The furnace was getting increasingly hot.
The cinnabar mist grew increasingly thin, and more and more Pill Qi surged forth like a tide, filling the sky.
Everyone is doing everything they can to capture the Pill Qi.
However, as the fire in the alchemy grew stronger, every extra second it lingered was excruciatingly painful.
Lu Ming's skin also began to turn red, sweat trickled down his face, and the thirteen beams of clear light dancing around him became somewhat sluggish, not as lively as they had been at the beginning.
Seeing this, Xu Xiong, who was not far away, sneered, "Little brat, let's see how smug you are now."
Xu Xiong's twenty-two Divine Ability Dharma Mark were the most profound among all Qi gatherers, so he was the one who could withstand the most pressure due to his abundant Primordial Qi. However, the one who was the most relaxed was not him, but Zhou Fuling.
Her condensed Divine Ability Dharma Mark were probably not Xu Xiong's, but they wouldn't be much weaker. Moreover, her " True Explanation of Six Refinements of Clear Qi " realm was higher than Lu Ming's, with a full twenty strands of Clear Qi dancing around her body, which could greatly alleviate the burning sensation caused by the pill fire.
At this moment, Zhou Fuling surveyed the entire scene, then her gaze lingered on Lu Ming for a moment. She could see his flushed skin and the sweat beginning to trickle down his forehead.
With Lu Ming's Primordial Qi foundation, even with thirteen strands of Clear Qi protecting him, he was clearly nearing his limit.
Then she slightly curled her red lips.
Silly junior brother, watch carefully, your senior sister will only teach you once.
The next moment, she formed a hand seal with her slender hands, and twenty streams of Clear Qi rushed in, condensing into a jade-green alchemy furnace. She then leaped into the furnace.
The alchemy furnace vibrated, instantly isolating most of the burning alchemical fire. Furthermore, the furnace released a violent suction force, drawing the surrounding Pill Qi into the furnace at an astonishing speed.
Her move stunned the other Qi gatherers.
Lu Ming's eyes gleamed with surprise. So this was how one could do it during Spirit Pill Jiao?!
Senior sister is amazing!
Lu Ming was overjoyed and praised Zhou Fuling. Then he activated the " True Explanation of Six Refinements of Clear Qi ". The next moment, the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace appeared and he directly disappeared into the pill furnace.
As soon as Lu Ming entered the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace, he felt as if the whole world had become cooler, as the scorching heat from the pill fire was completely isolated by the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace.
"It works so well?!"
Lu Ming was somewhat shocked. The temperature of the alchemical fire inside Zhou Xuan's alchemy furnace couldn't penetrate the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace at all?
Is this true for all alchemists, or is it a unique ability of the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace?
Lu Ming looked through the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace towards Zhou Fuling and discovered that although she was inside his pill furnace, she was still surrounded by protective Primordial Qi, which was due to the heat of the pill fire penetrating into her.
Clearly, Zhou Fuling's alchemy furnace could isolate most of the erosion from the alchemical fire, but not all of it.
But his Fire Lotus Pill Furnace can do that.
Lu Ming was stunned for a few breaths, then calmly accepted the result. The Fire Lotus Pill Furnace was formed by reflecting the mysterious Fire Lotus Mark within his body. Given its mysterious and unpredictable abilities, this effect was quite logical.
Compared to the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace's ability to automatically fuse medicinal power, isolating the heat of the alchemical fire is a minor matter.
"What are the effects of absorbing the Pill Qi?"
Lu Ming's heart stirred, and he activated the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace to absorb the Pill Qi.
The next moment, he was shocked.
The Fire Lotus Pill Furnace slowly began to turn, and its mouth seemed to transform into a black hole. All the Pill Qi passing by within a radius of several dozen feet was instantly captured, utterly powerless to resist, and swallowed into the furnace. Then, Lu Ming collected it into the lotus leaf container in his hand.
His commotion startled not only himself, but also left everyone else speechless.
Xu Xiong's face turned ashen.
Yan Qing, Yan Zhizhi, Ye Ling, and the others had their expressions change. At this point, they understood that the main characters of this Spirit Pill Jiao were clearly Zhou Fuling and Lu Ming, because they had cultivated Zhou Xuan's Dao of Alchemy skills.
Therefore, they had a significant advantage in the " Spirit Pill Jiao " initiated by Zhou Xuan.
They were just there for the ride.
But even if they knew, what could they do? The Spirit Pill Jiao was initiated by Zhou Xuan at great cost, and their respective forces hadn't contributed anything. It was already considered generous of others to let them come and get a share.
"Huh?"
While they were feeling down, Zhou Fuling, who was hiding in the emerald green alchemy furnace, looked at Lu Ming with some surprise. It seemed that the latter's alchemy furnace was absorbing Pill Qi even faster than hers!
"What's going on? This kid has only cultivated thirteen strands of Clear Qi."
Zhou Fuling was a little confused, and at the same time, she was both annoyed and amused. It was truly a case of teaching her junior brother while starving her senior sister.
