Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 546 Intermediate Half-Saint
A faint black light, accompanied by a thunderous roar, struck down from mid-air like divine punishment towards Lin Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged.

Wherever the light passed, the air seemed to be ignited, rippling with intense heat.

When the stream of light approached within ten feet of Lin Yuan, it suddenly began to expand rapidly, instantly transforming into a ferocious behemoth. Its sharp, blade-like claws, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, reached out to grab at Lin Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged.

Just then, a sharp shout, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded in the sky.

"Bold——"

Before he finished speaking, the space in front of Lin Yuan suddenly distorted, rippling out like waves.

The next instant, Elder Qingshan's tall figure emerged from the ripples, standing upright in front of Lin Yuan, and threw a punch at the giant claw that reached out.

As their fists and claws collided, the giant beast let out a miserable cry, and its massive body was sent flying backward.

After stopping, a hint of fear flashed in its eyes. With a whimper, its massive body exploded, and a black streak of light shot out, hurtling towards the horizon under the cover of the radiating energy storms.

Seeing this, Fu Xuan, who was preparing to attack within Lin Yuan, also lowered his guard and began to fully refine the black demon lightning he had just devoured, providing energy for Lin Yuan's breakthrough.

At this moment, a strange soul fluctuation spread out from between Lin Yuan's eyebrows like lightning.

Upon contact with this soul fluctuation, the fleeing black streak of light paused abruptly, then abruptly changed direction, shooting towards Lin Yuan's location, finally stopping ten feet away from him.

As the light faded, a black figure appeared.

Upon seeing his face, Elder Qingshan was slightly taken aback, as if he had seen something strange.

Because there, another "Lin Yuan" stood in the void... He looked exactly like the Lin Yuan on the blue stone, only his temperament was very different.

Compared to the real Lin Yuan, this "Lin Yuan" who was frozen in place clearly possessed a more violent and unrestrained nature.

Looking at the young man sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, breaking through his bottleneck, the berserk version of "Lin Yuan" was filled with resentment, but his eyes flashed with undisguised fear—faced with the contingency plan left by the creator, he had no power to resist and could not even self-destruct.

Lin Yuan remained calm and composed, continuing to refine the pure energy released by Fu Xuan, integrating it into his limbs and bones, and steadily advancing the breakthrough process.

As the Heavenly Burning Origin Scripture operated, the energy of heaven and earth continuously gathered around Lin Yuan.

Before long, within a radius of several dozen feet around him, vast energy transformed into a pure energy cloud that rippled and swelled; when you grabbed it, it was as viscous as water…

On the other side, sensing the steadily increasing aura, Elder Qingshan's eyes flashed with a smile, and he solemnly stood guard around Lin Yuan, waiting for the moment when the latter broke through to the next realm.

The high-ranking members of the ancient dragon race in the void remained silent at this moment.

However, when their gaze swept over the frozen "Lin Yuan," a burning desire unconsciously appeared in their eyes.

This is a grade nine pill!
Even a single Grade 9 precious pill is enough to elevate these low-level Battle Saints by two or three minor ranks.

Monsters have a much longer lifespan than humans, especially the Ancient Dragons of the Void. However, in contrast, monsters' cultivation speed is far slower than that of human geniuses.

Even without encountering a bottleneck, it takes hundreds of years of arduous cultivation to reach the second or third minor ranks of the Dou Sheng level!

Thinking of this, although this round of alchemy had ended, none of the many Saint-level high-ranking members of the Ancient Dragon Clan took the initiative to leave this place. They all carefully examined the young man who was breaking through to the next realm with his eyes closed, and various thoughts flowed in their eyes!
In this somewhat delicate atmosphere, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
-
On the morning of the third day, sunlight pierced through the energy clouds and shone on the bluestone at the top of the mountain.

The energy cloud that enveloped Lin Yuan, like thick glue, suddenly surged violently, as if a sleeping giant beast was slowly awakening within it. Immediately afterward, a violent fluctuation emanated from it, and the void around the mountaintop trembled.

In that instant, the energy between heaven and earth seemed to be summoned, surging out from the void like a tidal wave.

The vast torrent of energy eventually converged above Lin Yuan's head, transforming into a gigantic energy vortex hundreds of feet long, which connected to the top of his head, swirling and emitting deafening roars.

This astonishing display of power also attracted the attention of the ancient dragon clan's saints.

They stopped talking and turned their gazes toward the mountaintop, staring at the spectacular energy vortex, their eyes flashing with surprise.

"It's almost over... What an enviable cultivation speed!"

