The sun and moon took their turns.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.
Zhou Changqing remained utterly absorbed in the monotonous, tedious routine of tempering his body.
With his efficiency pushed to the limit, both aspects of his strength had risen another star, bringing his Dou Qi to the Nine-Star Dou Wang level and his physical body to the Four-Star Dou Emperor level.
Faced with the temptation of such rapid improvement without any hidden risks, anyone would have become addicted, not just him.
That day began just like any other.
Zhou Changqing sat cross-legged at the bottom of the valley, tempering his body.
By then, he had been at it for roughly sixteen hours.
With his increased strength, the limit of how long he could temper his body had extended considerably, reaching about twenty-eight hours.
Normally, another twelve hours should have remained before this session ended.
Yet for some reason, after refining the arcs of lightning inside his body, Zhou Changqing did not draw in another wave. Instead, he chose to end his session.
He opened his eyes, a flash of lightning blooming in his pupils before swiftly fading.
"Phew..."
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Zhou Changqing rose and stretched, then unfurled his Dou Qi Wings and flew toward the summit of the mountain behind him.
Along the way, he swept an almost imperceptible glance over his surroundings from the corners of his eyes.
Then he crossed the summit and dipped into a descent toward his cave dwelling at the mountain's foot.
Several dozen breaths later.
A White Figure came sneaking down from the mountain diagonally opposite, racing toward the spot where Zhou Changqing had been sitting.
Upon arriving, she deftly gathered the lingering Dou Qi and absorbed it into her body.