Chapter 117: with translation of chapter title

Lin Feng stood frozen on the spot, his face flushing red then white, as if he'd been slapped hard several times. Zhang Jun's three ordinary-looking needles had an effect a hundred times greater than the family secret art he had painstakingly practiced for years. Old Hu's praise was like a series of sharp daggers piercing his last shred of pride. He stared fixedly at Zhang Jun, jealousy and venom in his eyes almost solidifying, his teeth grinding audibly. He lost face, thrown to his grandma's house!

Qin Yueyao's eyes, which had always been as still as an ancient well, now rippled with visible waves. Looking at Zhang Jun, her gaze held surprise, admiration, and a kind of re-evaluation. This young man from Binhai seemed far deeper and more hidden than she had imagined.

Zhang Jun withdrew his silver needles, gave Hu Lao and Qin Xiaotian a slight nod, his expression calm, as if he had merely done something trivial.

But this move of his undoubtedly dropped a bombshell at the gathering of hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the capital's aristocratic families.

"Ability" first revealed, its sharpness fully exposed.

He proved he was not just empty talk, but truly possessed a "skill" that matched, even surpassed, the value of this "sincerity."

For a moment, the gazes directed at him in the hall became complex—there was awe, curiosity, wariness, and… even deeper hostility.

Especially Zhou Qian, who sat in the corner, his sinister, hawk-like eyes locked onto Zhang Jun like a venomous snake, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold, eerie arc.

Zhang Jun's miraculous medical skill undoubtedly earned him great attention and respect, but it was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up deeper undercurrents. The "skill" he displayed forced the various factions that had merely eyed the treasure cauldron to reassess the weight of this young opponent.

Qin Xiaotian's eyes flashed with a sharp light; he gave Zhang Jun a deep look, then laughed loudly: "Good! Good 'skill'! Young friend Zhang, though young, your medical art is profound—truly a hero among youths! It seems this Medicine Sect's medicinal implement truly belongs to the capable."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd again, his voice returning to its earlier steadiness: "Today we have all witnessed 'sincerity' and 'skill.' The ownership of this treasure cauldron involves great stakes and cannot be decided in a day or two. Let's end here for now; everyone may go back to ponder. Three days from now, we will meet again at this place to discuss further; then the outcome will become clear."

Qin Xiaotian's words were both an affirmation of Zhang Jun's ability and a buffer giving all sides time to regroup. Today Zhang Jun's performance was too stunning, disrupting many people's plans, and indeed they needed time to digest and respond.

Everyone had different thoughts and rose to say their goodbyes. Lin Feng almost fled, his resentful glare at Zhang Jun unhidden as he left. Zhou Qian also slipped away silently into the crowd, leaving only a faint chill. Before leaving, Qin Yueyao gave Zhang Jun a slight nod, her gaze complex and unfathomable.

What was originally just a probing gathering turned, because of Zhang Jun's sudden emergence, into a scene of sudden waves and surging undercurrents. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, the true contest has only just begun. Although Zhang Jun made a stunning debut, his prematurely exposed sharpness will inevitably invite more storms and challenges. Obtaining this legendary Medicine Sect medicinal implement is no easy feat.

Qin Yueyao walked past Zhang Jun, her steps pausing slightly; she said nothing, merely gave a slight nod, then led the Qin family out. The people in the hall also prepared to disperse, footsteps and murmurs mingling.

Just then—

"Hum—"

A low, resonant hum rang out suddenly, without warning.

It didn't come from any direction; it seemed to arise directly from the air, pressing on people's chests and making them feel stifled.

All sounds vanished instantly.

Before anyone could react, the three-legged bronze cauldron that had sat quietly in the center moved on its own!

On the cauldron's body, the deeply etched ancient symbols, originally indistinct, lit up one after another like ignited wicks.

A faint bronze-colored glow flowed, tracing out complex, unfathomable patterns.

Inside the cauldron's mouth, the half-filled black, deathly still liquid suddenly bubbled "gudugudu."

As if a pot had boiled over below, it surged violently, striking the cauldron walls with a thumping sound.

The liquid's color grew darker and thicker, almost turning to ink.

An indescribable fragrance exploded forth!

It was more pungent and complex than the scent of the old ginseng roots from the Lin family just moments ago, mixed with a hint of iron rust and a primordial, wild aura that instantly filled the entire hall.

That wave of air, mingling medicinal and metallic scents, surged onto Zhang Jun.

He felt the warm, pure yang energy in his dantian, as if something had yanked it hard, suddenly surging along his familiar meridians at astonishing speed, a scorching warmth rising in his lower abdomen.

Almost at the same moment, Lin Xue beside him, whose face had shown little expression, seemed to grow a few shades paler.

Her fingers hanging at her sides clenched suddenly, the knuckles becoming clearly visible.

An intense cold condensed deep within her body in an instant, standing in stark opposition to that scorching energy, yet as if plucked by the same string.

Both understood clearly that their internal arts were having a strong reaction to this cauldron.

It was like encountering the source, yet also like meeting a natural nemesis.

"Those symbols!" Qin Yueyao's voice broke the silence, tinged with rare urgency.

She had already hurried to a few steps away from the bronze cauldron, intently watching the flowing halos on its body.

"The sequence on the left is the pattern of 'Yang Fire Forging,' the one on the right is the trend of 'Yin Spring Concealment,'..."

"... its features completely match a special alchemical method recorded in the Medicine Sect's fragmentary text we found!"

"Could it be… could it be that this cauldron is not merely a vessel, but itself corresponds to a specific internal cultivation method?"

Her words caused the faces of several truly knowledgeable elders present to change.

Several elders who had been following behind Qin Xiaotian stepped forward at once, like attendants of the Qin family.

One produced a palm-sized, oddly shaped detector, its screen glowing blue.

Another took a deep breath, his palm emanating a faint white glow, clearly intending to probe with internal energy.

But whether it was the device or internal energy, as soon as they came within three feet of the bronze cauldron, it was like hitting an invisible soft wall, and they were forcibly bounced back.

The detector's screen instantly turned to garbled data, emitting a harsh noise.

As for the attendant's internal energy, it sank like a stone, not even making a splash; instead he let out a muffled grunt and retreated two steps.

The boiling inside the cauldron grew even more turbulent, the energy it emitted becoming increasingly unstable—alternating hot and cold, leaving people unable to gauge it.

The Qin family members tried several times, all to no avail; they could only stand around the cauldron staring, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Zhang Jun stood where he was, clearly feeling the growing resonance between the pure yang energy in his body and that cauldron.