Inside the pill-refining hall, two avatars, each possessing only half a portion of Lin Yuan's energy, sat quietly at a desk, each immersed in their own learning and research.
Seeing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on Lin Yuan's face. The research he had been working on during this period was finally complete.
The Dou Technique Remnant Soul Clone was not particularly outstanding in terms of raw power, yet it possessed its own unique merits. It could split off two energy clones capable of carrying intelligence. These clones possessed intelligence, though not much, and they could not stray too far from the main body—roughly within five kilometers. However, its greatest advantage lay in its longevity. As long as the clones were not destroyed or did not exhaust their energy, they could persist indefinitely.
Soul Clone was a marvelous application of soul power, most commonly mastered by high-tier alchemists. It possessed intelligence identical to that of the main body, but its combat capability was relatively weak, and the consumption required to maintain it independently was quite high, making long-term maintenance difficult. Most of the time, this technique was rarely used and was generally regarded as a means for alchemists to show off their skill.
Within the inheritance Lin Yuan obtained from the Eighth-Grade alchemist, the most core component was the exquisite application of soul power, naturally including the Soul Clone technique. After this period of studying the inheritance and conducting large-scale pill refinement among the Snake-People Tribe, Lin Yuan's control over soul power had improved significantly, far surpassing his former self. His innately powerful soul strength and talent also allowed him to quickly master the Soul Clone technique.
Unfortunately, this inheritance did not include any soul cultivation method.
After days of in-depth research and repeated testing, Lin Yuan had completely mastered both the Afterimage Clone and the Soul Clone.
Moreover, he fused the Remnant Soul Clone with the Soul Clone, allowing the two techniques to compensate for each other's shortcomings. After several days of meticulous adjustments and integration, he finally created a unique Dou Technique of his own, which he named Shadow Clone—a familiar name.
Limited by his current soul power and cultivation realm, Lin Yuan could maintain two Shadow Clones for extended periods. However, he was confident that as his soul power increased and the Shadow Clone technique continued to be refined, two clones would be far from the limit.
"With this, the problem of insufficient time is finally partially resolved. With clones helping me study and research knowledge-based matters, the main body can devote more time to Dou Qi cultivation and pill refinement."
With this thought, Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged, severed the distracting thoughts in his mind, circulated the Heavenly Capital Flame Canon, and began cultivating.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the pill-refining hall, Lin Yuan sat upright upon the Green Lotus Platform. His aura rose and fell unpredictably, like the calm before a violent storm. The surrounding fire-element energy, extremely dense, surged toward him as if summoned, while Lin Yuan resembled a bottomless black hole, devouring it all.
A soft crack sounded, as if some shackle had been shattered. Lin Yuan's aura instantly stabilized at its peak, and the surrounding heaven-and-earth energy gradually dispersed, returning to calm.
Moments later, Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them before fading back into deep black. He stood up, lightly sensing his Dou Qi and physical body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Very good. I've finally reached the peak of Dou King. From late Nine-Star Dou King to peak Dou King, although there's no longer that insurmountable bottleneck between star levels, there is still a minor barrier. Still, I've successfully broken through in the end. The Heavenly Capital Flame Canon truly lives up to being a high-tier Earth-Class cultivation method, its effects far surpass those of the high-tier Black-Class Spirit Flame Art."
Lin Yuan sensed his physical body. After this period of continuous tempering through his natal Blood Pill, his physique had already grown infinitely close to that of a sixth-tier magical beast.
"Next, I'll need to find the opportunity to break through to Dou Emperor. The bottleneck between Dou King and Dou Emperor is no simple hurdle to cross. Who knows when the breakthrough chance will arrive."
After summarizing his cultivation progress, Lin Yuan stored away the Green Lotus Platform and then stepped outside the hall.
"Now that I've broken through, it's time to prepare for the journey to the Mu Lan Empire. But before that, I need to recall the clones and consolidate their results."
