Chapter 74

In order for Wang Meng to focus on his cultivation and to prevent others from prying into his secret weapon, he announced that he was in seclusion.

Heaving a heavy sigh, "Sigh, it’s still that woman Lu Yun. She’s been eyeing my top position for a long time. I have to admit, she has some skills, and she has a good brother who always outshines me. Life in the main hall is so frustrating, so I came out to get some fresh air."

"Don’t count on me."

"You little guy, you really have no conscience. I said, we are friends, but if, I mean if, that woman Lu Yun comes to cause trouble, can we, as men, back down?"

"That’s true." Wang Meng nodded.

"Exactly, Lu Yun will naturally be my responsibility, but her brother, I can’t bully the young, right? When the time comes, you can give him some pointers, so they don’t act so arrogantly all the time."

Zhou Feng said.

"I’ve only been learning for a few days, and I’ll probably be the one getting pointers. But if there’s really something, I’ll definitely help if I can. If I embarrass myself, you’ll have to bear with it."

"What is a man? Winning or losing is another matter, but we can’t run away, right?"

Wang Meng smiled. Old Zhou was becoming more and more interesting. At first, he was just focused on refining pills for himself, but now his interest in pill refinement was growing. Of course, Wang Meng wasn’t the kind of person who was obsessed with pill refinement. His focus was on how pill refinement could help him break through the Five Elements bottleneck. Another important point was that he had discovered a possibility: pills might help him unlock the Heaven and Earth Spirit Locking Array.

Once the Heaven and Earth Spirit Locking Array enters the body, it becomes part of it, like a blocked segment of a life mark. If the right pill is used, it can be smoothed out.

Currently, he didn’t need the divine essence, but he had to remove the seal before entering the Middle Thousand World. Otherwise, who knows what might happen during the ascension. With a heaven-defying divine essence, each heavenly tribulation was a matter of life and death. If the divine essence was still sealed, it would be certain death.

"You need to have confidence in yourself. Although your pill fire is only at the second level, the key is in comprehension and understanding. That girl is only at the fourth level of fire."

Zhou Feng was also quite thoughtful. On one hand, he wanted to boost Wang Meng’s confidence, but on the other hand, he couldn’t say too much. After all, it took the other person five years to reach the fourth level of pill fire, while Wang Meng...

Damn, Zhou Feng had been laughing in his sleep these past few days, but he had to hold back. This little guy seemed to have a natural inclination to protect the "weak."

Wang Meng smiled, "Who’s afraid of who? Come on, Old Zhou, let’s have a drink. I’ll teach you how to play chess later."

Zhou Feng’s bitter face was genuine this time. He gritted his teeth, "Cheers!"

However, Zhou Feng’s painful chess career was interrupted by the arrival of Hu Jing and others.

Hu Jing, Zhang Xiaojiang, Ma Tian’er, Zhou Qian, and Suo Ming. Suo Ming had gone through a great ordeal and had become much quieter but more steady. His efforts in cultivation were astonishing.

Zhou Feng didn’t disturb the young people’s gathering and left faster than anyone else. He now had a phobia of chess.

"It’s rare for all of you to come together. Is there any activity?"

Wang Meng smiled. The small thatched cottage was immediately filled, as they usually came one by one.

"Brother Meng, the Hundred Treasures Hall Gathering is about to start. We’re thinking about whether we should participate."

Zhang Xiaojiang said excitedly.

"The Hundred Treasures Hall Gathering, in simple terms, is an exchange fair among the nine halls. However, since all the halls participate, there’s always a bit of showing off and competition involved," Hu Jing explained.

"The Thunderlight Hall’s sword tomb was once famous, the Lingyin Hall’s talismans are longer, the Xianyuan Hall’s spirit pills are more effective, the Huoyun Hall’s magical tools are genuine, the Beast Mastery Hall’s spirit beasts roam the streets, the Flying Phoenix Hall’s beauties are the most charming, the Hundred Herbs Hall’s essence is like a spring, the Hengshan Hall’s disciples are like hooligans, and the Daoguang Hall’s threshold is high. In the past, our Thunderlight Hall was indeed glorious, but now the sword tomb is gone. I think this time it’s more about participation."

"Senior Brother Zhou, don’t lose heart!" Ma Tian’er said, "We need to show ourselves, even if we’re not as good as others, it doesn’t matter."

Zhou Qian smiled bitterly. Miss Ma’s optimism was grounded, but others couldn’t easily emulate it.

Although no one knew Ma Tian’er’s status in the Ma family, she was definitely related to them. Ma Tian’er didn’t say, and no one would pry into others’ private affairs.

"Brother Meng, in recent years, the Hundred Treasures Hall Gathering has been dominated by the Xianyuan Hall, Huoyun Hall, Hundred Herbs Hall, and Beast Mastery Hall. Aren’t you learning pill refinement from Elder Zhou? Why don’t you refine a few batches, and we can show off too?"

Zhang Xiaojiang said.

Bang... A nut immediately landed on the little fatty’s head.

"Do you take me for a treasure bag? I’ve only been learning for a few days, and I’m always being criticized by Old Zhou."

Wang Meng said.

"The Xianyuan Hall’s pills are the best, the Huoyun Hall’s magical tools, the Beast Mastery Hall’s spirit beasts, the Hundred Herbs Hall’s rare treasures, the Lingyin Hall’s talismans, and the Daoguang Hall always tries to have a bit of everything. The Flying Phoenix Hall is always the most popular. Now, the significance of the Hundred Treasures Hall Gathering is not just in exchange but in showcasing the strength of each hall. Our Thunderlight Hall has seen some improvement after the battle with the Hengshan Hall. If we can achieve something in this gathering, it will be very important for us."

Speaking of Hu Jing, she was now the senior sister of the Thunderlight Hall. She knew how difficult it was to reach this position. Zhao Guang was quite capable in the past.

"Wang Meng, the matter is simple. They want to participate, but I suggest we don’t join in the fun. It’s better to hide our inadequacies than to show them," Zhou Qian said.

Hu Jing’s words were clearly not as exaggerated as Zhang Xiaojiang’s. Wang Meng didn’t want to get involved in these matters, but he had to step up when it mattered. He had a piece of blackwood essence, but it was a bit tricky, and just having this one thing wouldn’t help much.

"What are your plans now?" Wang Meng smiled. These guys had clearly come with a plan.

Hu Jing nodded, "I think we can’t back down when the opportunity is ripe. If we participate, the Thunderlight Hall’s booth will have Tian’er’s cute little things to draw attention, Suo Ming has a talent for forging, and I think he can give it a try. I’ll provide some pills, and Senior Brother Zhou can provide some talismans. We might not be the best, but we’re not afraid of embarrassment. We can’t lose in spirit!"

The more you back down, the more you will back down. Sometimes, what people fear is not the opponent but themselves.

This isn’t throwing in the towel, but burning the boats.

Wang Meng admired Hu Jing’s decisiveness and grandeur, "Xiao Jing, I support you. No matter how my pills turn out, I’ll make some. How can we miss such a lively event for our Thunderlight Hall!"

"Hehe, Brother Meng, if you can get Elder Zhou to secretly refine a batch for us, we..."

Bang...

Before he could finish, Zhang Xiaojiang was beaten by Hu Jing.

"Less of this underhanded stuff. Do you think everyone is blind?"

Zhang Xiaojiang pouted, "I just wanted to take a shortcut."

Wang Meng knew this little guy had ulterior motives. He was trying to get Zhou Feng to help. Knowing Zhou Feng’s personality, mentioning this would just invite a scolding. Recently, he had been enthusiastic about pill refinement, and a small trial wouldn’t hurt. Besides, he wasn’t afraid of embarrassment, and it probably wouldn’t come to that.