Within the valley, Qing Lin propped up her delicate chin with her hands as she gazed toward Lin Yuan, who was maintaining a cultivation posture on the hillside.
Ever since Lin Yuan had consumed the Dou Ling Pill, he had remained in this state for a full day and night. Throughout this entire period, his figure had not moved in the slightest. Only the energy that continuously converged toward the mountaintop would occasionally emit low, whistling sounds.
Just as Qing Lin was about to shift her gaze back to the book in her hands—
Suddenly, the massive energy vortex surrounding Lin Yuan trembled lightly a few times before slowly dispersing, returning the mountaintop to calm.
Not long after the energy vortex dissipated, Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. The hand seals he had formed during cultivation also scattered away. He rose to his feet, and an aura as deep and steady as an abyss, as imposing as a towering mountain, unintentionally spread outward.
Lin Yuan extended his hand and clenched it lightly before him. Surging Dou Qi coursed through his body, gradually merging into every part of his flesh. In his deep, unfathomable eyes, a sharp and piercing glint abruptly emerged. At the same time, his aura began to soar rapidly, climbing to the peak of Eight-Star Dou King. Then, an invisible barrier quietly appeared, causing the rising momentum to slow.
Lin Yuan's eyes hardened as his Dou Qi surged violently, slamming into that invisible boundary.
"Break for me!"
With a fierce shout, it was as if an invisible membrane shattered. Lin Yuan's previously slowed aura shot upward once more, like a knife through bamboo, blasting through the boundary of the Nine-Star Dou King realm and continuing to rise until it finally stopped at the mid stage of Nine-Star Dou King.
"Nine-Star Dou King—exhilarating!" Lin Yuan laughed loudly, freely releasing his powerful aura. The ripples of Dou Qi even dispersed some of the surrounding mist.
After indulging himself for a long-overdue moment, Lin Yuan withdrew his aura. Like sinking back into a deep abyss, he once again became the ordinary-looking Lin Yuan.
Taking a single step forward, Lin Yuan's figure vanished from where he stood, appearing dozens of meters ahead as if he had teleported. With just a few steps, he reached the foot of the mountain.
Seeing this, Qing Lin jogged over, revealing a bright, cheerful smile.
"Congratulations, Young Master!"
"Mhm. You did very well too, Qing'er. Not only did you protect me during my breakthrough, you even advanced your own cultivation by one star."
Indeed, Qing Lin—who had been only a Four-Star Dou Practitioner three days ago—was now a Five-Star Dou Practitioner. Her rate of improvement could only be described as terrifying.
"Hehe! It's all because Young Master taught me well."
"For the next period of time, I'll be staying here in the valley to study Dou Techniques. I can guide your cultivation here as well, and teach you some other things along the way."
Over the following days, Lin Yuan cultivated together with Qing Lin in the valley. He formulated a detailed cultivation plan for her and refined various pills—among them foundational and vitality-strengthening pills such as the Body-Tempering Pill, which used Core Quenching Body-Tempering Milk as the main ingredient, as well as several pills that accelerated cultivation.
In addition, most of his energy was devoted to studying the Earth-Class High-Tier Dou Technique he had obtained from Yao Lao—the Three Lights Seal Art.
The Three Lights Seal Art was divided into three forms: Sun Radiance Seal, Moonlight Seal, and Starry Sky Seal. This set of seals brought the defining trait of Earth-Class Dou Techniques—drawing upon the power of heaven and earth to the extreme. The Sun Radiance Seal borrowed the power of the blazing sun, the Moonlight Seal drew upon the brilliance of moonlight, and the Starry Sky Seal harnessed the essence of starlight.
Not only were these three seals extremely powerful in their own right, but they could also receive massive boosts when executed beneath the sun, the moon, or the starry sky respectively.
Once these three forms were fully mastered, one could attempt to cultivate the ultimate killing move—the Sun, Moon, and Stars Three Lights God-Extinguishing Seal. This ultimate move was the true essence of the technique. If its full might could be unleashed, it would possess destructive power that directly approached the absolute limit of Earth-Class Dou Techniques.
The power of the Three Lights Seal Art was terrifying, and correspondingly, its Dou Qi consumption was enormous. By Lin Yuan's estimation, even at Nine-Star Dou King and with an Earth-Class High-Tier cultivation technique, he would still be unable to use it many times. As for the ultimate killing move—the Sun, Moon, and Stars Three Lights God-Extinguishing Seal—it would be utterly impossible to execute before reaching Dou Emperor or even Dou Ancestor.
Lin Yuan did not rush to cultivate the Three Lights Seal Art. Instead, he carefully studied the secrets behind how this set of seals drew upon the power of heaven and earth, using it as inspiration to improve his self-created Mountain and River Seal toward the Earth-Class. His earlier Mountain and River Seal had already brushed against the threshold of an Earth-Class Dou Technique. With just the final push, it could formally step into the Earth-Class. Moreover, true to Lin Yuan's consistent pursuit of effective killing power, its destructive capability within a small area was no weaker than many Earth-Class Dou Techniques.
For Lin Yuan, compared to the Three Lights Seal Art—whose ultimate move he could not yet use, improving the Mountain and River Seal into an Earth-Class technique that better suited his own combat style would bring a greater boost to his strength. He was confident that once the improvement was complete, the Mountain and River Seal's small-area lethality would surpass that of most Earth-Class Dou Techniques.
Ten days later.
"Heavenly Fire Tribulation—Mountain and River Seal!"
With a light shout from Lin Yuan, a cyan-and-crimson seal formed in midair. The surrounding Heaven and Earth energy surged relentlessly toward it, an incomparably vast amount of power gathering within. The space around the seal itself began to fluctuate, producing faint ripples.
"It's finally done."
Looking at the seal before him, a smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face. Yet deep within his eyes there was an aloof vastness, utterly devoid of emotional fluctuation. Having entered a state of Void clarity, he was capturing this moment of inspiration, rapidly engraving it into his mind.
"Disperse."
With a low murmur, the cyan-and-crimson seal slowly vanished into nothingness. The lofty profundity in Lin Yuan's eyes quickly receded, his gaze gradually returning to normal. Immediately after, a heavy sense of exhaustion that rose from the depths of his soul swept over him.
"Entering a state of void clarity to deduce Dou Techniques is indeed highly efficient, but the consumption of mental energy is terrifying—especially this time, when I pushed it to the limit." Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged, took out some Calming Incense and lit it, then gently pressed his fingers against his forehead, as if trying to dispel the mental fatigue.
"Fortunately, it's finally completed. From now on, the Mountain and River Seal is an Earth-Class Dou Technique. All that effort wasn't wasted, its might didn't disappoint me." Thinking of the killing power of the Mountain and River Seal after advancing to the Earth-Class, a bit more of a smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
"With this experience, I should be much faster when deducing other Earth-Class Dou Techniques in the future."
As he was thinking, two soft, delicate hands reached out from behind and rested on both sides of Lin Yuan's temples, then began to press gently. The strength was just right, and the tender touch seemed to dispel much of the fatigue weighing on his mind.
"Young Master, you look very tired. Let me massage you for a while. Sister Little Fairy Doctor taught me some massage techniques. When I was tired before, Sister Little Fairy Doctor helped me massage, and it was very effective, so I asked her to teach me," Qing Lin whispered beside Lin Yuan's ear.
"Mhm, then I'll trouble you."
"Qing'er is Young Master's maid. This is what I should do." To Qing Lin, being Lin Yuan's personal maid was more important than any other role, something she genuinely identified with, and her tone carried a touch of cheerfulness.
"…Alright." Lin Yuan gave up on correcting her. This girl had an inexplicable persistence when it came to her identity as his little maid.
Without continuing the conversation, Lin Yuan tilted his head back, gently leaning against Qing Lin as he closed his eyes. Accompanied by her perfectly timed massage, he finally fell into a long-overdue sleep. Seeing this, Qing Lin reduced the strength of her movements and continued to massage gently, over and over again.
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