"Creak…" The door gently swung open amidst the dancing lights, and Xiao Yan sharply shook his head, expelling a thread of drowsiness from his mind. He closed the door behind him, then wobbled over to the bed, sinking into a chair with a soft thud. "Hmm…" He exhaled a stream of wine vapor, gently massaging the aching spot on his head, and couldn't help but chuckle. Knowing he would be leaving the next day, he had been caught and thoroughly drenched in wine by his elder and second brothers. If it weren't for the journey ahead, he would have surely ended up completely drunk. Removing his shoes, Xiao Yan settled cross-legged on the bed, forming the hand seals for meditation. His breathing gradually became steady and strong. After a while, a thin stream of mist was launched from between his fingers. After expelling the alcohol vapor within him, Xiao Yan finally felt his mind clear. He settled onto the bed, meditating for a moment, then gently tapped his fingers on his storage ring. Instantly, the room filled with vibrant green light, which then rapidly dimmed. Within this brief span, a perfect, jade-green lotus pedestal suddenly appeared in the space before him, floating silently in mid-air. Once again, Xuān Yīn formed the hand seals for cultivation, and his eyes gradually closed, entering a state of meditation. As Xuān Yīn settled into this state, a faint glow of pale green suddenly rose from the lotus platform, eventually fully enveloping him. His mind gradually sank inward, naturally settling at the location of the qi vortex in his lower abdomen. As his consciousness swept through the purple vortex, he was slightly surprised to find that there were already fourteen droplets of purple liquid within it. "Unexpectedly, despite having slightly slowed my cultivation progress, I've still managed to condense a liquid energy droplet..." With a quiet moment of wonder, Xuān Yīn focused his mind, and a strand of purple cultivation energy branched off from the vortex, then began to circulate slowly along the meridians of the Burned Scripture technique. At the moment the technique began to activate, a steady stream of fiery energy from the surrounding room suddenly surged toward Xiao Yan, who was resting upon the lotus platform. Upon making contact with the circular glow of jade-green light surrounding the platform, the volume of these fiery energies abruptly shrank rapidly. Once they successfully passed through the green lotus glow, their volume had diminished to only about one-fifth of their original size. Yet although the volume had noticeably shrunk, upon closer observation, it became evident that the refined fire energy now appeared significantly purer—and furthermore, within those strands of pale yellow fire energy, a subtle hint of barely perceptible green energy seemed to be subtly interwoven. Clearly, this green energy had been inadvertently absorbed during the earlier passage of the terrestrial fire energy through the lily's radiant glow. After successfully undergoing the refining process through the lily's light, strands of fire energy—pale yellow with a hint of green—began to seep steadily into Xiao Yan's body, following his breath. When the first such strand entered Xiao Yan's meridians, Xiao Yan, who was actively directing the circulation of his qi, paused momentarily, and under the keen awareness of his mind, the green energy within the pale yellow qi was almost impossible to overlook. Staring at that quiet, gentle, pure streak of azure energy with a mind full of doubt, Xiao Yan split off a strand of purple flame combat energy, wrapping it around the streak cautiously and beginning to attempt its fusion. As the fusion progressed, a growing sense of exhilaration stirred within him. To his surprise, Xiao Yan discovered that the purity of this azure energy was astonishing—so refined that it no longer required him to go through the process of further refinement and could be directly infused into the spiraling energy stream. "These azure energies... must be the very essence carried by the Qinglian itself." It's no wonder it's so pure—having undergone nearly a thousand years of refinement under the earth's fiery forge, anything less pure would be miraculous indeed... With this swift mental insight into the origin of the jade-like energy, Xiao Yan was overjoyed. It's no surprise that even the Elder of Medicine has praised this lot of lotus so highly. This energy,源源不断地 providing a refined source that eliminates the need for tedious extraction processes, could save at least seven-tenths of the time normally spent on cultivation. "Such a fine find..." Xiao Yan murmured, his heart filled with renewed excitement. He quickly stabilized his mind and began separating the jade-like energy from the other pale yellow energy flowing into his body. For safety, Xiao Yan circulated the jade-like energy once through his meridians, finding no abnormalities, before channeling it into the spiraling energy flow. The pale yellow energy, due to varying degrees of purity, required several rounds of refinement before finally being