Although Xiao Jin had resolved to grow stronger and had even chosen a Ninth-Grade Golden Pill that could improve Qing Lin's aptitude, Qing Lin's current cultivation was so low it was hard to look at.
"Young Master Xiao Jin, is Qing Lin too useless..." The girl lowered her head like a child who had made a mistake, not daring to speak.
She was already fourteen, yet she possessed only Two-Stage Dou Qi.
Even with Xiao Jin's breadth of experience, the corner of his mouth could not help twitching twice.
She was even more hopeless than Xiao Yan at the start of the Three-Year Agreement.
Still, he said nothing, merely gently rubbing Qing Lin's head.
This girl had always lived in an environment where she was discriminated against. Before coming to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, even having enough food and clothing had been a problem. Where could she have found resources for cultivation?
The fact that she had reached Two-Stage Dou Qi was already proof of extraordinary talent.
When cultivators were in the Dou Qi stage, their meridians were extremely fragile and unable to withstand the medicinal impact of pills.
That was precisely why everyone had been so shocked when Yao Chen produced the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in the original story.
Xiao Jin's Storage Ring contained countless heavenly treasures, but he truly had nothing suitable for someone in the Dou Qi stage.
"Qing Lin, first build a solid foundation with your sister Xiao Yi Xian. You can use the things I prepared for you once you become a Dou Zhe."
The girl nodded earnestly. "Young Master Xiao Jin, Qing Lin will definitely work hard!"
Progress in the Dou Qi stage was difficult. Many cultivators could advance two or three stars in a year after becoming Dou Zhes. Yet during the Dou Qi stage, they might not even advance one level in two or three years.
People like Xiao Yan, who began refining qi at four and reached Nine-Stage Dou Qi at ten, were exceedingly rare.
Someone like Xiao Jin, who advanced from refining qi to a Dou Zhe in just two years, was even more unheard of.
But before the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, Xiao Jin could only say that his little achievement was nothing.
In fact, he had already figured out how to help Qing Lin complete her cultivation through the Dou Qi stage.
"Xiao Yi Xian, help look after the Desert Iron Mercenary Group for the next few days. I plan to make a trip into the depths of the Tagor Desert."
"What are you going there for?"
"Two reasons. First, I want to see whether I can find Queen Medusa. I want to discuss a deal with her. Second, I want to find a snake-type Magical Beast for Qing Lin and help her rapidly raise her cultivation."
Hearing that this concerned her as well, Qing Lin was deeply moved.
Young Master Xiao Jin was running around for her sake. She had to work even harder at cultivation!
"Queen Medusa?" Xiao Yi Xian's expression changed slightly. She had lived in Green Mountain Town for a long time, and with its many mercenaries, information there was relatively well-informed.
Naturally, she had heard of Medusa's fierce reputation.
"She is a Peak Dou Emperor powerhouse, not someone Hai Bodong can compare to. Can you really go alone?"
Hai Bodong's reputation was also immense, but he had no particularly fearsome notoriety. He merely had a bad temper, yet he could still be reasoned with.
Medusa was different. Her reputation had been built entirely atop countless lives.
"Don't worry. Don't you know what I'm capable of? Even if she were a Dou Zong, I could beat her until she knelt and called me daddy!" Xiao Jin raised his brows smugly, showing no concern for Medusa at all.
"Don't worry about the mercenary group. I'll help you watch over it."
"Mm. Unless something unusual happens, do not take Qing Lin outside. In particular, make sure no one learns of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. I'm worried someone may covet them."
If he remembered correctly, the Mo Clan of Salt City was particularly interested in such special physiques.
The Mo Clan's Great Elder, Mo Cheng, especially loved transplanting such physiques onto himself, always dabbling in all sorts of bizarre tricks.
When Mo Cheng appeared in the original story, his strength was roughly that of a Five-Star Dou Ling.
Now, the timeline was nearly two years earlier than in the original story. That fellow's strength was probably around two-star to Three-Star Dou Ling, roughly comparable to Xiao Yi Xian's.
However, with the Woe Poison Body, it would certainly not be difficult for Xiao Yi Xian to defeat Mo Cheng. The difficult part was that Mo Cheng was an Outer Sect Deacon of the Misty Cloud Sect. If people from the Misty Cloud Sect appeared while Xiao Jin was away, that would not be good news for Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian rarely saw Xiao Jin act so seriously. After a brief daze, she immediately agreed. "Don't worry. Until you return, I'll avoid going out as much as possible."
"Sorry to trouble you." Xiao Jin thanked Xiao Yi Xian, then told Qing Lin, "Be good and cultivate with your sister Xiao Yi Xian. I'll bring you a gift when I return."
After bidding the two girls farewell, Xiao Jin set off alone toward the depths of the Tagor Desert.
He planned to first visit the volcano deep within the desert, where the Green Lotus Core Flame was located.
Going there would accomplish two things at once. First, he could subdue the Green Lotus Core Flame and bring it back for Xiao Yan to refine, saving him quite a bit of trouble.
Second, a Fourth-Rank Magical Beast, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, lived there. If Qing Lin could form a contract with it, the speed at which she broke through to Dou Zhe would increase dozens of times over.
After awakening her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils in the original story, Qing Lin had consecutively crossed eight major realms in less than ten years, soaring from the Dou Qi stage to Dou Zun.
On average, she crossed one major realm per year. Such speed was enough to make everyone green with envy.
By that calculation, it would take her at most around half a year to reach Dou Zhe.
After all, Xiao Yan had still spent a year consolidating his cultivation before breaking through to Dou Emperor. The difficulty of advancing one star in the Dou Zong realm could not possibly be lower than advancing one star during the Dou Qi stage, could it?
Relying on the speed of his Dou Qi Wings, Xiao Jin found the volcano concealing the Green Lotus Core Flame in less than half a day.
The Green Lotus Core Flame ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, more than a tier below the ninth-ranked Three Thousand Burning Flame.
With the Three Thousand Burning Flame protecting him, the Green Lotus Core Flame's little bit of heat could not harm Xiao Jin at all.
"The fire-element energy here is so dense. No wonder it could give birth to a heavenly wonder like a Heavenly Flame." With the perception of his Emperor Realm Soul, Xiao Jin quickly discovered something unusual.
Logically, besides dense fire-element energy, the area around a volcano in the desert should also possess equally dense earth-element energy.
Yet within his senses, the earth-element energy in one place had almost completely vanished, leaving behind only extremely scorching fire-element energy.
If nothing unexpected had happened, that should be where the Green Lotus Core Flame was located.
Before long, he found a pitch-black passage.
The passage was dark and deep, its bottom impossible to see. Xiao Jin did not hesitate for even a moment before walking straight inside.
A flame floated beside him, radiating bright light that illuminated the passage.
As he gradually ventured deeper, the cool sensation slowly vanished, replaced by a faint heat.
The passage twisted and turned. Xiao Jin walked for nearly twenty minutes before seeing a dazzling red glow beyond a corner.
He quickened his pace and soon arrived at the end of the passage.
Everything before his eyes was crimson. This was a fiery red world.
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