Family Rise: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 542 Ancient Cultivator's Cave, Brothers United, Nascent Soul Sect
Yunshan County Waste Recycling Workshop

Fu Yongkui squatted in the backyard of the workshop, picking through a pile of newly collected "scrap." He gathered a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertips and gently brushed it across a rusty piece of metal, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"This piece of black iron core still retains 30% of its spiritual essence!" He deftly tossed the metal piece into the bamboo basket on his left. "After smelting, it will yield at least half a pound of second-grade black iron essence, worth thirty low-grade spirit stones."

"Crack!"

A dark blue beetle, about the size of a washbasin, emerged from his sleeve. Its sharp mandibles easily crushed a piece of discarded spirit stone beside him, making a satisfied "crunch" sound.

"Little Blue, eat slowly." Fu Yongkui patted the Spirit-Eating Insect's shell with concern. "This is a top-quality scrap spirit stone; it still contains 20% spiritual energy!"

The Spirit-Eating Insect—now it should be called "Little Blue"—affectionately rubbed against its master's finger, the golden markings on its back shimmering faintly. Who would have thought that this mid-stage third-tier spirit insect was only the size of a palm thirty years ago?

"Brother Kui!" Fu Yongxin rushed into the backyard, "Great news! The purchasing point in Qinglin County just sent word that they bought a batch of 'scrap' from an ancient cultivator's cave, and there might be treasure inside!"

Fu Yongkui's eyes lit up: "Let's go take a look!"
-
Qinglin County Scrap Metal Collection Point
"Is that all?" Fu Yongkui frowned as he looked at the pile of junk on the ground.

The person in charge of the purchasing point wiped his sweat: "Brother Kui, this batch of goods may not look very good, but it all came from the cave of the 'Elder Xuan Shang.' That old devil was a Purple Mansion cultivator in his lifetime; perhaps..."

Fu Yongkui crouched down, his fingers gently stroking a broken sword. Suddenly, the Taiyi Five Elements Dharma Seed within his body trembled slightly, and a faint glimmer of light flashed across an almost invisible pattern on the broken sword.

“Interesting.” He stood up calmly. “I’ll take the whole batch. Same as always, 20% off.”

"Yes, yes, yes!" the person in charge exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much, Master Kui!"

Back in the workshop's secret chamber, Fu Yongkui carefully retrieved the broken sword. Under the influence of the Five Elements Seed, the patterns on the sword gradually became clear—it was a tattered map!

"Is this... a clue to the ruins of the Mysterious Elder's cave?" His heart raced.

"Little Blue." Fu Yongkui beckoned, and the Soul-Devouring Insect immediately flew to his shoulder. "We might be about to strike it rich."

Going treasure hunting alone is too dangerous.

Although he has Little Blue.

just in case.

Fu Yongkui decided to find another person to accompany him: "Alas, what a pity, I can't keep the treasure to myself."

But then I remembered that it was my own brother.

He wasn't as heartbroken anymore.

Fu Yongkui turned and went to the neighboring courtyard.

……

"Brother, look at this." Fu Yongkui carefully took out the broken sword fragment from his pocket, and focused a wisp of spiritual energy on the sword blade with his fingertip. The fragment immediately glowed, revealing fine lines.

Fu Yongren raised a thick eyebrow, his rough fingers tracing the blade: "This is... a fragment of Elder Xuan Shang's 'Frosty Star Sword'?" His Purple Mansion stage divine sense swept over it, immediately detecting a hidden secret: "There are hidden patterns inside the sword!"

“That’s right!” Fu Yongkui rubbed his hands excitedly. “This records the location of a cave ruin. However…” His voice suddenly lowered, looking with heartache at the few specks of rust that had been shaken off by his brother’s spiritual power. “Brother, be gentle. These rust particles still contain trace amounts of cold iron essence.”

Fu Yongren shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and casually flicked a speck of rust from his sword into his younger brother's palm: "Even now that you've become a Grandmaster of the Purple Mansion realm, your stingy nature hasn't changed at all."

"This isn't being stingy, it's being frugal!" Fu Yongkui carefully stored the sword rust into a small jade bottle. "A single grain of cold iron essence can sell for two low-grade spirit stones."

"Alright, let's get down to business." Fu Yongren's expression turned serious, and a fierce aura suddenly rose from his body, with the faint phantom of a silver celestial wolf appearing behind him. "Where is this cave?"

Fu Yongkui took out a yellowed map from his storage bag and spread it out, pointing to a valley deep in the Cloud Mountains: "Based on the sword patterns, it should be here. However..." He hesitated for a moment, "Old Man Xuanshang was a great demon at the Pseudo-Core Formation realm back then, and I've heard that one of his ancestors was a Golden Core True Person. His cave dwelling is probably..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Fu Yongren patted his younger brother's shoulder heartily, causing Fu Yongkui to stumble. "Your brother is now at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and with your Spirit-Devouring Worms and my Black Scales, we're more than capable of handling this!"

