"No matter what, you are still my second brother. Since eldest brother isn't here, you must shoulder this heavy responsibility!"
Qin Ning leaned against the table and smiled. "This time, the two of us brothers must fight shoulder to shoulder!"
As he spoke, an alchemical flame appeared in Qin Ning's hand, enveloping a Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal.
"You..."
Seeing this, Qin Hai was completely at a loss for words.
Although he had remained in his small courtyard, he was well aware of what was happening in the Qin manor.
When he learned that Qin Ning had gone out, he had been extremely worried. But because he couldn't even step out of his own door, he hadn't been able to help the Qin family at all.
From the very beginning, he hadn't dared to hope. Who would have thought...
Qin Ning had actually found the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal.
"Actually, even without the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, I could still help you, but it would require too many other ingredients that Lingyun City doesn't have."
"It just so happened that I knew Lingyun Mountain had the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, so I went to get it for you!"
Qin Ning laughed. "Second brother, I went through a lot of trouble to get this!"
"Third brother..."
Qin Hai lowered his head, then suddenly looked up.
His eyes were bloodshot, and tears began to fall.
"The descendants of the Qin family shed blood, not tears. Second brother, don't cry, or else those beautiful courtesans will be ashamed of being inferior to you!"
Looking at Qin Hai, who was more delicate-featured than Qin Ning and had pale skin from not stepping out of the house for two years, his tears made one's heart ache for him.
"You cheeky brat, always talking nonsense!"
Qin Hai couldn't help but laugh and scold him.
"Alright, alright, don't celebrate too early. This Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, combined with the Bone-Soothing Pill I refined for you, is enough to completely resolve the issue with your legs."
"In fact, the pure yang heat of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal will even help you open the nine gates. Right now, you are in the Gate Opening Realm, but this Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal will merge with the cold qi in your body. Under their combined effect, it might allow you to continuously open your gates..."
Actually, there was still one sentence Qin Ning left unsaid.
If Qin Hai could withstand this scorching pure yang qi, he might even be able to open all nine gates and condense his Spirit Sea, causing the spiritual qi within his Spirit Sea to carry a fiery heat. When attacking or executing spirit techniques, their power would be multiplied.
But that process was truly too painful.
Just a slight slip-up could cost him his life.
Qin Ning didn't plan to say it because he was afraid his second brother would overexert himself to death. That would be of no benefit to his future cultivation.
"Second brother, you just need to do as I say."
Qin Ning said calmly, "After you swallow the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, it will release an extremely dense Heavenly Fire aura. You just need to guide that aura to surge into your legs and dissolve the cold qi!"
"Then, as the cold qi and fire qi merge, they will produce a gentle aura. Combined with your spiritual qi, it will create a dual effect in your body, thereby neutralizing the cold poison!"
"But that isn't the most important part. The most important part is that after the cold qi is forced out of your legs, you must do your best to absorb the remaining fire qi of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal."
"But remember, do not absorb all of it. Just do as I say and force all the excess fire qi out of your body."
Force it out?
Hearing this, Qin Hai asked doubtfully, "How do I force it out? Besides, wouldn't doing that waste the power of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal?"
"Better to waste it than to force yourself!" Qin Ning replied with a smile. "I will pass down a spirit technique to you!"
"A spirit technique!"
Hearing these two words, Qin Hai was stunned once again.
A spirit technique was something that only martial artists in the Spirit Sea Realm could cultivate!
Even the simplest first-grade spirit technique would command an astronomical price in Lingyun City.
Martial artists of the Spirit Sea realm were practically gods in Lingyun City!
"The Spirit Flame Formula!"
Qin Ning explained in detail, "This spirit technique is based on a mental cultivation method that helps convert the spiritual qi in your body into fire-attributed spiritual qi. In addition, it includes fist, palm, and finger techniques!"
"It is more than enough for Second Brother to study throughout the Spirit Sea realm!"
Without waiting for Qin Hai's response, Qin Ning began to impart the chant for the Spirit Flame Formula.
The Spirit Flame Formula possessed extraordinary power. Back in his fifth lifetime, when he was the Nine Yuan Alchemy Emperor, he had a young page. Because the boy performed well, Qin Ning had taught him this alchemy technique.
This Spirit Flame Formula was extremely suitable for martial artists with fire-attributed spiritual qi.
This time, with Second Brother's constitution being improved by the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, it was only natural that the spiritual qi in his body would undergo a transformation.
Qin Ning finished imparting the chant of the Spirit Flame Formula to Qin Hai.
"Second Brother, you only need to memorize the first part for now. Later, when you can no longer circulate the scorching spiritual qi, immediately execute this spirit technique. It will help you dispel the scorching spiritual qi in your body and regenerate new spiritual qi."
"By doing this, the remaining portion will not cause you any harm!"
"I understand!"
Qin Hai nodded.
But in his heart, he was absolutely certain that he would not execute the Spirit Flame Formula when the time came.
The Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal—his third brother made it sound simple, but obtaining it must have cost him an immense amount of effort.
Over the past dozen days, who knew what life-and-death struggles his third brother had gone through.
Therefore, no matter what, once the cold qi in his legs was dispelled, he had to absorb all the remaining spiritual essence, not letting a single bit go to waste!
If Qin Ning knew what Qin Hai was thinking right now, he would probably cough up blood.
He really hadn't expended any effort to get the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, and he still had ten more of them left.
As time ticked away, Qin Ning did not leave. He stood by the side, closely watching Qin Hai's movements.
Gradually, a faint mist appeared on the surface of Qin Hai's body, especially around his legs. The hems of his trousers had frozen solid.
But as time passed, the hems of Qin Hai's trousers gradually became wet.
Qin Ning knew that the cold qi in his second brother's legs had been dispelled. Now, it all depended on how much of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal's heat he could absorb.
According to Qin Ning's calculations, after drawing out the cold qi from his second brother's body, less than twenty percent of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal would be consumed.
The remaining seventy percent would be left for his second brother to absorb, and whatever he couldn't absorb would be released from his body.
Out of that remaining seventy percent, as long as his second brother could absorb twenty percent of it, reaching the Jingmen realm would be guaranteed.
If he could absorb thirty percent, reaching the Simen realm would be well within reach.
This was the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal, after all. No one understood its wonders better than Qin Ning.
"Ugh... hmph..."
At this moment, Qin Hai suddenly groaned, beads of sweat beginning to roll down.
He was beginning to absorb the heat of the Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal.
At this moment, Qin Hai felt as if his limbs were flooded with scorching heat. His spiritual qi was overtaken by the heat, instantly erupting into a violent, fiery energy.
After his limbs, it spread to his five viscera, then his six bowels...
The Heavenly Fire Spirit Crystal had consumed ten percent to dispel the cold qi. Now, relying on his sheer willpower, Qin Hai was absorbing nearly twenty percent of it.
This seventy percent could not be wasted, not even a single bit.