"Something I'm hiding from you? What is it?"
Mu Chen tried to dodge the question. Su Qingyue only knew that his body was producing Primordial Origin Qi, that pure golden qi energy she desperately needed.
However, there was no sign that she knew about the golden cauldron inside his body. If she really knew, she should have asked about it from the very beginning.
"Yes. I don't know why, but I feel like there's something strange about your body," Su Qingyue replied.
"Master Su is my teacher. This disciple would never be foolish enough to deceive you."
Even so, Su Qingyue remained unmoved. She raised two fingers, summoning a faint glow of qi, then pressed them against Mu Chen's forehead.
Mu Chen's body suddenly became rigid, impossible to move.
His eyes stayed locked on Su Qingyue in panic. He was afraid she had discovered the existence of the golden cauldron within him and would fly into a rage because he had lied to her.
What... should I do?
Su Qingyue slowly closed her eyes as her body inspection technique activated, probing Mu Chen's dantian.
That was the only place where he could possibly be hiding an artifact or anything else.
In less than five minutes, Su Qingyue pulled her hand back. The qi light on her fingers faded as she ended the technique.
"There's nothing in your dantian."
Nothing? Then where exactly is the golden cauldron?
"The geniuses of the ancient eras were all mysterious. Perhaps... you're just as mysterious as they were," Su Qingyue said.
"Let's stop cultivating for tonight and get some rest."
She extended her hand, sending her qi to wrap around Mu Chen. The two of them rose into the air from the waterfall pavilion and flew back toward the Jiuxiao Lotus Residence.
Mu Chen kept holding his stomach, hunger gnawing at his mind. Maybe there was food at Su Qingyue's residence.
The two soon arrived. Mu Chen landed and walked beside Su Qingyue. Instead of returning to the lake pavilion, the woman entered the house with him.
"Take a seat. I'll make something for you to eat."
Mu Chen nodded and sat at the dining table, staring in disbelief as Su Qingyue began cooking in the kitchen.
The two of them almost looked like a married couple. That was what Mu Chen thought, even though he knew dual cultivation was still far from becoming reality.
Ten minutes later, Su Qingyue returned carrying two plates.
A faint smile appeared on Mu Chen's face. The food on the plates... was burnt.
The chicken was charred black, the stir-fried vegetables were far too salty, and even the soup tasted bland.
From the expression on Mu Chen's face, Su Qingyue could already tell what had happened.
"Ever since I broke through to the Core Formation Realm, I no longer needed food like this," Su Qingyue said.
"Thousands of years have passed. I've forgotten how to cook properly."
Mu Chen smiled brightly, picked up the rice and dishes in front of him, and started eating without hesitation.
To hell with whether it tasted good or not. He was starving and needed food.
The gloomy look on Su Qingyue's face immediately brightened when she saw Mu Chen enjoying what she had made.
She reached out with her chopsticks and tried the vegetables herself, but Mu Chen quickly stopped her.
"I've been hungry... ever since I came here."
"You don't need food like this, right? Let me finish it all."
Mu Chen's attitude clearly pleased her even more.
She pushed the rice from her own bowl over to him, watching him with a teasing gaze, her chin resting against one hand.
"If you like my cooking that much, I can make it for you every day," Su Qingyue said.
COUGH!
Mu Chen choked and nearly jumped in shock. He quickly drank some water and stared straight ahead as he swallowed the food in his mouth.
"There's really no need."
"No need?"
"I mean... cooking is troublesome, messy, and exhausting. Aren't you my master? I can't let my teacher act like my servant," Mu Chen said.
Su Qingyue leaned closer and gently lifted a hand to stroke his chin. Their eyes met for a brief moment.
"So, you'll be cooking your own meals?" she asked.
"Our meals. I'll cook them myself," Mu Chen replied.
A wide smile bloomed across Su Qingyue's face. She leaned back into her chair and withdrew her hand.
While she sat there keeping him company, her eyes suddenly sharpened as she sensed the aura of cultivators flying near the boundary of Mount Jiuxiao.
"Yun Tian?"
"What is it?" Mu Chen asked.
She glanced forward, smiled, and shook her head.
"It's nothing... keep eating, Mu Chen. I need to step out for a moment."
In an instant, Su Qingyue vanished from Mu Chen's sight.
He had no idea where she had gone, but he guessed it had to be related to something important.
Just as he continued eating, his attention was suddenly drawn away when a mysterious golden panel appeared out of nowhere, startling him.
[Synchronization of Cultivator Qi with Ancient God Cauldron complete]
[Activating Ancient God Cauldron]
Mu Chen hurriedly swallowed his food and almost choked.
His eyes snapped toward the golden panel.
