At this moment, Liu Ling felt a stinging pain throughout his body. Yet, recalling his teacher's words earlier, he gritted his teeth and endured—he couldn't afford to disappoint him.
After several dozen breaths, Liu Ling's aura shifted once more.
Nine-Star Dou Master!
In just a few hundred breaths, Liu Ling had broken through three consecutive realms—from a Six-Star Dou Master to a Nine-Star Dou Master!
By now, Liu Ling had nearly reached his limit. With a ruthless determination, he frantically urged the Purple Sun Art to refine the dou qi surging within him.
Another few dozen breaths passed, and Liu Ling's meridians felt as though they were on the verge of tearing apart. His expression twisted in agony.
"Teacher… I can't hold on any longer! I'm at my limit—I'm about to explode!"
Hearing the pain in Liu Ling's voice, Gu He's expression shifted. Not daring to delay, he immediately halted the process.
The next moment, a system notification echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Detected that the host has granted the first disciple, Liu Ling, half a day's worth of cultivation.]
[Congratulations, host! You have triggered a 9,497-fold refund and obtained 13 years of cultivation!](Equivalent to the Three-Star Dou Ancestor realm.)]
[The 13 years of cultivation have been deposited into the system space. Please check at your convenience, host.]
Gu He felt a flicker of disappointment upon hearing the system's announcement.
'Only half a day's worth of cultivation… Tch!'
Fortunately, the ten-thousand-fold refund had been triggered—otherwise, the result would have been hard to accept.
'Still, 13 years of cultivation… That's passable.'
Though it wasn't as much as he'd hoped, Gu He couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
'With these 13 years of cultivation, I should be able to break through the Three-Star Dou Ancestor barrier in one go—perhaps even reach the Four-Star or Five-Star Dou Ancestor realm!'
His gaze then shifted to Liu Ling, who was still immersed in refining the remaining dou qi within his body. Gu He gave a slight nod of approval.
'This kid didn't last as long as I'd hoped, but he gave it his all.'
Had Liu Ling endured just one more round, he might have sustained the full half-day cultivation.
Truthfully, Gu He had already anticipated this outcome.
'As my own cultivation grows, the endurance of these disciples will only decrease further.'
He could tell that Liu Ling hadn't slacked off during his absence—his physique had indeed improved significantly.
But the problem was that Gu He's own cultivation had advanced far too rapidly. The rate at which his power grew far outstripped Liu Ling's physical progress.
After all, Liu Ling wasn't the only one receiving Gu He's dou qi transfers.
As a cultivator's strength increased, so too did the density and volume of their dou qi. A single day's worth of cultivation for Gu He now contained far more dou qi than before.
Thus, even though Liu Ling's body had grown stronger, his endurance would inevitably decline relative to the overwhelming power being channeled into him.
'The dou qi of a Dou Ancestor powerhouse—even just a single day's worth—isn't something a mere Dou Master like Liu Ling can easily withstand.'
The fact that Liu Ling had lasted even this long was only due to his relentless body tempering with spiritual liquids. Any other Dou Master at his level would have collapsed within hours.
Had Liu Ling not rigorously fortified his physique during this period, Gu He estimated that his meridians would have shattered long before reaching the half-day mark.
'It seems I'll need to find even more extreme methods to temper their bodies in the future,' Gu He resolved silently.
Afterward, he immersed himself in the system space, inspecting the 13-year cultivation light sphere, then withdrew.
Breaking through to the Dou Ancestor realm would cause a massive disturbance—just as before, he'd need to find a secluded place far from Misty Cloud Sect to make his ascent.
Seeing that Liu Ling hadn't yet awakened, Gu He wasn't in a hurry. He walked to the gazebo and sat down, waiting patiently.
…
'Boom!'
Half an hour later, a muffled explosion erupted from Liu Ling's body.
His aura surged violently—his cultivation had broken through to the Peak Nine-Star Dou Master!
Finally, Liu Ling had fully absorbed the dense dou qi within him, stabilizing his newfound strength.
A moment later, his eyes fluttered open.
Spotting Gu He in the gazebo, Liu Ling froze briefly before hurriedly checking his cultivation level.
"Peak Nine-Star Dou Master!"
The next instant, his face twisted with exhilaration.
The sheer power coursing through his body left him so ecstatic he nearly leaped up and danced.
'In just half a day, I've gone from a Six-Star Dou Master to the peak of Nine-Star! Just one step away from the Dou Grandmaster realm!'
Dou Grandmaster!
Even some of the deacons in the Misty Cloud Sect hadn't reached such heights.
And here he was, achieving it in his teens.
'This is insane.'
He couldn't help but sigh in relief.
'Thank the heavens I endured that last round—otherwise, I wouldn't have broken through to the peak.'
A surge of gratitude followed.
'Thankfully, I didn't slack off while Teacher was away. If I had, I wouldn't have lasted even the first round just now.'
His teacher's power was simply monstrous.
Comparing this session to the last, Liu Ling could clearly sense that Gu He's dou qi had grown exponentially—as if heaven and earth had been overturned.
'It seems Teacher must've had some incredible encounters during his month away.'
Curiosity burning in his chest, Liu Ling studied Gu He intently.
He had never seen his teacher fight, nor did he know his current realm.
Rumors claimed Gu He was merely a Dou King, but Liu Ling scoffed internally.
'How could such terrifyingly dense dou qi belong to just a Dou King?'
He'd interacted with Dou King elders in the Misty Cloud Sect before—their auras were like candles next to a bonfire compared to his teacher's.
'Could Teacher have already broken through to… Dou Emperor?'
The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Sensing Liu Ling's gaze, Gu He turned and glanced at him indifferently.
"Awake?"
Liu Ling scrambled to his feet, scurrying over with an eager grin.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Gu He's voice was calm. "How do you feel?"
Liu Ling's face lit up. "Amazing! Teacher, you've gotten even stronger!"
Gu He understood his disciple's exhilaration well—after all, he too reveled in the thrill of rapid advancement.
"In the future, you must continue tempering your body. No slacking."
Liu Ling nodded fervently. "Of course, Teacher! This disciple will train even harder!"
"Good. Now come here—your second reward."
After some more conversation, Gu He suddenly spoke.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Liu Ling's heart pounded as he immediately knelt before him.
"No need for that this time."
Seeing Liu Ling's practiced movement, Gu He waved a hand dismissively before retrieving a jade vial from his ring.
Inside it lay the Amethyst Birth Essence.
…
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