Living Together in the Valley, Breaking Through to Dou Master

After wiping out the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Xiao Yan did not leave immediately. Instead, led by Xiao Yi Xian, he arrived at a small valley brimming with energy.

He planned to settle down here for a while and break through to the Dou Master realm.

There were several thatched huts in the valley that Xiao Yi Xian had built before.

Xiao Yi Xian smiled. "We'll live here for the time being. It's just a little crude."

"Hehe, it may be a thatched hut, but with a beauty by my side, it beats even an immortal's abode."

Xiao Yan turned to look at Xiao Yi Xian's fair profile and could not help teasing her.

Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face flushed slightly. She shot him an annoyed glare, then waved her little fist and huffed.

"You'd better not think you can mess around just because I'm weaker than you."

"I might dare to think it, but I wouldn't dare act on it. It wouldn't be good if I got poisoned for no reason."

Xiao Yan waved his hands repeatedly, putting on a frightened expression.

At those words, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly fell silent. Lowering her head, she ignored Xiao Yan and entered one of the thatched huts by herself.

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, unable to understand what had happened. They had been chatting and laughing just moments ago, so why was she suddenly ignoring him?

Shaking his head, he sighed. A woman's heart was as deep as the sea—impossible to fathom.

Xiao Yan also entered a thatched hut, sat down, and exhaled softly.

He took a green ring from his chest. He had found it on Mu She.

There was not much in the ring. Xiao Yan simply threw away the miscellaneous scraps.

The only valuable thing was a Purple Gold Card with nearly eight hundred thousand gold coins stored in it.

On the Dou Qi Continent, strength was supreme. Money meant little to the strong, but for a clan, it could be used to nurture the younger generation.

There were also two battle skill manuals, both wind-attributed. Their grades were not high, merely high Yellow Tier, so he would keep them to enrich the Xiao Clan's Battle Skill Hall later.

After sorting through his gains, Xiao Yan began cultivating.

Within the isolated valley, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian quietly lived their own lives.

One cultivated diligently, while the other painstakingly studied the poison scriptures. Neither disturbed the other.

Xiao Yi Xian cooked while Xiao Yan tended the fire and washed the dishes. Their days passed in peaceful leisure.

As time passed, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body grew increasingly abundant, while the fusion between the Purple Flame and his Dou Qi became ever more complete and harmonious.

Xiao Yan extended his palm and circulated his Dou Qi to an acupoint in its center. He softly said, "Appear!"

Purple light flickered in his palm, and then a cluster of Purple Flame abruptly rose.

True flame! Tangible flame!

Normally, only fourth-tier alchemists or Dou Ling experts could summon tangible flames.

With tangible flames, alchemists could refine pills without a cauldron and even knead pills out of thin air.

Xiao Yan stretched out both hands. Two clusters of Purple Flame burned in his palms, making him look like a fire god descended into the world.

With a wave of his hand, the two clusters of Purple Flame shot forward and slammed into a huge boulder.

Two explosions rang out. The boulder, which measured more than a zhang in length, width, and height, shattered into several pieces, its fractured surfaces scorched black.

Xiao Yan had gained another means of attack, one that only Dou Ling experts could use.

Feeling the abundant Dou Qi within his body, Xiao Yan had a premonition that he might advance to Dou Master in another half month.

In high spirits, he headed toward the thatched huts.

As soon as he returned, he saw Xiao Yi Xian, who had also just come back from gathering herbs.

She carried a flower basket and wore a light green silk scarf around her head, looking like a beautiful village girl.

"You must be hungry. I'll cook."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled sweetly at him, then walked to the stove and poured water into the pot to wash it.

"I'll tend the fire."

Xiao Yan skillfully sat on a stone stool, picked up dry firewood, and stuffed it into the stove. He extended his right index finger, and a tiny purple flame rose from its tip.

He lit the firewood, then casually blew out the flame at his fingertip.

Xiao Yi Xian naturally noticed this, and surprise appeared on her face.

The ability to release Dou Qi externally and summon flames seemed to be something only Dou Ling experts could accomplish.

How had Xiao Yan done it?

However, his undisguised display of strength made Xiao Yi Xian feel that he trusted her.

Her gaze toward Xiao Yan became increasingly gentle, and she came to regard him as a male friend she could consider a confidant.

With the two of them working together in perfect harmony, a table of food was soon prepared.

It was extremely simple: wild vegetables stir-fried with cured meat, cured meat stir-fried with wild vegetables, mushroom soup, and rice.

It truly was rice, each grain as large as a thumb.

