“Dong, dong!”
He knocked twice on the door, then used Star Teleportation to enter the study.
Zhang Yuanqing instinctively looked toward the end of the red carpet and found the large desk empty. Only then did he turn to the seating area on the left.
Fu Qingyang, dressed in white, was enjoying a drink with his mentor, Ling Jun.
Fu Qingyang was in charge of drinking, while Ling Jun was in charge of enjoying himself.
The moment the starlight rose, both of them turned their heads.
“Oh, Yuan Shi is back.” Ling Jun said with a chuckle, “Your girlfriend just came by and said she had a mental breakdown and broke up with you, but now she regrets it. Why don’t you go and coax her?”
As he spoke, taking advantage of Fu Qingyang not being able to see his face, he winked at Zhang Yuanqing with an ambiguous smile.
How could the student's actions escape the eyes of a master of love?
It seems my plan is working... Zhang Yuanqing’s spirits lifted. His mentor’s “yin smile” gave him great confidence.
If this plan didn't work, Ling Jun would sigh and give a hint: “Look at the stupid things you’ve done. Fu Qingyang entrusted his cousin to you, is this how you treat her?”
This was a tacit understanding between famous teachers and their accomplished students.
Fu Qingyang put down his glass and said calmly:
“Ling Jun, you can leave first. I have something to say to Yuan Shi.”
You’re done for... Ling Jun shrugged at his beloved disciple, indicating his helplessness.
Although the plan was well-intentioned, Guan Ya’s family power should not be underestimated.
Zhang Yuanqing watched his mentor leave and took Ling Jun’s place, picking up the plate full of ham slices and eating heartily.
Fu Qingyang waited patiently. After the plate of ham slices was emptied, he asked:
“What’s in Takamagahara?”
Zhang Yuanqing told him everything he had gained from the tree hollow without reservation.
Countless past events had proven that in this indifferent world where even singles couldn't be given, even a girlfriend might not be trustworthy, but his boss was absolutely reliable.
“Demon Refining Pot…”
Hearing Palace Master Zhisha's description of the Demon Refining Pot, even Qian Gongzi, who was always calm and collected, couldn't help but change his expression, finding it difficult to remain calm.
He had thought the treasure left by Nüwa would be invaluable, but he hadn't expected it to be so precious.
An item symbolizing the supreme power of a profession.
If this were to spread, there would be nowhere for Palace Master Zhisha to hide. She would be hunted down by all The Way of the Extraordinary.
“You just gave her the Demon Refining Pot like that?” Fu Qingyang frowned.
“Consider it an investment. I’m very familiar with the Palace Master. Investing in her is more reliable than investing in other musicians,” Zhang Yuanqing said, with his own set of principles, and comforted him:
“Boss, I didn’t lose out either. I got a body and the power left by the Golden Crow.”
Only then did Fu Qingyang relax his brow. “You should have demanded more benefits, you could even have used the Demon Refining Pot to control Palace Master Zhisha, demanding whatever you wanted… If I had known, I should have gone with you.”
He regretted it. If he had accompanied Yuan Shi to Takamagahara, the Demon Refining Pot wouldn't have fallen into Palace Master Zhisha's hands.
Demanding whatever he wanted from the Palace Master? That does sound promising… Zhang Yuanqing thought, I didn’t let you come, Boss, precisely to prevent this situation.
Imagine, if Fu Qingyang and the Palace Master had a conflict in Takamagahara, with one being his close brother-in-law and the other being a close family friend, he really wouldn't know who to help.
At most, he would shout from the side: Stop, you two, stop fighting~
“But since you’ve given it, there’s no need to think too much. Your investment will pay off in the future.” Fu Qingyang was a decisive person and wouldn't dwell on things that had already happened:
“And you also got the Clay Figurine Avatar and the power of the sun. Take them out and let me see.”
Zhang Yuanqing said “Oh,” “The Clay Figurine Avatar and the power of the sun are both in the Demon Refining Pot. The Palace Master said she needs to nurture them for forty-nine days.”
Hearing these words, a clear question mark floated across Qian Gongzi's usually stern face.
He asked, not quite sure:
“Are you saying, everything is in Palace Master Zhisha’s hands, and you got nothing? You went to Takamagahara and came back empty-handed?”
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
Fu Qingyang expressionlessly took out the golden scissors.
“Bo, Boss, what are you going to do?”
“I’ll cut off your karma first, then take you to kill Palace Master Zhisha.”
