Deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range, in a secluded valley, a wooden cabin stood quietly in a small clearing surrounded by trees.
In front of the cabin lay a bluestone slab roughly two meters wide. Four Fourth-Rank magical beasts were stationed some distance away in the four directions, standing guard.
On the bluestone slab, Qing Lin sat cross-legged with her eyes gently closed. Her hands formed a peculiar seal as her chest rose and fell subtly with her breathing. As her aura circulated, faint white streams of Qi flowed in through her nose and mouth, merging with the mysterious cyan energy naturally generated within her body. Together, they nourished her meridians and bones.
After a while, as this round of nourishment came to an end, Qing Lin's aura grew noticeably stronger. She opened her eyes, a radiant smile appearing on her delicate face.
"Great! I've broken through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi. When Young Master comes back and hears this, he'll definitely be very happy."
Indeed, in just a little over a month, Qing Lin had advanced two stages of Dou Qi, fully demonstrating the astonishing nature of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
"Today's cultivation is done. I'll continue sewing that robe for Young Master."
Still feeling cheerful, Qing Lin stood up and was about to return to the cabin to continue working on Lin Yuan's robe. But as she turned around, she saw Lin Yuan standing quietly in front of the cabin, watching her.
"Ah—Young Master, you're back?" she exclaimed softly, surprise and delight mingling in her voice as she hurried toward him.
Lin Yuan smiled and gently pinched her cheek. "Today is your birthday. Of course I had to come back early to celebrate it with you."
"Thank you, Young Master. Qing'er also has good news to tell you," Qing Lin said as she looked up at him. There was a hint of emotion deep in her eyes. She hadn't expected Lin Yuan to remember her birthday—it was something she had only mentioned casually in conversation. That he even intended to celebrate it for her filled her with anticipation. After all, she had never celebrated a birthday before.
"Oh? What good news?" Lin Yuan asked knowingly.
"Hehe, Qing'er just broke through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi," she said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him expectantly.
Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "Mm, my Qing'er is truly impressive. Breaking through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi so quickly—you must have been cultivating very diligently."
He couldn't help but admire her inwardly. Although his guidance played a role, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils truly lived up to their reputation. In just over a month, Qing Lin had advanced from the fifth to the seventh stage of Dou Qi—much faster than he had back then. Special physiques really were terrifying.
"Hehe!" Qing Lin beamed at his praise.
"Come on. Today we'll celebrate properly. I'll let you experience your Young Master's exclusive culinary skills," Lin Yuan said as he walked ahead.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Qing Lin followed after him with light, joyful steps.
Ten days later.
In a remote forest deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"Condense!"
With a soft shout, the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy surged violently. Inside the cauldron, the cyan pill gradually became round and smooth, like a piece of cyan jade, emitting brilliant green light.
At the moment of pill formation, an energy ripple burst outward from the medicinal cauldron.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan swiftly changed the hand seal. Within the cauldron, the cyan flames suddenly flared, enveloping the cyan glow at its center. The energy ripples expanded even faster as energy surged in and out, and the cyan pill was completely formed.
"Dou Ling Pill—completed! Rise!"
In the next instant, a cyan pillar of light shot skyward from the cauldron. At the same time, a powerful energy fluctuation spread outward, shaking the surrounding area.
Lin Yuan frowned slightly and raised his hand. A streak of cyan light shot out from the pillar and flew toward him, hovering above his palm. As the light receded, its true form was revealed—a cyan pill the size of a longan, perfectly round, with faint lotus patterns etched on its surface. An extremely rich medicinal fragrance wafted outward, and powerful energy ripples undulated around it.
This was a sixth-grade Dou Ling Pill—a pill capable of allowing a Dou King to advance one star.
The pill formula had been obtained from the academy. After Lin Yuan completed the academy's alchemy missions, Elder Huo had opened the entire alchemy department's collection of pill formulas to him. By now, Lin Yuan had memorized quite a few sixth-grade pill recipes.
Looking at the pill before him, Lin Yuan felt deeply satisfied.
