"Thud! Thud!" He knocked twice on the door, then activated the Star-Transcend technique to enter the study. By instinct, Zhang Yuanqing turned toward the end of the red carpet, only to find the large desk empty. He then turned to the guest area on the left, where Fu Qingyang, dressed in white, was enjoying a drink with his mentor, Ling Jun. Fu Qingyang handled the wine, while Ling Jun took charge of the conversation. As the stars rose, both of them turned to face him simultaneously. "Oh! Yuan-Shi has returned," Ling Jun said with a cheerful smile. "Your girlfriend just came by—she claims she's suffered a sudden loss of mind and has broken off the relationship with you. Now she's regretting it deeply. You'd better go and console her right away." As he spoke, Ling Jun subtly waggled his eyebrows and gave Zhang Yuanqing a warm, suggestive smile, making sure Fu Qingyang couldn't see his face. The student's subtle gestures could not escape the keen eye of the master of romance. It seems my strategy is working... Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of confidence. Ling Jun's playful smile gave him a powerful sense of assurance. If this plan fails, Lingjun will sigh and offer a gentle reminder: "Look at the mess you've made! Fu Qingyang entrusted his cousin to you, and this is how you've treated her?" This is the unspoken understanding between master and disciple. Fu Qingyang sets down his wine glass and says calmly, "Lingjun, please step outside. I have something to discuss with Yuan Shi." You're done... Lingjun gives a shoulder shrug to his devoted student, indicating he can do nothing. Though the plan is well-intentioned, the family influence of Guan Ya is formidable. Zhang Yuanqing watches his mentor depart, takes over Lingjun's position, and picks up the platter overflowing with slices of ham, devours it with gusto. Fu Qingyang patiently waits until the entire platter is cleared before asking, "What's there in Gao Tianyuan?" Zhang Yuanqing shares all the findings from the tree hollow with him openly. Time and again, experience has shown that in this world of cold indifference where even a simple bedsheet can't be offered, girlfriends may not be trusted—but the head of the household is absolutely reliable. "The Immortal Beast Pot..." Hearing the description of the Immortal Beast Pot from the Master of Zhishā Palace, even the usually composed and steady Qian Gong, who had always maintained calm composure, could no longer remain serene. He had imagined the treasures left by the Nü Huang to be of immense value, but he hadn't expected them to be so precious—something symbolizing the ultimate power of a profession. Should this news spread, no matter how vast the world, the Master of Zhishā Palace would have no place to stand; she would be pursued and hunted by all the spiritual realm travelers. "Is that all they're giving her?" Fu Qingyang frowned. "Think of it as an investment," Zhang Yuanqing said, with his own clear philosophy, offering reassurance. "The Master and I are close friends. Investing in her is more reliable than investing in any other musician." "Then you're not losing out at all," Fu Qingyang replied, his brows relaxing. "You should have asked for more—perhaps even the ability to control the Master of Zhishā Palace, to take what you wanted whenever you pleased. If only I had known that, I should have gone with you." He regretted it now—had he accompanied Yuan Shi to the High Heaven Plain, the Immortal Pot wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of the Palace Master. To be taken at will, indeed, that was quite an expectation. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: I specifically kept you from going to prevent exactly this situation. Imagine, if a conflict arose between Fu Qingyang and the Palace Master at the High Heaven Plain—one side being the deeply devoted cousin-in-law, the other the deeply devoted lifelong friend. He’d truly be at a loss as to whom to support. At best, he’d just stand there shouting, “Stop! Don’t fight anymore!” Upon hearing this, the usually composed face of the money prince flickered with a clear question mark. Uncertain, he asked, "So you mean everything is now in the hands of the Master of the Halt-Killing Palace, and you've received nothing at all? You went to the High Heaven Plain and came back empty-handed?" "Having said that, he saw Yuan Shi withdraw the little red hat, gently shaking his hand, and several heavy bronze plates fell, landing with a heavy thud on the carpet, making a deep, resonant sound. Zhang Yuanqing arranged the plates and said, 'Big brother, this is quite