Chapter 15

Warm sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window, casting a mosaic of light spots that adorned the tidy room.

In the room, the young boy was naked, sitting cross-legged in a wooden basin, his hands forming a peculiar seal in front of him, eyes tightly closed, and breathing steady and powerful.

The wooden basin was filled with green liquid, which, when slightly swayed, reflected a peculiar glow, quite magical.

The boy's chest rose and fell gently, his breathing rhythmic. As the cultivation time extended, the green liquid in the basin gradually emitted a faint vapor, slightly green, slowly rising, and finally entering his body through his breath.

As the vapor entered his body, the boy's youthful face suddenly took on a lustrous glow like warm jade.

Seemingly sensing the increasing abundance of fighting qi within him, a faint smile of satisfaction appeared on the boy's face.

Tasting the sweetness, the boy did not stop there. His eyes remained tightly closed, the hand seal unchanged, and he focused his mind, maintaining the best state for cultivation, greedily absorbing the gentle energy from the green liquid.

The green liquid touched the boy's skin, seeping into his body through the pores, nurturing his bones and cleansing his meridians...

As the boy continued to take without end, more and more vapor rose from the basin, eventually almost obscuring his naked body.

Cultivation passed slowly in the intense and tireless practice, the sunlight streaming in through the window gradually weakening, and the heat slowly subsiding.

...

In the wooden basin, the boy with his eyes closed drew in the last wisp of vapor, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. After a moment, his dark eyes suddenly opened.

A white light flashed in his black pupils, but this time it was tinged with a faint green.

Slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, the boy's eyes sparkled, and he suddenly stood up, allowing the cool water to trickle down his body. He lazily stretched, feeling the abundant fighting qi in his body after three years, and murmured in a dazed manner, "At this rate, it might take only two more months to reach the fifth level of fighting qi..."

Since preparing everything last time, Xiao Yan had been holed up in his room for over half a month. During this time, except for eating, drinking, and other necessities, he almost lived a life of seclusion and cultivation.

Although the days of cultivation were somewhat monotonous, for Xiao Yan, who had endured three years of ridicule and disdain, it was a minor matter.

The ridicule he had endured for three years made him clearly understand how important strength was in this continent...

Despite the hardship, the results of his cultivation brought him great joy.

The spiritual liquid refined by Old Medicine had a potency far exceeding Xiao Yan's and even Old Medicine's expectations. Originally, it was thought that even with the help of the spiritual liquid, Xiao Yan would need at least a month to reach the fourth level of fighting qi, but unexpectedly, he managed to halve the time...

Even Old Medicine could not help but be surprised by Xiao Yan's cultivation efficiency. Although this was partly due to Xiao Yan's familiarity with the path, the speed was truly astonishing.

It is worth noting that the cultivation of fighting qi, especially at the foundational level, is particularly difficult. It is not uncommon for people to spend ten or even twenty years to reach the first ten levels of fighting qi. Of course, once one becomes a true fighter, the cultivation speed will greatly increase. Before becoming a fighter, it might take a year to advance one level of fighting qi, but after becoming a fighter, one might advance several stars in a year...

In this stark contrast, Xiao Yan's performance over the past half month was indeed remarkable.

...

Climbing out of the wooden basin without hesitation, Xiao Yan looked back at the green liquid, which had become lighter in color due to the energy being absorbed. He shook his head helplessly and muttered, "Can this support another month and a half of cultivation?"

Wiping the water off his body, Xiao Yan casually put on a clean set of clothes, then climbed onto the soft bed and pulled out the black iron plate from under the pillow.

The rust on the iron plate had been carefully cleaned by Xiao Yan, making it somewhat shiny and emitting a mysterious glow.

Over the past half month, besides focusing on cultivation, Xiao Yan had devoted all his attention to the low-level mystical martial technique on the iron plate.

With Old Medicine's guidance, Xiao Yan gradually mastered the essentials of the suction palm technique. However, due to the scarcity of fighting qi in his body, he had yet to see any substantial results, which was somewhat disappointing.

...

Holding the iron plate between his palms, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, and his soul perception smoothly entered the black iron plate through his arm.

As Xiao Yan's breathing steadied, the room became quiet again.

After a long period of silence, at a certain moment, Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly opened, his right hand slightly curled into a claw shape. The faint fighting qi in his body, controlled by his consciousness, quickly passed through several specific meridians and acupoints in his palm, and a suction force burst out.

"Bang..."

The vase on the table, pointed at by his hand, suddenly wobbled and then fell to the ground, shattering into pieces with a crisp sound.

"Ah, the martial technique is mystical, but the fighting qi is too weak, unable to exert much power," Xiao Yan pouted, looking at the damage he had caused, and sighed helplessly, "Judging by this effect, it would probably take at least the seventh level of fighting qi to generate enough suction to pull a person."

"Never mind, I'll go to the family martial technique hall and see if there are any suitable low-level martial techniques. This suction palm won't be of much use in the short term. Now that I can cultivate fighting qi, I can't just keep practicing like a fool..." Sighing, Xiao Yan got off the bed, glanced at the unresponsive black ring in his hand, and walked to the door, pushing it open.

Squinting his eyes, he adjusted to the somewhat intense sunlight, then carefully closed the door behind him and leisurely followed the gravel path to the backyard.

The gravel path was lined with emerald willows, their lush greenery invigorating the spirit.

Turning a corner, a burst of giggles came from another path.

The peaceful atmosphere was disturbed, and Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly as he followed the sound, looking at the group of giggling girls.

Among the beautiful girls, a particularly alluring girl was smiling demurely, her charming demeanor making the other young girls feel somewhat inferior.

This girl was Xiao Mei, who had made a big splash at the testing square that day.

Glancing indifferently at the beautiful girl who used to call him "cousin" incessantly, a hint of sarcasm flashed across Xiao Yan's young face, and he shook his head, withdrawing his gaze without any lingering.

Reaching the end of the path, Xiao Mei's alluring laughter suddenly weakened. She saw the boy not far to the left...

The sunset cast a warm glow on the boy, who was leaning back with his arm behind his head, his face calm and captivating.

Her eyes, which seemed to have a mesmerizing power, stared at the approaching boy, noticing the faint smile on his face, which was hard to describe as either mocking or gentle. Xiao Mei's mind suddenly became inexplicably dazed...

Three years ago, that boy often had this captivating smile on his lips.