Thorough Refinement

Xu Xiaoshou felt as though half his body had plunged into an ice cellar, while the other half had fallen into a volcano.

Comfort and agony arrived side by side. Even as his body was ravaged by scorching energy, it was being restored by the dual effects of the Red-Gold Pill and "Endless Vitality."

The extreme energies of ice and fire intertwined and flooded in. As their vessel, all Xu Xiaoshou could feel was pain.

"Clack, clack, clack..."

Xu Xiaoshou's teeth chattered. He had completely lost control over the energy, and in truth, the Breathing Method was no longer under his control either.

The two rampaging streams of energy tore through his meridians and abruptly rushed into his sea of energy. With a sizzling sound, it seemed on the verge of splitting apart without quite doing so. The pain was enough to drive someone mad.

A burnt smell spread through the air. The grass beneath Xu Xiaoshou was instantly scorched dead, the nearby willow trees faded from tender green to yellow-black, and the white jade railings seemed to have been smeared with a layer of charcoal in an instant.

The fat geese were so frightened that they ran about wildly, feeling as if the lake water itself was about to boil them alive.

Inside Xu Xiaoshou's body, the scorching energy still tried to erupt after entering his sea of energy. Yet under the forceful conversion of the Breathing Method, it completed only one circulation before being suppressed.

He took out another Red-Gold Pill and inhaled it fiercely. In an instant, pleasure overwhelmed pain, rapidly repairing his ruined body beneath the circulation.

Buzz! A crimson ripple spread outward. Mud and grass nearby flew into the air, willow trees bent over, and the white jade railing exploded with a bang.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Nearly half of Goose Lake had boiled. Bubbles surged over the water, fish floated belly-up, and only a flock of fat geese that had survived the disaster huddled in a distant corner, trembling.

The old man in the straw hat had flown halfway over before suddenly plunging into Goose Lake.

Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes. Cold sweat mixed with blood streamed down his face as he repeatedly patted his chest.

"I survived...?"

With just that one breath in and out, the Emberlight Fire Seed had shrunk by an entire circle, while his cultivation had surged a great deal from the seventh level of Spirit Refinement.

The scorching energy had been suppressed, and the injuries within his body were healing at a visibly frantic pace, sending waves of tingling numbness through him.

The terrifying recovery power of Endless Vitality combined with the Breathing Method—one breath, one Red-Gold Pill—was displayed to the fullest at this moment.

Xu Xiaoshou wiped away the blood and sweat. Aside from his ferocious appearance and somewhat exhausted mind, he discovered that he was actually no different from an ordinary person.

"Holy shit..."

"This recovery is way too insane!"

Yet when he recalled the pain from earlier, Xu Xiaoshou could not help but shudder.

Above his sea of energy, the Emberlight Fire Seed looked deeply aggrieved. Having shrunk by a circle, its destructive speed was now completely suppressed by Endless Vitality.

Xu Xiaoshou took several breaths of fresh air. Watching his body gradually recover, he gritted his teeth and sat down again, a ruthless expression appearing on his face.

Pain was pain!

It was not as though he had never been tortured in his previous life. Besides, though this thing hurt, it was only temporary. Since keeping it around would sooner or later become a disaster, better a short pain than a long one. He would refine it completely tonight!

He took out a Spirit Refining Pill and inhaled it in one breath, restoring himself to peak condition.

With a savage expression, Xu Xiaoshou once more exhaled a great mass of crimson energy through his nose and mouth. Even the air rippled from the heat, yet he swallowed it again along with a Red-Gold Pill.

Beneath Goose Lake, the old man covered his straw hat with one hand, stunned beyond words. He completely forgot that he was still underwater and choked on several mouthfuls.

Earlier, he had heard that a disciple with an innate physical body had appeared in the Outer Court. With a mindset of giving it a try, he had forcibly sent the Emberlight Fire Seed into this boy's body.

If it succeeded, there was a chance it would create a fire-element genius. If it failed, it would only cost one life. It was no great matter.

Yet after observing for a day, he had been slightly moved.

The boy clearly could not endure it at first, but later, somehow, he had forcibly suppressed the pain with nothing more than Red-Gold Pills and had even been able to step onto the stage and fight.

Perhaps the spectators had only seen him scorched bright red and mocked him for taking pills before the match. But only someone like him, someone who had likewise consumed the Emberlight Fire Seed, could understand just how much pain that boy had endured while laughing and chatting as if nothing were wrong.

