Nine-Star Dou Ling, Achieved!

Immediately afterward, Xiao Wujiu's realm began to rise as well, and his bottleneck started to loosen.

As the Battle Crystal sea urchin within him began to tremble, its original eight spines started dwindling away—seven, six, five...

His realm continued to rise along with the decreasing number of spines on the Battle Qi crystal!

The energy within this Magic Core was even more abundant than that of the Tier 6 Magic Core he had obtained from the inheritance back then.

Normally, some energy from a Tier 6 Magic Core would inevitably be lost during use. The determining factors included the method of use, conversion rate, the grade of the cultivation technique, and so on.

But what was miraculous about a Spirit Ring was that its energy could be absorbed and used directly!

Six-Star Dou Ling, Seven-Star Dou Ling... Eight-Star Dou Ling!

Sensing that he was about to break through to Nine-Star Dou Ling, Xiao Wujiu hardened his heart. Determination flashed through his eyes as he took out a large bottle of "Red Soup" from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and poured it straight down his throat.

As the place where the Dragon King had fallen, and after accumulating the world's spiritual energy for countless years, it was exceptionally rich in energy. Yet he did not feel the slightest regret drinking it. He had plenty of the stuff!

As another burst of scorching fire-element energy erupted, violent energy immediately began rampaging through Xiao Wujiu's body!

"Just some energy. I am the master of this body. Now that you're inside me, behave yourselves and let me absorb you!"

"Suppress!"

Xiao Wujiu gave a low shout, and Soul Force at the Great Perfection of the Mortal Realm erupted with a boom. He forcefully suppressed the energy in his meridians, continuously refined it along the circulation route of his cultivation technique, and finally guided it into his dantian.

The final spine within the Battle Qi crystal also slowly retracted into the crystal as that energy continued to flow in!

Nine-Star Dou Ling, achieved!

Xiao Wujiu abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flickering within them as his aura suddenly erupted!

At once, a powerful pressure radiated outward from Xiao Wujiu's courtyard, only to be forcibly halted at its boundaries!

Another gemstone representing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring had appeared on the Creation Cauldron in his hand. Yet after it became symmetrical, the two gemstones seemed to be slightly closer to the cauldron.

He did not dwell on it and simply put away the Creation Cauldron.

"Hoo..." He let out a deep breath. "Thankfully, my control over Battle Qi hasn't declined just because my strength rose too much. I only need to temper it further."

Back then, he had leaped directly from Dou Zhe to the peak of Nine-Star Da Dou Shi, crossing two major realms. Breaking through to Nine-Star Dou Ling now was nothing much.

He withdrew the pressure of his Nine-Star Dou Ling cultivation, looked out the window, and found that it was already bright as day. He rose, cleaned himself up, and returned to his room.

Rather than immediately starting to refine medicine to consolidate his Battle Qi, he took out the jade slip Yao Chen had given him and sat down cross-legged.

Pressing the jade slip to his brow, he sent his Soul Force into it and began receiving this vast inheritance.

An hour later, his tightly shut eyes slowly opened, and he could not help sighing in admiration.

"Venerable Yao truly deserves his reputation. From the most basic identification of medicinal ingredients and analysis of their properties to every kind of fire-control technique and insight into refining medicine and condensing pills, everything is explained in painstaking detail. It will absolutely improve my alchemy skills tremendously!"

Xiao Wujiu looked around the quiet room and felt the Battle Qi surging within him. His hands were starting to itch.

"For the next few days, I'll refine pills."

Amid the day-after-day process of refining medicine, Xiao Wujiu's alchemy continued to improve while constantly tempering his Battle Qi, making it more condensed and his foundation more solid.

Until, during one session of refining medicine, Xiao Yan knocked on his door...

Knock, knock, knock—

"Cousin Wujiu, the clan's coming-of-age ceremony is about to begin!"

"Come in first."

Hearing Xiao Wujiu's voice, Xiao Yan pushed open the door and saw Xiao Wujiu in the midst of condensing a pill.

"Cousin Wujiu, are you refining medicine? What grade is it?"

Xiao Yan approached with a curious look. Seeing that Xiao Wujiu still had the attention to spare for answering him, he asked about the pill's grade.

"A fourth-grade Purple Ganoderma Pill."

By then, the pill had already formed. As five smooth, lustrous pills flew out, their purple surfaces flecked with gold, Xiao Yan could clearly see the pill patterns upon them.

"F-Fourth grade?"

"This kid's alchemy talent is quite high. He actually digested those insights so quickly."

While Xiao Yan was still shocked that Xiao Wujiu had so effortlessly refined a fourth-grade pill, Yao Chen inwardly marveled at the pill-condensing technique he had used. That concise and effective method was the very one contained within the inheritance he had given him.

After putting away the pills refined with Purple Ganoderma as their main ingredient, Xiao Wujiu stored the Creation Cauldron and turned to Xiao Yan. "Let's go."

Xiao Yan curiously glanced at the medicinal cauldron from earlier, feeling somewhat puzzled about its origins. But he also knew that an alchemist's cauldron was not something to ask about casually.

So he nodded and headed toward the plaza with Xiao Wujiu.

Before long, a huge plaza appeared before them, with an enormous platform standing at its center.

After arriving, Xiao Wujiu looked around and spotted Ya Fei atop a high platform not far away. He immediately bade Xiao Yan farewell and headed toward her.

Xiao Yan: "?"

Following the direction in which Xiao Wujiu had left, he watched him walk up to a bewitching woman in a red dress. That woman, whose every smile and frown radiated charm, was none other than Ya Fei, the chief auctioneer of the Mittal Auction House!

Then he saw Cousin Wujiu naturally wrap an arm around her slender, water-snake waist. Ya Fei merely rolled her eyes at him and showed no intention of struggling.

Xiao Yan: "What the hell, bro?"

Xiao Yan felt like he could not quite process what he was seeing. His brother was eating this well?

When had Cousin Wujiu gotten together with Ya Fei? He had not known at all. So he was keeping it from his brother, huh?

Looking at that beautiful woman brimming with mature charm, he inhaled sharply and secretly gave Xiao Wujiu a thumbs-up. Cousin Wujiu was truly a role model for their generation!

"Brother Xiao Yan, does she look good?"

At that moment, a young girl's voice rang out behind him. Accompanied by a faint fragrance, he turned to see Xuner's pretty face wearing a half-smile.

"No, no. I was only surprised that Cousin Wujiu got together with Ya Fei. I didn't mean anything else." As he spoke, he grabbed Xuner and prepared to head elsewhere.

Before leaving, she glanced at Ya Fei beside Xiao Wujiu. She could sense that the woman's strength seemed to have improved considerably?

But Xiao Yan had already pulled her far away, so she did not think much of it and turned back, preparing to chat and laugh with him.

"He's the Xiao Yan you mentioned, along with his not-so-simple little girlfriend, right?"

Ya Fei watched Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er walk away, then asked Xiao Wujiu beside her.