Sensing the aura that had risen to a higher level, Zhu Li murmured to himself, his slightly narrowed eyes revealing undisguised amazement—the former mere Dou Zong had now become a half-saint, and in just a few years?!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, in a sudden instant, Lin Yuan's tightly closed eyes snapped open, and two beams of light shot out, piercing two black holes in the void in front of him.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, raised his head, and inhaled sharply!
As Lin Yuan inhaled sharply, the massive energy vortex, hundreds of feet in size, surged down and poured entirely into his body.

Lin Yuan's aura grew increasingly powerful until it gradually overflowed.

Centered on the blue stone platform where he sat cross-legged, this towering, precipitous peak seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand.

The smooth mountainside was shattered, with countless huge cracks appearing. The cracking sounds were incessant, and countless boulders tumbled down with a rumble, finally falling into the deep ravine below, splashing up huge sprays of water...

A moment later, the enormous energy vortex was completely swallowed by Lin Yuan, and the entire world finally quieted down again.

Intermediate Half-Saint, successful breakthrough!
Feeling the fullness within his body, Lin Yuan's lips curled into a satisfied smile.

"call.--"

He exhaled a long breath, completely concealing his aura, and then calmly stood up!
"Hehe, Elder Danshi, congratulations!" Seeing Lin Yuan finish his cultivation and stand up, Elder Qingshan also walked over slowly and congratulated him with a smile: "To be able to advance to the intermediate half-saint level so quickly and smoothly, breaking through to the Dou Sheng level is just around the corner."

"Hehe, just a bit of luck, nothing to brag about!" Lin Yuan smiled modestly and waved his hand in response to Elder Qingshan's congratulations.

"Ninth-grade pills are really hard to refine!"

He shifted his gaze slightly and looked at the other 'self' that was frozen in the void. Thinking about the difficult refining process, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Even for someone with the cultivation level of a half-saint, refining a ninth-grade pill was quite a challenge... If it weren't for the talisman's "charging" and the assistance of three soul fragments, plus a bit of luck, this third attempt at refining would probably have failed quite a bit.

This precious-grade Thunder Tribulation Pill can be considered a result of his and Fu Xuan's joint refinement. The latter provided energy and assisted in controlling the fire, both of which greatly benefited this pill refining process.

Of course, it's not wrong to say that Lin Yuan is a ninth-grade grandmaster!

After all, Fu Xuan is his natal Qi core, and they are essentially one with him, so there's no need to strictly distinguish between them.

Glancing at the dragons watching from the void, Lin Yuan strode forward, walking step by step to the "Lin Yuan" controlled by the "Dan Guiding Pill Technique." This precious pill, capable of transforming into human form on its own, possesses remarkable spirituality!
However, Lin Yuan showed no mercy to the spirit of the pill that resembled him. He pointed a finger at its forehead, and its human form disintegrated, shrinking into a perfectly round, jet-black pill about the size of a longan.

The jet-black pill floated above Lin Yuan's palm, with layers of pill mist spreading out from it, rippling around it like soft clouds, making it look exceptionally magical.

In that instant, Lin Yuan could clearly feel that many burning gazes were fixed on this small pill.

"hehe--"

With a light laugh, Lin Yuan carefully examined the pill for a moment, a satisfied smile appearing on his face—this pill was quite good, even surpassing the quality of the ninth-grade pill he had cultivated.

"Elder Qingshan, this pill... is for you!"

Without any hesitation, Lin Yuan tossed the Thunder Tribulation Pill to the gentle old man beside him and said calmly.

Upon seeing this, Elder Qingshan's eyes flashed with a hint of wild joy, but he quickly suppressed it, his face regaining its usual composure as he accepted the flying pill.

"Elder Alchemist, such a generous gift is truly... truly beyond words to express my gratitude!"

"Elder Qingshan, there's no need for such formalities!" Lin Yuan waved his hand and chuckled, "This pill is merely an experiment and a culmination of my refining experience. I hope it can be of assistance to you! I also hope that you will continue to wholeheartedly assist Ziyan in the future..."

"Rest assured, Elder Danshi, I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Elder Qingshan nodded, his voice full of determination.

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, then looked around.

Suddenly, the high-ranking members of the ancient dragon clan emerged from the void, looking at Elder Qingshan with envy... and the pill in his hand!
Noticing Lin Yuan's gaze, all the dragons wore friendly smiles.

Lin Yuan's gaze swept over the crowd, a slight smile playing on his lips. He pondered for a moment and said, "Everyone, don't be envious. As long as we all work together to assist Zi Yan, we will surely have many more such opportunities in the future."

