Five days later.
In Lin Yuan's courtyard.
"Are three drops enough? How about I give you three more? Just help me make that medicinal dish," Ziyan asked eagerly, her eyes fixed on Lin Yuan with anticipation.
Looking at the drooling, food-craving maiden in front of him, Lin Yuan found it hard to associate her with the soft and weak-looking girl from yesterday, who had appeared delicate after losing three drops of essence blood.
Yesterday, Lin Yuan had frankly requested Ziyan's help. Ziyan had been extremely forthright and decisive, directly forcing out three drops of her essence blood for him. Seeing those three drops of essence blood, as well as Ziyan's slightly pale complexion and frail appearance due to the loss of blood, Lin Yuan had felt a twinge of heartache.
Afterward, Lin Yuan used a large amount of high-grade spirit medicines, combined with his culinary skills—arguably among the very best even among alchemists and painstakingly prepared a large table of medicinal dishes that balanced flavor and energy. He directly replenished Ziyan's losses, even overdoing it a little.
The result was the scene before him now.
"It's already enough. If I need more, I'll tell you," Lin Yuan said as he gently stroked Ziyan's head.
"Alright…" Ziyan sighed after hearing this, her tone filled with regret.
"You little brat," Lin Yuan said, both amused and exasperated. He flicked her forehead lightly. This girl really did think about nothing but eating all day.
"If you want something to eat, just tell me directly. I already prepared it long ago. Here." Seeing Ziyan's pitiful expression, Lin Yuan took out several food boxes and a few bottles of pills from his storage ring and placed them on the table.
Ziyan's aggrieved expression instantly turned into a radiant smile. Sitting down, she opened the food boxes and was ready to start eating.
"Go ahead and eat. I'm heading to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. I'll be back in a few days," Lin Yuan instructed her.
"Got it, brother. Go on," Ziyan replied casually, burying her head once more in the battle against the feast before her.
Inside a cultivation room on the lower levels of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged. In front of him, inside a jade bottle, were several deep crimson pills—Blood Spirit Pills, Fifth-Grade pills capable of rapidly replenishing one's essence blood consumption and temporarily enhancing qi and blood strength. These had been prepared over the past few days.
Next, Lin Yuan took out three exquisitely crafted jade bottles from his storage ring. Opening them, three gem-like drops of essence blood floated out and hovered before him, streaks of agile purple radiance circulating within them. The bloodline pressure that should have been present on the essence blood had already been eliminated with Ziyan's help. Fortunately, she had been there—otherwise, even the Spirit Awakening stage of the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art would have been a massive obstacle.
The stronger a magical beast's bloodline, the harder it was to erase the bloodline pressure within its essence blood and the more difficult it was to use. This was the inherent power of bloodlines. Thus, even with top-tier magical beast essence blood, it was generally extremely difficult to use it to complete Spirit Awakening. Ziyan herself possessed one of the most supreme magical beast bloodlines—the royal bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon. With her willing assistance, the bloodline pressure within the essence blood could be completely and harmlessly eliminated. This allowed Lin Yuan to obtain the best possible initial conditions for cultivating the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art, raising the upper limit of this body-refining Dou Technique to the greatest extent.
Lin Yuan's expression turned solemn. His hands formed several complex seals as he forced out a drop of his own essence blood, containing the purest Dou Qi within his body. As the hand seals shifted, his essence blood wrapped around the three drops of essence blood tinged with purple. Soon after, the three drops slowly merged with Lin Yuan's natal essence blood.
Before long, Lin Yuan's and Ziyan's essence blood completely fused together. A flash of joy appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes as he swallowed the fused essence blood. He immediately circulated the Spirit Awakening chapter of the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art, directing the qi and blood power within his body toward the mixed essence blood, beginning the forging and nurturing of the qi and blood furnace.
Five days later.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged with his eyes gently closed, vast qi and blood surging from his body. Within him, a compact purple-red qi and blood furnace had already taken shape, rotating as though resonating with his heartbeat. Suddenly, Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open, a trace of purple light flashing through them. A powerful aura burst forth from his body, his presence carrying several layers of mysterious changes compared to a few days earlier.
"It's finally done! The Spirit Awakening stage is complete. My idea was correct—using qi and blood pills like the Blood Spirit Pill to enhance my qi and blood really can help nurture the qi and blood furnace."
"And I even broke through to Four-Star Dou King. That's an unexpected bonus."
