Successful Metamorphosis? Han Yue Breaks Through

Zi Yan leaped down from the tree branch, clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and skipped over to Qin Han, deliberately leaning a little closer.

Qin Han could almost smell the faint fragrance on her.

The Zi Yan before him was simply too startling.

The little girl who had once needed him to bend down to speak to her, whose head he would occasionally rub, had suddenly become a graceful young maiden—still wearing that familiar, punchable grin.

The feeling was rather strange.

"You took the Transformation Pill?"

"Of course I did!"

Zi Yan puffed out her chest, looking as though it were only natural. "Old Man Huo checked it for ages. He said the pill had been preserved perfectly, its medicinal potency was flawless, and there were no problems!"

"Wait..."

Qin Han was just about to nod when something occurred to him. "Is your transformed form stable now?"

The charming smile at the corner of Zi Yan's lips froze.

Stable? Of course it wasn't stable!

She had come over intending to show off, only for Qin Han to immediately point out her sore spot.

From Zi Yan's furious glare, Qin Han knew he had guessed right.

Fortunately, the little girl did not throw a tantrum in the end. She curled her lips and said, "Old Man Su and Old Man Huo both said that my strength hasn't caught up to my transformation realm yet, which is why it's unstable."

"Once this lady breaks through to Dou Emperor, I'll definitely dazzle you blind!"

"Dou Emperor..."

Qin Han suddenly understood. His gaze casually swept over her before his expression abruptly changed. "Wait, your strength... you're at the peak of Dou Wang?!"

Her appearance had stunned him so much that he had failed to notice the change in her aura.

More than half a year ago, at the Fallen Fire Sect Ruins, Zi Yan had only been around a Three-Star Dou Wang.

In just half a year, she had jumped six stars in a row?!

Noticing the surprise in Qin Han's eyes, Zi Yan brightened again. Her small, delicate chin lifted high as she planted her hands on her hips. "Hmph! Now you know how extraordinarily talented I am, right?"

Seeing that smug yet familiar look on her face, the slight sense of unfamiliarity Qin Han had felt because of her changed appearance vanished completely.

He shook his head with a laugh, sincerely marveling to himself, "The bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon royal family truly has terrifying talent."

On second thought, though, it made sense.

The seventh-tier Transformation Pill itself contained an enormous amount of medicinal power. To high-tier Magical Beasts, it was not only the key to transformation, but also a tremendous tonic.

Moreover, this girl had looted quite a few of the stored Medicinal Herbs and Spirit Fruits at the Fallen Fire Sect Ruins. With her foodie nature, she had probably been eating them like candy for the past half year.

With all those opportunities piled together, it was only natural for her strength to soar to such a degree.

"You admitted defeat in the last Strong Ranking competition. If I run into you this time, just see if I don't beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth!"

Zi Yan declared fiercely.

Qin Han was about to tease her in reply when both of their expressions changed. They turned in unison toward the depths of the valley shrouded by the Flame Barrier.

Han Yue's steadily rising aura within the valley suddenly began to fluctuate violently!

"She's about to break through!"

Qin Han's heart stirred.

However, after that surge reached its peak, it seemed to run out of momentum. It stalled for an instant, then began to slowly fall at a worrying speed.

Han Yue's aura also became somewhat unstable.

This was... a sign that her breakthrough attempt had failed, and that her aura was about to suffer a backlash and decline.

"Damn it!"

Qin Han's expression changed. His figure vanished from where he stood, and Zi Yan followed almost simultaneously.

Passing through a gap that had opened on its own in the Flame Barrier, the two landed in the ice-cold heart of the valley in an instant.

On the Mystic Ice Platform, Han Yue's originally jade-white cheeks had completely lost their color. The Silver Cold Mist swirling around her had become utterly chaotic, while the aura that had climbed to its peak was slipping downward beyond her control.

"Is she lacking energy to sustain it? Or was her state of mind disrupted?"

Thoughts raced through Qin Han's mind, but his actions were even faster.

He slapped his Storage Ring, and six or seven differently shaped Medicinal Herbs, each radiating pure icy energy, floated out at once.