“No, no, no, Boss, she’s just keeping them for safekeeping, don’t be impulsive…”
“I’m not being impulsive, I just have a little high blood pressure.”
Then, Fu Qingyang realized his gaffe, put down the golden scissors, and pinched his eyebrows.
He waved his hand, feeling tired. “Get out, I don’t want to see you right now.”
“But Boss, I have one more thing to report,” Zhang Yuanqing said.
Fu Qingyang said coldly, “I hope it’s not something that will raise my blood pressure.”
After saying that, he saw Yuan Shi take out the Little Red Riding Hood, gently shake his hand, and several heavy bronze plates fell, slamming onto the carpet with a dull thud.
Zhang Yuanqing laid out the bronze plates and said:
“Boss, this is very interesting, you’ll definitely like it.”
Yuan Shi’s expression was a bit like he was offering a treasure. He seemed certain that I would be surprised, even lose control, ridiculous… Fu Qingyang suppressed his bad mood, pushed away from the table, and walked to the bronze plates.
He knew Yuan Shi wouldn’t make things up, so he actively restrained his emotions and focused on the carvings.
But after seeing the content of the carvings, he still couldn’t help but constrict his pupils, and an extreme shock appeared on his stern face.
This kind of shock, this strong emotional fluctuation, was very rare for Qian Gongzi, even exceeding his reaction after hearing the information about the Demon Refining Pot.
“Boss, what do you think?” Zhang Yuanqing raised the corners of his mouth, very satisfied with Fu Qingyang’s reaction.
…Fu Qingyang took a deep breath, not speaking, still digesting the content on the bronze plates.
Zhang Yuanqing obediently kept his mouth shut. After several minutes, he couldn’t help but open his mouth:
“Boss, you’re a Scout. What can you analyze?”
He started by throwing out a brick to get jade, explaining his and Palace Master Zhisha's understanding.
Fu Qingyang said sharply:
“Experimenter? How can you be sure that these meteorites weren't dropped by the Spirit Realm? Isn't it more logical for the Spirit Realm to drop meteorites than to imagine an unverifiable experimenter?”
“How can you be sure that these meteorites are our origin? Is it possible that the carvings are just recording an act of the Spirit Realm creating superpower users, just like during the early Republic of China, the Spirit Realm created the first The Way of the Extraordinary.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing also frowned.
Indeed, there was no evidence to prove that meteorites were the source of superpower users. It could also be a process of the Spirit Realm creating superpower users.
The Scout’s logical ability is indeed strong.
Fu Qingyang continued:
“The dropping of these carved meteorites does have very strong artificial traces, but the artificial traces of the Spirit Realm are even stronger. There’s nothing surprising. I think Nüwa’s existence is more noteworthy than the meteorites.”
He said in a low voice: “Nüwa is special. She’s different from other ancestors who gained superpowers.”
“You also think she’s special? Tell me about it.” In front of the Scout, Zhang Yuanqing temporarily abandoned his brain and asked questions if he didn't understand.
Fu Qingyang pondered for a moment and slowly said:
“Too powerful, incomparably powerful. She is the mother of the human race in myths and legends. She controls the ultimate power of both the Scholar and Musician professions. She is very likely a powerhouse who transcends demigods.
“So she is able to quell disasters.”
It feels like you're talking nonsense... Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself.
Isn’t Nüwa’s power obvious? If she wasn’t powerful, could she “mend the sky with stones”? Could she refine the Bronze Divine Tree and provide a habitat for the Golden Crow?
If she was special because she was powerful, then he would have seen it long ago.
Fu Qingyang glanced at him and said sternly:
“Whether it’s ancient practitioners or modern The Way of the Extraordinary, there has never been a powerhouse above the demigod level. That is the biggest problem.”
Zhang Yuanqing’s mind buzzed, and many pieces of information suddenly connected at that moment.
“Nüwa is an out-of-control experiment. She surpassed the demigod stage and became an existence that the Spirit Realm couldn’t control, even threatening the Spirit Realm. Hmm, I heard someone say that the existence of character cards is the Spirit Realm’s self-defense mechanism…”
“Because there was Nüwa as a precedent, the Spirit Realm limited the growth of The Way of the Extraordinary, so since Nüwa, no one has been able to surpass the demigod stage?”
“Did Nüwa's ‘mending the sky’ cause unimaginable damage to the Spirit Realm, so the Spirit Realm shut down until modern times when it was restarted?”
Zhang Yuanqing felt he was getting close to the truth.
He voiced his guesses.