As he spoke, he moved the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a giant black-scaled python as thick as a water bucket slithered out, its scarlet tongue hissing. The moment this late-stage third-tier demon beast appeared, the temperature in the entire courtyard dropped several degrees.

The little blue thing on Fu Yongkui's shoulder immediately raised its carapace, and the gold patterns on the carapace flashed with a warning light.

"Don't be nervous." Fu Yongkui reassuredly stroked the Soul-Devouring Insect. "We're all on the same side, brother. Keep your snake in check, don't scare my Little Blue."

Fu Yongren laughed heartily and casually tossed a piece of bloody meat to the black-scaled python: "Let's go, while it's still early."

"Wait!" Fu Yongkui suddenly called out to his elder brother, pulling a stack of talismans from his storage bag. "These are 'Five Elements Protective Talismans' that I made from scraps of waste talisman paper. Although they are only 70% as effective as the originals, they are cheap."

Fu Yongren reluctantly accepted the talisman, watching his younger brother pull out a bunch of bottles and jars: "This is 'Qi-restoring powder' refined from waste pill residue. Its effect is one-third of the genuine product, but the cost is only one-tenth."

"Enough! Enough!" Fu Yongren quickly interrupted, "If we delay any longer, it'll be dark!"

...

...

The two brothers flew through the air and soon arrived at the valley marked on the map. The place was filled with miasma, and the roars of monsters could be faintly heard.

"Stay close to me." Fu Yongren's body shimmered with silver light. He activated the Heavenly Wolf Battle Body to its limit, and his entire being was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, cleaving a path through the poisonous miasma in front of him.

Fu Yongkui looked at his brother's depleted spiritual energy with heartache and muttered softly, "Actually, we could have taken it on the ground and gone slowly."

"Roar!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from the depths of the valley, causing the ground to tremble violently. A massive, armored rhinoceros charged out, its aura at the peak of the third tier causing the surrounding trees to snap in two.

"Perfect timing!" Fu Yongren's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. He didn't dodge or evade, but instead charged straight at the enemy. His fists glowed with silver light, and the phantom of a heavenly wolf behind him howled towards the sky.

"boom!"

The fist collided with the rhinoceros horn, unleashing a deafening roar. Fu Yongren staggered back three steps, while the armored rhinoceros was sent tumbling by the punch!
"Brother! Use talismans!" Fu Yongkui stamped his feet anxiously, "Don't fight head-on!!"

Fu Yongren ignored the warnings and fought with even greater ferocity. The black-scaled python had somehow circled behind the rhinoceros, biting its hind leg and embedding its venomous fangs deep inside.

"Crunch, crunch!" Little Blue wasn't going to be outdone. It flew to the top of the rhinoceros's head and began to gnaw on its hardest horn with its sharp mouthparts.

Fu Yongkui's eyelids twitched: "Little Blue! If that corner is chewed up, it'll be worthless!"

"Roar--!"

Provoked, the armored rhinoceros was enraged, its eyes instantly turning blood red.

"That was exhilarating!" Fu Yongren's eyes burned with fighting spirit, and he took the initiative to meet the attack. Silver light gathered in his fists, and the phantom of a celestial wolf appeared behind him. With a long howl to the sky, the miasma within a radius of ten feet was dispersed by the sound waves.

"Boom!"

The armored rhinoceros lowered its head and charged, its single horn thrusting like a spear. Fu Yongren neither dodged nor evaded, his right fist, imbued with silver energy, slammed heavily into the tip of the horn. The shockwave exploded, cracking the ground, and Fu Yongren's boot sank three inches into the rock, yet he managed to block the impact.

With a crisp "crack," a crack appeared in the rhinoceros's horn. The beast, in pain and rage, raised its forelegs high, its stomp imbued with earth-elemental spiritual power about to strike.

"Little Black!" Fu Yongren roared. A black shadow shot out from his sleeve like lightning. The black-scaled python instantly swelled to the thickness of a bucket, its fangs growing three inches longer, and it precisely bit into the rhinoceros's hind leg joint. The beast's movements faltered, and the python coiled around it, its scales scraping against the iron armor with a piercing sound.

"Little Blue, go!" Fu Yongkui seized the opportunity and made a hand seal. The Soul-Devouring Insect swarm transformed into a blue whirlwind, specifically targeting the rhinoceros's eyes, nostrils, and other vulnerable spots. The leader, the Insect King, was particularly ferocious, directly burrowing into the crack in the unicorn's horn to feast on its prey.