Time continued to pass, and the Spirit Pill Jiao had completely entered its final stage. The pervasive alchemical mist had completely disappeared, and countless Pill Qi surged forth, but the temperature of the alchemical fire had also risen to a level that many people could not bear.
In the end, the Qi gatherers who had reached their limits could only watch enviously as the thick Pill Qi gathered, and with a strong sense of regret, they were forced to withdraw from this Spirit Pill Jiao.
Yan Qing, Yan Zhizhi, Ye Ling, Li Shuang, and others, though unwilling, could only leave one after another.
" A-Ming, I can't hold on any longer either. You should do what you can. If you feel something is wrong..." Lu Qingyan had also reached his limit. He looked at Lu Ming hiding in the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace, and was about to remind him, but he found that Lu Ming seemed to be very relaxed. So he could only stop talking with a strange expression.
That kid... he's a monster.
Lu Qingyan muttered to himself, then left the Spirit Pill Jiao with satisfaction. After all, with Lu Ming's assistance, he had collected a considerable amount of Pill Qi.
As more and more Qi gatherers left, soon only Lu Ming, Zhou Fuling, and Xu Xiong, who was still struggling to stay afloat with his twenty-two strands of Primordial Qi, remained in the Spirit Pill Jiao.
"Want to hold out until the very end and take that last bite? Dream on!"
"I'll make you eat a big chunk of meat!"
Lu Ming looked at Xu Xiong, who was struggling to hold on, and let out a cold laugh.
Then he directly activated the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace and flew out, approaching Xu Xiong's location. He pushed the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace to its limit, unleashing a frenzied suction force that devoured the Pill Qi from Xu Xiong's location.
"You!" Xu Xiong roared in fury. He had finally made it to the final harvest season, and this brat had to come and cause trouble again!
However, just as his anger was rising, Zhou Fuling also cheerfully activated the emerald furnace, moving to his other side and cooperating with Lu Ming to launch a pincer attack.
Zhou Fuling and Xu Xiong had no personal grudges, but she was happy to play along with Lu Ming. After all, he was her junior brother, and they needed to stand together against outsiders. As for whether she would offend the Golden Gang Sword Hall... a Third-Tier Divine Ability Hall was not qualified to talk about offending them.
The two alchemy furnaces then shook, completely absorbing all the Pill Qi from the area.
Xu Xiong flew into a rage, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Those two little brats are really bullying us!
Lu Ming couldn't help but burst into laughter, hiding inside the Fire Lotus Pill Furnace, and gave Zhou Fuling a thumbs up.
Senior sister, well done!
Under the combined attack of Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling, Xu Xiong struggled to endure the scorching heat of the pill fire, but the Pill Qi he gained was meager. This infuriated him, and his face gradually became ferocious.
"Fine, so you're teaming up against us? If you don't want to properly collect the Pill Qi, then nobody can!"
Xu Xiong roared angrily, and his inner Primordial Qi suddenly exploded. He was trying to forcefully disperse the Pill Qi in this area, making it impossible for Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling to collect it.
However, before his Primordial Qi could fully erupt, the cauldron suddenly unleashed an irresistible and tyrannical force. Under this force, even Xu Xiong, Great Divine Ability Practitioner who had condensed twenty-two Divine Ability Dharma Mark, felt dizzy and was thrown directly out of the cauldron.
"Within the Spirit Pill Jiao, supernatural combat is strictly prohibited; violators will be expelled."
As Xu Xiong was thrown out, Zhou Xuan's calm voice echoed.
Seeing Xu Xiong being driven out, Lu Ming couldn't help but chuckle with satisfaction. This guy was probably going to be so angry that he'd suffer internal injuries.
However, with Xu Xiong expelled, only Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling remained in the Spirit Pill Jiao, still sustaining the flames.
"Junior brother, now it's just the two of us left here." Zhou Fuling, hiding in the small green elixir furnace, looked at Lu Ming with a smile in her beautiful eyes.
"I understand. Then I won't steal the spotlight from my senior sister. I'll just withdraw and admit defeat." Lu Ming replied with a smile. Zhou Fuling helped him drive away Xu Xiong and gave him a good time, so he should naturally return the favor by letting Zhou Fuling enjoy the last of the Pill Qi, since he had almost finished consuming it himself.
"Tch, do I need you to give in?"
However, upon hearing this, Zhou Fuling curled her red lips in displeasure.
"Then what do you want?" Lu Ming asked.
"I will naturally win fair and square; I don't need you to yield," Zhou Fuling said proudly.
"Junior brother, if you can stay until the end in this Spirit Pill Jiao, I will... I will grant you one wish!"
Lu Ming was taken aback. His gaze swept over Zhou Fuling's graceful figure inside the small green elixir furnace, and his eyes immediately sparkled.
"Anything? Really?"
Zhou Fuling hummed softly, her words resounding with confidence and pride.
"Really!"