Chapter 12: Advancement to Battle Master
At this moment, Lin Dong explained, "Qing Tan, your cold energy subsided thanks to this senior's help!"
He looked gratefully at Xiao Tian and said, "Thank you so much, Senior."
"Thank you, Senior!" Qing Tan, blushing with shyness, also expressed her gratitude.
"No need to thank me, it was just a small effort," Xiao Tian waved it off and handed a jade bottle containing the condensed Yin Sha energy beads to Lin Dong. "These are highly pure Yin Sha energy beads that will help you in your future cultivation."
"Thank you, Senior!" Lin Dong accepted the bottle with gratitude.
At this point, Lin Xiao and Lin Zhentian also approached. Seeing Qing Tan's recovery, they were astonished. "Senior is indeed a great person, able to cure such a strange illness!"
Quickly recovering from their amazement, Lin Zhentian took out the storage ring and handed it to Xiao Tian with both hands. "Senior, these are the Yang Yuan stones we've recently mined."
Xiao Tian took the ring and handed another one to Lin Zhentian. "Next time I come, I'll bring you the Yang Yuan Pills."
He then asked, "No one has been causing trouble recently, right?"
"No," Lin Zhentian shook his head.
"In that case, I'll return later." With that, Xiao Tian disappeared.
...
Wu Tan City.
Xiao family back mountain.
Back in the cave, Xiao Tian took out all the Yang Yuan stones from the storage ring. There were at least several hundred stones. After condensing a Yang Yuan Pill using the stone talisman, Xiao Tian said to Elder Yao, "Master, can you help condense the pills so I can focus on my cultivation?"
"You brat, treating your master like a laborer!" Elder Yao chuckled, shaking his head, but still placed the Yang Yuan stones on the talisman to naturally condense Yang Yuan Pills. He didn't dare touch the talisman directly, sensing a dangerous aura from it. He feared being refined into pure soul energy by the talisman.
With Elder Yao handling the labor, Xiao Tian could fully concentrate on his cultivation. As he continually refined the Yang Yuan Pills, his strength rapidly increased.
Six-Star Battle Disciple!
Seven-Star Battle Disciple!
Eight-Star Battle Disciple!
Nine-Star Battle Disciple!
In a short time, Xiao Tian reached the peak of the Nine-Star Battle Disciple level. But he knew this was far from his limit. He began using his powerful soul force to compress the Dou Qi in his Dou Qi whirlpool. His strong soul force made the compression highly effective. While compressing, he also continuously absorbed and refined energy, filling the whirlpool.
This repeated compression and filling process created a massive ripple effect, like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake. The Dou Qi whirlpool within Xiao Tian suddenly began spinning rapidly, growing more intense.
Simultaneously, a terrifying suction force emanated from Xiao Tian's Dou Qi whirlpool, rapidly refining the Yang Yuan Pills he swallowed and continuously drawing pure energy into the whirlpool. The suction force was so strong it extended beyond Xiao Tian's body, gathering the surrounding energy.
From a distance, Xiao Tian's body appeared surrounded by a dazzling energy light screen. Inside, the Dou Qi whirlpool started to vaporize the Dou Qi, which then condensed into droplets of liquid Dou Qi.
As the liquid Dou Qi appeared, Xiao Tian's Dou Qi whirlpool began to shrink, triggering a chain reaction, making the vaporized energy denser.
After a while, the Dou Qi whirlpool had shrunk to the size of a palm and stopped rotating. When Xiao Tian used his soul perception to probe into the whirlpool, he saw all the Dou Qi had transformed into red liquid droplets resembling red agate.
Dou Qi liquefaction! This signified Xiao Tian had broken through to the Battle Master realm, becoming a One-Star Battle Master!
"Whoo~" Xiao Tian exhaled a deep breath and opened his eyes. As he did, his long black hair fluttered without wind, his clothes billowed, and a powerful aura burst from within him.
"So this is what it feels like to be a Battle Master?" Xiao Tian clenched his fist, feeling an immense power coursing through his body.
"Congratulations on breaking through to Battle Master in just a few days!" Elder Yao appeared, speaking with a tinge of envy. This kid had it all—so many treasures and resources. It was hard not to advance quickly.
"Hehe," Xiao Tian chuckled. "Master, let's go get more Yang Yuan stones!"
"You brat, always treating me like a laborer!" Elder Yao glared at him.
...
Ironwood Village.
Back mountain mine.
Arriving at the mine, Xiao Tian went straight to Lin Zhentian.
"Senior!" Lin Zhentian greeted him with a salute and handed over the storage ring. "These are the Yang Yuan stones we've recently mined."
"Good," Xiao Tian nodded, taking the ring and giving another one to Lin Zhentian. "Here are seven Yang Yuan Pills as your payment for the last batch."
The Lin family had mined over 350 Yang Yuan stones, earning them 70 stones or seven Yang Yuan Pills. However, Elder Yao had refined 117 Yang Yuan Pills from those stones, so Xiao Tian's payment was just a fraction.
"Thank you, Senior!" Lin Zhentian thanked him profusely.
Xiao Tian asked, "By the way, Patriarch Lin, where is Flame City? I plan to visit."
Lin Zhentian pointed southwest. "It's in that direction. It takes about half a day on horseback."
"Got it." Xiao Tian nodded and flew toward Flame City. Having just broken through a major level, he wasn't in a rush to continue cultivating and decided to explore the world a bit.
With Elder Yao's power boosting his speed, Xiao Tian reached Flame City quickly. He soon saw a massive city wall, nearly a hundred feet high, with "Flame City" written on it.
(End of Chapter)