The opportunity for breakthrough arrived silently. Lin Yuan's body suddenly erupted with a strange yet profound fluctuation. The surrounding heaven-and-earth energy seemed to answer some unseen summons, surging toward him in an unending stream, while the Dou Qi within his body overflowed like a raging flood. His interaction with the energy of heaven and earth grew increasingly frequent, and the conditions within his body began to turn chaotic and disordered.
Lin Yuan drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his mind settling into complete tranquility. His hands swiftly formed several profound seals, and he immediately began circulating the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex, entering a cultivation state.
Once he entered cultivation, Lin Yuan's consciousness fully immersed itself within his body. He could clearly sense the Dou Qi in his meridians intertwining with the incoming heaven-and-earth energy, surging wildly like torrential waters. Had it not been for his own mastery of body-refining Dou Techniques, merely suppressing this violent upheaval of Dou Qi would have required considerable effort.
With a thought, Lin Yuan's formidable soul power closely coordinated with his mind, beginning to methodically sort through the raging energies within his body. Thanks to the powerful soul strength befitting a seventh-grade alchemist, the originally chaotic Dou Qi and heaven-and-earth energy were quickly brought into order and guided to circulate along the cultivation routes of the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex.
Lin Yuan's flesh and blood, which seemed to have reached a bottleneck, now behaved like a greedy beast, frantically devouring the energy and Dou Qi within his body.
As the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex circulated, the might of this high-tier Earth-Class technique was fully revealed. Outside the cave abode, vast quantities of heaven-and-earth energy gathered madly, as if drawn by an invisible force, converging toward the cave where Lin Yuan was in seclusion. In an instant, dense heaven-and-earth energy enveloped him, spinning rapidly as though forming a massive, mottled energy tempest.
At this moment, the Green Lotus Seat beneath Lin Yuan emitted a faint azure radiance. Like a protective barrier, this glow enveloped his body. The slightly impure heaven-and-earth energy became noticeably purer after passing through this azure light, then fused into Lin Yuan's body at an even faster rate.
Once inside him, the heaven-and-earth energy was refined yet again by the Green Lotus Core Flame, then circulated along the cultivation paths of the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex. Under the operation of this high-tier Earth-Class technique, the energy was refined and absorbed at an astonishing pace.
"As expected of a high-tier Earth-Class cultivation technique. Whether in mobilizing heaven-and-earth energy or refining it, its efficiency is truly terrifying."
With a quiet sigh of admiration, Lin Yuan retrieved the Sovereign Emperor Pill he had painstakingly refined earlier from his storage ring and swallowed it without hesitation.
The medicinal power of the Sovereign Emperor Pill slowly spread through his body like a gentle stream, nourishing his flesh and meridians. Part of the medicinal strength tempered his body, making his physical form increasingly resilient, while another portion merged with the incoming heaven-and-earth energy, circulating together along the cultivation routes of the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex.
With the assistance of the Sovereign Emperor Pill, Lin Yuan's body was further strengthened, and the circulation of the Heavenly Capital Flame Codex grew even smoother. Endless heaven-and-earth energy was refined and absorbed at an accelerated rate. In this state, his cultivation steadily advanced, gradually entering an irreversible phase of breakthrough.
One month later, Lin Yuan had entered a wondrous state, neither quite a Dou King nor fully a Dou Emperor.
Advancing from Dou King to Dou Emperor was no simple matter. This promotion required an enormous amount of energy, and accumulating such vast reserves was naturally not something that could be accomplished overnight. Only through long-term accumulation could this transformation be completed.
"The breakthrough is already a foregone conclusion. All that remains is to let time temper it."
"Breaking through to Dou Emperor will take a long time. Since that is the case, that idea can finally be put into motion. Implementing it will also require a great deal of time—perfect to complete it during this breakthrough. If everything goes smoothly, the solution to the Fallen Heart Flame will finally take shape."
With this thought, Lin Yuan took out the Earthfire Lotus Seeds and embedded them into the Green Lotus Seat. Afterward, he retrieved the Heart Flame Pearl and sensed the sealed fragment of the Fallen Heart Flame within. As memories of various soul secret arts surfaced in his mind, a soft chuckle echoed through the cave.
