Breaking the Masked Man

During this process, he consumed three Earth Fire Lotus Seeds and some pills to aid his cultivation, raising his battle qi to the level of Seven-Star Battle Spirit.

However, compared to the improvement in his fighting spirit, the improvement in Yao Yan's physical strength is the most worthy of celebration. His flesh and blood are much stronger than they were three months ago. When his blood and qi are activated, the silvery sheen on his skin is dazzling, making him look like a little silver figure. However, if you look closely, you can see a lot of bronze color in it.

However, these minor issues are insignificant. Even if Yao Yan were to face the direct scorching of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, his flesh and blood alone could withstand it for a long time.

……

"Boom~"

Above the small island in the lake, two figures were fighting, the booming sounds echoing continuously, and the shockwaves caused the surrounding lake water to ripple and splash.

These two were naturally Yao Yan and Cai Lin.

The two did not engage in a life-or-death struggle, but merely exchanged sparring blows. Yao Yan's physical strength and defense alone were enough to fight against a peak Dou Huang like Cai Lin and remain undefeated. His powerful physique was comparable to that of the Heavenly Demon Puppet in the original work, and even more agile.

After all, Yao Yan is a living person who knows how to dodge fighting techniques and even interrupt the opponent's gathering of fighting energy, instead of foolishly trying to withstand it with his body.

"cut!"

A seven-colored streak of energy condensed in Cai Lin's longsword. A sharp glint flashed in her cold, beautiful eyes. With a soft shout, she unleashed the sharp streak of battle energy. The powerful attack even caused the surrounding space to distort and tremble slightly, almost tearing the space apart.

Yao Yan remained calm and fearless, even directly meeting the attack head-on. He unleashed a punch, a powerful air cannon that usually required full strength, now felt like a normal attack. As the air in front of him suddenly caved in, a strong fist force collided with Cai Lin's sword strike.

The moment the two collided, a violent energy shockwave rippled outwards, unleashing a raging storm.

As Cai Lin watched this scene, her deep purple eyes glanced at the unharmed Yao Yan. Her heart was numb. Her worldview had been severely impacted and reshaped by Yao Yan. She had once been a genius, otherwise she would not have become a peak nine-star Dou Huang in just twenty or thirty years.

Compared to a monster like Yao Yan, she felt that her past confidence and arrogance were somewhat laughable.

"Come again!"

On the other side, Yao Yan was in a very good mood and laughed loudly at Cai Lin.

During his six months of arduous training, he barely slept. Now that it was time to see the results, he was filled with a fighting spirit. Perhaps this is what it means to be a man: once you have power, you have a destructive urge to unleash all the power within you.

Cai Lin, however, deftly sheathed her longsword into her storage ring, her red lips parting slightly: "Let's stop here. There's no point in continuing."

As soon as she finished speaking, her slender waist swayed, and the wings of battle qi on her back trembled slightly before she fell towards the island below. Cai Lin didn't want to fight anymore because, facing a lump of iron, unless she used her trump card and attacked with all her might, she couldn't launch a threatening attack at all against Yao Yan. And ordinary sparring was obviously meaningless to Yao Yan.

Yao Yan looked at the alluring figure, his wild smile froze, and he suddenly felt awkward. He took a breath and calmed his aura. As his blood and qi calmed down, his skin returned to its normal color from its silvery sheen. He then followed her.

As soon as the two landed, Cai Die came to greet them. She smiled and hugged her sister, saying with a hint of pride, "Sister, isn't the young master amazing?"

Her tone suggested that he was saying: That's my man!

Hai Bodong and Hua She'er stood aside, quietly watching this scene. They were already used to it. In the past month, Cai Lin and Yao Yan had fought quite a few times. Yao Yan had gone from being beaten the whole time to being evenly matched. Not to mention how fast his strength had improved.

Cai Lin ignored her younger sister and looked at Yao Yan, who had just landed, asking, "When do you plan to refine the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame?"

With Yao Yan's current physical body, plus the assistance of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, there is almost no risk for the opponent to refine the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Even if they fail, it will not have a significant impact on them. Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly appreciate the terrifying power of Yao Yan's physical body.

In comparison, even the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame seemed much gentler.

"Once my battle qi increases by one or two stars, I will take advantage of the opportunity to refine the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to directly break into the Dou Wang level."

Without hesitation, Yao Yan gave an answer that everyone had already guessed.

