Unrivaled Miracle Doctor: The God-Defying Demonic Consort

The next day, Han Caicai bid farewell and left.

Mu Qingge returned to her space, cleaned up, changed her clothes, and threw the clothes stained with the smell of alcohol into the space. She checked on Si Mo to make sure everything was fine, then left the space and headed to the Inner Courtyard.

The process of meeting with the Dean was surprisingly smooth.

Almost immediately after Mu Qingge stated her purpose, someone escorted her directly to the Dean’s residence.

"You’ve arrived, have a seat." The Dean of the Alchemy Institute sat cross-legged in his place, casually pointed to a nearby spot, and said to Mu Qingge.

In his room, there were no chairs, only squares of cushions laid on the ground for people to sit on.

Mu Qingge walked to the cushion he pointed at, bent her legs, and sat cross-legged as well. Adjusting the neckline of her clothes, she looked at the Dean, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

She had many things to ask but felt this wasn’t the time.

More than her own questions, she wanted to know what the Dean wanted to ask her.

"Earlier than I expected," the Dean said as soon as he began.

Mu Qingge raised an eyebrow, sarcastically thinking to herself: ’Is he complaining about me coming too early?’

"Your talent is astonishing. In just four months, you’ve comprehended twelve forms of the Alchemy Dao." The Dean said slowly, then suddenly stopped and laughed: "To be precise, you comprehended eleven forms in a single day. Such insight is truly unparalleled. Moreover, you comprehended your own path in just a month, and your Alchemy Dao traces back to the source of the Alchemy Dao."

Mu Qingge remained silent, she assumed the Dean would directly discuss the Heaven-Burning Furnace, but unexpectedly, he started with her Alchemy Dao.

The Dean of the Alchemy Institute sighed and remarked, "The Great Dao has many paths, but all ultimately converge. Who knows, within these myriad paths, there are distinctions of difficulty and strength. You have chosen the most challenging, yet the most powerful path!"

His words caused Mu Qingge’s eyes to narrow slightly.

It seemed she sensed the Dean was intentionally, but subtly, revealing something to her.

However, before she could comprehend it, the Dean continued, "From your Alchemy Dao, I can glimpse part of your future path. I must say, you are very courageous. The Reverse Destiny Path is not one that many dare to tread and persist with."

Mu Qingge remained silent.

The Reverse Destiny Path? It wasn’t that she chose this path, but it was the only one visible to her.

Not wanting to fail, she could only move forward against the wind, never stopping.

"Once, there was someone who chose the same challenging path as yours. But unfortunately..." The Dean’s expression suddenly turned melancholy.

"Unfortunately? Unfortunately what?" Mu Qingge narrowed her eyes.

The Reverse Destiny Path has never been one she walked alone. Over time, in the future, others would also choose this path like her. So, hearing the Dean’s words, she was intrigued, eager to learn from the experiences of those who came before.

"Unfortunately..." The Dean slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Unfortunately, he failed."

"Failed?" Mu Qingge felt a sense of disappointment; from the Dean’s tone, she could clearly feel that person was an incredibly powerful figure, admired by the Dean.

Yet, such a remarkable figure in the eyes of the Dean of the Alchemy Institute chose the Reverse Destiny Path and ultimately failed.

"Actually, I don’t know whether he is alive or dead now. But he probably perished, right? Otherwise, why would there be no news or appearances over the years?" The Dean said slowly.

The conversation between him and Mu Qingge felt more like a casual talk between friends, calm and easy.

Mu Qingge pursed her lips, not saying a word.

After a moment, the Dean refocused his gaze on her and said something that stunned her: "Do you know that the Heaven-Burning Furnace originally belonged to him?"

!

Mu Qingge’s eyes widened, looking at the Dean of the Alchemy Institute.

She carefully searched for flaws in his expression but eventually found it unlikely to be a lie.

The former owner of the Heaven-Burning Furnace chose the Reverse Destiny Path and was a formidable figure?

Suppressing her inner shock, she said to the Dean, "If that person is missing, why did his Alchemy Furnace end up outside?"

The story of how the Heaven-Burning Furnace ended up in her possession is quite bizarre.

Originally, the Heaven-Burning Furnace disguised itself and transformed into a shabby-looking alchemy furnace, mingling among the furnaces sent to the Outer Medicine Tower Branch.

Subsequently, she selected the Heaven-Burning Furnace from among many others.

No, it should be said the Heaven-Burning Furnace actively chose her. Since then, she wondered why it favored her. Was it not mere fortune but her path being similar to its former owner?

Later, upon visiting the Medicine Tower Headquarters and meeting Old Baili, she learned about the extraordinary nature of the Heaven-Burning Furnace. However, regarding its extraordinariness, the irresponsible old man left a single remark, advising her to ponder and explore on her own.

Now, the Dean of the Alchemy Institute tells her that the Heaven-Burning Furnace originally belonged to a reverse destiny power-holder!

"Where did you obtain the Heaven-Burning Furnace?" the Dean asked.

If you want to know the whole story, naturally you can’t hide anything. Mu Qingge thought for a moment and frankly said to the Dean, "I got it from the Yu Country Medicine Tower Branch in Linchuan Realm."

"Linchuan Realm!" The Dean exclaimed in surprise, suddenly showing an expression of realization, nodding, "I should have guessed."

