After the last incident, Zhang Tiancheng was clearly much closer to Wen Zhixing than before.
At least, the smile on his face didn't seem forced.
"Junior Brother Wen, has your body... recovered?"
The moment he saw Wen Zhixing, he couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.
Even though he had anticipated it, seeing Wen Zhixing now so lively and full of vigor still made him exclaim in admiration.
All of them serving as furnaces—who wasn't weak to the point of collapsing, barely keeping up appearances in their daily lives?
One could only feel envy.
"Mm, the palace master graciously gifted some elixirs. I, your Junior Brother, was also lucky enough to step into the first layer of the Shedding Mortal Realm, so I barely managed to recover," Wen Zhixing laughed casually as he explained.
"You broke through?"
Zhang Tiancheng was clearly surprised by this statement. After pausing for a moment, he cupped his fists and said in congratulation, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Wen, on officially embarking on the path of cultivation. Junior Brother, you truly possess a rare talent."
"Senior Brother Zhang, I'm grateful for your help that day. I have some surplus elixirs here, please accept them," Wen Zhixing said.
Wen Zhixing reached into his robes, took out an object, and surreptitiously slipped it into Zhang Tiancheng's hand.
This time, however, Zhang Tiancheng didn't accept it. Instead, he furrowed his brows, looked at Wen Zhixing, and asked, "Junior Brother Wen, in your eyes, am I someone who only cares about elixirs?"
Wen Zhixing was stunned.
Ah, aren't you just that kind of person?
"Senior Brother, you misunderstand. I genuinely want to thank you," Wen Zhixing said solemnly, his expression serious. "I have plenty of elixirs, but within the Wonderous Palace, you, Senior Brother, are the only one I can call a friend."
"Junior Brother Wen..."
Zhang Tiancheng's expression softened.
He hadn't expected Wen Zhixing to hold him in such high regard.
It was I who overthought it.
Zhang Tiancheng's face broke into a smile, and he didn't decline any further.
In an instant, the relationship between the two of them warmed up a few more degrees.
[A Gray Fortune Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to spend one month of life-span for a random draw?]
As their pleasantries continued, the transparent prompt box in front of him flashed again.
A thought flashed through Wen Zhixing's mind, and he immediately chose to draw.
"Draw a Fortune Fragment."
[Beginning random collection of Fortune Fragment.]
As before, a gray glow separated from the top of Zhang Tiancheng's head and leaped into Wen Zhixing's mind.
[Gray Fortune Fragment +1.]
[Gray Fortune Fragment (1/1) has been collected, no need for synthesis, you may obtain one of the following fortunes:]
[First, obtain 1 Fortune Point.]
[Second, obtain the fortune belonging to Zhang Tiancheng.]
"Choose the second option, obtain the fortune belonging to Zhang Tiancheng!"
Under normal circumstances, Wen Zhixing would have undoubtedly chosen the Fortune Points.
After all, Fortune Points were significantly powerful, but he now had other ideas in mind.
He wanted to see what Zhang Tiancheng's fortune was and how he had obtained it.
Was there a source of fortune within the Wonderous Palace, or was there some other secret to uncover?
The moment Wen Zhixing chose to obtain Zhang Tiancheng's fortune, images began to fill his mind.
"What is this..."
Wen Zhixing's gaze sharpened.
This was a reenactment of the scene when Zhang Tiancheng obtained his fortune!
The light shimmered and undulated like ripples on a pond, and soon the images grew clearer.
A dim area came into sight, barely discernible as a secluded, uninhabited grove.
The bright moonlight spilled down, revealing Zhang Tiancheng's figure slowly emerging.
At that moment, he was nodding and bowing, saying something to a figure in front of him.
The figure was somewhat blurred and manifested by a talisman. It was probably not a real person but someone using a method to appear remotely.
The person, clothed in black, was hidden in the darkness, their face concealed.
"Senior Brother Mu, there are a total of five hundred sixty-one people serving as furnaces within the Wonderous Palace..."
"The others are fine to handle. However, among them are sixty whose cultivation is not to be taken lightly. These people weren't captured en route like the other furnaces; they grew up within the Wonderous Palace from a young age and have officially become disciples of those demonesses."
"On a day-to-day basis, they engage in integrated cultivation rather than essence absorption. Their status is far above that of ordinary furnaces, so these people will probably be difficult to win over..."
Zhang Tiancheng rapidly reported the information he had gathered in recent days.
The masked person kept frowning the entire time, listening quietly without saying anything.
"Eh?"
Wen Zhixing was somewhat surprised by this.
The scene before him sparked a thought.
Could it be that Zhang Tiancheng found a patron, attached himself to a powerful backer, and sought to betray the Wonderous Palace?
His eyes lit up; this could be a great opportunity indeed!
This increased his chances of escaping the Wonderous Palace.
Then, Zhang Tiancheng spoke again, "Also, that demoness Si Nanyan has recently taken in another furnace, named Wen Zhixing. This person is extraordinarily talented and recovers much faster than others."
"This person also saved Si Nanyan recently..."
Upon hearing Si Nanyan's name, the masked Senior Brother Mu finally stirred.
"Oh? Could this person have some special constitution?"
"Senior Brother Mu, I heard that Si Nanyan was critically injured that day. But then she met Wen Zhixing, and she absorbed essence from him for seven days and nights. Only then did she recover."
"What, this Wen Zhixing was subjected to essence absorption for seven days and nights!"
Mu Yunqing's originally indifferent eyes suddenly widened in shock, and his figure even trembled slightly.
He was astonished; surviving essence absorption for so long without dying?
What kind of robust constitution was that, so resilient!
Even filled with confidence in himself, he wouldn't dare say he could endure being subjected to essence absorption for seven days and nights.
Zhang Tiancheng, his words designed to shock, continued, "Senior Brother Mu, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either. This Wen Zhixing was reduced to a mere husk! Yet, in just a short half-month, he's almost fully recovered."
"What... a half-month recovery?"
Mu Yunqing couldn't maintain his composure any longer.
Such a thing was simply unheard of!
This Wen Zhixing must be a cultivation prodigy.
"Junior Brother Zhang, excellent. This information you've provided is crucial."
Immediately, Senior Brother Mu narrowed his eyes. "This Wen Zhixing must be extremely important to that demoness," he said. "In the coming days, you must seize the opportunity to win him over. When the time is right, our Righteous Sun Sect will definitely annihilate the Wonderous Palace."
"Yes, Senior Brother Mu!"
Zhang Tiancheng's gaze firmed as he nodded resolutely.
Mu Yunqing glanced at Zhang Tiancheng with satisfaction, nodded, and then added, "Junior Brother Zhang, today I begged a secret skill from our Master. An ancestor of our Righteous Sun Sect stumbled upon it in an ancient ruin. Although it's only a fragment, it's sufficient to suppress the other half of the side effects of the Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill. I will teach it to you; memorize it well."
As he spoke, Mu Yunqing stretched out his finger and began to draw in the void.
Characters glowing with a golden light appeared.
"This... Thank you, Senior Brother Mu!"
Zhang Tiancheng was overjoyed, watching the characters before him intently, his eyes glued to them.
He initially didn't want to betray the palace.
After all, if his betrayal of the Wonderous Palace were discovered, he would undoubtedly face certain death.
Moreover, he couldn't escape the Wonderous Palace.
But now, he saw a turning point.
The Righteous Sun Sect had a way to deal with the Wonderous Palace's control through their elixirs!
At this point, the images slowly faded.
Wen Zhixing now understood the whole process.
[Acquired secret skill: Calming Heart Mantra. (Fragment)]