[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-the-jade-palace":3,"chapter-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-67":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to the Jade Palace",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320529,4538,"Chapter 67: At Least It","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-67",67,"\u003Cp>Hearing Zhou Yingxi praise the donkey meat as delicious, Wang Yulou smiled and began to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right—this dry-fried donkey intestine tip is made from the finest part of the intestine; one donkey yields only one serving, all pure essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seasoning includes multiple medicinal herbs, and to activate their potency, a touch of toxic aconite powder was added.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only is it incredibly tasty, but it also embodies the principle of food and medicine sharing the same origin—eating it regularly can prolong life and enhance health.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Yingxi, seated across from him, looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly is... intestine tip? A longer donkey head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She found it strange—the food on her plate clearly had nothing to do with a donkey’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yulou paused, then explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s just the intestine—the most exquisite part of the donkey’s intestine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Zhou Yingxi said nothing; instead, she spat out the intestine tip, drank a sip of spiritual tea, and spat that out too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She silently rose, not even glancing at Yulou, and walked straight out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yulou, Wang Yulou, worse than a dog, Wang Yulou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t deserve even a shred of my gentleness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let friendship end here—this is my final grace; I won’t turn against you as an enemy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I came to your banquet at your invitation, and you serve me intestine tip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thing once filled with filling—you watched me eat it, bite after bite, without a word?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Couldn’t you have warned me just once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You truly deserve to die!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t hold it back—after taking two steps, Yingxi let out a dry heave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou rose awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This whole thing—just a moment ago you were eating it with such relish, and now that you know the name, you can’t stand it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friend, you’re attached—physically attached, at that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Zhou, our Wang family’s spiritual donkeys eat spiritual grass and leaves for all three meals, drink from spiritual springs and dew—you misunderstand...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou’s point was simple: given the spiritual donkey’s diet, its filling wasn’t exactly... that bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, it’s a spiritual filling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yingxi had just suppressed her nausea, but with Yulou’s words, she remembered exactly what she’d eaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh~ Don’t call me Miss Zhou! I can’t bear it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Believing she’d been thoroughly tricked by the dog-like Wang Yulou, Zhou Yingxi wandered downstairs in a daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou followed her all the way to the entrance of Zhiwei Fang, shouting after her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Yingxi, will you still come to the Talisman Master Competition a month from now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having breathed in the fresh air and recovered, Zhou Yingxi turned back with a venomous glare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m raising the price—six hundred spirit stones!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You dog, you tricked me into eating that... I must squeeze you dry to vent my fury!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I let you off so easily, I’d be cheated—I’d be so angry my Dao heart would clog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But contrary to Zhou Yingxi’s expectations, Yulou, who had assumed the deal was ruined, burst into joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the scoundrel agree so quickly, Zhou Yingxi realized she’d underbid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bastard had made her so furious—so furious that the air streaming from her nostrils nearly lifted her veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this regard, Ning Qianqian was Zhou Yingxi’s senior; she knew exactly how to deal with Wang family members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wangs carved their family rules into their bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the reckless Xiang Yuan had been gradually tamed by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When haggling or quoting prices, Wangs are utterly ruthless—even with close ties, you must always be on guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuming, Zhou Yingxi left. Old Tang of Zhiwei Fang stepped forward with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s Miss Mu’s daughter, isn’t it? What, did you two quarrel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Nianqiu’s round face beamed with amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yulou had stolen his adopted daughter; now seeing him flounder with Zhou Yingxi, Old Tang was delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not worried about Yulou’s feelings, he might have sung a couple of lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yulou, I’m not saying this to scold you, but romantic matters must be mutual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One-sided passion leads nowhere—Miss Mu is far older than you; give up, give up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Old Tang’s nagging, Yulou offered no explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you mean, “give up”? “One-sided passion leads nowhere”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you think I’m a lickspittle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—I once firmly refused a marriage proposal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Tang has only this much insight; why would Wang Yulou bother explaining to him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, Yulou will remember, remember well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chorus of “yeses” left Tang Nianqiu speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou said “yes, yes, yes,” yet somehow it sounded wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, yes, yes—is that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t it wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Tang Nianqiu was about to ask, Wang Yulou had already walked off quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another morning, Huafeng Residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blazing peach-wood spiritual fire turned the room into a steamer—this was a sign of Ning Yao’s insufficient control over spiritual fire; when Hongmei himself forged, this never happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cultivation was only Qi Refining Eighth Layer, yet crafting a mid-grade magic treasure required fiercer flame, so Ning Yao still wore her special fire-resistant spiritual gear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xiang Yuan had long passed the age of sneaking glances at his senior sister; he merely quietly activated his spiritual sense, observing the forging process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sss~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Yao helplessly wiped sweat from her brow and slumped into her chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I ran into trouble engraving the eleventh restriction—Father, could you adjust the design to make the ninth restriction slightly smaller?