As if in a blazing furnace, this was Xiao Yan’s feeling at the moment. The fire seemed to emanate from his very bones, causing him to suck in cold air through gritted teeth. The five-colored medicinal liquid in the wooden basin was boiling more and more fiercely, and tiny, almost invisible, threads of pure energy could be seen zipping through the water, eventually colliding into Xiao Yan’s skin and vanishing.
The sheer power contained within the medicinal liquid was astounding, even though Xiao Yan had expected it to be strong. Experiencing it firsthand, he felt a deep sense of awe. It truly lived up to its reputation as a spiritual treasure that required eons to form. This was even after it had been tempered with other medicines. If he were to immerse himself directly, he would not know how he would die.
Inside his body, the five-colored bones gradually became slightly transparent over time. Under the watchful gaze of his spirit, he could faintly see the rapid churning of the bone marrow. The energy surging in from the medicinal liquid did not cease just because his bones were covered in the five colors. Instead, it continued to pour into his body, turning everything—bones, meridians, cells, and organs—into a dazzling array of five colors. For a moment, all Xiao Yan could do was stare at the multicolored spectacle within his body, sighing internally before hurriedly stabilizing his spirit. He knew that even more tormenting pain was on the horizon.
As Xiao Yan anticipated, when the five colors nearly engulfed most of his body, a searing pain, ten times more intense than before, suddenly erupted from his meridians, cells, and muscles. It was as if he had been thrown into a raging inferno, with the scorching flames determined to reduce his entire being to ashes, showing no mercy as the temperature continued to rise.
As the tumult raged within his body, Xiao Yan’s entire body, immersed in the wooden basin, turned the color of burning charcoal. Wisps of white vapor emerged from his head, carrying a faint scent of burnt flesh. His teeth clenched, a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, staining his chin crimson.
Outside the basin, the Pharmacist Elder’s throat bobbed, and his hands involuntarily clenched. Despite his calm exterior, a look of anxiety flashed in his eyes. He knew of Xiao Yan’s resilience, but the fact that this bone and marrow refining process had left him in such a state was unimaginable. The pain must have been excruciating.
Though the Pharmacist Elder knew that bone and marrow refining would be painful, he had never used the “Earth Core Body Tempering Milk” and thus did not fully grasp the extent of the pain. Seeing Xiao Yan’s condition, he realized he had underestimated the agony. But now, all he could do was silently pray that Xiao Yan would endure.
Pain, pain, and more pain. Every part of Xiao Yan’s body screamed this word, but there was nothing he could do but endure. In the midst of his suffering, the only consolation was that he could feel powerful energy emanating from the places where the searing pain originated. He noticed that his bone marrow, bones, meridians, cells, and muscles were all undergoing a profound transformation, becoming more refined and resilient. Clearly, the so-called bone and marrow refining was truly effective.
“Endure!” he barked viciously in his mind.
After a long period of agony, perhaps due to numbness, Xiao Yan’s consciousness began to blur. In this haze, the searing pain seemed to lessen, and he managed to develop some resistance.
As the agonizing process dragged on, Xiao Yan eventually fell into a half-awake, half-sleeping state, losing track of time. The only thing he was aware of was the gradual refinement and hardening of his bones, meridians, cells, and muscles under the searing pain.
In the cave, the Pharmacist Elder stood motionless outside the wooden basin, his hands behind his back. Since Xiao Yan had entered the basin three days ago, he had not moved an inch, his attention entirely fixed on the young man.
A seven-colored light suddenly darted into the cave, circling above the basin. The Devouring Sky Serpent, seeing Xiao Yan still glowing like a piece of charcoal, hissed anxiously, a hint of worry in its eyes.
“Don’t worry, he has already endured the worst. The rest will be smoother,” the Pharmacist Elder said with a smile, his gaze shifting to the medicinal liquid in the basin, which had become much lighter in color.
Seeming to understand, the Devouring Sky Serpent flicked its tongue at him, swished its tail, and darted out of the cave. It needed to guard Xiao Yan, ensuring nothing disturbed him.
Seeing the serpant leave, the Pharmacist Elder focused back on Xiao Yan, muttering softly, “It seems it’s almost over…”
The searing pain inside Xiao Yan’s body, which had felt like a raging fire, gradually lessened. After a long while, the pain finally subsided, and with its disappearance, his dazed spirit snapped back to clarity. He scanned his body with his spirit, startled to find that the five colors that once filled his body were gone. His bones, meridians, and other parts now emitted a faint, luminescent glow, resembling white jade. It looked as if they harbored boundless power.
The awakening of his spirit was like a key, and in an instant, his previously silent body began to function like a well-oiled machine, starting its first post-transformation cycle.
A low, muffled sound echoed inside his body. Xiao Yan’s spirit gaped at the sudden surge of massive energy from every corner of his body, momentarily stunned.
While he was lost in thought, the streams of pure energy flowed into his meridians of their own accord. If this had happened before, the influx of such vast energy would have caused a painful swelling in his meridians. Now, however, the meridians expanded and contracted with great resilience, absorbing the immense energy without causing any pain.
This energy was enormous and incredibly pure, needing no further refinement. Strangely, it also offered no resistance to Xiao Yan, as if it were under his complete control.
The vast energy followed the meridian path of the ‘Flame Decree’, and after a full cycle, it rushed into the Dou Crystal within the vortex, like a flood breaking through a dam, with a thunderous roar.
With the continuous influx of such vast energy, the pigeon-egg-sized Dou Crystal began to grow visibly.
Xiao Yan, with a mixture of surprise and excitement, watched the rapidly growing Dou Crystal. He could clearly feel the Dou Qi within it multiplying exponentially. At this rate, advancing to the Nine-Star Great Dou Shi rank would be a piece of cake.
Suddenly, a faint cracking sound echoed within Xiao Yan’s body. As the crackling sound faded, he noticed that the Dou Crystal, which had been at its limit, now had a much larger capacity. The egg-sized Dou Crystal abruptly expanded to the size of a fist, emitting a brilliant, dazzling light that illuminated the vortex like daylight.
Feeling the various changes within his body, Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He knew that at this moment, he had broken through to the Eight-Star rank and had truly become a Nine-Star Great Dou Shi! Just one more step, and he would reach the Dou Ling rank!
Noticing the sudden expansion of the Dou Crystal, Xiao Yan felt that the previously full crystal had become somewhat empty again. He immediately directed the last bit of pure energy from his meridians into the Dou Crystal. However, after the advancement, the Dou Crystal returned to its bottomless pit state, and the influx of energy felt like a drop in the ocean, barely noticeable.
“The gap between Great Dou Shi and Dou Ling is indeed vast. It seems that advancing to Dou Ling in one go is nearly impossible,” he thought, sighing in regret. Just as he was about to withdraw, he suddenly sensed a suction force erupting from the Dou Crystal, drawing in another wave of extremely powerful energy from the outside.
Due to the potent energy of the medicinal liquid, the powerful energy surged through his skin, ignoring his control, and rushed directly into his meridians. After a full cycle, it forcefully pushed into the Dou Crystal.
Staring in astonishment at the uncontrollable events within his body, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and growled, “You want to absorb? Then I’ll let you have your fill! See if you can absorb enough to break through to Dou Ling!”
With those words, he immediately activated the Flame Decree, and the already intense influx of energy became even more frenzied.
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