In the volcanic cave, Lu Wei and the others noticed the ground shaking, which soon calmed down mysteriously.

Qi Rong looked at the collapsed stones around and wondered, “Could this be caused by my sister?”

It was quite possible.

As a fire element cultivator, Lu Wei had a keen sense of temperature.

She frowned, sensing the change, and then removed the protective barrier. “It doesn’t feel as hot anymore.”

Tang Zifeng, a werewolf, knelt down, dipped his hand into the magma, and after a moment, pulled it out, shaking off the lava. “It’s indeed not hot anymore.”

He stood up, his dark eyes fixed on the surface of the magma. “She should be coming out soon.”

Everyone understood that “she” referred to Qin Ruqing.

The person they were referring to was Qin Ruqing.

Their eyes were filled with excitement.

It had been half a year, and finally, Qingqing was coming out.

Lu Wei and the others waited patiently for half an hour.

Just as Qirong was getting restless and suggested, “Since the lava isn’t hot anymore, why don’t we go down and look for her?” there was a sudden commotion from the direction of the Earth Fire Pool.

A powerful aura quickly rose from the depths of the lava.

Tang Zifeng watched intently, and this time, no one panicked.

It was Qin Ruqing. It had to be her.

Sure enough, a slender and delicate figure emerged from the Earth Fire Pool, spinning through the red-hot lava, and landed gracefully on the ground, barefoot.

Tang Zifeng smiled and was about to say something, but then he paused, noticing Qin Ruqing’s face.

Lu Wei and the others also noticed that something was different about her.

“Hey, sister, you seem a bit different!” Qirong circled around Qin Ruqing, looking her up and down before concluding, “You’ve gotten taller!”

Qin Ruqing covered her face, “What? I’ve grown taller again!”

After looking at her, Lu Wei also laughed, “Little Sister, you’ve become even prettier. You look more mature than before.”

Prettier… Qin Ruqing suddenly had a bad feeling.

She took out a mirror and examined herself from all angles, realizing with horror that she had indeed uncontrollably become more like a mature beauty!

In both of her past lives, she had the face of a mature beauty.

Why couldn’t she have a different style this time?

Now that her appearance had solidified after her cultivation, she couldn’t change it even if she wanted to!

Qin Ruqing threw herself into Lu Wei’s arms, “Waaah, Third Sister, I’ve become ugly!”

She couldn’t become a sweet and gentle beauty like her Third Sister anymore.

Ugly… Lu Wei patted Qin Ruqing’s hair, which was now smoother than before, and couldn’t help but stroke it a few more times.

Lu Wei could feel that Qingqing’s sadness was real.

Perhaps, instead of sadness, it was more like a sense of regret.

Although she didn’t understand how Qingqing had come to the conclusion that she had become ugly, Lu Wei had traveled across the Southern and Western Ridges and had never seen a female cultivator more beautiful than Qingqing.

But Lu Wei still comforted her seriously, “How could that be? Little Sister is so beautiful!”

Qin Ruqing was indeed comforted.

She clenched her fist in her heart and thought, since she couldn’t become a sweet girl, she would become a mature beauty who could protect sweet girls!

Seeing it this way, she and her Third Sister were still a perfect match!

Qin Ruqing quickly cheered up and greeted Tang Zifeng, “Hello, Little Tang, I’m back~”

Tang Zifeng was dazzled by her bright and radiant face.

He instinctively straightened his own expression, pursed his lips, and replied seriously, “Welcome back. Did your cultivation go well?”

Qin Ruqing then noticed the surroundings, seeing the signs of destruction, and realized what had happened.

She had drawn too much fire energy.

Her expression became serious.

“This place might collapse. Let’s get out of here first.”

Outside, it was a snowy landscape.

As they came out, everyone shivered from the cold.

Tang Zifeng instinctively wanted to create a protective aura for everyone, but Qin Ruqing stopped him, smiled, and with a flick of her fingers, conjured a layer of protection for them.

A golden flame, as light as smoke, slowly enveloped everyone.

It felt like a gentle hug before it spread out leisurely, forming a protective bubble around them.

“Hehe, this is my new treasure. Isn’t it nice?” Qin Ruqing said proudly.

Qirong exclaimed, “Wow, it’s so warm! Sister, what is this?”

Qin Ruqing, feeling proud, announced the name she had given her newly acquired flame: “It’s called Cloud Smoke Golden Lotus Fire.”

Lu Wei repeated the name and asked, “Why ‘Golden Lotus’?”

While also using her spiritual sense to find a shelter from the wind, Qin Ruqing explained, “This flame is an extension of my Azure Lotus Dao Physique, but it’s not entirely that.”

This information was a lot to take in.

Qingqing’s Dao Physique had advanced, and it had extended to produce an innate flame?

Lu Wei and Qirong were each shocked, but the one who should have been most surprised, Tang Zifeng, didn’t seem very astonished.

