Chen Mo felt a hint of surprise.
By conventional standards, a Dou Shi should have already transformed their Dou Qi from gaseous to liquid form.
A Da Dou Shi, on the other hand, would have solidified their Dou Qi, forming a diamond-shaped Qi Cyclone.
But his case was different.
Even when he was at the Dou Shi level, his Dou Qi had remained in a gaseous state.
Only now, upon reaching Da Dou Shi, had it turned into liquid.
What stood out most was the unusual size of his dantian—it was unnaturally large.
He had a vague feeling that he wasn't yet at his peak, meaning the Dou Qi within his body wasn't even at full capacity.
He estimated that he could store far more Dou Qi than he currently held.
Suddenly, Chen Mo's spiritual perception focused on his Qi Cyclone.
He noticed a subtle change—so minor that it would have gone completely unnoticed without careful observation.
The Qi Cyclone had turned into a swirling mix of black and white, resembling a faint image of the Taiji symbol.
Chen Mo suddenly recalled the description at the beginning of the Tai Shang Hun Yuan Art:
From Wuji comes Taiji.
From Taiji arise the Two Forms.
The Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols.
The Four Symbols evolve into the Eight Trigrams.
And from the Eight Trigrams, all things are created.
The first stage of the Tai Shang Hun Yuan Art, when mastered to completion, was "From Wuji comes Taiji."
"So that means... I've reached perfection in the first stage of the Tai Shang Hun Yuan Art."
That thought flashed through his mind, and the next idea that followed was the urge to find someone to spar with and test it.
Chen Mo turned his gaze toward Queen Medusa.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed. A constant stream of natural energy surged into her body.
Her aura was steadily rising.
It was clear she still needed time to complete her breakthrough.
Chen Mo stepped down from the Green Lotus, pulled out the robe he had previously draped over Queen Medusa from his storage ring, and dressed himself.
A flush of excitement and curiosity spread across his face as he rubbed his hands together. He slowly stretched out his right palm, activating his Dou Qi with a single thought.
Within his Qi Cyclone, the green flame core trembled slightly. After a brief pause, a stream of emerald flames surged outward.
His right palm quivered as the fierce green flames erupted, quickly enveloping his entire hand.
The temperature in the room rose sharply.
"As expected of a Heavenly Flame. It's far hotter than beast fire."
He clicked his tongue in admiration, casually waving his hand, then willed the flame to retract into his palm.
After that, Chen Mo paced around the room and eventually returned to the bedside, where he once again found himself admiring Queen Medusa's beauty.
Her appearance was stunning—seductive and dignified all at once. Even with her eyes closed, her phoenix-like gaze seemed innately alluring and powerful. Her long, dark hair flowed down over her smooth, snow-white shoulders and back.
After appreciating her beauty for a while, he brought the Green Lotus over and sat down beside her to resume his cultivation.
He had little choice.
Queen Medusa was undergoing a breakthrough.
And the eight tribal chiefs had gathered in the royal capital.
With his identity as a human, if he wandered out now, it would likely cause trouble.
So all he could do—for now—was cultivate.
With the aid of a stick of Enlightenment Incense, he had made minor progress in the first stage of the Great Sage Art.
Meanwhile, his Human Emperor Bloodline, having consumed both the blood of the Darkgold Demon Tiger King and the Sky Thunder Blood Eagle, still hadn't evolved into Blue Blood.
Even so, the pressure he emitted had clearly grown stronger.
On the City Walls of the Royal Capital
"Yue Mei, what in the world is going on? We've received three consecutive lockdown orders, but nothing's actually happened."
Flame Thorn, one of the eight tribal chiefs, grumbled in frustration.
He was the first to arrive after the order from the Elder Council, but the only instruction he received was to help defend the capital—no further explanation had been given.
"You got here before me, and you don't know? Then how would I?" Yue Mei replied lazily.
"But didn't you visit Her Majesty in the palace?" Flame Thorn asked, looking toward the only female among the eight tribal chiefs.
Yue Mei straightened slightly, her voluptuous figure forming a graceful silhouette as she said, "I did go to see Her Majesty, but Yue Nu told me she's currently in seclusion and won't see anyone."
"What about Her Highness then?" Flame Thorn asked in a lowered voice.
"I heard she's in the temple receiving Queen Medusa's inheritance," Yue Mei replied softly, her luscious red lips slightly curved.
"I also heard that Her Majesty values a human named Chen Mo very highly."
Flame Thorn frowned. Many strange things had happened recently in the palace, especially after Queen Medusa suddenly assumed full control over the Snake-People. He had wanted to ask what was really going on.
But instead of pushing the matter, he changed the topic.
"You should ask Mebas about that," Yue Mei said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she glanced toward the other side of the wall where a solitary figure was patrolling.
Flame Thorn followed her gaze.
There stood a tall and robust male Snake-Man on the city wall, draped in a black robe. One detail was especially noticeable—his right sleeve hung empty.
Flame Thorn shivered slightly. Among the eight tribal chiefs, Mebas and Yue Mei were the strongest, but Mebas was also infamous for his volatile temper.
Flame Thorn had heard rumors about how that human had severed Mebas' arm.
Going to ask him directly? That would be asking for a beating.
"Forget it, forget it. I didn't say anything," he quickly waved his hand dismissively.
Yue Mei chuckled softly, amused. She was just about to tease him when she sensed several unfamiliar auras approaching from the sky.
Flame Thorn and the other tribal chiefs also felt the change in the air. Their expressions darkened slightly as they turned to the distant horizon.
At the edge of the sky, several figures flew steadily toward the city. Moments later, they stopped just beyond the attack range of the archers on the walls.
"Humans—how dare you trespass into our territory without permission. If you don't want to provoke another war between the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People Tribe, I advise you to turn back the way you came!"
Mebas rose into the air, his tone icy as he addressed the group.
With his command, Yue Mei, Flame Thorn, and the other tribal chiefs also ascended into the sky, confronting the humans face-to-face.
"Well, well, look who it is... That ugly, pitch-black snake," a burly middle-aged man with a lion-head tattoo on his chest stepped forward, sneering.
"Hmph. And here I thought it was someone important. Just a dumb lion with more muscle than brains," Mebas retorted coldly. Judging by the way they looked at each other, the two clearly had history.
"If you hadn't run like a coward back then, someone else would be leading the Black Serpent Tribe by now," the man—named Yan Shi—grinned as he looked at Mebas' missing right arm and mocked, "Tsk tsk, how long has it been, and you've already become this weak? Lost an arm, huh?"
"You're courting death!"
A flash of killing intent passed through Mebas' serpentine pupils.
"That's enough, Old Lion. Stop bickering," Gu He stepped forward and restrained Yan Shi, smiling warmly.
"I am Gu He. I apologize for the sudden visit to your territory. I merely wish to speak with Queen Medusa about an important matter. Might Her Majesty be willing to grant us an audience?"
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