In the original novel, Xiao Yan's process of devouring the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame was a complete waste. Due to his own strength, he was unable to fully digest the original power of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Most of it was devoured by the colorful scales of the Seven-Colored Devouring Python. Otherwise, how could the Seven-Colored Devouring Python, which had just successfully advanced, possess the strength of the fifth rank?

If he didn't know these things, that would be fine. But now that he does, Yao Yan naturally wants to maximize the value of the Green Lotus Earth Core Flame.

Cai Lin was not surprised by this, nor was she even slightly moved. She pondered for a moment and then said calmly, "The Jia Ma Empire sent an envoy to the Snake-People Clan yesterday, hoping to sign a non-aggression pact with them. In return, they offered me a piece of land suitable for the Snake-People to live on. I have refused this offer!"

Without sufficient strength, the Snake People's escape from the Tagor Desert would undoubtedly make them the target of everyone's hatred. To those humans, the Snake People are nothing more than commodities. Only with great power can she grant the Snake People true freedom.

As for relying on medicine, Cai Lin, as Queen Medusa, has never been the type to depend on others.

It's better to rely on yourself than on others!

Seeing Yao Yan's strength improve by leaps and bounds, Cai Lin's desire to become a Dou Zong grew stronger. She had been stuck at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Huang for several years and perhaps it was time to consider breaking through. However, all of this still fell on Yao Yan, which was also the result of a deal Yao Yan had made with her before.

Breakthrough Pill!

This is a high-grade sixth-rank pill. After taking it, it can help a Dou Huang powerhouse break through the bottleneck and enter the Dou Zong realm. Even if the breakthrough fails, it is enough to ensure that the person who takes the pill will not regress in cultivation!

Its effects are enough to make any peak Douhuang expert risk their life for it.

In the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists are indeed a profession that countless people envy.

Hear the words.

Yao Yan paused for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, would you be interested in cooperating with me? I plan to establish a power, and if there is an opportunity in the future, we will unify the entire Northwest region and even extend our reach to the Central Plains."

The latter part is a story for later. Before he had the strength of a Dou Sheng, he did not have the idea of ​​unifying the entire Northwest Continent, because the Northwest Continent was not weak. In the original work, there was no shortage of Dou Zun level experts, and it was hard to say whether there were Dou Sheng behind them.

However, he had always had the idea of ​​forming a force.

Neither the Soul Palace nor the Soul Clan works for him. He can use Yao Yan, but he cannot trust them. It would be better to use them as a shell company to go public, using the Soul Clan to improve his strength while building a force that belongs only to him. If he breaks through to the Dou Di realm in the future, he can use this to directly control the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Don't forget, there are countless other worlds beyond the Dou Qi Continent. In comparison, the Dou Qi Continent is just the beginning.

Yao Yan needs a powerful force to provide him with conveniences, whether it be intelligence or cultivation resources!

The moment he finished speaking, a hint of surprise flashed in Cai Lin's phoenix eyes. Then, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she stared coldly at Yao Yan, saying in a deep voice, "If I remember correctly, young master seems to come from a large family in Zhongzhou. With your status and talent, why would you need to establish your own power?"

She felt that Yao Yan was being 'pitiful' to the snake people, which clearly touched a nerve with Cai Lin, hence her own change.

Cai Die looked at her older sister, somewhat at a loss, and quickly spoke up for Yao Yan, "Sister, Young Master didn't mean that!"

Yao Yan gave Cai Die a reassuring look, then looked at Cai Lin, the Medusa Queen, and slowly said, "Your Majesty recently experienced internal conflicts within your family... Little do you know that the larger the family, the more internal struggles there are. In a family, the most important person is naturally the patriarch, and below him are countless family members vying for power and profit. Compared to these boring games, I prefer to create a force that belongs to us!"

There was a pause.

He looked at Hai Bodong and continued:

"The Snake-People Clan and the Gama Empire are a great starting point. Our strengths are similar, so we can grow together and gradually build it up. I happen to have a connection with Rainbow Butterfly and am also friends with Ice Emperor Hai Bodong. The Snake-People Clan and the Mittel family are my natural allies. If I don't bring you along, who else would I go looking for?!"

"The Mittel family has no objection. If Young Master wishes to establish his power, we will certainly support him!"

Hai Bodong spoke without hesitation.

