Advancement

Within the Qi Cyclone, beside the finger-sized Dou Crystal, Ling flashed with green light.

With each flash, the green light dimmed a little more until, in the end, it had nearly vanished.

Seeing Ling return to pure white, Xiao Ming knew the Green Rock Profound Water had almost been fully refined.

Sure enough, Ling soon stopped flashing and began to tremble.

Ling continuously expelled a mist of pure green energy, which surged into the Qi Cyclone.

This scene was not unfamiliar to Xiao Ming. When Ling had devoured Beast Flame on the previous two occasions, it had also expelled energy mist. However, the color of that mist had differed from this time, and there had not been nearly as much of it.

Seeing Ling feed energy back to him once again, Xiao Ming, now experienced, did not immediately inject this energy into the Dou Crystal.

Instead, he settled his mind once more and exerted all his strength to control the energy mist overflowing throughout his body, gathering it together until it formed a surging torrent of energy.

After guiding this energy through one complete cycle along the second circulation route of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, he continuously poured it into the crystal within the Qi Cyclone.

Yet the thumb-sized Dou Crystal was like a bottomless pit before this unending influx of energy. No matter how immense the energy was, it accepted all of it without refusal.

Ling continued feeding energy back. Only half of the energy that passed through his meridians and entered the Dou Crystal remained, while the other half constantly nourished Xiao Ming's body.

If someone could see through Xiao Ming's skin at that moment, they would surely be dumbstruck by the mist filling his entire body. Even his internal organs were completely obscured by the dense energy mist.

Moreover, under the effects of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, the bones, muscles, and other parts within Xiao Ming's body seemed to suddenly gain minds of their own, greedily devouring the drifting energy mist in every possible way...

This devouring also allowed Xiao Ming to clearly feel his body growing stronger.

His bones, muscles, and internal organs easily reached a level of strength that would normally require arduous cultivation to attain.

It was about time to break through.

Sensing that the Dou Crystal had accumulated a sufficient amount of Dou Qi,

Xiao Ming did not delay any longer. He focused his mind, and Ling suddenly expelled an enormous amount of green energy mist all at once.

Yet once this vast energy mist entered his meridians, the mist completely vanished.

In its place was a mass of pure liquid energy resembling emerald jade. Within the liquid energy were even tiny, solid-like energy crystals.

This time, Xiao Ming did not control his body to devour the energy. Instead, he allowed it to circulate through his body before returning to the Qi Cyclone.

After completing one circulation along the Cultivation Method route of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, the emerald liquid quietly rested at the entrance of the Qi Cyclone, flowing slowly with the momentum of a dam on the verge of bursting.

Get in there!

Glaring at the enormous mass of emerald energy, Xiao Ming viciously commanded it in his heart.

At once, the resistance at the entrance of the Qi Cyclone vanished. The surging energy, accompanied by a thunderous roar like a waterfall crashing down, rushed into the Qi Cyclone.

The vast energy poured into the Qi Cyclone, then fiercely slammed into the rhombus Dou Crystal at its center.

Boom! The instant the energy entered the Dou Crystal, the thunderous sound seemed to explode within Xiao Ming's mind.

The surging energy continuously flooded into the Dou Crystal. After absorbing this enormous energy, the crystal's size began to slowly increase.

As the Dou Crystal grew, Xiao Ming's sensitive Soul Perception could clearly sense his strength rapidly surging toward that nearby barrier between ranks.

Outside, within the mountain cave, Xiao Ming's Aura steadily rose higher and higher.

"Ding..." In the silent cave, at a certain moment, a faint, ethereal chime suddenly sounded quietly within Xiao Ming's body.

As the chime rang out, Xiao Ming's Aura abruptly surged by a great deal.

This signified that Xiao Ming had successfully advanced to a Two-Star Great Dou Shi.

Given Xiao Ming's current strength, if he cultivated normally, it would likely take at least one or two months for him to raise his strength by another star.

After all, it had only been a few days since Xiao Ming had broken through to Da Dou Shi.

That was assuming Xiao Ming had time to cultivate wholeheartedly. However, now that he had come out to gain experience, he certainly did not have that much time to train.

Under normal circumstances, by the time of the Inner Academy Selection Competition, Xiao Ming might genuinely fail to reach Two-Star Great Dou Shi without taking pills.

But now, with the aid of the Green Rock Profound Water, Xiao Ming easily reached the realm of Two-Star Great Dou Shi.

Moreover, Xiao Ming's Aura continued to rise, showing no sign of stopping.

Not long after the previous clear chime faded, another chime suddenly sounded from within Xiao Ming's body, echoing lightly through the cave.

As this chime sounded, Xiao Ming's Aura once again surged dramatically.

Three-Star Great Dou Shi!

"This Green Rock Profound Water truly deserves to be called a Heaven and Earth Strange Object. Even with Ling retaining most of the energy to nourish itself and only feeding a small portion back to me, it still allowed me to rise by two stars."

Looking at Ling, whose spirituality had become even more striking, Xiao Ming marveled.

But then he sensed that the Dou Qi which had become somewhat more solid after several battles had returned to its previous unstable state, and his brows furrowed tightly.

This won't do. I've broken through too frequently lately. No matter how talented I am, it may affect my future advancement. Let's see if I can lower my realm a little.

Someone with unstable internal energy and poorly distributed strength would always be inferior to someone whose internal energy was solid and whose strength was perfectly controlled.

This principle had already become common knowledge in his previous life, and Xiao Ming naturally understood it very well.

This was also why Xiao Ming had not relied on his talent to break through recklessly over the years, and why he had now come out to gain experience.

Only with a foundation as steady as a rock could one possibly build an awe-inspiring tower of strength upon it.

Therefore, he could not let this momentary gain destroy his rock-solid foundation!

With that thought, Xiao Ming began using Soul Power to temper his Dou Qi.

Xiao Ming's Aura also began to decline step by step, eventually falling back to the peak of Two-Star Great Dou Shi.

Sitting cross-legged atop a massive rock, Xiao Ming's youthful face resembled a piece of warm jade, emitting a faint glow.

After a long while, the glow slowly faded. His eyelashes trembled lightly before his eyes suddenly opened. A sharp gleam flashed through them, then swiftly vanished.

As the gleam disappeared, the powerful Aura surrounding Xiao Ming's body gradually receded until it completely vanished.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air, then twisted his neck, producing crisp cracking sounds from his bones. Feeling the river-like Dou Qi surging through his body,

a smile could not help appearing on his face. He lightly pressed both palms against the massive rock and sprang nimbly to the ground. His fists suddenly shot out, their howling wind sharp and fierce.

"Based on physical strength alone, I'm already enough to contend with a Tier 2 Magical Beast. If an ordinary Da Dou Shi were struck by one of my punches powered purely by my body without any preparation, they would probably suffer serious injuries. And because I lowered my realm, my Dou Qi is no longer so unstable. Hehe, not bad, not bad! This trip to Green Rock Town was well worth it." Xiao Ming said with a smile as he slowly withdrew his fists.

As though remembering something, Xiao Ming extended his right hand, and Ling appeared in his palm.

Perhaps he should test what changes Ling had undergone.

"Go attack that stone door." Xiao Ming pointed at the stone he had specifically used to block the cave entrance and ordered Ling.