Chapter 12 New Goals

On the peak of Luoxia Mountain, as the sun began to rise, Mengqi looked at the marriage certificate handed to her by Long Chen. A hint of reluctance flashed in her beautiful eyes as her jade-like hand reached out but never picked up the thin piece of paper. Long Chen smiled slightly, gently holding Mengqi's jade hand and placing the marriage certificate in her palm. When he touched her hands, which seemed to have frost covering snow, Long Chen couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart, and it took great effort to calm himself down. "Take it. You are a kind-hearted girl. Although it has come to this, I do not hate you at all," Long Chen said softly, gazing at Mengqi's flawless jade-like face. One of his hands held hers, and Mengqi's delicate body trembled instinctively, wanting to withdraw her hand but feeling an unwillingness to do so. Long Chen's words caused Mengqi's heart to ache, and tears began to fall from her beautiful eyes as she choked out, "Long Chen, I'm sorry..." "Indeed, you are a kind girl. It’s time to strike while the iron is hot," Long Chen thought to himself, feeling a hint of happiness. However, his expression remained gentle, like an older brother, as he reached out to gently wipe the tears from the corners of Mengqi's eyes. With great self-restraint, he managed not to lose himself in her perfect beauty; Mengqi's charm was truly overwhelming. If it weren't for Long Chen's unmatched soul power, he would have been breathing heavily and his heart would be pounding like thunder. But for now, he needed to continue to work hard. He smiled slightly and said, "Mengqi, you are not to blame for this. If anyone is to blame, it's my father and your father. They have such a good relationship, why must they force us into this?" Originally choked with emotion, Mengqi suddenly burst out laughing upon hearing Long Chen's rebellious words. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with laughter, like pear blossoms drenched in rain, exuding an irresistible beauty. Long Chen couldn't help but blurt out, "Mengqi, you are so beautiful!" However, as soon as he said it, he regretted it, thinking, 'Damn it, I still couldn't control myself; my true nature has been exposed.' Long Chen was annoyed with himself. Fortunately, Mengqi did not get angry at Long Chen's compliment; her pretty face flushed, and her eyes sparkled. Her shy demeanor was another kind of beauty. 'Oh no, Long Chen, if you miss out on such a beauty, what is the point of living?' There was no doubt that he had to go to any lengths, not afraid of danger, and not shy away. The bolder a person is, the greater the rewards will be. Long Chen took a deep breath and released Mengqi's hand, but the marriage certificate remained in her palm. "Actually, in your current situation, you could completely ignore my feelings, treating me as if I don't exist. We are people from two different worlds. But you still came. I know you don't want me to keep holding onto fantasies, nor do you want me to face that cruel result in endless waiting. You did nothing wrong by acting this way; on the contrary, I am very grateful to you," Long Chen nodded at Mengqi. "Long Chen, are you saying this to ease my guilt?" Mengqi asked with a slight tremble in her voice, looking at the marriage certificate in her hand. "No, I am just speaking the truth. However, from today onwards, I have a grand goal," Long Chen smiled. "What is it?" Mengqi asked. "From today, I will work hard to cultivate. When I have sufficient strength, I will come to find you. Now that the marriage certificate is void, it won’t hinder me from pursuing you again," Long Chen declared with a smile. Although he was smiling, his eyes were filled with determination, combined with his resolute expression, making it hard for anyone to doubt his resolve. Mengqi was momentarily stunned; it was the first time she had seen someone so boldly confess to her, especially someone she had deeply hurt before. For a moment, her heart was in turmoil, unsure whether to refuse or accept. "You don't need to feel pressured; this is just my unilateral desire. A kind person like you deserves my life to protect you. However, before pursuing you, I must work hard to cultivate and become a true powerhouse to have the right to protect you. For this qualification, I will practice diligently, regardless of whether you accept or not, I will do this," Long Chen stated firmly. Mengqi's delicate face flushed with a glow. Although she came from humble beginnings, everything changed once she entered the sect. It was the first time someone had dared to confess so boldly and directly to her. Looking into Long Chen's determined eyes, her heart raced, leaving her momentarily speechless. 'There’s hope,' Long Chen thought, watching Mengqi’s flustered expression. He felt a surge of joy inside; at least Mengqi had not shown any signs of disgust or aversion to him, which was already a small success. Next, he needed to intensify his efforts, continue to stir emotions until he moved her heart. Just as Long Chen was about to continue his pursuit, a terrifying aura suddenly surged forth, a fierce presence that made one's heart tremble. Mengqi's expression changed slightly as she stepped forward, placing herself behind Long Chen. Her jade hand moved slightly, ready to take action, but upon assessing the situation, she withdrew her hand. Ahead, a giant yellow wasp appeared, nearly fifty feet long, exuding a powerful aura, with colorful patterns all over its body that made one’s scalp tingle. Long Chen was startled; that was a second-tier magical beast, specifically a very violent Rage Blood Wasp. Even third-tier magical beasts rarely provoke it because once stung by its tail, one would either die or be severely injured. However, after a brief shock, Long Chen looked at the beautiful figure in front of him and felt a rush of emotion: 'If you can stand in front of me once, I can stand in front of you