"In terms of raw energy, Fallen Heart Flame, you are indeed overwhelmingly powerful. But when it comes to the profundity and contest of souls, you are nothing."
As several waves of mysterious soul fluctuations spread through the cave, a faint hissing sound could be heard, like the cry of a serpent. Then, the cave fell into prolonged silence.
Another month passed.
Centered on Lin Yuan's cave abode, boundless heaven-and-earth energy began to gather frantically, accelerating by the moment. Eventually, a colossal energy vortex several zhang in diameter formed in midair, its core precisely where Lin Yuan was in seclusion. The vortex spun rapidly, drawing in the surrounding heaven-and-earth energy without pause. As its pull intensified, energy from even farther away began streaming toward it.
From a distance, Su Qian sensed this phenomenon and immediately rushed over. When he saw the awe-inspiring energy vortex, he could not help but click his tongue in amazement.
"Although I had long guessed that the cultivation techniques Lin Yuan and Qing Lin practice are anything but ordinary, I never imagined they could reach such a level. It seems his travels outside have yielded tremendous gains—Heavenly Flames, high-tier techniques, and alchemist inheritances, all gathered in one."
"Lin Yuan truly possesses profound fortune. Perhaps next time, I should consider letting Zi Yan accompany him on an expedition. That girl has been cooped up in the Inner Academy for far too long, it's time she went out and saw the world."
At the same time, far away in the Chu Yun Empire.
Within a dimly lit grand hall, a woman sat upright upon a throne. A powerful Dou King pressure radiated from her body, making it impossible for anyone to meet her gaze directly.
Below her, a sea of figures knelt on one knee, gazing up at the woman on the throne with reverence and awe.
The woman seated above was none other than the Little Fairy Doctor. At this moment, her eyes were cold and unfathomably deep, like an icy lake in the depths of winter. Her snow-white hair fell in silken strands, glaringly conspicuous within the gloomy hall. Though her features were beautiful, they were devoid of warmth, as though all emotion had been frozen away.
The Little Fairy Doctor slowly rose to her feet, her movements elegant yet imposing, like an Ice Queen standing atop a snow-covered peak. The people within the hall straightened at once, their eyes following her every move.
"Today, the Poison Sect is officially established!" The Little Fairy Doctor's icy voice echoed through the hall. The moment her words fell, the crowd below erupted into fervent cheers.
"Heavenly Poison Woman! Heavenly Poison Woman!"
The title swept through the hall like a violent storm, the cries of fanatic devotion resounding endlessly.
A trace of satisfaction appeared in the Little Fairy Doctor's eyes. She raised her fair right hand and gently pressed down into the air, and the hall immediately fell silent.
Then, the Little Fairy Doctor—no, the Heavenly Poison Woman—spoke again in a cold, merciless tone:
"The next target to be eradicated is the Tang Clan Fortress, which refuses to submit to this seat."
Elsewhere, within the Snake-People Sacred City of the Tager Desert.
Inside the Queen's sleeping chamber, Queen Medusa sat cross-legged upon a cloud bed, forming hand seals as she cultivated. Her eyes were tightly closed, her expression serene, as though she had merged with the surrounding space itself. From time to time, ripples spread through the space around her, like waves upon water.
Not far away, atop a cushion woven from rare beast hides, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python lay quietly. Suddenly, its body began to tremble, the seven-colored radiance around it intensifying sharply. In a flash of light, a delicate and adorable little girl appeared atop the cushion.
Queen Medusa slowly opened her eyes and looked toward Xiao Cai with a gentle gaze, asking softly, "Xiao Cai, what is it?"
Xiao Cai walked to Queen Medusa's side and said in a muffled voice, "Mother, I miss Father a little."
Hearing Xiao Cai mention Lin Yuan, a complex emotion welled up in Queen Medusa's heart as well. She recalled the letter Lin Yuan had sent through the Flying Winged Magic Serpent in the storage ring. In the letter, Lin Yuan told her that he had already found an opportunity to break through to the Dou Emperor realm, and that once the breakthrough was complete, he would come to keep his appointment.
