Half a Month Later, Seven-Star Dou Wang!

"Brother Lin Chen, what is the Heavenly Snake Mansion?"

"Is it a really powerful faction?"

At that moment, Qing Lin, who stood nearby, looked curious and asked.

"You could say that. On the Northwest Continent, it already counts as a first-rate faction, at least ten times stronger than the Jia Ma Empire's Misty Cloud Sect..."

Lin Chen offered a casual explanation.

"Stronger than the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Qing Lin's little mouth fell open, her face full of astonishment. As far as she knew, the Jia Ma Empire's Misty Cloud Sect was already a towering colossus. Even the Imperial Family dared not challenge its might.

Were there actually factions in this world even stronger than the Misty Cloud Sect?

"Yes. The Heavenly Snake Mansion is located in the Heavenly Snake Empire, in the heart of the Northwest Continent. They devote their entire lives to searching for the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, hoping to bring their bearer back and strengthen their faction."

Lin Chen nodded, then explained further.

"But... I don't want to leave you, Brother Lin Chen..."

A trace of worry flashed through Qing Lin's eyes. She tugged at the hem of Lin Chen's clothes and spoke uneasily.

"Don't worry. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. Let me talk to them on your behalf."

Lin Chen smiled calmly, rubbed Qing Lin's little head, and comforted her gently.

The previous simulation had already revealed that handing Qing Lin over to the Heavenly Snake Mansion would not lead to a good outcome.

By comparison, Qing Lin's own wishes mattered more.

Besides, he was already vastly different from his counterpart in the simulation.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils might be formidable, but my sea heart flame isn't half bad either, is it?

At that thought, Lin Chen's smile grew brighter, and he took out a transparent jade bottle.

Inside the bottle was a mass of flowing, fiery-red liquid. Scarlet throughout, it resembled a constantly dancing flame and radiated an intensely scorching heat.

"Qing Lin, come help me apply this medicine. This Marrow-Burning Liquid is extremely potent and can speed up the absorption of fire energy from the surroundings. Put on your gloves first."

Lin Chen handed the jade bottle to Qing Lin beside him with those instructions, then took out the Green Lotus Platform and the earth fire lotus seeds.

The Green Lotus Platform was a companion treasure of the green lotus core flame. It could absorb fire energy from the surroundings and aid cultivation. As for the earth fire lotus seeds, their effects went without saying-even Dou Huang experts could benefit from swallowing them.

I fed Zi Yan one, so there are ten left. I'm currently a Six-Star Dou Wang. Refining three or four should be enough to reach Nine-Star Dou Wang at most, and then it'll be time to start popping pills. I'll keep three in reserve for trading and use the other three after reaching Dou Emperor.

Lin Chen considered this silently, then removed his shirt, revealing bronze-hued skin. His muscles were evenly defined, his sinews and bones distinct, exuding a sleek sense of power.

"Ah..."

Qing Lin's pretty face flushed slightly. Looking at Lin Chen's masculine body, she could not help covering her face and peeking through the gaps between her fingers. The heat stirred by the lingering medicinal potency in her body seemed to rise again, making her involuntarily press her legs together.

Seeing this, Lin Chen could not resist giving her a few knuckle raps on the head. "Focus," he said irritably. "If you really can't do it, I'll call Zi Yan over. What have I always taught you? Keep your composure when something happens. If you can apply it, do it. If you can't, go outside and call Zi Yan."

"No!"

Qing Lin cried out instinctively, only to find Lin Chen watching her with an amused half-smile. Her pretty face flushed even redder, and she stammered an explanation. "Big Sister Zi Yan likes playing around. She definitely wouldn't be good at this sort of thing. I should do it. There's no need to trouble her..."

With that, she took out the gloves Lin Chen had given her earlier. They were an extremely thin, translucent pair made entirely from ice silkworm silk, just right for resisting the scorching Marrow-Burning Liquid.

