Lu Siyao felt a sigh of relief upon hearing Wuji Zi say he was fine.
Meanwhile, in the alchemy chamber, Xia Feng looked at the alchemy furnace before him with a joyful expression. Once the pills were formed, he waved his hand to open the furnace and reached in, taking out thirteen pills.
He hadn't expected so many to succeed this time, five more than when he last refined the Wuji Pill.
All of them were high-grade pills. Pills that had undergone the tribulation were indeed different; not only did they possess a pill cloud, but faint lightning also crackled around them.
As Xia Feng reached for the pills, the lightning around him vanished.
After handling everything, Xia Feng walked out of the alchemy chamber. Outside, two people were still waiting with eager anticipation.
"It's done," Xia Feng said, smiling at the expectant gazes of Wuji Zi and Lu Siyao.
"Haha... very good, very powerful," Wuji Zi laughed, exceptionally pleased.
Lu Siyao's face was flushed with excitement, unable to find words to express her current feelings.
She was experiencing a mix of apprehension and longing. While happy for Xia Feng, she also felt a pang of sadness, as Xia Feng was about to leave.
In the remaining time, Xia Feng and Wuji Zi taught Lu Siyao alchemy every day, and Xia Feng also gave her a large amount of cultivation resources.
Lu Siyao was truly a favored child of heaven, being taught by two such formidable figures; it would be impossible for her not to become powerful in the future.
Xia Feng could already sense the summons of the Eastern Emperor Bell, estimating he would depart within one or two days.
Xia Feng specifically bid farewell to Wuji Zi and Lu Siyao.
"Big Brother Xia, will you return after you leave?" Lu Siyao asked, looking at Xia Feng with reluctance.
Seeing Lu Siyao's wistful gaze, Xia Feng smiled and said, "I will. During my absence, you should cultivate diligently. I hope you can give me a big surprise the next time we meet."
"Mm-hmm, I will," Lu Siyao nodded solemnly.
For the rest of the day, Xia Feng ate and drank with Wuji Zi, enjoying their conversation. Suddenly, Xia Feng felt the summons of the Eastern Emperor Bell and abruptly rose into the air.
"Brother, Siyao, farewell," Xia Feng waved to them, and then a force swept him away.
"Farewell, Big Brother Xia," Lu Siyao waved back at Xia Feng from below, her eyes full of reluctance.
Wuji Zi stroked his beard, a smile on his face.
...
Penglai Island, Penglai Immortal Mansion.
Xia Feng's figure suddenly appeared in the Penglai Immortal Mansion, his cultivation having returned to the Mahayana stage.
As he was being pulled back, Xia Feng's cultivation had been continuously declining. It seemed his cultivation had been suppressed by the heavenly dao all along, which explained why his cultivation saw no progress no matter how hard he tried.
Moreover, he couldn't undergo tribulation. Now, Xia Feng finally understood why.
His cultivation had long since reached the Immortal Emperor stage, so naturally, he wouldn't need to undergo tribulation.
Xia Feng couldn't find a definitive answer and could only interpret it this way.
"Master, welcome home," the voice of the Eastern Emperor Bell sounded in Xia Feng's mind. Xia Feng had re-established contact with the Eastern Emperor Bell.
"Eastern Emperor Bell, there is no Spirit Seeking Grass in the Immortal Realm. Your information is a bit outdated," Xia Feng said to the Eastern Emperor Bell.
"Master, I don't know. My memory contains the existence of Spirit Seeking Grass. Perhaps I misremembered," the Eastern Emperor Bell replied with a hint of apology in its voice.
"However, we found a suitable method, so this mission is considered complete. I will bring you up next time," Xia Feng said.
"Yes, Master," the Eastern Emperor Bell responded.
After a brief exchange with the Eastern Emperor Bell, Xia Feng left the Penglai Immortal Mansion and flew directly towards Kunlun Mountain.
Moments later, Xia Feng appeared in the immortal realm of Kunlun Mountain.
As soon as Xia Feng appeared, Doudou swooped down. She was the first to sense Xia Feng's return.
Xia Feng caught Doudou and said, "Next time, I'll take you back to the Immortal Realm. I suspect your strength has also been suppressed. I'm looking forward to a surprise from you."
Doudou chirped twice and then stood on Xia Feng's shoulder.
"Brother, you're out of seclusion." Xia Lin and the others ran over quickly.
"Young Master Xia."
"Master."
"Grandmaster."
Everyone called out.
Xia Feng glanced at Long Aotian and Du Labi De, nodded with a smile, and said, "Congratulations on officially entering the ranks of cultivators. Take a break for a while, and next time I will bring you in to continue improving."
"Yes, Master," Long Aotian and Du Labi De responded excitedly.
"Lin'er, you all look good. How was the cultivation over the past hundred days?" Xia Feng asked Xia Lin and the others.
"Extremely satisfied. I feel like I have inexhaustible strength all over my body," Xia Lin said, waving her delicate hand.
Xia Feng nodded with a smile.
Xia Feng scanned everyone, noticing that they had all improved, and their overall demeanor had changed.
When Xia Feng saw Jack Ma, Jack Ma deliberately lowered his head.
"Teacher Ma, how did you get that injury on your face?" Xia Feng asked curiously, seeing Jack Ma's face bruised and battered.
"Hahaha..."
Hearing Xia Feng's question, everyone burst into laughter.
"Uncle Ma was beaten by my father," Ma Yuqin explained with a smile.
Xia Feng then looked at Pony Ma with surprise. Pony Ma, sensing Xia Feng's gaze, revealed a victor's smile and said, "Young Master Xia, Old Ma was asking for it. We spar every day, and under my urging, his strength has been steadily increasing."
Xia Feng nodded, acknowledging that sparring was also a way to improve strength. What surprised him was that Jack Ma used to always have the upper hand over Pony Ma.
How had it reversed now?
It seemed Pony Ma's talent was better than Teacher Ma's.
"Next time, hit him harder, otherwise, he won't improve," Xia Feng joked to Pony Ma.
"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed heartily again.
Suddenly, they noticed that Xia Feng was much more approachable now, and talked more, at least to the point of joking with them.
"Young Master Xia, I will next time for sure," Pony Ma said triumphantly, looking at Jack Ma and smiling.
Jack Ma remained speechless throughout. He was already beaten into submission by Pony Ma and feared saying anything to upset him, lest he be beaten again.
Jack Ma muttered to himself, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Just you wait."
"Let's go, I'll take you back," Xia Feng then said to everyone.
"Okay, we can get a good night's sleep after going out," Qin Wen said, nodding repeatedly with excitement.
Xia Feng waved his hand, leading everyone away from Kunlun Mountain.
They arrived back at the villa that evening. They had been away from the villa for exactly ten days.
On the way back, the younger generation, including National Prince Wang, were responsible for buying groceries, while Old Wang and the others were responsible for cleaning the house.
As soon as they returned to the villa, Jack Ma shouted:
"Little Ma, get lost and clean the kitchen, I'm going to cook."
Pony Ma glared at him. Jack Ma, unfazed, continued to curse, "What, you dare to make a move here? Hurry up and get lost to clean up."
Pony Ma was furious for a moment, spewing profanities as he stomped into the kitchen.