stonecrandall 506. The Azure Scales Awaken
506. The Azure Scales Awaken
"Still not working?" Xiao Yan pondered the time; the Pill Gathering was in three days. During this time, he had focused on studying the Hidden Shadow Needle, but he was still one step short.
Although he still has some energy left, he needs to be in top condition for the Pill Gathering, and he can't continue to obsess over this one soul skill. The cultivation of the Hidden Shadow Needle will ultimately have to wait until later.
However, with a flicker of energy on his forehead, Xiao Yan smiled slightly. His painstaking cultivation would never be in vain; his soul power had reached the peak of the early stage of the Spirit Realm, and he only needed a catalyst to break through to the middle stage. Moreover, his continuous efforts to control his soul power silently had further refined his soul control skills.
Improving one's spiritual realm can be incredibly difficult; a single leap in a small realm can take up a lifetime for many people.
Although he and Wei Jiangyuan had reached the Soul Realm, the eighth-grade alchemist level, in just over a decade, the path to the ninth grade was still fraught with difficulties. Each step beyond the eighth grade required talent, opportunity, and diligent cultivation. Lacking any one of these three, it would be difficult to reach the ninth grade.
As soon as Xiao Yan tried to get up, he felt a chill creeping over him. Even with his protective fire, he instinctively shivered.
"Is this... Qing Lin emerging from seclusion?" Xiao Yan's figure vanished instantly, and he immediately found Little Fairy Doctor outside.
The Crimson Lotus Heart Flame instantly appeared, neutralizing all the cold currents in front of Little Fairy Doctor without missing a single one.
"I'm not a cripple anymore, I can handle all of this myself," Little Fairy Doctor laughed when she saw Xiao Yan's nervous look.
"Just in case, it can't hurt."
Little Fairy Doctor felt a warmth in her heart because of Xiao Yan's concern, but then her attention was still focused on the outside of the room, where Qing Lin's aura was still rising!
Lei Jingxiao and Mu Qingluan were both startled by Qinglin's aura. Lei Jingxiao stared at the core and exclaimed, "Qinglin's speed is too fast! The gap between us has widened again. I must ask her for advice on cultivation when I have time."
"You may not be able to learn from her experience."
"Big brother, you underestimate me too much," Lei Jingxiao retorted, equally unconvinced.
"I'm not lying to you. Even the Thunder Clan probably can't offer you the same conditions as Qinglin."
"Hey, at least Qinglin can protect Sister Xian'er once she comes out of seclusion, and then I can participate in the Pill Gathering!" Lei Jingxiao said with satisfaction.
"You haven't given up on that idea yet. There's no use going in there if you don't know how to make medicine; you can only burn all those herbs."
"I sent him," Little Fairy Doctor explained. "Although our Little Lei can't actually refine medicine, he can be your bodyguard."
Upon receiving praise from Little Fairy Doctor, Lei Jingxiao unconsciously straightened his back even more, grinned at Xiao Yan, and said, "Don't worry, big brother, with me here, I guarantee that Ling Zhuo will have to avoid us."
Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle at Lei Jingxiao's expression, patting Lei Jingxiao's shoulder and saying, "Then my safety depends entirely on you."
"There's no need to talk about this with our relationship." Lei Jingxiao waved his hand. "This Three Thousand Burning Flames is very important to you, so I won't compete with you for it. But you should find me a different kind of flame in the future, so that my dual attributes of lightning and fire won't go to waste."
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. It was clear that Lei Jingxiao's dual attributes of thunder and fire were now stronger in thunder and weaker in fire. Once the battle reached a critical moment, he would use all his thunder attribute fighting spirit.
Xiao Yan was well aware that the imbalance of Lei Jingxiao's two attributes would continue for quite some time. It wasn't that he didn't want to change it, but rather that he lacked the means to do so. After all, the Lei Clan, as its name suggests, was a family specializing in the lightning attribute. His own clan didn't possess such techniques, and other families and forces were unlikely to teach Lei Jingxiao their top-tier core cultivation methods. Therefore, his dual attributes were merely a facade.
"That depends on your luck." After all, strange fire is something that can be encountered by chance. Although Xiao Yan has three kinds, he collected them all by good luck and there is no fixed area to search for them.
As the group talked, Qinglin's aura gradually calmed down, a sign that her cultivation had officially ended.
Xiao Yan and the others saw Qing Lin step out of the room barefoot, her toes touching the bluestone floor tiles and creating fine frost-like patterns. Her long black hair, which used to reach her waist before her seclusion, now stretched past her ankles, the ends moving without wind. At this moment, Qing Lin was no longer as approachable as before, giving off an aura of cold indifference that kept people at a distance.
When she looked up at the four people in the courtyard, her emerald green pupils had turned into a deep, dark purple, and as her gaze shifted, a fierce, beast-like pressure emanated from her.
Xiao sensed that Qinglin's aura had improved again during her seclusion. However, the gap between him and Qinglin was already quite large, and he couldn't immediately confirm just how far she had progressed.
The moment Qing Lin's regal purple pupils saw Xiao Yan, the purple light in her dark eyes vanished, returning to clear green.
"Young Master." Qing Lin once again resumed her harmless demeanor in front of Xiao Yan.
Before Xiao Yan could reply, Lei Jingxiao and Mu Qingluan asked simultaneously with curiosity, "What realm have you reached?"
At this moment, Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor were equally curious and full of anticipation as they looked at Qing Lin, who had always been the strongest person in their team.
A wisp of grayish-white energy flashed between Qing Lin's fingers, and she said, somewhat unsure of herself, "According to Grandma, it should be the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zun."
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.
Reaching the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zun realm is already the limit of the Dou Zun realm. The next step is the "Saint" level, and Qing Lin is not yet thirty years old.
Even Lei Jingxiao's Lei Clan wouldn't take the future achievements lightly. Although the Lei Clan is strong, it will still be a considerable challenge for the outstanding members of the younger generation to surpass the "Saint" level.
Little Fairy Doctor immediately went to Qinglin's side and smiled, "Qinglin, it's good that you've finished your seclusion. Xiao Lei can go to the Pill Gathering with you now."
"Qinglin, your Little Fairy Doctor is pregnant, so I'll be entrusting her to you for the time being while I'm at the Pill Gathering."
"Huh?" Qing Lin had just recovered from her seclusion and was momentarily stunned by Xiao Yan's words. "When did this happen?"
"During your seclusion..."
Qinglin looked at Little Fairy Doctor with a hint of melancholy and envy in her eyes, but she still nodded obediently to Xiao Yan: "Don't worry, young master, I will take good care of Little Fairy Doctor."
Just one day after Qing Lin finished his seclusion, Xuan Kongzi of the Pill Tower summoned Xiao Yan again. Xiao Yan knew that this time was probably to explain things related to the Pill Gathering.