“If you’re telling a story, it’s exciting enough, but reality isn’t a story.” Fu Qingyang retorted coldly:
“If the world-destroying event in ancient times was caused by the Spirit Realm, then why is the Spirit Realm maintaining order in modern times? Putting aside other details, just this self-contradictory point shows that things are more complicated than we imagine.”
That's right, the Spirit Realm is urging The Way of the Extraordinary to grow, even at the expense of forcing growth, but the existence of character cards is the Spirit Realm's self-defense mechanism, limiting The Way of the Extraordinary from surpassing demigods. This is also a contradiction... Zhang Yuanqing said with a wry smile:
“I was thinking too simply.”
The two were silent, thinking silently.
After a long time, Fu Qingyang said: “Forget about the things above. Understanding too many secrets that don’t match your level will only disturb the hearts of the strong. When facing these problems, thinking is ineffective. Strength and level are the keys to unlocking secrets. People should live in the present.”
That’s all we can do… Zhang Yuanqing shook his head and threw these distant questions to the back of his mind. Thinking of his sobbing mixed-race girlfriend next door, he felt that Fu Qingyang’s words made sense.
People should live in the present.
“Boss, I’ll go check on Guan Ya.”
Imitating the Chairman, he snapped his fingers handsomely and turned into starlight, teleporting away.
……
Wanbao House.
Xiahou Aotian put on black headphones and heard the excited murmur of the Qin State alchemist:
“Heaven and Earth Furnace, Nüwa’s Heaven and Earth Furnace…”
Heaven and Earth Furnace? Xiahou Aotian glanced at Lian Sanyue, not afraid of her noticing, and said in a low voice:
“This is clearly the Hundred Refinements Furnace.”
The Qin State alchemist in the ring said:
“It’s not the Heaven and Earth Furnace. It’s part of the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Legend has it that Nüwa has two inheritances, one is the Demon Refining Pot, and the other is the Heaven and Earth Furnace.”
“The former is the treasure that Musicians dream of, and the latter is the ultimate pursuit of Scholars. Heh, I advise you not to use it. This furnace was used by the First Emperor back then.”
Xiahou Aotian was surprised and not surprised, “Is it the First Emperor's magical artifact?”
“It briefly stayed in the hands of the First Emperor…” The Qin State alchemist was lost in memories:
“After the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, he sent troops to conquer the Baiyue in the south, all the way to the South Sea. At that time, there were merfolk in the South Sea. Hearing of the First Emperor’s power, they sent envoys to the shore, offering beauties and jewels from their tribe and telling the First Emperor that at the bottom of the Abyss of the South Sea, there was an ancient artifact called the Heaven and Earth Furnace.”
Xiahou Aotian suddenly understood and remembered the item information introduction of the Hundred Refinements Furnace—sank into the sea due to a disaster, until it was… found.
So the ellipsis refers to the First Emperor.
“Then shouldn’t I use it even more?” Xiahou Aotian said.
“I haven’t finished yet.” The Qin State alchemist “sighed”:
“When salvaging this artifact, a strange thing happened. After the First Emperor learned of the news, he ordered Xu Fu to organize nearly a hundred strange people and experts to cooperate with the merfolk to salvage the artifact. Unexpectedly, after seven days underwater, disaster struck. A huge tsunami swept the South Sea. The strange people and experts and merfolk who had dived into the abyss to salvage the artifact were washed onto the shore and turned into snake-tailed monsters. They roared like madmen, shouting—Nüwa harmed me.”
“Then they babbled in incomprehensible languages and died violently.”
“What happened later?” Xiahou Aotian was full of curiosity.
“The First Emperor naturally wouldn’t give up the artifact. He gave the sacrificial robe to Xu Fu, and Xu Fu personally led people into the sea. After several days, Xu Fu returned with the Hundred Refinements Furnace.”
“Only he returned. The other strange people and experts who assisted in the salvage never returned. Xu Fu never revealed the situation of the abyss to the world, but he had a secret talk with the First Emperor.”
“Regarding the artifact, Xu Fu’s explanation was that the Heaven and Earth Furnace was suppressing the sea eye and could not be taken out, so only a part of it could be taken, which was this Hundred Refinements Furnace.”
“But this matter didn’t end. After the emperor obtained the artifact, he wanted to use the Hundred Refinements Furnace to train soldiers and consolidate his empire. What was strange was that the weapons refined in the furnace contained terrible demonic nature.”
“Every holder went crazy, killing anyone they saw, shouting ‘Eliminate the remnants of Nüwa,’ causing a small disaster in Xianyang. At the same time, tsunamis occurred frequently in the South Sea, and wars and deaths broke out in the Baiyue region, with constant rebellions.”