He had collected these in his travels or obtained them from the Fallen Fire Sect. None of them were low-grade.

There was no pill furnace and no elaborate preparation.

Qin Han's fingers flew as several Medicinal Herbs melted, purified, and merged at a visible speed... In only a few breaths, they turned into clusters of spiritual liquid and medicinal powder.

Qin Han did not know alchemy, but he could still handle simple steps such as using flames to refine Medicinal Herbs, purify them, and remove their impurities.

Extremely pure ice-attributed energy spread out as though tangible, instantly increasing the concentration of cold air within the valley severalfold.

"Han Yue!"

Qin Han called out in a low voice, "There's still enough energy! Focus and steady your mind—make another push!"

As his words fell, he clenched his right hand in the air. The spiritual liquid and medicinal powder transformed into streams of flowing light, sinking into the chaotic cold mist around Han Yue and being instinctively absorbed by her body.

Han Yue, whose aura had been falling and whose face had turned pale, trembled violently beneath her tightly shut eyelashes.

She seemed to have heard Qin Han's voice.

The next instant, the somewhat scattered Seal Gesture in her hands abruptly changed. Her rosy lips parted slightly, releasing an almost inaudible cry.

Boom!

Her aura, which had just begun to decline, seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline. It halted sharply, then gathered and rose once more with even greater ferocity and resolve than before.

This time, its upward momentum contained not the slightest hesitation or obstruction as it slammed viciously into that invisible barrier!

Crack—!

A crisp sound of shattering came from within Han Yue's body.

Immediately afterward, a steady and powerful Seven-Star Dou Ling aura slowly spread from her body, filling the entire valley.

She had broken through!

The tension in Qin Han's heart finally eased. Judging by how stable Han Yue's aura was, she only needed a little more consolidation before she could completely stabilize her realm and emerge from seclusion smoothly.

Just as he was about to call Zi Yan away and let Han Yue consolidate in peace, he turned around and saw Zi Yan sneaking toward the cloud of energy mist that had yet to be fully absorbed.

Her delicate little nose sniffed hard, and a blissful expression appeared on her face.

"Let's go!"

Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Qin Han grabbed her wrist. "Don't make trouble! Han Yue still needs to consolidate her realm!"

"Ah!"

Caught red-handed, Zi Yan struggled unhappily and muttered in a low voice, "Three fifth-tier Medicinal Herbs... how generous..."

"I'll still be cultivating here for a while. Where are you going?" Qin Han asked after they arrived outside the valley.

Zi Yan huffed and floated into the sky. "There are still lots of big fellows in the Back Mountain hiding good stuff. I'm going to have a chat with them."

Qin Han's scalp went numb.

A peak Dou Wang like the Maniac King was probably going to turn the Back Mountain upside down.

"Remember to come back before the competition. Don't cause trouble!" Qin Han reminded her with a wave.

"I know! So annoying..." Zi Yan grumbled as she flew away from Cold Creek.

Qin Han smiled and shook his head. Although she could already take human form, this girl's playful nature had not changed at all.

Just as he was about to sit cross-legged and continue studying the Great Sun Burning Heaven Seal, the seal behind him silently broke apart.

Amid the crisp tap-tap-tap of long boots stepping on the ground, a graceful figure emerged from the valley.

"Congratulations. Seven-Star Dou Ling."

Qin Han turned around and said.

Han Yue stopped a short distance in front of him.

There was little emotional fluctuation visible on her cool, beautiful face, but when those lovely eyes met Qin Han's, a trace of avoidance clearly flickered through them.

"Thank you."

"I said I'd protect you during your breakthrough, so naturally I had to keep my word." Qin Han waved dismissively.

Han Yue did not offer further thanks. Some things only needed to be remembered in one's heart.

Her gaze swept over the surrounding ice and snow as she asked, "Are we returning to the Inner Academy now?"

Qin Han shook his head and pointed at the icy rock where he had been sitting. "I still need to stay here for a few days. I've just found the right approach to a Dou Technique and need to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, this place is unusual—the clash of ice and fire is also somewhat beneficial to my understanding of flame control."