The armored rhinoceros shook its head frantically, and Fu Yongren seized the opening, unleashing the renewed brilliance of his Heavenly Wolf Battle Body. "Heavenly Wolf Star-Shattering Fist!" He leaped into the air, his right fist conjuring a phantom of a wolf's head, and slammed it hard into the rhinoceros's forehead. With a muffled thud, the beast's skull caved in, and blood flowed from its seven orifices.

"Brother, watch out! It's about to go berserk!" Fu Yongkui suddenly shouted. The rhinoceros's eyes were bloodshot, and its armor was covered in blood-red patterns—a sign that it was burning its life essence.

Fu Yongren landed and retreated hastily, only to see that his younger brother had already thrown out three talismans. "Mystic Ice Talismans! Each one costs nearly a thousand spirit stones!" Fu Yongkui's lips twitched with heartache, but his hands didn't stop. The talismans transformed into chains of ice, freezing the rhinoceros's four hooves.

"Well done!" Fu Yongren laughed, the phantom of the Heavenly Wolf merging with his true form, transforming into a silver meteor as he charged towards the demonic beast. The Black-Scaled Python tacitly released its restraints, but its venom had already seeped into its wounds. The swarm of small blue insects retreated en masse, turning their attack to the rhinoceros's anus.

"boom!"

The final punch pierced the rhinoceros's throat, unleashing a burst of silver energy from within. The mountain-sized body crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Fu Yongren, covered in blood, laughed heartily, "That was exhilarating!" Turning his head, he saw his younger brother already squatting beside the corpse, holding a specially made skinning knife, muttering, "The poison sac must be removed intact. If this wound had been half an inch off, it would have been ruined. Brother, next time you hit the throat, remember to hold back a third of your strength."

His movements were fluid and skillful: first, he sealed the blood vessels with ice talismans to prevent the loss of spiritual energy; then, he used a special tool to completely peel off the rhinoceros horn; finally, he even sorted and stored away the least valuable hoof. In less than a quarter of an hour, the priceless materials had been neatly categorized and packed into different storage bags.

Fu Yongren stared in disbelief: "Your technique... is too skilled!"

"It's all money!" Fu Yongkui said earnestly. "At the last auction, a complete third-tier demon core was two hundred spirit stones more expensive than a damaged one." He suddenly lunged to the ground, catching a drop of rhinoceros essence blood about to fall: "This is excellent material for refining body-cultivation pills!"

Fu Yongkui deftly collected the last drop of rhinoceros blood essence, looked up into the depths of the valley, and his eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

“Brother, this armored rhinoceros is a peak third-tier demon beast. There must be good stuff in its lair!” He rubbed his hands together, his tone full of anticipation. “At the very least, there should be a few companion spirit herbs, and maybe we can even dig up a few rare ores.”

Fu Yongren wiped the blood from his face and shook his head, saying, "Our target is Elder Xuanshang's cave. Let's not cause any unnecessary trouble."

"How can you call this creating unnecessary trouble?" Fu Yongkui's eyes widened, his face filled with heartache. "This is the lair of a peak third-tier demonic beast! What if there are spiritual herbs, ores, or even fragments of magical artifacts left behind by our predecessors? Wasting resources will bring divine retribution!"

Looking at his younger brother's expression that said "I won't give up until I've completely destroyed the monster's lair," Fu Yongren sighed helplessly, but a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Alright, alright, it won't make a difference if it takes a little longer."
-
The two followed the tracks left by the rhinoceros deeper into the valley and soon stopped in front of a hidden cave. The cave entrance was half-covered by a boulder, and there were still traces of the rhinoceros's trampling on the ground. A faint fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the air.

"There really are companion spirit herbs!" Fu Yongkui's eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward, took out a small shovel from his storage bag, and carefully dug up several spirit herbs that shimmered with silver light. "This is 'Iron Heart Orchid,' which can strengthen bones and muscles. One plant is worth at least fifty mid-grade spirit stones on the market!"

Fu Yongren stood guard at the cave entrance, scanning the surroundings with his divine sense to confirm that no other demonic beasts were lurking before he relaxed slightly. However, just as he was about to urge his younger brother to leave, the Spirit-Devouring Insect Xiao Lan suddenly flew to a corner of the cave wall with a "crackling" sound, frantically gnawing at the air.

"Hmm?" Fu Yongkui stopped what he was doing, frowning as he looked over. "Xiao Lan, what are you gnawing on? There's clearly nothing there..."

Before the words were finished, a ripple suddenly appeared at the spot where Little Blue had bitten, and then an invisible magic array slowly appeared, covered with fine cracks.

