The morning mist over the wilderness had yet to disperse when a cool breeze swept through the cave where they had stopped to rest, stirring the withered grass hanging at the Cave Entrance and producing soft rustling sounds. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a smoothly polished bluestone, faint green Dou Qi wreathed around him like flowing gauze, Gleaming with a gentle luster beneath the morning light. As the circulation of the Blazing Art neared its end, he slowly withdrew his power, and the Dou Qi gathered at his fingertips quietly dispersed. When he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed through them—after several days of recuperation, the broken meridians within his body had mostly recovered. His three-star Great Fighter cultivation had grown increasingly stable, and his control over the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire had improved considerably as well. With the slightest movement of his fingers, he could summon a faint fiery aura.
"Brother Xiao Yan, you're awake?" Qing Lin emerged from within the cave, carrying a steaming bowl of porridge made with spirit spring water. Her steps were light, and in her arms she held the Purple Gold Winged Lion King, which had transformed into the shape of a little cat. The Lion King lay lazily in the crook of her arm, its golden fur dampened by the morning dew and looking especially soft and smooth. The moment it saw Xiao Yan open his eyes, it lifted its little head, rubbed against Qing Lin's arm, and let out a soft whimper, as though greeting him—or asking for attention.
Xiao Yan accepted the bowl, the warmth against his fingertips spreading all the way into his heart. Seeing the faint dark circles beneath Qing Lin's eyes, he felt a pang of heartache. Though she never said