DING! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a supreme treasure of Heaven and Earth!

DING! The Host is rewarded with Ancestor Meng's signature Dao Method: One Finger Knocks on the Mysterious Gate!

DING! Third-stage mission progress: 5/10.

A series of system notifications echoed in Su Xuan's mind.

He blinked in surprise. This Huo Yun Furnace really is something special! It actually triggered a system reward! And the system gave me one of Ancestor Meng's Dao Methods? His signature one, at that?

Yes. It was a Dao Method, not a mere spell. The difference between 'Method' and 'spell' was just one word, but it was as vast as the difference between the clouds and the mud. Spells were basic tricks almost any cultivator could perform, like conjuring a small flame or instantly freezing water. Dao Methods, however, were profound and broad, impossible to summarize in a few words. Moving mountains, parting rivers, and summoning wind and rain were all possible! Their core was the embodiment of the Dao's intent, and their power was far beyond what any spell could match.

Immediately, the mantra for the Dao Method, One Finger Knocks on the Mysterious Gate, appeared in Su Xuan's mind, already at maximum level!

Unable to stop himself, Su Xuan raised his hand and extended his index finger. He was certain that with a single thought, he could execute the technique. And its power would be terrifying. The moment he learned this Dao Method, an imposing aura surged within him, as if he could look down upon the entire world.

It felt as though no matter how powerful an expert was, they would be reduced to ash and annihilated beneath his finger!

Su Xuan also felt a little embarrassed. I came to the Ten Cauldrons Sect with the Third Elder just to borrow a Pill Furnace, but I ended up just taking it for myself. Still, what the Third Elder did was even more outrageous! He actually stole another man's wife! And he's planning to go into seclusion with her! If Fu Yong were still alive, I wonder if he'd die from sheer rage!

"Little Brother Su, shall we begin the alchemy?" seeing Su Xuan's odd behavior and how he was staring at his own finger in a daze, the Third Elder couldn't help but prompt him.

"Right, right, alchemy." Su Xuan returned to his senses, lowered his hand, and sat cross-legged on a cushion in front of the Huo Yun Furnace.

The Third Elder and Ah Lian sat on either side of him. Besides serving as his alchemy assistants, they were eager to witness how this young Heavenly-ranked Alchemist refined top-quality pills. Ah Lian was especially curious to see Su Xuan's materialization technique again. Whether he was retrieving weapons or producing pills, his every move was accompanied by a cascade of beautiful petals, which was quite a sight to behold.

"Let's begin!"

Su Xuan took a deep breath. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a large quantity of herbs from his sachet. The Blood Immortal Vine he had painstakingly acquired from the Yu Xian Sect was among them, while the rest were herbs he had received from the Third Elder before their trip.

So beautiful! Ah Lian marveled inwardly as the colorful petals fluttered into existence.

Seeing her expression, the Third Elder smiled with pride, as if to say, See? That's my brother. And this is just a minor trick. Wait until he refines a top-quality pill—that will be even more stunning!

BOOM!

Su Xuan summoned a ball of his Heavenly Grade Pill Flame and began to heat the furnace. The Third Elder hurriedly laid out the recipe, personally sorting the herbs for Su Xuan. He didn't, however, attempt to spiritually moisten them, afraid his lack of precision would interfere with Su Xuan's work. Ah Lian also helped out according to the recipe.

The scene appeared unusually harmonious and warm. But then, something completely unexpected happened.

BOOM!

As the Pill Furnace grew hotter, an explosion rocked the room! Billowing smoke and dust burst from the furnace, spreading in every direction and filling the entire opulent alchemy chamber.

Su Xuan reacted in a flash. At the moment of the explosion, he pulled the Third Elder and Ah Lian back with him. They were still caught in the blast wave, however, and ended up covered in soot. At the same time, he clearly saw the source of the explosion. The furnace hadn't been blown apart by his Heavenly Grade Pill Flame. This explosion was no accident. It was man-made!

Someone had planted explosives in the stone bricks beneath the furnace, and they had detonated under the heat of his Heavenly Grade Pill Flame!

I was careless! Su Xuan couldn't help but chide himself. My special vision saw through the Pill Furnace itself—it was empty and had no issues. But I never scanned the stone bricks underneath it! Who would have thought someone would plant explosives there?

Su Xuan immediately put the pieces together. This must be someone seeking despicable revenge for the disaster at the Ten Cauldrons Sect! And this person knew I would definitely use the Huo Yun Furnace!

"You wretched woman! You killed Sect Leader Fu and cavorted with another man!" a voice roared. "And you, Su! You nearly destroyed the entire Ten Cauldrons Sect! I'm going to kill you all!"

Suddenly, a figure burst through the door of the alchemy room, charging into the thick smoke. Roaring with fury, he swung his blade first at Ah Lian!

Through the blurred vision, Ah Lian still recognized his face and cried out his name. "Chang Jian!"

This man was Fu Yong's trusted confidant. He was the one who had helped Fu Yong try to embarrass Su Xuan during the hotpot banquet. He obviously knew the purpose of Su Xuan's trip and was certain Su Xuan would use the Huo Yun Furnace, so he had planted the explosives in advance. It was unclear, however, how he had managed to survive the previous night's catastrophe.

The attacker was so sudden that the Third Elder couldn't move to block for Ah Lian in time. The blade was already about to cleave into her scalp!

But Su Xuan, standing amidst the billowing smoke, had already captured the man's every move with perfect clarity.

He simply raised a finger, pointed it through the air at the man's head, and softly intoned, "One Finger Knocks on the Mysterious Gate… Mysterious Gate Finger!"

BANG!

A streak of light shot from Su Xuan's fingertip, instantly piercing the man's head!

A horrifying scene unfolded. The man's head exploded into a mist of blood, and his body was thrown backward, crashing heavily to the ground. He was utterly and completely dead. It was a true instant kill, giving the opponent no chance to react. The man probably died without even knowing what had hit him.

But it didn't end there.

The streak of light from Su Xuan's finger didn't dissipate. It pierced through the alchemy room and the Pill Hall, streaking across the sky outside like a laser beam! An unlucky bird happened to fly into its path.

POP!

It was obliterated into fine dust—not even a feather remained.

The Ten Cauldrons Sect disciples cleaning up the previous night's rubble all looked up at the sky in shock, completely bewildered.

Standing in the still-smoky alchemy room, Su Xuan gazed at his finger and couldn't help but marvel. Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This Dao Method… is just too powerful! And it's completely different from Bodhisattva Upside-Down Sitting. Bodhisattva Upside-Down Sitting is a large area-of-effect attack that consumes a massive amount of cultivation power! Mysterious Gate Finger, on the other hand, is a single-point attack! It doesn't consume an excessive amount of power, but its might is astonishing! In other words, Bodhisattva Upside-Down Sitting is for killing groups, while Mysterious Gate Finger is better for single targets!

Su Xuan couldn't help but admire Ancestor Meng. I wonder where he learned such a powerful move. It's no wonder it became his signature technique!

As the smoke cleared, however, another unexpected event occurred…

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