Qin Ruqing and the others jumped to the top of the volcano crater.

The four of them stood in a circle, watching the hot steam bubbling up from inside the crater, their faces showing concern.

“How can you see this kind of hot steam? There’s no smoke—just look at the air. The transparent air seems to melt, forming visible ripples. Waves of heat surged into the sky, lifting strands of hair and giving off a burnt smell.”

Qin Ruqing looked down not far from the icy plain.

Yes, an icy plain, the scene cut into an icy plain.

“Can volcanoes grow on ice? Is this a live vent here in the river?” Qin Ruqing squatted down on one leg, fidgeting with his hands, scooping into the volcanic heat, and hastily withdrawing with a hiss when it burned.

Qirong was about to lean over to look down when he saw Qin Ruqing get burned.

He quickly pulled his head back. “Isn’t it too hot here? Are we really going down?”

Qin Ruqing looked at him. “It’s just hot, Qirong. You’ve been too pampered at home. People in the Western Ridge even shave their heads and meditate in the hottest part of Flame Mountain for ten days. How many days can you handle? Two days would probably be your limit! I’m telling you, you have to immerse yourself in the hot pool this time and toughen up!”

Qirong looked pitifully.

Qin Ruqing continued, “Take out the Thousand Years Frigid Ice I gave you before. This time we need to activate it with spiritual power to create a cold ice shield before we can go down.”

The four followed suit.

Qin Ruqing was about to order them to jump in, but felt it wasn’t safe enough, so she took something out of her storage bag.

Tang Zifeng saw what she had in her hand, her eyes flashing. “A top-grade eighth-rank defense artifact, should be able to hold up a protective shield. But it’s too hot here. Once you use it, this artifact will be scrapped.”

Qin Ruqing calmly activated the artifact, placing an additional protective shield outside their icy shield, then felt reassured.

“If it’s scrapped, so be it. Don’t worry, I have money.”

Tang Zifeng pursed her lips, realizing it was futile to worry about Qin Ruqing; she was indeed wealthy.

Not to mention the spirit stones earned from cooperating with the Yang family, just the bets she placed at the forging competition made her bowl and plate overflow with wealth.

Qin Ruqing held up the spiritual shield, her face serious, and said, “Jump!”

Without hesitation, the four jumped down together.

The temperature below was noticeably higher, but with the Xuanbing’s cold shield, they didn’t feel much.

“Wow, it’s not magma inside, it’s a volcanic cave,” Qi Rong exclaimed in amazement after landing.

“Are you silly? Why would I let you jump into magma?”

After inspecting the environment and confirming there were no additional dangers besides the heat, the four sat down cross-legged.

— Sitting on ice. Sitting on a rock slab would have burnt their buttocks.

Tang Zifeng’s eyes were sharp. “We should have jumped to the middle section of the volcano.”

Qin Ruqing nodded slightly, “Yes, the middle section, which means the magma is at least as deep as half a mountain.”

They jumped down from the volcano’s mouth and into this volcanic cave, finding it semi-arched inside, half of it had a floor where people could stand, and the other half was bubbling lava.

Lu Wei looked at her, “Sister, are we here to practice?”

Midway through, Qingqing possessed the Fire Spirit Root, and she also had a Fire Spirit Root.

This volcanic cave happened to be an excellent place for cultivation.

Lu Wei counted on her fingers, “I’m practicing alchemy, Qi Rong is body cultivator, not to mention Qingqing… Tang Big Brother is forging tools. Tang Big Brother, didn’t you say the Stellar Meteor Bursting Sphere was just missing the final tempering? Can you temper it here?”

Tang Zifeng glanced at Qin Ruqing, nodding with complexity, “Yes, you can.”

This was what she mentioned earlier, an environment beneficial for everyone’s cultivation.

Indeed, the first stop into the secret realm was well chosen; she had considered every aspect.

Qin Ruqing chuckled, “Indeed, Third Sister understands me. Let’s not waste time, hurry up and cultivate, then go out to fight and search for treasures.” And the Ancestor’s Mysterious heart liquid.

Qin Ruqing began to pull out things like Doraemon.

“Here, this is for you.” She threw something resembling a scroll at Qi Rong.

Qi Rong took it and looked at it blankly, “What’s this?”

Without lifting her head, Qin Ruqing said, “Body forging secret technique, given to me by the Yang family. Did you think I was joking when I said I would make you suffer?”

With a clang, she pulled out a huge block of Xuan ice that was taller than Tang Zifeng—this was an air conditioner.

She took out many storage bags, looking like the pile of spirit stones sent by the casino steward; there were also some miscellaneous materials that didn’t seem to have any function, and Tang Zifeng looked like she was going to use them to set up a formation.

After removing three large piles of things, Qin Ruqing started to assign tasks.

