Xiao Yi Xian: Can I Really Fly?

Xuan Qing lowered his gaze to the spirited young girl before him, a gentle smile rippling through his eyes as he nodded lightly, his tone indulgent.

"Not bad. You're improving quickly. Xian'er, do you want to fly?"

Xiao Yi Xian froze upon hearing this. Her long lashes trembled softly, and her clear eyes filled with innocent confusion as she tilted her head and asked,

"What do you mean, Master?"

Only a Dou Wang could use Dou Qi Transformation Wings.

She was merely a Two-Star Dou Zhe now, worlds apart from becoming a Dou Wang. She had no chance of soaring through the sky, so she could not understand what Xuan Qing meant.

Seeing the girl's bewildered expression,

Xuan Qing slightly spread his palm, and an ancient Dou Technique scroll quietly floated above it.

Xuan Qing explained,

"I happen to have a flying Dou Technique here: Eagle's Wings."

Xiao Yi Xian's eyes suddenly lit up as she stared blankly at that unusual Dou Technique scroll.

"Eagle's Wings?" she murmured softly, her eyes full of wonder.

"That's right."

Xuan Qing tapped the scroll lightly with his fingertip and began to introduce it.

"This technique is exceptionally special. As long as you refine the Purple Cloud Wings, you can ride the wind, glide, and maneuver through the air."

"However, your cultivation is still too shallow. You cannot remain aloft at great heights for long like a Dou Wang."

Xiao Yi Xian's heart shook violently as her crystal-clear eyes instantly filled with starlight.

She had always longed to fly high in the sky, but her cultivation was too weak, and she had never possessed the qualifications to fly.

In the past, at most, she could ride Little Blue, the first-tier magical beast she had tamed, and have Little Blue glide at low altitude.

She had never experienced the feeling of flying on her own.

She raised her eyes to Xuan Qing, who stood before her with a gentle smile, her voice unable to hide her excitement.

"Master... can I really, really fly?"

Xuan Qing nodded slightly. "Of course you can."

With that, he raised his hand and placed the Eagle's Wings scroll in Xiao Yi Xian's hands.

Xuan Qing instructed her,

"You must remember that the Purple Cloud Wings contain the remnant soul of a Purple Cloud Eagle."

"During the process of cultivating and refining it, that remnant soul will instinctively unleash fierce soul attacks to erode the practitioner's mind. You must firmly withstand its soul attacks before you can completely master these Purple Cloud Wings."

Xiao Yi Xian's delicate body stiffened slightly at those words. The excitement on her face faded somewhat, replaced by nervousness and unease.

She was only a Two-Star Dou Zhe and had never experienced any tempering or attacks on the level of the soul.

Merely hearing about it made fear rise in her heart.

But when she thought of breaking free from the earth's restraints and flying on her own, the fear in her eyes was quickly replaced by determination.

She tightly gripped the ancient scroll in her hands and looked up at Xuan Qing.

"Master, I'm not afraid! I can endure it!"

Seeing that the girl was clearly afraid inside yet still stubbornly forced herself to be brave,

Xuan Qing flicked his fingers, and three pills of different colors, wreathed in spiritual mist, appeared in his palm. Their fragrance was elegant and refreshing.

Xuan Qing spoke in a gentle tone:

"You don't need to endure it by force. Take these pills first."

"This is a Soul-Protecting Pill. It is specially used to stabilize the soul and can resist the soul impact of the Purple Cloud Eagle's remnant soul to the greatest extent, protecting your mind from collapse."

"This is a Qi-Gathering Pill. Dou Qi consumption during cultivation is enormous, and it can help you continuously recover Dou Qi so you won't run out of strength."

"And this is a Healing Pill. In case your meridians are injured or your mind is damaged during refinement, it can promptly nourish your body and meridians."

If he had not been completely certain, he would never have let Xiao Yi Xian take the risk of refining it.

