Before Mo Ba Si's horrified gaze, Dou Qi surged at Lin Yuan's right fingertip. Vast energy was compressed at an almost abnormal speed, condensing into a tiny cyan flame bullet.
With a light flick of his finger, the cyan light projectile struck Mo Ba Si squarely in the chest without the slightest deviation. Instantly, a searing fire energy—like a slumbering volcano abruptly awakened—erupted violently near Mo Ba Si's heart. The impact of energy and the scorching gale intertwined into an explosive force that directly inflicted a grievous blow upon him.
With his heart struck heavily, Mo Ba Si spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was blasted backward dozens of meters by the tremendous force before crashing heavily to the ground, his aura faint and his condition extremely weak.
Lin Yuan looked at his strike and nodded inwardly. 'Compression and eruption. The properties bestowed upon Dou Qi by the Green Lotus Core Flame are indeed useful. It seems this period of cultivation has largely borne fruit.'
Among the Heavenly Flames, each possessed wondrous traits of its own. The Fallen Heart Flame refined the soul; the Bone Chilling Flame was incomparably cold; the Ghostly Poison Flame was lethally toxic.
As for the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth among the Heavenly Flames, it likewise possessed its unique characteristic—the extreme compression of energy and its instantaneous eruption. Born from the earthfire of magma seas and condensed over a thousand years, it was naturally endowed with the properties of compression and explosion.
After refining the Green Lotus Core Flame, Lin Yuan's cyan-flame Dou Qi inherited this trait as well, excelling in both energy compression and burst. The most direct result was that Lin Yuan could compress and condense more refined energy in a shorter time, allowing him to unleash Dou Techniques faster and with greater power.
During this period, Lin Yuan had been continuously exploring and mastering the properties granted by the Green Lotus Core Flame, integrating them into his combat methods. The strike that had just heavily injured Mo Ba Si was a small achievement of that cultivation.
At this point, the outcome between Lin Yuan and Mo Ba Si was decided with an absolute disparity.
The remaining commanders exchanged glances, a tacit understanding forming in their hearts. On the Dou Qi Continent, no matter one's intentions, strength was the hardest truth. Clearly, the gap between them and the other party was far too great, leaving them no choice but to submit.
Yue Mei was the first to bow and clasp her hands toward Lin Yuan. The others followed suit, bowing one after another.
"Yue Mei pays her respects to Elder Alchemist."
"Yan Ci pays his respects to Elder Alchemist."
"Yin Shi pays his respects to Elder Alchemist."
Lin Yuan's clear gaze fell upon Mo Ba Si, who was struggling to rise. After standing up, Mo Ba Si bent his body and clasped his hands in a bow.
"Mo Ba Si pays his respects to Elder Alchemist."
"Very good. You're all quite sensible. It seems I'll have much less to worry about in the future," Lin Yuan said, nodding in satisfaction at the compliant crowd before him.
He then tossed a healing pill into Mo Ba Si's hand. "Go heal yourself. With injuries of this level, after taking the pill, you'll recover within half a day."
Mo Ba Si immediately swallowed the pill. "Thank you, Elder Alchemist."
The four great elders exchanged glances, satisfaction evident in their eyes.
"Balancing grace and authority, this man's joining the Snake-People is clearly not a momentary whim. This Elder Alchemist may truly be an opportunity for the Snake-People."
Qing Lin, who had been watching her young master the entire time, also gained a deeper understanding. So this was her young master's style when dealing with outsiders. She still had much to learn.
Medusa Queen, having observed the entire battle at close range, revealed a trace of indescribable emotion deep within her eyes.
"In such a short time, he's grown stronger again."
She could clearly sense that the opponent who had once fought her had improved—not in cultivation level, but in control over power, the smoothness of his movement techniques, and various other details of actual combat.
"What have I been doing all these years? Have I truly been wasting my time? Evolution… evolution…"
Medusa Queen cast Lin Yuan a deep look. The key to her evolution was right before her eyes. It seemed the opportunities for interaction between the two would be far more frequent and far deeper, than she had imagined.
Several days later, at a training ground near the divine hall.
Qing Lin, whose cultivation had reached Seven-Star Dou Practitioner, was fighting a Snake-Person with Eight-Star Dou Practitioner cultivation.
"Bang!"
