Advancement

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

With each flicker, the green grew dimmer, until at last, the green light had almost Disappeared.

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

Sure enough, Not Long After, Ling stopped flickering and began to tremble.

It continuously expelled a mist of pure green energy, which poured into the Qi Cyclone.

Xiao Ming was no stranger to this scene. When he had devoured Beast Flames on the previous two occasions, Ling had also expelled energy mist. However, the energy mist from those two times had been different in color and far less abundant than this time.

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

Instead, he calmed his mind once more and used all his strength to control the energy mist filling his Inside the Body, gathering it together until it formed a surging current of energy.

After guiding this energy through a full circulation Inside the Body according to the second method 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 the unceasing influx of energy. No matter how immense the energy was, it accepted it all without refusal.

Ling continued feeding energy back. Only half of the energy that passed through his Meridians and finally entered the Dou Crystal did so; the other half of the energy mist Inside the Body continuously nourished Xiao Ming's Physical Body.

If anyone could see through Xiao Ming's skin and into his body at this moment, they would likely be dumbstruck by the mist filling him completely. Even his internal organs were entirely obscured by the dense energy mist.

Not only that, under the effects of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, the bones, muscles, and everything else Inside Xiao Ming's body seemed to have suddenly gained sentience, madly devouring the drifting energy mist in every possible way...

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

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

"It's about time to break through."

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

Xiao Ming did not delay any longer. His mind steadied, and Ling suddenly expelled an enormous amount of green energy mist At Once.

Yet after this immense energy mist entered his Meridians, it completely vanished.

In its place was a mass of pure liquid energy like jade. Within that liquid energy were even tiny crystals of energy that resembled solid matter.

This Time, Xiao Ming did not control his Physical Body to devour the energy. Instead, he Allowed it to circulate Inside the Body before returning to the Qi Cyclone.

After completing one circulation along the Cultivation Method route of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, the jade-like liquid quietly settled at the entrance of the Qi Cyclone. Its slowly flowing momentum resembled a dam on the verge of bursting.

"Get in there!"

As Xiao Ming Gazed At the massive mass of jade energy, he issued the command viciously in his heart.

At once, the resistance blocking the entrance to the Qi Cyclone vanished. The surging energy, accompanied by a deafening roar like a crashing waterfall, thundered into the Qi Cyclone.

The enormous energy surged into the Qi Cyclone and Immediately After slammed viciously into the rhombus Dou Crystal at its center.

"Boom!" At the instant the energy entered the Dou Crystal, the rumble seemed to explode within Xiao Ming's mind.

The surging energy poured endlessly into the Dou Crystal. After receiving this vast energy, its size slowly began to grow.

As the Dou Crystal expanded, Xiao Ming's sensitive Soul Perception clearly sensed his strength rapidly surging toward the level barrier that was so close at hand.

Outside World, within the cave, Xiao Ming's Aura continued to rise step by step.

"Ding..." In the silent cave, at a certain moment, a Faintly Discernible clear chime suddenly Rang Out quietly within Xiao Ming's body.

As that clear chime Rang Out, Xiao Ming's entire Aura abruptly rose by a great deal.

This marked Xiao Ming's successful advancement to Two-Star Great Dou Shi.

With Xiao Ming's current strength, if he cultivated normally and wished to advance another level, it would probably take at least one or two months before he could raise his strength by another star.

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

That was assuming Xiao Ming would Have Time to cultivate with full focus. However, now that he had come out to gain experience, he certainly did not Have Time to cultivate so much.

Under normal circumstances, by the time of the Inner Academy Selection Competition, if Xiao Ming did not take medicine, his cultivation might truly not have reached Two-Star Great Dou Shi.

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

Moreover, Xiao Ming's Aura was still increasing, showing no signs of stopping.

Not Long After the earlier clear chime faded, another clear chime suddenly came from within Xiao Ming's body, echoing lightly through the cave.

As this clear chime Rang Out, Xiao Ming's entire Aura abruptly rose by a great deal once more.

Three-Star Great Dou Shi!

"This Green Rock Profound Water truly lives up to being a Heaven and Earth Strange Object. Even though Ling retained most of its energy to nourish itself and only fed back a small portion, it still allowed me to advance two stars."

Seeing Ling, whose spirituality had become increasingly striking, Xiao Ming exclaimed in amazement.

But then he sensed that his Dou Qi, which had become somewhat more solid after several battles, had returned to its previous unstable state. His brows could not help but furrow tightly.

"This won't do. I've broken through too frequently lately. No matter how talented I am, it might still affect my future growth in strength. Let's see if I can lower my state a little."

Someone whose power was unstable Inside the Body and poorly distributed would always be inferior to someone whose power was solid Inside the Body and perfectly controlled.

Such common sense had already become commonplace in his Previous Life. Xiao Ming naturally understood this extremely well.

This was also why Xiao Ming had not relied on his talent to break through madly 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 upon it a tower of strength that Makes People feel Shocked.

Therefore, he could not allow this temporary gain to ruin his rock-solid foundation!

Along With this thought, Xiao Ming began tempering his Dou Qi with Soul Power.

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 Giant Stone, Xiao Ming's youthful face was like a piece of warm jade, radiating a faint glow.

After quite some time, the glow Only Then slowly receded. His eyelashes trembled gently before his eyes suddenly opened. A Strand Of sharp light flashed through them, then swiftly concealed itself.

As the sharp light vanished, the powerful Aura surrounding Xiao Ming's body gradually withdrew until it completely disappeared.

He exhaled a breath of Stale Air through his throat, twisted his neck, and Heard the crisp cracking of his bones. Then he sensed the surging Dou Qi flowing Inside the Body like a river.

A smile could not help but Appear On His Face. He pressed both palms lightly against the Giant Stone and landed nimbly on the ground. His fists shot out fiercely, their whistling wind sharp and forceful.

"Based on my Physical Body strength alone, I'm 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 physical strength without preparation, they would likely suffer serious injuries. And because I lowered my realm, my Dou Qi is no longer so unstable. Hehe, not bad, not bad! This harvest made my special trip to Green Rock Town worthwhile." Xiao Ming slowly withdrew his fists and stood upright with a smile.

As though he had Thought Of something, Xiao Ming extended his right hand, and Ling Appeared Before him In His Hand.

Perhaps he should test what changes Ling had undergone.

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