That was why, after the boy opened his mouth like a lion, he had gone with the flow and used Xiao Qixiu's hand to send him ten bottles of Red-Gold Pills he had refined himself.

Under the moonlight, the youth's cultivation at Goose Lake shocked him once again. This fellow had actually abandoned bit-by-bit refinement and begun devouring it in huge gulps.

Was he not afraid of death?

The old man in the straw hat could no longer bear to watch. He had wanted to stop him, but before he had even flown halfway over, the boy had actually relied on a special cultivation method and immense perseverance to forcibly endure that wave of pain.

And it was not over. After taking only a few breaths, he actually sat down again...

To cultivate once more!

What kind of fucking monster was this!

Did he not feel pain? The old man was stunned. He felt as though he had stumbled upon treasure by accident. With this perseverance alone, the boy's future was boundless.

He was definitely taking this precious disciple!

The sudden commotion at Goose Lake naturally drew the attention of the Spirit Law Pavilion's enforcers. Before long, a group of black-clad figures appeared nearby, yet Xu Xiaoshou did not notice them in the slightest.

"Withdraw!"

The old man suddenly shot out of the lake. Steam rose around him, and all the water on his body evaporated in an instant. Pressing down his straw hat, he spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.

The enforcers stopped and looked up. Beneath the bright full moon, they could only see a silhouette—withered, thin, and ordinary.

Yet when they sensed the faint scorching aura around him, they were all startled.

"Vice Principal?"

"Elder Sang?"

The people at the front exchanged glances, their faces full of astonishment and confusion. "When did he return..."

The leader slapped the speaker on the head, lowered his head in acknowledgment, and hurriedly left.

"Yes!"

The people behind echoed in succession. In a flurry, the enforcers vanished.

Elder Sang removed his straw hat and stood atop the white jade railing.

The evening breeze brushed against his wrinkled clothes and swept several dried blades of grass from his head. The fat geese gathered at his feet, honking wildly as they desperately searched for a sense of safety.

Yet within those huge dark circles under his eyes, there was only one person.

"Heh!"

Thinking of something, Elder Sang smiled faintly.

Goose Lake was destined to be anything but peaceful tonight, and the white jade railing was in urgent need of repairs.

Because... scorching waves of air erupted from the distant youth from time to time, their destructive power astonishing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!...

At noon the next day, the Outer Court disciples entered the spectator stands one after another, all looking listless.

"Fuck, was the Spirit Palace doing renovations last night? Those bangs were so damn loud. Did you guys hear them?"

"It came from the direction of Goose Lake, right? My courtyard is nearby. It was insanely loud. If nothing had happened, I would've thought enemy forces were invading."

"What noises? I'm near Goose Lake too!"

"How is that possible? Are you deaf or something?"

"Oh, oh, sorry. I just remembered I have a soundproofing array. Sigh, being rich really can't be helped."

"...Fuck!"

Xu Xiaoshou also entered Cloud-Emerging Platform with two huge dark circles beneath his eyes. On the surface, he looked like one of the victims, little did anyone know that he was the culprit everyone was talking about.

He hurried into the waiting area, only then feeling at ease.

Normally, his cultivation consisted of sleeping, and he did it in his own courtyard. Since there was a soundproofing array, he never had to worry about making enough noise to disturb anyone.

The moment that habit had been brought to Goose Lake, it had exploded spectacularly. He wondered whether it would affect his opponent...

If it did, that would be fantastic! After a night of refinement, the Emberlight Fire Seed had completely vanished, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the seventh level.

Breaking through was possible, but unnecessary.

Through the repeated scorching, Xu Xiaoshou had even tempered and consolidated his previous cultivation several times over.

It was just that, looking back on it, the process was enough to move one to tears.

Xiao Qixiu nonchalantly resumed the advancement matches from the top sixteen to the top eight. After giving the staff a few instructions, Xu Xiaoshou entered a sleeping state.

I'm really sleepy! Normally, he completed his breathing cultivation in his dreams. Going without sleep or rest for two consecutive days was truly something he was not used to.

Very quickly, he drifted into dreamland. In his dream, a staff member approached while holding two bottles, then slapped him right across the face.

Smack!

"Wake up, it's your turn!"