Leaps and Bounds

Legend had it that the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was a peculiar flame born under conditions of extreme cold and extreme heat. Only once every hundred years, at the moment when the sun and moon alternated, could it be encountered in a place of extreme cold and extreme Yin!

"The Bone Spirit Cold Flame originally belonged to Yao Lao, but according to the system, it is now an ownerless Heavenly Flame, so the system rewarded it to me!"

Xiao Yu was so excited that he could no longer cultivate. Now that he had activated the Golden Finger System, the course of this world would probably be changed by him. At that moment, Xiao Yu felt as though his whole body was brimming with strength!

"Right, the system also said that the next Sign-in location is the Xiao Family's main hall. Could it be the upcoming scene where Nalan Yanran comes to break off the engagement? It should be. But this time, the reward is half a volume of the Pill Codex. That sounds like a good thing too!" Xiao Yu knew exactly how high the status of alchemists was on the Dou Qi Continent!

Just as Xiao Yu was pondering his plans for the future, a white flame suddenly appeared before him, startling him. Only then did he realize that it was the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!

This Bone Spirit Cold Flame was like a child, bouncing around in front of Xiao Yu before stopping before his eyes. Looking at the silently burning flame, Xiao Yu could not feel even the slightest heat from it. It truly lived up to its name as the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Just as Xiao Yu was considering how to absorb it, the flame flickered, transformed into a great net of fire, and pounced on him before he could react!

Boom!

Xiao Yu had no time to dodge. His entire body was covered by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and his clothes were burned away in an instant. But that was not what he had time to care about, because what followed was piercing agony. The sensation of raging flames burning deep into his bones made Xiao Yu lose his voice instantly, and he curled up on the bed. Yet while the Bone Spirit Cold Flame burned Xiao Yu's body, the bed remained completely intact. Its control was truly flawless!

Veins bulged across Xiao Yu's face. An indescribable pain nearly made him pass out. At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind: I want to become stronger! I want to leave behind my own legend in this world!

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame continuously tempered Xiao Yu's body, and a powerful physique was being born. The impurities that had accumulated in Xiao Yu's body through cultivation were now being removed by the flame's refinement.

No one knew how much time passed before the excruciating pain gradually faded. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame that had covered Xiao Yu's entire body also began to dissipate, eventually shrinking back into a small palm-sized flame. Then, when Xiao Yu was not paying attention, it abruptly shot into his Dantian!

Xiao Yu lay sprawled on the bed, gasping for breath. The intense pain had filled his eyes with bloodshot veins. Looking inward at the very center of his Dantian, he saw the Bone Spirit Cold Flame resting there quietly, and he finally let out a huge sigh of relief!

As Xiao Yu's numb body gradually regained feeling, he suddenly smelled an indescribably foul stench. Looking down, he exclaimed, "Damn, what is this stuff?!"

Though he was completely naked, his body was covered in a thick layer of black, hardened grime. The terrible stench Xiao Yu had smelled was coming from his own body.

Xiao Yu hurriedly brought in a large bucket of hot water and jumped straight into it with a splash, sending water flying everywhere. It took three full buckets of water before Xiao Yu completely washed away the foul smell.

After returning to the bed, Xiao Yu began looking inward to sense the changes in his body. He had originally been a One-star Dou Zhe, but with the help of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he had unexpectedly advanced to the realm of a Four-star Dou Zhe. What puzzled Xiao Yu, however, was that in Xiao Yan's world, absorbing a Heavenly Flame should have raised one's strength by more than just three minor realms. Besides, he was only a Dou Zhe now!

After thinking for a long time without finding an answer, Xiao Yu simply stopped thinking about it. In any case, his strength had already increased, and he still had some time to consolidate his cultivation.

Xiao Yu sat cross-legged on the bed and formed hand seals. The Qi Cyclone within his body began spinning at high speed. Suddenly, the sparse Dou Qi between heaven and earth stirred. Soon, the Dou Qi of the world began rapidly converging toward Xiao Yu, forming a funnel that poured into his body through the acupoints and pores all over him.

At that moment, Xiao Yu was like a bottomless pit, devouring the surrounding Dou Qi to stabilize his Four-star Dou Zhe realm. The Dou Qi gathering inside his body was condensed and compressed by Xiao Yu before coursing through his meridians. A constant stream of Dou Qi was refined and solidified within him, ultimately becoming power under Xiao Yu's control!

The unusual activity around Xiao Yu alerted Xiao Yan next door. Xiao Yan sensed an abnormal disturbance in the Dou Qi of the surrounding area, and only afterward discovered that it was coming from next door. His expression turned somewhat complicated. "Looks like Little Yu has broken through to the Dou Zhe realm!"

Then Xiao Yan sighed. "If I could still cultivate, I should be almost a Dou Master by now, right?"

Xiao Yu's breakthrough made Xiao Yan's emotions even more complicated, and he no longer had any desire to continue cultivating. He soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

After cultivating for an entire night, Xiao Yu was not tired in the slightest. On the contrary, he was exceptionally energetic, even more refreshed than after a full night's sleep.

After straightening his clothes, Xiao Yu pushed open the door and walked out, only to find a lovely young girl already standing before it. Who else could it be but Xun'er?

Her fitting light-green clothes made Xun'er seem especially radiant. It had to be said that Xun'er had an excellent figure. Her long, slender yet rounded legs showed off every curve, and she exuded youthful vitality from head to toe. Combined with her elegant temperament, she made Xiao Yu's heart stir!

Under Xiao Yu's burning gaze, Xun'er's pretty face could not help but grow warm. Her flushed little face looked like a red apple, exceedingly tempting!

"Brother Xiao Yu, what are you looking at?" Xun'er finally could not bear it any longer and asked in a coy, reproachful voice.

"Ah, with Xun'er standing right in front of me, what else could I possibly look at? I have to say, Xun'er, you look beautiful today!" Xiao Yu came back to his senses, then shamelessly praised her without the slightest blush.

"Hmph! Brother Xiao Yu's mouth is the best at telling lies!" Xiao Xun'er rolled her eyes at Xiao Yu and snorted softly.

Just then, there was a soft creak. Xiao Yu and Xun'er turned to look and saw Xiao Yan walking out from his Courtyard.

When Xiao Yu saw Xiao Yan, he called out, "Brother!"

Xun'er followed suit. "Brother!"

Seeing the two standing at the door, Xiao Yan recognized Xiao Yu and Xiao Xun'er. He gave a bitter smile. "In this family, only you two still show me any respect!"

Xiao Yu smiled. "We're blood brothers. Of course we should respect you!"

Xun'er also echoed, "That's right. Brother, don't be so dejected. You should pull yourself together!"

Xiao Yan shrugged and said as if it did not matter, "Don't worry. I'm fine!"

But both Xiao Yu and Xun'er could see that Xiao Yan had not let it go at all. Xiao Yu could only think to himself, Looks like only when Nalan Yanran arrives will your fighting spirit return!

The three said no more and headed toward the family Training Ground. Today was the day of the family assessment!