"Very good. Judging by its quality, medicinal fragrance, and energy, this should be a high-level Dou Ling Pill. It wasn't particularly difficult to refine either. An Heavenly Flame truly enhances alchemy to an astonishing degree. Once I break through to Eight-Star Dou King, I'll take this pill and push straight to Nine-Star Dou King."
"My first sixth-grade pill is finally complete. After all these years, I've finally become a sixth-grade alchemist. What a long road it's been."
With a trace of emotion in his heart, Lin Yuan took out a high-quality jade bottle and carefully stored the Dou Ling Pill inside.
Staring at the sixth-grade pill within the bottle, memories surfaced of his long journey in alchemy.
At the age of ten, he was tested and found to possess alchemist talent. After entering Jia Nan Academy, he joined the alchemy department and earned Elder Huo's favor. From ten to fifteen years old, nearly half his time was devoted to alchemy—studying theory, tempering his soul, and practicing flame control.
Alchemy was an immense and profound discipline. Even with his formidable soul talent and Elder Huo's guidance, it had taken him several years just to build a solid foundation.
Now, he had finally become a sixth-grade alchemist, an existence exceedingly rare even across the entire Dou Qi Continent. He had even surpassed his guide, Elder Huo. Lin Yuan believed that if Elder Huo were to learn of this, he would certainly feel deeply gratified.
While lost in thought, several beast roars suddenly echoed from the distance. Lin Yuan frowned slightly upon hearing them, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes.
"Were those magical beasts drawn here by the energy fluctuations from the pill formation? I'll go kill them."
As the thought surfaced, Lin Yuan suddenly became alert.
"Hm? Since when did my killing intent become this heavy? Stirring murderous thoughts at the slightest provocation, has it been caused by the excessive fighting and slaughter during this period?"
"Forget it. There's no need to keep killing. I've already slain plenty of Fifth and Sixth-Rank magical beasts recently. The beast blood essence required for cultivating the Hundred Beasts Spirit Refining Art is more than sufficient. It's time to leave."
After calming his state of mind, Lin Yuan dispersed the killing intent in his eyes. Spreading his wings, he flew off toward the distance.
After flying for a while, Lin Yuan finally returned to the valley where he and Qing Lin lived.
Seeing Lin Yuan descend, Qing Lin, who had been sitting cross-legged, withdrew her hand seals and ended her cultivation before standing up to greet him.
"Young Master, are we leaving?" Qing Lin asked softly as she approached. With a casual wave of her hand, she recalled the Double-Headed Flame Spirit Snake that had been guarding her, clearly showing greater proficiency in the use of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
"Yes, it's time to go. Qing'er, have you prepared everything?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Everything is ready. We can depart at any time," Qing Lin replied after glancing around and nodding.
"Good. Then let's go. After some time, once you break through to Dou Practitioner, I'll bring you back here to hunt Fifth-Rank magical beasts."
With that, Lin Yuan pulled Qing Lin into his arms. Recalling the map in his mind, he spread his wings and flew toward the southwest of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"It's time to obtain the next fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame."
"If everything goes smoothly, I'll be able to obtain a High-Grade alchemist inheritance and a Earth-Class cultivation technique."
At this moment, on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a herb-gathering team was on its way back to Qing Shan Town.
"Little Fairy Doctor? What's wrong? Why do you look so distracted?" A woman waved her hand in front of another woman dressed in white.
The woman wore a light-white dress and possessed a beauty that could be considered rare. Her gentle smile carried a refreshing, ethereal temperament. This unique aura greatly enhanced her charm at once.
The woman in white regained her senses and smiled softly. Her beautiful face and gentle smile immediately drew heated gazes from the surrounding mercenaries.
"It's nothing, Liffey. I was just thinking of a way to improve a medicinal formula," the woman in white replied with a smile to her female assistant.
"Oh? As expected of the Little Fairy Doctor—Qing Shan Town's pride!" The young mercenaries nearby began to cheer and whistle.
The Little Fairy Doctor looked at their teasing with a gentle expression, while her thoughts drifted back to the cave she had discovered by chance during this expedition.
"That cave beneath the cliff must be hiding secrets. It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to go down and explore it."
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