Chapter 827 - 262: This Is the Heaven-Burning Furnace! (Second Update)
Lian Qiao slowly walked to the front of Mu Qingge, her big eyes no longer smiling as before, but instead carrying a hint of coldness.
However, Mu Qingge still saw a deeply hidden melancholy in her eyes.
"You’re leaving?" Lian Qiao spoke, her voice tinged with some coldness.
Mu Qingge raised an eyebrow. Although Lian Qiao was speaking to her, she heard something different in her words.
"They told me you won’t stay long at the Alchemy Institute, is that true?" Lian Qiao pressed further.
Mu Qingge sighed, looked at her, and said, "Indeed, I won’t stay here long. After this Alchemy Conference ends, I will leave."
"Then I..." Lian Qiao started to speak but then swallowed back her words.
The excitement in her eyes vanished into nothingness.
"I can’t make it difficult for him." Lian Qiao suddenly said. Who the "him" referred to in her words was unknown. She looked at Mu Qingge and said coldly, "Don’t die."
With that, she turned and left.
Don’t die?
Mu Qingge’s eyes showed confusion, not understanding Lian Qiao’s meaning.
What did she mean by not dying?
"Hey, wait, what do you mean?" Mu Qingge called out to Lian Qiao, who had walked to the door.
Lian Qiao stopped, turned her head to look at her, and sneered sarcastically, "You don’t look like a peaceful person. I’m just reminding you not to exhaust yourself to death. Also..."
She lowered her eyes and said with a dim expression, "You are very much like him, not in appearance, but in the feeling you give. So, before you leave, keep me company for a while."
Mu Qingge was stunned.
Lian Qiao didn’t give her a chance to refuse, glaring at her fiercely, "If you want to leave the Alchemy Institute smoothly, just do what I say!"
With that, she walked out decisively.
Mu Qingge blinked, finding Lian Qiao to be very complex.
She didn’t hate her, nor did she like her, but felt inexplicably that Lian Qiao left her with an indescribable impression.
Yao Xinghai once said that Lian Qiao was not human. Naturally, she couldn’t guess her behavior based on human nature, and her entanglement with her was just because of a certain vague resemblance.
Raising an eyebrow, Mu Qingge put this matter aside and didn’t dwell on it anymore.
Outside, the sound of the bronze bell rang out.
This was the prompt that the Alchemy Conference was about to begin.
The Alchemy Conference was essentially a gathering for all Pill Masters in the Middle Ancient Realm, regarded as a coveted honor among Pill Masters. Standing out in the Alchemy Conference was a tremendously impressive achievement.
Therefore, the Alchemy Conference never offered any rewards, as the ranking itself represented an honor beyond material possessions.
The Pill Masters participating in the Alchemy Conference were there to compete for rankings.
Hearing the sound of the bronze bell, Mu Qingge brushed her robe lightly and walked out with large strides.
She headed toward the competition venue, encountering many Pill Masters on the way.
However, those Pill Masters, upon seeing her, showed an uncertain expression and quickened their pace.
"Feels like I’ve become a ferocious beast," Mu Qingge muttered.
When she arrived at the competition site, she saw circular stands, and on the stands sat people from various tribes neatly and properly, which made her realize how grand the Alchemy Conference was in the Middle Ancient Realm.
Especially when she saw the people from the Divine Hall seated at the central stand.
"Grandfather, the boss is out!" Mu Xuewu spotted Mu Qingge at a glance and excitedly said to King Sang Shun.
King Sang Shun squinted his eyes with a smile, his deep, sharp eyes rarely showing a hint of affection.
The appearance of Mu Qingge naturally excited those related to her. Among them were Mu Feng and Mu Chen. Han Caicai also, but unlike before, he didn’t pester Mu Qingge, instead hiding his complex feelings towards her deep in his heart.
"Qingge!" A shout caught Mu Qingge’s attention.
She looked over and saw Ji Yaohua standing on the stand, vigorously waving her hands.
With a faint smile, she withdrew her gaze.
Because she noticed Yao Xinghai had somehow appeared nearby.
"The Alchemy Conference doesn’t have too many rules, just pick any spot you like," Yao Xinghai reminded her as he looked her way.
Mu Qingge raised a brow. She indeed felt the casualness of the Alchemy Conference now. This casualness seemed incompatible with its fame.
Mu Qingge thought for a moment and then stood at a spot opposite to where Yao Xinghai chose.
The spots they picked were coincidentally right at the center of the competition field.
As soon as the two of them appeared, they were immediately shown in the Mystic Light Mirror, causing a stir both inside and outside the venue, and even within the Alchemy Institute.
Outside the Alchemy Institute, in the large Mystic Light Mirror suspended in the air, the images of Mu Qingge and Yao Xinghai appeared, and the crowded street below instantly became excited.
"Wow! It’s the Yao Family’s Young Master Yao, I heard he’s been the number one at the Alchemy Institute in recent years!"
"Young Master Yao is so handsome!" an infatuated girl exclaimed.
"Yao Young Master’s alchemy talent is unmatched!" Another girl echoed admiringly.