Xiao Yi Xian took jade bowls from the wooden cabinet and served each of them a bowl of mushroom soup.

Xiao Yan reached out to take the mushroom soup and inhaled its fragrance. An enticing aroma immediately entered his nose.

Without worrying about the heat, he drained the bowl of mushroom soup in one gulp.

After finishing it, he still wanted more. He wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth and handed the bowl back to Xiao Yi Xian.

"That was delicious. Another bowl."

Watching Xiao Yan drink the mushroom soup without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yi Xian felt touched by his trust in her, and a gentle smile rose on her pretty face.

Like a wife, she accepted the jade bowl and used a delicate hand to fill it with another heaping serving. There were plenty of fresh, delicious mushrooms in the bowl as well.

This time, Xiao Yan savored it slowly, taking small sips and occasionally picking up a mushroom to place in his mouth, chewing and enjoying the flavor.

The two spent more than half an hour finishing their meal.

Xiao Yan patted his slightly bloated stomach and said with a grin, "Excellent cooking. Whoever marries you will truly be blessed."

"Marries me?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Yi Xian could not help smiling. "On the Dou Qi Continent, Poison Masters are the profession least likely to marry. No one has the courage to share a bed with someone who can release poison with every gesture."

"You don't need to be so pessimistic. As long as two people love each other, the gap between their professions can be overcome."

Xiao Yan shook his head, disagreeing with her.

If two people did not love each other, then even if neither was a Poison Master, one might still poison the other.

"Remember, if we meet again on the Dou Qi Continent in the future, you mustn't hate me. Otherwise, I'll be very sad."

After putting away the bowls and chopsticks, Xiao Yi Xian walked toward her thatched hut. As she reached the door, she paused, suddenly turned around, and smiled at Xiao Yan.

After saying that, she entered the hut and closed the wooden door.

Xiao Yan naturally understood what she meant.

Xiao Yi Xian possessed the Woeful Poison Body, an extremely special constitution.

She did not need to cultivate. As long as she consumed all kinds of poison, she could raise her Dou Qi realm.

Yet once she began consuming poison, she would be unable to stop.

As she consumed more and more poison, the toxins in her body would also accumulate. Once they reached an amount that even the Woeful Poison Body could no longer suppress, her poison power would erupt.

In severe cases, she would die on the spot!

In milder cases, she would lose her mind and become a madwoman carrying a source of poison, harming all living beings.

Xiao Yi Xian feared that one day she would become like that, becoming a toxic creature despised by everyone.

"Xiao Yi Xian, wait until I absorb the Heavenly Flame and grow stronger. I'll refine the Calamity Poison Pill for you."

Xiao Yan muttered softly to himself.

Before then, Xiao Yi Xian could only rely on herself to endure it.

After all, Xiao Yan was helpless at present, and he could not keep Xiao Yi Xian by his side either.

He himself was in danger.

Half a month later, Xiao Yan naturally advanced to Dou Master.

His originally rather spectacular vortex had shrunk to the size of a palm. Within it, more than a dozen droplets of purple liquid floated slowly.

The Dou Qi energy contained within every droplet of purple liquid was equivalent to the total Dou Qi inside an Eight-Star Dou Zhe.

For a Dou Master, the Dou Qi inside the vortex transformed into liquid. Its quality rose, allowing it to contain a greater amount of Dou Qi.

If Dou Zhes were considered the bottom rung of the Dou Qi Continent, then Dou Masters could already be considered outstanding.

The patriarchs and elders of some small clans, the leaders of small mercenary groups, city guard captains, and the like were all at the Dou Master realm.

Now that Xiao Yan had advanced to Dou Master, it was also time to bid farewell to Xiao Yi Xian.

Their nearly month-long life together in the valley had left them with many beautiful memories.

Xiao Yan even felt an impulse to simply continue living like this forever.

But he understood that it was impossible.

Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body would erupt.

He had the Three-Year Agreement to fulfill.

The system's bound user might come to kill him at any moment.

Moreover, Hun Tiandi would come to take the Xiao Clan's ancient jade, open Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, take the unfinished Emperor-Grade Pill, and then sacrifice all living beings to become an emperor.

With all these threats, even wanting a peaceful life was a luxury.

Xiao Yan gently embraced Xiao Yi Xian and whispered in her ear, "Wait for me!"

Then, carrying the black heavy ruler on his back, he slowly disappeared into the dense forest.

Xiao Yi Xian stood beneath the thatched hut, watching the young man leave until his silhouette had vanished—long, long after it had disappeared.

After an unknown amount of time, a gentle breeze blew past, carrying away the tears at the corners of Xiao Yi Xian's eyes.