“I will set up the Premium Spirit Gathering Formation. Third Sister, you set up the defense formation. Tang Zifeng, help Third Sister. Qirong, take a look at the Body Forging Secret Technique first.”

The group began to busy themselves.

When Qin Ruqing mentioned setting up the Premium Spirit Gathering Formation, she really set it up.

Among the three piles, two were bags, and when they opened, a pile of spirit stones tumbled out.

Tang Zifeng picked up a high-grade spirit stone that had rolled to her feet and asked, “Won at the casino?”

Qin Ruqing chuckled, “Yeah, speaking of which, I did fleece you.” After all, the bet was somewhat related to Zifeng.

Tang Zifeng fell silent.

How could she not be used to being fleeced by her?

Spontaneously, she walked over and pressed the spirit stone in a certain place on the formation.

After finishing, Qin Ruqing clapped her hands, “Okay, the extra earned spirit stones are not so precious. Use them to death! The power of the Gathering Array was turned on to the fullest, and I still had this pile to finish.”

Lu Wei nodded without hesitation, “Sister, are you going to practice with us?” It seemed to her that she was planning to practice elsewhere on her own.

Tang Zifeng pursed her lips, slightly displeased with Qin Ruqing’s politeness towards him.

He deliberately remarked, “If we truly encounter danger, even if I have to use this spiritual weapon, I won’t let them suffer any harm.”

Qin Ruqing glanced at the object in his hand and chuckled, “That won’t be necessary. Your treasure may be valuable, but it’s not suited for this situation.”

With that, she stepped out of the defensive formation, her hair briefly lifted by the heat wave before settling back down.

The scorching environment seemed to have no effect on her.

Approaching the edge of the magma pool, Qin Ruqing turned to the three gazes fixed upon her and said, “I’ll be cultivating in the geothermal pool nearby. I might dive deeper, but I won’t be far from you. The duration is uncertain, it could be short or long. Don’t worry about me.”

Qirong nodded heavily.

Lu Wei cautioned, “Be careful, Sister.”

Tang Zifeng expressed his concern openly through his gaze.

Qin Ruqing hesitated no longer, summoning a spiritual barrier and, like diving into water, she plunged into the geothermal pool with a splash.

The temperature inside the geothermal pool was tolerable for Qin Ruqing.

She even pushed her cultivation to the extreme with her innate perfection, absorbing the fiery energy within, causing her meridians to burn with a strangely satisfying pain.

However, the magma made it hard for her to keep her eyes open.

Qin Ruqing chanted a spell and rubbed her eyes, a flash of golden light restoring her vision.

Hehe, as a practitioner, she had learned a variety of both orthodox and unorthodox spells.

This clarity spell was quite useful in this environment.

Qin Ruqing scanned her surroundings with her eyes and kicked her legs to dive deeper.

The temperature here should be sufficient for refining the celestial fire seed, but she needed to go deeper.

After descending about halfway further, Qin Ruqing found it increasingly uncomfortable even with the spiritual barrier, and the clarity spell seemed less effective.

Nevertheless, Qin Ruqing nodded; this depth should suffice.

Summoning the celestial fire seed from her spatial pouch, though it was called a seed, it looked nothing like one—a small, fingernail-sized orb glowing orange-red.

She had intended to start refining it with a spell, but halfway through the incantation, she hesitated.

Ah, doing something unpredictable at such a crucial moment always felt uneasy.

Yet, with no turning back now, and with the geothermal pool allowing no room for other operations, Qin Ruqing sternly furrowed her brow and, against her last bit of stubbornness, clasped her hands together in a final prayer.

Jade Emperor, Supreme Old Lord, bless me with an extraordinary celestial fire.

Without further hesitation, resolute in her gaze, she began the refinement! Qin Ruqing swallowed the small red orb directly.

Yes! She swallowed it! Refinement meant wrestling with this celestial fire seed until it submitted, automatically acknowledging her as its master.

As soon as the celestial fire seed entered her body, Qin Ruqing’s expression twisted in agony.

How to describe it? It felt like swallowing a red-hot steel nail, burning and piercing through her organs.

In essence, the fire seed was a dormant flame seedling.

Upon entering Qin Ruqing’s body, the seedling swelled and spread autonomously, igniting a blaze that seared through her entire being.

Her meridians and internal organs seemed ablaze to an onlooker as Qin Ruqing coughed out a spark and thought to herself, “Is every seed this difficult to handle? I’ve heard that ancient masters could directly refine mature celestial fires. How did they manage that?

With my innate perfection and Dao physique, I can’t even tame such a small seedling like you.”

Qin Ruqing changed her hand seals, muttering, “Today, I won’t believe it. Take this! Refine!”

Outside the volcano cave, Tang Zifeng suddenly opened his eyes while resting to prepare for the upcoming refinement of artifacts.

He turned to the geothermal pool.

Lu Wei, who was refining pills, looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The geothermal pool,” Tang Zifeng replied.

