In the spacious room, Xiao Yan suddenly slowly opened his eyes, his fists slightly clenched, and murmured, "It's time for the final step..." Gently stroking the black ring on his fingers, Xiao Yan then gently lifted the Tian-Shun Python playing on his thighs and laid it upon the bed, his fingers lightly touching its small head, smiling, "Little one, be quiet and don't bother me, okay? If you can, please help me protect this moment—make sure no one disturbs me, alright?" After its first evolution, the Tian-Shun Python had clearly begun to develop a sense of intelligence, so Xiao Yan's words were beginning to make sense to it. The python blinked its soft violet eyes, nodding repeatedly, its snake tongue flicking gently with a soft hissing sound. With a smile, Xiao Yan gently caressed its cool body. Then, with a simple hand gesture, a jade lotus seat slowly emerged from his storage ring and floated into the air, radiating a gentle shade of green light. With a sudden lift, Xiao Yan nimbly leapt onto the platform, settled into a meditative posture, took a deep breath, and once again mentally reviewed the information left behind by the Medicine Elder. Then, with a gentle flick of his fingers on the storage ring, a compact object wrapped in dense emerald light appeared in his palm. Upon closer inspection, it was a small lotus seed. Gently pressing the slightly soft lotus seed between his fingers, Xiao Yan found it hard to believe that such an unassuming little thing required a full century to coalesce—what immense energy must be hidden within? Shaking his head in wonder, Xiao Yan quickly formed the cultivation hand seals with both hands, closed his eyes, and gradually entered a state of cultivation. His mind slowly sank deep into his body. At the very moment he entered this state, Xiao Yan lightly flicked his finger, and the earth-fire lotus seed at the tip of his finger was precisely launched into the slightly open mouth of his own. As soon as the earth-fire lotus seed entered his mouth, the pale complexion of Xiao Yan instantly turned as crimson as a volcano, with delicate white mist rising from the top of his head—quite startling to behold. At that moment, Xiao Yan had no time to concern himself with the propriety of his appearance. As soon as the Earthfire Lotus seed touched his mouth, it instantly transformed into a surge of intense heat, surging down his throat with a forceful, unyielding momentum. The hot energy swiftly flowed into his meridians, and immediately, the meridians that Xiao Yan had carefully nurtured for nearly two weeks trembled violently—like small snakes crushed beneathfoot—sending sharp, searing pain through him. The pain was so intense that even through his tightly clenched teeth, cold breath seeped out in thin threads. Clutching his teeth tightly, Xiao Yan’s body, seated upon the jade lotus seat, trembled subtly. Every pore on his skin contracted sharply under the force of the agony. With Xiao Yan's persistent grit, the initial sharp pain in his meridians gradually weakened after a few moments, and only then, with a steady stream of cold sweat now covering his forehead, did he finally exhale in relief, steadying his spirit and assessing his internal condition. The intense energy generated by the Earth-Heat Lotus truly proved formidable—along its path, the meridians were almost completely scorched, their surface membranes burned away by the scorching heat. After all, these delicate membranes had been painstakingly formed over the past fifteen days through Xiao Yan's careful absorption of more than a hundred doses of medicinal elixirs. Though the membranes were scorched, the subsequent actions of the Earth-Heat Lotus brought a clear relief to Xiao Yan's expression, dissolving the earlier bitterness on his face. What was visible was that wherever the intense energy passed, it left behind droplets of liquid resembling jade, each no larger than a thumb. These droplets adhered to the meridian walls, moving subtly like living organisms, and gradually merged into the surrounding tissue at a rate visible to the naked eye. As these vast streams of vital energy, in jade-like form, integrated, the previously red-hot, bare meridian walls began to dissolve, releasing a layer of translucent, mysterious liquid of a pale green hue. This liquid instantly covered the meridian walls and, under the gentle heat of the Earth Fire Lotus energy, solidified into a layer of greenish keratin. These keratin layers firmly covered the walls of Xiao Yan's meridians, offering a protective strength far exceeding the thin film he had previously experienced. With the emergence of these jade-green keratin layers, the intense pain radiating from his meridians completely subsided—clearly, after this enhancement from the Earth-Fire Lotus seed, the resilience of his meridians had even surpassed their condition before the injury. Once the primary meridians within his body were fully enveloped by these jade-green keratin layers, the intense, molten energy of the Earth-Fire Lotus seed gradually diminished. It seemed that these seemingly simple emerald liquids actually contained the essence of the Earth-Fire Lotus seed. Even after forming this protective layer, the energy of the Earth-Fire Lotus seed continued to surge forward, much like a wild bull blindfolded and charging ahead. Though Xiao Yan's mind had attempted to guide its path, the energy proved overwhelmingly powerful, making it difficult for him to control or direct. ... The intense energy surged tirelessly through the meridians, and as its flow intensified, delicate, faintly green vapors slowly seeped out. These slightly moist vapors, strangely overcoming the resistance of the keratin layer, gently approached and gradually repaired the most delicate meridians within, healing the damage they had sustained. As more and more of these vapors accumulated, some of them penetrated beyond the meridians and drifted aimlessly throughout Xiāo Yīn's body. It seemed as though sensing the nourishing essence floating within him, every organ that had once been injured—muscles, cells, bones, and others—suddenly revived halfway, subtly contracting and stretching, hungrily absorbing the moist vapors. At this moment, Xiāo Yīn's body both inside and out transformed