Advancement

The blazing sun, which had been shining brightly in the sky, was already setting in the west, and the long shadows cast by its afterglow hinted at its imminent descent from the heavens.

At this moment, although the great battle had ended, those who had come to the Misty Cloud Sect today remained unusually quiet. Not a single person dared to utter a sound, let alone leave. They had no idea what the victorious young man would do next.

Seeing the severely damaged mountain and the numerous wounded people still hesitant to make any further moves, Lin Ming immediately said, "It's getting late. Let's all go our separate ways. We can decide on the rest in the Imperial Capital in three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Yao's figure flashed and disappeared into the ring in Lin Ming's hand, along with the Fierce Soul. Then, Lin Ming and several members of his family took the lead in flapping their Wings of Dou Qi and flying into the sky. Their figures grew smaller and smaller until they completely disappeared into the horizon.

"Brother Lin Ming!"

As soon as Lin Ming returned to his family home that night, a seductive voice reached his ears. Immediately after the voice, a figure rushed out from the main gate.

The person who emerged was dressed in a purple cheongsam. The exquisitely crafted and luxurious cheongsam perfectly showcased her full figure, beautiful curves, slender waist, and long, straight legs.

When he stood before Lin Ming, the smile on his face added a vibrant touch to the dark sky.

Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman he had raised from childhood, now a beauty capable of bringing ruin to the country, Lin Ming's fatigue from the battle vanished in an instant. With a smile, he reached out and pinched her cheek as he had when they were children, whispering, "Little girl!"

This call, which she had dreamt of countless times, this reunion, had finally come true at this moment. The soft call and the warm touch on her cheek caused tears to well up in the beauty's eyes, and she could no longer hold back, sobbing as she rushed towards the person who had returned.

Seeing the two embracing each other, Zi Yan unconsciously clenched her fists, her expression becoming quite complicated. As for the others, they immediately burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, the beautiful woman suddenly remembered that there were so many people present. She had actually done this in front of everyone! In an instant, her face and neck flushed red, and she murmured shyly, "Elder Hai, Great Elder, Grandpa Liu, you're all laughing at Ya Fei too."

Following Ya Fei's actions, the group laughed even harder, which made Ya Fei unable to bear it any longer. She immediately covered her head and ran away, leaving only her words echoing in the air.

"Brother Lin Ming, Ya Fei will come to see you again tomorrow."

With Ya Fei's departure, knowing that Lin Ming must be quite exhausted after a day of fighting, Elder Hai, Grandpa Liu, the Great Elder, and Master Toso stopped smiling and said they would discuss the next steps after Lin Ming had recovered. They then left without disturbing Lin Ming any further.

At night, after returning to his room and washing up, Lin Ming sat cross-legged on the bed.

Although today's battle was quite exhausting, Lin Ming had only had a handful of hours of sleep over the years, almost always substituting meditation for rest. So today was no exception.

Sitting cross-legged, as the Cultivation Method circulated within his body, the Dou Qi of heaven and earth immediately transformed into energy vortexes that swirled around Lin Ming's body. Upon contact with Lin Ming's skin, these swirling Dou Qi were absorbed and refined directly into his body, much like liquid hitting Lin Ming.

As his level increased, the amount of Dou Qi absorbed in each cultivation session was negligible compared to the amount needed to advance one star. However, with persistence, he would eventually accumulate enough. At this moment, Lin Ming's breathing slowed down as he gradually circulated his Cultivation Method, and he seemed to instinctively drift into a state of semi-sleep during his practice.

Time passed slowly, and the moon, high in the sky, moved slowly as well. At one point, its light disappeared, and the entire night was plunged into the darkness before dawn.

After drifting into a semi-sleep, as if breathing were an instinctive Cultivation Method, a strange fluctuation suddenly jolted Lin Ming awake from his slumber.

Feeling the fluctuations emanating from his body, Lin Ming's face was instantly filled with excitement. Although he had experienced this many times before, each time this feeling came, it was a sign that his cultivation was about to advance. How could this not be exciting? However, after only a moment, Lin Ming calmed his mind and began to concentrate on advancing to the final star within his Dou Emperor cultivation.

Calming his mind, he watched as time ticked by, until the pre-dawn darkness enveloped the room, and the faint light filtering through the window cast a long shadow of Lin Ming.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, the space around Lin Ming slightly distorted, and his powerful Dou Qi surged and churned like a tangible tide, squeezing the air into a low hum.

At this moment, the vortex within Lin Ming's body was spinning wildly at an unprecedented speed, greedily devouring the Heaven and Earth Energy converging from all directions.

The rapid absorption of energy caused an energy storm to rise outside Lin Ming's house. Such a commotion, of course, did not escape the notice of the Mittel Family.

So, Elder Hai, Mittel Tengshan, Grandpa Liu, Master Toso, and others came out to see what was going on. However, when they saw that the commotion was gathering around Lin Ming's room and was obviously coming from Lin Ming's room, they immediately transformed into Protector and guarded the area around Lin Ming's room.

Inside the room, Lin Ming was completely focused on refining the energy and allowing it to enter his body.

The purest torrent of Dou Qi, refined through the meridians, is now repeatedly impacting the final barrier of the Dou Emperor stage—the barrier between eight-star and Nine-star Dou Emperor.

Under such impact, Lin Ming's clothes were soaked with sweat, but in just an instant, it was evaporated by Lin Ming's own scorching Dou Qi, leaving faint traces.

Under the relentless and frenzied onslaught of this Dou Qi, finally, at the very moment when the first ray of dawn pierced the darkness outside the window and shone precisely on his brow, the power accumulated within him reached its peak!

"Break!"

A deep, resolute shout erupted from Lin Ming's throat.

A deafening roar, as if the world had just begun to open, exploded deep within his soul! The stubborn barrier shattered in response, and the surging Dou Qi, like a burst dam, instantly rushed into his vast meridians. An unprecedented sense of power flowed through his limbs and bones in an instant.

His aura suddenly surged, and the tables, chairs, and decorations in the room silently turned to dust under the sudden release of this oppressive force.

Lin Ming slowly opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming like the brightest star in the night sky. He felt the overwhelming Dou Qi surging within him, and a weary yet exhilarating smile finally appeared on his lips.

Nine-star Dou Emperor, achieved!