More than a month later.
In a forest outside Qingshan Town, Qing Lin was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion beneath an ancient tree. Her hands formed cultivation seals as wisps of faint white energy streams seeped out from the air, continuously pouring into her body.
Not far away, Lin Yuan leaned against another ancient tree, leisurely flipping through an ancient tome in his hands. At the same time, he used his soul power to isolate and block out all surrounding noise around Qing Lin, while also keeping watch over the surroundings to prevent anything from disturbing her breakthrough. Opportunities to break through the bottleneck at the late stage of Dou Qi were extremely rare.
Suddenly, Lin Yuan turned his head toward the northwest. Several hundred meters away, a second-rank Black-Striped Panther was walking in their direction. Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened as an invisible soul fluctuation spread toward the northwest. The moment the Black-Striped Panther touched this soul fluctuation, it was so startled that it leaped up abruptly, as if it had seen something incomparably terrifying ahead, and fled at full speed in the opposite direction.
Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, a hint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. His research into using soul power to simulate the illusion-inducing effect of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had finally yielded some results. Unfortunately, it was still rather tasteless—only effective when there was an overwhelming gap in soul strength. In battles between opponents of the same realm, it was basically useless for combat. In comparison, his research into countermeasures against illusion techniques could be said to have produced fairly substantial gains.
Over the past month, Lin Yuan had not cultivated Dou Qi at all. Instead, he had been summarizing his experiences from the numerous battles in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, calming his somewhat restless state of mind, guiding Qing Lin's cultivation, refining his self-created Dou Techniques, and researching applications of soul power, illusions, and methods to resist them. Although his cultivation level had not improved, his gains in other areas were considerable.
"Time… time. What I lack the most is time."
Sensing the change in the aura ahead, Lin Yuan looked toward Qing Lin and nodded slightly. "Looks like she's about to break through."
On the cushion, as Dou Qi continued to surge inward, the mysterious green energy within Qing Lin's body was also continuously being stimulated, nourishing her flesh together with the Dou Qi. When the final strand of Dou Qi entered her body, a jade-like radiance spread across her face, and her aura completely stabilized.
Nine Stages of Dou Qi—achieved.
"Young Master, Young Master, I've broken through to the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi!" Qing Lin opened her eyes and ran over to Lin Yuan, saying excitedly.
"Mm. Our Qing'er truly is outstanding. You'll become a Dou Practitioner very soon," Lin Yuan said as he patted Qing Lin's small head, his appraisal of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils rising another notch.
For ordinary people, advancing from the Eighth to the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi often took years. Yet Qing Lin had taken less than a month for each stage, and her foundation was exceptionally solid. After awakening the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, the energy that continuously generated within her body had been nourishing her physique without pause, laying down an extraordinarily firm foundation.
"Hehe!"
"That's enough cultivation for today. In a while, I'll take you to a nice place deep in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. The scenery there is beautiful, and your Sister Little Fairy Doctor will be there as well. Today, I'll cook—make something delicious for you both."
"Really? That's great! I'll get to see Sister Little Fairy Doctor again."
Qing Lin was visibly delighted. A month ago, when the Little Fairy Doctor had come to their home as a guest, the two had met. They had seen each other several times afterward and hit it off immediately. The Little Fairy Doctor was very fond of the gentle-looking Qing Lin and had taught her quite a few tips on dressing and appearance. Meanwhile, Qing Lin admired the Little Fairy Doctor—beautiful, kind, intelligent, and mature. In her eyes, the Little Fairy Doctor was practically the embodiment of a perfect woman.
"Oh right, this is for you. This is my return gift for that robe. I really like the robe Qing'er made," Lin Yuan said, taking out a carefully selected bracelet and handing it to Qing Lin. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and it even had a small bell that produced a pleasant sound when shaken.
Qing Lin took the bracelet, glanced at the well-fitting cyan robe Lin Yuan was wearing, and couldn't help but smile foolishly. That robe had been personally sewn by her during breaks in her cultivation.
"Thank you, Young Master," she said softly—whether she meant the bracelet or the robe was unclear.
"Let's go," Lin Yuan said, stepping toward the direction of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
"But, Young Master, isn't the Magic Beast Mountain Range quite far from here? Why don't we just fly over?" Qing Lin asked, puzzled.
Lin Yuan looked into the distance and sighed softly. "Let's take a walk first. We'll head over a bit later, give your Sister Little Fairy Doctor some time. Today must be especially difficult for her."
Deep within a basin of the Magic Beast Mountain Range lay a valley completely isolated from the outside world. Thick mist shrouded the sky above it, making it extremely well concealed. From the outside, the only way to enter was by flight.
Within the valley, energy was abundant. Various precious medicinal herbs grew everywhere, and waves of medicinal fragrance drifted through the air, like a secluded paradise.
At this moment, the Little Fairy Doctor was sitting on a grassy patch within the valley. The Seven-Colored Poison Scripture lay spread across her knees, while she held a small jade bottle filled with a purplish-red liquid. Her gaze was hazy as she stared at the bottle in her hand. This was a poison refined according to the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, the key that would allow her to awaken the Woeful Poison Body.
At this moment, her body's instincts were calling out to her, urging her to drink the liquid before her. Yet her heart was still struggling. Once she drank this bottle, it would be a road from which there was no turning back.
The Little Fairy Doctor recalled everything that had happened during this period—the trivial matters of daily life, Mister Yao's flattery and hidden intentions toward her, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's young leader's covetous designs, and so on. The self who had once been able to patiently and tactfully deal with these matters was gradually losing her tolerance.
Ever since learning that she possessed the Woeful Poison Body, her mentality had unknowingly begun to change. Even when she forcibly maintained her former rhythm of life, her heart kept questioning itself—was she wasting time? Especially after discovering that even Qing Lin, who appeared so gentle and weak in her eyes, was also a possessor of a special constitution and was advancing rapidly along the path of cultivation, this inner questioning grew even more intense.
The upheaval half a month ago had made her realize just how fragile an ordinary life without strength truly was. If not for Lin Yuan's intervention, she did not even know what situation she would be in now.
She gradually came to understand one thing: someone with beauty, yet unwilling to become a decorative vase to be toyed with by others, was destined to have nothing to do with an ordinary life. Deep down, she now longed for the bearing of a true powerhouse that Lin Yuan had once displayed before her.
Ever since learning that she possessed the Woeful Poison Body, whether due to her body or her mind, whenever the Little Fairy Doctor now looked at poison, she felt as if she were gazing upon exquisitely tempting delicacies.
"So this is what Lin Yuan meant by 'with a blade in hand, murderous intent arises'? From the moment I learned that I possess the Woeful Poison Body, I had already stepped onto a path with no return."
"Since there is no turning back, then I might as well face it boldly. Compared to the senior recorded in the Poison Scripture, at least I still have a friend, don't I?"
"And just as Lin Yuan said, this continent is filled with countless strange people and wonders. A solution to the Woeful Poison Body may not necessarily not exist."
Countless complicated emotions ultimately condensed into resolve. The Little Fairy Doctor hardened her heart, opened the bottle, and drank the purplish-red liquid in a single gulp. As the medicinal properties of the poison gradually took effect, she soon lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground. An unusual power slowly awakened within her body, while the seven-colored hidden lines on her lower abdomen began to glow, slowly spreading and growing.
The Woeful Poison Body had awakened.
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