into an ever-expanding sink, greedily drawing in the continuous stream of pale green mist emanating from the earth-fire lotus seeds. With this frenzied consumption, Xiao Yan could clearly feel his body steadily advancing toward its former peak at an increasingly alarming pace. At this rate, recovering to his pre-injury condition seemed merely a matter of time. Within his meridians, the intense energy had circulated不知how many times before Xiao Yan finally managed to guide the energy of the Earth-Fire Lotus Seed through his focused mind—after hundreds of failed attempts, he successfully drew it along the pathways of the Burned Technique. As the powerful, scorching energy flowed through the Burned Technique's cycles, it continuously infused the slightly dry spirals with abundant waves of fresh, misty green vapor. Vast energy flowed ceaselessly along the cultivation pathway, gradually coalescing into droplets of jade-like liquid as it was repeatedly infused. These droplets slowly formed and then dripped into the spiraling energy currents. In mere moments, the once-depleted spirals became rich and vibrant once again. Though subjected to such extensive depletion, the residual energy of the terrestrial lotus seed remained so vast that even Xiao Yan was left astounded. According to his estimation, restoring his body—nearly shattered—would have consumed only one-third of that energy. Truly remarkable. Within his meridians, the intense energy flowed ceaselessly, as if inexhaustible, continuously releasing pure streams of vitality that were greedily absorbed by cells and muscles. Even as Xiao Yan's body gradually regained its former peak condition, the muscle and bone cells did not cease their insatiable appetite. In fact, they continued to absorb energy with unabashed hunger, as though determined to absorb every last drop before retreating—clearly behaving like a relentless, voracious steak. Feeling both puzzled and overwhelmed by the steadily growing sense of fullness within his body, Xiao Yan could only silently sigh in his heart. A fallen horse might yet prove to be a blessing—without the severe injury he sustained earlier, it would have been absolutely impossible for him, given his current condition, to break through his previous peak stage within a short time. This very injury, in fact, had provided him with the very opportunity to transcend that former peak. Within the whirlwind of energy, the liquid energy was also gradually becoming more abundant, with the refined energy released by the Earth Fire Lotus being fully and unreservedly poured into the core. Anything, no matter how it may be, has a limit—human bodies are no exception. Thus, after a period of relentless absorption, Xiao Yan finally began to feel a growing sense of unease, noticing that his muscles and other tissues had stopped absorbing energy, while the spiraling qi began to radiate a dull ache, no longer converting gaseous energy into liquid form. Clearly, his body had now reached a state of saturation. Yet, despite this limit, the earthfire lotus seed continued to release its vast energy unabated, regardless of whether Xiao Yan could fully withstand it. As he sensed these internal changes, his expression grew increasingly strained. Though he tried to forcibly halt the flow of intense energy, his efforts proved as futile as a fly attempting to shake a great tree. A growing sense of unease gradually rose in his heart, but he bit down on it, suppressing it steadily. He knew that without his senior, Master Yao's guidance, he absolutely couldn't panic now—any panic would mean complete failure. Opening his eyes, Xiao Yan tightly clutched his hands together. After a moment, he suddenly slammed them down, speaking softly, "Since we can no longer absorb it, let's channel this residual energy out..." "Channel it out? To whom? This energy isn't something anyone can easily bear." His eyes scanned the room anxiously, then suddenly settled on the Tian-Tian Python, now lying on the bed, its pale purple eyes fixed intently on him. "Well, then, you're in luck, little one." Seeing the Tian-Tian Python, a glimmer of relief flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He felt reassured—given its strength, it should be able to handle this residual energy. Thinking thus, Xiao Yan lightly pressed his palms upon the lotus platform, then leaped into the air, flipping off the platform. He rushed to the bed with urgency, catching the helplessly struggling Tian-Devouring Python in his arms, and with all his concentration, guided the immense energy of the Earth-Fire Lotus seed toward the meridians on his arms. As the energy flowed into his arms, they were swiftly enveloped in a jade-green glow. With his middle finger raised, a lush, fiery energy rendered the fingertip as if carved from a segment of green jade. Surprised by being suddenly seized, the Tian-Devouring Python stiffened. Upon witnessing the powerful, almost overwhelming energy emanating from Xiao Yan's fingers, it began to struggle violently—clearly unsettled by the close proximity to such potent energy. "Now, just stay calm," Xiao Yan said, "I won't harm you." Smiling gently at the Tian-Devouring Python, Xiao Yan forcibly opened its mouth and then extended his finger inside... As soon as Xiao Yan's finger entered the Python's mouth, the creature suddenly ceased struggling, and a powerful glow surged forth from within its body. Startled, Xiao Yan instinctively narrowed his eyes. The light flashed briefly, but immediately after its appearance, Xiao Yan's face turned pale, for he clearly sensed that the Tian-Devouring Python now in his grasp had suddenly grown larger and had also become softer. With his right arm wrapped around, the sense of emptiness had vanished, replaced instead by a soft, supple presence... Upon touching the thing—soft as a woman's body—Xiao Yan seemed to recall something. His face instantly turned pale with distress, and his neck stiffened as he slowly lowered his head, revealing a pair of bright, sharp eyes, cold and slightly icy, fixed steadily upon him. Gazing at the flawless, enchantingly alluring face, Xiao Yan's hair stood on end as if electrified, his throat subtly rolling as he swallowed hard, his voice rough and dry. "Beautiful... Queen Medusa?"