Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: Xiao Yan: Has Cousin Xiao Ning Reached Dou Wang?**

The next day, Xiao Ning woke up early and ventured into the misty valley to gather auxiliary herbs for his beast blood body tempering.

The valley was filled with rich energy, refreshing him with every breath.

Thanks to its unique terrain, rare herbs grew in abundance here, perfect for his cultivation needs.

He didn't bother identifying every herb for his "Immortal Sutra" allowed him to cultivate as long as the medicinal properties were sufficient. Grabbing one herb after another, he shook off the excess soil and tossed them into the basket beside him.

"These should be enough for the next phase of my training," Xiao Ning said, satisfied.

He glanced at the unexplored areas hidden in the mist but decided not to exhaust all the resources at once.

He would be staying in the valley for a while longer, so there was no need to rush.

On his way back, he encountered Xiao Yixian, who was also collecting herbs with a flower basket.

She looked as if she were simply shopping at a market, which made Xiao Ning smile.

Seeing him, Xiao Yixian returned his smile sweetly but said nothing about the basket of herbs he carried.

"I prepared breakfast, it should still be warm," she said.

"Thanks, I'll head back now, be careful while picking herbs," Xiao Ning replied casually.

Xiao Yixian nodded and left without another word, her slender figure disappearing into the mist.

Xiao Ning couldn't help but admire her grace, even after seeing it countless times.

Back at the cottage, Xiao Ning found a steaming bowl of rice porridge on the table.

Smiling, he drank it down, savoring the rich flavor as it warmed him from the inside.

After breakfast, Xiao Ning returned to the cave, threw the herbs into the beast's blood, and then stripped off his clothes before sitting in the mixture. As the familiar pain coursed through him, he took a deep breath and focused on his cultivation.

The days in the valley passed slowly.

Xiao Ning continued to temper his body with beast blood, keeping his methods hidden from Xiao Yixian.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yixian secretly consumed poison to enhance her strength.

Though she didn't know it, Xiao Ning was aware of her actions and respected her way of cultivation.

Both of their strengths grew steadily.

Half a month later, Xiao Ning emerged from the beast's blood, his upper body bare.

As the dried blood scabs fell away, his bronze skin and chiseled muscles were revealed, each contour displaying the immense power he now possessed.

"Pah!" he exclaimed, testing his strength with a punch that tore through the air, creating a brief vacuum around him.

The air quickly filled the void, but Xiao Ning's strength was clearly on a different level now.

He grinned in satisfaction, clenching his fists.

"I've reached a strength of 7,000 kilograms!"

Seven thousand kilograms of force,enough to kill a fourth-level magical beast without using any techniques or Dou Qi!

He was far stronger than when he first entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

During this period, although Xiao Ning hadn't actively practiced his Dou Qi, the rich energy in the beast's blood and the herbs had passively advanced his cultivation to that of a five-star Dou Zhe.

This was an unexpected bonus.

Xiao Yixian had also made significant progress, advancing from the seventh stage of Dou Qi to a three-star Dou Zhe.

When Xiao Ning asked her why she hadn't trained much before, Xiao Yixian explained that she had been protected by the Myriad Medicine Pavilion and hadn't focused on cultivating Dou Qi. However, after their recent experiences and the promise she made to Xiao Ning, she had started to train diligently.

Xiao Ning left the misty valley because he had run out of beast blood and needed to hunt for new monsters to obtain the resources he required.

As he stepped back into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he felt a strange sense of disorientation.

The peaceful life he had enjoyed with Xiao Yixian almost made him forget the constant battles outside.

He avoided the main roads and ventured deeper into the forest, searching for stronger monsters.

He needed at least a fourth-level magical beast now.

The blood from third-level beasts no longer provided the same challenge or benefits as before. His goal was to find a fourth-level beast this time.

"Bang!"

Xiao Ning's attention was drawn to a loud noise nearby.

He was about ten meters from the edge of the dense forest when he heard the sound of a battle.

Curious, he quickly moved forward to investigate.

Pushing aside the leaves, Xiao Ning saw a young man in a black robe, holding a massive black ruler on his back.

The man's body was surrounded by Dou Qi as he faced off against a large red wolf.

The wolf, with its bared teeth, appeared to be in the late stages of a first-tier magical beast.

"It's him," Xiao Ning realized.

The black-robed figure was none other than Xiao Yan.

In the original story, after refusing to attend Jianaan Academy, Xiao Yan's first stop had been the Magical Beast Mountain Range near Qingshan Town.

"Not good!" Xiao Yan shouted in alarm.

Xiao Ning noticed that the red wolf, seriously injured by Xiao Yan, as it was using the force of the attack to fling itself backward, attempting to escape into the forest. Xiao Yan realized this too, but he couldn't catch up in time.

"As a fellow member of the Xiao family, I'll lend you a hand," Xiao Ning thought.

With a slight tremble of the purple cloud wings on his back, Xiao Ning instantly appeared in front of the fleeing wolf. He then stomped down hard.

"Boom!"

The red wolf was crushed into the ground. Xiao Ning looked at Xiao Yan and greeted him casually.

"Long time no see, cousin Xiao Yan."

Xiao Yan was completely stunned, overwhelmed by shock.

His gaze locked onto the purple cloud wings behind Xiao Ning, and only one thought echoed in his mind:

"Has Cousin Xiao Ning reached Dou Wang?!"