Studying Dou Techniques, Blazing Sun Explosive Flame

Xiao Yao focused his mind on the brilliant golden crystal slowly revolving within his Dou Qi vortex, and a feeling of comfort welled up from his soul.

It was as though his very level of life had risen to a higher stage, filling him with joy from the inside out.

This crystal was also the key to the Da Dou Shi realm: a Dou Crystal.

Small though it was, this Dou Crystal was the crystallization of all the Dou Qi in a person's body, containing a staggering amount of power.

Xiao Yao slowly opened his eyes, their depths a brilliant gold.

Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian, who had been waiting quietly nearby, saw him open his eyes. It was as if they were staring straight at two little suns, and both instinctively looked away.

Only when Xiao Yao restrained his presence did the golden light in his eyes completely fade, leaving them a pale gold.

Sensing the utterly different presence Xiao Yao now carried, Xiao Yi Xian still had a look of wonder on her face.

Young Master Xiao Yao had really broken through to the Da Dou Shi realm.

There was not a single Da Dou Shi in Qingshan Town, and even most Dou Shi lingered at the lower star levels.

Even in the Xiao Clan, the upper echelons were only at the Da Dou Shi realm.

That alone was enough to sustain a clan.

It was even enough to develop a clan into one of the three great clans of Wutan City.

And in Wutan City as a whole, a Da Dou Shi could be considered a figure of some standing.

All of this showed that, for ordinary people, the Da Dou Shi realm was a height all but out of reach.

Yet Young Master Xiao Yao had broken through to the Da Dou Shi realm right before her eyes, and she could not help showing her amazement.

Xiao Xun'er stepped forward, her beautiful eyes full of laughter as she spoke to Xiao Yao.

"Congratulations on breaking through to the Da Dou Shi realm, Brother Xiao Yao!"

"A sixteen-year-old Da Dou Shi—I wonder what kind of preferential treatment Jia Nan Academy would be willing to offer you?"

Xiao Yao had already told Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian and the others that he intended to take Jia Nan Academy's entrance assessment.

"I hope I can enjoy some privileges at Jia Nan Academy."

"After all, it's the number one academy on the continent. Even a little preferential treatment would be an enormous help to me."

Xiao Yao spoke seriously. He was looking forward to Jia Nan Academy.

Afterward, to celebrate his breakthrough to the Da Dou Shi realm, Xiao Yao took Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian around Wutan City. They bought quite a few things and had a wonderful time.

Before long, news reached Wutan City that Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team would soon arrive.

The city buzzed with excitement, for Jia Nan Academy recruited not only from Wutan City itself, but from the entire surrounding region.

People from the nearby cities and towns would all come to Wutan City.

Every year, the recruitment site was a sea of people. