*Hiss…* The azure flame and the three-colored energy collided fiercely within the meridians, producing a continuous hissing sound. At this moment, the three-colored energy was boiling rapidly, waves of dense energy ripples spreading out from its core, striking against the meridians, causing Xiao Yan’s lips to twitch in pain. Fortunately, these main meridians were extremely tough, so apart from the pain, there was no other major problem.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Xiao Yan directed the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame to envelop the three-colored energy and forcibly dragged it along the meridians as per the cultivation route once again. The azure flame, enclosing the three-colored energy, swept through the cultivation meridian path with a roar. With close observation, one could vaguely see the three-colored energy boiling rapidly within the flames.
As the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame continued to incinerate, the three-colored energy, under the intense heat, was forced to completely fuse into a somewhat greenish-brown liquid energy. Under the threat of high temperature, the energy produced by this fusion seemed even more massive than before. However, even though the energy had become more potent, it still posed little resistance to the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame. When Xiao Yan drew out another strand of azure fire from Nalan, the resistance of the greenish-brown energy gradually weakened. As the circulation continued, the now tamed and cooled greenish-brown energy slowly separated from the core and was entirely transformed into pure azure liquid energy by the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame, which then poured into the vortex…
With each strand of azure energy pouring in, the liquid energy within the vortex surged at an astonishing speed.
“Truly deserving of the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill, the medicinal power is so strong…” Watching this, Xiao Yan felt a slight surprise. He could tell that his strength was about to break through to the eight-star Dou Shi level. Although it would require even more energy to reach nine-star and eventually break through to Great Dou Shi, the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill still had a significant amount of medicinal power left…
“It should be enough…” Calculating in his mind, Xiao Yan focused again, continuously consuming Dou Qi to draw out the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame from Nalan and adding it to the flame burning the greenish-brown energy. Although controlling the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame required a considerable amount of Dou Qi, compared to the constant influx of energy from the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill, this consumption was negligible.
The azure flame, enveloping the brown energy, cycled rapidly through the meridians. Each cycle completed, a large amount of refined energy would be infused into the vortex, causing its volume to surge significantly.
Originally, the vortex only contained nearly half of the azure liquid energy. Now, the liquid energy within the vortex occupied at least three-quarters of the space. At this rate, when the vortex was filled, he would reach the limit of the Dou Shi level…
As time passed, Xiao Yan was enveloped in a faint azure light, forming a Dou Qi robe-like aura around his body. This aura, however, was constantly twisting, as if constructing and probing something. Gradually, the originally intangible Dou Qi robe began to take on a more tangible form.
At this moment, Xiao Yan, naturally, could not feel the changes around him. With the calming effect of the Qinglian, he maintained maximum control over his mind. His full attention was now on the soon-to-be-filled Dou Qi vortex within his body.
Inside, the vortex rotated slowly. Within it, the azure liquid energy, like a dam about to burst, floated aimlessly, seemingly ready to overflow from the already full vortex.
Xiao Yan watched the overflowing vortex with unwavering focus. In the meridians, the medicinal power of the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill had been refined by almost three-quarters, but the remaining energy was still substantial. However, the vortex could no longer contain any more energy; it had reached its limit. If any more energy was forcibly infused, the vortex might burst, with disastrous consequences…
When faced with a dead end, one must change. Therefore, Xiao Yan had to take action to avoid such an outcome. Success meant a sudden increase in strength, failure meant the destruction of the vortex, dispersion of Dou Qi, and becoming a waste. Having experienced this before, Xiao Yan was determined not to let it happen again.
He slowly exhaled, his hand seals changing. Before a breakthrough, every Dou Shi, instinctively, would choose the most appropriate action, as proven by countless predecessors. It was simple: compression.
Gaseous energy could be compressed into higher-level liquid energy, and liquid energy could be further compressed into solid energy. This solid energy was the secret behind the substantial Dou Qi armor of Great Dou Shi.
As Xiao Yan’s hand seals changed, the vortex inside his body first became silent. Moments later, ripples began to appear on the surface of the energy, growing stronger and eventually resembling boiling water, with green waves continuously seeping out from the center of the vortex…
As the ripples appeared, the vortex, which had been rotating slowly, began to accelerate. Within mere seconds, the lazy vortex transformed into a wildly spinning spiral. Due to the high-speed rotation, a circle of green arcs appeared around the vortex, and the whistling sound spread through the body, passing through the meridians, bones, and cells, finally reaching the Dou Qi robe on the skin.
When the sound entered the Dou Qi robe, its twisting stopped, and a flash of green light merged the green Dou Qi, converging and integrating. The light dimmed, revealing a faint, flame-patterned green armor on Xiao Yan’s body. Although the green armor was just taking shape, the deep, pale green light and the immense, barely perceptible energy made it clear that it was far superior to the previous Dou Qi robe…
As the prototype Dou Qi armor took shape, Xiao Yan’s body was undergoing a breathtaking transformation. His mind controlled the rotation speed of the vortex, preventing it from exceeding a certain limit and causing damage. Thus, Xiao Yan had to be extremely cautious, not daring to relax at all. Simultaneously, he had to delay the arrival of the remaining medicinal power of the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill. The vortex, now at its limit, no longer needed additional energy, so Xiao Yan had to divert some attention to control the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame to delay the process.