"It's time to begin the Spirit Refinement stage. When Ziyan and I were searching for medicinal materials earlier, we killed quite a few Fifth-Rank magical beasts, and I also obtained some through transactions with the elders. This much essence blood is more than enough to complete the initial Spirit Refinement and Spirit Ascension stages. I'll start with the Snow Demon Sky Ape's essence blood!"
Lin Yuan took out a bottle of essence blood from his storage ring—it was essence blood extracted from the Snow Demon Sky Ape's body and swallowed it in one gulp.
The moment the essence blood entered his abdomen, Lin Yuan circulated the Spirit Refinement chapter of the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art. The qi and blood furnace immediately began rapidly refining the Snow Demon Sky Ape's essence blood.
The ancient dragon aura contained within the qi and blood furnace rendered the remaining traces of bloodline pressure in the essence blood utterly powerless to resist. Large amounts of bloodline essence were continuously extracted and refined, flowing ceaselessly through Lin Yuan's body. In cycles, his flesh was destroyed and repaired, and with every completed cycle, his physical body grew stronger by another measure.
Five days later.
While cultivating, Lin Yuan's hand seals shifted rapidly. The qi and blood furnace within his body spun at high speed, vast qi and blood energy pouring madly into it. At the same time, Lin Yuan swallowed the Blood Spirit Pill in his mouth, which swiftly replenished and enhanced his qi and blood.
More than ten minutes later—
"Natal Blood Pill, form!"
With Lin Yuan's low shout, within the qi and blood furnace, a smooth, rounded blood pill finally fully solidified and took shape—the embryonic form of the natal Blood Pill.
After another ten minutes, Lin Yuan withdrew his hand seals. Within his body, at the center of the qi and blood furnace, a crystal-clear blood pill tinged with pale red and purple hovered quietly, radiating immense energy.
It was precisely the embryonic Natal Blood Pill.
"After refining ten kinds of magical beast essence blood, the Spirit Refinement stage has indeed reached minor completion, and the first step of the Spirit Ascension stage has also been accomplished—the birth of the embryonic Blood Pill. Next, before the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art reaches great completion, I'll continuously temper this Blood Pill through repeated Spirit Refinement and Spirit Ascension."
Lin Yuan carefully sensed his current strength and nodded in satisfaction.
"Although cultivating the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art consumes an enormous amount of resources, it really is powerful. With this, I'll be able to deal with devouring Heavenly Flames far more calmly in the future."
"At present, relying solely on my physical body, I'm already comparable to an ordinary low-tier Dou King. My Dou Qi has also seen a considerable breakthrough thanks to digesting part of the power contained in the essence blood. After being refined by the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, it's now firmly stabilized at mid-stage Four-Star Dou King. If I were to face a high-tier Dou King head-on, I should be able to fight. I can't continue cultivating behind closed doors—it's time to go out."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan made his decision. He stood up, put away his Fire Crystal Card, and left the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Just as he returned to his small courtyard, Ziyan pounced over and grabbed Lin Yuan's arm.
"Brother Lin Yuan, you're finally back! I missed you so much! Look, I've missed you so much that I've even gotten thinner," Ziyan said eagerly, expressing her "longing" for Lin Yuan. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her words carrying an unmistakable implication.
"Did you miss me, or did you miss the food I make for you?" Lin Yuan said helplessly.
"Hehe, both! Both!" Ziyan shook Lin Yuan's left arm as she spoke coquettishly.
"There's really nothing I can do about you." Lin Yuan indulgently tapped Ziyan's small head with his finger. "I'm in a good mood today—so I'll make you a big feast!"
"Yay!" Ziyan was overjoyed when she heard this.
"But, Brother Lin Yuan, did something happen to you? Why do you seem to be giving off an aura that makes me feel really close to you?" Ziyan asked, somewhat puzzled.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan pondered for a moment and immediately understood. It was most likely because cultivating the Hundred Beasts Spirit-Refining Art using Ziyan's essence blood had caused him to be tainted with a trace of her ancient dragon aura. That homologous aura made Ziyan feel a sense of closeness.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Lin Yuan didn't explain much. Instead, he smiled lightly and asked Ziyan.
"It's great! Being together feels even more comfortable now," Ziyan replied without hesitation.
"That's good, then. Come on, let's go. I'll get things ready and make you a big meal!"
"Yay!"
Laughing and chatting, the two of them headed toward the kitchen.
----
For additional chapter's
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu