The stone door of the underground space in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower slowly opened. Yan Qingshan's figure emerged, and a person quickly moved in front of him, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"Your cultivation..."
Elder Su Qian looked at Yan Qingshan with some disbelief. In just a few short months, the difference in his aura before and after seclusion was incredible. His advancement was simply too fast!
"Just a small breakthrough!"
Yan Qingshan smiled, a little smugly. Before he went into seclusion, he was only a two-star Dou Emperor. With the refining of two Dou Ancestor-level puppets and the Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings, his control over flames became even stronger. Coupled with the fire beads from the lizardmen, the speed at which he refined the Demon Poison Spot increased even more.
In just two or three months, he broke through two stars to become a four-star Dou Emperor. This speed was definitely lightning-fast for a Dou Emperor.
"Elder, look at this..."
Yan Qingshan handed over the Fire Gathering Gourd. Elder Su Qian subconsciously took it, blinked, and then craned his neck to look behind him. The giant, invisible fire python that once occupied the space was gone, but the fire energy within the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was still abundant.
"Wait, something's wrong... How did you do this?"
Elder Su Qian wasn't initially too surprised. Yan Qingshan had said before his seclusion that he would try to solve the problem of the Fallen Heart Flame, so he assumed the issue had just been resolved. But when he felt the Fallen Heart Flame inside the Fire Gathering Gourd, he was utterly shocked.
Because at that moment, even the heart flame essence in his own body began to circulate involuntarily. This was still the complete Fallen Heart Flame.
"Elder, I've solved the problem. Are you satisfied?"
Yan Qingshan smiled without explaining, simply patting Elder Su Qian's shoulder.
Elder Su Qian looked at Yan Qingshan several times in disbelief before sighing. "You, kid, are always giving people shocks—either a pleasant surprise or a fright. But this time, I really have to thank you. This Fallen Heart Flame has been a hidden danger in the inner academy for so long..."
"You don't need to thank me, Elder. Just don't object to me taking it away."
An invisible flame radiated from the white storage ring on Yan Qingshan's finger. A fire python darted out of the ring and was caught by Yan Qingshan.
"This... this is... two Fallen Heart Flames."
Elder Su Qian looked at the invisible fire python in Yan Qingshan's hand, then lowered his head to look at the invisible flame inside the Fire Gathering Gourd, his face filled with shock.
"I found this Fallen Heart Flame in the magma world below. It's quite dangerous down there, so it's best to be careful in the future..."
Yan Qingshan briefly explained what had happened in the magma world and then continued, "This Fallen Heart Flame is still in its growth stage, but as long as the elders in the inner academy who practice fire-attribute techniques continuously infuse it with Dou Qi, it can provide a sufficient amount of heart flame essence.
Moreover, as it is infused with Dou Qi for a longer period, this Fallen Heart Flame can once again develop its own intelligence. By then, it will have been nurtured by the inner academy itself, so it will definitely not reject the academy, and the problem with the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower will essentially be solved..."
"You, kid, you've really given me a huge surprise!"
After hearing Yan Qingshan's words, Elder Su Qian couldn't help but pat his shoulder, a look of uncontainable joy on his face.
"Elder, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"
Yan Qingshan waved to Elder Su Qian and prepared to leave. He put the invisible fire python in his white storage ring. This heavenly flame had not been subdued by him but was still under the control of the Venerable Tianhuo, so Yan Qingshan dared not keep it out for too long, fearing something might go wrong.
"This kid..."
Elder Su Qian finally looked up, and Yan Qingshan's figure was already about to disappear down the corridor. He shook his head and smiled, then held the Fire Gathering Gourd and flew toward the upper levels of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
…
"Xian'er! Zi Yan! Senior Han Yue! I'm back!"
After leaving the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Yan Qingshan went straight to his small building. However, when he arrived, it felt a bit strange, as if the girls weren't home. After calling out a few times, a rather annoyed, childish voice rang out.
"So noisy! Who's making all that racket!!"
The small door next to them was kicked open, and Zi Yan walked out, her eyes still hazy from sleep, looking utterly adorable. However, her current state was definitely not good—she was in one of those moods with an intense case of "morning temper."
"Zi Yan, where are Xian'er and Senior Han Yue?"
Yan Qingshan walked over and asked. Facing Zi Yan, who was grinding her fangs and looking annoyed, he simply reached out and easily subdued the irritable little dragon girl, settling her on his lap. He gently stroked her smooth, beautiful hair and spoke softly.
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know anything..."
Zi Yan clearly didn't want to talk to this guy who was always bullying her. She shook her head and was about to roll around. Seeing this, Yan Qingshan didn't hesitate to playfully knead the parts of her cheeks that were most ticklish, making the little girl laugh so hard that tears streamed from her eyes.
"Big Sister Xiao Yi Xian went into seclusion. She seems to be about to break through to the Dou Emperor realm. And Big Sister Han Yue used the heart flame essence you gave her and is also in seclusion in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower."
After some roughhousing, Zi Yan nestled against Yan Qingshan's lap, breathing heavily. She rested her small face on his leg and spoke in a low voice.
"Xian'er is about to break through to Dou Emperor!"