Lu Wei frowned, drew his sword, erected a defensive barrier, and walked over to the geothermal pool.

Tang Zifeng followed closely behind.

After squatting down and feeling the surroundings for a moment, Lu Wei remarked, “I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but the air seems hotter.” It was not noticeable inside the protective shield of the Cold Profound Ice, but became apparent once outside.

Tang Zifeng said, “It’s not your imagination. It’s definitely getting hotter.”

A look of concern flashed in Lu Wei’s eyes. “I wonder if it’s Xiaowu stirring things up or if there’s been a change in this geothermal pool. Let’s keep an eye on it for a while.”

Little did they know, this observation lasted almost half a month.

Qin Ruqing had been inside the geothermal pool for over half a month.

Outside, Lu Wei and the others sensed a noticeable rise in temperature.

The most direct evidence was the quicker melting of the Cold Profound Ice within their protective shields.

“She hasn’t come out yet… but it’s normal. Qingqing did mention it might take a while. We’ll just have to wait patiently,” Lu Wei muttered, his voice echoing distinctly in the cavernous volcano.

Suddenly, both he and Tang Zifeng turned their heads towards the geothermal pool as a disturbance came from that direction.

At the bottom of the fire pool, Qin Ruqing finally opened her eyes.

They shone brightly with a fleeting golden flame.

Qin Ruqing smirked, extending her fingertip.

A wisp of flame flickered from her fingertip, its overall hue a faint golden smoke, reddening at its core.

It seemed docile, gently pulsating atop Qin Ruqing’s fingertip.

From the fire pool came Qin Ruqing’s murmured words, “Hmm, I can’t feel a thing staying in the geothermal pool now. Obviously, this celestial fire is hotter than the geothermal pool; it seems capable of burning the soul directly? Hmm, quite impressive. Ethereal and hazy like light smoke, capable of injuring invisibly… What kind of celestial fire is this?”

Instinctively, Qin Ruqing wanted to ask the system but remembered it was clueless about anything she didn’t already know, so she gave up.

Retracting the flame, Qin Ruqing felt pleased.

At least the information she perceived told her that this blind box had yielded something good.

Even if it wasn’t gold, it was at least purple. It seemed the Jade Emperor had blessed her this time.

She resolved to ask the Ancestor or Fifth Lingyu about the origin of this flame after retracting it.

Surprisingly, Qin Ruqing remained motionless in the fire pool after retracting the flame.

She floated, kneeling with one knee on the ground.

“Hmm, it seems like an opportunity has arrived. It feels a bit miraculous,” Qin Ruqing mused, looking down.

It seemed she hadn’t explored the depths of this fire pool yet.

However, before diving deeper, Qin Ruqing decided to spent quite some time refining the seed.

She decided to go up first to report her safety to her companion before continuing her exploration.

On the shore, Lu Wei was gazing at the surface of the geothermal pool.

It had been boiling since half an hour ago, with small bubbles turning into large ones.

After discussing, they decided to monitor the situation like this for the day and send someone down the next day to investigate.

Suddenly, Tang Zifeng’s expression sharpened. “Something is coming up!”

Lu Wei drew his sword, stood up in an instant, and Qirong also assumed a defensive posture.

Their spiritual senses indeed detected a figure emerging from the geothermal pool.

The aura was very unfamiliar, not like Qin Ruqing’s.

Could there be any living creature in such an extreme environment as the geothermal pool?

Just as Lu Wei and the others were on edge, magma bubbles burst open, and a familiar voice sounded brightly:

“So, I’ve actually dived that deep.” Qin Ruqing murmured to herself, lifting her head with a smile. “Hello, Third Sister Lu Wei, Qirong, and little Tang! I’ve come up alive to see you all!”

“Alive and well—what else could I be?” Ignoring the blunt wording, the group rushed excitedly to the edge of the pool.

“Little Sister, how are you? Did you get hurt? We’ve felt the pool getting much hotter these days,” Lu Wei asked with concern.

Qin Ruqing, submerged in the fire pool with only her head visible, smiled and said, “I’m not injured at all. I’m actually doing great. My strength has skyrocketed. I’ve come up to let you know my cultivation isn’t finished yet. I’ll have to go back down soon. Please don’t worry about me.”

“And, I feel like there’s some kind of opportunity for me at the bottom of this fire pool. It might be useful for me…” Qin Ruqing’s words were somewhat ambiguous, but Lu Wei and Qirong naturally understood.

The two words she left unsaid were likely “Dao physique.”

Before Lu Wei and Qirong could respond, Qin Ruqing suddenly turned sharply to Tang Zifeng. “What’s with that look? Do you think I’m on guard against you? Let me tell you, Tang Zifeng, boys who are so suspicious won’t attract pretty celestial maidens. There’s nothing I can’t tell you. Don’t forget the promise you made!”