The Dou Ling realm!
Only a few months had passed since Xiao Yan left Xiao Yan, and he had not even officially turned seventeen, yet today he had become a Dou Ling expert!
He was also the first member of the Xiao Clan to reach the Dou Ling realm since Xiao Lin fell more than a decade ago.
Stepping into the Dou Ling realm also marked Xiao Yan's complete departure from the ranks of low-level cultivators, his first step toward the higher ranks.
Sensing that his vortex's capacity had expanded more than tenfold, Xiao Yan spent over twenty hours just filling his Dou Qi Vortex.
By the time he fully stabilized his cultivation, it was already noon the next day.
By then, Xiao Yan was practically covered in purple sweat and lingering vapor, and countless purple stains dotted his clothes.
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, stripped off his clothes, and used the Summoning Pearl in the room to transmit his voice to the innkeeper, asking him to prepare hot water for a bath.
Naturally, the innkeeper gave a distinguished guest like Xiao Yan priority. Before long, he had a bathtub and towels ready.
Xiao Yan undressed, stepped into the tub, and enjoyed a comfortable soak.
All his earlier exhaustion and pain seemed to ease and melt away at that moment.
A one-star Dou Ling at just seventeen was an exceedingly rare existence anywhere in the Jia Ma Empire.
Whenever he thought of that, Xiao Yan could not help smiling. He seemed to have taken another step closer to Xun'er.
While soaking in the tub, Xiao Yan willed Dou Qi into his hand. Under his guidance, the fiery-red Dou Qi soon condensed into a little red duck, which he set in the bathwater to bob back and forth.
Giving Dou