Chapter 21

When Xiao Luan threw the violent crystal into the tripod furnace, Zhou Lu was eagerly looking forward to seeing how she would control the fierce fire energy inside it. The violent crystal was like a powerful enemy. Watching Xiao Luan battle a stronger opponent, Zhou Lu was sure he could learn a lot.

Zhou Lu was so excited that he scratched his ears and cheeks. Xiao Luan slowly refined the violent crystal. As the outer shell of the violent crystal was about to melt away, the fire energy inside was about to explode. Zhou Lu estimated that Xiao Luan would need at least a dozen techniques to subdue the raging energy in the first instant of the explosion.

However, even at the last moment, Zhou Lu saw no signs of Xiao Luan preparing. "Not good," Zhou Lu subconsciously whispered. He suddenly realized that Xiao Luan and the others had no idea what kind of thing the violent crystal was.

In fact, Xiao Luan herself didn't know that the violent crystal she found was a mutated ore, with fire energy that was dozens of times more intense than a regular violent crystal. Without Zhou Lu's ability to transform into fire and sense fire energy, Xiao Luan had no idea that she was refining a little demon.

With a bang, the first layer of the violent crystal exploded. As others rushed to the tripod room, Zhou Lu tensely sensed the fire inside. Seeing Xiao Luan use a nearly magical fire control technique to gradually suppress the violent fire energy, Zhou Lu couldn't help but be amazed, as if watching a proud swordsman cutting down enemies one by one with a graceful and elegant sword technique in a chaotic battlefield.

Only then did Zhou Lu realize that Xiao Luan's reputation as a genius was not by chance. His admiration for Xiao Luan rose to a new level.

"Ha, keep it up, three, two, one, another wave of enemies is coming!"

With a "buzz," the last layer of the violent crystal exploded, and the situation escalated to a fourth-degree firestorm. Xiao Luan's fire control technique was immediately overwhelmed by the overwhelming power.

Zhou Lu was stunned, his eyes wide open, and he drew a sharp breath. His mood of watching the spectacle was completely gone. He thought Xiao Luan would use more sophisticated techniques to subdue the firestorm, but this time, she couldn't hold on.

He realized that he still knew too little about the so-called firestorm. A fourth-degree firestorm was like a powerful high-level hunter, while Xiao Luan was like a child with only third-degree power. In the rampant firestorm, Xiao Luan was in grave danger. Zhou Lu estimated that she wouldn't last more than ten breaths.

Hearing the third senior brother call for someone to find the Pavilion Master, Zhou Lu's eyes turned red with urgency. Only ten breaths, would it be in time?

Zhou Lu suddenly reached out, grabbed the collar of the manager Qi next to him, and roared, "Where is the Pavilion Master? How long will it take for him to get here?"

Manager Qi, frightened by the fourth-degree firestorm, didn't care that Zhou Lu was speaking to him so rudely. His face turned pale, and he stammered, "The Pavilion Master is on the back mountain. It will take at least the time of a joss stick to get here."

"Damn it!" Zhou Lu was so anxious that his teeth itched.

The third senior brother was still shouting to maintain order, "Everyone, don't panic. Don't disturb Xiao Luan. Let her try her best to hold on. The Pavilion Master is almost here."

Zhou Lu was almost ready to explode with anger. Let Xiao Luan hold on by herself? Go find the Pavilion Master? By the time the Pavilion Master arrives, Xiao Luan would be blown to pieces.

Zhou Lu looked at Xiao Luan in the tripod room, struggling to pull her hands back but unable to do so. He felt his facial muscles twitching, his body trembling violently, and his chest feeling suffocated. He was desperate to do something.

Zhou Lu knew that his old problem was acting up again. When the big boy took Mengtian's rice shovel, Zhou Lu had the same urge to hit someone. Later, according to the analysis of the barbarian doctor his grandfather found, it was caused by an overproduction of something called adrenaline.

"Damn it, if I die, I die. If I don't, I'll live for ten thousand years. It's just a moment of foolishness. Can't I just feel heartbroken watching a beautiful girl get blown up?"

Zhou Lu tried to comfort himself, his fat body taking a step forward, pushing two panicked alchemists aside, and shouting, "Excuse me, a good dog doesn't block the way. Everyone, get out of my way..."

