One-Star Dou Zhe!

The next morning, after getting dressed with the maidservant's help, I left my room. Facing the rising sun, I raised my right hand high and loudly declared, "From today onward, I, Nalan Ye, will cultivate seriously!"

My shout drew the attention of nearby maidservants and servants, who all turned to look. I coughed dryly, lowered my hand, and headed for the dining hall without changing my expression.

"Sun Er?"

On the way, I ran into Nalan Sun. The little girl was still furious with me. She flung her head at me and ran off quickly.

I shook my head and hurried after her until we reached the dining hall. My dad and mom were already there, and I greeted them before taking my seat.

At the table, my mom noticed that things between Sun Er and me were a little tense and asked about it. I brushed it off casually.

My dad brought up the Seven Coloured Poison Scripture and smilingly praised me a couple of times. He also said that its value was difficult to determine. If it could help with Old Man's condition, the family's reward for me would be substantial. If it was useless, then the reward would naturally be smaller...

I was somewhat disinterested. Thinking of what had happened yesterday made me angry, and I secretly hoped it would be useless!

Liu Ling had boasted so confidently yesterday, as if his master could cure him the moment he stepped in. Heh, if he failed to cure him, let's see whether he still had the nerve to keep pestering Yanran Jie!

After breakfast, I went to the Skill Transmission Yard, the territory of the Skill Transmission Elder.

Outside was a vast open-air training ground, where countless young men and women cultivated. Their shouts rang out one after another, while people who looked like instructors guided them from the side.

I curled my lip and went around them. These youths were either ordinary clan members or outsiders with different surnames. They were nothing worth caring about.

Thanks to my status as a core clan member, I met the Chief Instructor—I had originally wanted to see the Skill Transmission Elder, but unfortunately, the guards rebuked me and I never got to see him...

The Chief Instructor was called Nalan Tiedan, a nine-star Dou Master! Unfortunately, despite his imposing name, he was already past his prime. In his fifties or sixties, with white hair and beard and a hunched back, he said, "Nalan Ye?"

I nodded and began asking about cultivation. This Old Guy had not lived to his age for nothing; he was quite capable when it came to guiding others.

It was as if he understood every question I had. His explanations were simple yet profound, and I found myself deeply convinced, nodding again and again.

Only after a long while did I take my leave, utterly satisfied.

After returning to my courtyard and room, I began cultivating. Cultivation was a very dull thing, but it was also indispensable. For more than ten days straight, I barely left my residence and devoted myself entirely to cultivation.

Then, one night after dinner, my dad suddenly summoned me to his study.

Inside the study, he first asked about my cultivation progress. I gave a bitter smile and said, "I only broke through to the seventh stage of Dou Qi a few days ago. How could I break through again so quickly?"

My father nodded. "Unfortunately, the body's meridians are too weak during the Dou Qi stage to withstand the power of medicinal pills. Otherwise, I could have found some pills for you."

I nodded, unable to stop myself from thinking of Wutan City and Xiao Yan, of the Foundation Establishment Liquid Xiao Yan had created. Didn't that stuff help cultivation during the Dou Qi stage?

If I could get some, wouldn't I be able to speed up my cultivation and reach the Dou Zhe stage sooner?!

At that moment, my father sighed and began talking about Old Man, his face full of worry.

"These days, Mister Gu He, the Alchemy Elder, Elder Zeng Li, and several other Alchemy Grandmasters I invited have all been trying every possible way to treat Old Man's poison."

"But... sigh, with so many people involved, even Mister Gu He has run out of options. The Antidote Pill he refined can only suppress it; it cannot eradicate the Branding Iron Poison within Old Man's body..."

I frowned slightly. After cultivating peacefully for over ten days, I had lost much of my earlier hostility and began hoping that Old Man could recover.

The truth was, having a Dou Wang Old Man watching over me brought enormous benefits! Losing a Dou Wang's protection would be a terrible loss!

After thinking for a moment, I asked solemnly, "Did Mister Gu He say what it would take to completely eradicate the Branding Iron Poison from Old Man's body?"

The question was somewhat redundant, because I already knew the answer. But people were like that. Even when they already knew the answer, they still could not help wanting to hear it from someone else.

My father sighed again. As a family elder, perhaps Old Man's poisoning affected him far more deeply and put him under much greater pressure than it did me. Whenever Old Man was mentioned, he could only sigh.

"Mister Gu He said that the Old Clan Leader's poison probably cannot be eradicated without an Exotic Flame. But an Exotic Flame... that is something out of legend! Where are we supposed to find one?"

"Sigh..."

My father shook his head, his face haggard. His back was hunched like Nalan Tiedan's, as though he had suddenly aged twenty years.

Seeing my father like that, my lips moved, and I could not help wanting to tell him about the Azure Lotus Core Flame. But after thinking it over, I ultimately said nothing. After paying my respects, I left the study.

Outside, the moon was full and hung high in the sky. Its bright moonlight spilled over the ornate courtyard buildings, coating the pavilions, towers, flowers, and trees in a silver glow that made them even more beautiful.

But how could I possibly be in the mood to admire such scenery?

Shaking my head, I returned to my room in a daze and began cultivating once more. Other than cultivating, what else could I do now?

One month later, I sat cross-legged in my room, looking down at the small sandalwood box in my hands. Inside were several small white jade bottles.

"Foundation Establishment Liquid?"

