"Hiss…." The azure flame fiercely clashed with the tri-color energy within the meridians, producing a continuous stream of subtle hissing sounds. At this moment, the tri-color energy rapidly boiled, sending out waves of dense energy ripples that spread from the body and struck the meridians, causing Xiao Yan's lips to tremble slightly. Fortunately, the main meridians proved remarkably resilient, so aside from the pain, there were no other significant issues. Despite the discomfort, Xiao Yan commanded the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame to envelop the tri-color energy and carry it along, then resumed the cultivation pathway. The azure flame, now encasing the tri-color energy, swept swiftly through the meridians, and with focused awareness, Xiao Yan could faintly discern the rapidly boiling tri-color energy swirling within the flame. As the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire continued to burn, the three hues of energy were forced to completely merge into a liquid form slightly leaning toward green-brown. Under the intense heat, the energy generated from this fusion appeared even more substantial than before. Yet, despite its renewed strength, it still struggled against the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire. When Xiao Yan drew out another strand of green fire from his Nalings, the resistance of the green-brown energy gradually weakened. As the process continued, one after another, the vibrant, wild strands of green-brown energy slowly detached from the core and were fully transformed into refined, pure green liquid energy, which then flowed into the vortex. Although controlling the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame required a considerable expenditure of qi, this consumption was negligible compared to the energy continuously flowing in from the San-Wen Qingling Pills, which surged in abundance. The green flame enveloped the green-brown energy, circulating swiftly through the meridians. With each complete cycle, a substantial amount of refined energy fully assimilated was injected into the spiraling qi flow, causing the volume of the spiraling qi to rise noticeably each time. The original cyclone had only stored nearly half of the azure liquid energy. Now, the liquid within the cyclone had occupied at least three-quarters of its area. At this pace, the moment the cyclone was fully filled would mark the limit of a Battle Master's capacity. As time passed slowly, the outer world's Xiao Yan was gradually enveloped in a faint glow of azure light, which draped over his body like a robe of battle energy. Yet, these azure glows were continuously twisting and shifting, as if constructing and probing something—gradually, the once ethereal battle energy robe began to exhibit tangible, solid characteristics. Xiao Yan himself was entirely unaware of these subtle changes within his body. Thanks to the calming effects of the Qinglian, he could maintain constant control over his mind. At this moment, his entire focus was entirely centered on the cyclone of battle energy swelling within him. Within the body, the vortex rotated slowly, and the green liquid energy swayed gracefully, much like a dam on the verge of releasing its flood, as though it would spill out at any moment from the vortex that had already reached its limit. Xiao Yan’s mind remained utterly alert, intently observing the overflowing spirals of energy. Though nearly three-quarters of the medicinal power from the Sanwen Qingling Pills had been fully absorbed into his meridians, the residual energy still amounted to a substantial force. Yet at this moment, the spirals could no longer contain even the slightest addition of energy—now fully at their capacity. Should any further energy be forcibly injected, the spirals would inevitably burst, with dire consequences. In such a situation, Xiao Yan knew he had to act immediately to avoid this fate. If he succeeded, his strength would surge dramatically; if he failed, the spirals would rupture, his qi would dissipate, and he would be reduced to a mere waste. As someone who had once endured such a fate, Xiao Yan absolutely refused to experience it a second time. As Xiao Yan adjusted his hand seals, the internal spiraling energy first fell into an instant silence, then, after a brief moment, ripples began to surge across the surface of the spirals, growing stronger and stronger until they resembled boiling water—gurgling waves of vibrant green energy continuously seeping out from the center of the spirals. At the very moment the energy ripples surged, the originally slow-rotating spirals began to accelerate subtly. This acceleration was brief, lasting less than ten seconds, transforming the previously languid spirals into a wildly spinning helical mass. Due to this rapid rotation, concentric arcs of green light appeared around the spirals' periphery. The low, resonant hum produced by the rotation gradually propagated through Xiao Yan's body—traveling along meridians, through bones, permeating cells, and finally reaching the surface skin, where it resonated within the swirling qi robes constantly twisting on his body. After the sound penetrated the Qi silk robe, the gentle undulations of the robe gradually ceased. Suddenly, a surge of emerald light flashed, followed by rapid fusion and convergence of the emerald Qi, eventually merging into one harmonious flow. The brilliance slightly dimmed, and a faint, slightly blurred emerald armor emerged on the surface of Xiao Yan's body, bearing a distinct flame motif etched upon his chest. Though this armor was still in its nascent form, the profound, subtle emerald glow and the steady, resonant surge of powerful energy clearly demonstrated that it far surpassed the previous Qi silk robe in quality. As this emerging armor gradually took shape without Xiao Yan's awareness, profound transformations were unfolding within his very body. Since the spirit is regulating the speed of the vortex, preventing it from exceeding a certain limit that might otherwise harm the body, Xiao Yan must carefully attend to it, never allowing the slightest relaxation. Of course, in addition, he must