On this night, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, with bright stars twinkling like jewels in the dark night. The cool breeze carried the fresh scent of the mountains and the surrounding flora, refreshing and invigorating the senses.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Xiao Yan breathed in the starlight, as if absorbing it into his body, causing the starlight to revolve around him, strengthening his physical body.
After meditating for a long time, Xiao Yan exhaled a breath of air, his eyes suddenly opening. The starlight in his eyes flickered, illuminating the room like two flickering candles.
Xiao Yan's face was filled with joy as he picked up a dark scroll next to him, eagerly reading through it. He was amazed at the incredible power of this cultivation technique.
By using the purest starlight and moonlight to refine and strengthen his body, he could not only possess the power to move mountains and rivers, but also an indestructible body that was impervious to harm from all things.
The cultivation techniques on the continent were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Black and Yellow. Yellow-tier cultivation techniques were not something that ordinary people could obtain. Black-tier techniques were considered to be the ancestral techniques of the major families/clans in the Jia Ma Empire. If an Earth-tier technique were to appear within the borders of the Jia Ma Empire, even the indisputable ruler of the Jia Ma Empire, the Yunlan Sect, would not be able to resist the temptation and would resort to fighting to obtain it.
As for the legendary Heaven-tier cultivation techniques, it was said that there were only a few techniques throughout the entire continent, and each one was controlled by terrifying forces. Anyone who dared to seek them out would face the ruthless and relentless attacks of these forces.
However, Xiao Yan firmly believed that the Swallowing Star Devouring Moon technique that he held in his hands was not weaker than any Earth-tier technique and might even compare to a Heaven-tier technique. Moreover, it was a rare cultivation technique for refining the body.
Comparing it to a Heaven-tier body-refining technique, if news of this technique were to spread, I believe the entire continent would be in uproar and countless terrifying forces would fight over this small scroll in his hands.
Although this technique is most effective when practiced at night, it is just right for him. Over-practicing in Dou Qi can harm the body, so he can practice body-refining at night and Dou Qi during the day.
Nalan Yanran, even though you have access to all the cultivation resources of the Yunlan Sect and an abundance of medicinal pills, so what? This one technique in my hands can surpass all your advantages!
A sly smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face as he thought to himself.
Glancing at the sky, which was already turning light, Xiao Yan had been practicing all night but felt no exhaustion. On the contrary, he felt comfortable and full of energy to the extreme.
Xiao Yan marveled at the mysterious power of the Swallowing Star Devouring Moon technique before sitting down to continue his Dou Qi training.
He couldn't help but push himself harder, knowing that every bit of strength he gained would make Nalan Yanran more desperate and helpless three years later.
In the morning, Xiao Yan paid his respects to Xiao Zhan and followed behind Li Xiu as they left the Xiao family's gates and headed towards the city outskirts.
Meanwhile, a graceful figure quietly appeared outside the Xiao family's gate. The girl frowned slightly, her face tinged with a hint of sadness and her mind feeling somewhat confused.
Xiao Xun'er had previously asked Xiao Yan about Li Xiu's visit to the Xiao family, but she couldn't explain why she felt uneasy about it. Even though it didn't seem like Li Xiu had come for the Tou She Ancient Emperor's Jade, she couldn't shake the feeling. Perhaps her separation from Xiao Yan was the cause of her unease.
The Magic Beast Mountain Range is the largest mountain range in the Jia Ma Empire. Its towering peaks almost divide the Jia Ma Empire in half, and it's home to countless rare herbs and monster cores. It's a paradise for alchemists and strong warriors, but for the weak, all they can see are the countless ferocious magical beasts.
The Scarlet Ice Snake, a first-rank magical beast, is quite common on the outskirts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Its attribute is ice, and it can breathe cold air that easily freezes the human body.
Xiao Yan was struggling barehanded against several Scarlet Ice Snakes. Every now and then, a Scarlet Ice Snake would spring from the ground and attack him with its cold breath, freezing and cracking his skin if he didn't dodge in time. His body was covered in several grim wounds, making him look extremely miserable.
After a long while, Xiao Yan gasped for air and crushed the last Scarlet Ice Snake's skull in his hand before throwing it to the ground. He then walked to the side, completely exhausted.
Xiao Yan took out a jade box from his arms and began applying a light green ointment to his wounds. In just a few dozen breaths, all the wounds on his body had completely healed. Every time he saw the miraculous healing effects of this medicine, he couldn't help but be amazed.
Li Xiu sat quietly beside him, adding medicinal herbs to a medicine cauldron that was suspended in mid-air. The red flames under the cauldron were slowly burning, and in less than a moment, the cauldron emitted a fragrant aroma, and a ball of light green ointment was casually gathered and put into the jade box.
The translucent Yao Chen floated beside him in the air and nodded slightly at the sight.
"The Flesh-Healing Ointment is a second-tier medicine that emits a scent of herbs and woods. It has the ability to regenerate skin and heal wounds, and the quality is determined by the lightness of the green color."
"In the past few days, you have already reached the level of a 2nd Tier Alchemist in your alchemy skills. Your talent can be considered exceptional."
Upon hearing Yao Chen's evaluation, Li Xiu's expression remained unchanged. He waved his hand to collect the medicinal cauldron into his storage ring and calmly said: "My soul power is not something that an ordinary beginner in alchemy can compare to. All of this is normal."
After practicing alchemy, ordinary alchemists would often feel mentally exhausted, but Li Xiu seemed as if he had done nothing. He leaned against a tree trunk, looked at Xiao Yan in the distance, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Swallowing Star Devouring Moon was a body-refining technique he had learned from one of the five Heavenly Books. It was powerful and wonderful, but the scroll he gave to Xiao Yan was only a minor scripture. Those who practiced minor scriptures would eventually end up as nothing but tools for him.
Li Xiu summoned Xiao Yan over and took out a few scrolls from his storage ring to give to him.
"Master, what is this?"
Li Xiu remained silent as Xiao Yan took the scrolls and opened them. His mental fatigue from the intense battle with the Scarlet Ice Snake just moments ago dissipated completely upon reading their contents.
Eight Extremes Collapse: a high-level Black-tier fighting technique, specialized in close-range combat with powerful attacking strength. When mastered, the attack contains eight layers of hidden power, with each layer adding to the force of the previous, comparable to a low-level Earth-tier fighting technique.
Xiao Yan couldn't help but be amazed by Li Xiu's generosity. With just a casual gesture, he had given him a high-level Black-tier fighting technique that was comparable to a low-level Earth-tier one. Even the Yunlan Sect might not be able to produce something like this.
Seeing Li Xiu remain silent, Xiao Yan did not find it strange. After spending a few days with him, he had noticed that his master was a man of few words. Xiao Yan respectfully bowed to him, then walked to the side to carefully study the scrolls.
Li Xiu turned his head to ask Yao Chen, who was floating beside him: "How are you feeling after taking those medicinal ingredients to heal?"
A few days ago, on the night before they departed from the Xiao family, Li Xiu flew to the Jia Ma Palace overnight and nearly emptied the Jia Ma imperial family's medicine storehouse. Among them, he found several rare and precious medicines that could restore soul injuries, which he gave to Yao Chen to take.
Yao Chen returned with a light laugh: "I've recovered quite a bit. It shouldn't be a problem for me to refine pills below sixth-tier now."
The pill that Li Xiu had asked Yao Chen to find, which could temporarily enhance the bloodline of magical beasts, was of fifth-tier quality and beyond his current ability to refine. He could only rely on Yao Chen to do it.