Three months later.
In a valley deep within the back mountains of Jia Nan Academy, a heaven-shaking beastly roar suddenly erupted. Immediately afterward, a furious bellow rang out.
"Little runt! I let you escape by accident yesterday—today I'll definitely eat you!"
A massive white ape, standing upright and measuring three to four zhang in height, radiated a piercingly cold aura of ice. It roared angrily at a petite figure hovering in the air ahead. It was a Fifth-Rank magical beast—the Snow Demon Sky Ape.
"Peh, peh, peh! You stupid big oaf think you can eat me? And you dare call me short?! Today I'll smash you flat!" Zi Yan shouted angrily. Without the slightest fear, she raised her small fist and charged straight at the enormous ape, her body utterly disproportionate to its size.
The two figures collided in an instant. Power clashed against power, and deafening booms echoed continuously through the valley.
Several hundred meters away from the battlefield, hidden within a rock wall, Lin Yuan's gaze turned sharp. He held an energy longbow in his hands, already aimed at the combat zone. Dou Qi surged around his body, transforming into flames that continuously rotated and compressed, converging onto the bow to form a solid cyan arrow. At the arrowhead, energy was condensed to the extreme, as if it could pierce through space itself.
Lin Yuan split his focus into three parts.
First, he prepared the killing strike.
Second, he used soul power to isolate and seal off the surrounding several meters of space, preventing the violent energy fluctuations from being detected.
Third, he monitored the battlefield with soul perception, waiting for the perfect moment to release the fatal blow.
Within the valley, Zi Yan was trading blows head-on with the Snow Demon Sky Ape. After dozens of direct clashes with no clear advantage, the ape grew impatient. Letting out a furious roar, a wave of snow-white, ice-cold energy rippled outward at high speed. Wherever it passed, massive boulders were instantly frozen solid, transforming into blocks of icy white.
Seeing this, Zi Yan's charging figure twisted like a cloud dragon turning midair, perfectly evading the freezing energy. The results of her recent training in the movement technique Cloud Dragon Dance were fully displayed.
When the Snow Demon Sky Ape saw its attack fail, a vicious glint flashed in its eyes as it began to stimulate its berserk bloodline.
At that very moment, Lin Yuan's expression hardened. Sensing the ape's rapidly surging aura, his eyes sharpened.
"Now!"
The long-prepared attack was released.
"Flame Tribulation—Setting Sun Divine Shot!"
The rapidly spinning cyan arrow shot forth explosively, piercing straight through the rock wall. In the blink of an eye, it struck the Snow Demon Sky Ape from behind as it was in the midst of activating its berserk bloodline and had no time to evade.
The ape's icy energy barrier and sturdy body were instantly penetrated. The cyan flame arrow pierced directly into its body.
As the arrow embedded itself inside, the trace of soul power attached to it dissipated. The condensed energy of flames and Dou Qi erupted violently within the ape's body. Scorching power destroyed it from the inside out, and the Snow Demon Sky Ape's rising aura came to an abrupt halt.
Instant death.
Lin Yuan then flew out from behind the rock wall. Taking a longsword from his Spatial Ring, he swiftly severed the ape's head before inspecting the corpse. At the point of impact, the arrow's energy had completely annihilated the flesh, leaving behind a hollow cavity nearly a meter in diameter.
Looking at the corpse, Lin Yuan said calmly, with a faintly meaningful expression, "Charging up a transformation on the battlefield is extremely dangerous."
Zi Yan soon flew over as well. After glancing at the body and the terrifying wound, she couldn't help but smack her lips. Turning to Lin Yuan, she said, "Even though it's not the first time I've seen it, that move of yours is really amazing. That big guy died instantly. Can you teach me?"
"I'd like to, but it's not suitable for you," Lin Yuan replied casually while tidying up the corpse. "This technique requires extremely strong soul power and precise control over Dou Qi. You're a magical beast by nature, and soul strength is your inherent weakness."
Flame Tribulation—Setting Sun Divine Shot was the result of Lin Yuan's continued refinement of pill-flame techniques after reaching the Dou King realm. It was a composite ultimate technique created by integrating alchemy flame arts, spiral Dou Qi compression techniques, his own fire-control mastery, and the force application methods of several archery-type Dou Techniques.
The difficulty was extremely high, demanding exceptional soul perception, superior Dou Qi control, and refined flame manipulation. It was currently Lin Yuan's proudest creation.
Although it could not draw upon heaven-and-earth energy like Earth-Class Dou Techniques to unleash massive area destruction, its point-target lethality was on par with ordinary Earth-Class techniques—while consuming far less Dou Qi.
"Oh! Still, your fighting style is really different from everyone else's. Fighting you just feels… dangerous," Zi Yan commented, unconcerned.
Lin Yuan smiled but did not explain.
Indeed, his combat philosophy differed greatly from others. While many pursued higher-tier techniques, he prioritized compatibility with his own fighting style. His principles were simple: speed, precision, and efficiency.
As a result, his battles often appeared calm and calculated, yet were lethally dangerous beneath the surface. However, this style was not suited for Zi Yan, and there was no need to explain it to her.
After finishing up, Lin Yuan waved to Zi Yan. "Let's go. It's time to collect the Core Quenching Body Milk."
The two moved deeper into the valley. Along the way, exposed magical beast skeletons could be seen scattered on the ground—likely creatures that had once competed with the Snow Demon Sky Ape for the treasure.