I murmured, opened one bottle, and gently sniffed it. A faint fragrance filled my nose, and my mind instantly felt refreshed!

What potent medicine! What a marvelous spiritual medicine!

I could not help sighing again. Although the Three-Year Agreement was gone, Xiao Yan had still acquired Yao Lao, still refined Foundation Establishment Liquid to assist his cultivation, and still—went to the Wutan City Auction House!

Heh, Ya Fei had finally met Xiao Yan too!

I sneered. Although I had never met Ya Fei, I could imagine that she had to be a peerlessly seductive beauty!

What a pity, what a pity. She had run into the most scummy man in Battle Through the Heavens—Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan had always only been responsible for flirting, never for marrying. For Ya Fei to meet him and fall for him was truly eight lifetimes' worth of bad luck.

I let out a strange cackling laugh, and for some reason, my mood improved considerably.

However, I had no plans to help Ya Fei. First, after having seen the vast sea, ordinary water no longer appealed to me—I could not charm Ya Fei. Second, I could not beat Xiao Yan either... Though I would soon reach the eighth stage of Dou Qi, while Xiao Yan was only at the fourth stage now?

But you could not judge a cheating bastard by ordinary logic.

Pulling myself back from my random thoughts, I began calming my breath and focusing my mind. My cultivation had already reached the peak of the seventh stage of Dou Qi. With the medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Liquid, I was confident that I could break through to the eighth stage of Dou Qi today in one go!

I poured a bottle of Foundation Establishment Liquid into a large wooden tub filled with water. The water gradually turned pale green. I removed my robe and sat down cross-legged within it, naked. As my bare skin came into contact with the medicinal liquid, the cold chill made me shudder.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, formed hand seals, and began cultivating.

The pure medicinal power was somewhat warm as it slowly flowed through my body. My hands formed seals as the Dou Qi within me continuously wound around it. Meanwhile, energy from the air was constantly drawn into my body and endlessly transformed into my Dou Qi, which wrapped around the medicinal power again.

At that moment, I was like the young Xiao Yan, while that pure medicinal power was like Xun Er's immature body.

Just as Xiao Yan had clumsily nourished Xun Er's meridians, I used my Dou Qi to continuously refine the medicinal power until it was gradually dissolved and assimilated by my Dou Qi, merging into my body and becoming my strength.

But compared to my thin Dou Qi, this medicinal power was far too immense. My breathing grew rapid, large beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, and my body began trembling uncontrollably.

The medicinal power was constantly refined into Dou Qi, yet more continued to emerge without end. My narrow meridians began clogging with increasing amounts of Dou Qi until they reached their limit!

The inner walls of my meridians began to compress and expand under the pressure of Dou Qi. Waves of intense pain surged through me. Sweat poured from my entire body, and I actually felt a touch of dryness in my mouth.

I let out a long breath, and my hand seals suddenly changed. A strange suction force emerged from my dantian, pulling all the Dou Qi filling my meridians toward it.

But the medicinal power continued to be refined into Dou Qi without end. This was a prolonged battle!

After a long time, the immense medicinal power was finally completely refined, and all the Dou Qi within my body gathered in my dantian. There was so much of it that the pale white Dou Qi had turned milky white.

I took a deep breath, knowing that the most crucial step was next. If I succeeded, I would condense a qi vortex and advance to Dou Zhe. If I failed, the breakthrough would fail, and I would fall back to the eighth stage of Dou Qi!

I mobilized my soul power and began continuously compressing the Dou Qi. It went fairly smoothly at first. As a transmigrator, my soul power was strong, and I quickly compressed the Dou Qi to the size of a fist. But that was as far as I could go.

At that point, the rebound force from the Dou Qi grew stronger and stronger, to the point where even my soul power could barely suppress it!

Then many images surfaced in my mind, both from before and from now: Father, Mother, Sun Er, Yanran, Xiao Meier, Xiao Yan and Xun Er... and Little Fairy Doctor.

I slowly adjusted my breathing, making each breath slower and deeper. Bit by bit, I gathered and accumulated soul power, then, catching the Dou Qi off guard, I suddenly pressed down with all my strength!

Pop.

After a soft sound, all the pressure abruptly vanished. A smile appeared at the corner of my mouth. I knew I had succeeded.

By then, three months had passed since I obtained the Foundation Establishment Liquid!

With the help of several bottles of Foundation Establishment Liquid and a portion of Qi Gathering Powder, I successfully broke through to the eighth stage of Dou Qi, then the ninth stage of Dou Qi, and today, at this very moment, successfully advanced to Dou Zhe, a one-star Dou Zhe!

"Hahahaha..."

I could not help laughing softly. Then, ignoring my exhausted body, I sprang to my feet and kicked open the door.

Facing the brilliant sunlight, I walked into the courtyard, spread my arms, and circulated my Dou Qi. At once, a veil of Dou Qi starlight appeared over my body—the mark of a Dou Zhe. I could not help throwing back my head and letting out a long roar!

"Congratulations, Young Master, on advancing to Dou Zhe!"

"Congratulations, Young Master, on advancing to Dou Zhe..."

Several guards standing watch outside my room all dropped to their knees and shouted loudly.

Nearby maidservants and servants passing by also saluted me and shouted loudly.

The cries traveled outward one after another. Guards, maidservants, and servants cheered and congratulated me. The entire courtyard was exhilarated for my sake!

I burst into laughter and waved my hand. "Reward them. Reward everyone!"