interesting—definitely something you'll enjoy.' Yuan Shi's expression was almost that of presenting a precious treasure; he had clearly expected me to be amazed, perhaps even overwhelmed—though it was rather amusing. Fu Qingyang suppressed his less-than-ideal mood, pushed back from the table, and walked over to the bronze plates. He knew Yuan Shi wasn't being arbitrary, so he calmly restrained his emotions while focusing intently on the carvings. Yet even after studying the details, he could not help but have his pupils contract, his composed demeanor transformed into profound astonishment. This level of shock, this intense emotional response, was exceptionally rare in Qian Gongyang—indeed, surpassing even his reaction upon hearing about the Immortal Pot of Spirit and Beast. 'What do you think, big brother?' Zhang Yuanqing smiled, clearly pleased with Fu Qingyang's response." …Fu Qingyang took a deep breath and remained silent, still digesting the information on the bronze tablet. Zhang Yuanqing stayed quiet, then after several minutes, couldn’t hold back and spoke: “Boss, you’re a scout—what can you deduce?” He began by sharing his own understanding, as well as that of the Master of Zhishika. Fu Qingyang responded sharply: “What about the experimenters? How do you know these meteorites weren’t deliberately dispatched by the Spiritual Realm? Instead of postulating an unverifiable experimenters, doesn’t it make more logical sense that the Spiritual Realm itself sent them? How do you know these meteorites mark our origin? Could it be that the carvings merely record a single instance of the Spiritual Realm creating a person with extraordinary abilities—just like how, in the early years of the Republic of China, the Spiritual Realm first produced the initial spiritual practitioners?” Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing also furrowed his brows. Indeed, there was no evidence proving the meteorites were the origin of the extraordinary abilities; they might simply have been part of a specific process through which the Spiritual Realm cultivated such individuals. The scout’s reasoning was truly strong. Fu Qingyang continued: "These engraved meteorites indeed show strong human intervention, but the human traces in the Lingjing are even more pronounced—nothing surprising about that. What strikes me more is the significance of the Huangwa Empress herself, compared to the meteorites." He spoke softly, "The Huangwa Empress is special—she differs from other ancient peoples who gained extraordinary abilities." "You also find her special, I see. Please elaborate." Before the scouts, Zhang Yuanqing temporarily set aside his thoughts and simply asked when he didn't understand. After a moment's reflection, Fu Qingyang said slowly, "She is overwhelmingly powerful—unparalleled in strength. She is the mythical mother of the human race, wielding the ultimate powers of the Scholar and the Musician professions. She may very well be a being who transcends the status of a half-god. That is why she can calm the disasters." It felt like plain old common sense... Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself. Isn't the Huangwa Empress's strength evident? If she weren't powerful, how could she have 'mended the sky with stones'? How could she have forged the bronze divine tree to provide a home for the Golden Bird? If he were powerful and exceptional, he would have noticed by now. Fu Qingyang glanced at him and said in a steady tone, "Whether it's ancient cultivators or modern spiritual realm travelers, no one has ever reached the rank of full god or above—this is the fundamental issue." Zhang Yuanqing felt a thunderous surge in his mind, and a multitude of information suddenly clicked into place. "Hua Huang is an uncontrolled experiment—she surpassed the half-god stage and became an entity beyond the reach of the spiritual realm, even posing a threat to it. Indeed, I've heard that the existence of character cards is part of the spiritual realm's self-defense mechanism..." "Given the precedent set by Hua Huang, the spiritual realm has deliberately limited the growth of its travelers, thus no one since Hua Huang has ever surpassed the half-god stage?" "Back then, when Hua Huang 'mended the sky,' she inflicted unimaginable damage on the spiritual realm, causing it to remain dormant until the modern era?" Zhang Yuanqing now felt he was close to the truth. He voiced his thoughts aloud. "If this were a story, it would be quite compelling, but reality isn't a story." Fu Qingyang coldly countered: "If the great cataclysms of ancient times were orchestrated by the Spiritual Realm, why, in