"Huh? I broke through just like that?"
Standing in the courtyard of his private pavilion, Xiao Lin wore a look of utter bewilderment. Although it was only a step from 1-Star to 2-Star Dou Zong, the ease of it felt surreal. He had planned to rest for a night and tackle the breakthrough in a few days using the "Double Buffer" of the newly installed arrays.
He hadn't expected that the sheer mental and physical exertion of laying a hundred formations would act as the final catalyst.
Reflecting on it, the timing was logical. Xiao Lin had been at the 1-Star stage for over a year. While he hadn't focused purely on Dou Qi, the intense concentration required to create new Dou Techniques and condense high-level Spirit Seals had tempered his energy. The marathon installation in the tower was simply the final push that allowed the water to overflow the cup.
With this breakthrough, Xiao Lin had—on the surface—surpassed Great Elder Su Qian to become the strongest Dou Qi practitioner currently visible in the Academy. Only the legendary "Guardian Elders," Qian and Bai (who remained hidden from most students), might still hold a slight edge in raw cultivation. However, Xiao Lin knew that if it came to a true life-and-death struggle, his Heavenly State Soul and Spirit Arrays would allow him to treat those two veterans like playthings.
"I'll sleep first. The tower can wait until tomorrow," Xiao Lin muttered. The exhaustion of the soul outweighed the joy of the breakthrough.
Ever since awakening his memories, Xiao Lin had replaced sleep with meditation. But tonight, he craved the simple, ancestral comfort of a bed. He collapsed into his blankets and fell into a deep, peaceful slumber. He slept for a full day and night, awakening only when his internal clock finally reset.
Crack!
Xiao Lin stretched his limbs, his joints popping satisfyingly. "It's been a long time since I've had a sleep that 'pure'."
The constant pressure of his "Gou" (low-profile) lifestyle and the looming threat of the Soul Hall had made him forget what it was like to just be human. After a quick wash, he realized it was night once more. To anyone else, the timing might be inconvenient, but for a practitioner of the Star Manual, the night was his prime. The starlight was thickest now, and his absorption rate would be at its peak.
Xiao Lin set out for the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Since it was past curfew, the campus was quiet. When the student patrol spotted him, they didn't challenge him; one look at his moon-white Elder's robes and they bowed respectfully, stepping aside.
At the tower entrance, the Dou Huang Elder on guard duty simply nodded. There was no request for Fire Energy. This was Su Qian's promise: as long as Xiao Lin provided the arrays, his cultivation was "on the house."
In Jia Nan Academy, Fire Energy was the lifeblood currency. Students earned it through dangerous missions or by fighting for spots on the "Strongest List." Teachers and Elders earned it as a fixed salary. It could buy anything—from time in the tower to high-level Qi Methods and rare medicinal ingredients. For Xiao Lin to have unlimited access was a privilege that would make anyone else green with envy.
Xiao Lin didn't stop at the upper levels. While Level 7 was technically sufficient for a low-star Dou Zong, Xiao Lin decided to go straight to the Ninth Level—the very bottom of the tower, closest to the magma.
"Why settle for Level 7 when I don't have to pay?" he chuckled to himself.
As he descended deeper into the earth, the temperature skyrocketed, and the "Heart Fire" within him grew increasingly aggressive. By the time he reached the Ninth Level, the density of the energy—now amplified by his Rank 3 Gathering Qi Array—was so thick it felt like walking through a warm, golden soup.
Xiao Lin found a central cultivation room, sat cross-legged, and prepared to experience the full force of the "Double Buffer." He was ready to see just how fast a "Lao Liu" could grow when the restraints were finally removed.
Shortly after entering the tower, Xiao Lin arrived at the Ninth Level, Cultivation Room No. 1.
On his way down, he had spotted Great Elder Su Qian deep in meditation in the first room of the Seventh Level. Further down, on the Eighth Level, he saw two elderly men he had never encountered before—the legendary Guardian Elders, Qian and Bai. They occupied the first and second rooms of that level.
They must be the guardians, Xiao Lin mused. In the current Jia Nan Academy, only those two possessed strength superior to Su Qian. Since all three Dou Zongs were focused on their own breakthroughs, Xiao Lin didn't disturb them. It was clear that since he installed the Gathering Qi Arrays, these powerhouses—who had been stuck at bottlenecks for years—were taking every possible second to sprint toward the next rank.
Settling into his room on the Ninth Level, Xiao Lin began his session. Within moments, he felt a rush of adrenaline.
"Is this the speed of the Double Buffer? Incredible! I feel like I've traveled back in time to the 'Golden Age' right after I awakened my memories!"
The combination of the Fallen Heart Flame and the Rank 3 Array was intoxicating. Xiao Lin became completely submerged in his cultivation, losing all track of time. However, this peak state didn't last forever. After roughly one month of continuous cultivation, Xiao Lin was forced to leave the tower and retreat to his pavilion to "recover."
"The side effects of this tower are no joke. If a Dou Zong stays in there too long, they'll actually go insane!" Xiao Lin grumbled back at his pavilion, rubbing his throbbing temples.
He quickly realized the mechanical flaw: the essence of the tower's speed came from the Fallen Heart Flame. Beyond refining Dou Qi, this Heavenly Flame had a combat property—igniting "Heart Fire" in others. Cultivating in the tower was essentially forcing the body into a state of "perpetual combat" against one's own internal fire.
In the short term, this "combat-style training" was ultra-efficient. But over a long period, the mental fatigue built up like a tidal wave. The deeper you went, the heavier the mental pressure became.
"No wonder Su Qian and the guardians stayed on the 7th and 8th levels. It turns out I was the fool," Xiao Lin realized. He had relied on his Heavenly State Soul to endure the 9th level for a month, but an ordinary Dou Zong would have likely suffered a mental breakdown in half that time.
After resting for a full day, Xiao Lin returned. This time, he didn't blindly chase the bottom level. He settled into Level 7, Room No. 1. Since Su Qian had returned to his administrative duties, the level was quiet.
Cultivating on the 7th level was far less taxing on the spirit. Xiao Lin remained there for another two months. On this day, the silent Xiao Lin suddenly snapped his eyes open!
BOOM!
The energy in the room surged violently, swirling into a liquid-like vortex. Xiao Lin's body became a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring the concentrated spiritual energy and refined Heart Fire. With a muffled thud echoing through his meridians, the final barrier shattered.
3-Star Dou Zong!
In just three months, he had jumped from a fresh 2-Star to the 3-Star realm.
Xiao Lin clenched his fist, feeling the solid, heavy power flowing through him—there wasn't a hint of instability in his foundation.
"Not bad. Another breakthrough, and my foundation is rock solid. If I keep this up... I might actually touch the Dou Zun realm in five or six years!"
In the Dou Qi Continent, such a speed of progression for a Dou Zong would be enough to make the heavens themselves tremble with envy.