At the end of the valley, they discovered a pitch-black cave. Lin Yuan scanned it with soul perception and, finding no danger, led Zi Yan inside. White fur similar to the ape's covered the interior, confirming it was indeed its lair.
"Core Quenching Body Milk forms underground," Lin Yuan muttered. "It's created from condensed earth essence over countless years, so the passage downward should be…"
He expanded his soul perception.
"Found it."
Lin Yuan brushed aside a pile of white fur, and a powerful gust instantly swept it away.
With a flick of his sleeve, Dou Qi transformed into a whirlwind, lifting the sand beneath the fur into the air. Dust filled the cave as Lin Yuan deployed a Dou Qi barrier to shield himself and Zi Yan.
Moments later, a dark tunnel leading deep underground appeared before them.
After confirming it was safe, Lin Yuan led Zi Yan as they leapt inside.
Once inside, Lin Yuan conjured a ball of cyan flame, illuminating the pitch-black tunnel. The underground passage was surprisingly spacious. Using soul perception to scout ahead, he guided Zi Yan swiftly through the winding subterranean corridor.
After nearly ten minutes of travel, a faint white glow appeared at the far end of the darkness.
Lin Yuan immediately accelerated.
As they drew closer, the glow expanded, and in the end, it transformed into a cave entrance radiating soft white light.
Passing through the cave entrance, what came into view before Lin Yuan and Zi Yan was an underground world filled with stalactites. As far as the eye could see, milky-white stalactites stretched endlessly to the limits of vision. Pale white light emanated from them, completely dispelling the darkness here. Stalactites grew everywhere—some hung from the cavern ceiling, some reaching lengths of over a hundred meters. Looking up, the rocky dome was densely packed with massive stalactites, from which drops of white liquid occasionally fell, splashing milky-white droplets upon the ground.
What a magnificent underground world.
Facing the vast expanse of nearly identical stalactites, Lin Yuan turned to Zi Yan and said, "Zi Yan, sense where the treasure is."
"Leave it to me!" Zi Yan replied confidently, patting her chest. She closed her eyes and sensed for a moment before opening them and pointing in one direction. "Over there. Follow me!" With that, she headed off in the indicated direction, and Lin Yuan followed behind her.
After weaving through the stalactite world for nearly another ten minutes, the two stopped in front of an enormous stalactite. One end connected to the cavern ceiling, while the other hung straight down. Its massive body exceeded a hundred meters in length, and its thickness was enough for two people to embrace. Pale white light lingered around it, making it resemble a gigantic crystal pillar. It was the largest stalactite in the entire underground world.
Lowering their gaze, beneath this stalactite lay an enormous slab of bluestone, more than half of which was buried underground. At the top of the bluestone was a shallow depression less than half a foot deep, positioned directly beneath the tip of the stalactite. Within the depression was about two inches of milky-white liquid. Above the liquid, faint white mist drifted, gathering without dispersing.
Zi Yan's eyes were locked firmly onto the milky-white liquid in the depression. Her throat involuntarily bobbed as she swallowed. Seeing her dazed expression, Lin Yuan waved a hand in front of her face.
"Zi Yan, snap out of it. Wipe your drool. I'll collect these first. When we get back, I'll use them to make something tasty for you and something even better."
As he spoke, he took out several jade bottles and, amid Zi Yan's eager gaze, carefully stored the liquid from the depression. Then Lin Yuan spread his fire wings and flew upward, continuously using his soul perception to search for the convergence point of earth energy in the surrounding area. Finally, at the point where the stalactite connected with the cavern ceiling, he sensed an immense concentration of earth energy.
"Found it!"
Lin Yuan took out a jade artifact and refined it into a flawless jade shortsword. Carefully, he cut out a palm-sized circular section and removed the fragment. Inside the stalactite, a cluster of viscous liquid the color of emerald jade was suspended, slowly flowing within. Sensing the extremely pure and vast energy contained within the viscous liquid, Lin Yuan's expression brightened.
"As expected, an excellent treasure. This harvest is truly worthwhile."
He took out a jade bottle and a jade spoon, carefully scooping up the Core Quenching Body Milk and transferring it into the bottle. After leaving behind a small amount of the liquid, he placed the stalactite fragment back into position. Immediately, the intense glow gradually faded, and the stalactite returned to its original tranquil state.
Looking at the bottle of Core Quenching Body Milk in his hand, Lin Yuan let out a long breath. After so much effort, this item was finally in his possession.
Turning his head, he saw Zi Yan staring longingly at the bottle. Lin Yuan chuckled and tugged lightly at her cheek. "Don't worry. Your share won't be missing."
Zi Yan's face instantly lit up with joy. She grabbed Lin Yuan's hand and shook it gently, smiling ingratiatingly. "Thank you, Brother Lin Yuan! I knew you cared about me the most!"
Lin Yuan rolled his eyes. He was already immune to this form of address—this little girl usually called him Lin Yuan, but the moment benefits appeared, it became "Brother Lin" or "Brother Lin Yuan."
After continuing to explore the underground world for a while and confirming there were no other opportunities, the two left this vast subterranean realm.
Once outside, under Zi Yan's puzzled gaze, Lin Yuan directly collapsed the Snow Demon Sky Ape's cave, completely sealing the passage leading to the underground world. He thought to himself, This underground world is quite well-hidden. It may be useful in the future, better to remember this place.
Looking at the collapsed cave, Lin Yuan waved at Zi Yan.
"Let's go, Zi Yan. We're heading back to the Inner Academy."
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