also strive to delay the arrival of the power of the Three-Stripe Qingling Pill. At this moment, when the vortex has reached its limit, it no longer requires further infusion, so Xiao Yan must simultaneously focus on controlling the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire to delay its onset. Although removing the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire would halt the refinement process, thus preventing any further energy from entering the vortex, Xiao Yan is still uncertain whether, upon removing the flame, the vortex might suddenly undergo a division. Should such a division occur and a strand of unrefined energy penetrate into the vortex, wouldn't that disrupt the delicate balance Xiao Yan has painstakingly maintained within it? Thinking of the consequences should the balance be broken, Xiao Yan felt a sudden shiver in his heart—such a daring attempt he dared not make. At the same time, he continuously accelerated the rotation of the spiraling energy, while firmly holding onto the medicinal power of the San-Wen Qing-Ling Pill, preventing it from completing its natural circulation. Inside Xiao Yan’s body, a race against time was now unfolding. The liquid energy overflowing within the spiraling vortex had to be compressed into a solid state before the next wave of energy arrived—otherwise, the vortex would inevitably burst. The wildly rotating vortex had now taken on the form of a faintly green shadow. As the rotation sped up, the liquid energy within it was visibly diminishing at an eerie pace. Yet despite this reduction, Xiao Yan could clearly sense, through his mind, that deep within the vortex, a substantial substance was slowly coalescing into form. "It's almost ready..." Feeling the rapidly solidifying substance, Xiao Yan's tightly绷ened心情 eased slightly, and then he continuously urged the process forward. Time flowed steadily, and the liquid energy within the vortex was steadily diminishing, as though everything were progressing along the most seamless path. As the vortex spun wildly, the liquid energy had gradually dwindled to near depletion. Suddenly, under Xiao Yan's focused awareness, a small, jade-green rhombic crystal—only the size of a thumb—gently floated and settled at the very center of the vortex, remaining perfectly still. Faint, flickering glimmers of light danced across its surface, revealing the delicate fragility of this newly formed entity. To many strong cultivators, only after possessing a Battle Crystal does one truly enter the hall of Battle Qi cultivation. This small object is the crystallized essence of all Battle Qi within a human body, containing an astonishingly vast amount of energy. With a mind slightly enchanted, observing the newly formed jade-like, jade-green crystal, Xiang Yan had barely had time to exhale when a subtle sound suddenly echoed through his meridians, causing his heart to flutter. His mind instantly focused, scanning the meridians thoroughly—only to find his face pale with shock. The original three-pattern Qingling Pill, which had been fiercely resistant to the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, had inexplicably ceased all resistance, allowing the Earth-Heart Fire to completely dissolve its remaining potency. Then, the flame, infused with surging energy, roared forward, charging directly toward the spiraling Qi. The pale-faced Xiao Yan stared in awe at the surging energy that poured in, overwhelming his mind and spirit as if a flood had swept through. A wave of fear surged within him—should this energy continue to rush into the spiraling vortex, the fragile Dou Crystal, still newly formed, would be instantly shattered into fragments. And if the crystal broke, not only would Xiao Yan fail to ascend to the Great Dou Shi rank, but his strength itself would significantly diminish due to the energy deficit. All of this was a consequence of the adverse effects stemming from the elixir he had consumed in an attempt to leap ranks. If he had relied solely on his own strength, steadily progressing toward the Great Dou Shi rank, such a peril would never have arisen. Yet, depending on external aid always carried the latent risk of potentially destroying him entirely. Of course, at this moment, Xiao Yan no longer had the patience to dwell on the drawbacks of relying on external aids. Now, he was fully concentrating his mind, attempting to control the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire that enveloped the energy and draw it back. Unfortunately, the surge of energy this time was overwhelmingly powerful, and due to the process of integration, the refined energy had already been imbued with Xiao Yan's own signature. As a result, the intense heat of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire no longer had any effect upon it. "I believe my son won't be a lifelong waste..." At that moment, Xiao Zhan, suppressing the anger and embarrassment of being forced to withdraw his marriage proposal, spoke gently to the young man who was kneeling before him. A soft, steady laugh echoed, and slowly, Xiao Yan lowered his head, seated upon the Qinglian. "Father, thank you..." With a quiet murmur, Xiao Yan's throat erupted into a fierce roar, like a trapped beast, as his soul energy surged powerfully. At that very instant, within the spiraling energy, the emerald flames suddenly surged forth with the force of a volcanic eruption! "Get out!" The emerald flames, bursting like a volcano, struck hard against the surging energy that was about to enter the spiral, their powerful force pushing it violently from the edge of the spiral into his meridians. Then, following the several meridians already cleared, they were forcefully squeezed out, driven out with great force. "Hiss... hiss..." The sound resumed within the room, causing Xiao Yan's body to jolt sharply. A dozen energy beams erupted from his pores, instantly bathing the entire room in brilliant light. "Ding..." As the energy beams threatening the crystals detached from his body, the whirlwind of qi within him gradually slowed and ceased. At that moment, the jade-shaped crystal, previously glowing steadily, surged with an intense radiance.