People in Doupo: The beginning of the game intercepts the rich woman Xun'er

"Such rich energy... even more mellow than the ancient realm." Xiao Yan raised his hand and reached into the swirling mist in front of him. When his fingertips touched the hazy gas, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He focused his mind and sensed that strands of extremely pure energy from heaven and earth were seeping into his palm through his fingers. The purity of this energy far surpassed that of ordinary regions, and it was even slightly inferior to the energy he had felt when he cultivated in the ancient realm.

The sheer density of the天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) within the Heavenly Tomb is so immense that it's almost impossible to dissolve. Even without doing anything else, simply finding a safe place to cultivate diligently would allow one to grow at a speed several times faster than outside.

Not to mention that the flow of time inside this tomb is peculiar; three years inside is equivalent to half a year outside. When combined like this, the efficiency of cultivation is terrifyingly astounding.

This shows how precious this trip to the Heavenly Tomb was for a young talent like Xiao Yan, who had not yet fully matured.

This unique training environment allows them to achieve a leapfrog improvement in strength in a short period of time, and the benefits they gain are far greater than those of ordinary training in the outside world.

Xun'er's gaze gently fell on Xiao Ling's profile, her fingertips unconsciously brushing against the edge of her sleeve. Her voice held a hint of dependence as she asked, "Brother Xiao Ling, now that we've entered the Heavenly Tomb, what should we do next? Should we find a place to familiarize ourselves with the environment first, or should we go straight deeper in?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling rubbed his chin with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the thick, impenetrable fog around him, a resolute glint in his eyes: "With our combined strength, the energy bodies and opportunities on the first and second levels of the Heavenly Tomb are merely appetizers, offering little benefit to us. There's really no need to linger. We must, however, go up to the third level and investigate."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming more serious, carrying an unwavering determination.
"Moreover, the tomb of my Xiao clan ancestor Xiao Xuan is hidden in the deepest part of the third level. No matter how many difficulties and dangers I have to overcome along the way, or how many obstacles I have to face from the Soul Clan or other clans, I must try this trip, not only for the legacy of my ancestors, but also to find out the secret behind the decline of the Xiao family back then."

Xiao Ling then turned to Xiao Yan beside him, his tone steady as he planned, "Next, the three of us will set off together. This Heavenly Tomb is far more vast than we imagined. Our first step is to head to the second level. Based on my previous perception of the Heavenly Tomb's energy pressure, this journey will probably take three to four months."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark, lusterless earth beneath his feet, and added:
"The energy field here is too special. Forcing ourselves to fly for a long time will consume a lot of our battle qi, which will make it easier to expose our strength. So most of the time, we can only travel on foot. Along the way, we can also keep an eye out for any hidden opportunities and familiarize ourselves with the environment of the Heavenly Tomb to avoid encountering unknown dangers."

Xiao Yan nodded upon hearing this, raised his hand to test the flow of energy around his body, and indeed felt an invisible pressure enveloping his limbs.

“Indeed, when I tried to mobilize my battle qi to take flight, I felt as if I was being pulled by something. It seems that I can only walk. Although three or four months is a long time, with you and Xun’er by my side, Cousin Xiao Ling, there will be fewer troubles on the way.”

Xiao Ling raised his hand and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, his fingertips carrying a bit of force, but his eyes were full of smiles.

"Don't worry, with Xun'er and me here, keeping you safe at least in the first and second levels of the Heavenly Tomb is a piece of cake. As for the third level, the situation is unclear right now, so we can make plans when we get there."

He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Xiao Yan's slightly tense shoulders, his tone becoming more resolute.

"Moreover, the three or four months we spend heading to the entrance to the second level will be an excellent opportunity for you. With my help, it won't be a problem for you to break through several realms. If you're even luckier, it's not impossible for you to directly reach the fifth or sixth star Dou Zun."

"Huh? So fast?" Xiao Yan suddenly looked up, his eyes lighting up instantly, his tone full of astonishment.

He is only at the two-star Dou Zun level now. According to Xiao Ling's calculations, it has only been three or four months, yet he has managed to advance several realms, or even higher.

This cultivation speed was dozens of times faster than when he traveled in Zhongzhou. Even with his calm and composed nature, he couldn't help but clench his fists and his breathing quickened.

"Don't be too surprised. This is a good opportunity to show you the intricacies of the Heavenly Tomb."

