Luo Qingci opened her eyes on the meditation cushion.
After another half month of cultivation, she would almost be at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.
The spirit stones she had split from Hui Gu Lao Zu were genuinely good stuff.
The spiritual energy from the high-grade spirit stones was drawn out by the formation array, transforming into faint spiritual mist that permeated the entire wooden hut.
She sat in the center of the mist, and with every breath, she could feel the spiritual energy flowing into her body through her nose and mouth, merging into her Dantian, and transforming into ice-blue liquid spiritual power.
Fast.
Too fast.
She didn’t even need to deliberately circulate her cultivation technique; her spiritual power grew on its own.
Her body was like a completely dried-out sponge, encountering water and absorbing it frantically, impossible to stop.
Part of it was due to the high-grade spirit stones, and part of it was due to her physique.
Luo Qingci calculated in her mind.
At this rate, in another half month, she would be able to touch the threshold of the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.
From the third layer of Foundation Establishment to the fourth layer, a normal cultivator would need at least half a year.
She would need half a month.
No wonder Master had said that day that her physique was the most powerful one.
With this kind of cultivation speed, who wouldn’t be jealous?
She stood up, stretching her limbs.
Her joints let out a faint series of cracking sounds.
She hadn’t noticed it while cultivating, but as soon as she stopped, she realized her stomach was already hungry, growling like someone was beating a drum inside.
Subconsciously, she touched her storage pouch and found a piece of osmanthus cake to settle her stomach.
Luo Qingci walked outside.
The moonlight was just right.
She walked to the stone table under the osmanthus tree, holding a piece of osmanthus cake in her hand, nibbling it slowly.
The cake was soft and sticky, with just the right amount of sweetness.
She took two bites, then stopped chewing, her gaze becoming a little unfocused.
Master and that Xiao Han knew each other.
She could be sure of that.
And their relationship didn’t seem bad, either?
Luo Qingci bit into the soft osmanthus cake, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the storage pouch at her waist.
The doubts in her heart grew larger and larger.
That barely concealed smile on Master’s face, and that casually fabricated lie about a local dog crashing into a tree—the flaws were so many they were impossible to ignore.
And there was also the subtle expression on Master’s face when he heard the name “Xiao Han,” and how he had been holding back his laughter the whole time.
Luo Qingci stuffed the osmanthus cake into her mouth, patted the crumbs off her hands, and stood up.
Stop thinking about it.
She wouldn’t figure it out anyway, and Master wouldn’t tell her the truth if she asked.
She might as well go get something to eat.
At this hour, her senior brothers were either cultivating or sleeping, so she decided to go check out the dining hall.
The stock in the dining hall was as empty as her stomach.
Probably because the little girl was so pretty, the cook uncle took a plucked chicken out of the kitchen cabinet.
The uncle said she could take the chicken, but she had to cook it herself.
The stoves in the dining hall were already out, and he was off duty.
The kitchen?
The stove was usable, but she didn’t know how to use it.
Every time she watched Gu Changqing cook, it involved splitting firewood, starting the fire, and controlling the heat, just like alchemy.
She was a person who could even burn porridge; using that big stove would be no different from blowing up the kitchen.
Luo Qingci stood at the entrance of the dining hall for a long time, holding the plucked chicken, stunned.
She looked down at the bare chicken in her hand.
The chicken had already been gutted, its internal organs completely removed.
Its neck was drooping, and its two feet were tied together with a straw rope, swaying slightly in the night breeze.
The chicken was very plump.
Its skin was smooth and its flesh tender, glistening faintly with oil in the moonlight.
The plucked chicken looked smaller than when it had feathers, but it was still a substantial bird.
It looked delicious.
Luo Qingci wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, summoned her flying sword, and headed back to the peak.
On the way back to Lingyun Peak, she stood on her flying sword, holding the chicken in one hand and gripping the sword’s hilt with the other.
The night wind howled, and her long hair danced in the wind.
The flying sword landed on an open space on Lingyun Peak.
Luo Qingci sheathed her sword and looked toward Master’s wooden hut.
At this hour, her senior brother was definitely either cultivating or sleeping.
She couldn’t possibly bother him over a chicken.
Master had gone to work in Central State again.
He wasn’t here right now.
Master had brought back an alchemy furnace a few days ago…
An alchemy furnace could be used for alchemy; it should be able to roast a chicken.
Alchemy fire and mortal fire were both fire; the temperature could be adjusted high or low; there was no real difference.
An alchemy furnace was activated by spiritual energy, didn’t need firewood to start a fire, had a high temperature and heated up quickly, saving time and effort.
It was the perfect tool for roasting a chicken.
Luo Qingci’s eyes lit up, and she headed straight for Xiao Yan’s wooden hut, chicken in hand.
She pushed open Master’s wooden door.
No one was inside.
The blanket was folded neatly.
It was very quiet.
The alchemy furnace was in the corner of the room.
It was a bronze cauldron as tall as a person.
The surface of the cauldron was engraved with runes, and it faintly emanated a warm aura.
Below the furnace was a small formation array that Master had set up; channeling spiritual energy into it would start a fire.
Luo Qingci crouched in front of the alchemy furnace and lifted the lid.
She looked at the chicken in her hand, then at the furnace.
Could she fit it inside?
She gestured, opened the furnace lid, placed the chicken head-down, legs up, and shoved it straight in.
Perfect.
Luo Qingci put the lid back on, dusted off her hands, then crouched beside the alchemy furnace and began channeling spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy was injected.
Flames shot up inside the furnace chamber.
They were orange-red, licking the furnace walls.
The temperature was visibly rising.
It seemed… a bit too intense.
Luo Qingci tried to reduce the output of spiritual energy.
The flames shrank a little, but they were still very big.
The entire furnace chamber was glowing red hot.
The chicken skin contracted rapidly under the high heat, and the fat was forced out, dripping onto the bottom of the furnace chamber with a sizzling sound.
It actually smelled pretty good.
Luo Qingci sniffed the air, thinking this method might work.
She increased the spiritual energy output.
The flames grew even stronger.
Crackling sounds came from inside the furnace chamber.
Luo Qingci wanted to reduce the spiritual energy again, but the furnace seemed to have a mind of its own.
The temperature wouldn’t go down; it just kept rising.
The furnace wall changed from cyan to red, then from red to bright orange, like a piece of iron that had been completely heated through.
Something wasn’t right.
Maybe she should stop first?
Thinking this, Luo Qingci took her hand away and just looked at the furnace.
A few seconds later, the furnace suddenly began to tremble, accompanied by a very low, deep humming sound.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it vibrated, making her eardrums itch, as if countless bees were all flapping their wings inside the furnace chamber at the same time.
Luo Qingci’s movements froze.
She looked down at the alchemy furnace.
The runes on the furnace body were glowing, flickering on and off like a person blinking rapidly.
“Wait, wait, wait—”
Luo Qingci was just about to reach out her hand again to maintain the spiritual energy output, but it was too late.
“Boom!”
A wave of scorching heat surged toward her with immense power.