"Yeah!"
Yan Qingshan muttered to himself. Zi Yan, who was lying on his lap, naturally responded. Her face was filled with envy. "Big Sister Xiao Yi Xian's cultivation speed is so fast! I eat so many medicinal ingredients for my cultivation every day, and she barely takes any pills, yet she's advancing to Dou Emperor earlier than me..."
Yan Qingshan's face, however, showed no smile, only a grave expression. "How could it be so fast? This shouldn't be happening!"
Hearing Yan Qingshan's low murmur, Zi Yan couldn't help but turn her head and look up at him. "What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing that Big Sister Xian'er is breaking through?"
"Xian'er's situation is special. I don't want her to cultivate too quickly. Logically speaking, after she started cultivating, it should take her five or six years to break through to Dou Ancestor, right?"
Yan Qingshan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, but the content of his words made Zi Yan's mouth form a perfect 'O'. Taking five or six years of cultivation to break through to Dou Ancestor? What was he talking about? Was that something a person could say? Dou Ancestor, you could reach that in five or six years? Was this really human speed?
Yan Qingshan looked worriedly at the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. He wondered if it was because he provided a better cultivation environment that Xiao Yi Xian's cultivation speed seemed even faster than in the original story.
In the original story, after Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan parted ways, they reunited about six years later. During that time, she had fully developed her Woeful Poison Body, leaping from a mere Dou Practitioner to a Dou Ancestor expert on par with Medusa.
But now, Xiao Yi Xian's had only been cultivating for two or three years, and her cultivation was already close to the Dou Emperor realm. It was likely she would achieve Dou Ancestor in the next year or two. This speed was terrifyingly fast.
However, Yan Qingshan knew very well that the rapid progress of the Woeful Poison Body was by no means a good thing. Especially after the Dou King level, the excessively fast cultivation growth gave the owner of the Woeful Poison Body no time to adapt to their cultivation.
Once the surge reached its limit, the woeful poison body, unable to control the energy within, would erupt. At that time, everything within a hundred-mile radius would turn into poisoned land, creating a disaster.
"Still, there must be a way."
Yan Qingshan frowned and looked away. A quick glance at the white storage ring on his finger gave him some reassurance. If he remembered correctly, the Venerable Tianhuo also had a close friend with a Woeful Poison Body and possessed a method to seal and delay its eruption.
He now had the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, and he had some leads on several heavenly flames. He also knew the whereabouts of the seventh-tier Sky Poison Dragon Scorpion Beast. He just needed to make a trip to the Central Plains, find the necessary items, and he could find a way to help Xiao Yi Xian's recover.
"Zi Yan, let's go to the Beast King Valley. I need your help to cultivate a secret technique."
After sorting out Xiao Yi Xian's matter in his mind, he refocused on the present. He lowered his head and told Zi Yan. After she agreed, he extended his Dou Qi wings and glided out, taking Zi Yan with him and heading toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
…
Magical Beast Mountain Range, Beast King Valley. When Yan Qingshan arrived, many magical beasts, including the Snow Demon Sky Ape and the Gale Demon Wolf King, were busy with their monthly market trade. As the reputation of the Spirit Awakening Pill and the Spiritual Wisdom Pill grew louder among the magical beasts, more and more of them gathered in the Beast King Valley.
Many magical beasts brought the medicinal ingredients from their territories to trade in the Beast King Valley. The specialized personnel from the Inner Academy's "Qingshan Society" were responsible for authentication, trade, transport, and refining. The main person in charge was Han Xian, who, with countless medicinal ingredients to practice on, had now become one of the few peak four-grade alchemists in the inner academy, approaching the fifth grade.
"Greetings, Valley Master!!!"
When Yan Qingshan descended from the sky, some of the magical beast leaders, led by the Snow Demon Sky Ape, were the first to recognize him. Following suit, many of the other magical beasts and inner academy students came to pay their respects.
Han Xian came up to Yan Qingshan and said with a smile, "Your cultivation has broken through again, Guild Leader. This is truly a cause for celebration!"
Yan Qingshan looked around, his gaze sweeping over the numerous magical beast lords who were at least fifth-tier. "I've come here to cultivate a secret technique. I'm afraid I'll need the help of many of the valley's Guardians..."
After Yan Qingshan's brief explanation, the many magical beasts in the Beast King Valley had no objections. Just outside the Snow Demon Sky Ape's cave, Yan Qingshan's secret technique cultivation began. He gently shook his clothes, shedding his outer robe to expose his upper body to the air.
"Zi Yan, use the secret technique on this "Three Beast Savage Skill" to inscribe a dragon pattern on me here using your blood!"
Yan Qingshan instructed Zi Yan softly, handing her a new scroll and some pills. She would need to use her own blood as ink to help him cultivate the secret technique, so he had to first make sure this "blood bank" was well-nourished and strong.
Zi Yan held the jade bottle in one hand and poured pills into her mouth, munching on them non-stop. With the other hand, she flipped through the scroll Yan Qingshan had given her. "The Three Beast Savage Skill, but it only has the Lion, Tiger, and Bear spirit patterns! A dragon pattern... Did you create this yourself?"