All things revived, and dawn arrived.
The Su Family.
Boom!
Inside the guest room, a surge of blood Qi once again erupted from Su Xiaoqing's Dantian.
"In a single night, she actually broke through from the 1st Layer of Qi Refining all the way to the 4th Layer of Qi Refining! The Dragon Transformation Pill truly lives up to its legendary reputation!"
Li Ruoyun, who had stayed by Su Xiaoqing's side throughout the night, hadn't slept a wink.
It wasn't just out of concern; she also wanted to witness just how miraculous the Dragon Transformation Pill truly was.
To leap from the 1st layer all the way to the 4th layer in just one night—what kind of myth was this?
Even the marrow-cleansing and Qi-infusing techniques of legendary masters could not produce such an astonishing effect.
Lin Fan had just woken up and walked over from the next room.
A look of surprise crossed his face as well.
However, it quickly returned to normal.
Since everyone's physique and cultivation techniques differed, the effects of taking the Dragon Transformation Pill naturally varied.
Su Xiaoqing possessed an ordinary physique, so the effects brought by the Dragon Transformation Pill were bound to be extraordinary.
As for Lin Fan, who cultivated the Book of Burial, his Spiritual Roots far surpassed those of ordinary people, so the effect of the Dragon Transformation Pill was naturally somewhat diminished.
The very next moment, a scene that left both of them dumbfounded unfolded.
A brilliant blue mysterious light suddenly burst forth from between Su Xiaoqing's brows, subsequently forming a blue blood-fire that climbed toward the top of her head, as if some mysterious power was awakening.
In just the blink of an eye, a three-foot-long blue spiritual bird actually hovered above her head, its radiant glow reflecting off everyone present.
"Daoist Rhyme!"
Li Ruoyun's heart raced, her thoughts spinning in chaos.
"The silly girl is actually born with a Dao Physique. The Dragon Transformation Pill has completely activated her Dao Physique bloodline."
Lin Fan felt a tightening all over his body, unable to believe his eyes.
According to ancient legends, certain ancient Daoist sects were passed down in the mortal world, their powers hidden in the most secretive corners of the world.
Once awakened, one would become a Dao Seed, destined to become a successor of the Dao Sect and undoubtedly attain the Dao and become an immortal in the future.
Yet Su Xiaoqing turned out to be a "Dao Seed."
In the vast world, there was a saying that those possessing Spiritual Roots superior to the Heavenly Grade were called "Spirit Seeds."
Such people were exceedingly rare.
As for a Dao Seed, it was one in ten thousand.
Su Xiaoqing had no idea what a innate Daoist Rhyme or a Dao Physique was. As Li Ruoyun explained it to her in detail, even Su Xiaoqing herself was shocked beyond belief.
When she finally snapped out of it, she actually smiled at Lin Fan and said, "Brother Fan, from today on, I will protect you."
"It seems you also have an innate physique—the 'living off a woman' Dao Physique."
Hearing this, Li Ruoyun unceremoniously mocked him.
"I'm going to go see Senior Ning first." Lin Fan was about to leave.
Su Xiaoqing suddenly said, "Brother Fan, when you see the Senior, please express my thanks to him."
Lin Fan felt a sense of relief in his heart.
Inside the room, Li Ruoyun accompanied Su Xiaoqing, chatting in whispers about girl talk.
"Little Sister Qing, you'd better listen to this sister's advice and cut ties with Lin Fan as soon as possible."
"Given your physique, the immortal sect will definitely handpick you as their premier disciple. In the future, you will be the Dao Seed of the immortal sect."
"You and Lin Fan belong to entirely different worlds. He will only ruin your future."
Li Ruoyun raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes as she offered her well-intentioned advice.
"Thank you, Sister."
Su Xiaoqing felt the sincerity, but she still refused to budge.
"Little sister, life does not give you a second chance."
"If you stay tied to Lin Fan, the price you pay will be infinitely high. In the past, you never had the chance to witness true brilliance and peaks."
"Now that you have it—to the point where even I can only look up at you—you must cherish it."
Li Ruoyun naturally understood Su Xiaoqing's temperament.
"Actually, I've never asked for too much. Just someone who treats me sincerely will do. Alright, I'll think about it."
Su Xiaoqing relented, revealing a sweet smile.
"That's more like it."
Li Ruoyun relaxed her clenched fists.
It seemed Su Xiaoqing was still able to listen to reason and wasn't a pure hopeless romantic.
"When Brother Fan comes back from seeing Senior Ning, he must be very hungry. I'm going to make some soup..."
Just as Li Ruoyun was letting her imagination run wild, little did she know that Su Xiaoqing had her mind entirely set on preparing a rich and delicious meal for Lin Fan.
