Chapter 743 Cultivation

This process of sorting out his thoughts lasted for nearly half an hour before Xiao Ling slowly opened his tightly closed eyes, a hint of contemplation still lingering at the corners of his eyes, as if he were savoring the key to the condensation of the clan patterns in the scroll.

"The Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire, First Transformation...! Second Transformation...! Third Transformation...!"

The moment the low shout fell, Xiao Ling's hands moved like nimble snakes, and before the afterimages of his fingertips cutting through the air had faded, three profound hand seals had been formed in succession.

In just a few breaths, the three amplifications of the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations were fully activated. The space around him suddenly trembled, and his originally stable battle qi surged like an oil sea that had been ignited, carrying the scorching heat that could scorch the air, forming visible energy ripples in the palace.

The raging, fiery battle energy surged within his body, each flow seemingly threatening to break through the barriers of his meridians. Strands of intense heat seeped outwards along his muscles, eventually penetrating his blood vessels.

As this scorching heat invaded, the blood flowing in Xiao Ling's veins suddenly accelerated, boiling like surging magma.

With his keen soul perception at the Dou Sheng realm, he clearly sensed that a strange warm light was rapidly traveling through the depths of his blood vessels. Wherever it passed, even the newly formed bloodline trembled in resonance. And the final destination of that warm light was right between his eyebrows!
Just as the strange energy was flowing through Xiao Ling's body, a faint light was slowly flickering between his brows.

As energy continues to gather, a smooth, seemingly natural crimson line slowly emerges from under the skin between the eyebrows, with a faint flame halo around the edge of the line, pulsating gently as if it were alive.

The moment this line was fully formed, a second and a third similar line followed closely behind, about to spread from the center of the brow to the temples.

One, two, three... until the eighth line was just about to appear—

"laugh!"

A barely audible sound suddenly came from Xiao Ling's body, like a flame being abruptly extinguished.

The next second, the eight crimson lines that had appeared faded rapidly like a tide, their light gradually disappearing until they were completely hidden between the eyebrows and vanished without a trace.

The moment the patterns disappeared, Xiao Ling suddenly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly, his eyes full of doubt. He gently shook his head, a low sigh escaping his lips: "Only the eighth level of cultivation on my first attempt? This progress is worse than I expected."

"The Xiao clan's insignia is originally drawn with nine strokes. You were able to manifest seven strokes on your first attempt at cultivation, which is a talent that is rare even in a thousand years. Why be discouraged?"

Xiao Xuan, standing to the side, spoke slowly, his aged voice carrying a hint of approval. His gaze fell on the faint red mark between Xiao Ling's brows, which had not yet completely faded.

"The final step of the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations is to activate the clan pattern hidden in your body. It is originally hidden deep in your bloodline, but it needs to be drawn out little by little with secret techniques as a guide and battle qi as ink."

He tapped the stone table lightly with his fingertips and continued,

“To draw the clan's insignia, one needs not only a massive amount of battle qi as a foundation, but also exquisite control that is accurate to the millimeter. You have just broken through to the Dou Sheng realm, and it is true that your strength has increased dramatically. However, this breakthrough is like being reborn from a cocoon. The new bloodline and the surge in battle qi in your body have not yet been fully tamed. You are far from being able to control them at will.”

"It's perfectly normal that one cannot perfect their clan markings in one go." Xiao Xuan's tone shifted, a glint of light appearing in his cloudy eyes.
"But your ability to condense seven clan patterns at once has far exceeded my previous estimates. If your soul power were not strong enough to accurately control the flame power required for the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire, it would be extremely difficult to achieve this."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling slowly nodded, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the lingering warmth of the flames in his palm. The doubt and disappointment between his brows gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of understanding: "The ancestor is right. I was too eager for quick success."

He looked down at his hands. The new bloodline in his body was still pulsating slowly, intertwined with the power of the Battle Saint that he had not yet fully mastered. When he was condensing the clan pattern, it was because the two forces were occasionally hindered that the eighth pattern failed.

"I was only thinking about mastering the clan emblem as soon as possible, but I forgot that I've just broken through to the Dou Sheng realm and my foundation still needs to be honed." Xiao Ling looked up at Xiao Xuan, his eyes now clear.
"With the guidance of my ancestors, I have avoided some detours. Next, I will focus on refining the power within my body. Once I have a better grasp of it, I will try to condense the clan's runes."

Seeing that he quickly adjusted his mindset, Xiao Xuan smiled with relief on his aged face, and his withered fingers gently tapped the stone table.