As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something. With a flick of his wrist, a silver-white scroll appeared in his palm.

He casually tossed the scroll toward Han Yue.

"You shouldn't rush off either. There's still some time before the competition, so you might as well use the opportunity to improve a little more."

Han Yue caught the scroll on instinct. It felt cool in her hand, but not piercingly cold.

She lowered her head and saw a faint silver glow flowing across its surface. Several ancient and elegant characters flickered in and out of sight: Profound Ice Condensation Formula.

A low-level Earth Rank Cultivation Method.

Han Yue raised her eyes to Qin Han, obvious surprise flashing through them. "For me?"

"Who else?"

Qin Han smiled. "That old fellow Yun Qianhang didn't have much good stuff in his Storage Ring. Ice-attributed Cultivation Methods are useless to me. As for those Mysterious Rank ones, they probably wouldn't improve you much either. This one is just right."

"With the Strong Ranking Competition approaching, every bit more strength means a bit more confidence. This Cultivation Method suits your attribute, so cultivating it will yield twice the results with half the effort.

"Don't refuse. If you really feel bad about it, just consider it a loan. You can repay the favor when you get the chance later."

His words cut off Han Yue's attempt to decline.

She looked at the scroll in her hand, its radiance contained within, then at Qin Han's open and sincere eyes.

After several breaths of silence, Han Yue finally gave a slight nod. Her voice was gentler than usual. "All right."

A smile appeared on Qin Han's face. "That's more like it. Let's make the most of our time. It's quiet here, and no one will disturb us."

Han Yue said nothing more. She turned and returned to the side of the Cold Pool, finding another smooth piece of mystical ice to sit upon.

Qin Han also resumed his cross-legged position on the ice boulder, calming his mind as he once again began condensing the first-stage flame runes of the Great Sun Burning Heaven Seal.

This time, the twisting of the core energy nodes was much smoother. Although the phantom flame palm seal remained only about a foot in size and formed slowly, its solidity and the heavy, scorching heat it emitted were far beyond what they had been before.

During the intervals between repeatedly tempering the Great Sun Burning Heaven Seal, he continued studying the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture.

While searching the Underground Lava World for a way out earlier, he had already made a preliminary study of the flame manipulation methods recorded in the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture.

Control, transform, evolve, create...

He had only just mastered the fire-controlling stage, barely achieving the refined control of flames as if they were extensions of his limbs.

The second stage was shaping—controlling flames to assume countless forms, changing endlessly without losing their essence.

Qin Han immersed himself in it, no longer relying solely on the Myriad Flames Compendium's almost instinctive method of recording and summoning flames.

He began trying to understand the rhythm and traits of every type of flame.

The purity and explosive force of the Green Lotus Core Flame, the inclusiveness and unpredictability of the Myriad Stars Flame, the strangeness and invisibility of the Fallen Heart Flame...

He tried to sense them with care. Gradually, he felt that his connection with the flames swirling around him was no longer merely one-way control. A vague, two-way response had emerged.

Whenever he controlled flames, their changes in shape, temperature, and properties became smoother and more natural at the command of his thoughts. The Dou Qi and Soul Power consumed decreased somewhat, while their might subtly increased.

Time slipped by silently within the valley.

On one side was bone-piercing cold, with silver light flowing.

On the other was concealed blazing heat, with firelight flickering faintly.

Extreme cold and extreme heat formed a peculiar balance at the heart of Cold Creek.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, two auras stirred at the same time.

Han Yue opened her eyes. A flash of silver passed through them before the chill around her completely withdrew. Her aura was harmonious and restrained, even more unfathomable than it had been twenty days earlier.

Though the Profound Ice Condensation Formula had not been fully mastered, its foundational stage had been firmly established.

Qin Han also rose to his full height and stretched his limbs.

Their gazes met in the air, and each saw the sharpened brilliance of progress in the other's eyes.

"Time's about up."

Qin Han looked in the direction of the Inner Academy.

"Mm."

Han Yue nodded lightly.

Neither spoke again. The two figures shot into the air at once and sped toward the Inner Academy.

The Inner Academy's Strong Ranking Competition was finally about to begin once more.