Queen Medusa gently stroked Xiao Cai's head and said softly, "Xiao Cai, don't worry. Your father is currently breaking through his cultivation. It won't be long before he comes to see you."
As she spoke, Queen Medusa took out several energy-rich medicinal pills and precious heavenly materials from her storage ring and fed them to Xiao Cai.
Although Xiao Cai was a Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python, her cultivation still needed to be continuously improved and consolidated. These pills and heavenly materials were precisely the finest resources to help Xiao Cai enhance her strength. In the storage ring delivered by the Flying Winged Magic Serpent, aside from the letter, there were large quantities of pills and heavenly materials suitable for Xiao Cai's consumption.
Thinking of Lin Yuan, anticipation also rose within Queen Medusa's heart. During this period of time, the speed at which her strength had improved was extremely fast, making her increasingly confident in her own power and ever more eager for a battle with Lin Yuan.
"This time, I won't lose. And the spoils of victory will be—"
Cultivation knows neither sun nor moon. Time flowed swiftly within this secluded valley, isolated from the outside world.
Zi Yan and Qing Lin had both once been brought to this valley by Su Qian. After seeing the scene here, upon returning, one of them cultivated with even greater focus, while the other became even more proactive in devouring and refining pills and heavenly materials to accumulate energy.
Above Lin Yuan's secluded cultivation cave, the energy vortex gradually grew larger as time passed, drawing in heaven and earth energy from an increasingly vast area. Because the commotion was truly too great, Su Qian personally came and laid down a profound spatial seal, ensuring that Lin Yuan's breakthrough would not be disturbed.
Thus, day after day and month after month passed. Unknowingly, nearly eight months had gone by since Lin Yuan entered secluded cultivation.
On one particular day, the valley—previously as quiet as ever, finally underwent a change. The massive energy vortex that had been slowly rotating in the sky suddenly came to a halt. Immediately afterward, boundless energy poured down like a torrential rain, ultimately condensing into an enormous pillar of energy that shot straight toward Lin Yuan's cave.
After this colossal pillar of energy entered the cave, there was no further movement.
The energy vortex in midair slowly dissipated, and the surrounding heaven and earth energy gradually returned to calm, as if the cultivator within the cave had already reached saturation and that terrifying aura was undergoing its final stage of accumulation.
In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. Inside the cave, a pair of eyes as clear as water slowly opened, brilliant light flowing within them, making the cave itself seem a little brighter.
Immediately afterward, a powerful aura erupted like an awakened lion, sweeping through the entire cave and shaking the whole mountain. Lin Yuan's aura surged wildly through the valley like a raging storm, causing the surrounding air to seem almost frozen.
Feeling the surging power within his body, Lin Yuan revealed a satisfied smile. This strength was several times greater than before his breakthrough. The Dou Qi within him roared like a vast ocean, as if it could tear apart any obstacle. He tried to mobilize his Dou Qi and found it exceptionally smooth, as though it had become an extension of his own body.
"So this is the power of a Dou Emperor?" he murmured to himself. "Because I used the Sovereign Emperor Pill, not only was the breakthrough faster, but my cultivation has also stabilized at the mid-stage of One-Star Dou Emperor. Both the quantity and quality of my Dou Qi are far superior to before. And moreover…"
As he spoke, Lin Yuan condensed a mass of Dou Qi in his palm. Looking at this almost tangible Dou Qi, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he marveled inwardly. "The Heavenly Capital Flame Codex truly lives up to being one of Yao Lao's treasured techniques. Even among high-tier Earth-class cultivation methods, it can be considered outstanding. Back at the Dou King stage, its profundity was difficult to fully reveal. Now that I've broken through to Dou Emperor, its true marvels are finally beginning to show. Relying on this technique alone, my current strength is already enough to rival that of an ordinary Five-Star Dou Emperor."
With a thought, he released his soul power to its fullest. An invisible ripple rapidly spread outward from his body, undulating like waves on water. This soul power was far stronger than before, seemingly inexhaustible and unstoppable.