After a clash, the two figures crossed. The Eight-Star Dou Practitioner Snake-Person lunged forward and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
"Next," Qing Lin said calmly.
The Azure Sky Profound Art she cultivated was a high-tier Earth-class technique, allowing her Dou Qi to recover extremely quickly. The consumption of Dou Practitioner–level battles was simply negligible to her. Since her young master had deliberately arranged these opportunities for her to accumulate real combat experience, she could not afford to waste them.
"I'll go." A female Eight-Star Dou Practitioner Snake-Person wielding dual blades stepped onto the training ground.
"Please," Qing Lin said, forming a seal with her left hand while holding a sword in her right, its blade pointed at her opponent.
As their gazes met, a surge of verdant Dou Qi erupted beneath Qing Lin's feet, propelling her forward at extreme speed. A new battle began.
On a rooftop in the distance, Lin Yuan stood quietly, his soul perception constantly focused on Qing Lin. Watching her combat movements grow increasingly refined, a gratified smile appeared on his face.
"Bringing Qing Lin to the Snake-People Empire to hone her combat skills was indeed the right decision."
This was also one of the reasons Lin Yuan had brought Qing Lin here. In Lin Yuan's view, merely cultivating and increasing one's Dou Qi could never produce a true powerhouse. Qing Lin had already reached the stage where she needed to learn how to fight head-on and explore a combat style that truly suited her. He had chosen to let her complete this step within the Snake-People Sacred City.
In the Sacred City, with Lin Yuan's authority as the Alchemist Elder, he could arrange a large number of suitable opponents for Qing Lin to spar with, greatly increasing her real combat experience against various types of enemies. Through this large volume of battles, Lin Yuan could clearly identify Qing Lin's strengths and shortcomings, allowing him to prepare for future guidance.
At the same time, Lin Yuan had another purpose: to nurture Qing Lin's sharpness through continuous battles and victories, gradually shaving away the unconscious timidity and inferiority embedded in her character due to her difficult childhood.
"You look quite pleased. Is it because of that little girl with half Snake-People blood? Is she really just your maid?" A voice sounded as a bewitching figure appeared beside Lin Yuan.
Recalling the reports she had received, Medusa felt somewhat puzzled.
A few days ago, after Lin Yuan became an elder, the first thing he did was gather a large group of Snake-People at the Dou Practitioner and Dou Master stages, forming a sparring group specifically to train with that little maid of his.
"It's Her Majesty," Lin Yuan said, turning toward Medusa Queen with a light smile. "Of course I'm pleased. The seed I planted is sprouting—how could that not be something to rejoice over? Don't underestimate her. It might not be long before she surpasses Your Majesty."
"Is that so?" Medusa Queen was somewhat unconvinced and took it as a joke. That girl did have exceptional talent, but a Snake-People hybrid who hadn't even reached Dou Master surpassing her, the Queen of the Snake-People, would require an extremely long time, even if it were possible at all.
Seeing Medusa Queen's indifferent expression, Lin Yuan did not pursue the topic further. The current Medusa Queen was a typical case of someone who had fought too many low-level battles in the Northwestern Continent, her horizons already constrained.
"By the way, Your Majesty, have the messages been released?" Lin Yuan asked about another matter he had previously discussed with her.
At the mention of this, Medusa Queen's expression grew more serious. "As you planned, I released some information. But are you certain Gu He will take the bait? At the current rate of dissemination, it will take quite some time for the news to reach his ears."
A cunning look appeared on Lin Yuan's face as he chuckled softly. "No need to worry. This is perfect. Besides the desert, I also have arrangements in the Imperial Capital. I have a very good chess piece there—ah, no, a helper. He will help me pass the information to Gu He in the most appropriate way. Once Gu He sends people to the desert to investigate, these pieces of information will become useful."
"Would he really dare come deep into the desert?" Medusa Queen asked doubtfully. For humans, coming here was fraught with mortal danger and she herself was no benevolent figure.
"Heh, of course. As an alchemist, no one understands the allure of a Heavenly Flame to alchemists better than I do. For this reason, I even left some bait in that underground cavern."
"Now, all we need to do is wait patiently—wait for the prey to bring a gift box to our doorstep on its own. A Sixth-Grade alchemist who has made a name for himself and operated in the Northwestern Continent for many years is sure to have a very rich collection. I doubt he'll disappoint us."
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