"As for this matter, I’ve already made my ruling, Little Changsheng, don’t you bring it up again."

"..." The Eternal Life Sect Leader was dumbfounded. He hadn’t even said anything yet, and it was already "ruled"?

And from the way Qing Yangyu was talking, it was clearly siding with Zhou Xuan, both openly and underneath.

"What elixir did the Palace Master take today, to go this crazy?" the Eternal Life Sect Leader mused inwardly, and saw that Qing Yangyu had already walked over to Zhou Xuan’s side.

Qing Yangyu’s figure was very tall and his build quite bloated. He lowered his head, eyes smiling as he looked at Zhou Xuan, and said joyfully,

"So this is our Heavenly Dome’s pillar of talent? Just looking from the heavens, one doesn’t feel much of anything, but seeing you here in the mortal world, you truly are a man of striking appearance, dignified and imposing."

"Mm..." Zhou Xuan felt that what he was meeting wasn’t the Changsheng Palace Master at all—wasn’t this the group owner of a ’praise-praise chat group’?

"This look, this bearing, is actually no different from my own," Qing Yangyu praised again.

But when Zhou Xuan saw the lipoma on Qing Yangyu’s neck, he couldn’t help nodding—mm, now this feels right, worthy of being from the Heavenly Dome, their compliments sound like they’re cursing you out.

"Palace Master, you too are full of heroic spirit, most extraordinary. That Zhong Guan has no eye for people; I couldn’t be bothered to talk to him. But once I saw your bearing, I knew at once my wrongful grievance had finally found someone to be spoken to."

"Oh? My bearing is extraordinary?" When Qing Yangyu heard this, he smiled so wide his brows and eyes opened up.

"More than just extraordinary. When I look upon you, Palace Master, you are like faint clouds veiling the moon, like whirling winds turning the snow, truly the very image of unearthly elegance."

Zhou Xuan intended to let Qing Yangyu see what a real "praise-praise group owner" looked like.

As Qing Yangyu listened to these words in his ears, an image involuntarily arose in his mind: "a free and easy Daoist, swaying like an Immortal of the world, walking carefreely on a snowy night."

This round of flattery landed squarely in his heart.

In his heart lived an elegant and handsome Immortal; every time he took elixirs, he would see such a free and easy Daoist in the mirror.

He immediately stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "Aiya, Master Zhou, you are truly a marvelous person, too marvelous, too marvelous, your way of speaking is extremely refined."

At this moment, Qing Yangyu’s impression of Zhou Xuan could no longer be described as merely excellent; it was simply that he had encountered a soulmate hard to meet in a lifetime.

"Just for this bit of literary grace from Master Zhou, that Mr. Yan offending you was nothing more than deserving death."

The conversation between Zhou Xuan and Qing Yangyu was like old friends reuniting, smooth beyond words, which left the Eternal Life Sect Leader staring in a daze.

A short while ago, the Eternal Life Sect Leader had still been thinking that he would have to be the one to "dance long sleeves" to rescue Zhou Xuan.

Now that he saw this, it turned out the one "dancing long sleeves" was actually Master Zhou.

"Tsk tsk... ’like faint clouds veiling the moon, like whirling winds turning the snow,’ Master Zhou, I thought you were a rigidly upright type, who knew you could do this, these little phrases you put together—so people can be praised like this?"

The Eternal Life Sect Leader conceded, conceded completely.

"Master Zhou, I’ve heard that you have refined yet another Treasure Pill. I came down to the mortal world this time wanting to broaden my horizons. I wonder if Master Zhou could grant me a little face, and let me feast my eyes as well."

Qing Yangyu was starting to do as the locals did; his speech actually carried a bit of scholarly elegance, which stunned the Eternal Life Sect Leader anew, making him secretly cry out, "Stranger danger."

"Is this still Qing Yangyu? Where did that old Heavenly Dome swagger, that insane and unbearable air all go? How did he start imitating an old pedant and putting on a cultured scene?"

The Eternal Life Sect Leader suddenly felt a bit redundant today—he’d wanted to come rescue the situation, but who could have thought that Zhou Xuan alone would shoulder the whole thing.

Seeing Qing Yangyu asking for a pill, Zhou Xuan smiled and opened his palm; an Amber Elixir lay within his palm.

Qing Yangyu picked up the elixir, and his expression immediately grew serious, while the surrounding insect tide began rustling again.

With a solemn face, he said, "Aiya, Master Zhou, this elixir is a ’Clan Pill,’ it can only be taken by our Heavenly Fire Clan, which is already quite peculiar.

As for its medicinal strength, it is enough to rank as a Third-grade Elixir."

Zhou Xuan put on a show of nodding; he had long known that this elixir could reach the third-grade level.

However, Qing Yangyu suddenly changed tack, shaking his head as he said, "But medicinal strength is only one factor in judging a pill’s grade; we must also start from its effects."

"If we add in its effects, this elixir is enough to enter the Second Grade Realm."

Qing Yangyu kept nodding as he said, "Counting them all up, Master Zhou has only refined three furnaces of pills so far.

The first furnace produced the Source Power Pill, to be offered to Heaven and Earth.

The second furnace yielded several hundred Joyful Longevity Pills, which alone pressed down all those Alchemists of Zoroastrianism.

This third furnace is actually an ’Insect Ancestor Pill.’ Hmph, those so-called Alchemy Masters of Zoroastrianism are each proud as can be. This time, however, one could say that before Master Zhou, they are nothing but dim fireflies,

while you are that bright, pristine full moon."

Hearing this, Zhou Xuan calmly asked, "What’s the story behind this ’Insect Ancestor Pill’? And what effect does it have?"

"The story is quite big—Master Zhou, do you know how many palaces there are above the Heavenly Dome?"

"I do not!"

"There are twelve in all, and counting Bai Yujing, that makes thirteen—within these Heavenly Dome Thirteen Palaces, there is an Insect Ancestor in each."

Once again stroking his beard, Qing Yangyu said, "Since this pill is named ’Insect Ancestor Pill,’ naturally it can act upon those thirteen Insect Ancestors..."