Breakthrough to Dou Zhe

Yaoye followed Jia Xingtian back to the Imperial Capital, and Xiao Shuang was not surprised. As a Princess of the Royal Family, she had her own responsibilities.

The engagement had been arranged in secret, which also conveyed a message to Xiao Shuang: if he failed to reach Dou Wang within ten years, the consequences...

As for the actions of Wutan City's various factions, the Xiao Family had also received word. Yet surprisingly, the Xiao Family made no response at all, merely watching coldly.

Under this cold treatment, the various factions gradually returned to normal. The only one to suffer losses was the Jia Lie Family. To gain the support of the Ao Ba Family and other factions, they had paid a certain amount of compensation in advance.

This skittish display caused considerable internal disagreement within the Jia Lie Family, and some had begun to feel dissatisfied with Jia Lie Bi as their clan leader.

The Xiao Family's lack of any unusual action was good news for all the factions within Wutan City. After all, the spectacle that day had been far too overwhelming.

Many people began speculating, and the conclusion they eventually accepted was that the mysterious faction the Xiao Family treated with such caution had no interest in Wutan City's Marketplace. Otherwise, the Xiao Family would have acted long ago...

The Xiao Family never responded to the rumors outside. This time, the Jia Lie Family had simply been overly sensitive. Though Jia Lie Bi was unwilling to accept it, he had no good solution.

After all, the truth was that the Xiao Family had made no major moves. Jia Lie Bi had merely overthought things, then smugly prepared defenses in advance...

Although the news had been suppressed, the Jia Lie Family became a laughingstock for a time. This was no small blow to Jia Lie Bi.

Seated in the cave where he usually cultivated, Xiao Shuang felt the abundant Dou Qi within his body, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He could now break through to Dou Zhe completely on his own, even without relying on that Qi Gathering Powder!

Still, he took out the Qi Gathering Powder Yaoye had left him. Why not use a pill when he had one?

With a flick of his finger, he tossed the pill, the size of a longan, into his mouth.

The moment the pill entered his mouth, an icy sensation spread outward, while its surging medicinal power transformed into pure energy that merged into Xiao Shuang's body.

His fingers formed seals, and his breathing gradually steadied. Ice-blue Dou Qi, nearly tangible, swirled around Xiao Shuang's body.

Within his body, wave after wave of pure energy was refined by Xiao Shuang, turning into Ice Attribute Dou Qi that flowed through his meridians.

Feeling the Dou Qi within him reach its limit, Xiao Shuang changed his hand seals. The Dou Qi in his body seemed to be drawn in as it began to contract.

Within his meridians, pure Dou Qi collided continuously. The intense pain made even Xiao Shuang furrow his brow.

However, the pain did not last long. Under Xiao Shuang's deliberate suppression, the Dou Qi was compressed together, greatly reducing the pressure on his meridians.

The Dou Qi was drawn to his lower abdomen, where it gradually gathered and fused, its color becoming a brilliant ice-blue.

When the Dou Qi had been compressed down to the size of a palm, Xiao Shuang gritted his teeth and ruthlessly compressed it once more. With a muffled sound, the discomfort vanished without warning...

"Success!"

Xiao Shuang lay on the stone platform, closed his eyes, and felt the abundant Dou Qi within him. The smile on his lips gradually widened.

Dou Zhe—he had succeeded!

Using his soul perception to inspect the state of his body, Xiao Shuang discovered in amazement that an ice-blue vortex was slowly rotating within his lower abdomen.

With every rotation of the vortex, it absorbed a considerable amount of the Dou Qi between heaven and earth.

The energy Xiao Shuang absorbed and refined now was no longer merely Dou Qi—it was genuine Dou Qi!

Controlling the vortex within his body, he drew out strands of Dou Qi and gathered them at his fingertips.

Unlike before, the Ice Breaking Finger was now a true Mysterious Tier Dou Technique. Using it with Dou Qi versus using it with Dou Qi was the difference between heaven and earth.

After carefully sensing the strength within his body for a while, Xiao Shuang sat back up and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. As it left his body, his complexion became much rosier.

"Tut, cultivating Dou Qi really can prolong one's life. It can even remove impurities from the body. It's truly addictive."

After sighing in admiration, Xiao Shuang brushed his storage ring, and a scroll appeared in his palm.

This scroll was precisely the Mysterious Tier High-grade cultivation method: the Condensing Ice Art!

When one had only just begun cultivating Dou Qi, the grade of one's cultivation method was exceptionally important. A Mysterious Tier High-grade cultivation method was already enough for Xiao Shuang to look down on many others.

Opening the scroll, Xiao Shuang read it carefully despite having gone through it several times already. The Dou Qi within his body also circulated according to the method's descriptions.

It did not take long. In only around half an hour, Xiao Shuang completed the cultivation of the method.

Since Xiao Shuang's Dou Qi was already Ice Attribute, there was no need to convert it at all, saving him a great deal of time in this step.

Moreover, Xiao Shuang discovered that running an Ice Attribute cultivation method with the Dou Qi in his body was not difficult at all. It could even be called effortless, without the slightest obstacle.

After completing the cultivation of the Dou Qi method, Xiao Shuang's body underwent some subtle changes. His skin became softer and more delicate, like warm jade. As his Dou Qi continuously circulated according to the method, it also strengthened his physique.

With the support of the cultivation method, Xiao Shuang used the Ice Breaking Finger again. A strand of ice-blue Dou Qi could actually shoot out like a short sword. This improvement was far from minor.

"No wonder the cultivation method and Dou Technique are meant to complement each other!"

Xiao Shuang praised it inwardly. It was no easy feat for someone at the Dou Zhe level to release Dou Qi externally, something only a Da Dou Shi could normally accomplish.

As if suddenly remembering something, Xiao Shuang looked at the other storage ring on his finger. Inside were all the Ice Attribute medicinal ingredients Xun'er had invested in him.

And if he remembered correctly, his physique could directly absorb the power contained within those medicinal ingredients, right?

Unable to wait, he took out an azure fruit. Even with his experience, he truly could not identify the name of this medicinal ingredient.

Still, his soul perception was quite exceptional, and he could sense the medicinal power contained within the fruit.

"These medicinal ingredients have all been sorted and organized. According to the order, this should be the first medicinal ingredient I need to use."

Silently praising Xun'er's attentiveness, Xiao Shuang hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth and taking a bite from the fruit.

His first sensation was cold. An extremely low temperature emanated from the fruit, leaving Xiao Shuang's mouth somewhat stiff, while even his saliva froze into ice shards.

At that moment, the Dou Qi within Xiao Shuang's body began to surge, and a dazzling blue light shone from his body.

The light did not last long. As it faded, the freezing sensation brought by the fruit also disappeared. Xiao Shuang chewed and swallowed it as though it were an ordinary fruit.

That was the effect of the Extreme Cold Physique. No matter what Ice Attribute medicinal ingredient it was, once it reached him, it had no choice but to be obediently refined and devoured...