introduced into the spiraling flow. Within this clearly defined cultivation process, the energy within Xiao Yan's qi vortex was rapidly accumulating. The mindful cultivation continued from deep night until dawn, gradually slowing down and finally coming to a halt. As the very last strand of energy was infused into the vortex, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, intending to ease back into his normal state. Yet, suddenly, the purple vortex in his lower abdomen trembled. Startled by this unexpected vibration, Xiao Yan immediately focused his consciousness outside the vortex, scanning it with care. To his delight, he discovered that a small droplet of purple liquid energy was slowly taking shape within the vortex itself. "Is it finally forming the fifteenth droplet?" gazing at the steadily solidifying purple liquid, Xiao Yan's spirits lifted. He quickly stabilized his consciousness and waited patiently for the fifteenth droplet to fully take form. The calm cyclone now stirs in ripples, and at the heart of these ripples lies a small, slender droplet of vibrant purple liquid spinning smoothly. The liquid rotates with a steady rhythm, and as it spins, the abundant purple battle qi within the cyclone continuously flows toward it. "叮…" At a certain moment, a faint sound—seemingly absent—emerges quietly from within the cyclone. As this sound resonates, the turbulent cyclone gradually calms, and a small droplet of purple liquid energy gently rolls into its center, joining the other fourteen droplets that now glide about like playful fish, darting and dancing within the cyclone. At the very moment the fifteenth drop of liquid energy took form, Xiao Yan's body trembled. In that instant, his mind clearly sensed that the density at which the spiraling energy had previously reached its limit had subtly expanded once more. His slightly heavier frame now felt more agile, and the strength stored within his muscles surged noticeably—rising quietly yet significantly. Feeling these various changes within himself, Xiao Yan realized with certainty that he had officially become a Two-Star Combatant. Gently opening his eyes, the dark gaze flashed with purple light, which then faded. He exhaled softly, withdrew his hand seals, straightened his back, and then drifted down from the lotus platform. Standing by the lotus platform, Xiao Yan gazed at the still perfectly pristine, dust-free jade platform in its jade green hue, and couldn't help but smile gently. With care, he carefully stored it within his storage relic. Then, turning his head toward the faintly brightening sky, he was slightly astonished, saying, "It's already morning?" He stretched slightly, and a series of crisp bone sounds echoed through his body. Walking to the bedside, Xiao Yan gently slung the Xuan Chong Chi over his shoulder and said softly, "It's time to go now." With the Xuan Chong Chi slung over his back, he approached the desk. After a moment's pause, he retrieved a large pile of top-tier healing herbs, filling the table until it was completely covered. Then he took out another stack of pills with unusual and peculiar effects. Finally, he reached for a small jade bottle, which contained exactly twenty-three pills of Qi-restoring pills. During his stay in Shishemo City, Xiao Yan knew that while healing herbs were available, they were scarce in quantity and of only moderate quality. With his current schedule being tight, he wouldn't be able to produce many healing remedies. Nevertheless, the limited stock he had at hand would suffice for the Mo Tie Mercenary Regiment for some time. Should everything go smoothly, he might be able to return swiftly and then present them with a generous gift. Inhaling softly, Xiao Yan turned his head to gaze at the smaller figure at the end of the path, and slowly walked toward her, gently rubbing the top of Qinglin's head with his palm, smiling. "Little one, I have some important matters to attend to, so I can't stay with you here today." Qinglin blinked her emerald eyes—so pure and clear, almost as pristine as Xiao Yan's Qinglian seat—focusing on the warm, gentle smile on his face, and whispered softly, "Will you come back?" "Of course I will," Xiao Yan replied, chuckling. "Keep striving, Qinglin!" He knelt down, looking at the two-headed fire spirit snake emerging from Qinglin's sleeve, and smiled lightly. "Remember what I say—live for yourself, don't worry too much about others' opinions. If something doesn't appeal to you, simply choose to ignore it." "Hmm," Qinglin nodded firmly, a soft mist forming in her emerald eyes. "Then I'll be off," Xiao Yan said, smiling. "I'll go and apologize to my two elder brothers." Standing up, Xiao Yan turned and walked toward the courtyard outside, the young man carrying a massive black ruler that matched his height. His silhouette appeared exceptionally graceful. Standing on the small path, Qinglin watched the graceful figure slowly fade into the darkness, gently stroking the two-headed fire spirit serpent on his arm, and softly said, "I'll definitely come back..."