With a wobbly body, Xiao Yan leaped over the abyss of several dozen meters with a heart full of dread. Upon reaching the other side, before he could even land, the depleted Dou Qi in his body quickly retracted the purple cloud wings on his back. Instantly, a figure in mid-air let out a mournful cry, falling straight down and crashing into a soft grassy area. Already at his limit, this crash plunged Xiao Yan into darkness as he finally fell completely unconscious.
After Xiao Yan fainted, Yao Lao floated out from the ring, shaking his head helplessly at the disheveled Xiao Yan. He picked him up and slowly moved deeper into the Beast Mountain Range. “Daring to forcibly use an Earth-Level Dou Technique, truly a reckless fellow…”
In the darkness of his unconsciousness, Xiao Yan felt as if his whole body was immersed in cold water. Streams of warm and harmonious energy flowed through countless pores in his body, quietly circulating within. The energy mended the slightly damaged meridians that had been overstressed by the excessive use of Dou Qi. After repairing the meridians and muscles to their normal state, the warm energy continued to flow, eventually being infused into the Dou Qi vortex located in his lower abdomen. With the sudden influx of new energy, the originally lazy spinning vortex suddenly sped up, as if it had been injected with a powerful engine. As the vortex’s rotation speed increased, the energy flowing through the meridians was drawn towards it, like bees swarming to a hive.
When the vortex absorbed all the energy in the meridians, it did not stop; instead, it continued to draw more energy greedily. The vortex spun rapidly, and even more vigorous suction force radiated out. Instantly, more and more warm energy was sucked from the mysterious liquid outside the body, then refined through the meridians and injected into the gradually expanding Dou Qi vortex. This endless absorption continued for a while, and Xiao Yan, in his unconscious state, had no idea how long it lasted. He only vaguely knew that when the energy from the outside world grew weaker and finally disappeared, he broke through the darkness in his mind and opened his eyes, still blurry.
What greeted his eyes was a spacious cave. The walls of the cave were adorned with moonstones for illumination. He slightly moved his numb body, and a splashing sound echoed. Looking down, Xiao Yan realized he was in a small stone pool filled with clear water, but with a faint greenish tinge, indicating it was not ordinary water. Swinging his hand in the water, Xiao Yan discovered that the greenish liquid contained pure and potent energy. Cupping the water and sniffing it, Xiao Yan said in surprise, “It’s actually a medicinal solution?”
“It is indeed a medicinal solution. It took me at least three or four days to prepare this small pool of restorative spirit fluid for you,” an elderly voice came from outside the cave. Yao Lao’s ethereal figure drifted in, almost like a ghost. Coming to the side of the stone pool, Yao Lao looked Xiao Yan up and down, satisfaction in his eyes. “I originally thought you would need at least half a month to recover. But surprisingly, in just five days, not only have you fully recovered, but you’ve also touched the threshold of a Seven-Star Fighter, turning a disaster into a blessing. Based on your current state, you might enter the Seven-Star Fighter level after a few more days of cultivation.”
“Five days?” Xiao Yan opened his eyes wide in surprise.
“Yes.” Yao Lao nodded, glancing at him and scolding, “You could have used the Purple Cloud Wings to escape immediately, but you insisted on using an Earth-Level Dou Technique to show off. If I hadn’t activated the Purple Cloud Wings for you, you wouldn’t have had the strength to escape!”
Xiao Yan laughed awkwardly and sighed, “Alright, I admit I wanted to try and see if I could defeat a Dou Shi with an Earth-Level Dou Technique, so I took the risk.”
“Is what you used even called an Earth-Level Dou Technique? Don’t embarrass yourself,” Yao Lao retorted, rolling his eyes at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan smiled sheepishly and did not argue. He scanned the cave and asked, “Are we in the inner part of the Beast Mountain Range now?”
“Yes, this is a place I carefully selected. I’ve cleared out the high-level beasts nearby. You can move around within a few hundred meters, but be careful of any stray beasts. Here, anything can easily kill you,” Yao Lao reminded, nodding.
