Chapter 14 Refining Demon Pot Unsealed_1

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"So what if I do? You want to stand up for her?" He leaned back in his chair dismissively.

"You can cultivate now!" It wasn't a question.

"So what?" Dugu Qianye was slightly surprised in her heart but kept her expression unchanged.

Mo Jian, seeing Dugu Qianye's poised face, silently admired her, "What a composed child!" He feigned a cough and said, "It doesn't matter. Have you heard about the competition of the four major families next month? I want you to come in first place in the contest!"

Damn!

Dugu Qianye almost fell off her chair. Letting the once-good-for-nothing Ajiu win first place, what on earth was he thinking?

"Surprised?" Mo Jian watched Dugu Qianye's reaction and smirked to himself, "That's more like it."

"Don't you think you're daydreaming? I am nothing but the useless Ajiu. Moreover, with my puny arms and legs, why should I help you, help the Mo Family?" Dugu Qianye said with disdain.

Looking at the fifteen-year-old Dugu Qianye, who still resembled a twelve or thirteen-year-old child and seeing the hatred for the Mo Family in her eyes, Mo Jian felt a mixture of emotions. He closed his eyes, his face full of hesitant struggle. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, "Do you know why you were brought to Qifeng City back then?"

"What else could it be? Isn't it because I couldn't cultivate and I was a useless person, a disgrace to your Mo Family?" Dugu Qianye scoffed.

"No, you're wrong, child. It's not what you think," Mo Jian said, looking at Dugu Qianye, pondering whether to reveal the truth of the past to her. Seeing the resolute look in Dugu Qianye's eyes, he finally made a decision.

"All five of us brothers were males, and only your mother was a girl, and the youngest at that, so everyone doted on her from a young age. Seventeen years ago, when she was twenty, she went out to gain experience and saved a man in the Cangmang Mountains. She developed feelings for him. He is your father. Because your father's identity was unknown, and your mother already had a marriage arrangement with the Feng Family of the Imperial Capital, none of us agreed to their relationship. In a fit of anger, your mother left home and disappeared without a trace. We regretted our overly harsh stance afterward, which drove your mother away. We broke off the engagement with the Feng Family and searched for her everywhere, but all our efforts vanished like stones dropped into the ocean. Unexpectedly, four years later, your mother returned with you, then three years old. She entrusted you to us before she went out to find your father. She never came back. Since the marriage we annulled was with a direct descendant genius of the Feng Family, and he had a lingering resentment for your mother, we were afraid he would harm you if he knew about you. So, when it was discovered that you could not cultivate, we took advantage of the situation and brought you to Qifeng City. To ensure your safety, I also followed to Qifeng City. Over the years, the Feng Family has not stopped surveilling and attacking us. We dared not show too much concern for you, hence the neglect. Little did we expect that those below would take advantage of the situation, causing you much suffering."

Dugu Qianye listened silently, her mind in turmoil, yet her face remained expressionless. After Mo Jian finished speaking, she chuckled lightly, "Why should I believe what you're saying? Mo Ju has tried to kill me more than once."

"Mo Ju acts rashly and is unsettled, while Mo Lian is more mature and stable. That's why I confided in Mo Lian and asked her to watch over Mo Ju. In other words, Mo Lian has been protecting you all along." Mo Jian recalled telling the young Mo Lian that Dugu Qianye couldn't cultivate, and her face was full of determination as she said she would protect this poor little sister.

No wonder it was always the two of them showing up together, but it was always Mo Ju bullying her; no wonder the look on Mo Lian's face was so strange that time in her courtyard.

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"Because the Feng Family has allied with other clans to strike at us, many of our industries have been greatly affected. The situation in the Imperial Capital is so difficult now that if our industries in Qifeng City are also impacted, we might have to withdraw from the Imperial Capital. Therefore, we must secure the first place in the competition among the four major clans. However, this generation's talent is unremarkable, with Mo Lian currently at 19 years of age only a fourth-level Phantom Master. The other disciples' Phantom Power levels aren't high either, while Ji Anping of the Ji Family has already become a first-level Great Phantom Master. So..."

"So you've come to me? What makes you think I can take first place?" Dugu Qianye interrupted Mo Jian.

"After you defeated Mo Ju in mere seconds last time, Mo Lian told me about your transformation. She has been keeping an eye on you ever since. It was she who told me to find you. Although we don't know how you've concealed your current level of Phantom Power, I think since she asked me to find you, she must have confidence in you," Mo Jian continued, "If possible, I wouldn't want to push you to the forefront, but the current situation leaves no other choice."

Afterward, the two fell into silence. After a long pause, Dugu Qianye said, "I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee the outcome." With that, she got up to leave.

"Can you tell me your current level?"

"You'll naturally find out when the time comes." Having said that, Dugu Qianye opened the door and left. On the way back, she thought hard. She vaguely remembered that it was indeed not long after her arrival in Qifeng City that Mo Jian had come. As the direct line, the current family's younger brother, he didn't need to stay in such a remote place, and yet he had stayed for ten years. If what Mo Jian said was true, then the situation of the Mo Family was indeed grim, and it was because of her own parents that this had arisen. Therefore, for a clan that had gone to great lengths to protect itself, she would not stand by and watch it fall into decline.

First place, then? She would just have to take first place!

Dugu Qianye returned to the courtyard, told Mo Feng about her plans to participate in the competition, and then informed him that she planned to enter seclusion until the competition, instructing him to practice Alchemy on his own. After that, she returned to her room.

There was still one month until the start of the competition, and she needed to use the time wisely to cultivate and take her Phantom Power to the next level. The higher the cultivation level of Phantom Power, the more difficult and time-consuming the cultivation became.

Over the following month, Dugu Qianye shifted her focus away from Alchemy entirely to the cultivation of Phantom Power. Through hard work alongside Dandan, she finally advanced to a fifth-level Great Phantom Master after half a month. Xiaohuo and Xiaoyin each advanced one level, reaching the eighth level of Holy Beast; Qingluan, however, due to its higher level and greater need for Phantom Power, did not advance, but its Phantom Power felt somewhat more saturated.

"The second layer of the Refining Demon Pot's seal is unlocked."

Dandan's voice rang out. Next to it, an object resembling a gourd made of jade materialized, though its exact composition was unclear.

With a thought from Dugu Qianye, the Refining Demon Pot appeared in her hand. She examined it closely; it was not made of jade, yet was as translucent as jade. The body of the pot was etched with intricate patterns, featuring a moon image on one side and a sun image on the other.

"So this is the legendary Refining Demon Pot? Doesn't seem that special to me," Dugu Qianye flipped the Refining Demon Pot over, but didn't find anything particularly remarkable about it.

"Stupid! The special part of the Refining Demon Pot lies within its world inside the pot. Of course, you won't find anything special just by looking at its body," Dandan scorned the idiot.