Advancing to Dou Wang

Advancing to Dou Wang

Two and a half years later.

In the No. 1 cultivation room at the very bottom of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, reserved exclusively for the top-ranked member of the Strong Ranking, dense pale-red energy filled the entire room like mist, so concentrated it seemed impossible to disperse.

All the energy continuously flowed toward the figure sitting cross-legged atop the stone platform. That person was Xiao Ling. An immensely powerful aura emanated from him, steadily growing stronger as time passed until it reached a limit.

Time slowly passed. When the Dou Qi within his body reached a certain threshold, it suddenly compressed, raising its quality to another level.

Xiao Ling, seated cross-legged, exhaled a breath of stale air. After sensing the state within his body, he spoke somewhat helplessly. "I've finally broken through to Dou King Three-star. The Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower can no longer help me much now. At the very least, I'd need to absorb a sub-flame of Fallen Heart Flame for it to have any effect."

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on it, Xiao Ling leaped down from the cultivation platform and walked out of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower. As he walked through the corridors, every student he encountered greeted him. Xiao Ling did not put on any airs, merely smiling and nodding in response.

Now fifteen years old, Xiao Ling looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth based on appearance alone. He stood over 1.8 meters tall and wore a fitted moon-white outfit. His blue-silver hair draped over his shoulders, his skin was fair, and his features were rather handsome. His blue-gold eyes were calm as still water, making it impossible to discern their owner's true thoughts. A faint smile hung on his face, giving him an approachable air.

After leaving the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, Xiao Ling's thoughts stirred, and the surrounding energy seemed to answer his call. It surged toward his back, resonating with the Dou Qi energy within him and transforming into a pair of magnificent enormous wings dominated by crimson flames and wreathed in blue-pink radiance.

Circulating the Dou Qi within his body, he sprang into the air. With a gentle flap of his wings, he soared into the sky.

After returning to the academy dormitory, Xiao Ling gathered everyone together, intending to tell them that he would be leaving to gain experience.

Once everyone had arrived in the courtyard, Xiao Ling stopped beating around the bush and spoke to them solemnly. "I plan to leave for training tomorrow. I'll leave Supreme Freedom Gate in your hands to manage. I'll return whenever I have time in the future. Later, I'll go speak with Great Elder Su Qian and explain the matter. You can also remain in the Inner Academy for a while longer. Once you reach Dou Ling Peak, being tempered by Fallen Heart Flame will greatly help you advance to Dou Wang."

With Xiao Ling's help, Lin Xiuyai, Han Yue, and the others had all improved compared to the original timeline. In the original novel, these people broke through to Dou Wang around three years later, but now they were already High-level Dou Lings and should break through within a year. With Xiao Ling, an Alchemist, around, they no longer needed to worry about the Fire Poison in the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower. Lin Yan had not suffered the same issue as in the original novel, where Fire Poison affected his cultivation. This alone showed just how valuable the T0 profession of Alchemist was on the Dou Qi Continent.

After hearing Xiao Ling's words, everyone wore different expressions. The boys merely felt somewhat reluctant to part with him, but they did not have many other thoughts. After all, Xiao Ling had already mentioned in the dormitory that he would be going out.

The three girls were more distressed, all looking at Xiao Ling with exceedingly complicated expressions. Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Ling had been childhood sweethearts, while Han Yue and Xiao Ling privately interacted as a couple. Zi Yan regarded Xiao Ling as her provider of food and clothing. Without Xiao Ling refining pills for her in the future, she did not even know how she would survive. They said it was easy to go from frugality to extravagance but difficult to return from extravagance to frugality. After eating pills for two and a half years, there was no way Zi Yan would agree to go back to gnawing on those bitter medicinal herbs.

Zi Yan rushed to Xiao Ling's side in a single stride and tightly grabbed his arm. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at him, speaking in a slightly choked voice. "Xiao Ling, can't you stay? How am I supposed to get delicious pills without you? How am I supposed to live on my own?"

Seeing this, Xiao Ling felt a headache coming on. He truly had not considered this matter thoroughly enough, but leaving to gain experience was inevitable. After all, so many opportunities awaited him. Xiao Yan subdued the Green Lotus Core Flame at the age of seventeen and a half. In another two years, Queen Medusa would be able to find the Heavenly Flame. Perhaps she had already sent people into the Tagor Desert to begin searching for information on it. To be safe, Xiao Ling had to take the Green Lotus Core Flame first.

Shaking his head, Xiao Ling answered seriously, "I must leave for a period of time. Jia Nan Academy can no longer rapidly improve my cultivation."

Upon hearing Xiao Ling's answer, Zi Yan grew so anxious that tears were about to fall. Then she suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up. "Xiao Ling, can you take me with you to gain experience? I've already reached the Fifth-Rank Peak, and Jia Nan Academy cannot help me much anymore either. We can train while looking for medicinal herbs. I'm very powerful—even ordinary sixth-rank magical beasts can't defeat me."

Hearing this, Xiao Ling stroked his chin and considered it for a moment. Zi Yan remaining at Jia Nan Academy would no longer be of much help to her cultivation, and she was also a Fifth-Rank Peak Magical Beast. With the powerful bloodline of an Ancient Void Dragon, treating her as possessing Dou Emperor-level combat power would not be a problem. The others, however, could remain at the academy for a while longer. The Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower still had some use for them, and staying at the academy before breaking through to Dou Wang would ensure their safety. Although Xiao Xun'er had displayed the strength of a High-level Dou Ling, even he could not see through her true strength. It probably would not be lower than his own. Still, he did not want to drag Xiao Xun'er around everywhere and waste time. The young lady of the Ancient Clan only needed to cultivate peacefully every day and fulfill her talent. The things she could gain by following him around on adventures might not even be as valuable as what was stored in her Storage Ring.

Nodding, Xiao Ling said to Zi Yan, "You have a point. The academy cannot help you much anymore, so following me out to seek opportunities is a good choice. As long as Great Elder Su Qian agrees, I have no objection. But once we leave, you must listen to my arrangements. Otherwise, I won't refine any pills for you to eat."

When Zi Yan heard that Xiao Ling had agreed to take her along, her eyes shone with excitement. She nodded vigorously, patted her flat little chest, and declared with absolute confidence, "Don't worry. I'll definitely listen to you. Let's hurry and speak to Old Man Su about this."

After saying that, Zi Yan grabbed Xiao Ling and dragged him outside before he could react. Seeing this, Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly. After giving everyone a slight nod, he left the dormitory with Zi Yan and headed for Great Elder Su Qian's office.