An Unexpected Breakthrough! Two-Star Dou Saint!

Inside the seclusion chamber, once Ao Qing had prepared himself, he began refining the Green Lotus Core Flame.

This secluded place was a space Ao Qing had created. Since he often needed to enter seclusion to cultivate, and his aura was uncontrollable when he was fully focused in that state.

Ao Qing did not want the people of the Jia Ma Empire to become wary after his aura leaked out. Especially in the Xiao Clan's territory—he did not believe there were no Dou Saints there.

Thus, Ao Qing had created this space for his daily secluded cultivation.

Ao Qing took out the lotus platform and stopped suppressing the Green Lotus Core Flame. This Heavenly Flame's strength had barely reached the Dou Zong level. For Medusa and the others, refining it would be exceedingly dangerous and require much preparation beforehand. For example, Xiao Yan needed to prepare medicinal pills and the like when refining Heavenly Flames. Ao Qing, however, did not need such things. He had his own unique method. He was a true dragon, possessing an innate talent from birth: controlling flames!

Within the secluded space, Ao Qing watched the Green Lotus Core Flame trying to flee in every direction, but paid it no mind. Could it really escape from a space he had created?

Ao Qing circulated the True Dragon Nine Transformations and revealed his true form: a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon thousands of zhang long!

Before him, the Green Lotus Core Flame appeared incomparably tiny. Ao Qing opened his draconic maw and swallowed it in a single gulp, then began refining it.

No matter how the Green Lotus Core Flame struggled, the instant it was swallowed, its fate had already been sealed.

After refining the Heavenly Flame's source, Ao Qing's strength did not increase much. However, he had never expected the Green Lotus Core Flame to help him break through. After all, the amount of energy required for a Dou Saint-level breakthrough was simply too immense!

Still, there were gains. His innate talent from birth had finally become truly useful. Though it was only the Green Lotus Core Flame, it could barely injure a Dou Zong. Yet it could grow. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the number-one-ranked Emperor Flame would become Dragon Flame!

Just as Ao Qing believed the refinement was about to end, an accident occurred.

A strange energy surged from within the Heavenly Flame source he had already refined. This energy was absolutely not Dou Qi. Ao Qing was not entirely sure what it was, only that some peculiar substance seemed to exist within that seemingly minuscule energy.

The instant it entered Ao Qing's body, it was as though it triggered a chemical reaction. The originally gentle Dou Qi in his body turned violent, as if this were Dou Qi's true form.

Moreover, Ao Qing began uncontrollably drawing Dou Qi from heaven and earth into his body. This action made the entire secluded space extremely unstable. After all, Ao Qing had created it casually, and he possessed only the strength of a One-Star Dou Saint, so it was naturally not overly stable.

Countless streams of Dou Qi poured toward Ao Qing. He could no longer stop, and things had slipped beyond his control. He could only circulate the True Dragon Nine Transformations with all his might to absorb the Dou Qi and ease the pressure on himself.

Ao Qing had originally been a Peak One-Star Dou Saint, and the Dou Qi within him had long since reached saturation. The Dou Qi now entering his body was not a good thing for him.

Ao Qing continuously circulated his cultivation technique, absorbing the Dou Qi to accelerate his cultivation of the True Dragon Nine Transformations. The cultivation speed of the True Dragon Nine Transformations rapidly increased, while Ao Qing's enormous body began to grow wildly. This was no good thing. As his body grew too quickly, his originally incomparably hard dragon scales became engorged with blood, and the skin beneath them began to crack. It was a terrifying sight.

The people outside at the Misty Cloud Sect also sensed something. The spatial fluctuations around Ao Qing's secluded location were extremely unstable. They did not know what had happened, and only the occasional wisp of terrifying aura warned them to stay farther away.

"Master, can you tell what that guy is doing?"

Yun Yun looked at Yun Shan and asked anxiously.

Yun Shan noticed Yun Yun's unease, but did not tease her. Feeling that terrifying fluctuation, he knew that even though he had reached the Dou Zong realm, he could not get even slightly closer. Still, he believed Ao Qing would be fine, because in his eyes, Ao Qing was simply too powerful!

"Yun'er, don't worry. Perhaps the Young Master is breaking through in his cultivation. Besides, don't you trust the Young Master? With such terrifying strength, what could possibly happen to him? And in the future, show the Young Master more respect. Don't call him 'that guy,' not even when it's just the two of us."