Xiao Ling chuckled lightly. Before he finished speaking, his gaze had already turned to the churning fog on his right. He slowly raised his hand, and as his five fingers clenched, his fighting spirit quietly enveloped his body.

With a sudden clench of his palm, the mist rapidly condensed as if drawn by an invisible force, and the originally hazy fog vanished in the blink of an eye.

The three looked over and saw a semi-transparent, illusory figure hovering in the air, with lingering energy ripples around it.

"This is... an energy body?" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

When he spread out his soul perception, he didn't even notice the existence of this thing. If Xiao Ling hadn't intervened, they would have been caught off guard when the energy body got close.

“That’s right.” Xiao Ling nodded with a smile, his fingertips lightly tracing across his palm, his tone becoming more serious. “I noticed earlier that these energy entities can use the mist of the Heavenly Tomb to conceal their aura, approaching silently like shadows. By the time you notice them, they are often already right in front of you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his thumb and middle finger, and a crisp snap echoed through the silent fog.

The illusory figure suddenly twisted violently, and the energy ripples on its surface vibrated like water waves. The next second, it exploded with a "poof".

At the same time, a stream of light, about the size of a thumb and shimmering with pale gold, streaked out from the fragments and flew toward Xiao Ling as if it had a spirit of its own, where it was firmly grasped in his palm.

Xiao Ling opened his palm, and a rhomboid crystal the size of a thumb lay quietly in his hand. Fine, shimmering light flowed across its surface, and wisps of pure energy mist slowly diffused from the crystal's edges, leaving a warm, smooth feel on his skin.
"This is the energy core. The energy stored inside is even purer than some Rank 8 pills, and it is exactly the 'great tonic' that Xun'er mentioned earlier."

Xun'er stepped forward at the opportune moment, her gaze falling on the energy core, and softly added the details.
"The energy cores in the Heavenly Tomb are divided into nine levels according to their purity and the power they contain. The one in Brother Xiao Ling's hand is at most a level three, which is only considered a good quality item on the first level. The truly high-level energy cores are mostly hidden deep in the first level, or in the dangerous areas of the second or third level. The more difficult the place to find, the higher the level of the energy core, and the greater the benefit to cultivation after refining it."

She paused, then continued her introduction in a gentle yet clear tone:
"Moreover, the method of absorbing this energy core is very simple. You just need to hold it in your palm, circulate your own cultivation technique to guide it, and the energy in the crystal will flow into your body through the meridians in your palm. The process is gentler than refining pills, and you don't have to worry about the risk of energy collisions. When you have a moment to spare while traveling, you can refine one to replenish your battle qi and slowly nourish your meridians, which is just right for laying the foundation for breaking through your realm." Xiao Ling held the energy core between his fingertips, circulated his cultivation technique to absorb a small amount, felt the warm touch of the pure energy flowing through his meridians, and after understanding the general idea, he flicked his finger lightly. The rhomboid crystal, with a slight whooshing sound, flew towards Xiao Yan's direction.

Xiao Yan reacted quickly, catching the energy core steadily. He ran his fingertips over the cool surface of the crystal, curiously turning it over and playing with it for a moment.

Once he had a feel for it, he followed Xun'er's instructions, tightly gripping the energy core in his palm and focusing his mind on circulating the internal energy technique.

As soon as he activated the technique, Xiao Yan felt a cool sensation in his palm. Immediately afterward, his pupils contracted sharply, and his face showed undisguised astonishment.

A surge of energy, far more potent than anticipated, erupted from the energy core like a tidal wave, rushing wildly into the body through the meridians in the palm.

What surprised him even more was that this energy had none of the impurities of ordinary energy. It did not require any mental effort to refine. It only needed to follow the path of the cultivation technique and travel through the meridians once, and it would automatically disperse into the limbs and bones, silently seeping into the muscles and bones. Even the tiny cells seemed to be nourished and made active.

"This...this is so easy to absorb!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but exclaim, feeling as if his meridians were being enveloped in warm water, the comfort making him almost sigh.

He slowly exhaled, his fingertips still clutching the crystal that was still radiating energy, his eyes filled with astonishment:

"What an amazing thing! It's even smoother to refine than ordinary high-grade pills, with not a single bit of energy wasted... No wonder even super ancient forces like the Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan, who have been passed down for thousands of years, value the trip to the Heavenly Tomb so much. It turns out that the energy core here has such a special effect."

