Two Months Later, Two-star Dou Spirit!

Time slowly flowed by in cultivation...

Over the following days.

During the day, Lu Yu honed his combat skills together with Little Fairy Doctor, while at night he cultivated the Great Pagoda Art and studied the Sky Burning Spirit Incineration Technique.

Every now and then, he also had to go over to Xun'er to keep their relationship warm.

He asked Old Man Yao for advice on some difficult alchemy problems.

He was so busy he could hardly cope, wishing he could split himself in two...

In the blink of an eye, two months had already passed.

Inside a quiet room.

Lu Yu sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. Floating before him was a strange crimson flower, fine flame patterns flickering across its petals.

This was none other than the "Crimson Flame Flower" he had exchanged for in the simulator last month. At this moment, it was giving off a gentle red glow, drawing over all the fire-attribute energy within several hundred zhang and gathering it at the stamen into a blazing Energy Vortex.

"Whew—"

Lu Yu took a deep breath, his hands swiftly forming cultivation seals. As the Great Pagoda Art circulated, the Energy Vortex around the Crimson Flame Flower began to slowly spin, turning into strands of pure fire-attribute energy that surged into his body with his breathing.

Gradually, a faint red glow rose around him, and beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. Nourished by the Crimson Flame Flower's energy, the Dou Qi inside him rushed through his meridians like scalding magma. With every circulation, he could feel his cultivation steadily rising.

Suddenly, the Crimson Flame Flower's radiance flared brilliantly!

"Now!"

A sharp light flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and the seals in his hands abruptly changed. The Crimson Flame Flower trembled violently, all its petals blooming at once, while the Energy Vortex at its stamen turned into a crimson pillar of light that poured straight into the crown of his head.

Boom!

Violent energy exploded inside his body. Lu Yu let out a muffled groan, gritted his teeth, and circulated his technique with all his might, guiding this energy to batter at his bottleneck.

An hour later...

The Crimson Flame Flower's glow gradually dimmed, and its once-bright petals began to wither and fall. When the final petal dropped, the aura around Lu Yu suddenly surged!

"Two-star Dou Spirit, done!"

Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, a crimson stream of light seeming to flash through them before vanishing. The Crimson Flame Flower before him had completely withered, turning into a pinch of ash that drifted away.

"Whew..."

He let out a long breath, moved his slightly stiff limbs and bones, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. His bitter cultivation over these two months had finally borne fruit—not only had he successfully begun cultivating the Sky Burning Spirit Incineration Technique, his cultivation had also naturally broken through to Two-star Dou Spirit.

As for the gains from these two months of simulations.

In the first month, he had specifically chosen a "Spirit Butterfly Illusionary Body Art" for Qing Lin—this was a High-grade Profound Tier Movement Dou Skill. When cultivated to great accomplishment, one's figure would drift unpredictably like a butterfly, and when paired with the mental interference of the Jade Serpent Three Flower Eyes, it could produce astonishing effects.

After receiving it, Qing Lin could not bear to put it down, and had been practicing diligently these past days.

As for the second month's gain, it was this Crimson Flame Flower before him, which had already turned to ash. This strange flower could not only greatly draw in the surrounding fire-attribute energy and increase a cultivator's chance of breaking through.

More importantly, it had the miraculous effect of stabilizing one's foundation. Right now, the newly broken-through Dou Qi in his body was incomparably condensed, without the slightest hidden danger of an unstable realm.

"Next..."

Lu Yu rubbed his chin and pondered, "It's time to prepare for Jia Nan Academy's recruitment."

A few days later, the blazing sun beat down.

Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team arrived in Wutan City.

Lu Yu brought Little Fairy Doctor, Qing Lin, and Xun'er to the crowded recruitment square. Just as they were making their way through the packed crowd, a familiar voice rang out:

"Brother Lu! Over here!"

Xiao Yan stood in front of a blue-and-white tent, waving excitedly at them.

Beside him stood a woman dressed in Jia Nan Academy's uniform—her slender figure was paired with a thin sword, but the most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly her round, straight, beautiful legs, which gleamed alluringly beneath the sunlight.