Pouring the Marrow-Burning Liquid onto her palm, Qing Lin gently spread it over Lin Chen's back. Feeling the firm, powerful contours of his muscles, her heart pounded. Her cool little hands unconsciously wandered everywhere, spreading the medicinal liquid evenly over his whole body.

"Hiss..."

As the fiery-red medicinal liquid covered his skin, Lin Chen sucked in a sharp breath. He felt as though his entire body were being seared by red-hot iron plates, and he clenched his teeth to steady his mind.

Then he sat cross-legged on the Green Lotus Platform, swallowed an earth fire lotus seed, and began cultivating in meditation.

In an instant, the abundant fire energy between heaven and earth converged from every direction at a speed visible to the naked eye, pouring endlessly into his body.

For a time, even the temperature in the room rose strangely, carrying a scorching heat.

Time slowly passed as he cultivated like this...

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

That day, in a quiet little courtyard in Stone Desert City.

On an exquisite, ornate Green Lotus Platform sat a bare-chested man, meditating with his eyes closed.

His muscles bulged, and his skin glowed scarlet. With every breath, countless streams of red energy were drawn into his body, turning into warm currents that nourished his flesh, meridians, and bones...

Suddenly, the flow of energy between heaven and earth stalled for an instant. An immensely powerful aura erupted from his figure, and invisible ripples of energy spread outward. Layers of frost visible to the naked eye crept across the surroundings!

Crack!

Amid a series of cracking sounds, wisps of deep-blue flame rose. Terrifying heat erupted, and the frost covering the surrounding ground shattered in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a faint breaking sound came from within his body, as though some bottleneck had abruptly shattered, and a tremendous surge of energy rose!

Hai Bodong, Zi Yan, and the others guarding him nearby widened their eyes as they noticed the disturbance.

"Big Sister Zi Yan, Brother Lin Chen is about to wake up!"

Qing Lin picked up the Marrow-Burning Liquid from the table, anticipation flashing through her eyes, as though she could hardly wait to apply it again.

Beside her, Zi Yan rolled her eyes helplessly and sighed. "Qing Lin, you're beyond saving. What exactly has that guy given you to make you so utterly devoted to him...?"

Qing Lin's pretty face flushed slightly at those words. She lowered her head bashfully and murmured, "Nothing much. Brother Lin Chen is a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. Him being willing to take me in is already a blessing as great as the heavens. Besides, he's so handsome..."

Boom!

Just then, an extremely powerful ripple of energy spread outward before slowly dissipating moments later.

"Whew..."

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes. His scarlet skin gradually returned to its bronze hue, but the aura surrounding him was utterly different from before.

Seven-Star Dou Wang!

"Congratulations, my lord! After half a month of arduous cultivation, you've reached yet another level. What a joyous occasion! Truly a joyous occasion!"

Seeing this, Hai Bodong immediately stood up and hurried over to Lin Chen, delivering his flattery at just the right moment.

It was not that he had lost his pride as a Dou Huang expert. This brat's cultivation was simply advancing far too quickly, wasn't it?

At this rate, would the brat break through to Dou Emperor before his seal was even lifted?

What would he do then? He would probably have no value at all in the brat's eyes. As an old man who had lived for nearly a century, he still knew his own worth.

"Say, Old Hai, you've cultivated for decades. In the Jia Ma Empire, you're a name that rings loud and clear. Why are you so unwilling to better yourself?"

At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly looked up at Hai Bodong and spoke with an expression of bitter disappointment.

"I..."

Hai Bodong looked utterly bewildered.

"Is grinding away at cultivation alone any use? What kind of cultivation is it if you don't pop pills? Over these decades, how many pills have you taken? How many heavenly treasures have you eaten? Have you taken out loans? Have you killed people and seized their treasures? If you don't work hard at cultivation today, how will you earn the chance to serve me properly in the future?"

Lin Chen berated him with a stern face and an especially fierce tone, seemingly deeply dissatisfied with Hai Bodong's current sloth.

He, the master, was cultivating day and night, while this old fellow merely watched. How could that possibly do? He had to come down hard!