"Guessed what?" Mu Qingge pursued.

The Dean smiled at her, saying, "I was thinking why would I clearly entrust someone to take the Heaven-Burning Furnace to Linchuan, far from the Middle Ages. Now, why would this Heaven-Burning Furnace show up in the hands of the top of the Green Talent List? So you weren’t from the Middle Ancient Realm, but came from Linchuan."

’The Heaven-Burning Furnace was actually sent to Linchuan by the Dean!’ Mu Qingge was shocked.

Yet, more shocking was what followed.

The Dean continued, "Back then, the Ancestors were overly longing for my Master, appearing haggard. To stop her from continuing this way, I pretended to suppress a highly talented Pill Master, expelled him from the Alchemy Institute, and secretly found him, requesting him to leave the Middle Ancient Realm with the Heaven-Burning Furnace."

Mu Qingge was stunned.

Could it be that the person Lian Qiao had been waiting for was the previous owner of the Heaven-Burning Furnace? And this owner was the Master of the Alchemy Institute’s Dean?!

However, there was something she didn’t understand.

"If the goal was just to inspire Lian Qiao, why not just hide the Heaven-Burning Furnace? Why take it to Linchuan?" Mu Qingge asked.

The corner of the Dean’s mouth twisted slightly, after a pause, he said, "Because if the Heaven-Burning Furnace and the Ancestors stayed together, it would strengthen the intuition. Without a new space to hide it, they would easily be discovered by those people."

Those people... who are they?

Mu Qingge vaguely felt there was more complexity in this.

According to the Dean’s words, Mu Qingge could almost confirm that the person he initially entrusted was Baili Teng, the Dean of the Medicine Tower. That old fellow, although there were reasons behind it, was expelled from the Alchemy Institute hence felt displeased, sending her to reclaim face.

Yet, if the Dean had initially entrusted him to take the Heaven-Burning Furnace away, why did he not seize it back when she later acquired it, instead intentionally or unintentionally reminding her of the uniqueness of the Heaven-Burning Furnace?

"The Heaven-Burning Furnace was hand-crafted by my Master. It is the supreme among all Alchemy Furnaces, and the treasure all Pill Masters dream of. Moreover, its use is not limited to this. It’s also my Master’s weapon at the time, hidden with a space inside, storing my Master’s accumulations over tens of thousands of years. Countless people desire to acquire it."

The Dean’s words shocked Mu Qingge.

So she had been guarding such a massive treasure without realizing it?

"But..." Mu Qingge wanted to ask why she hadn’t discovered these secrets.

The Dean continued, "There is a seal on the Heaven-Burning Furnace, left by the Master personally. Only the Ancestors can unlock it. Back then, to protect the Ancestors, the Master pursued the Path Against Heaven to become stronger, leaving the Ancestors and the Heaven-Burning Furnace under my care before leaving alone, never to be heard from again."

"..." Mu Qingge was astonished.

There were hidden parts in the Dean’s words. He did not say, indicating it was inconvenient to speak, so she didn’t press further.

"Unexpectedly, Yuan Hao took the Heaven-Burning Furnace away, yet it accidentally chose you as its master. The Heaven-Burning Furnace choosing a new master also means the severance of its thread with my Master," the Dean said.

"Yuan Hao? Who is that?" Mu Qingge did not know any Yuan Hao.

The Dean was startled, suddenly laughing, "Seems that cunning fellow changed his name. If he’s not called Yuan Hao now, he should have the surname Baili."

Baili, Baili Teng.

That matches.

Mu Qingge lightly nodded.

"Indeed, that fellow once said his mother’s clan’s surname was Baili, he preferred the name Baili," the Dean chuckled, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

Perhaps recalling the past times.

"You telling me all this, are you planning to reclaim the Heaven-Burning Furnace?" Mu Qingge asked with knitted brows.

The Dean shook his head, "No, I only wanted to tell you. Now that the Heaven-Burning Furnace is exposed, you’re safe in the Alchemy Institute, but once you leave, be mindful of your safety."

"Someone intends to seize the Heaven-Burning Furnace?" Mu Qingge’s heart skipped.

The Alchemy Institute’s Dean lightly smiled, sighing, "In this world, nothing confuses the heart or ignites desires more than greed. You carrying a supreme treasure is already a sin. Once greed arises, slaughter naturally follows."

Mu Qingge fell into silence; she had to admit the Dean’s words held wisdom.

But, who would act?

Pill Masters?

"Your future enemies are not Pill Masters," the Dean suddenly remarked, "Though Pill Masters go mad over the Heaven-Burning Furnace, all those capable of recognizing it are now bound within the Alchemy Institute, constrained by me, unable to harm you. Others who don’t know it naturally won’t trouble you. The ones you need to watch out for are different people."

"Different people?" Mu Qingge frowned, "Baili the old man once said, if the Heaven-Burning Furnace is exposed, I would be hunted by the entire Middle Ancient Realm’s Pill Masters."

The Alchemy Institute’s Dean was taken aback, bursting into laughter. "He was bluffing. That old sly fox, really thinks I’ve been idle all these years?" Saying this, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes, he said with a cold smile, "Most Pill Masters with ambitions towards the Heaven-Burning Furnace have been killed by me. The remaining ones are now under my control within the Alchemy Institute."