The rich medicinal fragrance lingered around Xiao Yi Xian's nose. Her clear eyes widened slightly as she stared blankly at the pills in his palm and asked,

"Master, the medicinal aura of your pills is so rich... Wh-what grade are these pills?"

Xuan Qing answered casually, "Ah, only fourth-grade."

"What! Fourth-grade?!"

Xiao Yi Xian's entire body jolted, her eyes filled with disbelief.

In her understanding, third-grade pills were already priceless treasures worth a fortune, fought over by every faction.

Fourth-grade pills were even legendary rare spiritual medicines. Even ordinary Dou Wang experts might not be able to obtain them easily!

Yet her master had taken out three fourth-grade pills at once, solely to help a tiny Two-Star Dou Zhe like her safely refine a Dou Technique?

She hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head, her tone flustered. "Master! Maybe we shouldn't use them! They're too precious!"

"It's only the refinement of a Dou Technique. I can get through it myself. There's no need to waste such precious fourth-grade pills!"

The girl had lived in poverty for so long that she could not bear such extravagant waste. Seeing her frown anxiously, thinking only of saving things for him,

Xuan Qing helplessly raised his hand and lightly tapped her soft little head. His touch was gentle and carried no force at all.

"Xian'er, do you think your master lacks a few fourth-grade pills?"

Only then did Xiao Yi Xian come back to her senses.

That's right!

Her master was a fifth-grade alchemist.

Fourth-grade pills were treasures in the eyes of others, but in her master's hands, they were merely things he could refine at will.

She had nearly forgotten that.

Xiao Yi Xian blinked her bright eyes, her cheeks warming slightly. She stuck out her tongue playfully, revealing a bit of a young girl's innocence, then gave two sheepish chuckles.

"Master, it's just that I lived too many hard days before, so I didn't react right away."

Thinking back to her days in Qing Shan Town, when even a first-grade pill had to be cherished dearly, how could she have imagined that fourth-grade pills could be brought out so casually?

Seeing her like this, Xuan Qing could not help but laugh softly. He held the three spirit-glowing pills in his palm and extended them toward her.

"Enough, don't overthink it. Take the pills and refine the Purple Cloud Wings with peace of mind. Your safety is far more precious than any pills."

Xiao Yi Xian obediently nodded and stopped refusing. She slightly raised her fair neck, opened her mouth, and swallowed all three fourth-grade pills.

The pills melted the instant they entered her mouth, and their pure, vast medicinal power immediately surged through her limbs and bones.

A warm, clear halo protected all the meridians in her body, while cool medicinal energy steadily enveloped her sea of consciousness.

"Thank you, Master."

She thanked him softly, then sat cross-legged, cast aside every distracting thought, and formally began refining the Purple Cloud Wings.

The moment she closed her eyes,

"Buzz!"

A piercing cry that made her soul tremble erupted from the depths of the scroll, striking directly at Xiao Yi Xian's soul.

It was the lingering ferocity of the Purple Cloud Eagle's remnant soul. Unwilling to be refined by an outsider, it did everything it could to shatter the practitioner's soul.

This was the first time in Xiao Yi Xian's life that she had faced a soul attack directly.

Even though she had taken the Soul-Protecting Pill beforehand,

Xiao Yi Xian still let out a soft groan.

One wave, two waves, three waves...

The violent soul impacts came without end, savagely crushing her immature soul.

After several fierce impacts, the ferocious aura of the Purple Cloud Eagle's remnant soul rapidly weakened.

The next moment, the meridians along Xiao Yi Xian's back opened, and a pair of Purple Cloud Wings, their patterns as exquisite as drifting rosy clouds, emerged.

The instant the wings took shape, a gentle lifting force steadily raised her slender body.

Perhaps because it was her first time flying, Xiao Yi Xian was still unfamiliar with it. Carried off the ground by the Purple Cloud Wings, she shot rapidly toward Xuan Qing.