"It's good that you understand this. The most taboo thing on the path of cultivation is to be impatient for quick success. The new bloodline in your body is extremely compatible with the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire. In addition, you have now subdued multiple different flames at the same time. Given time, let alone the nine clan patterns, it is not impossible for you to push the power of the clan patterns to a level that surpasses the level of my own back then."

"I hope so, but I will do my best."

Xiao Ling nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and as his chest rose and fell slowly, he gradually suppressed the slightly agitated aura that had been caused by the condensation of the clan mark. The surging battle qi around him also subsided, returning to a calm state.

He had just calmed himself down when he noticed a gentle gaze from his side. Turning his head, he saw Xun'er looking at him with a faint smile, her eyes full of trust.

When Xun'er saw him looking at her, she gently clenched her right fist, raised her forearm slightly, and made a small cheering gesture. Her voice was sweet but firm: "Go for it, Brother Xiao Ling! Xun'er will always be with you."

Looking into the light in her eyes, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on Xiao Ling's lips. The slight tension caused by the stagnation in his cultivation also dissipated. He nodded gently to Xun'er, silently responding to her companionship.

"Cough cough."

Xiao Xuan coughed twice, his gaze sweeping between the two men, and spoke with a teasing smile.
"It's good that young people have deep friendships, but their cultivation cannot be neglected."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming serious again.

"Without further ado, I will now teach you how to control the power of the Dou Sheng realm. You have just broken through and know very little about the mysteries of this realm. It is completely different from the Dou Zun realm. After entering the Dou Sheng realm, you are essentially 'controlling a world' and can mobilize the energy of the surrounding world without any hindrance. Whether you are gathering a powerful offensive or setting up a barrier of heaven and earth for defense, you will no longer be bound by the energy depletion of the past..."

……

Time within the Heavenly Tomb seemed to have been crushed, passing by silently.

After Xiao Ling absorbed the power of bloodline and broke through to the Dou Sheng realm, he and Xun'er temporarily settled down in Xiao Xuan's cave. One quiet room was used for cultivation, and another side hall was for Xun'er to rest. Although life was simple, it was particularly fulfilling because of their shared goals and companionship.

Xiao Ling's cultivation path entered a completely new stage from then on.

Under Xiao Xuan's personal guidance, he began to systematically control the power of the Dou Sheng realm, no longer relying solely on instinct to activate his Dou Qi, but truly trying to understand the profound mystery behind the word "Dou Sheng".

Xiao Xuan shared almost everything with this junior whom he regarded as the hope for the revival of the Xiao clan. He taught him everything from his own experience of a thousand years of cultivation to the energy circulation method unique to the Dou Sheng realm, and the strategies for dealing with opponents of different realms.

These experiences were like a guiding light for Xiao Ling. He already possessed an comprehension far beyond his peers, and with the added boost of his powerful soul force, he grasped the teachings of Xiao Xuan almost instantly. Initially, facing the surging power of the Dou Sheng within him, he could only rely on his own powerful soul force to control it, and there were occasional setbacks. However, after just a few days, he was able to control the power at will.

Some techniques for using battle qi that could only be used by those who had reached the level of a Battle Saint can now be used smoothly without any stagnation.

But Xiao Xuan's guidance went far beyond that. This nine-star Dou Sheng, who once stood at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent, possessed a breadth of knowledge far exceeding Xiao Ling's imagination.

He not only explained the basic applications of the Dou Sheng realm, but also occasionally mentioned higher-level power insights, such as those methods of applying abilities that did not belong to Xiao Ling's current realm.

Even though these methods are still somewhat profound for Xiao Ling now, under Xiao Xuan's explanation and guidance, he was able to barely manage to perform some of their basic forms.

Each attempt gave him a deeper understanding of his own realm; each enlightenment deepened his compatibility with the realm of Dou Sheng.

Such solid progress is far beyond what one could achieve by exploring on one's own. In just over a month, Xiao Ling not only completely mastered the strength of a Dou Sheng, but also made a qualitative leap in his vision and foundation, truly experiencing the weight of the words "benefited immensely".

After completely mastering the power of a Dou Sheng, Xiao Ling did not rest for a moment. He turned around and devoted himself to the in-depth cultivation of the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire, with his goal being the Xiao Clan's inscription, which was not yet completed.

At this moment, the fighting spirit within his body was as easy to control as a gentle stream, without the previous stagnation. In addition, his powerful soul force was like a searchlight, accurately capturing every detail, making his cultivation efficiency completely different from before.

On his first attempt, Xiao Ling's hand seals were several times faster. As the flame patterns flowed at his fingertips, the triple amplification of the Heavenly Fire Three Transformations was activated without any sluggishness.

