Although Qingquan’s rage had turned the world upside down, she did not strike the culprit, Gu Ze.
“Little thief, how could I be jealous of my own disciple? It is just that seeing you entangled with other female cultivators while provoking my disciple, Xunmiao, makes me feel it is unfair for her.” Qingquan snorted and withdrew her aura, cutting off communication with Gu Ze.
He did not know if she was hiding because she was angry or sad.
Li Xunmiao felt the tremors and took the opportunity to tighten her arms, sinking deeper into Gu Ze’s embrace.
Gu Ze lightly patted his Junior Sister’s back and whispered, “All right, even the heavens are angry. Let’s not just hug here like fools. Master Brother needs to refine some pills.”
Li Xunmiao sensibly let go of Gu Ze and turned around, obediently hugging one of his arms. Her eyes were full of smiles as she spoke.
“This won’t disturb you, will it? Aren’t you going to use the spirit furnace? It just so happens that I want to see how Master Brother’s spirit furnace works up close.”
This was merely an excuse.
Although her heart and body were already greatly satisfied, her intuition told her that continuing to cling to her Master Brother was the right move after that strange earthquake.
Gu Ze nodded and did not refuse. He had already informed Li Xunmiao about opening the spirit furnace within his dantian, so it was no surprise that she was interested.
“Speaking of which, when Master washed my divine sense and meridians, she gave me a lot of Primal Water — enough for two people. She said I could throw away what I didn’t use.”
“I think she wanted me to give it to you but was too embarrassed to say it herself.”
Li Xunmiao’s sense of smell was very keen. She gripped Gu Ze’s arm a bit tighter and lowered her voice as she continued to ask, “Master Brother, are you and Master hiding a secret from me?”
Gu Ze was quite happy when he heard the first half of her sentence. He thought that Qingquan really was someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
How precious was that Primal Water? How could she possibly let Li Xunmiao just throw it away?
She clearly wanted to give it to him but was too embarrassed to make the trip herself. Recalling how he had teased her just now, Gu Ze felt a pang of guilt.
‘I should find an opportunity to apologize to Qingquan later.’
However, when he heard the second half of the sentence, the sudden questioning caused his arm to stiffen slightly. Li Xunmiao felt it immediately.
Suspicion appeared in the young girl’s eyes. She locked her gaze onto Gu Ze’s face, observing every subtle expression.
Gu Ze hastily hid all traces of abnormality and spoke slowly in a sincere tone.
“How could that be? You’re overthinking. There is no special connection between Qingquan and me. I only received her grace because of you.”
Li Xunmiao pouted. A cloud of worry immediately covered her bright little face as she rolled her eyes.
“See, you’ve exposed yourself. Before, you would respectfully call her Peak Lord, but now that you’re anxious, you call her Qingquan without any title.”
“I suspect that your relationship with Master has already reached the point where you can ignore formal etiquette in private, right?”
Gu Ze awkwardly scratched his cheek and argued, “That doesn’t count as evidence, does it?”
“Hmph, you’re acting strange and still won’t admit it. You and Master have a little secret that you’re keeping from me. If you won’t tell me, then I’ll go back and ask her myself!”
Li Xunmiao puffed out her cheeks and deliberately squeezed Gu Ze. Her soft body didn’t apply much force; she was clearly acting spoiled again.
Gu Ze thought to himself, ‘If you go and ask Qingquan that directly, she might get angry out of shame and beat us both.’
Gu Ze had no desire to endure such a mysterious beating.
“Just think of me and your master as friends across generations,” Gu Ze said, raising his hand to gently stroke the top of Li Xunmiao’s head to soothe her.
“Oh.” She was not very satisfied with this answer, but she did not press further.
While chatting, Gu Ze had already filled the spirit furnace with the materials required to refine the Foundation Building Pill.
However, he still lacked both the practice and the theory to improve this pill formula.
He did not have the accumulation of orthodox Dan Dao knowledge that Chen Xin possessed, nor had he referenced ancient books. He had almost no starting point.
However, recalling what Wang Xiao had once said, Gu Ze intended to make a bold attempt.
Wang Xiao had once given an example that everyone’s constitution was different, and the appropriate materials for the foundation platform during Foundation Establishment were also different.
Therefore, a perfect Foundation Building Pill needed to be tailored to the individual, with a unique refining method for everyone.
This was Wang Xiao’s insight. Although it might not necessarily be correct, it at least pointed in a direction.
Gu Ze took a deep breath as if making a great decision and placed a wisp of Primal Chaos Qi into the spirit furnace.
Since he wanted to add materials for casting the foundation platform, it was better to try adding Primal Chaos Qi directly.
If he could truly refine Primal Chaos Qi into a pill, he might be able to kill two birds with one stone.
Not only could he win the competition against Chen Xin, but he could also take the pill to achieve Foundation Establishment using Primal Chaos Qi.
However, while the imagination was beautiful, the moment the Primal Chaos Qi was added to the refining process, Gu Ze felt a surge of heat rolling in his dantian. Fine sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
The Primal Chaos Qi was out of control. Just as Gu Ze had finished refining all the medicinal ingredients, the Primal Chaos Qi rampaged, mixing the medicinal liquids that should not have been combined at the same time.
Seeing that the pill refining was about to fail, Gu Ze directly intensified the Soul Fire, burning all the medicinal dregs into lingqi.