Seeing his surprised expression, Xiao Ling smiled faintly.
"This is the benefit of the Heavenly Tomb Energy Core. Especially for us alchemists, this kind of pure energy is most suitable for honing our foundation. You can absorb it slowly first. We can refine it as we go, which will save time. Once you have absorbed this one, you might be able to reach the threshold of a three-star Dou Zun."

As the last wisp of pure energy flowed into his body through his palm, Xiao Yan slowly opened his hand. The rhombus-shaped energy core had completely turned into fine powder, which dissipated into the mist with a gust of wind.

He raised his hand and touched his dantian, only to find that his fighting spirit was much stronger than before, and a look of amazement appeared on his face.

If the energy core in the Heavenly Tomb is not too difficult to obtain, with this absorption speed, one can advance from a two-star Dou Zun to a mid-level Dou Zun in four months. What seemed like an unattainable goal before is now actually possible.

Seeing Xiao Yan still standing there, his face full of astonishment, Xiao Ling patted his shoulder gently, just enough to bring him back to his senses: "Alright, stop standing there. We don't have much time to waste, it's time to get going."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the depths of the mist ahead, his tone carrying a hint of confident planning:
“I just used my soul perception to explore and found the shortest route to the entrance to the second level. When we travel from here, I will deliberately arouse some battle qi to attract the energy bodies along the way to come closer to us, so that we can collect more energy cores.”

As he spoke, Xiao Ling glanced at Xiao Yan and added, "The energy cores on this level aren't of much use to me and Xun'er. You can refine all the ones we collect later. That's why I said before that it would allow your cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. Don't waste this opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan snapped out of his daze, his eyes instantly lighting up. He tightened his clenched fist slightly, saying, "Cousin Xiao Ling, how could I possibly accept this..."

He knew perfectly well that he was the one being genuinely protected by Xiao Ling and taking advantage of the situation.

Without having to overcome obstacles or rack their brains, the pure energy that others crave and the shortcut to cultivation that others struggle to reach are presented to them so naturally.

Even in the most deadly and unknown dangers of the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Ling and Xun'er stood in front of him, allowing him to focus on his own safety without having to worry about anything else.

He understood even more clearly that this opportunity, which was so precious to him, might just be a casual favor in Xiao Ling's eyes. Those energy cores that he regarded as "great tonics" might not be anything special to Xiao Ling, who had a high level of cultivation and a wealthy family, or to Xun'er, who was a young lady from an ancient clan.

But Xiao Yan never took it for granted, nor would he slack off because of this "easy" situation.

He remembered every word and action of the affection hidden behind the care and protection, the unspoken support.

He secretly resolved that he would repay Xiao Ling and Xun'er a hundredfold or a thousandfold for the path they had paved for him and the dangers they had shielded him from today, when he was strong enough. He would never forget this kindness, nor would he ever owe it to them.

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Xiao Ling interrupted him with a smile, raised her hand to push aside the thick fog in front of her, and took the lead. "Hurry up and follow me. Once we get to the second floor, there are more important things to do."

After saying that, Xiao Ling suddenly activated his battle qi, and a pale blue halo flashed around him. His figure instantly transformed into a stream of light and rushed into the depths of the mist. In the blink of an eye, he had created a distance of several feet between himself and the two people behind him.

Seeing this, Xun'er turned to Xiao Yan with a slight smile, her tone teasing as she reminded him.
"Cousin Xiao Yan, hurry up and catch up, don't fall too far behind. Energy entities in this Heavenly Tomb may emerge at any time. If you encounter danger, Brother Xiao Ling and I won't be able to protect you immediately."

Before she finished speaking, Xun'er lightly touched the ground with her feet, her figure as light as a willow catkin, and quickly caught up with Xiao Ling's back. The two figures gradually merged into a faint stream of light in the thick fog, and sped off in the predetermined direction.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but shrug, a helpless yet amused smile curving his lips. He muttered to himself, "Tsk, what's this? Husband and wife in harmony? I feel like this third wheel is really superfluous!"

Despite his complaints, he didn't hold back at all. His internal energy cultivation technique instantly reached its peak, and pure battle qi surged wildly through his meridians to his limbs and bones. He pushed off with his feet, and his figure shot out like an arrow, creating a whooshing sound as he closely followed the two figures in front of him, not daring to fall behind even a little bit... (End of this chapter)