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**
Inside the stone chamber of the cave dwelling.
Several moonstones embedded in the stone walls emitted a soft, gentle glow, illuminating the quiet room.
Wei Yang sat cross-legged atop the stone bed, his pitch-black eyes half-open and half-closed, faint glimmers of light occasionally flashing within them.
Even with the Black Sun Burning Heaven Art, as his cultivation progressed further, he could still clearly feel it—the speed of his advancement was becoming slower and slower.
This phenomenon had become especially apparent ever since he stepped into the level of Dou Zong. And this… was not good news.
It meant one thing—his talent was nearing its limit.
Right now, within the Dou Zong realm, things were still manageable. But once he eventually stepped into Dou Zun, Wei Yang estimated that he would likely be forced to rely on slowly grinding his way up, just like most ordinary Dou Zun experts.
Ten years. Maybe even eight. And he might still not be able to advance by one single star.
This… was something he absolutely could not accept.
Because at the pace of the overall story, by the time he slowly clawed his way up… everything would already be over.
His situation was different from Xiao Yan's.
Xiao Yan's natural physical talent wasn't particularly exceptional either, but with the Flame Mantra, he could continuously devour different Heavenly Flames to rapidly increase his strength.
The Flame Mantra practically allowed him to bypass the limitations of innate talent altogether.
After a long silence.
"I need to find a way to solve this problem… the problem of insufficient talent." Wei Yang slowly exhaled, muttering to himself.
At this moment, he suddenly understood the frustration and desperation of that dead man, Bing He.
Chasing after the Woeful Poison Body with all his might… even going so far as to lose his life in the process.
Suddenly, as though recalling something, Wei Yang's thoughts shifted. With a flick of his wrist, a long-forgotten ancient scroll appeared in his palm.
Looking at the scroll in his hand, faintly exuding a sinister scent of blood, Wei Yang's gaze flickered uncertainly.
"Could it be… I really have to use this technique?"
Slowly, he unrolled the scroll.
The very first thing that met his eyes were four large, eerie blood-red characters:
"Supplementing Deficiency Secret Art!"
"The Dao of Heaven… takes from the excessive and supplements the insufficient…master this secret technique, and you will be able to sense numerous special physiques and bloodlines… it allows you to transplant certain parts of humans or magic beasts perfectly into your own body.
Through a special method, these transplanted parts will seamlessly integrate, fusing with your flesh and blood as though they had been yours since birth…even the bloodline itself… can be transplanted."
Wei Yang softly murmured the contents of the scroll, his voice faint and uncertain.
This was… a terrifying technique.
As his eyes scanned over the rest of the scroll, his brows furrowed and relaxed intermittently. This bizarre method—transplanting other people's physiques, even their bloodlines—was… unbelievable.
A so-called waste, using this technique, could gain access to physiques and talents that countless people could only dream of.
Staring blankly at the scroll for a long while, Wei Yang finally regained his senses and slowly rolled it back up.
Closing his eyes, his expression flickered between hesitation and contemplation, revealing the deep conflict brewing within his heart.
This world… was truly cruel.
In the endless years of the Dou Qi Continent, geniuses as bright as the stars were countless—like fish leaping through a river, endlessly surging forward. Yet in the end, how many of them truly reached the summit?
The majority… died halfway.
And ironically, it was often those whose early talent seemed unremarkable that managed to grow step by step, finally reaching the very peak of the continent.
Why?
Because talent… was only talent.
If you die halfway, then your so-called genius amounts to nothing.
In many cases, the path of a genius was actually more dangerous, because they drew envy and greed, eventually becoming nourishment for others.
But Heaven never fully closes all paths. It always leaves a sliver of hope.
Thus, there are no absolutes. Having poor talent doesn't necessarily mean you can't become strong. If you have the right opportunity…for example—this very Supplementing Deficiency Secret Art!
Wei Yang's grip on the scroll slowly tightened.
In the end, with a faint sigh, he waved his hand and put the scroll away.
"…I'll decide later."
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Morning sunlight crept over the horizon.
When Wei Yang stepped out of the cave dwelling, he had fully recovered to his peak condition.
In fact, his Dou Qi had grown even more abundant than before—he was now only a short step away from reaching Five-Star Dou Zong.
Stepping barefoot onto the dew-drenched grass, the soft sensation beneath his feet felt almost like a fine carpet.
Facing the rising morning glow, Wei Yang stretched lazily, his lips curling into a relaxed, satisfied smile.
That feeling—his body brimming with surging Dou Qi flowing freely through every inch of him—was simply exhilarating.
"Master, you're finally out of seclusion!"
From a distance, Qing Lin cried out in joy, dashing toward him with a bright smile.
Wei Yang glanced up slightly.
Behind Qing Lin, Xian'er walked slowly with a small bamboo basket in her hand. Inside were freshly picked wild mushrooms and vegetables, still glistening with tiny beads of dew.
She gazed softly at Wei Yang, her face carrying a warm, gentle smile.