"A system? Is this some kind of hologram? But how is that possible?"
[Refine, perfect, and destroy all things]
[Complete Heavenly Refinement missions to enhance both the cultivator and the cauldron!]
[First mission: Refine spiritual qi into Primordial Origin Qi for 1 hour]
[Reward: 1x Primordial Origin Qi Seed || Qi Purity increased by 10% || Heavenly Refinement Art - First Layer unlocked]
"Primordial Origin Seed? Qi Purity? Heavenly Refinement Art? What is all this?" Mu Chen exclaimed in shock.
[Cultivator Profile]
[Host: Mu Chen]
[Realm: Qi Condensation - Second Layer]
[Spirit Root: Low-Grade Ancient Root]
[Qi Purity: 25%]
Another panel appeared, leaving Mu Chen even more stunned. It displayed his personal data along with terms he clearly did not understand.
"Maybe... I should try completing this mission first. Looks like Su Qingyue will be gone for a while."
He quickly finished his meal and rushed back to his room, ready to complete the ancient mission.
Elsewhere, Su Qingyue arrived outside the boundary of Mount Jiuxiao. She hovered in the air, her arrival accompanied by a booming surge of qi.
Yun Tian and Han Lao stood before her. The two Nascent Soul cultivators clasped their hands in salute toward Grandmaster Su.
"I hope you have important information after interrupting my time with Mu Chen!"
"With respect, Grandmaster Su, we came to report the results of the Ancient Ruins expedition," Yun Tian replied.
"Speak."
Sect Master Yun Tian nodded, then glanced toward Han Lao. Core Elder Han Lao stepped forward and cupped his hands.
"Sect Master Yun sent me to take your place in leading the Ancient Ruins expedition. We explored it nonstop for three days."
"Forgive our incompetence, Grandmaster Su. We were unable to find the Ancient God Cauldron," Han Lao said.
Su Qingyue's hand clenched tightly, releasing violent ripples of white qi in every direction. Yun Tian and Han Lao kept their heads lowered.
"Did the Hongyan Sect or Qingyun Sect obtain it?" Su Qingyue asked.
"I swear on my hundred years of cultivation, not one of them managed to get it either," Han Lao said.
The woman's anger slowly subsided. She let out a slow breath and glided gracefully closer to the two of them.
Neither Nascent Soul cultivator dared look up.
"That Ancient God Cauldron was my only chance to ascend to a higher realm, increase my strength, and make Tianyin Sect the sole Emperor-Tier Sect on the Yangguan Continent."
"Now it's all gone. I'll have to begin searching for another ancient god artifact."
"This junior and the entire Tianyin Sect will work tirelessly to gather information on the whereabouts of other ancient god artifacts," Yun Tian said.
Su Qingyue fell silent for a moment. She turned and looked back toward her residence.
Then her gaze returned to Yun Tian and Han Lao.
"There's no need."
Both Yun Tian and Han Lao were clearly confused. Ever since the beginning, Su Qingyue had always been obsessed with obtaining ancient god artifacts to aid her breakthrough.
Now her attitude had changed the moment her eyes turned toward her residence. Yun Tian immediately guessed that the reason for this change had to be the mortal named Mu Chen.
"Mu Chen possesses the same Primordial Origin Qi as the ancient god artifact. I'll engage in dual cultivation with him and make use of his qi."
"If I find that insufficient, then you may begin searching for other artifacts."
Yun Tian nodded in understanding. He would mobilize all the sect's resources to help speed up the dual cultivation between Su Qingyue and Mu Chen.
With nothing more to discuss, Yun Tian and Han Lao flew away after bidding farewell to Su Qingyue.
The woman remained cold and silent, giving no response. She turned around and looked toward her residence.
To her surprise, she suddenly saw spiritual qi from the surroundings flowing into it.
Could it be that Mu Chen started cultivating again?
Su Qingyue shot forward in a flash of light and arrived inside her residence in the blink of an eye.
Mu Chen was nowhere to be seen in the dining room, and the bowls and utensils had already been cleaned and put away.
She activated her cultivation eyes once more, following the flow of spiritual qi throughout the residence.
All of it was channeling in Mu Chen's room.
The woman extended her hand, grasped the doorknob, and slowly pushed the door open.
"Mu... Chen?"
Su Qingyue's eyes widened, shock written all over her face as she saw a golden object floating in front of Mu Chen, absorbing spiritual qi.
For a moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped beating. The qi within her body trembled violently.
Mu Chen snapped his eyes open, frozen in shock.
He had been caught red-handed using the Ancient God Cauldron to refine spiritual qi into Primordial Origin Qi.
"Master... Su?"