Stepping out of the hall, Lin Yuan saw one clone flipping through Snake-People Tribe records and secret techniques, while the other was comprehending the soul-related portion of the Eighth-Grade alchemist inheritance.
Upon seeing the main body emerge, both clones walked over.
Lin Yuan then circulated the Purifying Spirit Art and entered a state of void clarity. The two clones transformed into pure energy and soul power, merging back into Lin Yuan's main body. In this lucid state, Lin Yuan rapidly absorbed the knowledge and insights gained by both clones.
Moments later, Lin Yuan opened his eyes. The lofty clarity within them had faded, replaced by a trace of exhaustion.
"Using Shadow Clones does indeed improve efficiency, but the consumption of soul power and mental focus is truly significant. Still… it feels like my soul power has subtly increased. It seems soul power, just like the physical body, gradually grows through depletion and recovery. That's quite an unexpected gain."
With that thought, Lin Yuan retrieved a bottle of soul-nourishing spirit liquid from his storage ring and drank it down.
"According to the information obtained from Shadow One, it sparred with Qing'er. Qing'er's frontal combat techniques are already fully polished, this stage of training can be considered complete. Moreover, she has also grasped the basics of using soul power for long-distance transmission. That's an additional piece of good news. As expected, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils make Qing'er exceptionally talented in soul power as well."
"It's time to find the Queen. We can set off within the next couple of days."
Two days later.
When Queen Medusa saw Lin Yuan arrive at the agreed location with Qing Lin and a massive, jade-green flying magical beast, her brows could not help but knit together slightly.
This enormous flying magical beast was a Fourth-Grade Azure Sky Profound Eagle. It had originally been brought into the desert by Gu He and his group. Later, since Lin Yuan wanted a means of transportation, he had kept the beast. Now, it finally came in handy.
"You truly intend to bring your little maid along with us?" Queen Medusa fixed her gaze on Lin Yuan, a hint of concern in her voice. "This trip may bring us into conflict with the Mu Lan Three Elders. If a battle breaks out, your little maid could be placed in serious danger."
Lin Yuan gently patted Qing Lin's head, a confident smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough—Qing'er isn't an ordinary person. Bringing her along was a carefully considered decision. On this journey, she may very well play an unexpected role."
Hearing this, Qing Lin immediately nodded vigorously and echoed, "Young Master is right."
"For you, whatever your Young Master says is right, isn't it?" Queen Medusa lightly rubbed her forehead, looking at the two with some helplessness. Suddenly, her gaze sharpened as she noticed Qing Lin's cultivation, and she exclaimed in surprise, "You're already a three-star Dou Master?"
She looked deeply at Qing Lin, ripples stirring in her heart. In less than a month, this girl's cultivation had advanced by two more stars. Queen Medusa was certain that this could not be explained by cultivation methods alone, there had to be some hidden secret within this seemingly ordinary girl. She could not help recalling what Lin Yuan had once said to her: that she might very soon be surpassed by this girl, who currently appeared to be of low cultivation. Thinking of this, the sense of urgency in her heart grew stronger.
"Heehee!" Qing Lin straightened her chest slightly upon hearing Queen Medusa's words, her tone carrying both confidence and pride. "It's all thanks to Young Master's guidance."
"Enough. It's time for us to depart." Lin Yuan cut off their exchange, his expression turning solemn. "Queen Meduy, have you arranged everything properly? If this attempt fails, your chances of survival will be extremely slim. Are you truly determined to take this risk? There may be other ways to break through to Dou Ancestor in the future."
Queen Medusa fell silent for a moment, then lifted her head firmly. "There is no need to say more. I have already made my decision. All matters within the tribe have been fully arranged."
"In that case, let us depart." As Lin Yuan spoke, he leapt onto the back of the flying magical beast. Queen Medusa and Qing Lin followed closely behind.
The Azure Sky Profound Eagle then spread its wings and soared into the sky, carrying the three of them as it sped toward the Mu Lan Empire.
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