The rolling Primal Chaos Qi seemed to sense the dense lingqi and immediately rushed over, swallowing the lingqi and wrapping it within itself.
Seeing this wisp of qi acting so intelligently, Gu Ze was somewhat surprised. He hurried to use the Soul Fire to scorch the Primal Chaos Qi to see if any changes would occur.
Unexpectedly, after merging with the lingqi, the Primal Chaos Qi actually shed its impurities under the refinement of the Soul Fire it transformed into two intertwining streaks of black and white qi that tumbled within the spirit furnace.
This was the first time Gu Ze had seen a change in the Primal Chaos Qi.
He did not continue to use the Soul Fire to refine or absorb it, but intended to temporarily suppress this streak of black and white qi to refine it slowly.
If the Soul Fire burned too long, even special materials would turn into pure lingqi. By then, his efforts would be wasted, and he would be unable to verify the uniqueness of this Primal Chaos Qi.
In the small sphere that Fu Xu had given him to nurture Primal Chaos Qi, there were two streaks of yin and yang qi, one black and one white. Gu Ze felt as if he had gone in a circle and returned to the starting point.
However, although the colors were similar, these two types of qi were clearly not the same thing.
The black and white qi before his eyes shared the same source, yet they repelled and attracted each other, unable to ever completely merge.
With only his Level 9 of Qi Refining cultivation base, Gu Ze actually could not completely suppress this mass of black and white aura.
However, it could not break through the spirit furnace either. The two sides remained in a state of mutual restraint.
Li Xunmiao noticed a hint of pain gradually creeping onto Gu Ze’s face, so she circulated her own lingqi, wanting to assist him in refining the pill.
Suddenly, she felt her own Yellow Springs Qi and Dragon Qi being drawn in. It was rare to encounter a situation that could make her aura so restless. Li Xunmiao hesitated for a moment and then transferred a wisp of each aura over.
Gu Ze was still focused on the struggle within his body, but the Primal Chaos Qi was truly cunning. It was difficult for Gu Ze to gain the upper hand for a while.
He was completely unaware of the changes in Li Xunmiao beside him. Suddenly, two streaks of lingqi flew into the spirit furnace — one appearing in the shape of a dragon and the other in the shape of a sword.
The Primal Chaos Qi was instantly caught in a pincer attack by the two streaks of lingqi. Next, Gu Ze witnessed a scene within himself that he would never forget.
These two external streaks of lingqi actually beat the Primal Chaos Qi.
The dragon and the sword possessed extraordinary combat power, quickly beating the Primal Chaos Qi until it shrank into a small ball and rolled into the center of the spirit furnace.
‘How interesting.’ Seeing the Primal Chaos Qi calm down, Gu Ze concentrated on refining it.
As he circulated the Qi Gathering Technique, the aura quickly became a part of Gu Ze’s own lingqi.
When he activated it, Gu Ze took the initiative to control the separation of the black and white parts.
Instantly, the white qi surged upward, soaring toward the Dragon Qi, leaving only the echo of a dragon’s roar within the spirit furnace.
The black qi sank, falling into the Yellow Springs Qi and rushing toward a deathly calm.
The Primal Chaos Qi disappeared, and Li Xunmiao’s two types of aura each grew a bit stronger.
Although the refined Primal Chaos Qi only existed in his hands for a brief moment, Gu Ze was shocked into a long silence.
No wonder legends said that Primal Chaos Qi divided into all things in heaven and earth; this thing could actually transform into two completely different types of aura.
The refined Primal Chaos Qi was different from Lian Yue’s Etheric Qi. Although Etheric Qi was infinitely changeable, it was ultimately fake.
But the Dragon Qi and Yellow Springs Qi that the Primal Chaos Qi had turned into were truly swallowed by Li Xunmiao’s lingqi, becoming a part of it.
In other words, if Gu Ze could use Primal Chaos Qi to transform into the World-Burning Heavenly Fire, he would truly possess the World-Burning Heavenly Fire!
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He seemed to have unintentionally pushed open a door hiding infinite wealth.
Forget using this Primal Chaos Qi for Foundation Establishment; it would not be impossible to use it even for the chengdan realm or to form a yuan ying.
Opening his eyes, which shone with golden light, Gu Ze’s heart surged with excitement.
Just as he was about to share his joy with Li Xunmiao, Gu Ze saw the young girl looking at him with deep affection. She even happened to stick out her small lilac tongue to lick the corner of her mouth.
“Just now, I gave Master Brother two breaths of aura, but you returned them to me twofold.”
“This method of exchanging lingqi between cultivators of the opposite sex to increase cultivation… could it be Dual… Dual Cultivation?” Li Xunmiao could hardly stop the corners of her mouth from turning upward.
“Huh?” Gu Ze gasped, his vibrant joy instantly dampened.
“Ehehe~ I did Dual Cultivation with Master Brother.” Li Xunmiao held her face in her hands, a silly smile plastered across her face. She was clearly lost in her own delusions and unable to respond to the outside world.
Gu Ze grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook her with all his might.
“Xunmiao? Wake up, Xunmiao!”
After a long while, Gu Ze supported his forehead and let out a helpless sigh, looking up at the sky.
‘Qingquan, oh Qingquan, you can’t blame me for your disciple turning out like this. I didn’t want her to become like this either.’