Hearing Yun Shan say this, Yun Yun also noticed her own change. Why was she worrying about that guy? Hmph! It would serve him right if something happened! As she thought this, Yun Yun left the area as well, going to organize the sect disciples and have them descend the mountain to take shelter for the time being.

Hai Bodong and Medusa, who held Little Fox in her arms, exchanged looks. They did not linger either, following Yun Yun down the mountain to find a safe place to hide temporarily.

Within the space, Ao Qing's body had reached the limit of what it could bear. If this continued, he could only abandon his physical body. In the end, Ao Qing decided to take a gamble and directly break through to Two-Star Dou Saint, allowing the excess Dou Qi to be consumed.

He acted as soon as he decided. Ao Qing began trying to control that unruly energy, carrying the violent Dou Qi as he charged toward the barrier of Two-Star Dou Saint!

Although Ao Qing was currently a Peak One-Star Dou Saint, he had yet to sense an opportunity for a breakthrough. Not everyone could be like Xiao Yan, breaking through merely by absorbing a Heavenly Flame or swallowing a pill. That was the fate of heaven and earth's protagonist, not Ao Qing's.

Forcing a breakthrough without an opportunity not only had a high chance of failure, but could also leave one seriously injured. Unless absolutely necessary, no one was willing to attempt such a thing lightly.

Ao Qing struck the Two-Star Dou Saint barrier again and again. Each impact placed enormous pressure on the Meridians throughout his body. Fortunately, a dragon's body was powerful, or he would have exploded long ago. This also showed that forcing a breakthrough brought more harm than benefit. Had he not been forced into it, Ao Qing would never have chosen this course.

As time passed second by second, Ao Qing's injuries became increasingly severe, nearly reaching the limit he could endure. If he still could not break through and resolve the violent Dou Qi inside him, he could only abandon his body and cultivate the True Dragon Nine Transformations again in soul form. He would have to start over from the beginning, and without a body, it would become even more difficult!

Just as Ao Qing felt he could not break through to Two-Star Dou Saint, that solid barrier finally loosened. It was like smashing tempered glass—once a point of fracture appeared, the rest was nothing to fear!

The surging Dou Qi, after he broke through to Two-Star Dou Saint, instantly found a destination and was absorbed without refusal. At last, Ao Qing relaxed the heart that had been taut all this time.

As for the True Dragon Nine Transformations, its rapid progress had already brought it to the Fourth Transformation. However, Ao Qing's body was currently too fragile, and he would need time to temper it and recover from his injuries. Still, he had also broken through to Two-Star Dou Saint, which saved him some time. All things considered, Ao Qing had profited!

In truth, Ao Qing did not know that the strange energy was the power of this world's Heaven and Earth Source!

As everyone knew, the Dou Qi Continent had no Heavenly Dao. In other words, there was no gathered Heaven and Earth Source. Instead, the Heaven and Earth Source was scattered throughout every corner of the Dou Qi Continent, giving birth to various wonders of heaven and earth. Heavenly Flames were among them.

When ordinary people refined Heavenly Flames, they merely drew them into their bodies and used them freely, or, like Xiao Yan, devoured the Heavenly Flame's Dou Qi to increase their strength. After these people died, the Heavenly Flames within their bodies would be separated out once more. Thus, they never discovered anything unusual.

Ao Qing was different. He had completely refined the Green Lotus Core Flame into his innate talent from birth. In other words, even if Ao Qing died in the future, this Green Lotus Core Flame would never be able to appear in the world again. Only after hundreds or thousands of years could a second one be born! This allowed Ao Qing to truly touch the Heaven and Earth Source, causing the Dou Qi he had already refined to become violent. Furthermore, the Heaven and Earth Source continuously drew in external Dou Qi, battering Ao Qing's body.

Fortunately, this was the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame, allowing Ao Qing to suppress it in the end. Otherwise, what awaited him would likely have been a miserable fate.

After the breakthrough ended, Ao Qing did not choose to leave seclusion. Instead, he began repairing his battered body and recovering from his injuries.

The outside world had now returned to calm. The people of the Misty Cloud Sect could no longer sense that terrifying aura, and they all returned to the Mountain Gate.

These past few days, I have been helping out because an elderly person in the village passed away, so the number of updates has not matched the previous two days. Please forgive me! This kind of thing is beyond the author's control, after all. Once this matter is over, I will make up for the chapters I owe. Lastly, let me share this: I got assigned to the back kitchen. What a miserable college student! But I still have to help out seriously! Thank you!