"This is my cousin, Xiao Yu."

"She was cultivating at Jia Nan Academy before, and this time she came back specially to guide us in."

Xiao Yan warmly introduced both sides, then turned to Xiao Yu and said, "Sis, this is Lu Yu, the one I mentioned to you before."

Hearing this, Xiao Yu's beautiful eyes could not help lingering on Lu Yu for a moment longer. As a Three-star Dou Master, she keenly sensed the astonishing aura contained within this seemingly gentle young man—the calm, abyss-like bearing he carried did not show any sharpness, yet it instinctively made her feel a trace of pressure.

That little pervert Xiao Yan actually wasn't exaggerating... Xiao Yu was secretly shocked, but her face remained composed.

"Sorry to trouble you, Sister Xiao Yu."

Lu Yu cupped his hands and smiled, his manner calm and unhurried.

At that moment, a gentle female voice came from inside the tent. "Yu'er, have the people you mentioned arrived?"

Only then did Xiao Yu return to her senses and hurriedly replied, "They're here, they're here, Instructor Ruo Lin."

As she spoke, she beckoned to everyone and said, "Come with me. We'll go in through the side entrance."

She led everyone around to the back of the tent and lifted an inconspicuous cloth curtain. This place was far from the noisy crowd, and they could directly see Instructor Ruo Lin, who was sorting through documents.

In the shadows, a gentle woman in a pale green dress stood smiling. She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, her skin fair as snow, her brows and eyes curved with warmth. Her soft gaze was like a clear spring in early spring, making people relax without realizing it.

There were also several Jia Nan Academy students in blue-and-white uniforms inside the tent, all curiously sizing up the newcomers.

"These are the ones, right?"

Instructor Ruo Lin set down the documents in her hand and asked in a warm voice.

Xiao Yu nodded. "Yes, Instructor. They're all geniuses from my clan."

Instructor Ruo Lin took out a crystal-clear testing crystal and said gently, "That little fellow called Xiao Yan just now was a Three-star Dou Master and tested with A-rank talent. As for you all..."

Her words suddenly paused, and her gaze lingered on Lu Yu for a moment longer. With her cultivation as a Five-star Great Dou Master, she actually could not see through the depth of this youth at all. This secretly shocked her.

"Please state your ages first."

Ruo Lin adjusted her expression and asked mildly.

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen."

"Fourteen."

After Lu Yu, Xun'er, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin reported their ages in order, the entire tent instantly fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The academy students who had been careless a moment ago all widened their eyes, and the recording pens in their hands fell with a clatter.

"Sixteen? Fourteen?"

Her voice trembled slightly as her gaze swept back and forth over them. "Are you sure you didn't say that wrong?"

Lu Yu smiled calmly. "That's correct."

Ruo Lin took a deep breath and worked hard to calm herself. One had to know that even among Jia Nan Academy's most outstanding new students, someone reaching the Dou Master realm at fourteen was already a genius among geniuses. And these people before her...

"Then... then let's start the test from the youngest." Ruo Lin tried hard to maintain a mentor's composure and handed the crystal to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin timidly stepped forward, her slender fingers just about to touch the crystal—

"Wait!"

Ruo Lin suddenly stopped her and took out an even clearer crystal from her chest, handing it to Qing Lin.

"Use this specially made crystal."

Hearing this, the academy students inside the tent all sucked in a breath of cold air. This was a high-tier crystal specifically used to test Dou Spirit experts!

When the final testing light faded, the record sheet in Instructor Ruo Lin's hand clearly displayed data that made everyone stop breathing:

Qing Lin, fourteen years old, Six-star Dou Master, potential value: above S-rank.

Xiao Xun'er, sixteen years old, Six-star Dou Master, potential value: above S-rank.

Little Fairy Doctor, sixteen years old, Seven-star Great Dou Master, potential value: ???

Lu Yu, sixteen years old, Two-star Dou Spirit, potential value: ???