At the moment of his breakthrough, Liu Ling suddenly opened his eyes, brimming with excitement.
"Teacher, I've made a breakthrough!" he exclaimed.
In the next instant, Liu Ling leaped out of the barrel.
"Hiss!"
"Ah!"
As soon as he landed, a searing pain shot through his entire body, causing him to cry out in agony before he could even take a few steps. Caught off guard, he couldn't help but let out a pained groan.
After a moment, Liu Ling looked down at himself and nearly burst into tears.
It turned out that in his excitement over the breakthrough, he had completely forgotten about the skin ulcers covering his body, a result of soaking in the Burning Blood Powder. Realizing his mistake, Liu Ling quickly turned around, grimaced, and jumped back into the barrel.
"Teacher…" he said, looking up at Gu He with a sheepish expression.
Gu He: "..."
'Why does this disciple seem to grow more foolish the longer I look at him?'
With a sigh, Gu He walked over and poured a bottle of Spiritual Recovery Purple Liquid, worth millions of gold coins, into the wooden barrel.
"Hiss!"
"Ah, that feels amazing!"
As the Spiritual Recovery Purple Liquid took effect, a soothing, icy sensation spread through Liu Ling's body, and he couldn't help but let out a moan of relief. Soon, under the nourishing effects of the liquid, the festering skin on his body began to heal and return to normal.
An hour later, Liu Ling gracefully leaped out of the barrel, stretched his limbs, and stood up straight. A series of cracking sounds echoed from his bones as he moved.
"Wow, that's refreshing!" he exclaimed, feeling the immense energy coursing through his body. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He quickly made his way to Gu He's side and, noticing that his teacher's teacup was empty, promptly refilled it.
Remembering Gu He's promise to reward him with three gifts upon reaching the Dou Master realm, Liu Ling felt a surge of excitement. He licked his lips and reminded his teacher, "Master, I've already broken through to the Dou Master realm."
Gu He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced at Liu Ling. "With all the resources I've poured into you, even a pig could have broken through by now," he said calmly.
"Uh…" Liu Ling's face flushed with embarrassment.
Thinking about the sheer value of the spiritual liquids he had consumed during his training, Liu Ling couldn't help but click his tongue.
Without the daily use of such precious resources, it would have taken him at least several months to reach the Dou Master realm.
The thought made him feel a little ashamed, and he suddenly felt too embarrassed to bring up the rewards again.
"Alright, since you've broken through to the Dou Master realm, I won't go back on my word," Gu He said, noticing Liu Ling's silence and sensing his discomfort. He decided to stop teasing him and spoke directly, "Come and sit down in front of me."
Liu Ling was momentarily stunned, but then excitement washed over him. "Yes, Teacher!" he replied eagerly, quickly moving to sit obediently in front of Gu He, his face filled with anticipation.
"I hope you can last longer this time, kid," Gu He said lightly as he slowly rose from his seat. He moved behind Liu Ling and placed his palm on the disciple's back.
Hearing this, Liu Ling's expression turned serious. He silently vowed to himself that he would endure longer this time, determined to impress his teacher.
"Calm your mind," Gu He instructed.
With a thought, Gu He activated his empowerment technique, and a powerful surge of dou qi immediately flowed into Liu Ling's body through his palm.
Feeling the immense dou qi pouring into him, Liu Ling's heart raced, and he focused intently, not daring to let his guard down.
As the violent dou qi surged through his meridians, Liu Ling felt as though his body was about to burst. His face turned pale, and he quickly directed the dou qi toward his Dou Qi core (Dou Crystal).
Soon, Liu Ling's aura began to change.
In less than ten breaths after Gu He began transmitting the energy, a muffled sound echoed from Liu Ling's body.
Two-Star Dou Master!
In an instant, Liu Ling had broken through to the Two-Star Dou Master Realm. But this was only the beginning. Gu He continued to pour dou qi into him.
After about thirty breaths, Liu Ling's aura shifted again.
Three-Star Dou Master!
At this point, Liu Ling's body was tingling with pain, but remembering his teacher's words, he gritted his teeth and held on, determined not to disappoint Gu He.
After several dozen more breaths, Liu Ling's aura changed once more.
Four-Star Dou Master!
In just a few hundred breaths, Liu Ling had broken through three consecutive realms, rising from a One-Star Dou Master to a Four-Star Dou Master!
By now, Liu Ling was nearing his limit. With a fierce determination, he frantically urged the Purple Sun Art to refine the dou qi within him.
However, after a few dozen more breaths, he felt his meridians on the verge of tearing apart. His expression changed, and he cried out, "Teacher, stop! I really can't hold on any longer!"
Hearing the pain in Liu Ling's voice, Gu He's expression shifted. He didn't dare delay and immediately stopped the dou qi transfer.
At that moment, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host has granted the disciple Liu Ling one day's worth of cultivation.]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a 9855-fold return, granting you 27 years of cultivation! (Equivalent to the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Emperor.)]
[The 27 years of cultivation have been deposited into the system space. Please check, host!]
Gu He's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the system's notification. This time, the return was a staggering 9855-fold—a full 27 years of cultivation! A satisfied smile spread across his face.
With these 27 years of cultivation, he should be able to break through the barrier of the Dou Emperor peak realm and advance to the Dou Ancestor realm in one go.
He glanced at Liu Ling, who was still immersed in refining the dou qi within his body, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
'This kid had managed to endure the ordeal, showing a bit of backbone.'
Although Liu Ling had only lasted one day this time, Gu He wasn't disappointed. Over the past period, Liu Ling's physical body had been greatly strengthened through the constant use of spiritual liquids.
However, it was important to remember that Gu He's own cultivation had also been growing rapidly. As his cultivation increased, so did the density of his dou qi, meaning that one day's worth of his cultivation was far more potent than before.
The fact that Liu Ling had managed to endure one day's worth of cultivation, compared to half a day last time, showed that he had truly pushed himself to the limit.
After all, the cultivation of a Nine-Star Dou Emperor was not something a mere Dou Master could easily withstand.
If not for Liu Ling's daily body tempering with the Burning Blood Powder, Gu He estimated that his disciple's meridians would have shattered long before reaching the one-day mark.
After a moment, Gu He sank into the system space to inspect the 27-year cultivation sphere before exiting.
Breaking through to the Dou Zong realm would cause a significant disturbance, so he planned to leave the Misty Cloud Sect and find a secluded place to attempt the breakthrough, just as he had done before.
Seeing that Liu Ling was still deep in meditation, Gu He wasn't in a hurry. He walked over to the gazebo (courtyard), poured himself a cup of tea, and sat down to quietly wait for his disciple to awaken.
…
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