Within the Moti Mercenary Group's residence, Lin Ran's private courtyard.
On a spacious clearing, two graceful figures—one in blue, one in white—clashed with swift movements. The cold aura of Dou Qi spread across the ground, forming a thin sheet of frost that coated everything around them.
"Boom!"
With a heavy collision of fists and legs, the two girls simultaneously leapt back. Qinglin's hands quickly formed seals before clapping together, and she let out a soft cry.
"Wood Python Constriction!"
Dou Qi rapidly condensed. The ground beneath trembled as a swarm of thick wooden vines burst forth, surging toward Xiao Yixian in a ferocious wave.
Xiao Yixian's feet danced lightly, her silhouette drifting like a white-robed fairy as she weaved through the wooden assault. But the more she dodged, the denser the vines became, surrounding her until her evasive footwork was no longer effective. Within a few breaths, she found herself entirely encircled.
"In just a few short days, she's already mastered this high-grade Xuan-tier technique to such a level... Qinglin really is something."
"But this alone won't be enough to defeat me."
"Ice Sovereign Force—Extreme Ice Freeze!"
The entangling wooden vines suddenly stiffened as a bone-chilling cold radiated outward. The vines were instantly frozen by the frigid air and shattered moments later into a shower of glittering shards.
Freezing Dou Qi erupted from Xiao Yixian's body. In an instant, the surrounding moisture solidified into countless sharp ice crystals. With a flick of her slender fingers, she launched a whistling barrage of icy projectiles straight toward Qinglin.
Qinglin's expression changed slightly. Biting her lip, the three-petal mark in her emerald pupils flared to life. A crimson blur shot forward and landed protectively in front of her.
"Hissss!"
With a piercing screech, the twin-headed Fire Spirit Serpent—its aura equal to a Dou Ling—unleashed a surge of blazing flames, instantly melting all the incoming frost.
The Ice Sovereign Force was powerful, but Xiao Yixian was still only at the Dou Shi level. She might have held her own against a Da Dou Shi, but facing a magical beast rivaling a Dou Ling was a different matter entirely.
"The power of the Three-Colored Pupil is truly terrifying. Who would have thought that someone still in the Dou Qi stage could summon a fourth-tier magic beast?"
Watching from the side, Luyi couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Lady Xiao Yixian's Ice Sovereign Force is formidable, but when faced with the fire-attribute twin-headed Fire Spirit Serpent, she's still at a disadvantage."
The implication was clear—Qinglin had won this duel.
And on the surface, that did seem to be the case. However, Xiao Yixian was not giving up. Her Ice Sovereign Force surged again, the pale blue Dou Qi now laced with a hint of violet, and within her luminous eyes, an eerie seven-colored light began to glimmer.
Seeing this, Lin Ran shook his head.
"Xiao Yixian has won."
"But the Three-Colored Pupil is so powerful—this match should be Qing... huh?" Luyi's words halted as her gaze snapped toward Lin Ran in surprise.
To her, the outcome had already been decided. With a fourth-tier magical beast under her command, Qinglin's victory should have been assured. So why—
Her confusion was answered by what happened next.
The poisonous Dou Qi of the Calamity Poison Body was simply too vicious. During this time, Xiao Yixian had been consuming potent poisons and toxins every day. The strength of her venomous Dou Qi was already at a level that even Dou Wang experts would hesitate to confront.
Although the twin-headed Fire Spirit Serpent was formidable, equivalent to a Dou Ling, and even countered Xiao Yixian's Ice Sovereign Force, it had no way to resist the sheer virulence of her poisonous Dou Qi.
Sure enough, the battle raged on. With the Fire Spirit Serpent aiding her, Qinglin's assault was relentless. But within moments, the serpent let out a shrill cry and collapsed, convulsing violently. Its bright red body had turned a sickly blackish-purple.
"How... how is this possible?!"
Luyi's pupils shrank, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yixian in utter disbelief.
She had known that Xiao Yixian practiced poisonous Dou Qi. Lin Ran frequently provided her with poisonous herbs and elixirs without even bothering to hide it. But she had never expected her poison to be this terrifying.
"Such potent venom... This, this... Wait, the Calamity Poison Body?!"
Realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, and she gasped aloud.
"It is the Calamity Poison Body," Lin Ran said calmly, glancing at her. "The Three-Colored Pupil is indeed remarkable, but to reach its full potential, it needs to be paired with spiritual or soul-based techniques. Qinglin's foundation is too weak, and her current techniques are all wood-type. How could she possibly match Xiao Yixian's Calamity Poison Body?"
"So it really is the Calamity Poison Body..."
Luyi's face was full of disbelief. As a Dou Huang and elder of the Heaven Snake Mansion, she knew of the body's existence. Ancient texts in the Heaven Snake archives had made mention of it.
A physique said to be cursed by the heavens—a toxic constitution born to bring disaster.
She never imagined that such a mythical existence would be right beside her all this time... and housed in the body of such a gentle, kind-looking girl.
"Lord Lin Ran, the Calamity Poison Body..." Luyi hesitated. This was not a matter to take lightly. Unlike the Three-Colored Pupil, once this physique erupted—
"No need to worry. I'll handle her physique. Otherwise, why would I have her consume poisons and toxins daily to strengthen it?"
Lin Ran's tone was casual.
After obtaining the Fire Lotus Platform and the lotus seeds, Lin Ran had not rushed into the Tagore Desert in search of Medusa. Instead, he decided to stay in Shimo City for a while.
There were two reasons for this.
First, he wanted to help Xiao Yixian and Qinglin train and stabilize their early progress.
Second—Xiao Yan.
That's right. One of the main reasons Lin Ran had chosen to remain in Shimo City and even taken Xiao Li under his command was to bring Qinglin over to his side. But more importantly—it was because of Xiao Yan.
Lin Ran's unexpected departure from the Magical Beast Mountain Range had caused him to lose track of Xiao Yan. Even if he didn't intend to be enemies with him, the presence of Yao Chen—a highly unpredictable variable—had to be dealt with.
With the story's course having already changed, Lin Ran couldn't be sure whether Xiao Yan would still appear during the battle over the Green Lotus Core Flame. After all, the boy hadn't even come to Shimo City.
In that case, the best solution—was Xiao Li.
"Lord Lin Ran, the Moti Mercenary Group's expansion is proceeding smoothly. Less than ten percent of the city's other mercenary groups remain independent. Almost all the rest have already merged into our Moti Mercenary Group."
As if on cue, Xiao Li's respectful voice echoed from outside the building.
After a brief pause, he added somewhat hesitantly, "Also, my elder brother's funeral..."
(End of Chapter)