242: Chapter 242 Repeated orders and injunctions, orders are orders

His gaze shifted away from Zheng Lingfeng and landed on that youth from the Mu Family.

Mu Mingfeng, the legitimate grandson of the Mu Family's Fifth Elder.

He silently repeated this name in his heart, firmly carving this face into his mind.

The Mu Family's influence in the Central Plains was deeply rooted, far beyond what a local Family like the Zheng Family could compare to.

If the Mu Family had truly participated in that incident back then, the enemy he would have to face was much stronger than he had previously imagined.

But so what? In his past life, he was an Earth Immortal; what kind of storms had he not seen? A mere Central Plains Family was not enough to make him retreat.

In the hall, Great Master Changming set down his teacup, cleared his throat, and the lecture continued.

Zhou Tianchen also refocused his attention on the Pill Furnace. The golden Alchemical Fire transformed back into a roaming Dragon at his fingertips, intertwining with Great Master Changming's Green Jade Cold Flame, drawing another wave of gasps from the crowd in the hall.

Yun Tianxiang withdrew his gaze from Mu Mingfeng, lowered his head, and put on an appearance of intently recording on his Jade Slip, while his mind was already rapidly calculating his next step.

Meanwhile, in the front row of the main hall, Mu Mingfeng's gaze never left the cyan-clad figure in the hall.

He leaned against the cushion on his prayer mat, his fingers idly turning the emerald jade pendant at his waist. He appeared nonchalant, but in reality, his deep, reserved eyes were watching every movement of Zhou Tianchen without blinking.

The golden Alchemical Fire at Zhou Tianchen's fingertips was currently intertwining with Great Master Changming's Green Jade Cold Flame, the two flames—one gold and one cyan—forming a vortex in mid-air that resembled a Taiji diagram.

As they slowly rotated, the coldness of the Cold Flame and the intensity of the Alchemical Fire did not cancel each other out. Instead, they stimulated each other in a delicate balance, causing the quality of both flames to subtly improve.

The crowd in the hall watched intently, and several Earth-tier Alchemists in the front row stroked their beards and nodded repeatedly, their eyes filled with amazement.

Although Mu Mingfeng did not Cultivate Alchemy, having grown up in a top-tier Family like the Mu Family, his vision and knowledge were far beyond that of ordinary Cultivators.

He could see how difficult it was for Zhou Tianchen to control his Alchemical Fire in this manner. This was not showing off; it was demonstrating an extremely profound principle of Alchemical Fire symbiosis.

Being able to control two flames with completely opposite attributes to this degree showed that this person's understanding of Alchemy had already surpassed that of an ordinary Alchemist.

To possess such attainments in Alchemy at this age, he was truly worthy of the four words "Disciple of Kunlun."

Mu Mingfeng sighed inwardly. He thought of the arrogant direct descendants in his Family, many of whom were called Geniuses, but when compared to Zhou Tianchen before him, the gap was apparent.

If Kunlun could Cultivate such a Disciple, it was no wonder it could rise in the Southern Wilderness within just a few years, to the point where even the Five Great Sacred Lands and Three Great Families of the Central Plains feared them.

Thinking of this, a meaningful, cold glint flashed in Mu Mingfeng's eyes.

The Family had issued strict orders repeatedly: at this stage, they must not provoke Kunlun.

Previously, when the Liuli Sect attacked the Southern Wilderness, a Kunlun Elder had beheaded the Liuli Sect's Ancestor, Han Yanxi—a Half-Step Immortal—on the spot in front of all the major powers of the Five Regions.

When the news reached the Mu Family, several Grand Elders held a secret meeting overnight and subsequently issued a sternly worded order: all Mu Family Disciples, before the Family's plan was completed, were not to initiate any conflict with Kunlun; violators would be expelled from the Family.

Mu Mingfeng was present at the time, and he clearly remembered that when the Grand Elder spoke the words "expelled from the Family," there was no room for negotiation in his tone.

