Chapter 65

After obtaining the Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Yan did not immediately choose to take it. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the overwhelming eagerness in his heart, and forced himself to climb onto the bed to rest.

Xiao Yan was very clear that with his current state, the probability of failing to break through to the Fighter rank would be over seventy percent. Although the Qi Gathering Powder was not difficult for the Old Medicine Master to refine, Xiao Yan did not want to take such an unnecessary risk.

Seeing that Xiao Yan could actually resist the temptation to immediately break through to the Fighter rank, the Old Medicine Master nodded in satisfaction. A look of relief appeared on his old face, and his body flickered, transforming into a ray of light that entered the ring.

...

After the successful refinement of the Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Yan's cultivation began to proceed without haste. Every day, he would cultivate the Combat Qi for an hour on time, then go to the back mountain to practice combat techniques. When he had some free time, he would even accompany Xun Er to leisurely stroll around the U坦 City, living a life of utmost comfort.

After such a relaxed period of five days, Xiao Yan finally adjusted his state to its peak. This was the best moment for him to break through to the Fighter rank.

...

At the foot of a hidden cliff in the Xiao family's back mountain, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in a cave that was only a little over a meter wide. This cliff was a carefully selected cultivation site. On the other side of the cliff, clouds and mist swirled, hiding the perilous Magic Beast Mountain Range. Below the cliff was an abyss that could not be seen to the bottom. The only path leading to this place had already been covered with branches and broken stones, so Xiao Yan was confident that his breakthrough would not be interrupted.

He took a slow breath, pulled out a jade bottle from his chest, and tilted the bottle mouth slightly. A pill with alternating blue and green colors rolled out.

Looking at the Qi Gathering Powder with a smooth and glossy surface, Xiao Yan smiled slightly. He sniffed the refreshing fragrance once again, licked his lips, and without any hesitation, swallowed it.

As soon as the Qi Gathering Powder entered his mouth, a faint coolness spread. After a moment, a warm and pure energy directly rushed into his body, causing Xiao Yan's body to tremble suddenly.

With a calm face, Xiao Yan quickly formed the hand seals to absorb Combat Qi. His breathing gradually became steady, and the faint Combat Qi in his body responded to his will, quickly entangling the powerful and pure medicinal energy, and began to refine it crazily.

In the small cave, the calm air suddenly began to ripple. Strands of pale white Combat Qi seeped out from the air and continuously drilled into Xiao Yan's body.

Biting his lips, the collision of the two energies in his body caused Xiao Yan's meridians to continuously ache. However, fortunately, his meridians were much tougher than those of ordinary people, so although he felt pain, it had not yet caused significant damage.

Inside his body, the Combat Qi enveloped clumps of green pure energy. As the refinement continued, the green energy was continuously assimilated into pale white Combat Qi. With the support of this additional energy, the scale of the Combat Qi in Xiao Yan's body was visibly expanding at a rapid pace.

Although the pure medicinal energy was continuously being refined, it seemed to be inexhaustible. Every time the Combat Qi refined a clump of medicinal energy, a larger clump of green energy would rush over.

With the continuous refinement inside his body and the continuous injection of Combat Qi from outside, the Combat Qi in Xiao Yan's body had gradually filled most of his meridians.

The refinement continued. When the subsequent power of the pure medicinal energy began to weaken, Xiao Yan suddenly realized, immersed in the rapid increase of strength, that the Combat Qi in his body had expanded to a critical point where it could no longer increase.

The expansion of the Combat Qi directly caused Xiao Yan's meridians to twitch, and intense pain made the corners of his mouth crack.

"Quick, form the Combat Qi vortex! Otherwise, it will burst!" The Old Medicine Master's voice, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded in Xiao Yan's heart.

Taking a deep breath of cool air, Xiao Yan's hand seals suddenly changed. His thumb and index finger touched, and his middle fingers touched each other, forming a strange hand seal.

Xiao Yan had once walked this path before, so using it again was as smooth as ever, without any stiffness.

As Xiao Yan's hand seals changed, the surging Combat Qi in his body, as if affected by a powerful suction, rapidly contracted towards the lower abdomen.

The pale white Combat Qi in the meridians throughout his body began to retreat in unison. When all the Combat Qi had retreated to the lower abdomen, the pale white Combat Qi had already turned milky white.

"Quick, compress the Combat Qi! Use your soul perception to compress it. If you fail to form the Combat Qi vortex, you will fall back to the eighth level of Combat Qi!" The Old Medicine Master's voice rang out in Xiao Yan's heart at the right moment.

Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan focused his mind, and his outstanding soul perception instantly gained control over the Combat Qi in his body. Then, he began to compress it crazily...

Driven by his soul perception, the milky white Combat Qi began to resist, constantly churning violently.

Although the resistance was not weak, Xiao Yan's soul perception had once amazed even the Old Medicine Master. Therefore, the resistance of the Combat Qi was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. After a brief stalemate, it began to reluctantly contract.

When the Combat Qi contracted to the size of a palm, it stopped moving.

"Compress again!" the Old Medicine Master shouted.

Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, and the soul perception surrounding the milky white Combat Qi suddenly reached its maximum, then fiercely compressed it down!

"Boom!"

A faint muffled sound quietly echoed inside his body...

With the muffled sound, the intense resistance that had exhausted Xiao Yan suddenly dissipated.

Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, Xiao Yan fell back, his body drained of strength, his chest heaving violently.

Lying in the cool cave, Xiao Yan sensed the abundant energy that had been absent for four years, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. After a moment, the smile gradually widened, eventually turning into a light laugh, a loud laugh, and finally a wild laugh...