Chapter 42

Capping the bottle, Xiao Yan placed it back into his storage ring, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"With this, I can finally develop a body refinement technique."

Having cultivated Dou Qi for many years, Xiao Yan had gained considerable insights into body refinement.

However, solely relying on the energy of heaven and earth for physical cultivation produced rather average results.

To temper the body's physical quality, using something like 'Burning Blood' could significantly speed up progress.

Brushing the dust off his clothes, Xiao Yan jogged down the mountain.

Yao Lao, noticing the smile on Xiao Yan's face, felt a jolt of unease in his heart.

"Has this little guy already guessed the effects of Burning Blood? Has he even figured out a way to counter it?"

Yao Lao was startled by his own thoughts and shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible, impossible!"

If simply sniffing Burning Blood's scent could help one find a solution to avoid its pain, then cultivation would be far too easy.

"That kid Xiao Yan probably just realized Burning Blood isn't ordinary."

The Bone Flame Ring flashed faintly, and Yao Lao's voice emerged: "It's just a fourth-tier medicinal liquid. When the materials are sufficient in the future, I can refine something even better for you."

Xiao Yan ignored him, instead focusing on the final component of his body refinement technique.

A moment later, Xiao Yan returned to his courtyard.

As he entered, a few lovely maids cheerfully called out toward the house, "Young Master is back!"

Nodding to the maids, Xiao Yan quickly stepped into the room, where four finely dressed young women welcomed him, serving tea and wiping his face with practiced precision.

These four girls, aged fifteen or sixteen, were in their prime of beauty. They stood about 1.6 meters tall, their figures graceful and slender, with waists that could be easily grasped.

Their delicate, oval-shaped faces, eyes dark and clear, gave them a refined and elegant look. Each wore a short skirt of a different color, making them appear exceptionally charming and graceful.

The four girls were personally chosen by Qin Yueyao to be Xiao Yan's personal maids. Their names were Chunying, Xiaying, Qiuying, and Dongying.

Although the Xiao family was temporarily staying in Wutan City due to certain reasons, Qin Yueyao ensured that Xiao Yan received all the proper treatment that a young master of a prestigious family deserved.

"Why did the Young Master return so early today? Normally, you don't come back until it's dark. Did you have a breakthrough in your cultivation?" Chunying, the oldest, asked gently.

"I acquired something good today. You'll see in a while." Xiao Yan stretched his shoulders. Refining so much Coagulating Blood Powder in one go was indeed exhausting. "First, help me undress. I want to take a bath."

"Remember last time when Chunying and Xiaying bathed you? It took two to three hours, and the entire room was soaked. I wonder what you did in there," the orange-clad girl said with a laugh, her face turning red.

Hearing this, Chunying and Xiaying blushed, recalling the chaos of that day.

Xiao Yan grabbed Qiuying's wrist and gently pinched her nose. "Today is for serious business. None of you can slip away. If you try, I'll spank you."

"Yes," the four girls responded in unison, their faces flushed with shyness.

Yao Lao mused to himself, "Little guy, you might be the young master for now, but you'll be in trouble soon enough."

After some preparations, steam rose in the bathhouse, the pool filled with fragrant flowers in vibrant hues.

Once inside the bathhouse, the four girls swiftly removed their outer skirts and inner clothes, leaving only their thin undergarments. Their translucent skin was barely hidden, their youthful curves exposed, tempting beyond measure.

They approached to help Xiao Yan undress. As they saw his increasingly toned muscles, their cheeks flushed even more.

Since he still needed to cultivate later, Xiao Yan didn't toy with the four girls, instead closing his eyes to relax his body.

The four maids exchanged puzzled glances. What was wrong with him today? Was there really something serious going on?

After looking at each other for a moment, they finally picked up bathing cloths and began wiping him down.

Half an hour later, Xiao Yan dried himself off. Without waiting for them to change into new robes, he pulled the four girls onto the bed.

"Young Master, Madam instructed you to focus on your cultivation. Before the coming-of-age ceremony, you mustn't fool around," Chunying said, biting her red lips.

"What are you thinking?" Xiao Yan knocked on Chunying's head, then took out four jade bottles and jade rulers, handing them to the girls.

"Dip the ruler in the medicinal liquid and apply it to my body. Be careful not to get any on yourselves; it's harmful to women."

"So it really is something serious?" Chunying blushed, lowering her head. The other three girls also felt quite embarrassed.

After calming their racing hearts, the four girls picked up the jade bottles and delicately applied the medicinal liquid on Xiao Yan.

Instantly, Xiao Yan felt as if he were in a magma pool. The scorching heat seemed to bake his body as though it were roasting over a fire.

Experiencing the effects of the Burning Blood himself, Xiao Yan suddenly understood what he had been missing.

[Through your years of experience in tempering your body with Dou Qi, you have achieved enlightenment. You have comprehended the "Sky-Burning Body Refinement Technique."]

[Sky-Burning Body Refinement Technique: A body refinement technique suitable for fire-attribute physiques. As cultivation deepens, resistance to fire, even exotic flames, will greatly increase.]

Choosing to cultivate this technique was inevitable since he intended to consume exotic flames in the future. Naturally, Xiao Yan wouldn't pursue mere physical enhancement.

His body refinement aimed to strengthen his physical body while paving the way for the eventual devouring of exotic flames.

As he activated the Sky-Burning Body Refinement Technique, every pore greedily absorbed the medicinal power of Burning Blood from the skin's surface.

Because he now had a technique tailored specifically for physical refinement, the violent energy contained within Burning Blood quickly fell into order, much like a floodwater flowing through channels.

The four maids watched as the crimson medicinal liquid faded visibly, quickly using the delicate jade rulers to continue applying it to Xiao Yan.

With increasing proficiency in the technique, the medicinal power of Burning Blood penetrated his skin, infusing his flesh, bones, and meridians.

Absorbing the medicinal power, Xiao Yan felt a surge of vitality within his body. His bones and meridians emitted a faint crimson glow, their toughness visibly enhanced.

This level of improvement far surpassed that of cultivating Dou Qi. Even after multiple modifications to his Dou Qi cultivation method, it had always taken several days to achieve what now took just a short moment.

Having waited long without hearing any screams, Yao Lao extended a wisp of spiritual power to sense Xiao Yan's condition.

He was utterly shocked to find that the energy from Burning Blood had turned into wisps of red lines, being absorbed at a speed akin to a whale gulping water.

"How is Burning Blood's medicinal power being absorbed so quickly?!"

(End of this chapter)