However, orders were orders, but the Xuanhuang Fortress was not included in that category.

Mu Mingfeng's gaze landed on the token at Zhou Tianchen's waist that was faintly glowing with a pale golden light; that was the xuanhuang key, the only proof required to enter the Xuanhuang Fortress.

Since Zhou Tianchen had obtained the key, he would definitely enter the Fortress.

In this generation of the Mu Family, there was also a Prodigy who had obtained the xuanhuang key: his cousin, Mu Changkong, the eldest grandson of the Mu Family's Grand Elder. He had Cultivated the Mu Family's ancestral Heaven-Splitting Sword Art to the seventh level, and his combat power was rarely matched among his peers.

Inside the Xuanhuang Fortress, Prodigies from the Five Regions gathered, and the process of competing for the command flags was inherently extremely dangerous.

The Secret Realm was filled with Restrictions and hidden dangers; every time it opened, many people remained inside forever.

In such a place, it was perfectly normal for a few people to die. Even if it were a Disciple of the Lord of Kunlun, if they were unlucky and perished inside, they could only blame their own inferior skills.

When the Secret Realm closed, who could clearly say how someone had died?

Did they die under a Restriction, at the hands of another Prodigy, or did they accidentally wander into some forbidden death zone?

No one could investigate it clearly. No matter how strong the Lord of Kunlun was, he could not strike across the Secret Realm, and even less could he hold the Mu Family accountable after the fact.

Mu Mingfeng gently rubbed the jade pendant at his waist, his face still wearing that calm and composed smile, while countless thoughts turned in his mind.

He turned his head slightly and lowered his voice to say to Zheng Lingfeng beside him, "Brother Zheng, this Zhou Tianchen's attainments in Alchemical Fire are truly well-deserved."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Lingfeng snapped his jade-boned folding fan shut with a "clack," a look of undisguised mockery appearing on his face.

He glanced at the cyan-clad figure in the hall and sneered, "So what if his attainments in Alchemical Fire are high? An Alchemist is ultimately an Alchemist. When it comes to a life-or-death battle, can he really just smash people with his Pill Furnace?"

Mu Mingfeng smiled but said nothing, not taking the bait.

His gaze remained fixed on Zhou Tianchen, the coldness in his eyes like the surface of a frozen lake in the depth of winter—calm and deep.

When the lecture concluded, Great Master Changming drank the last mouthful of tea from his purple clay teapot, looked up at the darkening sky outside the hall, and slowly stood up.

He bowed to the hundreds of Alchemists in the hall, his voice still gentle but tinged with exhaustion: "Today's lecture ends here. Fellow Daoists, if you have questions, you may return when I open the altar next time. Those who have requests for this old man, please come to the backyard and line up early tomorrow morning."

A murmur of reluctance echoed through the hall. Many Alchemists were still immersed in the profound image of the intertwining golden and cyan flames from just moments ago, unwilling to rise and leave.

But since Great Master Changming had already announced the end, they could not linger any longer. They stood up one after another, bowed to Great Master Changming in thanks, and walked out of the hall.

Zhou Tianchen put away the qiankun furnace, stood up from his prayer mat, and stretched his slightly stiff shoulders. Just as he was preparing to head toward the quiet room behind the hall to find Lu Jinghan and Duan Xinghe, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps coming from the corridor on the side of the hall.

The footsteps were light and hurried, accompanied by a crisp call: "Brother Tianchen!"

Zhou Tianchen looked toward the sound and saw Changming Lingxi jogging over from the other end of the corridor. Today, she had changed into a light green dress, and the plain white ribbon at her waist fluttered gently with her steps. The jade Pill Furnace pendant at the end of the ribbon glowed with a warm luster in the sunset.

She ran to Zhou Tianchen in a few steps, caught her breath slightly, and the habitual sharpness in her almond-shaped eyes was replaced by a rare gentleness, though it could not hide the joy from her heart.