Seeing Yao Yan's rapid improvement in strength, he was completely convinced. By joining Yao Yan's side, he would surely be able to grow to a higher level in the future. This deal seemed extremely worthwhile no matter how you looked at it. At the very least, investing in Yao Yan himself was a great idea.

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin's eyes flickered slightly as she stared at Yao Yan, who looked completely composed. She was somewhat skeptical of the truthfulness of Yao Yan's words. With Yao Yan's talent, if she were still in her original family, she would definitely be groomed as the young clan leader. As long as her strength increased, why would she care about what others said, just like she did in the Snake-People Clan?

Cai Die tugged at Cai Lin's arm, her face full of hope. She clearly hoped that Yao Yan would further bind himself to the Snake-People.

"The snake people have no objections either."

Cai Lin remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. She did not continue to be forceful. If Yao Yan's previous words were sincere, cooperating with the other party would obviously be of great benefit to the Snake-People.

Seeing that the two had agreed, Yao Yan said with a smile, "You two will not regret your decision today!"

"Young master, what will our organization be called in the future?"

Cai Die was in high spirits. She let go of her sister's arm and went up to Yao Yan like a curious child, asking questions. Her bright eyes stared at Yao Yan, like two blue mirrors reflecting his handsome face.

Yao Yan didn't hesitate for long before uttering a name he had already thought of: "Heavenly Court!"

"Heaven?!"

The group muttered something to themselves, but didn't feel there was anything special about it. There was no such thing as a Heavenly Court in this vast world. However, they vaguely felt that the name was a bit special, but they just couldn't put their finger on it.

Cai Die tilted her head and looked at Yao Yan, asking, "Young Master, is there any hidden meaning?"

"It has a nice-sounding name."

Yao Yan smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation. If he were to gain the power to control the entire Great Thousand World in the future, and even extend his reach to all the myriad realms, the name "Heavenly Court" would be most fitting. However, he was clearly not qualified to utter such words at the moment; it was too far off.

Upon hearing this, no one pressed for further details.

Hai Bodong said directly, "Young Master, I will return to the Jia Ma Empire now and persuade the various forces. Based on my understanding of them, as long as you can provide the Breakthrough Pill, they will not refuse!"

At this moment, he even pictured the smile on the old man Yunshan's face. Compared to Jia Xingtian, Yunshan was a complete ascetic and had little interest in managing his power. Besides, Yunshan had no reason to refuse a power run by a genius like Yao Yan.

"Just let them know for now. With my current strength, it's not suitable to expand my influence too much. If they are willing to join, that would be best. If not, I won't force them. We can just maintain a cooperative relationship."

Yao Yan nodded and said softly.

As for whether this matter will alarm the Soul Palace, given the Soul Palace's efficiency, by the time they find out about him, he will have already arrived in the Black Corner Region. At that time, there will be no need for them to report anything; he will take the initiative to show himself, join the Soul Palace, and contact his 'mentor', Soul Void Child.

Hai Bodong nodded, exchanged a few more words with Yao Yan, and then transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and heading towards the Jia Ma Empire.

"Once you refine the Breakthrough Pill, no one in the Snake-People Clan will dare to contradict you, including me."

Cai Lin looked at Yao Yan and slowly said a sentence before turning around and walking towards the palace. At the same time, she did not forget to take Cai Die with her. Fortunately, she knew that Yao Yan needed daily necessities, so she left Hua She'er, this gentle and mature woman, behind.

However, Yao Yan wasn't very interested in women at the moment. He nodded to Hua She'er and then walked towards the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, intending to break through to the eighth-star Dou Ling level today. At that time, he could start refining the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame and use its energy to break through to the Dou Wang level. Even if that didn't work, he could still reach the peak of Dou Ling.

Then, he used the Burning Technique to completely devour the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, turning its essence into a part of himself. In this way, no matter how great the gap between a Battle Spirit and a Battle King was, it was enough to cross!

Fighting King!

That's just the beginning of the real takeoff!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 107 The Fifth Alchemist Conference

Just as Yao Yan was preparing to refine the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the fifth Alchemist Conference held in the Holy Capital of the Jia Ma Empire entered its final day.

In the Royal Square.

Alchemists, who were rarely seen in the past, are now gathered here like an army, waiting for the birth of a champion. In addition, many powerful figures from various forces are watching, trying to select suitable talents to recruit or invest in.

For all factions, the Alchemist Conference is a grand talent recruitment event, where they can judge a candidate's talent and strength based on their performance.