Wei Yang returned her smile and reached out to catch Qing Lin as she threw herself into his arms, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"How's your recovery?" Xian'er walked closer, her voice filled with gentle concern as she looked at him.
"Not bad. Completely recovered." Wei Yang casually took the basket from her hand and led them both back into the cave dwelling.
Inside the main hall, he sat down at the stone table.
Qing Lin quickly and skillfully began boiling water and preparing tea.
Meanwhile, Xian'er moved to the kitchen area, starting to wash the cooking pot and ignite the stove.
With a casual wave of her hand, a Rank 3 beast flame appeared, settling into the hearth. With just a wisp of Dou Qi fed into it, the flame burned steadily and evenly.
Watching this warm and peaceful scene, the corners of Wei Yang's lips curved upward unconsciously, forming a faint smile.
Truthfully, at their current level, even if they went a long time without eating or drinking, it wouldn't affect them in the slightest. After all, once you reached this realm, it wasn't unusual for a single closed-door cultivation to last several years.
However, whenever she had the chance, Xian'er still preferred to personally pick some fresh wild vegetables and prepare a few simple dishes to enjoy.
Not to fill their stomachs, but purely to savor the taste. As she often said, "Only when you live like this does life have real flavor."
A kind of cozy, homely feeling.
Wei Yang's understanding of it was simple — in short, it was about adding a bit of human warmth to life.
Leaning comfortably against the stone chair, Wei Yang accepted the teacup Qing Lin handed him. He took a slow sip, letting the rich fragrance of the tea spread gently across his tongue.
Clicking his tongue lightly, he shot Qing Lin an approving look, which instantly made the girl beam with delight, her face brimming with satisfaction.
"Where are those two troublemakers, Ah Da and Du Jiao?" Wei Yang asked lazily while sipping his tea.
Xian'er tied up her scattered hair with a simple cloth band, fashioning it into a ponytail, and casually replied, "Du Jiao went to the back mountain to attempt a breakthrough. Ah Da is keeping watch over him."
"Oh? He's attempting a breakthrough already?" Wei Yang raised his brows slightly.
"After he devoured that Qi Zun Zhe's corpse, he felt ready to break through." Qing Lin answered with a cheeky grin, her face carrying a hint of pride and smugness.
After all, Du Jiao was her beast companion. Now that he was making progress, she naturally felt proud of him.
Wei Yang reached out and pinched her cheek, smiling as he asked, "Did you prepare some energy for him?"
"Yup!" Qing Lin nodded eagerly, pouring another cup of tea while speaking with a playful smile, "Sister Xian'er followed the method you mentioned before — the one that little Zi Yan girl uses — and refined a few bottles of pills for Du Jiao to take during his breakthrough."
"That'll work." Wei Yang nodded in approval.
Magic beasts had incredibly strong physiques, but unlike humans, they didn't bother with complicated techniques — and they definitely didn't refine pills. Generally, they just chewed medicinal herbs raw.
The reason Xian'er refined the materials into pill form for Du Jiao was partly to improve the taste.
Ah yes… that was actually Zi Yan's little quirk — because she disliked chewing bitter herbs, Xiao Yan invented this pill method for her.
But there was another, more important reason — refining the materials into pills helped remove impurities and reduce toxicity, making it easier for the body to absorb the medicinal essence.
After all, as the saying goes, "Three parts poison in every medicine."
Even fully refined pills contained traces of pill toxins, not to mention raw medicinal herbs. Moreover, refining them into smaller pill portions also prevented waste of medicinal effects.
For example, if a medicinal herb was potent, extracting its essence and splitting it into multiple small pills meant each dose could be consumed gradually.
Take one pill, let the body fully digest and absorb it, then take another later — this prevented overwhelming the body with too much medicinal power at once and avoided unnecessary waste.
Xian'er poured the wild mushrooms and vegetables into a basin, her jade-like fingers lightly brushing the air. With a single thought, she drew in the surrounding moisture particles, condensing them into clear, fresh water inside the basin.
While washing the vegetables, she said with a smile, "I used a few high Tier 7 medicinal herbs — all carefully chosen to match Du Jiao's attributes and optimize his absorption. Refining them into pills for him will also reduce the amount of heaven-and-earth energy he needs to draw in during his breakthrough."
"Mhm." Wei Yang nodded casually, not particularly concerned.
Using a few high Tier 7 medicinal herbs to assist Du Jiao's breakthrough was hardly worth mentioning.
After a few moments of light chatter—
"Master, where are we heading next? Are we going to the Pill Tower?" Qing Lin asked curiously.
"Yes, the Pill Tower." Wei Yang nodded. "Once Du Jiao completes his breakthrough, we'll set off immediately — straight to the Pill Tower."
"Yay! I can't wait to see what the Pill Tower looks like. I'm really looking forward to it." Qing Lin's face lit up with excitement.
At her words, Xian'er, standing nearby, couldn't help but show a trace of anticipation in her eyes as well.
After all, the legendary Pill Tower…it was the sacred ground for every alchemist.
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