Great Dou Master

"...So watch how long you cultivate. Don't stay too long. If fire poison builds up, it won't be worth it."

"Also, this cultivation room is on the ninth floor. Its Heart Flame Projection is powerful and may burn your meridians, so you'd best have a Pulse-Protecting Pill ready."

"One day in this room costs thirty days' worth of Heavenly Fire Energy. Your card holds ten thousand days' worth. Even allowing for rest and future training trips, that should last you a year."

"You're still an Outer Academy student, and the Inner Academy Selection Tournament is ahead of you. If you aren't confident, you can wait. The top five receive special rewards."

Elder Huo's advice gave Wu Bai plenty to think about, and he nodded repeatedly.

When he looked at it that way, he had struck it rich. Though still an Outer Academy student, he enjoyed privileges many Inner Academy students could only dream of.

It also strengthened his resolve to focus on improving as an Alchemist.

That evening, Wu Bai followed the crowd out of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

His cultivation was still too low. At the Five-Star Dou Master level, the Heart Flame that burned within him after he inserted his card put tremendous strain on his meridians.

The days passed. The cultivation environment inside the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower truly suited fire-attribute cultivators.

In just over three months, Wu Bai had reached the limit of the Dou Shi Realm.

"Sixteen years old and at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Shi. No—in a moment, I'll be a Great Dou Master."

On the ninth floor of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, Wu Bai took out a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, his feelings complicated.

He shook his head, putting old memories aside, and swallowed the pill. His hands swiftly formed seals as he prepared to receive its pure medicinal power.

Three waves of increasingly fierce heat surged through his meridians, each stronger than the last.

The pill's medicinal power mimicked the three flames used to refine it.

All three flames Wu Bai had used were Beast Flames: two gentle Fifth-tier Beast Fires and one violent Sixth-Rank Beast Flame. That made the power much easier to refine.

But flames were violent by nature. "Gentle" was only relative.

To an ordinary person, that medicinal power would have been impossible to tame.

Under the pressure of Wu Bai's formidable Soul Power, however, it had no choice but to obey, no matter how unruly it was. He guided and refined it at will.

He crossed the threshold between Dou Shi and Great Dou Master with ease, and the vortex within him spun wildly.

"Compress it."

His teacher's voice came at just the right moment. Wu Bai immediately changed his hand seals, slowly compressing his Liquid Dou Qi into a solid.

A blue-white Dou Crystal gradually took shape, about the size of his thumb. Yet the Dou Qi it contained far surpassed what had filled that former pool of liquid.

And this was only the beginning of the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill's effects. Breaking through from the peak of Nine-Star Dou Shi to Great Dou Master had consumed a negligible fraction of its power.

Over the next two minutes, Wu Bai's aura rose visibly.

The peak of One-Star Great Dou Master. Two-Star Great Dou Master. The peak of Two-Star Great Dou Master. Three-Star Da Dou Shi...

He appeared to be letting his cultivation rise unchecked, but he was watching closely, controlling its pace.

When he reached the peak of Three-Star Da Dou Shi and felt it pushing toward four stars, he immediately suppressed it.

With his exceptional Soul Power, the peak of Three-Star Da Dou Shi was as far as he could safely climb in one go.

If he pushed for four stars, he would lose control.

Click!

He slid his purple crystal card into the slot, and a great mass of Heart Flame appeared within him.

Wrapped in blue-white Dou Qi, the last of the medicinal power passed through the Heart Flame several times. Only after it had been refined to the utmost did he draw it into his Dou Crystal.

Wu Bai did not stop there. He cultivated for another three days, refining the Dou Qi within him several more times. Once his cultivation had fully stabilized at the peak of Three-Star Da Dou Shi, he left the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.

Looking into clear water, Wu Bai spotted a trace of fiery red in his pupils. It was faint, but he did not let down his guard.

He searched through his Storage Ring and tried a fourth-grade Mind-Cleansing Pill. It could be considered an enhanced Ice Heart Pill: it protected the mind and cleared away energies that affected it.

A few breaths later, Wu Bai found that the red in his eyes had faded.

"I didn't expect the Mind-Cleansing Pill to do that too. It speeds up the dispersal of those violent fire-energy particles."

Just then, Yellow Springs Demon Saint slowly floated out.

"Wu Bai, now that you're a Great Dou Master, I'm ready to teach you a new Dou Technique. But first, I want to see how well you've mastered the last one."

Wu Bai scratched his head awkwardly. "Teacher, I haven't actually fought anyone yet..."

"I'm not asking you to fight anyone. I'll use those trees to test the results of your practice."

Wu Bai breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward a large tree in the courtyard.

Yellow Springs Demon Saint floated behind him with a smile. He was not at all upset that Wu Bai lacked combat experience.

Of course he didn't know how to fight yet. If he already knew everything, what would he need a teacher for?

Wu Bai calmed himself beneath the tree and closed his eyes. He bent his knees slightly and let his arms hang naturally.

Imagine this tree is the enemy.

Bang!

Wu Bai suddenly struck the trunk with his palm. Blue-white fire flashed, leaving a distinct charred mark on the bark.

Two muffled thuds followed from deep within the trunk.

The next instant, Yellow Springs Demon Saint suddenly reached for Wu Bai's shoulder.

Seven slender blue-white Flood Dragons made of flame rushed at him, weaving around one another as they passed through his body.

Unhurried, Yellow Springs Demon Saint looked behind him. The seven Flood Dragons had turned and were flying back, while one of the large trees had been blasted in half.

Crack, crack...

"Three parts of your strength went into the attack—one overt, two hidden. You kept the other seven for defense and a counterattack. Your offense looked weak on the surface, but you were already prepared for your opponent's response."

Yellow Springs Demon Saint had discerned his disciple's fighting style. Wu Bai favored protecting himself and advancing steadily.

And as an Alchemist, Wu Bai could outlast almost anyone. There was nothing wrong with fighting that way.

Wu Bai moved away before the tree fell. Listening to his teacher's assessment, he smiled sheepishly.

He had picked it up from cartoons he remembered and had no idea whether it was right. But judging by the result, it seemed to work pretty well.

"Well done. At least when it comes to mastering this Dou Technique, you've passed."

"Mm."

"I'm sure you've recognized your weakness: you lack combat experience and don't know how to fight people. But that's all right. The Dou Technique I'm about to teach you will quickly make up for it."

Yellow Springs Demon Saint fell silent for a moment when Wu Bai nodded earnestly. The boy really was steady by nature. It put his mind at ease.

"This technique is a high-grade Earth-class movement Dou Technique: Glimmering Shadow."

"What?!"

Wu Bai's mouth fell open. A high-grade Earth-class movement Dou Technique? Wasn't that a little too powerful?