Platform. Seeing Xiao Ling about to leave, Zi Yan followed him with brisk steps.
Watching the two men turn and leave, Qing Lin whistled into the lava lake. Suddenly, the green light on the two-headed fire snake's forehead swelled dramatically. In an instant, its massive body rapidly shrank, transforming into a streak of green light that shot into Qing Lin's sleeve.
A small hand curiously tapped the cuff of his sleeve. A faint smile crossed Qing Lin's face, and he whispered, "Don't mess around, or the young master will be angry, and I'll throw you away."
"Hiss..." The subtle hiss was tinged with a hint of pain, perhaps expressing the fire snake's displeasure at its master's discrimination.
"Hehe," he chuckled softly, covering his mouth with his hands. Qing Lin, hands clasped behind her back, bounded after Xiao Ling and the others ahead. The three of them gradually disappeared into the darkness of the passage.
As the three of them gradually retreated into the distance, the vast magma cavern fell into eternal tranquility once again...
...
Mocheng.
After retrieving the Azure Lotus Core Fire from the subterranean magma world, Xiao Ling and the others returned to Mocheng.
As the sun gradually set, the desert sky gradually gave way to darkness, and a riot of stars began to punctuate the sky, evoking the tranquility and mystery of the Tagor Desert at night.
Walking through the streets of Mocheng, Xiao Ling was shopping with his two daughters.
Although it was night, the streets of Mocheng were bustling with people, mostly locals, with a few guards patrolling the city to maintain order. From time to time, mercenaries could be seen sitting on the ground on either side of the street, hawking their day's catch.
The shops were filled with a dazzling array of goods, and strings of fluorite hung in front of their doors, their colorful lights gleaming and dazzling.
Although it was only a border town of the Gama Empire, the bustling atmosphere piqued Xiao Ling's interest.
After selecting a few trinkets from various shops, Xiao Ling joined Qinglin and Ziyan in enjoying some street-side candied haws.
They arrived at a shop selling medicinal herbs and stumbled upon a bargain, purchasing a herb that could be used to refine a sixth-grade elixir for the price of a second-grade herb. While the herb itself wasn't much to Xiao Ling
, the low price still gave him the feeling of having found a treasure.
As night fell, Xiao Ling took Ziyan and Qinglin back to Haibodong's shop.
The shop's lobby was adorned with several white moonstones, emitting a soft glow that dispelled the darkness.
The three of them sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing.
As time passed, their energy waned, as the fatigue from the days of constant travel gradually crept into their bodies.
Especially Qing Lin, who had just started practicing, yawned intermittently, looking as if he was about to fall asleep.
Seeing this, Xiao Ling said with a hint of amusement, "It's getting late. Let's all go back to our rooms and rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll depart for the Imperial Capital. We still have some unresolved matters there. I'll have to retreat for quite a while. I plan to harness the energy of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire to achieve a Dou Huang breakthrough."
Hearing this, Zi Yan felt a strange emotion. When she first met Xiao Ling, he was just over ten years old and barely a Grand Dou Master. Now, just five years later, Xiao Ling was on the verge of a Dou Huang breakthrough and a peak-level sixth-grade alchemist, while she herself was still at Dou Wang. Still, Zi Yan was genuinely happy for Xiao Ling's rapid improvement.
"Hehe, it seems I'll have to eat more medicinal herbs from now on. I can't let that Xiao Ling get too far behind!" Zi Yan playfully clenched her fists, muttering to herself with inner satisfaction.
"Young Master, didn't you say before that we needed to go to that Qingshan Town?" Qinglin yawned, rubbing her eyes. Even though she possessed the Green Snake Triple Flower Pupil and possessed a spiritual power superior to that of an ordinary person, her cultivation was still relatively rudimentary, and she was already drowsy.
Rubbing Qinglin's head, Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Qingshan Town is on our way back to the Imperial Capital. We can stop by when we get there. You look like you're about to fall asleep, so go get some rest."
After saying goodnight, the three of them returned to their respective rooms.
Sitting on the bed, Xiao Ling took out the lotus platform and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire, holding them in his hands.
Gazing at the cyan lotus-like flame, Xiao Ling's eyes were filled with fervor. With the help of this strange fire, and using the Burning Technique to devour it, Xiao Ling believed he would soon be able to directly break through to the Dou Huang realm. A fifteen-year-old Dou Huang, even among the Eight Ancient Clans, would be unmatched without activating his Dou Emperor bloodline.
This aspect also illustrates the unique nature of the "Burning Technique." As long as there's enough flame to consume, improving cultivation is a piece of cake.
Originally, Xiao Ling had intended to refine the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire directly. However, after careful consideration, to maximize the effectiveness of this strange fire, Xiao Ling decided to use the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds and Douling Pills to first raise his cultivation to the High-level Dou Wang level. Then, he could consume the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire. Even if he didn't reach the High-level Dou Huang level, raising his cultivation to a four- or five-star Dou Huang level shouldn't be a problem. After all, unlike the one used by Queen Medusa in the original novel, this strange fire was still at its peak.
Furthermore, Xiao Ling had recently consumed a Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Seed to improve his cultivation, and it needed time to settle. With the help of the system's storage, the inconvenience of storing the strange fire in his ring was resolved. He could consume the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire whenever he pleased.
With this in mind, Xiao Ling removed the eleven Earth Fire Lotus Seeds from the lotus platform and stored the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire separately in the system's space.
Xiao Ling released his grip on the lotus stem, and it floated in mid-air. It immediately began to spin slowly, emitting a burst of green light in all directions.
Looking at this perfect green lotus seat that looked like a work of art, Xiao Ling's eyes flashed with excitement. With a wave of his hand, he lowered the seat a little, then leaped up and sat cross-legged on the lotus platform.
The weight of Xiao Ling's body caused the lotus platform to drop rapidly, but finally, when it reached the same height as the bed, it slowly stopped.
While sitting on the lotus platform, before he even started practicing his skills, the fire-attributed Dou Qi in Xiao Ling's body became active, running at a speed more than half faster than usual.
(End of this chapter)