"A concealment formation?!" Fu Yongren's pupils shrank, and he immediately stepped forward, gathering spiritual power in his palm and slamming it onto the light barrier.

"Click——"

The light shield shattered, revealing the interior space.

The moment the formation shattered, a faint smell of blood wafted out.

The two looked closely and saw a woman lying on the ground—

Her plain white dress was now stained with blood, her long black hair was disheveled, her skin was as white as snow, and her features were exquisite. Even in her unconscious state, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Hiss—" Fu Yongkui gasped, "This...where did this fairy come from?"

Fu Yongren frowned, squatted down to examine her injuries, and said in a deep voice, "There are remnants of the armored rhinoceros's demonic power on the wound. She must have been injured by the demon beast we killed."

Fu Yongkui scratched his head, somewhat conflicted: "Brother, should we... save him or not?"

Fu Yongren glanced at him: "What, are you afraid of wasting the pills?"

“That’s not it…” Fu Yongkui chuckled dryly, then muttered under his breath, “But her injuries will require at least three ‘Rejuvenation Pills,’ and each one is quite valuable…”

"Alright." Fu Yongren interrupted him, taking out a pill and stuffing it into the female cultivator's mouth. "Saving lives is the priority."

Fu Yongkui sighed, resignedly took out his medicine bottle, and fed the female cultivator the medicine while grumbling with heartache, "I hope this fairy will be able to pay the medical bills after she wakes up..."

Fu Yongren: "..."

"Brother, look at that jade pendant on her waist!" Fu Yongkui suddenly lowered his voice, his finger trembling slightly as he pointed to the female cultivator's waist. "That's the symbol of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers!"

Fu Yongren's pupils suddenly contracted. Wanhua Valley—a mysterious sect in the Eastern Wilderness with a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge—has never participated in the conflicts between the Great Zhou and the Eastern Wilderness tribes. Every disciple in the sect is a prodigy. How could someone appear alone in this desolate wilderness?

"Crack! Crack!" Little Blue suddenly began to fly around restlessly, the golden patterns on its shell flickering.

"Oh no!" Fu Yongren pulled his younger brother up. "Someone's coming!"

Almost simultaneously, three sword lights pierced the sky and landed outside the cave in an instant. The leading old man in green robes had eyes like lightning, and the pressure of his late-stage Purple Mansion realm was released without any concealment.

"Young friends," the old man said with a forced smile, bowing slightly. "Thank you for saving my disciple from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers. Now you can return her to us."

Fu Yongkui keenly noticed that when the old man said "return," the two disciples behind him placed their right hands on the hilts of their swords. He quietly crushed a communication talisman in his sleeve, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face: "Senior, you're too kind. Saving lives is our duty."

"Enough with the nonsense!" the disciple on the left suddenly shouted. "Hand over that woman!"

Fu Yongren silently stood in front of his younger brother, his Heavenly Wolf Battle Body activated. The Black Scale Python poked its head out from his sleeve, its scarlet tongue hissing.

“Fellow Daoist,” Fu Yongren said in a steady voice, “since you are from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, what proof do you have?”

A cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and he was about to speak when suddenly—

"They...aren't from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers." A weak female voice came from behind. The female cultivator had opened her eyes sometime earlier, her pale lips trembling slightly: "My injuries are thanks to them."

"You're courting death!" the old man roared, and three sword lights attacked simultaneously!

"Heavenly Wolf Protection!" Fu Yongren's body shone brightly with silver light as he forcefully withstood the sword strike.

Fu Yongkui's eyes twitched with heartache, but his hands moved swiftly, throwing out three golden talismans. The talismans transformed into golden shields in the air, barely blocking the other two sword lights.

"Little Blue!" Fu Yongkui gave the order, and the swarm of Spirit Devouring Insects transformed into a blue whirlwind and rushed towards the enemy. The two early Foundation Establishment disciples were caught off guard, and their protective spiritual light was instantly devoured, leaving countless holes.

"Ah! My eyes!" a disciple screamed, covering his face.

Enraged by this, the old man summoned a small black flag. As the flag unfurled, a chilling wind swept through, and dozens of ghostly figures roared out!

"As expected, they are from the Ghost Spirit Sect!" The female cultivator forced herself to sit up, her jade hands forming a hand seal, and a beam of icy blue sword energy suddenly shot out.

Fu Yongren seized the opportunity, pushing his Heavenly Wolf Battle Body to its limit. His fists blazed with silver light, and the phantom of the Heavenly Wolf behind him roared to the sky: "Heavenly Wolf Star-Shattering Fist!"

"boom!"

The force of the fist and the sword energy struck the old man simultaneously. The Yin Soul Banner shattered upon impact, and the old man spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering backward. "Go!" Fu Yongren scooped up the female cultivator, while Fu Yongkui glanced at the scattered talisman fragments on the ground with heartache, gritting his teeth as he followed.