Zhou Lu, in a frenzy, kicked and pushed his way through the crowd.

There was no time, only ten breaths left. Zhou Lu had to rush to the tripod room as quickly as possible, even though he was extremely afraid.

The alchemists were in an uproar. They were not used to seeing the fat, gentle, and sheep-like Zhou Lu suddenly go crazy. In the chaos, they all scolded and cursed him, making the cave even more chaotic.

The third senior brother was already in a state of confusion and had no idea what to do. Suddenly seeing the "miscellaneous servant" rushing around like a madman, a surge of anger rose to his head.

He was just looking for an outlet for his anger, and Zhou Lu had walked right into it. Zhou Lu had just knocked another person away and was only a few steps from the tripod room.

The third senior brother's face turned ashen, and he roared, "Little brat, do you even know where you are to run around like this? Get out of here!"

The third senior brother took a large step forward, raised his hand, and slapped Zhou Lu.

"Third senior brother, hit him hard, beat him to death."

"The Fire Pavilion is not a place for you to act recklessly."

"Third senior brother, teach that fat guy a lesson..."

Seeing a lowly fat guy dare to knock a proud and noble alchemist away, those people couldn't hold back their anger and cursed him in a chaotic manner.

The third senior brother was not only angry but also extremely anxious and at a loss. A fourth-degree firestorm was beyond his control, and if it exploded, many people would die. He was very afraid, but Xiao Luan's identity was too special, and he didn't dare to abandon the mess and run away. He felt frustrated, scared, and desperately wanted to see some blood to vent his anger.

Seeing Zhou Lu trembling, the third senior brother's eyes showed a glint of bloodlust.

Breaking the rules in the Fire Pavilion could be punishable by death. Zhou Lu's shouting and rushing around gave the third senior brother a perfect reason to punish him, claiming that he was interfering with Xiao Luan's fire control. With a righteous stance, he could vent all his anger on Zhou Lu.

"Fat guy, you're asking for it."

The third senior brother's palm, tinged with a metallic color, was about to strike. His face showed a fierce killing intent. At this moment, the evil sense of release made his blood boil, and he felt a surge of excitement.

"Die!"

The third senior brother roared.

There was a sharp sound. Zhou Lu's fat palm was as fast as lightning, and with one slap, he flattened half of the third senior brother's face like a balloon. The third senior brother spat out a mix of broken teeth and blood and flew back, hitting the mountain wall.

The entire cave fell silent, and everyone was stunned.

Seeing the third senior brother, a fourth-degree power alchemist, being slapped away by the fat, gentle-looking Zhou Lu, the alchemists couldn't believe their eyes and drew sharp breaths.

Was that slap from the fat guy?

Was that the same meek and easy-to-bully miscellaneous servant? Clearly, he was a bloodthirsty wolf with sharp teeth and claws.

The third senior brother, a fourth-degree power alchemist, was actually slapped away by the fat, gentle-looking Zhou Lu?

This... This was impossible.

Thinking about how they had been bossing around the gentle fat guy earlier, the alchemists felt a chill run down their spines and a wave of fear.

The third senior brother slumped to the ground like a pile of mud, his mind blank. He had never thought that a high-ranking alchemist like him would be slapped back by someone, and slapped so hard.

Was he crazy? Wasn't he afraid of being exterminated?

Zhou Lu cracked his neck and looked at the tripod room, his eyes red.

Xiao Luan was in grave danger, and saving her was like putting out a fire. Those damn alchemists were just flying around like chickens, not helping at all, and even pretending to be righteous to stop him.

Zhou Lu was also a fourth-degree power alchemist, but the power of the barbarian qi vortex could make him as strong as a sixth-degree alchemist.

Facing a fourth-degree power alchemist with no combat experience, Zhou Lu's full attack was like a grown-up bullying a child.

Zhou Lu's eyes bulged, and he roared, "Aren't you going to move?"

The terrified alchemists in front of him scattered like birds and beasts.

There were less than seven breaths left.

Zhou Lu was anxiously counting in his mind, and the most terrifying thing was that he didn't know if his estimate of the time was accurate.