When that strange energy surged into his brow again, he could clearly perceive the outline of each clan mark. The eighth mark, which had been difficult to break through before, was now steadily taking shape with the energy infusion. The crimson mark danced in his brow like a living thing, and the flame halo around its edge was even brighter than before.

When he finished practicing, even he was a little surprised: "He succeeded in one go?"

In the years that followed, such breakthroughs became the norm. With each attempt, Xiao Ling gained a deeper understanding of the connection between the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire and the clan markings. Sometimes he discovered that subtle adjustments to the flame temperature could make the clan markings condense faster, and sometimes he could reduce the unnecessary consumption of battle qi by precisely guiding his soul power.

Although it took more effort to condense the ninth clan mark, on the tenth attempt, the mark that had been slow to take shape finally showed signs of movement.

As Xiao Ling's fingertips moved three times faster in forming hand seals, his internal fighting spirit surged precisely into his brow through his meridians. The moment it touched the first eight lines, the final dot was drawn...

"Buzz!"

A mysterious purplish-red clan mark suddenly appeared on Xiao Ling's forehead, with tiny streams of flame swirling around its edges, pulsating gently as if it were alive.

Almost the instant the clan mark took shape, the blood flow in his body suddenly accelerated, as if a surging heat wave was rushing through his blood vessels. A deep and strange hum emanated from his muscles, the sound of his bloodline resonating with the clan mark.

"Success..."

As Xiao Xuan gazed at the complete purplish-red clan mark, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes, and a genuine joy appeared on his aged face, his voice even becoming a few degrees lighter than usual.

"call……"

The moment the clan markings were completely stabilized, Xiao Ling suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, and the purplish-red light in his eyes suddenly intensified, like two burning flames, illuminating even the dark corners of the hall.

A moment later, the light slowly faded. With a slight thought, the clan mark between his brows disappeared into his skin like a tide, leaving only a warm imprint.

"Has it been successful?" Xiao Ling let out a long breath, his fingertips gently touching his brow. He could clearly feel a warm energy ball floating under his skin. "This feeling of being connected to my blood is quite wonderful, but it's really great."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. He had already understood the wonderful use of this clan mark. From now on, there would be no need to deliberately form hand seals to activate the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire. With just a thought, this clan mark could transform into the most perfect carrier of secret techniques. The manipulation of battle qi and the energy of heaven and earth would also be faster and more at will than before.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Xiao Xuan's voice rang out first, filled with barely concealed excitement, as he said "good" three times in a row.

He gazed at the fading remnant of the clan mark between Xiao Ling's brows, his cloudy eyes filled with relief and emotion, his tone full of admiration.

"I never expected that you could condense the complete Xiao Clan inscription in such a short time. Such comprehension and speed are unmatched even by anyone in the Xiao Clan back then."

Xiao Ling turned her head to look and saw that Xiao Xuan's eyes were as gentle as an elder looking at a junior. The seriousness that he used to have due to the passage of time was now replaced by kindness.

Just as he was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of Xun'er beside him out of the corner of his eye. She was looking at him with a gentle smile, her eyes shining brightly, and her smile was full of genuine happiness for him.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling first nodded slightly to the two of them, then turned his gaze back to Xiao Xuan, his tone sincere.
"I am so fortunate to have successfully condensed the clan emblem thanks to the careful guidance of my ancestor. If it weren't for your help in deciphering the key to the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire and instructing me on how to control the power of a Dou Sheng, I would probably have been struggling to figure things out in my cultivation for a long time, let alone achieving my goal so quickly."

"You don't need to be so modest. I merely guided you through the basics. Your ability to grasp the essence of the clan's runes so quickly is due to your own comprehension and perseverance." Xiao Xuan waved his hand, his smile deepening on his aged face. He then changed the subject, his tone becoming more deliberate.

"But condensing the clan runes is only the first step. The key is to be able to use them in actual combat. Next, I will suppress my strength to a level comparable to yours. You can then activate the clan rune amplification and spar with me. Don't worry, I know my limits and won't hurt you."

"Yes, ancestor... Ah?!"

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Xiao Linggang abruptly stopped in his tracks, snapping back to his senses.

What? I'm going to fight Xiao Xuan? Are you kidding me?

But when he looked up, he saw Xiao Xuan staring at him with a smile, his eyes full of expectation, while Xun'er beside him covered her lips and chuckled, her eyes filled with a playful sense of amusement.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling, despite his helplessness, could only suppress his thoughts and bow to Xiao Xuan, saying, "Then, I'll leave it all to our ancestor's arrangement..." (End of Chapter)