30: Chapter 30 Xiao Yan Starts Living Off His Mistress

After a hearty battle, Ling Yuan gifted Medusa those so-called "a few" good things.

Medusa's face was still slightly flushed, and her eyes held a hint of resentment.

She had finally come to understand just how improper Ling Yuan could be.

Ling Yuan leaned against the headboard, feeling refreshed and acting like a lord. He deliberately put on a stern face and scolded: "How bold! Is this the expression you, as a maid, should be showing?"

Medusa shot Ling Yuan a beautiful eye-roll before going to bathe.

These two intimate encounters had made Medusa open up quite a bit; she was no longer as cautious and timid as before.

Perhaps she realized from Ling Yuan's strength that this man was still very interested in her.

He wouldn't truly make things difficult for her over trivial matters, which was why she dared to be so bold, even daring to roll her eyes at Ling Yuan.

When Medusa returned, Ling Yuan said: "Adjust your state of mind; we will begin the evolution in three days."

There wasn't much to prepare, just some ice spirit cold spring. Ling Yuan had as much as he wanted and had already prepared it perfectly for her.

The main thing was that Medusa needed to adjust her mindset.

If her state of mind was unstable or she was too nervous, the success rate of the evolution would be greatly reduced, even with plenty of auxiliary materials.

After saying this, Ling Yuan also went to cultivate.

While the gentle embrace was indeed comfortable and could make one drown in it, Ling Yuan never forgot that a huge threat still hung over the Ling Clan—the Hun Clan.

Hun Tiandi was a complete overlord with immense ambition and ruthless methods. Even if Zhu Kun were released later to keep him in check, Ling Yuan could not guarantee that he hadn't left behind any contingencies, so he dared not slack off in the slightest.

Every extra day of hard cultivation and every bit of increased strength now meant an extra chance of winning when facing the Hun Clan in the future, and more confidence to protect himself and those around him.

Arriving at the secret chamber, which was not large, the surrounding stone walls were smooth and isolated all noise from the outside world.

He closed the door behind him and, after confirming no one would disturb him, raised his hand to release his clone from his storage ring.

After the clone landed, it still had that common face and a tall, upright figure. Without needing Ling Yuan's instructions, it consciously walked to the cushion in the corner of the secret chamber and sat cross-legged.

Ling Yuan casually tossed a few bottles of pills over and ordered: "Take these resources and cultivate well; don't hold me back."

The clone nodded slightly, took the resources, immediately closed its eyes, and began to circulate its cultivation technique to refine them.

Ling Yuan, meanwhile, took out the remaining soul origin he had looted from the Hall of Souls.

He had used a small portion when he broke through to the Spirit Realm soul, but there was still plenty left.

With a thought, Ling Yuan took out an ancient-looking ring from his storage ring and injected a trace of Dou Qi with his fingertip. The ring flashed, and a phantom figure slowly emerged—it was Yao Chen.

"Yao Chen, this is to help you recover your soul. I have already tested it for you; there is no harm, so you can refine it with peace of mind."

Seeing Yao Chen in such a weak state, Ling Yuan was uncharacteristically generous for once. With a flick of his finger, he divided half of the soul origin in his hand and sent it floating in front of Yao Chen.

He secretly calculated that Yao Chen would be working for him in the future, and this guy had the potential to break through to a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, making him a rare talent.

Reluctantly sharing some soul origin with him wasn't a loss; it would bring him more benefits in the future.

Yao Chen treated it like a treasure and even truly believed that Ling Yuan was worried about him having an accident and had tested it to ensure it was safe before giving it to him.

A wave of gratitude instantly welled up in his heart.

"This subordinate thanks the Young Clan Leader!"

Although this soul origin wasn't much, it was enough to sustain Yao Chen's soul for a long time.

"No need for such formalities. When we return to the clan, I will give you more medicinal materials to repair your soul, and in the future, we will begin preparing for your resurrection."

Ling Yuan did not forget to dangle a carrot in front of Yao Chen to harvest his loyalty.

Yao Chen knelt down immediately: "Thank you, Young Clan Leader! From now on, this subordinate will serve the Young Clan Leader with utmost devotion until death and will never betray you!"

Looking at him like this, a faint, imperceptible smile curled the corners of Ling Yuan's mouth, and a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes—the carrot had been dangled successfully.

After some time, he would casually kill Han Feng to take revenge, and this Yao Chen would absolutely never betray him.

He waved his hand: "Get up, hurry back and refine the soul origin, recover your strength early, and you can help me with things."

Yao Chen hurriedly stood up, bowed to Ling Yuan again, and then turned into a stream of light, diving into that ancient ring to focus on refining the soul origin.

Ling Yuan raised his hand and cast a stream of Dou Qi at the ring, placing a seal on it.

After finishing all this, Ling Yuan sat cross-legged but did not immediately refine the remaining soul origin.

First, even if he refined the rest, it wouldn't be enough for him to break through to the middle stage of the Spirit Realm. Rather than wasting it, it was better to save it for later use.

Second, he was afraid that if his soul improved too quickly, there would be side effects that would instead affect subsequent cultivation.

Ling Yuan put away the soul origin, closed his eyes, began to circulate his cultivation technique, and focused on cultivating Dou Qi.

He planned to first stabilize his own Dou Qi realm and wait until he returned to the Ling Clan to ask his father for advice.