He didn't even know if the tripod would explode as soon as he rushed in, before he could do anything.

Zhou Lu was so anxious that he took a step forward with force.

At that moment, the barbarian qi vortex in his dantian suddenly made him sense danger, and his body hair stood on end. Zhou Lu was so scared that he rolled to the side and fell away.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Three gusts of wind brushed past him, and the three arrows shot into the opposite mountain wall, leaving only short arrow tails in the hard rock.

Zhou Lu was drenched in cold sweat. In a panic, he looked up and saw Sister Huan in a green dress, her face full of委屈 and anger, aiming a delicate repeating crossbow at him and cursing, "You bastard."

Xiao Luan's furnace explosion had already made Sister Huan's mind a mess, and now the fat guy had suddenly gone crazy.

Sister Huan looked smart and capable, cold as ice, but in the peaceful Fire Pavilion, she had never encountered any sudden events. When this happened, she panicked and acted without thinking.

What if Zhou Lu disturbed Xiao Luan?

Sister Huan, in a fit of anger, took out the fierce repeating crossbow. At this moment, she didn't know how to curse more effectively, so she used the most insulting words she could think of.

Zhou Lu's facial muscles twitched, and he tensed his legs, ready to jump away at any moment, while cursing, "You're the bastard."

Sister Huan was so angry that she almost cried, pointing at him, "You're a hooligan."

"You're the hooligan. You're a big hooligan, and your whole family are hooligans."

Zhou Lu didn't back down, and Sister Huan couldn't match the little rascal's cursing. She was so angry that her face turned red, and she regretted not kicking the fat guy out of the Fire Pavilion when he sat on her golden chair.

Zhou Lu had no time to waste. After cursing Sister Huan until her hands trembled, he gritted his teeth and charged forward, taking advantage of her moment of distraction.

Sister Huan, tears in her eyes, raised the repeating crossbow again, "Thud, thud, thud," and shot another three arrows.

Zhou Lu was terrified.

He hadn't expected the Fire Pavilion's weapons to be so sharp and fast, shooting three arrows with just a raise of the hand. Zhou Lu didn't even know how the arrows were loaded.

The Fire Pavilion's weapons amazed Zhou Lu, but it was a matter of life and death.

"That damn woman, she's asking for it. She's clearly destined to be raped and killed."

Zhou Lu, teeth grinding, used the barbarian qi vortex to enhance his body to the limit. He slightly tilted his upper body to the left and split his legs in the air.

An arrow shot past his chest muscle, and another almost grazed his crotch, the wind from the arrow almost making Zhou Lu wet himself. His lower body shivered and tightened.

The third arrow was unavoidable.

Sweat dripped from Zhou Lu's forehead, and his hands trembled involuntarily. He suddenly turned his head and, with a "click," bit the third arrow precisely between his teeth.

The alchemists in the cave were stunned.

Sister Huan's eyes widened, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Zhou Lu's movements and the final bite were almost miraculous, leaving everyone in awe.

At such a close distance, three consecutive arrows, and the fat guy managed to dodge them?

Heaven!

Sister Huan was terrified by Zhou Lu's movements and even more terrified by the figure that loomed over her.

Zhou Lu leaped forward, charging straight at Sister Huan, and with a "bang," slammed her into the mountain wall. His fat body pressed against her, squeezing her soft body with surprising elasticity.

Zhou Lu's fat face was almost touching Sister Huan's soft lips.

Under the stunned gaze of the surrounding crowd, regardless of Sister Huan's crying and struggling, Zhou Lu grabbed the repeating crossbow from her and tucked it into his waist. His fat body rubbed against her with the remaining elasticity until he was sure she had no more hard weapons, then he stepped back.

Zhou Lu, blushing, cursed, "Spit, you female hooligan, I'll get you back later."

With a "whoosh," the fat guy slipped into the tripod room.

Sister Huan bit her lip, her face turning red and pale, tears welling up in her eyes, and her body almost unable to move against the mountain wall.

Being so intimately touched by a stranger, she felt both anger and humiliation. What made her feel the most wronged and flustered was the tingling sensation in the sensitive areas of her body that had been pressed by the fat guy, making her face flush with embarrassment.