Upon hearing this, the ancient dragon clan saints were overjoyed, and their faces showed gratitude and anticipation.

A moment later, an elderly man with the aura of a three-star Dou Sheng and a burly build stepped forward first, cupped his hands to Lin Yuan and said, "Elder Dan Shi, rest assured, now that we have recognized Her Majesty Zi Yan as our esteemed one, we will do our utmost and dare not slack off in the slightest."

He paused, pondered for a moment, and added, "I also hope that Your Highness will assist His Majesty the Dragon Emperor in the future and help my ancient dragon clan achieve its revival!"

Seeing this, the others immediately began to echo their sentiments, and for a time, the mountaintop was filled with voices expressing their loyalty.

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, silently nodding to himself.

He knew that although many of these high-ranking members of the ancient dragon clan had their own ulterior motives, they would naturally obey him as long as he demonstrated sufficient strength and value.

The grand formation on Dragon Island will be extremely crucial in the subsequent battles!

Now that Elder Qingshan has set an example, others can understand how to proceed.

With the prestige brought by Zi Yan's bloodline, strength, and status, coupled with the tangible benefits he offered, he could completely integrate the ancient dragon clan in a short period of time.

"Gentlemen, this round of alchemy... comes to an end here!" After exchanging pleasantries with these ancient dragon experts for a moment, Lin Yuan took his leave: "Refining ninth-grade pills is extremely taxing on an alchemist's spirit and energy. I need to rest for a while, so I'll take my leave now..."

After saying that, he moved and disappeared from the mountaintop in an instant, leaving only ripples in the space.
-
Ancient Dragon Island, a deep and mysterious abyss.

After leaving the alchemy site, Lin Yuan did not return to his residence to rest, nor did he go to find Qing Lin, who had gone into seclusion again. Instead, he went to Medusa's secluded place.

"Xiyue, Xiaocai... I'm here!"

Thinking of the nine-colored raw stone in his storage ring, a gentle light flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes. The icy blue strange fire surged out from his body, forming a fire shield to protect his body. The terrifying high temperature and the extreme cold came into contact, forming a thick white mist.

Without hesitation, Lin Yuan moved and plunged into the frigid pool below with a "plop," dashing towards the bottom of the pool like lightning.

A column of white mist rose from the surface of the pool, and bubbles kept appearing...

...

"hiss--"

Soon after, a gasp of cold air suddenly rang out in the icy pool.

Looking at the aloof and beautiful woman before him, who seemed to be smiling but wasn't, Lin Yuan exaggeratedly grinned for a while before carefully reaching out and grabbing the jade-like hand that was gripping the soft flesh of her waist. He gently pulled it back to his front and held it in his hand.

"Alright, stop pretending!" Medusa glanced at Lin Yuan and said indifferently, "How tough your body is, how thick your skin is... others may not know, but do you think I don't know?"

"Heh heh," Lin Yuan chuckled sheepishly, "Xi Yue, you really know me!"

"You rascal, no one's watching you and you're already flirting with girls everywhere!" Medusa glanced at him and said sullenly, "Heh, it hasn't been that long, and now it's Feng Qing'er... and Gu Xun'er..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan quickly shook his head and denied it: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

“Zi Yan’s report to you contains inaccuracies.”

"I helped Feng Qing'er revert to her ancestral form because I needed the power of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix to cultivate a high-level Heavenly Rank body-refining combat technique; I helped Gu Xun'er deal with the soul wind because I wanted her Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and I did indeed obtain it, you see..."

As he spoke, as if to prove his words, he summoned a ball of dry blue ice blue, from which a ball of golden flame separated.

However, Medusa didn't even glance at the flames, only letting out a soft snort.

She hadn't met Gu Xun'er, so she couldn't say for sure; but Feng Qing'er, Zi Yan had brought her before... As someone who had been through it all, she was certain that the little phoenix had feelings for this guy!
However, Medusa only laughed it off on the surface; she didn't really blame Lin Yuan in her heart.

Having known him for so many years, she had a fairly deep understanding of Lin Yuan. She knew very well that although he was not a person who was oblivious to emotions, the extent to which he attracted her seemed to be stuck a few years ago—she knew him, but not much!

But he didn't understand that with all the "first" titles bestowed upon him, and being a truly deserving figure, even his ordinary actions would be magnified and misinterpreted by women who had feelings for him.

The little phoenix's budding romance was probably due to this guy's unintentional act.

After a moment's thought, Medusa pondered, "Xiao Cai has successfully transformed into the Eight-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python. When you leave, take her with you! She's been in seclusion with me for so long, her patience is almost worn out..."

(End of this chapter)