Although withdrawing the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame would stop the refinement, thereby preventing more energy from entering the vortex, Xiao Yan was unsure if the energy would suddenly split after the flame was removed. If unrefined energy entered the vortex, it would disrupt the balance he had carefully maintained, with dire consequences.
Thinking of the potential disaster, Xiao Yan shuddered. He dared not try it. While constantly accelerating the vortex, he also firmly held back the medicinal power of the Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill…
Xiao Yan was now in a race against time. The overflowing liquid energy in the vortex had to be compressed into a solid state before the next wave of energy arrived to avoid the danger of the vortex bursting…
The wildly spinning vortex had become a faint green shadow, and as it spun, the liquid energy visibly decreased. Yet, Xiao Yan’s mind sensed a substance with immense energy slowly forming deep within the vortex.
“Almost there…” Sensing the rapid formation of the substance, Xiao Yan’s tense mood relaxed slightly. Time passed, and the liquid energy in the vortex diminished rapidly. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Within the wildly spinning vortex, the liquid energy had nearly run out. A small, thumb-sized, green rhombus crystal slowly floated to the center of the vortex, motionless, its flickering light showing its fragility…
His mind gazed in amazement at the green rhombus crystal standing in the eye of the storm. The moment it appeared, he felt a profound sense of comfort emanating from his soul. This tiny thing was the key to becoming a Great Dou Shi, commonly known as the “Dou Crystal.”
To many, possessing a Dou Crystal was the true entrance to the realm of Dou Qi cultivation. This small object was the crystallization of all the Dou Qi within one’s body, containing an enormous amount of energy.
Xiao Yan’s mind was captivated by the newly born green rhombus crystal, but he had no time to relax. A faint sound in the meridians caused his heart to skip a beat. His mind scanned the meridians, and his face changed drastically…
The Three-Striped Azure Spirit Pill, which had strongly resisted the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame, suddenly gave up its resistance. The remaining medicinal power was completely refined, and the resulting energy, surging with power, roared towards the vortex.
Pallid, Xiao Yan watched the flood of energy, ignoring his mental barriers, and fear gripped his heart. If this energy rushed into the vortex, the fragile Dou Crystal would be destroyed instantly. If the Dou Crystal shattered, Xiao Yan would not only fail to advance to Great Dou Shi, but his strength would also decline sharply due to the lack of energy!
All of this was the result of using pills to make a leap. If he had relied on his own strength, he would not have faced such dangers. Relying on external aids always carried the risk of self-destruction.
However, Xiao Yan had no time to dwell on the drawbacks. He focused his mind on controlling the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame to pull the energy back. Unfortunately, the force of the energy was too great, and because it had been refined, the energy bore Xiao Yan’s mark, making the high-temperature combustion ineffective.
After trying various measures without success, Xiao Yan could only watch in horror as the energy approached the vortex, feeling a hint of sorrow. He never thought he would destroy himself before facing Nalan Yanran…
In a daze, memories flashed through his mind. The scene shifted to the Xiao family hall years ago, where a slender girl stood, her face a mix of helplessness and disdain. In the hall, a myriad of expressions—mockery, ridicule, regret, anger—flashed across the faces of the crowd. Finally, the image focused on a middle-aged man, his face a mixture of ashen and red.
“I believe my son will not be a lifelong waste…” Years ago, Xiao Zhan, enduring the humiliation of the forced marriage annulment, whispered to the kneeling young man.
A gentle laugh echoed, and Xiao Yan, sitting on the Qinglian, lowered his head slowly.
“Father, thank you…” He murmured, and a ferocious howl, like a caged beast, erupted from his throat. His fierce soul power burst forth…
In that moment, the azure flame within the vortex erupted like a volcano, colliding forcefully with the surging energy. The powerful impact pushed the energy out of the vortex and into the meridians, expelling it harshly through the previously opened pathways.
*Hiss, hiss…* The hissing sound filled the room, and Xiao Yan’s body trembled. Dozens of energy beams shot out from his pores, enveloping the entire room in brilliant light.
*Ding…* As the energy beams left his body, the wildly spinning vortex within Xiao Yan’s body gradually stopped, and the green rhombus crystal flared with a dazzling light.
In the room, Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open, green light bursting from them. He landed gracefully, his gaze sweeping over the room, his aura completely different from before.
“Success…” He exhaled a long, pent-up breath, sensing the unprecedented surge of power within him. A smile of joy appeared on his face, and a relieved, hearty laugh filled the room. Amidst the laughter, a faint, elderly sigh of relief quietly faded away.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage