Guiding the lightning attribute Dou Qi through his meridians and then swiftly channeling it into his Dou Qi vortex, Li Yi finally managed to prevent the vortex from expanding. Instead, the energy around it seemed to grow denser. It was as if his body had accepted the lightning attribute Dou Qi, which was now gradually merging into the vortex and becoming his own source of Dou Qi. This process, the duration of which was uncertain, continued until the amount of lightning attribute emanating from the Dou Qi seed thinned out, and Li Yi finally exhaled lightly. Feeling his body brimming with Dou Qi, he couldn't help but entertain the thought of being able to shatter anything with a single punch.
"Kid! Don't get lost in thought! The refinement of the Dou Qi seed isn't complete yet; right now, it's merely existing within you temporarily. To truly refine it, you need to treat it as a strand of Dou Qi and slowly refine it according to the Tianmo Jiubian technique. This process will be extremely slow and painful, but I believe you know what to choose," The Serpent Venerable's voice echoed, quickly suppressing the strange sensation in Li Yi's heart.
Li Yi nodded slightly and, without wasting words, focused on controlling the Dou Qi seed, trying to activate it. However, the moment his consciousness touched the seed, his body shook violently. The energy within was wildly potent, and any slight movement threatened to cause it to explode again. Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, Li Yi tentatively tried to activate the seed again, this time avoiding pushing it to the brink of explosion.
Encouraged by this small success, Li Yi concentrated harder, repeating the action. After numerous failures, which nearly numbed his consciousness, he finally sensed a reluctant movement from the seed. Although it was slight, it was a significant hint. With gentle coaxing, the Dou Qi seed finally began to float in his Dantian Qi Sea, slowly following the circulatory route of the Tianmo Jiubian.
"Ugh—" As the Dou Qi seed entered his meridians, which were already weakened from refining the lightning attribute Dou Qi, he felt an almost bursting sensation. Fine bloodlines appeared in his meridians, like spiderwebs, and his chest heaved as if he was on the verge of coughing out blood. But he knew that giving in to this impulse would ruin the precarious situation he had created.
With no other option left, Li Yi took a careful breath and drew a thin strand of Dou Qi from the vortex, wrapping it around his meridians to soothe them. After completing this step, he again started to move the Dou Qi seed along the Tianmo Jiubian's path.
"Hisss—" When two streams of energy collided, the once ferocious aura mellowed out, turning the previously painful process slightly comforting. This time, it seemed his gamble paid off. With his resolve solidified, Li Yi continued to control the Dou Qi seed, proceeding with extreme caution and slowness.
Finally, after an unknown amount of effort and completing the first circulatory path, Li Yi noticed that the Dou Qi seed within him had begun to change. It had turned into a liquid-like form, still flashing with electricity but seemingly more obedient. At this moment, Li Yi understood that he was only a step away from success.
The Serpent Venerable, who had been closely observing, lit up, "Good! You've managed to liquefy the Dou Qi seed. Now, refine it completely!"
Li Yi hummed softly in acknowledgment, aware that simply following the Tianmo Jiubian's path had only made the seed more malleable. To truly refine it, he needed to use his Dou Qi vortex. This was the most dangerous step; a single misstep and his Dou Qi vortex might burst, leaving him crippled for life. But at this point, there was no turning back.
With a slight change in his hand seals, the liquid Dou Qi seed shrank above his Dantian Qi Sea, hovering near the vortex. Changing the seals again, Li Yi gently expanded the vortex. Then, guided by his will, a drop of the liquid Dou Qi seed floated into the vortex...
This intricate and precarious process marked the final stage of refining the Dou Qi seed, a task that demanded both utmost precision and unwavering concentration.
"Boom—" In an instant, a violent surge of lightning attribute energy spread from the depths of the Dou Qi vortex, filling every part of Li Yi's meridians and even seeping out of his pores. The Serpent Venerable watched with a baffled expression, knowing that this step resulted from the repulsion between Li Yi's own Dou Qi seed and the absorbed one. If they couldn't merge, Li Yi would explode instantly. Fortunately, this worst-case scenario didn't occur, and after a moment, the flickering electricity retracted as if being absorbed by Li Yi's body.
"Damn lucky kid, he actually did it!" The Serpent Venerable murmured after a moment's hesitation. Inside Li Yi, the liquid formed from the Dou Qi seed seemed to have fully merged into the vortex. The shock had caused Li Yi's vision to darken and his head to throb with pain, leaving him unsure of what exactly had happened. Upon focusing inwardly, his expression turned peculiar...
He noticed his originally black Dou Qi vortex had turned purple, with continuous flashes of electricity. Although not abundant, the trend suggested that if Li Yi fully refined the Dou Qi seed, his attribute might completely transform into lightning. Thankfully, the four strands of blood-colored Dou Qi essence were still circling in the vortex, assuring him that his fundamental Dou Qi attribute hadn't changed.
Regardless, success was all that mattered! Feeling the abundant Dou Qi within him, Li Yi focused again, drawing another drop of liquid towards the vortex...
After an undefined period of continued cultivation, Li Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a streak of purple Dou Qi appearing at his fingertips, shifting shapes constantly. "Did I succeed?" he murmured doubtfully, but the purple Dou Qi seemed to affirm the completion.
"You did refine the Dou Qi seed," The Serpent Venerable observed for a moment before adding, "But you've only refined the seed so far..."
Li Yi frowned. "What do you mean, Old Coot?"
The Serpent Venerable explained, "You've separated the Dou Qi seed and refined it into the vortex, but that's not true refinement. There's more to be done. Now, merge the refined Dou Qi seed in the vortex all at once, or else if they rebound, you won't even have the strength to feel pleased."
Li Yi's lips twitched. The separate refinement was already difficult, and now he had to merge them. But seeing The Serpent Venerable's expression, he sighed and resignedly re-entered the cultivation state...
"The seed turned liquid cannot be reverted to its original form. The only way is to grind them all in your vortex until they naturally reform into a Dou Qi seed. No more talk, start!" The Serpent Venerable's ominous voice echoed.
Without further words, Li Yi spurred his Dou Qi vortex into a fierce rotation, and a drop of the liquid Dou Qi seed was ground up within it. "Ahh!" A scream of extreme agony escaped Li Yi, nearly causing him to faint. The Serpent Venerable coldly advised, "Grind all the liquid Dou Qi seed. It's like shattering and reassembling your soul, and the pain is indescribable. If you can't endure it, draw in the Dou Qi I left in your body into the vortex. It might have side effects, but it will ease the pain."
"No need for that!" Li Yi shouted through gritted teeth, followed by another scream. Purple lightning shot from his every orifice, electrocuting him into mid-air. "Damn it! I refuse to believe I can survive my enemies but die during cultivation!"
"Damn it! I'm going all in!" Li Yi's hand seals changed rapidly, his body's Dou Qi spinning wildly, drawing in the surrounding elemental energy, limited as it was by The Serpent Venerable's spatial seal. Soon, finding nothing more to draw, his focus turned to the Dou Qi sealed by The Serpent Venerable.
"Hisss—" The sound of tearing winds was unnerving. The Serpent Venerable's expression changed, shouting, "You mad kid! Trying to grind all the Dou Qi seed at once? Are you seeking death?"
"Boom—" Before he could finish, a lightning bolt powerful enough to tear the void burst from Li Yi, obliterating his clothes to dust. His expression was ferocious, but he kept changing his hand seals. After several explosions, the lightning calmed, and Li Yi was enveloped in a circular lightning field, becoming the core of this electrical storm.
The Serpent Venerable's lips twitched, and after a moment, he gritted his teeth, "Damn... Kids these days are insanely reckless... Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!"