58: Chapter 58: The True Phoenix Willow Fire 58: Chapter 58: The True Phoenix Willow Fire The burly man left with his face covered in paste, leaving only a crowd laughing heartily.

“Little brat, where’d you get all these tricks from?

Pretty mean of you.” Even Purple Cloud was laughing uproarously inside the Reincarnation Pearl.

“Deserved it for being so foul-mouthed and targeting me nonstop.

Besides, a bet’s a bet; even if I made him eat shit, he couldn’t complain.

I’m stronger than he is,” Mu Can said indifferently.

In this world, ultimately, strength is revered.

If Mu Can didn’t have Xuanyuan Mingkong backing him up today, or Purple Cloud, he wouldn’t dare to act like this.

“If only I had this kind of confidence on my own,” Mu Can thought to himself.

“Feels good, doesn’t it, old Hu?” Mu Can asked, looking at old Hu, who had pretty impressive acting skills, having fooled a whole bunch of people.

“Of course, it feels great.

That guy’s been targeting you for a while; I’ve disliked him for ages,” old Hu said, looking at Mu Can with admiration.

A senior apprentice brother is still a senior apprentice brother, always creative when it comes to pranking people.

“Can’er, you go ahead and get busy, I’m not young enough to join in the fun.

Call me if you need anything.

As long as it’s within Pingyun City, nothing can escape my notice,” Xuanyuan Mingkong said with a smile all over his face, his smile never fading from seeing his prized disciple these days.

Mu Can has always been a cheerful person, which is why he’s surrounded by so many loyal friends.

However, due to his lack of strength, Mu Can had hardly smiled at all in these three years.

Now, with newfound hope, he’s gradually returning to his cheerful nature, a good thing for him.

“You go ahead, Master,” Mu Can said respectfully, then arranged for Mu Hanyu to follow Xuanyuan Mingkong, hoping that Mu Hanyu would catch the Master’s eye.

Xuanyuan Mingkong was cunning with age and saw through Mu Can’s plan without saying a word, and left the competition stage with Mu Hanyu.

Mu Can scratched his head in embarrassment, and old Hu grinned knowingly.

“Let’s go, President Fiery Flame,” Mu Can said to Fiery Flame.

“Um, this is your Master, right?” Fiery Flame cautiously asked, it seemed that the old man was the expert that the two Martial Venerates had spoken of.

“Yes, he’s my Master, from Immortal Ancient Academy,” explained Mu Can, taking the opportunity to mention his Master’s background.

“Ah?

Immortal Ancient Academy?

Isn’t that the number one academy?” Li Shuang, who had just ascended to the Martial Sect Realm, asked in surprise.

The fame of the Immortal Ancient Academy was well-known; in the past hundred years, countless heroes had come from there, and even members of the Imperial Families from major empires would send their direct descendants there to study.

“Yes, my Master is the vice dean of Immortal Ancient Academy,” Mu Can said casually, though his heart was bursting with joy.

Leveraging status didn’t feel as satisfying as using one’s own strength to bully, but in this case, it still felt great.

“To be the vice dean of Immortal Ancient Academy, it seems the senior has profound cultivation,” Fiery Flame said with admiration, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

Not just him, all members of the Flame Branch present felt similarly.

They all feared what would have happened if they had acted impulsively just now.

These people wouldn’t have been enough to pique their interest.

The luckiest were the two Martial Venerates they had hired.

They had hardly dared to breathe earlier, worried that creating a commotion might provoke Xuanyuan Mingkong and be casually obliterated for showing hostility.

Moreover, seeing Mu Can challenged by the burly man earlier made them incredibly nervous.

“So, young brother, you’re from Immortal Ancient Academy?

Truly, heroes emerge young,” Fiery Flame said, offering his compliments.

In his eyes, Mu Can was not just a question of infinite potential.

With such a formidable background, as long as Mu Can didn’t court disaster and suffer an untimely demise, becoming a top-notch powerhouse was practically a certainty.

With this thought in mind, Huo Lie’s smile became even more sincere.