The three sped along until they were sure they had shaken off their pursuers, then stopped in a secluded cave.

...

...

"Thank you both for saving me." The female cultivator bowed weakly. "I am Su Yingxue, a true disciple of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers."

Fu Yongkui's eyes lit up: "A true disciple? What about the medical expenses?"

"Little brother!" Fu Yongren glared at him, then turned and said gently, "Fairy Su, there's no need to be so polite. Who were those chasing you?"

Su Yingxue smiled wryly, "They are from the Ghost Spirit Sect. Half a month ago, I discovered this in an ancient cultivation cave." She took out a fragmented jade slip from her bosom, "This records the true location of the Xuan Shang Elder's inheritance."

Fu Yongkui and Fu Yongren exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"So," Fu Yongkui swallowed hard, "the clues we discovered earlier..."

"A bait, the Ghost Spirit Sect used this to ambush and kill cultivators from the Great Zhou and the Eastern Wilderness," Su Yingxue slowly explained. "The true cave dwelling is located deep within the icy pool of the Cloud Mountain, and it requires the collection of three jade slips to open."

Fu Yongren pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why is Fairy Su willing to tell us this?"

A blush crept onto Su Yingxue's pale face: "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. Besides..." She glanced at the small cloth bag at Fu Yongkui's waist, "This fellow Daoist's expertise in identifying antiques, rather than scrap, might be exactly what we need."

Fu Yongkui immediately perked up: "You have a discerning eye, fairy! Not to brag, but in the entire Yunshan County, when it comes to finding bargains on Taobao, I'm second to none!"

Fu Yongren frowned slightly, his rough fingers stroking the newly sprouted stubble on his chin: "Fairy Su, since you come from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, finding support from a sect shouldn't be difficult for you. Why are you in such a sorry state?"

"This is a long story. I'll explain it to you two when the time is right," Su Yingxue said, a complex look flashing in her eyes. She coughed lightly and took out a plain white handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe her mouth. Fu Yongkui, with his sharp eyes, noticed the exquisite defensive array patterns embroidered on the edge of the handkerchief and his eyes lit up immediately—this handkerchief was worth at least fifty mid-grade spirit stones!
"The Elder Xuan Shang left behind more than just a legacy," Su Yingxue's voice suddenly lowered, "...there was something else..."

Su Yingxue changed the last sentence to a telepathic message.

The cave suddenly fell silent, save for the distinct crunching sound of Little Blue munching on spirit stones. Fu Yongkui patted the spirit insect's head tenderly: "Eat sparingly; we didn't bring many spirit stones on this trip."

"Little brother!" Fu Yongren interrupted helplessly, "Let's get down to business."

A hint of a smile flashed in Su Yingxue's eyes as she continued, "Of the three jade slips, one is in the hands of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and one is with me." She suddenly looked at Fu Yongkui, "The last one should be with Fellow Daoist Fu."

"Me?" Fu Yongkui's eyes widened, and he instinctively covered his storage bag. "Fairy, you jest. These are all worthless things."

Before he finished speaking, an old cloth bag at his waist suddenly glowed faintly. Fu Yongkui hurriedly untied the bag and poured out a pile of miscellaneous items—several broken talismans, half a rusty flying sword, and a dusty jade pendant.

"This is..." Fu Yongkui picked up the jade pendant, his eyes widening in disbelief. "I bought it from a scrap metal stall in the south of the city last month, and it only cost me three low-grade spirit stones!"

The jade tablet was emitting a soft blue light, echoing the jade slip in Su Yingxue's hand.

Fu Yongren's expression suddenly hardened: "Someone's chasing us!" He abruptly stood up, the silver light of his Heavenly Wolf Battle Body swirling across his skin. "At least three Purple Mansion stage cultivators!"

Su Yingxue forced herself to stand up: "They're Soul Chasers from the Ghost Spirit Sect!"

"Get out of here first!" Fu Yongren grabbed Su Yingxue and yelled at his younger brother, "Put the jade slip away safely!"

Fu Yongkui hurriedly stuffed the jade pendant back into his cloth bag, then suddenly noticed the handkerchief embroidered with array patterns on the ground. With lightning speed, he picked it up and stuffed it into his sleeve: "Can't waste it."

The moment the three rushed out of the cave, three dark figures were already a hundred feet away. The leader, wearing a ghastly white mask, spoke in a voice like the scraping of metal: "Leave the jade slip, and I'll spare your lives!"

"Little Black!" Fu Yongren roared, and the Black Scale Python shot out from his sleeve, instantly transforming into a ten-zhang-long giant python, spewing out a cloud of poisonous mist.

