Yellow Court Daoist

"Is Elder Zhou currently at Jinyun Peak?"

Lu Qingfeng inquired, intending to find Zhou Chenggu and ask in detail about the 'Refining Crystal' matter.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yuan was momentarily surprised.

It was rare to see Elder Lu this agitated; it seemed that Refining Crystal was of great importance to him.

Seeing that Lu Qingfeng was about to rise, Wang Yuan quickly said, "Elder, there's no need to rush. After Elder Zhou informed his subordinates about this matter, he immediately set out to find that friend and is currently not on Jinyun Peak."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingfeng then sat back down.

He had little contact with Elder Zhou Chenggu and only knew that he was at the Condensed Liquid Realm and seemed to be from the same clan as Sect Master Zhou Yuan, though not a direct relative and somewhat distantly related.

"I shall properly thank him later."

Lu Qingfeng thought to himself.

Zhou Chenggu was so attentive to his matters, probably out of gratitude for Lu Qingfeng's contributions to the Luoxia Sect, but more likely, he wanted to foster a good relationship with Lu Qingfeng.

After all, being a Second Rank Alchemist, his status was unparalleled across the entire Juyun Mountain Range.

In terms of prestige, he could even compare with Spirit Void practitioners like Zhou Yuan and Feng Yun, who were sect leaders.

An opportunity to forge a connection with him was something ordinary people could not ask for.

Zhou Chenggu was indeed very attentive.

Lu Qingfeng would reciprocate and would not let him down.

...

Zhou Chenggu was efficient.

Just a few days later, news came from Jinyun Peak that the Loose Cultivator friend had arrived.

Lu Qingfeng was overjoyed and hurried over.

Jinyun Peak.

"Elder Lu."

"Greetings to Elder Lu."

As Lu Qingfeng walked on Jinyun Peak, a crowd of disciples respectfully greeted him. Lu Qingfeng nodded and smiled, heading towards Zhou Chenggu's cave dwelling.

"Elder Lu."

"Elder Zhou."

Upon Lu Qingfeng's arrival, Zhou Chenggu came out to welcome him from his cave dwelling.

Zhou Chenggu, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked rather honest and straightforward. Beside him, there was a lean middle-aged man whose eyes looked at Lu Qingfeng with respect, "Loose Cultivator Lu Rong, greets Master Lu."

"Elder Zhou, Mr. Rong, you are too courteous."

Lu Qingfeng said with a smile.

"Let's go inside and talk."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Chenggu led the two men into his cave dwelling.

The three settled down.

Lu Rong spoke first, "I have long heard of Master Lu's reputation, and today I finally get to meet you."

Lu Qingfeng responded with a smile, "Lu mostly indulges in Alchemy and Artifact Refining, spending most of the time in seclusion within my cave dwelling, seldom going out."

"Devoted to the path and able to endure solitude."

"To achieve what the Master has today is indeed fitting."

Lu Rong praised Lu Qingfeng considerably. It was clear that it was Lu Qingfeng who needed him, yet he acted this way, influenced by the reputation of 'Dan and Artifact Double Extreme'.

Lu Rong at this moment, likely wants to befriend Lu Qingfeng.

As a Loose Cultivator, forming a connection with a Second Rank Alchemist could benefit him immensely in the future.

Lu Qingfeng, focused on Refining Crystal, chatted briefly with Lu Rong before heading straight to the point.

"Refining Crystal?"

Lu Rong was taken aback and turned to look at Zhou Chenggu.

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he too turned his gaze towards Zhou Chenggu.

Realizing the confusion, Zhou Chenggu quickly explained, "Zhou acted too hastily and failed to clarify things to both of you."

He first addressed Lu Rong, "Elder Lu intends to refine a Sect Magical Artifact which requires Refining Crystal."

Then, he turned to Lu Qingfeng, "Mr. Rong doesn't have any Refining Crystal, but he does possess Iron Fire Ant Eggs. In my previous conversation with Mr. Rong, he mentioned these eggs, which are known to contain Refining Crystal within the ant's stomach. However, acquiring Refining Crystal is rare, and Iron Fire Ants themselves are exceedingly scarce around the world. Therefore, when thinking of the Iron Fire Ant Eggs in possession of Mr. Rong, Zhou immediately rushed over."

"I apologize for not clarifying this in haste."

Upon hearing this, Lu Rong smiled, and said, "So Master Lu is here for Artifact Refining. Brother Zhou was in such a rush the other day, and he only mentioned that Master Lu needed Iron Fire Ant Eggs. I thought Master Lu wanted to use these eggs as an ingredient for Alchemy."

Lu Qingfeng now understood.

Yet, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

He had hoped for directly obtaining Refining Crystal, but it seemed he had been wishful thinking. For a mere Loose Cultivator, if he had Refining Crystal, he would have likely exchanged it early for Cultivation Resources or been killed for the treasure.

Keeping such information secret wouldn't be likely either.

Only having Iron Fire Ant Eggs made more sense.

"Since you have Iron Fire Ant Eggs, do you know where Refining Crystal might be present?" Lu Qingfeng, still hopeful, asked.

"I do not know."

Lu Rong shook his head, "These Iron Fire Ant Eggs were also obtained by fate and luck, and I am unclear about their origin. If I had truly encountered Iron Fire Ants, I would probably have long been dead."

Hearing this, Lu Qingfeng finally gave up.

Lu Rong was right.

Iron Fire Ants were extremely rare, and when they swarmed, it would usually be in colossal numbers of hundreds of thousands.

Their swarming and onslaught, not to mention a small Foundation Establishment Cultivator, even a Spirit Void Practitioner would panic and flee immediately. If too slow, one would either be bitten to death by the ants or burnt by their black fire.

Truly terrifying.

"Iron Fire Ant Eggs."

Lu Qingfeng pondered, just as he saw Lu Rong take out two dark insect eggs with his own hands. These eggs were tiny, merely the size of a grain of rice, casting a dark shine while Lu Qingfeng could sense a faint vitality emitting from them.

Clearly, they were live eggs.

"Having these Iron Fire Ant Eggs is also futile for me, Master Lu may take them if needed," Lu Rong said with a smile, as he placed the two Iron Fire Ant Eggs in front of Lu Qingfeng.

Zhou Chenggu also added, "Refining Crystals are hard to find, and it is unlikely to locate them around Juyun Mountain Range or its vicinity soon. With a pair of Iron Fire Ant Eggs, if carefully cultivated, perhaps in a few decades, some Refining Crystals could be harvested."

"Elder Lu can both cultivate Iron Fire Ants and continue searching for Refining Crystal. With dual approaches, it won't be a waste of time."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingfeng felt that Zhou Chenggu made some sense.

His gaze settled on the Iron Fire Ant Eggs before him.

At this time, Lu Rong added, "I have had these Iron Fire Ant Eggs for some time now and previously thought about incubating them. But despite various searches and discussions with those skilled at nurturing rare insects, all deemed these eggs rather useless. The living conditions are incredibly harsh, and whether wild or hatched from live eggs, none can be tamed to recognize a master."

"Perhaps due to the rarity of Iron Fire Ants, methods for their domestication are lost, or maybe since ancient times, there have been no methods to domesticate them. In recent years, some Cultivators skilled in nurturing rare insects have attempted to domesticate Iron Fire Ants, but all have ended in failure. Iron Fire Ants are extremely aggressive, either devouring their owner in backlash or bursting and dying."

"After some time, no one else attempted to cultivate Iron Fire Ants."

Their extremely harsh living conditions and impossibility to be tamed to recognize a master.

This has meant that in the entire Cultivation World, only locations previously inhabited by Iron Fire Ant swarms may contain Refining Crystals. Otherwise, taking the risk of dying to snatch Refining Crystals from a wild swarm of Iron Fire Ants,

This method might even be too daunting for a Jiedan True Man.