Among them, a man sneered and said, "Are you out of the loop? Don’t you know that not long ago, City Lord Mu already broke Yao Young Master’s record? In the Alchemy Dao of the Alchemy Institute, he comprehended everything in just four months."
"Yes, yes, I heard that too. I also heard that Yao Young Master was present at the time and was utterly dumbfounded." Another man interjected.
Someone didn’t believe it, "No way! Did he really scare Yao Young Master senseless?"
"Wow, City Lord Mu is so handsome! I’ve never seen such a dashing gentleman," the girl who was earlier infatuated with Yao Xinghai immediately cupped her cheeks with her hands and showed a look of infatuation when Mu Qingge’s image clearly appeared in the Mystic Light Mirror.
"We’re all focused on their strength, why are you looking at their appearance?" The man said discontentedly.
The companions with the girl immediately retorted, "You men focus on their strength, we women pay attention to their looks, isn’t that perfectly normal?"
With that, she also jumped up excitedly with her companion, repeatedly saying, "Ah! So handsome, so handsome! If he looked at me once, I would die happily."
The attitude of the two women made the man scornfully say, "Didn’t you say before that Yao Young Master was handsome?"
The girl glanced at him with disdain and said, "Yao Young Master is fine, but City Lord Mu’s appearance is simply too enthralling. When he appears, he outshines everything else."
"Infatuated fool!" The man mumbled under his breath.
Such discussions, such topics, pervaded the streets and alleyways.
And in the Alchemy Institute, the dean with the Pill Masters sat cross-legged in the hall, also watching the small Mystic Light Mirror floating in the center.
Upon seeing Mu Qingge and Yao Xinghai, a Pill Master said, "We all know Xinghai’s talent well. He was originally expected to win without any issue, but who knew, Mu Qingge would suddenly appear halfway."
"Elder Gan, do you really hold Mu Qingge in such high regard?" Someone questioned.
Elder Gan said, "Mu Qingge was able to comprehend twelve paths of the Alchemy Dao in four months, smoothly passed such a stringent assessment, and possesses a Perfect Realm. Tell me, is he not worth my regard?"
His words made the Pill Masters fall into contemplation.
Elder Gan then glanced at the dean sitting at the highest place and apologized, "Dean, I..."
Before he could finish, the dean of the Alchemy Institute waved to interrupt him, "No need to be cautious just because Xinghai is my disciple. To have an opponent in life is a blessing. Xinghai’s Alchemy Dao still requires refinement."
This sentence revealed a piece of information.
Elder Gan asked in surprise, "Has Xinghai already realized his own Alchemy Dao?"
This question shocked the other Pill Masters.
How many people here have practiced alchemy their whole lives and still haven’t realized their own Alchemy Dao, yet Yao Xinghai has?
The dean of the Alchemy Institute just nodded slowly.
This gesture, however, excited everyone present. Because the upcoming competition was really too full of anticipation.
A small figure, hands clasped behind her back, walked into the hall.
Upon her appearance, everyone in the hall, including the dean, stood up and respectfully saluted.
"Ancestor!"
Lian Qiao, with a stern expression, directly sat next to the dean of the Alchemy Institute, her gaze fixed on the Mystic Light Mirror, and said to the others, "Be seated."
With her permission, the Pill Masters in the hall each took their seats.
The dean of the Alchemy Institute, sitting beside Lian Qiao, wanted to ask a question but was refused by her.
She was here just to watch Mu Qingge.
...
On the field, Mu Qingge surveyed the surroundings with amusement and said, "Isn’t it time?" But the area that could accommodate over a thousand participants now had less than a third of the people present.
Yao Xinghai smiled and said, "They all withdrew from the competition."
Mu Qingge raised an eyebrow, recalling the earlier conversation among the Pill Masters. Little did he expect that so many people would withdraw, what was supposed to be a grand scene now appeared somewhat desolate.
This scene naturally also caught the attention of the ten thousand spectators in the stands.
Someone quickly approached the Divine Envoy and whispered in his ear, then quietly withdrew.
The Divine Envoy, under the gazes of several families, smiled arrogantly and said, "Many are quite interested in Yao Young Master and City Lord Mu’s Dan Fighting, so they chose to withdraw."
This answer left many speechless, but they could only accept it.
DONG——!
DONG DONG——!
The Alchemy Conference commenced.
Yao Xinghai collected his thoughts, raised his hand with a wave, and the Alchemy Furnace he used appeared in front of him.
Mu Qingge also waved his hand, and the Heaven-Burning Furnace fell heavily to the ground, making a dull thud.
Its dark red, blood-like, terrifying and domineering appearance attracted many glances.
Yet, at this moment, outside the Mystic Light Mirror, Lian Qiao’s eyes narrowed, and the dean of the Alchemy Institute, along with other Pill Masters, all exclaimed in unison, "Heaven-Burning Furnace!"
At the same time, the Divine Envoy sitting in the stands on-site also narrowed his eyes and murmured softly, "Heaven-Burning Furnace."