On the main street, the cries of hawkers echoed one after another.
Lin Fan strolled leisurely while pondering how to cooperate with Li Ruoyun in alchemy.
At this moment, he suddenly heard many people along the way discussing a certain topic.
Two grand apothecaries were going to engage in a medicinal duel on the Life-and-Death Stage.
It seemed this matter had already spread like wildfire through Lingyin City.
"This is bad."
As he reached a sparsely populated back alley, he suddenly sensed abnormalities all around him.
He was actually being tracked, and by four people at that, all with cultivation bases at High-level Qi Refining.
"Let's go."
Lin Fan didn't hesitate, quickly slipping away.
If a fight broke out, he stood no chance of winning unless he used the Ascending Dragon True Fire.
Yet if he did that, everything about him would be exposed in Lingyin City.
"Come with me."
A figure swooped down fiercely like an eagle from the firmament.
"Spirit Boat Realm!"
Lin Fan faced a formidable enemy, but alas, it was already too late.
He felt as if struck by lightning, and then someone scooped him up like a little chick and stuffed him into a sack.
Soon, he was let out.
Surrounding him was a secluded cave, with a total of six people present. The leader was none other than the head of the Yang Family, Yang Xiong.
Lin Fan was startled, not expecting the Yang Family to avenge Yang Yang so quickly.
Yang Xiong looked astonished and mused, "As expected of a member of the Lin Family. It seems you had long anticipated that I would come to settle the score."
"Making an enemy of my Yang Family—do you really think you can do that as an abandoned son cast aside by the Lin Family?" another elderly member of the Yang Family sneered grimly.
Lin Fan sat cross-legged in silence, as if he had already prepared himself to die.
"I've never seen someone who isn't afraid of death." The elderly Yang family member bared his teeth with a grin, gripping the hilt of his saber tightly.
Yang Xiong glanced over at him.
"Family Head Yang."
At that moment, a hoarse laugh rang out.
Then a figure in a Black Robe walked in, his face pale as if suffering from a serious illness.
This man had a prominent bridge of his nose and held a small yellow-skinned gourd, looking like a wandering mystic.
Around his waist hung a blood-baton token engraved with the words "Blood Nether Sect, Li Jiu."
Lin Fan raised his eyes and swept a glance—it was actually the wicked Blood Nether Sect.
This immortal cultivation sect was an evil faction in the frontier region, committing all sorts of heinous crimes and deeply reviled by the righteous path.
Yang Xiong and Li Jiu were chatting and laughing; who would have thought that the dignified Yang Family would collude with an evil sect?
Lin Fan was like a fat sheep on a chopping board, waiting to be cooked.
During this process, he learned that Yang Xiong was originally an outer sect disciple of the Blood Nether Sect.
As for Li Jiu, he was a genuine inner sect disciple of the Blood Nether Sect, with a cultivation base even higher than Yang Xiong's, nearly breaking through to the "Void Refinement Realm."
"Lin Fan, the reason I didn't take your head right away is to refine pills with you—to drain your blood, dig out your flesh, and strip away your tendons and bones."
"Your imperial blood has nourished Spiritual Roots for three major families, living up to your imperial bloodline. You'll have a miserable time shortly, watching yourself get flayed and de-tendoned."
"I've been cautious all my life, and no one has ever managed to escape alive from my hands," Yang Xiong said smugly in front of the utterly defenseless Lin Fan.
"Hurry up and do it. I still need to take this fellow's flesh, blood, tendons, and bones back to the branch altar to refine medicine."
Li Jiu's eyes shone brightly as he praised, "Since you've found a top-tier human ingredient for the sect, I will report this to Master and claim credit for you."
"Many thanks, Senior Brother," Yang Xiong said with a smile.
Yet just as he turned around, his eyes were suddenly blinded by a blinding glare.
Lin Fan was like a blazing sun, a burning flame-wrapped dragon head bursting forth from his chest with invincible might.
"Not good..."
Li Jiu wanted to sit down and rest for a moment, but in that very instant, Yang Xiong—standing right before him—was swallowed by the dragon-shaped flames and reduced to ashes.
His scalp went numb. The moment he stood up, the dragon-shaped flames surged like a tidal wave, engulfing him along with the five surrounding Yang Family martial artists.
In just the blink of an eye, the dazzling fire dragon receded, leaving behind only seven piles of ashes at the scene.
"To die beneath the Ascending Dragon True Fire, your lives have not been lived in vain."
Soaked in cold sweat and confirming that not a single person had survived, Lin Fan collapsed in exhaustion right on the spot.