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei shook his head and commented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem—you’ve improved, much better than last time. Go watch the front store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou, your turn now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the biannual forging examination; Hongmei required Zhong Ningyao to directly forge a mid-grade magic treasure with eleven restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Xiang Yuan and Yulou, the requirement was to attempt forging a mid-grade magic treasure with nine restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a difference between crafting a magic treasure blank and forging a finished artifact; the former requires later refinement to reach its theoretical restriction limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Directly forging a mid-grade magic treasure is superior to making a blank and then refining it, since refinement can also cause explosions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But magic treasure blanks are essential—pre-forging basic restrictions allows customization later based on customer demand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This prevents crafting items that won’t sell and accelerates turnover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After selecting a piece of purple copper, Yulou stood before the forging furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years, he favored purple copper—nothing else; when he reached Qi Refining, he would cultivate water arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purple copper is among the most water-compatible metal materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This piece of purple copper has no inherent nature—relatively simple, but you must control your spiritual power expenditure. Need a Kai Ling Pill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei, whose name was Wang Yueshuo, gently reminded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Yulou was his cheap brother and rotten disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless he imparted all his fire-art and metal-forging Dao, Wang Xianmao would never grant him Foundation Establishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou swallowed one spirit pill and held a second Kai Ling Pill in his mouth; after preparing himself, he tossed the purple copper into the furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Activated its nature, added auxiliary materials in sequence, controlled the nature, began reshaping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jade Ruyi activated; Jin Guang drained rapidly. Yulou’s movements were seamless, leaving Hongmei stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s barely twenty... Wang family, Wang family of Anbei Nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Yuan was astonished—Yulou hadn’t stopped after completing the ninth restriction; he immediately began engraving the tenth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenth restriction—completed. Hongmei frowned; this wasn’t excellence—it was monstrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleventh restriction—completed. The spiritual fire began to spiral out of control; Hongmei helped control it, the spiritual belt’s aura automatically protecting its owner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelfth restriction—completed. Xiang Yuan watched Yulou’s spiritual belt, feeling a pang of envy but believing it was his elder brother’s due.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirteenth restriction—completed. Hongmei had long noticed Yulou’s worn belt; he recalled that night when he and Yulou shared a room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourteenth restriction—completed. No—it exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, as soon as he finished the thirteenth restriction, Yulou noticed his full Jin Guang had been entirely consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His goal in forging one more layer was to make the purple copper sword explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, he could claim he had a sudden awakening but lost control—not that his talent was too great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Possession invites danger—he needed to stay low-key; he only needed to know how powerful the full Jade Ruyi truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei—no, Wang Yueshuo—let out a long, relieved breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, fortunately, you’re not that kind of prodigy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding! Ding! Ding!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turbulent spiritual energy surged through the smelting furnace, hurling shattered fragments of purple copper in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Mei gently placed his hand beside the smelting furnace, and soon the purple copper fragments grew still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Yulou with deep emotion and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yulou... ah, Yuan, you go first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister’s furnace exploded. Brother’s furnace exploded too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these two, one reached the level of ten sealing layers without explosion, the other even reached thirteen sealing layers without explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan was under immense pressure; he silently dropped a ninth-rank mottled agate into the smelting furnace and began refining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t pursue too many sealing layers—he lacked a Fire Spirit Root, a fundamental difference from Zhong Ningyao and Wang Yulou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a quarter-hour later, under Yuan’s careful movements, the ninth sealing layer on the mottled agate was finally completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ninth-sealing-layer mottled agate seal...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mid-rank gatekeeper is still mid-rank—it’s still mid-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Yuan himself thought it looked shabby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Mei didn’t care much—Zhong Ningyao had far more talent than Wang Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with Yulou’s brilliance before them, Yuan’s ninth-rank mottled agate seal truly had nothing remarkable to boast of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done. Go now, join your sister up front to watch the shop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Hong Mei say this, Yuan glanced at his brother; Wang Yulou nodded, and Yuan happily went up front to find his sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan had matured greatly, but before his elder brother, he remained forever a boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yulou, you're the most gifted refining cultivator I've ever seen. Have you ever considered joining the Nine Orifices Valley to further your cultivation in the Art of Refining?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Orifices Valley is one of the Ten Sects of Wunan, belonging to the “Lower Seven Sects,” equal in rank to the Red Lantern Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is named Nine Orifices because it is situated within the Valley of the Grade-Three Spiritual Item known as the Nine Orifices, each orifice corresponding to a unique type of spiritual material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Nine Orifices Valley is exceptionally inclusive in the Art of Refining, boasting high skill and abundant lineages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend says even Golden Core True Persons ranked on the Immortals’ Platform seek the Nine Orifices Sect’s aid to forge magic treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>",1748,"2026-06-20T15:48:26.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c222cd0d674541aa994573e7d1bc3dfa68e9bcef93e61345c79145cf56cf0750","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-68","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-66",243,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-the-jade-palace-cover.jpg"]