A female disciple bit her lip tightly, her fingers gripping the hilt of her sword. "My father used to work as a senior servant in the Alchemy Hall.""He said...""...the Ancestor Cauldron is dead. Like a lifeless stone.""There is no Spirit Flame inside it.""Not a single person can use it.""No matter how great that person's alchemy level is."That admission left the disciples stunned in extraordinary confusion. If so... what kind of natural law was currently in effect? How could Qin Zilong possibly make that inanimate object submit?At the exact same second... A heavy, rhythmic footstep was heard breaking the silence from behind the crowd.Tap... Tap... Tap...Without command, the crowd of disciples automatically shifted to open a path.Gu Jian stepped slowly into the training arena.His gaze was frozen cold. His face remained flat without expression. Yet, anyone in that sect knew... ever since his defeat at the hands of Qin Zilong some time ago, Gu Jian's pride and mood had never t

Inside the secret room of the Alchemy Hall, the raging Golden-Red Flame danced wildly yet under control within the belly of the Ancestral Cauldron. The sound of rumbling thunder occasionally echoed from behind the black metal walls, creating subtle vibrations propagating along the stone floor.Crack...A purple flash burned brightly amidst the flickering tongues of flame, then dimmed and was forged again repeatedly without stopping. Qin Zilong stood tall in front of the giant cauldron. His eyelids were tightly closed, while both hands were neatly folded behind his back. Without complex gestures, without a single incantation, the spiritual flame within the cauldron completely submitted and moved following every pulse of his will.Elder Gu Yan watched from a distance with bated breath, one of his brows deeply furrowed. "I honestly don't understand..."Elder Shen Luo nodded slowly, his pupils reflecting a reddish glow. "It has been almost half a day.""Yet he hasn't budged an inch," adde

Three days and three nights had passed since Qin Zilong shut himself away with the Ancestral Cauldron.The raging Golden-Red Flame that previously filled the belly of the Ancestral Cauldron gradually subsided, leaving a calm, warm circulation as if protecting something immensely precious at its core. The secret room plunged into total silence; not a single person dared to loosen their breath or even budge an inch.The Great Elder, Elder Gu Yan, Elder Shen Luo, Elder Bai He, Han Wei, and Lin Yue were frozen in their respective positions, their eyes locked tightly on the mouth of the cauldron.Ding...A heavy and crystal-clear metal chime echoed from inside the Ancestral Cauldron. The sound was not loud, but it was enough to make everyone's heartbeat in that room race instantly.Not long after, the tongues of the Spirit Flame split to both sides, clearing a path for an object floating gracefully in the center, a pill the size of a thumb.Its surface was clear and sparkling like golden c

The silence grew increasingly tense. Elder Shen Luo furrowed his brow deeply. "But... how is it possible that someone in the Initial Realm is able to control the Ancestral Cauldron? How is it possible to create a pill of that tier? This makes no sense."Qin Zilong raised his tea cup. "Cultivation realm... does not always determine everything."That answer made the Great Elder narrow his eyes. His memory drifted back to the first day they met.The purple Qi that made his soul tremble. The Spirit Flame that awakened from just a single touch. The Ancestral Cauldron that submitted without resistance. All those pieces finally merged into one single answer.The old man let out a long breath. "So that's how it is..."The other three elders turned, demanding an explanation. The Great Elder stared at Zilong with a gaze full of deep reverence. "What is extraordinary is not your cultivation realm. Rather, it is your foundation." He paused for a moment. "The strength of your soul... far exceeds t

Silence enveloped the gate area. Only after Qin Zilong's figure completely vanished from sight did Elder Gu Yan turn to the sect leader."Great Elder," Gu Yan asked curiously, "why didn't you tell him about the legend of the ancient artifact in the Spirit Mist Valley?"Elder Bai He chimed in with a similar facial expression. "Yes, I'm curious too. Why did we hide it?"The Great Elder looked far toward the misty mountains in the distance. "To what end?"The three elders exchanged glances.The Great Elder continued calmly, "For decades... not a single person in this sect has managed to find it. That forest has been explored countless times, combed inch by inch. Yet that artifact has never deigned to reveal itself."He smiled thinly. "If indeed that artifact truly exists there... and is destined to be bound by fate with Mr. Qin... then even without us telling him, sooner or later he will surely find it himself."Not a single person argued. In the cultivation world, high-tier artifacts in