Rapid Growth (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Follow-ups)

After a series of steps, Xu Haoyu removed the successfully refined Returning Spring Powder from the cauldron, placed it into a jade bottle, then rose and handed it to Li Fufeng.

With a smile on his face and a hint of pride in his voice, he said, "Teacher, please give it your assessment."

Li Fufeng accepted the jade bottle. He did not even need to inspect it closely; with a single glance, he could tell that it was indeed Returning Spring Powder: a pale green liquid with a faint medicinal fragrance.

It had some effect in treating external injuries. It was extremely basic, but could barely be considered a First Grade Pill.

After clearing his throat, Li Fufeng spoke unhurriedly, unwilling to let Xu Haoyu become too proud.

"Not bad, but your refining technique is still very crude. This simple healing medicine can barely be considered a First Grade Pill to begin with, and its healing effect is already weak. If it is not refined properly, its effects will become even more negligible. Still, this is your first time refining medicine, and you succeeded without failure. I can only say that it is not bad. Keep practicing."

Xu Haoyu smiled faintly. No matter what, it was his first time refining medicine. He had not failed and had succeeded on his first attempt, so it was certainly something to be happy about.

He then sat back down, took out Azure Spirit Grass and Vitality Fruit from his Storage Ring, and began refining Returning Spring Powder once more.

There was no need to describe the process in detail. As for the final result, out of three hundred portions of medicinal ingredients, Xu Haoyu did not make a single mistake. By the time he left that evening, he had refined three hundred portions of Returning Spring Powder.

By then, Xu Haoyu had thoroughly mastered the refinement of Returning Spring Powder. He could be said to be able to refine it even with his eyes closed, accumulating a great deal of practical experience.

Xu Haoyu did not take any of the Returning Spring Powder with him. He had no use for it, since he possessed better medicine. As for these portions of Returning Spring Powder, they would most likely be sent to the border.

That was the front line against the countless magical beasts within the Ten Thousand Mountains. Low-grade healing medicine like this was consumed in enormous quantities every day.

Though his face showed some fatigue, Xu Haoyu was in high spirits as he cupped his hands toward Li Fufeng and said, "Teacher, I'll head back first."

With that, Xu Haoyu turned and left.

Li Fufeng watched his departing figure and sighed inwardly.

"He truly is a genius. I originally thought that I would teach him as much as he could learn. Now, it seems this little fellow will sooner or later drain me dry."

He suddenly wondered whether, if he carefully nurtured Xu Haoyu, the boy might one day become an alchemist who surpassed him.

Ever since he had truly begun studying Basic Alchemy, Xu Haoyu had become even more diligent. Every few days, he would learn a new First Grade Pill Recipe from Li Fufeng.

Then, in just a few days, he would refine large quantities of that pill to accumulate experience and improve his technique. By now, he had steadily become a First Grade Alchemist.

Moreover, Xu Haoyu had not only achieved results in alchemy. Under Xu Tianlong's personal guidance, he had gradually gained true mastery over Thousandfold Strike and Sky Stepping Steps as well.

Although his current realm limited him from fully unleashing the power of these two Mystic High-Rank Dou Techniques and movement technique, once his realm improved, their power would become increasingly terrifying.

In actual combat, this manifested as follows: ever since Xu Haoyu had defeated an Eight-Star Dou Zhe of a higher level with his immense Dou Qi and proficient command of several Dou Techniques, no Dou Zhe of the same level had been willing to fight him again.

Even the Wooden Dummy Array, though it greatly trained one's ability to adapt, became uninteresting once Xu Haoyu had figured out its patterns.

Fights within the clan were all about countering moves with moves and generally did not draw blood. Their main purpose was to familiarize people with Dou Techniques.

Over the following period, Xu Haoyu devoted more of his attention to cultivating Dou Qi and improving his alchemy.

Under such circumstances, time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Now, Xu Haoyu was not only a Nine-Star Dou Zhe, but also a Second Grade Alchemist.

That day, in the Alchemy Room!

To hone his alchemy, Xu Haoyu usually refined large quantities of a single pill. As he refined a Second Grade Pill, the Blood Replenishing Pill, for the forty-ninth time, the Dou Qi vortex within him finally could not hold on any longer.

He removed the Blood Replenishing Pill from the cauldron, casually stored it in a jade bottle, and let out a long breath of stale air.

With a slightly weary expression, Xu Haoyu did not continue refining medicine. Instead, after sitting cross-legged, he circulated his cultivation art to recover his Dou Qi.

The Guiyi True Art began to circulate. The mixed energies between heaven and earth swept toward him and, under the force of the powerful suction, entered Xu Haoyu's body through his pores.

Because of their differing attributes, these mixed energies entered different Meridians: gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning. The seven minor circulations formed one grand circulation. Only after being tempered into pure energy did they enter his dantian and ultimately merge into the vortex.

To Xu Haoyu, this was merely an ordinary cultivation session, yet something seemed different.

The suction force around his body grew increasingly powerful. Mixed energies surged toward him like a storm, ultimately pouring all that energy into Xu Haoyu's body.

This was a sign of a breakthrough!

Li Fufeng, who was nearby, also set aside what he was doing. His eyes widened as he watched Xu Haoyu continuously absorb the mixed energies of heaven and earth. His lips moved as he said in astonishment, "Little Haoyu is already a Nine-Star Dou Zhe. Is he about to break through to Dou Shi?!"

Astonished though he was, Li Fufeng swiftly retreated, leaving the area to Xu Haoyu and allowing him to absorb energy and break through his realm.

This astonishing disturbance also awakened Li Xiantian, who had been sleeping within the Storage Ring. As a soul body, he usually slept to avoid wasting energy.

But today, disturbed by this commotion, he could no longer continue sleeping. Streams of air drifted out from the Storage Ring on Xu Haoyu's hand and eventually condensed into an illusory human figure.

Li Xiantian swept a glance over Xu Haoyu and immediately understood the situation. His eyes shone brightly as he let out a sinister laugh.

"Good, very good! As expected of the Myriad Laws Body. Cultivating Dou Qi of seven attributes, the immense Dou Qi he has accumulated already surpasses that of an ordinary Dou Shi. That is why breaking through from Dou Zhe to Dou Shi has caused such a tremendous disturbance. Cultivate quickly and break through to Dou Wang as soon as possible."

After speaking, Li Xiantian did not linger outside. He transformed back into streams of air, slipped into the Storage Ring, and resumed his slumber.

Xu Haoyu's breakthrough had reached a critical moment. The Dou Qi vortex in his dantian alternately expanded and contracted, growing large one moment and shrinking the next.

After this repeated struggle, the brilliant seven-colored Dou Qi vortex condensed what had originally been cloud-like Dou Qi into droplets, causing rain to fall within his dantian.

These droplet-like energies circulated through his Meridians and merged into his Four Limbs and Skeletal Structure, beginning a comprehensive strengthening of Xu Haoyu's Meridians, bones, muscles, Internal Organs...

Seconds ticked by. Seven-colored radiance surfaced across Xu Haoyu's body, and his aura surged rapidly.

At last, it reached its limit. With a boom, the storm outside began to dissipate, while the seven-colored radiance on Xu Haoyu's body withdrew back into him.

Yet his body seemed completely renewed. He had grown taller and sturdier. Though his face was still youthful, he now gave off an impression that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Within his dantian, at the center of the brilliant seven-colored Dou Qi vortex, drops of liquid energy gathered—108 drops in total. Every single drop radiated a powerful fluctuation.

Having just entered the Dou Shi realm, he had already condensed 108 drops of liquid energy. This showed just how vast and profound Xu Haoyu's accumulated foundation was.