more recent times, has the Spiritual Realm begun to uphold order? Even setting aside other details, this very inconsistency alone proves that the situation is far more complex than we imagined." Indeed, the Spiritual Realm is pushing the Wayfarers to grow, even going so far as to hasten their development, yet the existence of Character Cards is itself a self-protective mechanism of the Realm, limiting the Wayfarers from surpassing the status of half-gods—this too is a contradiction. Zhang Yuan chuckled with a touch of weariness: "I've simply been thinking too simply." The two remained silent, each lost in quiet contemplation. After a long while, Fu Qingyang said, "Forget all of that above. Knowing too many secrets that don't align with one's own level only disturbs the minds of the strong. When faced with such questions, thinking proves futile. It is only strength and rank that serve as the true keys to unlocking the mysteries—people must live in the present." "Well, that's all we can do..." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, setting aside these distant concerns, and thinking of his mixed-race girlfriend weeping beside him, he found Fu Qingyang's words convincing. "People have to live in the present." "Big brother, I'll go check on Guan Ya." Mimicking the president, he gave a graceful, crisp snap of his fingers and vanished into starlight. Hm, I advise you not to use it—this cauldron was used by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Xia Hou Ao Tian was both surprised and not surprised. "Was it an object of ritual significance to Emperor Qin?" "It had briefly been in the hands of Emperor Qin Shi Huang..." The Qin court scholar drifted into memory: "After unifying the six states, Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent armies southward to conquer the Baiyue, advancing all the way to the South Sea. At that time, there lived a people known as the Jiaorun in the South Sea, who heard of Emperor Qin's might and dispatched envoys to land, bringing with them beautiful women and precious jewels from their clan, and informing Emperor Qin that deep within the South Sea's abyss lay an ancient sacred artifact known as the 'Heaven and Earth Melting Cauldron.' "Xia Hou Ao Tian suddenly realized, recalling the item description of the repeatedly refined cauldron—having been submerged by a disaster and only later...recovered. It was Emperor Qin Shi Huang who had been the one to be lost. "Then, surely, I should use it," Xia Hou Ao Tian said. "I haven't finished yet." The "Qin court magicians" sighed: "When the sacred artifact was first recovered, an odd incident occurred. Emperor Qin learned of it and ordered Xu Fu to organize nearly a hundred extraordinary individuals and talents, working alongside the Jiārén people to retrieve the artifact. Yet, just seven days after they entered the sea, a great calamity struck—the South Sea surged with a massive tsunami, sweeping the magicians and talents, along with the Jiārén, into the shallows. They were transformed into beings with human bodies and serpent tails. In a frenzy, they screamed, shouting—'Hua Huang has harmed us!'—then babbling in incomprehensible tongues before dying suddenly. "What happened afterward?" Xiahou Aotian expressed keen interest. "Emperor Qin, of course, would not abandon the artifact. He bestowed upon Xu Fu the ceremonial robe for the heavenly sacrifices. Xu Fu then personally led the team back to sea, spending several days, and eventually returned with the Hundred-Refined Furnace. "Only Xu Fu returned. The others who had assisted in the recovery never came back again. Xu Fu never revealed the conditions beneath the sea, the depths of the extreme abyss, to the public. He only held private "Regarding the divine artifact, Xu Fu explained that the celestial and terrestrial furnace was sealing the sea eye, preventing it from being extracted—only a portion could be taken, thus forming this hundred-refined furnace." "But this matter has not yet concluded. The Emperor, upon receiving the artifact, intended to use the hundred-refined furnace to train his troops and consolidate his realm. Unusually, the weapons forged within the furnace carried a terrifying magical essence." "Each bearer grew mad, attacking people indiscriminately and shouting, 'Clear the remnants of the Nüwa dynasty,' causing significant turmoil in Xianyang. Meanwhile, the South Sea experienced recurring tsunamis, and in the Baiyue territories, military conflicts led to widespread deaths and constant uprisings." "Unable to resolve the crisis, the First Emperor dispatched Xu Fu once more to the South Sea, to