A Six-Star Dou Sheng consultant; it would be a waste not to ask.

Improving the soul was very difficult for others, but for Ling Yuan, it was not a difficult task.

Not to mention that he could always go and loot more soul origin from the Hall of Souls, the Ling Clan itself was wealthy and had a deep foundation, with plenty of medicinal materials and pills within the clan to enhance the soul.

Moreover, in his memory, the Ling Clan also had a heritage treasure land specifically for enhancing the soul. Entering it to cultivate could quickly improve one's soul realm.

It wasn't just the Ling Clan that had such treasure lands; all the major Dou Di Clans basically had their own heritage treasure lands, it was just that each clan's treasure land had a different focus.

The Ling Clan's treasure land focused on enhancing the soul; the Shi Clan's treasure land focused on tempering the body, making the clansmen's bodies indestructible; the Medicine Clan's treasure land was conducive to comprehending the Alchemist path and enhancing alchemy talent; the Yan Clan's treasure land had exceptionally rich Fire-attribute Dou Qi, suitable for the Yan Clan's descendants to cultivate; and the Lei Clan's treasure land was the Demon Lightning Pool...

These Dou Di Clans were able to stand tall on the Fighting Qi Continent and be passed down for thousands of years, not only because of their Dou Di Bloodline, but also because of these foundations.

...

Relying on the support of his clone and sufficient cultivation resources, Ling Yuan was effectively cheating with double the cultivation speed, and his Dou Qi was increasing rapidly.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Wutan City, in the courtyard of the Xiao Family residence, Xiao Yan sat on the stone steps with a face full of sorrow, resting his chin on his hands, his brows tightly furrowed, his mind filled with the coming-of-age ceremony a few months away.

The Xiao Family had a clear rule: when a clan descendant reached the coming-of-age ceremony, they must have reached the eighth stage of Dou Zhi Qi. If they failed to reach it, they would be assigned to the clan's shops to manage business and would never have the opportunity to focus on cultivation again.

Xiao Yan knew clearly that his father, Xiao Zhan, was the current Clan Leader of the Xiao Family. Given Xiao Zhan's status, even if he didn't reach the eighth stage of Dou Zhi Qi, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make an exception and allow him to stay in the clan to continue cultivating.

But he was unwilling to accept that.

Previously, his cultivation had stagnated for many years, remaining at the third stage of Dou Zhi Qi, which led to him being mocked by people in the clan and caused Xiao Zhan to lose a lot of face.

Now that he had finally recovered his cultivation, if he still couldn't meet the requirements at the coming-of-age ceremony, even if Xiao Zhan made an exception to protect him, he would inevitably be pointed at by others and cause his father to lose face once again.

But reality was cruel. He had only just recovered his cultivation not long ago and was still stuck at the third stage of Dou Zhi Qi. There was still a full gap of five stages to reach the eighth stage of Dou Zhi Qi.

Wanting to break through these five stages in just a few short months was simply a fantasy; it was completely unrealistic.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you worried about the coming-of-age ceremony in a few months?"

A crisp, soft voice suddenly rang out. Gu Xun'er jumped out, wearing a light purple dress, with a sweet smile on her face.

Xiao Yan raised his head, and seeing Gu Xun'er, the sorrow on his face faded slightly.

He nodded, not hiding his thoughts, and with a hint of bitterness in his tone, he sighed again:

"Yeah, the coming-of-age ceremony is in a few months, and I'm only at the third stage of Dou Zhi Qi. I can't reach the eighth stage at all. I'm afraid I'll make Father lose face again this time..."

"Brother Xiao Yan, don't worry. I have a type of pill here that can help you quickly reach the eighth stage of Dou Zhi Qi, so you don't have to worry about the coming-of-age ceremony anymore."

As she spoke, she extended the hand she had been holding behind her back. In her palm rested a small, exquisite jade bottle. The bottle was engraved with simple patterns, and a faint medicinal fragrance could be vaguely smelled.

"Ta-da! This is a Foundation Establishment Pill. Unlike ordinary pills, it is specifically used to assist those in the Dou Zhi Qi stage to break through realms. It can quickly stabilize the foundation and enhance Dou Zhi Qi, which is just right for you."

Gu Xun'er shook the jade bottle in her hand, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

Yao Chen had been abducted by Ling Yuan, and the Foundation Establishment Elixir was gone, but unfortunately for him, Xiao Yan still had Gu Xun'er by his side.

There was no Foundation Establishment Elixir, but there was a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Xiao Yan was very puzzled: "Xun'er, I remember that when absorbing Dou Zhi Qi during the Dou Zhi Qi stage, one cannot use pills, otherwise it will affect subsequent cultivation and even leave hidden dangers. Is this Foundation Establishment Pill of yours really safe to use?"

"Brother Xiao Yan, this Foundation Establishment Pill is different from other pills. Its medicinal properties are very mild and won't disrupt the Dou Qi in your body. Instead, it can help you better absorb Dou Zhi Qi and stabilize your realm. Even in the Dou Zhi Qi stage, you can use it with peace of mind without any hidden dangers."

In the end, in order not to make his father lose face again, Xiao Yan chose to accept the Foundation Establishment Pill given by Gu Xun'er.

Without Yao Chen, Xiao Yan had to start relying on others.