for a lifetime.' Whoosh! The giant Rage Blood Wasp landed, and as the terrifying roar subsided, a young man jumped down from its back. He appeared to be in his twenties, tall, with well-defined features, giving off an air of nobility, though a trace of undeniable arrogance marred his overall image. As soon as the young man appeared, he looked at Mengqi, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Junior sister, you haven't returned to the sect for so long; the Master is quite displeased and sent me to find you," the young man said with a beaming smile. However, upon seeing Long Chen, his brows furrowed as he questioned, "Who is this person? Could it be...?" As he spoke, a hint of a cold glint flashed in the young man's eyes but was quickly concealed. "Don't talk nonsense; I'm just here to ask this young master a few questions," Mengqi clearly wasn't good at lying, and a hint of panic flashed in her beautiful eyes. Turning to Long Chen, she said, "Thank you, young master." After saying that, she glanced at Long Chen, and in that look, there was a lot of meaning. Before Long Chen could fully comprehend, Mengqi had summoned her mount and flew away. The young man shot a glance at Long Chen, snorted coldly, and pointed at him, conjuring a transparent arrow that shot directly at Long Chen's face. Long Chen was still savoring the meaning behind Mengqi's glance and did not expect that the young man would suddenly launch an attack. It was too late to dodge. The arrow was formed from condensed soul power, both formless and substantial. If it hit someone, they would be instantly crushed spiritually and become an idiot. Long Chen was alarmed; there was no time to evade. He hurriedly activated his soul power to defend himself. Although his soul power was strong, he had never practiced soul techniques, and the chances of withstanding the attack were almost negligible. "Bang!" Suddenly, another arrow appeared out of nowhere, colliding with the young man's attack, creating a loud explosion. Long Chen was knocked back four or five steps by the force. "Qi Shixiong, if you attack a mortal like this, it won't be good if the Master finds out," a girl suddenly appeared beside them, speaking淡淡ly to the young man called Qi Shixiong. The young man named Qi's expression changed slightly but quickly smiled and replied, "Junior sister, you misunderstood. I was just testing him; how could I really hurt him?" Long Chen's face darkened. With his soul power, how could he not see through the young man's intentions? He clearly wanted to turn him into an idiot. This made Long Chen furious, especially with the way this jerk looked at Mengqi; it filled him with rage, and he gritted his teeth. "Young master, this is an inner disciple of our Fenghun Pavilion, with extraordinary cultivation. You have to be careful," the girl said, winking at Long Chen. Long Chen was taken aback; was she deliberately giving him a heads-up? "Qi Shixiong, let's go," the girl said to Qi Shixiong, clearly intending to leave with him. Qi Shixiong glanced at Long Chen, smiled faintly, and jumped onto the Rage Blood Wasp. After they left, Long Chen couldn't help but curse angrily, "Damn it, Qi Shixiong, I’ll remember this grudge!" After calming down from his anger, Long Chen realized that he still gained something today. Although he had broken off the engagement, at least he left a good impression on Mengqi. Most importantly, he noticed that when Mengqi left, she carefully stored away the marriage certificate and did not destroy it immediately, leaving him with greater hope. However, he also felt a significant sense of crisis. How many people could resist the charm of a woman as exceptional as Mengqi? Moreover, now there was a seemingly fine young man, Qi Shixiong, by her side; it was too dangerous. What if besides Qi Shixiong, there was also Niu Shixiong and Gou Shixiong? That wouldn't do; he had to quickly increase his cultivation. Although he had established a connection with the Alchemist Association, they were a neutral force that did not participate in any conflicts; everything still depended on himself. The words of Li Hao before his death rang in Long Chen's ears, serving as a warning. If the other side was only using his mother and himself to restrain his father, then it was likely that his father had already understood something since he had refused the royal summons several times. The longer it dragged on, the less valuable he and his mother would be, making them even more dangerous. Upon returning home, Long Chen locked himself in his room and instructed that no one was to disturb him. He began taking out the medicinal materials from his spatial ring one by one. The last time at the Alchemist Association, the copper cauldron Yunqi had given him had helped Long Chen greatly. As one of the essential tools for alchemists, there was much knowledge contained within it. Long Chen's original cauldron was a piece of junk; it not only had poor heat conductivity but also consumed a lot of his alchemical fire. Additionally, in terms of quality, it was extremely subpar, as it couldn't seal the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, allowing impurities to enter the cauldron while the spiritual energy escaped. It was a miracle if such a cauldron could produce good pills. Moreover, the crafting of a cauldron requires extremely strict craftsmanship, while Long Chen's original cauldron was clearly made by an ordinary craftsman. However, there was no choice; a decent cauldron would cost at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins, sometimes even millions, which Long Chen couldn't afford. The cauldron Yunqi had given him was a first-grade cauldron, generally only alchemists of the Dan Disciple rank would qualify to possess one. With this cauldron, Long Chen could be considered to have upgraded his equipment. Looking at the brand-new cauldron, Long Chen nodded. "It's time to speed things up; otherwise, my wife will fly away!"