"Little Blue, cover our retreat!" Fu Yongkui tossed out a handful of mid-grade spirit stones with a pained expression. The swarm of spirit-devouring insects scattered with a buzz, forming a blue barrier in the air.

Taking advantage of this opening, Fu Yongren carried Su Yingxue and soared into the air.

Fu Yongkui followed closely behind.

Fu Yongren's divine sense stirred, and seeing the person behind them relentlessly pursuing them, he quickly said, "Little brother, use your Five Elements Earth Escape Talisman, quick!"

Fu Yongkui reluctantly pulled out three yellowed talismans.

The moment the talisman burned out, the three figures suddenly disappeared into the ground. The Soul Chaser's attack landed on empty air, causing rocks within a hundred feet to crumble.

The three had traveled only a few miles underground when a violent tremor suddenly struck overhead. The soil cracked, and a chilling, ghostly aura seeped down like a tide.

"Not good!" Fu Yongren's expression changed drastically. "It's the Ghost Spirit Sect's Earth-Splitting Technique!"

Before the words were finished, the rock strata above exploded with a deafening roar. Five dark figures stood in mid-air; the young man at the head, dressed in a dark gold robe with nine jade skull pendants hanging from his waist, stared intently at Su Yingxue with a sinister gaze: "You wretch, hand over the jade slip!"

"Young Master of the Ghost Spirit Sect!" Su Yingxue's face turned pale, her fingertips digging deeply into her palm.

Fu Yongkui looked at the shattered remnants of the Earth Escape Talisman with heartache, then suddenly pulled a handful of rusty copper coins from his storage bag: "Brother, catch!"

The copper coins transformed into nine golden rays in the air, instantly forming an array to protect everyone. The young sect leader's ghostly claw struck the light barrier, producing a piercing scraping sound.

"Ancient coins?" A hint of surprise flashed in the young sect leader's eyes. "I underestimated you."

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fu Yongren activated his Heavenly Wolf Battle Body, silver qi flowing across his body. He whispered, "Fairy Su, do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"

Su Yingxue bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the jade slip. The jade slip immediately emitted a dazzling light, and she said urgently, "I have a Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman, but it requires thirty breaths to prepare!"

"Thirty breaths!" Fu Yongren, seeing the precarious state of the copper coin formation, suddenly ripped off the wolf-tooth necklace from his neck: "Little brother, protect Fairy Su!"

The moment the necklace exploded, a phantom of a giant silver wolf roared out and collided with the two Ghost Spirit Sect elders who were rushing towards it.

Fu Yongkui wasn't idle either. He reluctantly pulled out a crumpled cloth bag and shook out dozens of talismans. These talismans were made of yellowed paper with rough edges, clearly inferior products made from scraps.

"Even cheap goods are still goods!" He gritted his teeth and made a hand seal, and talismans fluttered like butterflies, setting up three more layers of protection outside the copper coin array.

“Crack—”

The first layer of protection shattered instantly.

The young sect leader grinned maliciously as he unleashed a blood-red banner: "Let's see how long you can hold out!"

Fifteen breaths passed, and the jade slip in Su Yingxue's hand shone brighter and brighter, but blood kept spilling from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating that activating the talisman consumed a great deal of energy.

"Little brother!" Fu Yongren suddenly roared. A Ghost Spirit Sect elder broke through the defenses, his ghostly claw aimed straight for Su Yingxue's back!
Without a second thought, Fu Yongkui lunged forward, simultaneously throwing out a dusty, gray alchemy furnace. With a loud bang, the furnace shattered under the ghostly claw, but the waste pill residue inside scattered everywhere, forming a barrier of poisonous mist.

"My third-tier alchemy furnace!" Fu Yongkui cried out in anguish, "I bought it secondhand for two thousand spirit stones!"

Twenty-five breaths later, the last line of defense collapsed. The young sect leader's blood banner had already pressed down three zhang above their heads, the stench of blood making everyone want to vomit.

"It's too late!" Su Yingxue suddenly slammed the jade slip to the ground. "Go!"

A blinding white light erupted, violently distorting space. The young sect leader's furious roar rang out: "Don't even think about it—!"

The blood-red banner crashed down, only to be pulverized by spatial forces the instant it touched the white light. The three figures gradually blurred, and the last thing seen was the young sect leader's face, twisted with rage.
"They may run away, but they can't hide! Those two lads were clearly members of the Fu family of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Unleash all the Yin spirits and drag them out!"

...

...

Deep within the Forging Hall of Huizhou Prefecture, in the Earth Fire Chamber, scorching magma flowed slowly through the ravines, bathing the entire space in a crimson glow. Fu Yongjing, shirtless, his bronze skin covered in fine beads of sweat, was intently staring at the Heavenly Punishment Thunder Crystal suspended in the air.

