps, he won't even last until then."
"Let this little brat jump around for now. This is all he can do to annoy us... Hmph, just wait and see, their Thunderfire Hall won't be smug for long."
Xu Xiong took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Changming wholeheartedly agreed, and the anxiety in his eyes gradually faded.
Therefore, for a period of time afterward, Xu Xiong and Zhao Changming stopped being in a hurry to refine the Pill Qi and instead coldly watched Lu Ming continuously harvest the Pill Qi.
" A-Ming, they're waiting for the alchemical fire to heat up, until you can't withstand the scorching heat anymore and you'll automatically be removed from the furnace." Lu Qingyan had been keeping a close eye on the two of them, and when he saw them suddenly quiet down, he quickly understood their plan.
"You're quite clever," Lu Ming said with a smile.
He originally wanted to provoke Xu Xiong and provoke him into making a move, but he didn't expect that this guy still had some brains and was able to hold back.
"The temperature of the alchemical fire is indeed getting higher and higher, and my Primordial Qi is being consumed faster. A-Ming, how much longer can you hold on?" Lu Qingyan felt the temperature inside the alchemical furnace gradually rising and couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Lu Ming felt alright. The Clear Qi from the " True Explanation of Six Refinements of Clear Qi " could alleviate some of the high temperature of the alchemical fire. However, he also understood that this was only an alleviation, not an elimination. As the temperature of the alchemical fire in the furnace increased, he would probably have to consume his Primordial Qi to resist it.
However, what Lu Ming was more concerned about at this moment was the increasingly thinning pill mist inside the pill furnace. This was because the pill mist was being refined by the pill fire, which caused the hidden Pill Qi within it to automatically emerge. As a result, the advantage of the Clear Qi would be weakened.
"I'm alright," Lu Ming said.
"Don't force yourself if you can't hold on, lest you damage your foundation with the pill fire. We've already collected quite a bit of Pill Qi."
Thanks to Lu Ming's earlier astonishing harvest, the dew formed from the Pill Qi in the lotus leaf containers held by Lu Ming and Lu Qingyan had accumulated to a depth of about one finger's width.
This is indeed a considerable gain.
"Yes, Father, don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Lu Ming replied with a smile.
As time passed, the temperature inside the alchemy furnace began to rise rapidly. The originally dense alchemical mist, which resembled a sea of clouds, became increasingly thin, and the surrounding scenery became clearer and clearer.
Wisps of pale white Pill Qi emanated from the elixir mist, swirling and shifting everywhere.
All those who practice Qi gathering use various methods to quickly gather Qi.
However, some practitioners began to experience their faces turning red and sweating profusely from the intense heat of the alchemical fire, with their protective Primordial Qi gradually weakening, indicating that they were approaching their limit.
As a large amount of Pill Qi surged forth at this moment, even though Lu Ming activated thirteen beams of pure light, he was momentarily flustered. In addition, as the temperature inside the elixir furnace continued to rise, the effect of the Clear Qi in relieving the heat unsurprisingly weakened.
Lu Ming's skin had begun to feel a burning sensation.
Fortunately, his physical body has been greatly strengthened due to the " Sun-Shining Golden Body," so he can continue to withstand the onslaught.
Lu Ming looked around. As the pill mist thinned, the figures of all the Qi gatherers were revealed, but many of them were covered in sweat from the scorching pill fire and looked rather disheveled.
The alchemical fire continues to heat up, and the Spirit Pill Jiao is drawing to a close. But this very period is the true harvest season.