Purple Cloud Wings were difficult to cultivate for two reasons. The first was that one had to be qualified!
One had to withstand the impact of the remnant soul of a fifth-tier magical beast!
The second was that one needed tremendous endurance. Purple Cloud Wings would forcibly carve out two entirely new branches of meridians inside the body!
In the original story, even Xiao Yan, with his powerful soul and will, had been knocked unconscious by the pain!
But Xiao Ze was able to endure it.
Pain surged toward Xiao Ze like a tide, battering him like a reef.
No matter how fiercely the tide surged, the reef remained standing.
Time trickled by, and two entirely new branches of meridians formed along his back.
The pain slowly faded at that moment.
Xiao Ze opened his eyes. Xiao Yi Xian gave him a worried look.
"Xiao Ze, are you okay? You looked like you were in a lot of pain just now. Did you successfully cultivate the Dou Technique? The writing and the wings on the scroll are gone!"
Xiao Ze got to his feet and stretched his body, which still felt a little numb from the pain.
"I've finished cultivating it. This Flying Dou Technique is rather strange. It can only be cultivated by one person, and once the cultivation is complete, it disappears."
"I see."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded. This was her first time hearing of a Flying Dou Technique. She hadn't expected it to be so amazing.
"So does that mean you can fly now, Xiao Ze?"
Xiao Yi Xian asked, only now realizing what it meant. "That's something only experts above Dou Ling can do, yet you can do it!"
The Dou Qi Continent had a strict hierarchy. Only Dou Ling experts could remain briefly suspended in the air.
To truly fly, one had to be a Dou Wang expert!
Transforming Dou Qi into wings and soaring through the sky!
"I'll give it a try. If it works, I'll take you for a flight!"
Xiao Ze grinned and took off his shirt, baring his upper body.
"Y-you-you-you, what are you doing?"
Seeing Xiao Ze take off his shirt without warning, Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly covered her eyes.
"Didn't you say you wanted to try the Flying Dou Technique? Why are you taking your clothes off?"
Xiao Yi Xian sounded embarrassed.
Although they'd already been intimate, taking his clothes off without warning still seemed a little inappropriate!
"What are you thinking? I just don't want my clothes to get ruined. These are the only two outfits I have."
Xiao Ze explained, then turned his back to Xiao Yi Xian.
The vast Dou Qi in his body flowed toward the two newly opened branches of meridians.
Xiao Yi Xian spread her fingers and saw a pair of purple-black wings, each about the size of a palm, on Xiao Ze's back.
The wings shimmered with purple light. As Dou Qi flowed through them, they solidified, abruptly expanding from palm-sized to nearly several feet across.
"Wow!"
Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help exclaiming in admiration. At Xiao Ze's command, the wings began to flap slowly.
A powerful buoyant force lifted Xiao Ze into the air. He rose to a height of more than a person before slowly descending.
"This stone chamber is too small. Let's go outside and try it!"
Xiao Ze took Xiao Yi Xian by the hand and headed out of the cave.
They'd already stripped the place of everything, so there was no harm in leaving now.
When they reached the stone platform outside, Xiao Ze spread his Purple Cloud Wings again.
As Xiao Yi Xian cried out in alarm, Xiao Ze suddenly leaped off the cliff.
"Xiao Ze!"
Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly looked down and was immediately buffeted by a fierce gust of wind.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes and saw Xiao Ze flap his wings and slowly fly back up.
"I'm not that eager to die!"
Xiao Ze said with a laugh.
"You're way too reckless! It's your first time using this Dou Technique, and you dared to jump straight off a cliff to test it?"
"It is my first time, but I'd already gotten used to the Purple Cloud Wings in the cave."
Feeling the vast amount of Dou Qi draining from his body, Xiao Ze sighed inwardly.
As expected, a mere Dou Master couldn't handle flying.
An ordinary Dou Master would have run out of Dou Qi long ago, using it as freely as he had.
Fortunately, his Dou Qi Vortex was unusual, and his liquefied Dou Qi was exceptionally dense.
That was the only reason he could sustain the drain of the Purple Cloud Wings.
Xiao Ze flew around the valley for a while longer, then returned to the stone platform to recover his Dou Qi.
"All right, I've gotten the hang of it. Once my Dou Qi recovers, I'll take you for a flight!"
Xiao Ze said confidently.
"Mm!"
If Xiao Yi Xian had been a little worried before, she was now completely confident in Xiao Ze.
She was eagerly looking forward to having him take her flying.
Xiao Ze had just pulled off all kinds of difficult maneuvers in the valley. He didn't look like someone using a Flying Dou Technique for the first time at all!
Before long, Xiao Yi Xian's delighted cries rang through the valley!
She hadn't yet tamed a flying magical beast.
This was her first time soaring through the sky!
The powerful thrill of novelty made Xiao Yi Xian cry out again and again.
Fear mingled with excitement.
Even with Xiao Ze's arm around her waist, Xiao Yi Xian clung tightly to him, afraid she would fall.
Only after Xiao Ze returned to the stone platform did she finally let go.
Xiao Yi Xian still looked as though she hadn't had enough!
"So this is what flying feels like? It's incredible!"
"No wonder so many people dream of becoming experts. Once you're strong enough, you can soar freely through the sky!"
Xiao Yi Xian exclaimed.
"Haha, if you want, I'll take you flying every day for the next few days."
"Really? But won't that use up too much of your Dou Qi?"
"It's fine. I think I can handle it."
Over the following days, Xiao Ze took Xiao Yi Xian flying back and forth through the valley.
He didn't dare fly around the outer reaches. Low-tier magical beasts were common there, but there was no guarantee a high-tier one wouldn't show up. Flying in the sky would make them sitting ducks!
Time flew by, and soon it was time to return to Wutan City.
If they waited any longer, they might miss the enrollment date.
During those days, Xiao Xun'er had also brought Xiao Ze all sorts of benefits.
She had actually broken through three stars in a row!
That absurd cultivation speed left Xiao Ze marveling.
But he hadn't claimed the rewards.
He wanted to wait until he was about to break through to Da Dou Shi before claiming them!
He wanted to see whether claiming these non-advancement rewards before breaking through to Da Dou Shi would have any special effect.
Five days later, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian returned to Wutan City, travel-worn.
Watching the mercenaries and merchants coming and going, Xiao Yi Xian's eyes were full of wonder.
"So this is a big city? It's certainly livelier than Green Mountain Town!"
"By the way, Xiao Ze, shouldn't you take off this skin mask now?"
"I've known you for so many days, but I still don't know what you really look like!"
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes brimmed with curiosity. She felt as though ants were crawling all over her heart.
On the way back to Wutan City, she'd kept imagining what Xiao Ze looked like.
"True. It's a shame about this Exquisite Skin Mask, though. One costs ten thousand gold coins, and taking it off will ruin it!"
Xiao Ze said regretfully.
"Let's wash up while we're at it!"
Xiao Ze led Xiao Yi Xian to a nearby stream.
Xiao Yi Xian stood by the water while Xiao Ze jumped in and began washing himself.
They'd spent more than ten days together, and grown much closer. They weren't so formal with each other anymore.
At least now, Xiao Yi Xian showed no reaction when Xiao Ze stood bare-chested and washed himself.
She openly looked him over and even teased him.
"Xiao Ze, have you gotten a little stronger? You seem different from how you looked ten days ago."
"Probably. I've used my Dou Qi a lot these past few days, and that's helped me work out, too."
Xiao Ze replied casually. By the time he climbed out of the water, his face had already changed.
Xiao Yi Xian's eyes widened. She couldn't help thinking:
What a handsome young man!
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