The soul fluctuation expanded swiftly, even partially piercing through the spatial barrier laid down by Su Qian. Soon, its waves covered a radius of a hundred li, with vast soul power resembling an invisible storm that swept across the entire Inner Academy.
The power continued to spread outward until it reached the back mountain, where demonic beasts roamed in abundance. Sensing this terrifying soul power, low-tier magical beasts trembled in fear, prostrating themselves on the ground, not daring to move in the slightest. High-tier magical beasts, on the other hand, became secretly vigilant, wariness flashing in their eyes.
After sensing that the released soul power had reached its limit, Lin Yuan willed it to retract, swiftly drawing that vast soul force back into his body.
Once the soul power had fully withdrawn, everything returned to calm. Inside the cave, Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction. This period of secluded cultivation had increased his soul power far beyond his expectations.
"Very good. With my cultivation breakthrough, my soul power has also increased considerably. Combined with the effects of the Heavenly Heart Soul Art during the breakthrough and my previous enlightenment, my soul power should now be comparable to that of a mid-tier Seventh-Grade alchemist, and I'm not far from high-tier Seventh-Grade either. When my cultivation reaches the peak of Dou Emperor, my soul power should also be very close to the Spirit Realm."
"This breakthrough has confirmed that growth in soul power can indeed provide an opportunity for breakthroughs in Dou Qi when one is stuck at a bottleneck. Perhaps in the future, advancing to the Spirit Realm may also give me a chance to break through to the Dou Ancestor realm."
"It seems that in my future cultivation, neither Dou Qi nor soul power can be neglected."
After checking his progress in terms of soul power, Lin Yuan began to carefully sense the changes in his physical body. During this time, under the nourishment of his Natal Blood Pill, the tempering of Dou Qi, and the refinement provided by various heavenly materials and treasures, his body had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Lin Yuan walked out of the cave and arrived at an open area. Taking a deep breath, every inch of muscle and every drop of blood within his body seemed to pulse under the guidance of his will. He then fiercely punched the ground. With a loud boom, the earth instantly cracked apart, fissures spreading outward like a spiderweb.
Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction. With such a physical body, he was already comparable to a Sixth-Grade magical beast.
He sank his mind inward. The Natal Blood Pill continuously absorbed and released the Qi and blood energy within his body. With each cycle of intake and output, this energy became ever more condensed and powerful. Moreover, the Natal Blood Pill itself seemed to have advanced, emitting an even deeper aura than before. Its speed in tempering Qi and blood had increased noticeably, and even the faint purple dragon qi within it—sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing—seemed stronger and more agile.
"As expected of the Hundred Beast Refining Spirit Art that I spent tremendous effort cultivating to the stage of great completion. It truly is extraordinary. The Natal Blood Pill's effect in tempering the physical body is indeed remarkable."
"The power of the Natal Blood Pill grows as it nourishes Qi and blood, while strong Qi and blood are continuously refined by the Natal Blood Pill. This mutually reinforcing relationship allows the cultivator's physique to grow seemingly without limit."
At this thought, Lin Yuan could not help but develop a deep interest in the Beast Venerable who had created the Hundred Beast Refining Spirit Art. What kind of person was he, to be able to create such a profound body-refining technique?
"The Hundred Beast Refining Spirit Art shares many conceptual similarities with alchemy. This technique still has considerable potential to be excavated. Although I've already come up with a few ideas, they still need further deduction and refinement. In the future, I can spare some attention for this. After all, my soul power has increased significantly this time, I should be able to create more shadow clones to help with contemplation."
"Enough. I'll set this matter aside for now and focus on what's at hand."
Lin Yuan withdrew his wandering thoughts and returned to the cave. Looking at the Green Lotus Throne, he saw that the Earthfire Lotus Seeds on it had been completely consumed. He felt no regret, however, and instead shifted his gaze to the faintly dancing, invisible flame atop the throne, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"After spending so much effort and consuming so many resources, you've finally been nurtured into existence…"
"Fallen Heart Flame—Sub-Flame."
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