“Left with no choice, the First Emperor had to send Xu Fu to the South Sea again to return the Hundred Refinements Furnace to the abyss.” The old man in the ring said:
“Think about the function of the Taotie Training Furnace, and then look at the item information of the Hundred Refinements Furnace. Does it seem familiar?”
Xiahou Aotian thought carefully: “It does look a bit similar.”
“The Taotie Training Furnace is a replica of the Hundred Refinements Furnace. The First Emperor had people refine it later, but unfortunately, a replica is just a replica, far from the real furnace.” The Qin State alchemist sighed.
So there was such an incident back then… Xiahou Aotian listened with great interest:
“It’s not a big problem. It has now been subdued by the Spirit Realm. The incident back then won’t happen again, otherwise Lian Sanyue will be the first to die.”
Lian Sanyue narrowed her eyes when she heard this.
The arrogant protagonist didn’t pay attention to the expression of the person involved and continued to communicate with the ancient soul in the ring:
“Why was Xu Fu okay?”
The old man in the ring said: “I said just now that the First Emperor gave Xu Fu the sacrificial robe. With the protection of the sacrificial robe, Xu Fu was naturally fine.”
“Sacrificial robe?” Xiahou Aotian asked with a puzzled tone.
“Alas, this thing is more evil than the Hundred Refinements Furnace…” The old man in the ring sighed: “Two thousand years have passed in an instant, it’s all in the past, let’s not mention it.”
Xiahou Aotian felt that the old thing seemed to be quite wary of the sacrificial robe and obviously didn’t want to talk about it.
At this time, Lian Sanyue said impatiently: “Have you finished chatting with the resentful spirit in the ring? Are you going to open the furnace or not?”
“Why not?” Xiahou Aotian said, “How much does it cost?”
Lian Sanyue opened her palm, “Using the furnace is free, but you need to buy the flint to activate it, 500,000 for one piece.”
Then, she explained the mechanism and cost of sealing the furnace.
“Do I need to seal the furnace?” Xiahou Aotian said with a laugh, “Haven’t you heard that the protagonist comes with a lucky aura?”
Don't think that just because you have Kakarot's face, you can say such brainless things. Is this guy pretending? He’s pretending pretty well... Lian Sanyue threw the flint over.
Xiahou Aotian took the flint, opened the lid, first put in the materials, then threw in the flint, held his palm against the furnace, and mentally recited the category and quality of the props he wanted.
The Hundred Refinements Furnace vibrated with a buzzing sound, and dense purple gas spewed out of the air holes in the furnace lid.
After a moment, the purple gas dissipated, and the furnace calmed down.
Xiahou Aotian couldn’t wait to rush over, put his palm against the furnace body, and check the energy accumulation:
——2%
“???”
A string of question marks flashed through his mind.
“The material I just put in was of Saint quality.” He looked at Lian Sanyue blankly: “Are you scamming me?”
“The Hundred Refinements Furnace is like this. It’s not that the higher the quality, the higher the energy accumulation. Sometimes it depends on luck.” Lian Sanyue shrugged: “Want to try again?”
“No, I’m not coming.” Xiahou Aotian shook his head, his wallet making him rational.
“Alright.” Lian Sanyue didn’t force it, “But the other day, a lucky guy refined a top-tier prop with the furnace. Of course, this can’t be replicated. Ordinary people aren’t so lucky.”
“I think I can try again…”
……
“Yo, not bad, 10%, want to try again?”
“……Try again.”
……
“11%, want to try again?”
“Last time!”
“13%, too bad.”
“La, last time.”
“You actually have Overlord-level materials?!”
……
“30%, that’s two Overlord-level materials. Why don’t you just give up? I feel sorry for you.” Lian Sanyue shook her head.
Xiahou Aotian stood in front of the furnace, motionless, like a statue.
After an unknown amount of time, he walked silently to the side, his back full of loneliness and despair, like Qu Yuan walking towards the Miluo River.
Without saying a word, he took out a barrel, a base, and a nearly depleted energy pack from his inventory and assembled them silently.
“What are you going to do?” Lian Sanyue glanced over.
Then, she saw Kakarot raise his face, looking as if he had witnessed Krillin being blown up by Frieza, full of anger, despair, and sadness:
“I don’t want to live anymore, I’m going to perish with it~”
His tone contained not a trace of attachment to the world.
……
ps: Will fix typos later.
Free reading.