return the hundred-refined furnace to the Ji Yu deep abyss." The ring elder sighed, "Now think about the function of the Taotie training furnace, and compare it with the item details of the hundred-refined furnace—don't you find something familiar?" Xia Hou Ao Tian recalled carefully, "Indeed, there is a strong resemblance." "The Taotie Training Furnace is merely a replica of the Hundred-Refined Furnace, crafted later by Emperor Qin's emissaries. Regrettably, it remains only a replica and falls far short of the true furnace." The Qin court alchemist sighed. Originally, there had been such a matter back then... Xiaohou Aotian listened intently. "It's not a serious issue—currently, the Spirit Realm has fully absorbed it, so the incident from that time will never recur. Otherwise, even the first death in the third month would have occurred." Upon hearing this, Lian San-yue narrowed her eyes. The proud protagonist paid no attention to the expression of the person involved and continued communicating with the ancient soul within the ring. "Why was Xu Fu unharmed?" The elder in the ring replied, "As I mentioned earlier, Emperor Qin bestowed upon Xu Fu the ceremonial robe for the heavenly sacrifice. Protected by this robe, Xu Fu naturally remained safe." "The ceremonial robe for the heavenly sacrifice?" Xiaohou Aotian expressed his bewilderment. "Ah, this item is even more peculiar than the Hundred-Refined Furnace..." The elder sighed, "Over two thousand years of passing time, it's all Xiaohou Aotian sensed that the old man seemed rather reluctant to speak about the ritual robe for heaven's sacrifice, clearly unwilling to elaborate. At that moment, Lian San Yue impatiently remarked, "Have you finally finished talking to the grumpy spirit trapped in the ring? So, are we going to ignite the furnace or not?" "Why not?" Xiaohou Aotian replied. "What's the fee?" Lian San Yue spread her palm out. "The furnace usage is free, but to activate it, you need to purchase a fire stone—each one costs fifty thousand." She then explained the mechanism and costs associated with sealing the furnace. "Do I need to seal the furnace?" Xiaohou Aotian scoffed. "Didn't you know the main character comes with a lucky aura by default?" Don't think that just wearing a Ka-Karot face will make you say such obvious things. Is he pretending? Well, he's doing a pretty good job at it. Lian San Yue tossed the fire stone over. Xiaohou Aotian caught it, opened the lid, first added the materials, then dropped in the fire stone, pressed his palm against the furnace, and silently rec The hundred-refining furnace began to vibrate hummingly, its lid vents releasing a dense stream of purple vapor. Soon, the vapor dispersed and the furnace settled into stillness. Xue Hou Ao Tian rushed over eagerly, pressing his palm against the furnace to check the accumulated energy level: ——2%. "???" A string of question marks flashed through his mind. "I just dropped in materials of sage-tier quality. Isn't that what you promised?" He looked茫然ly at Lian San Yue. "Didn't you just trick me?" "That's how the hundred-refining furnace works," Lian San Yue shrugged. "Higher quality doesn't always mean greater energy accumulation—sometimes it's just a matter of luck." "Will you come back?" "No more this time," Xue Hou Ao Tian shook his head, his wallet making him more practical. "Alright," Lian San Yue didn't press further. "Though recently, there was one lucky individual who used the furnace to produce a top-tier item. Of course, that's not something anyone can replicate—ordinary people simply aren't that fortunate." “I think I can give it another try…” “Ah, nice—10%. Coming back?” “…Yes.” “11%. Coming back?” “Last time!” “13%. I'm sorry.” “Last, last time!” “Did you really have materials at the master level?” “30%. Two master-level materials now. Shall we call it quits? I’m truly sorry for you.” Lian San Yue shook her head. Xia Hou Ao Tian stood before the furnace, motionless, as if turned to stone. It wasn’t clear how long it had been—quietly, he walked to the side, his silhouette filled with solitude and despair, like Qu Yuan walking toward the Miluo River. Without a word, he took the barrel, the base, and the nearly depleted power pack from his inventory and assembled them silently. “What are you doing?” Lian San Yue was momentarily stunned. Then she saw Kakarot lift his face, expressing the look of someone who had just witnessed Small林 being crushed by Frieza—filled with anger, despair, and sorrow: "I'm done. I'm going with it. I'm going out with it too~" There was not a single trace of longing for the world left in his voice.