Should he have mentioned that she didn’t seem ordinary the first time they met?

From the first time he saw Qin Ruqing, he noticed she held an extraordinary position in the Qin family.

After staying with the Qin family for two years, he further realized how rapidly her cultivation progressed.

Initially, his cultivation level was higher than hers, but she soon surpassed him.

Tang Zifeng had guessed that she probably had a golden-grade aptitude and was being cultivated by the Qin family as a future golden core candidate.

Now, hearing about her Dao Physique, he wasn’t surprised but found it logical and reasonable.

Tang Zifeng was more focused on the fact that she hadn’t hidden such an important detail from him at all…

Qin Ruqing, multitasking as she often did, quickly discovered with her spiritual sense that there was a cave about ten miles ahead.

She hurriedly told Tang Zifeng, “Tang Zifeng, bring out your little flying boat. There’s a cave ahead.”

Tang Zifeng: “…Okay.”

In the cave, the golden lotus flame floated above the four of them, providing warmth. Qin Ruqing briefly recounted what had happened to her under the Earth Fire Pool.

Lu Wei placed her hand on her chest, “Sister, so you’re in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment now?”

Qin Ruqing nodded firmly, making Lu Wei’s heart beat faster with excitement.

Lu Wei never hid her admiration for strength.

She admired Qingqing and Qirong’s power and had approached them because of it.

However, after getting to know Qingqing, she realized she could never catch up to her, yet she wasn’t disappointed.

Having such a powerful person in front of her, she saw her as the sun.

The sun never falls, and she could always chase after it.

How invigorating and joyful that was!

Seeing the gleam in Lu Wei’s eyes, Qin Ruqing remembered something and quickly extended her palm. “Oh, Third Sister, I brought something good for you from the Earth Fire Pool.”

In her palm, a small red dot, the size of a fingernail, slowly appeared.

It seemed to want to escape when Qin Ruqing released it, but she used a spell to keep it in place.

“What is this?” Lu Wei asked.

Qin Ruqing smiled, “It’s the Heart of Earth Fire, still in its juvenile stage. It’s perfect for you to refine and use for alchemy. I’ve heard that the best alchemists have special alchemy flames.”

Lu Wei felt her heartbeat quicken.

Qingqing often said she was like Doraemon.

She hadn’t understood the meaning before, but in this context, she suddenly did!

“Third Sister, do you like it?” Qin Ruqing asked.

Lu Wei replied, “I love it!”

What alchemist wouldn’t crave their own unique alchemy flame?

Qin Ruqing’s gift was perfect.

The gift was perfect for Lu Wei.

She reached out to touch it, but Qin Ruqing pulled it away, “Don’t touch it. This thing is even hotter than the Earth Fire. Wait until you’re ready and feel confident you can refine it completely before you handle it.”

With that, she clenched her hand, and the Heart of Earth Fire was reabsorbed into her body.

Lu Wei understood.

Just because Qingqinh could handle it easily didn’t mean she could.

She gripped her sword tighter, feeling a surge of determination.

Qin Ruqing was about to speak when she noticed two pairs of eager eyes.

Qirong clenched his fist, “Sister, you gave Third Sister a gift. What about mine?”

Tang Zifeng’s gaze, though more reserved, clearly conveyed the same question.

Qin Ruqing shrank back a bit and coughed, “It’s not that I forgot about you two. I just completely cleaned out the Earth Fire Pool; there’s really nothing left!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be searching for more treasures soon, and I’ll find something perfect for you.”

Speaking of treasure hunting, the three of them seemed to recall something.

Qirong spoke in a strange tone, “Sister, there are rumors that there’s Mysterious Heart Liquid in Xiaofu Kong.”

Qin Ruqing was puzzled, “What?”

They all knew about the possible presence of Heart Liquid in Xiaofu Kong and had come for it.

However, they hadn’t heard the rumor spreading, otherwise, the number of people entering Xiaofu Kong would have doubled.

How did this news become so widely known?

Lu Wei nodded, “Now, all the family teams have heard about it and are gathering there.”

Qin Ruqing asked, “Do we have a specific location?”

Tang Zifeng replied, “Near the Grand Canyon in the west of Xiaofu Kong. There’s a golden core stage monster guarding it.”

Qirong was excited.

The three from the Qin family knew they needed the Mysterious Heart Liquid for their ancestor.

With the Mysterious Heart Liquid now possibly appearing, it was the perfect time for them to act!

“Sister, should we head there now?” He and Third Sister had already scouted the area once.

Qin Ruqing made a sound of contemplation, “I smell a setup. It’s too obvious! Who would get news about Mysterious Heart Liquid and spread it to everyone?”

Qirong wondered, “Could it be a trap? Is the information false?”

Qin Ruqing wasn’t sure.

She stood up, and the golden lotus flame moved with her.

“It might not be fake. It could also be someone trying to create chaos and then take advantage of the situation… In any case, let’s go check it out.”