"The 127th attempt." Fu Yongjing wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned at his younger brother beside him. "This time I adjusted the earth fire temperature, using a 'nine-turn cycle' heating method."

Fu Yongxing's fair face shone brightly in the firelight. He frowned slightly: "Brother, the lightning runes inside the lightning crystal are reacting negatively. Your method is too crude."

"Hey, how do you know it won't work if you don't try?" Fu Yongjing said dismissively, making hand seals. Crimson spiritual fire erupted from his palms, transforming into nine fire snakes that coiled around the thunder crystal.

The surface of the lightning crystal was instantly crackling with electricity, emitting a piercing buzz. Suddenly, a purple arc of lightning shot out from within the crystal, directly piercing through Fu Yongjing's protective aura and leaving a charred mark on his chest.

"Big Brother!" Fu Yongxing exclaimed in surprise. Azure ice flames instantly condensed in his palm, quickly covering the surface of the lightning crystal and forcibly suppressing the rampaging lightning power.

Fu Yongjing collapsed to the ground, but burst into laughter: "That was satisfying! This Lei Jing has an even more volatile temper than Xiao Qing!" He glanced down at the wound on his chest, patted it off nonchalantly, and said, "It's just a minor injury, much lighter than the bite I got from the third-tier fire lizard back then."

Fu Yongxing extinguished the ice flames and shook his head helplessly: "The 'Incomplete Manual of Thunder-Repelling Mirrors' that Father gave us only has the first half; the method for refining the second half has been lost for a long time. We can't even do the basic smelting of thunder crystals, let alone the shaping and spirit infusion later on."

"That's why we have to try!" Fu Yongjing jumped up, gesturing excitedly. "Yongxing, think about it, why did Father entrust this task to us? Isn't it because we are best at creating new methods of weapon forging? Doesn't your book, 'The Hundred Refinements of Heavenly Craftsmanship,' record the theory of 'nurturing materials with weapons'?"

Fu Yongxing's eyes lit up: "Brother, you mean... instead of using traditional methods to smelt the lightning crystal, we can directly guide it to shape itself?"

“Exactly!” Fu Yongjing snapped his fingers. “It’s like teaching a child to walk; supporting him is less effective than letting him explore on his own!”

The two brothers exchanged a smile and immediately threw themselves into their new attempt. Fu Yongxing took out a thick stack of notebooks from his storage bag, which were densely filled with records of the experiences and analyses of every failure over the past year.

"Based on the previous 126 experiments, the spiritual energy of the Thunder Crystal is most docile on the night of a full moon," Fu Yongxing quickly flipped through his notes, "and it has the least aversion to metal-type spiritual energy."

Fu Yongjing leaned closer to look, then suddenly pointed to one of the pages: "Wait, here you wrote that when the Thunder Crystal is subjected to sonic vibrations, the internal Dao patterns will exhibit a regular arrangement?"

“Yes, but that's only a momentary phenomenon; we can't maintain it.” Fu Yongxing suddenly paused, a glint of inspiration flashing in his eyes. “Unless…”

“Unless we find a sound wave with the same frequency as thunder!” Fu Yongjing exclaimed excitedly, turning and running towards the materials shelf. “I remember there’s a ‘Thunderstone’ in the warehouse!”

For the next three months, strange buzzing sounds emanated from the weapon-refining hall every night, sometimes like thunderclaps, sometimes like the fluttering of mosquitoes. At first, the disciples in the hall were so frightened that they couldn't sleep at night, but later they gradually got used to it, and some even joked that it was the two hall masters playing a "weapon-refining symphony".

Late that night, a clear dragon's roar suddenly came from the Earth Fire Chamber, waking everyone in the Refining Hall.

"It's done!" Fu Yongjing's joyful voice echoed in the corridor.

When Liu Runzhi arrived with his disciples, they saw the Heavenly Punishment Thunder Crystal floating in mid-air in the center of the Earth Fire Chamber. Perfect thunder patterns flowed on its surface, and under the guidance of sound waves of a specific frequency, it extended on its own into the shape of a mirror!

Fu Yongxing made a hand seal, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness: "Lei Jing has finally entered the shaping stage."

The successful shaping only proves that their approach was correct.

Over the next three years, the two brothers experienced countless failures and perilous situations. The most dangerous time was when Lei Jing suddenly went berserk, unleashing lightning power powerful enough to kill even a Purple Mansion cultivator. If Fu Yongjing hadn't reacted quickly and pushed his brother away without hesitation, both of them would likely have been seriously injured. Even so, he himself suffered considerable injuries and was bedridden for a full month before he could get out of bed.

