Du Qianshan, straightforward as always, said, “Is Hall Master Cao planning to throw Fellow Daoist Bu Yang down to test the crater?”
“That’s utterly insane and inhumane! Why doesn’t he jump down himself?” Wen Zixing gasped. “Is this a norm in the Wentian Sect?” He turned his gaze to the disciples behind Hall Master Cao, a look of sympathy in his eyes. “If there were no other people here, would he just throw one of his own lackeys?”
How terrifying!
The disciples of the Wentian Sect immediately turned pale and angrily shouted, “Shut up! Our master isn’t such a person!”
“Oh…” Wen Zixing’s response was loaded with meaning, clearly unconvinced.
Hall Master Cao’s eyes glinted with annoyance, and he forced a smile. “You’ve misunderstood, Martial Nephew. I had no such intentions.” Inside, however, he was fuming. That old fogy from Guiyuan Sect was extremely protective, especially of his only grandson, Yan Zihui. With this brat here, it wasn’t easy for him to openly target Guiyuan Sect’s disciples, so he had set his sights on a disciple from a lesser-known sect instead. While the accusation wasn’t unjustified, having his intentions called out so bluntly left him infuriated!
Yan Zihui kept a smile on his face. “Hall Master Cao, please don’t be upset. My junior brothers are straightforward and speak without much thought. They meant no offense.”
Yan Zihui then turned to Wen Zixing and Du Qianshan, his expression turning stern. “Qianshan, Zixing, one of you has just become the personal disciple of the Twelfth Peak Master, and the other is the most beloved youngest disciple of the Seventh Peak Master. Speaking so carelessly, aren’t you afraid of disgracing your masters? Apologize to Hall Master Cao at once!”
Under Yan Zihui’s ‘reprimand,’ the two obediently apologized, and Wen Zixing added, full of sincerity, “Hall Master Cao, please forgive us. You have a kind and compassionate heart, with a righteous and selfless mind. It’s hard to believe you would commit such a vile, cruel act. We really misunderstood you. We apologize. Given your benevolent and caring nature, you’ll surely forgive two ignorant youngsters for their unintentional offense, right?”
“…” Hall Master Cao’s anger only grew, his chest heaving with frustration.
Yan Zihui cleared his throat. “That’s correct. Hall Master Cao is not a petty person and surely wouldn’t hold a grudge over a junior’s slip of the tongue.”
Hall Master Cao’s eyes reddened with anger. If he did hold a grudge, would that make him petty?!
Chao Muxue then said sweetly, “Hall Master Cao, you are the most powerful cultivator here. We humbly request that you personally investigate the anomaly within the core.”
Hall Master Cao, caught between suspicion and anger, could no longer afford to be upset. He stared at the boiling magma, filled with uncertainty.
Were these people being so deferential to him because there was a trap?
What cultivator wouldn’t covet a treasure capable of inducing such a grand phenomenon? Would they really give it up so easily?
But then again, most of these people had low cultivation levels. The core, filled with such magma, could be dangerous, and no one could tell what was lying deep inside. Perhaps they were simply too scared to deal with it?
After a moment of consideration, Hall Master Cao finally said, “If that’s the case, then I won’t shirk my duty.” Whether or not there was a trap, he would take the chance to see if a powerful treasure really lay beyond the magma.
Hall Master Cao spread his arms and leaped into the lava, vanishing in an instant.
“Master!” his disciples cried out in shock. For a moment, they were bewildered. No one had scouted the way first, and yet their master had actually jumped down. What were they supposed to do now?
Yan Zihui and his group stared at the crater, and seeing that Hall Master Cao had indeed jumped in, they thought to themselves: The allure of this treasure is truly great!
Then they turned their attention to the abandoned disciples of the Wentian Sect.
Noticing their gazes, the Wentian Sect disciples took a few steps back, trying to mask their fear with bravado, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Don’t be scared, little brothers!” Wen Zixing raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “We’re good people; we won’t do anything to you.”
The disciples of the Wentian Sect grew even more wary. This didn’t sound like the words of people who wouldn’t do anything to them! “If you dare harm us, our master won’t let you get away with it,” they tried to sound tough.
“It’s so heartbreaking that you’d think so poorly of us,” Wen Zixing said, covering his face as if deeply wounded.
The Wentian Sect disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Whether they believed him or not, they only managed to shout, “Stay away from us!”
Before they realized it, their group had already retreated into a corner.
Yan Zihui sighed, “Alright, stop scaring them.”
Wen Zixing pouted, “With such little courage, where do they find the nerve to do bad things?”
Of course, he had no intention of initiating a conflict. They weren’t sure how long Hall Master Cao could hold out—Yan Zihui had been forced to return after diving just for a short while, after all—so there wasn’t enough time to bully the Wentian disciples. At most, they could only taunt them with a few words.
…
Meanwhile, Lu Yaoyao was completely unaware of the happenings on the surface, including the arrival of a troublesome group. At this moment, she was still down in the depths, continuing her treasure hunt. After picking a large batch of Hehe Spark Blossoms, she finally felt satisfied and was about to leave when suddenly, the spiritual fire, which had been huddling quietly in her spiritual sea, burst out and began hopping around in front of her, conveying a message: “Follow me!”
Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao followed the fire as it led her forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, she passed through a tunnel and turned a corner, only to be dazzled by the sight of warm orange crystals shining brightly. “More Hehe Spark Blossom?” she wondered. How many were there?
But upon closer inspection, she realized they weren’t flowers at all, but rather clusters of crystal-like formations embedded in the walls and ground. She approached and broke off a piece, smiling as she recognized it: “Fire Crystals!”
These were valuable treasures! They could be used in refining weapons and pills, as well as in arrays. Cultivators with a fire spiritual root could even use them to aid in their cultivation. Judging by the purity of their color, these were definitely top-grade Fire Crystals!
Lu Yaoyao was elated, but her thoughts were interrupted by a childish voice exclaiming excitedly: Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!
She turned to see the fire elongate its shape, engulfing and devouring a Fire Crystal, then moving on to the next one…
After devouring several crystals, the fire grew even brighter and larger.
“…” Lu Yaoyao thought to herself: Well, turns out they have another use—food for this fire!
Unlike the Hehe Spark Blossom, which had to be picked individually, the Fire Crystals could be collected with a simple spell. With a wave of her hand, Lu Yaoyao quickly collected a large area of Fire Crystals and stored them in her pouch. Fortunately, she had emptied part of the pouch before leaving home; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had enough space.
She also discovered that many more crystals were buried within the walls and beneath the ground, all of excellent quality. “This must be a vein of top-grade Fire Crystals!” Lu Yaoyao was overjoyed. She eagerly collected the entire vein and then asked, “Are there any more?”
The fire, keen on securing its future food supply, quickly led Lu Yaoyao to several other locations, where she found a few more Fire Crystal veins. Although they weren’t as rich as the first one, they were still quite good.
Thus, the odd pair comprising one little girl and one fire continued their journey, collecting nearly all the spiritual flowers, Fire Crystals, and other treasures in the area. Only after they emptied the place did they feel satisfied and ready to leave.
“It’s time for us to go,” Lu Yaoyao said. “Xingxing and the others must be worried by now!”
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