Like being placed in a furnace, this was Xiang Yan's current sensation, and the heat surged from within his bones. The pain sent cold shivers through his teeth, and the colorful medicinal liquid in the wooden basin grew increasingly turbulent, with visible, fine streams of tangible energy racing swiftly through the water—finally colliding against his skin and vanishing almost instantly. Though Xiang Yan had anticipated the potency of the liquid to be strong, the firsthand experience now left him quietly awestruck. Indeed, no wonder it was a celestial spiritual essence formed after years of sustained cultivation—this was even after being blended with other herbs. If the liquid were simply immersed directly, he had no idea how he would survive. Within his body, the vibrant, multicolored bones, over time, had grown strangely more translucent—enough that even under Xiao Yan's focused awareness, the swift surging marrow within them could be faintly perceived. The intense energy surging from the medicinal liquid had not ceased merely because the bones were now fully adorned with these colorful hues. Instead, it continued to pour into Xiao Yan's body in a steady, pure stream, transforming everything it encountered—whether bones, meridians, or cellular organs—into radiant,斑斓 colors. As Xiao Yan gazed inward with his mind, he found himself merely staring in wonder at the kaleidoscopic display within, sighing in quiet lament. He then quickly steadied his spirit, knowing that even more intense and tormenting pain was surely on the way. To Xiang Yan's expectations, as the vibrant hues nearly engulfed half of his body, a sudden, tenfold intensification of searing pain erupted throughout his meridians, cells, and muscles—so fierce that he felt as though he had been plunged into a blazing inferno. The flames seemed determined to reduce his very bones to ash, relentlessly radiating an ever-increasing heat. As this internal upheaval surged, the entire portion of his body submerged in the wooden basin instantly turned a charred hue, with delicate plumes of white mist seeping from his head. These misty tendrils carried faint traces of scorched aroma. Clenching his teeth tightly, a steady stream of crimson oozed from his lips, staining his chin with a vivid, bloodied appearance. Outside the wooden basin, the old doctor's throat subtly rolled, and his palms unconsciously tightened. A flicker of anxiety passed through his seemingly calm eyes. He was well aware of Xiao Yan's resilience, yet even with that strength, he now appeared so strained—so profoundly affected by this bone-renewing, essence-refining treatment—that it was hard to imagine the intensity of the pain involved. Though the old doctor knew such a treatment would undoubtedly be painful, he had never used the "Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk," so he had no clear sense of just how severe the pain might be. Now, observing Xiao Yan's current condition, he realized he had underestimated the depth of this bone-renewing agony. With nothing else to do but pray that Xiao Yan would persevere, he silently held his breath. … pain, pain, pain—every part of Xiao Yan’s body was radiating the very essence of pain. Yet, despite his relentless suffering, he found no way to alleviate it. What brought him some comfort, however, was the clear sensation that as the intense heat spread throughout his body, powerful energies were gradually emanating from those hot spots. He noticed that after the intense heat, his marrow, bones, meridians, cells, and muscles were undergoing a transformation akin to a complete renewal. Clearly, this so-called "refining the marrow and strengthening the bones" was truly proving to be profoundly effective. "Hold on!" Hurling a fierce, inner roar through gritted teeth, enduring this agonizing ordeal for so long, perhaps due to growing numbness, Xiao Yan suddenly found his spirit somewhat hazy. In this haze, the intense, searing pain within him seemed to lessen considerably. After enduring this prolonged torment, he had managed to develop a certain degree of resilience. The ordeal unfolded slowly, inch by inch, until Xiao Yan had completely slipped into a state of half-awareness, bordering on wakefulness and sleep. Under this almost茫然 perception, he had lost all sense of time. The only sensation he retained was the gradual refinement and strengthening of his bones, meridians, and cells—being slowly scorched and transformed under intense heat... "Don't worry, he has already weathered the most painful period; things from now on should go more smoothly." The elderly physician smiled, shifting his gaze to the medicinal liquid in the wooden basin, observing how its color had grown noticeably lighter, and continued. As if having understood the physician's words, the Sky-Consuming Python flicked its tongue and then waved its tail once, swiftly exiting the cave. It needed to remain undisturbed in the outside world, guarding Xiao Yan. Watching the Tian-Long Serpent depart, the herbal elder once again turned his gaze upon Xiao Yan, speaking softly, "It seems it's almost ready..." A low, resonant hum echoed within him. Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the immense energy suddenly surging forth from every corner of his body, momentarily losing his composure. While Xiao Yan was thus absorbed in wonder, the vast, refined energy flowed actively into his meridians. In past years, such a surge would have inevitably caused swelling and discomfort in the meridians; yet now, the meridians responded with remarkable resilience, gently expanding and contracting to absorb the energy seamlessly, without causing a single moment of pain. Vast energy flowed along the meridians of "Burned Decree," and after completing one full cycle, it surged into the battle crystals within the vortex like a sudden mountain flood, roaring with tremendous force. Under this continuous influx of power, the egg-sized battle crystals began visibly expanding. With a sense of astonishment, Xiang Yan watched the crystals rapidly growing. He could clearly feel the stored battle energy within them multiplying exponentially—given this momentum, reaching the rank of Nine-Star Grand Battle Master seemed almost effortless. "Boom!" Amidst the ceaseless surge of energy, at a certain moment, an exceedingly subtle, crisp sound finally resonated within Xiao Yan's body. As this sound echoed, Xiao Yan noticed that the previously saturated combat crystal had once again expanded into a remarkably vast capacity. Under this unusual resonance, the combat crystal, which had already grown to the size of an egg, suddenly swelled to the size of a fist, and a brilliant, intensifying light surged forth continuously, illuminating the inner vortex as brightly as day. Feeling the myriad changes within himself, Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He was now certain that, at this very instant, he had surpassed the eight-star level and had truly become a nine-star grand combat master. Only one more step remained—he would then ascend into the Combat Spirit tier. Due to the sudden expansion of the battle crystal, Xiao Yan noticed that the previously full sensation had once again become noticeably hollow. At that moment, he summoned the final, most refined energy circulating within his meridians and channeled it into the crystal. However, after the upgrade, the crystal once again transformed into that endless, bottomless void sensation as before—this influx of energy seemed to vanish without a trace, leaving Xiao Yan with no particularly strong sense of impact. "The difference between a Great Battle Master and a Battle Spirit is indeed significant. It seems a single leap to reach Battle Spirit status may not be feasible," he thought, sighing with a touch of regret. As he prepared to withdraw and conclude his efforts, he suddenly realized a powerful suction force spontaneously surged from within the crystal. With this surge, a steady stream of exceptionally strong energy flowed into his body from the outside. Due to being immersed in the potent medicinal liquid imbued with tremendous energy, as the suction force first surged, powerful energies began seeping through the skin pores and penetrating deep into his body. Without any regard for Xiao Yan's control, they directly rushed into his meridians, circulated through a complete cycle, and then forcefully surged into the battle crystals. Staring in disbelief at this complete loss of control within his body, Xiao Yan finally clenched his teeth and growled fiercely, "If you want to absorb, then absorb until you've drained me dry! If you've got the strength, just keep sucking until I break through to the Battle Spirit stage!"