Befriending Mu Can during his relatively weaker moments meant that once Mu Can grew stronger, he would undoubtedly remember this kindness.

If only he knew that even before Mu Can had left the Mu Family, he had already provoked two great enemies—the Demon Generals of the Demon World and Wanling Mountain—it’s likely he would keep his distance from Mu Can.

“President Huo Lie, let’s hurry.

I can’t wait to find out about the whereabouts of the Innate Pill Fire,” Mu Can pulled Huo Lie and quickly made their way to the Mu Family conference hall.

“You don’t have to call me president so formally.

If you don’t mind, you can just call me Big Brother Huo Lie, and I’ll call you little brother, how about that?” Huo Lie suggested with a sincere face.

“Okay, then I’ll call you Big Brother Huo Lie, haha.” Mu Can knew that what he had just shown Huo Lie had already achieved a certain effect.

The change in Huo Lie’s attitude was surely based on the strength of Xuanyuan Mingkong and his own potential.

In this manner, one person intentionally flattered while the other did not dismiss it, laughing and talking as they reached the Mu Family conference hall.

“Big Brother Huo Lie, is the Innate Pill Fire you mentioned still around?” Mu Can asked with a smile, his tone devoid of any estrangement, as if he were talking to a long-lost brother.

“Little brother Mu Can, I can’t be certain about that.

However, a story about it is indeed recorded in our branch’s annals,” Huo Lie earnestly said.

No matter how much rapport was built, in the end, cooperation is still about the mutual benefits, and Huo Lie understood that very well.

“Mm, please continue, Big Brother Huo Lie.” The importance of this matter for Mu Can was self-evident.

Purple Cloud’s present accomplishments were partly due to Purple Cloud’s own Dan Fire, which surpassed the Innate Pill Fire to some extent.

“Back then, an elder of the Flame Branch once wandered into a valley by mistake while gathering herbs and entered a mysterious space through a passageway.

There, the elder encountered an indescribable wonder,” Huo Lie reminisced, recalling the records he had read in the annals.

Curious, Mu Can asked, “What sort of wonder?”

“In that space, there was a giant willow tree with a Phoenix circling around it.

The whole space was immensely hot; just in a moment, the elder’s clothes turned to ash.

The elder dared not approach and left,” Huo Lie continued with the recollection.

“Vanishing Phoenix True Willow Fire, ranked thirteenth among the Innate Pill Fires,” Purple Cloud softly commented inside the Reincarnation Pearl as she listened to Huo Lie’s description.

“Do you know the exact location of that place?” Mu Can asked with curiosity.

Since Purple Cloud could name the Innate Pill Fire, it meant that the record must be true.

“Later it was discovered that what the elder had encountered was the Vanishing Phoenix True Willow Fire.

However, when they tried to return, that passageway could no longer be found, as if it had vanished.

The incident was then documented in our branch’s annals,” Huo Lie said somewhat sheepishly.

Talking for so long and yet unable to pinpoint the location wasn’t different from not saying anything at all.

“I know how to open the portal to the space where the Innate Pill Fire resides.

Just ask him for the exact location,” Purple Cloud said with palpable excitement.

“No matter what, Big Brother Huo Lie, I still want to search for it.

You just tell me the exact location,” Mu Can said with a look of eager anticipation.

“Alright, I’ll have someone send you the map as soon as I get back,” Huo Lie promised, gazing at Mu Can for three seconds before speaking.

Exchanging a virtually unfindable Innate Pill Fire for Mu Can’s help in the competition, and possibly the friendship of a future powerhouse, was definitely worth it.

“Then, I shall thank Big Brother Huo Lie in advance,” Mu Can said as he bowed with clasped hands.

PS: Innate Pill Fire, Vanishing Phoenix True Willow Fire, the story continues in Chapter 3—seeking recommendations and collections.

It’s not easy to write during the festive seasons as I have to resist the temptations of delicious food and fun times.

Dear reader, just add the book to your shelf, that’s all I ask.

Recommendation tickets are not important right now, hehe.