The next morning.
After "comforting" Xiao Yixian thoroughly, Liu Xi and the now "comforted" Xiao Yixian finally stepped out of the room together.
Liu Xi's expression was one of pure ease and satisfaction, while Xiao Yixian, her cheeks faintly flushed, held tightly onto his arm.
Zi Yan, who had been bored out of her mind waiting, brightened the moment she saw them emerge. But when her gaze fell on Xiao Yixian, she blinked in confusion.
"Sister Xian'er, your hair…"
Xiao Yixian smiled softly, as though it was no big deal.
"It's fine, just… a little whiter than before."
Liu Xi explained casually, "Xian'er's physique is special. This is just a side effect of breaking through to the Dou Wang realm. It's nothing to worry about."
Now that Xiao Yixian was a true Dou Wang, the matured stage of the Woeful Poison Body had begun to manifest. Her strength was enough to destroy cities and nations alike.
White hair was just one of the earliest external signs. Fortunately, her poison remained under control — likely thanks to the Earth Core Body Tempering Milk.
Once she advanced to the Dou Zong realm, however, the matured Woeful Poison Body would reach a point of instability, and her poison might start to spiral out of control. When that time came, she would have to hunt the Sky Poison Dragon Scorpion Beast without delay.
Still, Xiao Yixian's cultivation speed was so astonishing that even Liu Xi couldn't help but feel humbled.
When they first met, he was a Dou Wang, and she was merely a Dou Zhe.
Now, he was still a Dou Wang… and she too had reached Dou Wang.
To prepare for his own advancement to the Dou Huang realm, Liu Xi took out the azure-red blood of the Heaven Demon Phoenix — the essence of a 7th Rank magical beast that had failed to advance to 8th Rank. Even so, its energy remained unimaginably pure.
More importantly, the essence carried both wind and fire attributes, perfectly compatible with Liu Xi's affinity. He only needed to neutralize the violent energy within to make it suitable for absorption.
Over the following days, Liu Xi secluded himself in the rear mountains, selecting a quiet, isolated spot to begin experimenting. Using a tiny drop from that azure-red essence, he tested different formulas to neutralize the energy.
The process was far from smooth.
Failures came so frequently they had almost become routine.
Whenever his neutralizing mixture disrupted the balance of the blood's energy, it would destabilize and explode, releasing power comparable to a full-force strike from a Dou Wang expert.
Fortunately, Liu Xi had the Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron — sturdy enough to withstand the backlash of most failed attempts.
After twenty-six days and fifty-three separate trials, under the steady warmth of his Heavenly Flame, the mixture within the cauldron finally stabilized into a soft, azure-red liquid that pulsed with gentle energy.
When that final drop formed, Liu Xi's eyes lit up with relief and excitement. With a flick of his fingers, the viscous liquid rose from the cauldron, suspended within a sheath of Dou Qi in his palm.
"At last… it's done. With this, Dou Huang is within reach."
...
He spent several days refining the rest of the Heaven Demon Phoenix blood, neutralizing every last trace of violence within it. By the end, three-quarters of the original essence had been purified and stored within a fine jade bottle.
It wasn't a pill, nor did it carry any special effects — just pure, absorbable energy.
Returning to the Inner Academy, Liu Xi sought out Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan to explain his upcoming seclusion.
Zi Yan froze. "Big Brother, you're closing up… to break through to Dou Huang?"
Liu Xi smiled and nodded. "That's right. If all goes well, when I come out, I'll have stepped into the Dou Huang realm."
Zi Yan's expression instantly turned sour. Liu Xi was about to advance to Dou Huang, Xiao Yixian was already Dou Wang — yet she was still stuck in place. After some fidgeting, she suddenly clenched her fists, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Big Brother, this time make more pills for me! I'm going to break through to Dou Huang too!"
Liu Xi couldn't help but chuckle. By his estimates, Zi Yan's natural pace would require another three to four years before she could reach Dou Huang. Whether his influence could accelerate that remained to be seen.
"Alright," he said warmly. "But don't force it. The more you accumulate now, the stronger you'll be when you break through."
He then turned to Xiao Yixian. "This retreat might take quite some time. Take care of yourself while I'm away."
"Mm."
Before departing, Liu Xi refined over a hundred bottles of cultivation pills for Zi Yan — enough to keep her supplied for half a year at least.
Then, before beginning his retreat, he reported to Su Qian. Once again, he chose to cultivate within the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower's magma world, to avoid anyone disturbing him.
Su Qian agreed without hesitation. Liu Xi's breakthrough would only benefit the academy. Yet, as Liu Xi departed, Su Qian's eyes held a trace of unspoken astonishment.
He had sensed Xiao Yixian's advancement to Dou Wang — something impossible to conceal from a Dou Zong's perception. Her growth defied reason; and that white hair… it was definitely not natural.
But in the end, Su Qian trusted Liu Xi, and did not ask further.
Back in the magma world, Liu Xi sat cross-legged atop the Green Lotus Platform, recovering his energy and focus until both body and spirit were at their peak.
He then took out the jade bottle of purified Heaven Demon Phoenix blood and spoke softly,
"Elder Yao, I'll trouble you to watch over me. Until I awaken, don't let anyone disturb my cultivation."
A flash of light shimmered from the ring, and Yao Tianhuo's faint soul form appeared. He looked at the jade bottle and chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of awe.
"To think a creature of that proud race would fall, leaving behind its blood for you to find… truly remarkable fortune."
Liu Xi smiled faintly. "It's not an artificial stimulant. This is pure elemental fire energy. It'll push me straight to the overflowing point naturally."
Without hesitation, he pulled the stopper free and drank the entire contents of the jade bottle. Then he sealed his hands in the cultivation technique seal and entered cultivation.
As the essence coursed into his body, the Fallen Heart Flame surged up from his core, wrapping tightly around the blood to begin tempering it.
Endless streams of pure energy began diffusing outward, merging into Liu Xi's meridians. As he guided them along the Qi Method's circulation path, they condensed into refined Dou Qi — but before he could even feel satisfaction, a new problem arose.
The energy was gentle… yet overwhelmingly vast. His meridians quickly reached their limits, the excess energy leaking into his flesh, nerves, and bones, flooding him with an electric, tingling heat.
It wasn't just his Dou Qi growing stronger — even his body was being reforged.
Ten days passed before the last of the Heaven Demon Phoenix essence was fully refined. By then, his Dou Qi had reached its absolute limit. His body could no longer contain another drop of power — the excess began escaping into the air around him.
At that moment, a strange tremor pulsed through his soul. A mysterious sensation surged up from the depths of his consciousness, and his heart leapt in exhilaration.
Without hesitation, Liu Xi seized upon that feeling and stepped into a profound, indescribable state.
At once, the entire magma world began to boil.
The surrounding fire element roared, converging toward him like a tidal vortex, swirling into a visible storm of energy.
Under his control, the Fallen Heart Flame spread out, weaving itself into a fiery net to purify the influx of chaotic energy.
This was, after all, its birthplace. Refining this torrent was effortless. In moments, an energy flow as thick as his arm would compress down to the width of a finger, becoming pure and stable Dou Qi.
Liu Xi didn't know how long it would take to absorb enough to break through, but he didn't mind. Even if his retreat stretched far longer than the expected three to six months, the result would be worth it — for the Dou Qi he was forging would be purer and stronger than any Dou Huang before him.
(End of Chapter)
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