Nodding in agreement, Xiao Yan slowly got up from the stone pool and clumsily put on his clothes. “How long will we stay here?”
“Until you become a Dou Shi,” Yao Lao casually replied, tossing Xiao Yan’s ring to him. “Focus on your cultivation here. Reprisal and other matters can wait until you are a Dou Shi. Also, don’t neglect your alchemy. The Beast Mountain Range is rich in medicinal herbs. Practice with some, so you don’t always rely on me to make pills for you.”
Smiling, Xiao Yan nodded and, carrying the Heavy Xuan Ruler, slowly walked out of the cave. Settling here, Xiao Yan was free from the annoying pursuers. In the quiet environment, his Dou Qi grew stronger and more refined, like fine wine aging. On the third day after waking up, as expected, Xiao Yan reached the rank of Seven-Star Fighter. The breakthrough was smooth and effortless, and he was pleased with his progress.
After reaching the rank of Seven-Star Fighter, Xiao Yan’s cultivation slowed down. The final three stars of each stage were particularly challenging, and he needed to wait for natural evolution. Though he spent less time cultivating Dou Qi, his training in Dou Techniques became more intense. Yao Lao had carefully chosen a waterfall about a hundred meters away, where Xiao Yan trained for over ten days and finally met the basic requirements for using an Earth-Level Dou Technique.
Emerging from the waterfall, Xiao Yan wiped off the water, relieved to have completed the task. Now, he could ensure that using an Earth-Level Dou Technique would not result in a backlash. Sitting on a rock near the waterfall, Xiao Yan enjoyed the sun, taking out the medicine cauldron he bought in Wu Tan City. He placed a pile of various medicinal herbs on the rocks.
Looking at the cauldron, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands, gently touching the fire mouth. With a slight mental effort, a stream of Dou Qi flowed from the vortex to his palm. A deep yellow flame formed in the cauldron, rising steadily. Satisfied, Xiao Yan watched the deeper colored flame. Once the cauldron was warmed, he began selecting the herbs. This time, he intended to use his own formula, not Yao Lao’s. Every alchemist needed their own unique formulas to avoid embarrassment.
He chose the Snake Desire Fruit, which grew in the dark, damp places where high-level magic snakes mated. It had some aphrodisiac effects. After choosing the fruit, he added several other herbs, all with similar properties. Seeing Xiao Yan’s choices, Yao Lao emerged from the ring, raising an eyebrow but remaining silent.
After selecting the herbs, Xiao Yan first threw the red fruit into the cauldron, quickly drying it. The fruit turned into a red powder. Fully focused, he added a pink seven-leaf flower, the Desire Flower, known for its strong fragrance that often caused nearby beasts to roar in agitation. Burning the flower into powder, he added the other herbs, creating a mix of different colored powders. Adding a small amount of the juice from the Desire Flower, the mixture fused into a pink liquid. Evaporating the water from the liquid with a high flame, a light white powder formed in the cauldron.
Grinning, Xiao Yan lifted the lid and gathered the powder into a jade bottle. Eagerly, he tasted the powder, feeling a warmth spread through his body. Suppressing the heat with Dou Qi, he grinned, looking somewhat lecherous.
A cough from behind made Xiao Yan blush, quickly hiding the bottle. “No need to hide. You just made an aphrodisiac. Many male alchemists start with such formulas. Hehe… Men, after all…”
Unexpectedly, Yao Lao did not scold him but teased, “Uh? Teacher, did you also make this on your first try?”
Yao Lao blushed and waved his sleeve, “Do you think I’m as unprofessional as you?”
Seeing Yao Lao’s reaction, Xiao Yan smirked, standing up to gather his things. Suddenly, a powerful energy fluctuation and a ferocious lion’s roar echoed like thunder. Hearing the roar, Yao Lao’s expression changed, his gaze fixed on the sky. There, he saw a graceful, elegant woman…
“That’s the roar of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion, a rank-six beast. Who dares to challenge it?”
“Rank-six beast?” Xiao Yan swallowed, his eyes narrowing. “That’s equivalent to a Battle Emperor. Who would dare provoke it?”
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