"Brother, if anything happens to you..." Fu Yongxing was filled with self-reproach.

“Silly boy,” Fu Yongjing said, his face pale but still beaming, “I promised Father I would forge the Thunder-Repelling Mirror. Besides, you’re smarter than me. If you get injured, who will finish the mirror?”

Fu Yongxing pursed his lips and remained silent, but from that day on, he became even more relentless. He often stayed alone in the Earth Fire Chamber until dawn, repeatedly refining every detail of the refining process. Dozens more pages of dense annotations were added to his "Hundred Refinements of Heavenly Craftsmanship Manual," some of which were even blurred by the rubbing of his fingers.

A turning point came on a stormy night. Fu Yongxing stood alone on the roof of the weapon-refining hall, observing the trajectory of natural lightning. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck a distant lightning-attracting pillar, and the power of the lightning flowed into the underground formation along the specially made guiding copper wire.

This scene was a revelation to him.

"I understand!" Fu Yongxing rushed back to the Earth Fire Chamber and shook Fu Yongjing awake, who was dozing off. "Big brother! We've been trying to control the lightning, but we've forgotten that lightning shouldn't be controlled in the first place! We should guide it, like a lightning bolt!"

Fu Yongjing was still sleepy, but upon hearing his younger brother's words, he immediately woke up: "You mean using lightning to fight lightning?"

“That’s right!” Fu Yongxing excitedly unfolded a new blueprint. “We can design the lightning-repelling mirror as a double-layered structure—the outer layer guides the lightning, and the inner layer stores and transforms it. Like a river diverting its flow, it both mitigates the impact and utilizes the energy!”

The two brothers immediately embarked on a new attempt. This time, instead of forcibly suppressing the power of the lightning crystal, they used a special formation to guide the lightning power to circulate within the mirror. Surprisingly, the lightning crystal became exceptionally docile in this state, even beginning to actively cooperate with the shaping process.

As the refining process entered its final stage, the entire refining hall was designated a forbidden zone. Liu Runzhi personally led his disciples to guard the outer perimeter, and everyone could feel the terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from the Earth Fire Chamber.

“Nearly three years have passed.” A young disciple looked worriedly at the tightly closed stone door.

Liu Runzhi solemnly said, "It's common for a fourth-tier magic weapon to take several years to forge. Especially since this is a lightning-repelling mirror capable of withstanding heavenly tribulations!"

At that moment, the weather suddenly changed. The once clear sky was instantly covered with dark clouds, and streaks of lightning snaked through the clouds.

"A strange phenomenon has appeared in the sky. The magic weapon is about to be completed!" Liu Runzhi exclaimed.

Inside the underground fire chamber, Fu Yongjing and his brother were exhausted, but their eyes shone with an alarming light. Floating between them was a lightning-repelling mirror, its entire body a deep purple-black, its surface as smooth as water, with nine lightning patterns swirling around its edges, and its back engraved with mysterious array patterns.

“The final step, Yongxing,” Fu Yongjing said hoarsely, “Spirit infusion.”

Fu Yongxing nodded, and the two of them simultaneously bit their tongues, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the mirror. The Thunder-Repelling Mirror immediately erupted with dazzling purple light, illuminating the entire Earth Fire Chamber as if it were daytime. The blood on the mirror was quickly absorbed, and nine lightning patterns lit up one by one, finally converging into a lightning bolt mark at the center of the mirror.

"Boom!"

A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket descended from the sky, piercing the roof of the weapon-refining hall and striking the Lightning-Repelling Mirror precisely. Shockingly, the lightning's power not only failed to damage the mirror, but was completely absorbed! The lightning marks on the mirror's surface became even clearer, radiating a chilling pressure.

"It's done?" Fu Yongjing's voice trembled.

Fu Yongxing carefully reached out and touched the mirror. The lightning-repelling mirror immediately emitted a pleasant buzzing sound, automatically shrinking to the size of his palm and falling into his hand.

"A high-grade fourth-tier magic weapon." Fu Yongxing murmured in disbelief, sensing the terrifying power contained within the mirror. "We actually forged a high-grade fourth-tier magic weapon!"

Fu Yongjing hugged his younger brother tightly and burst into laughter: "I knew it! When we brothers join forces, there's nothing we can't do!"

The lightning protection mirror's power far exceeded expectations.

It has a special affinity for heavenly lightning, and can channel 80% of the power of incoming heavenly lightning into the ground, bearing only 20% of the impact.

"There's hope for Mother to overcome this tribulation." Fu Yongxing gently stroked the mirror, his eyes filled with relief.

Fu Yongjing patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "Let's go, it's time to report to Father. He'll be amazed by our achievements!"

(End of this chapter)