"Earthflame Body"

"In that case, it looks like I'll need to prepare another two Zen Heart Pills and go into seclusion for a long time."

Wu Bai thought it over and decided he needed a good meal before entering seclusion!

"No rush, no rush. Before that, you need to change your cultivation technique."

As he spoke, the Yellow Springs Demon Saint pressed a finger to Wu Bai's forehead.

With his current soul power, Wu Bai quickly finished reading his new cultivation technique.

"Earthflame Body," a high Earth Tier fire-attribute cultivation technique that cultivated both qi and the body.

Prerequisite: "Sunflame Art" had to be cultivated to full mastery first.

"This is why I told you to start preparing to advance to Dou Wang. This cultivation technique lets you cultivate your Dou Qi and physique together. Every time you circulate that blazing-hot Dou Qi, it tempers your body."

"That way, your physique will improve rapidly alongside your cultivation. As your body grows stronger and your meridians become tougher, your cultivation speed will increase as well."

"In other words, with this cultivation technique, you'll advance to Dou Wang far faster than others, brat."

"And with your extraordinary soul power on top of that, you'll be charging ahead on all fronts!"

At this, Wu Bai couldn't help freezing for a moment:

"Teacher, did you take all of this into account right from the beginning?"

"More or less. I simply didn't expect the Inner Academy to have fallen heart flame, allowing your cultivation to progress so quickly."

The Yellow Springs Demon Saint smiled and rubbed Wu Bai's head, his eyes brimming with warmth. "Brat, don't forget that I'm your teacher. Planning out each stage of your cultivation in advance is only what I ought to do."

Wu Bai nodded silently at his words.

What he ought to do... huh?

Who knew? Heh.

Even parents loving their children wasn't something to be taken for granted. How could there be so many things in this world that people simply ought to do?

Over the next few days, under his teacher's guidance, Wu Bai quickly grew proficient in his new cultivation technique.

Switching from a lower-level cultivation technique to a higher-level one was perfectly safe, with no risk of mishaps.

Only someone with a screw loose would switch from a higher-level cultivation technique to a lower-level one and cause their cultivation to regress.

Besides, "Sunflame Art" and "Earthflame Body" shared the same lineage, making the transition even smoother.

A few days later, Han Yue emerged from the ninth floor.

Even with a Zen Heart Pill, Han Yue hadn't felt particularly comfortable. The fire energy on the ninth floor was far too concentrated, making things rather painful for someone with an ice attribute like her.

But the heart flame projection on the ninth floor was also powerful. After just three months of cultivation there, Han Yue had advanced from Five-Star Dou Ling to Eight-Star Dou Ling.

Others couldn't imitate that speed of advancement, however, because they didn't have Zen Heart Pills. An ordinary Dou Ling who spent half a month in seclusion on the ninth floor would need at least a week to clear out the fire poison.

Nor did the others have high Earth Tier cultivation techniques. That powerful ability to absorb energy was the true foundation of Han Yue's rapid advancement.

Normally, she had to control her absorption rate. On the ninth floor, she could send that energy straight through the heart flame projection to rapidly refine it.

If it still wasn't pure enough, she could simply repeat the process a few more times!

Seen that way, the better the cultivation environment, the more it favored cultivators with abundant resources.

The strong grew stronger, while the weak...

"Bai, I missed you so much~"

Han Yue took the initiative to hug Wu Bai, resting her head on his shoulder as she murmured softly.

But a medicinal smell soon drifted into her nose.

Sniff, sniff~

"What's that smell?"

"The medicine I applied to temper my body."

"Tempering your body? Applying medicine?"

Han Yue was a little puzzled. Why did he need to apply medicine? Wasn't he supposed to soak in medicinal baths?

Wu Bai gave her a brief explanation.

"That method is too slow. You need to start soaking from childhood. Teacher's method is much faster."

At that, Han Yue's heart clenched:

"But... it must really hurt, right?"

"If you give me a few more kisses, Yue'er, it won't hurt anymore."

"Mwah~~~"

After the kiss, Han Yue examined the lingering marks on Wu Bai's back.

In truth, they were already invisible unless she leaned close and looked carefully.

"Oh, how could Teacher be so heartless?"

At those words, the Yellow Springs Demon Saint's figure suddenly floated into view, a rather "cruel" smile on his face:

"I just remembered that there's still one stage we haven't finished. And you, little girl-it's about time I taught you an Earth Tier Dou Technique too. Come along, both of you!"

An involuntary chill rose in Han Yue's heart.

"Teacher, why don't you teach Bai first? I'm in no hurry, hehe..."

"Yue'er, you really have no sense of loyalty."

Wu Bai suddenly raised Han Yue's hand and said, "Teacher, I think Yue'er is in quite a hurry."

"Huh? Bai, how could you be so mean!"

In the end, Han Yue still received a beating.

But she had to admit that this teacher was truly powerful, especially when it came to his wealth of close-combat experience.

Even when the young couple joined forces for a righteous two-against-one fight, they still ended up with bruised faces and swollen noses.

In the end, Han Yue did indeed learn a Low Earth Tier Dou Technique, though the price was a beating.

Several days later, the day after Wu Bai and Han Yue enjoyed a lavish dinner, he entered the ninth floor to cultivate in seclusion.

Although I didn't ask about Bai's cultivation, he should be a Nine-Star Dou Ling by now, right?

Lying on the bed filled with Wu Bai's scent, Han Yue silently speculated.

As she thought about it, she suddenly no longer wanted to keep lying in bed.

She sat up, changed into an elegant long dress, and left the villa.

She went over to Baiyue to check how its members were handling their work and handed out some rewards.

"Miss, this year's new students will arrive at the Inner Academy in just over a month. Do you and your husband have any plans?"

"You can try recruiting the talented new students whose families are in the Central Plains. There's no need to force it."

Han Yue thought it over and decided she could begin laying the groundwork in advance.

"However, those new recruits won't enjoy the same treatment as you. We'll need to observe them over time. Those who perform well and show outstanding talent can receive support as appropriate."

After making the arrangements and checking the accounts, Han Yue left.

On her way back, she had intended to visit the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, but suddenly changed her mind.

Now that she thought about it, she was an Eight-Star Dou Ling who had mastered an Earth Tier Dou Technique, yet she remained obscure.

With her strength, it was time to try climbing the Strong Ranking and, while she was at it, test how powerful she had become.

More importantly, she wanted everyone else to see just how bright their future could be if they followed Bai!

For her first fight, Han Yue played it safe and challenged the student ranked fiftieth on the Strong Ranking-the very last one.

An Eight-Star Dou Ling against a Three-Star Dou Ling!

The outcome naturally needed no explanation. That unlucky fellow was merely an ordinary genius.

Against an opponent one or two stars above him, he could still put up a fight. If his attribute countered his opponent's, defeating someone stronger wasn't impossible.

But the gap between them was far too great-a full five stars of cultivation.

"Next!"

Han Yue didn't climb the ranks one opponent at a time. That would waste too much time, and bullying the weak really wasn't much fun...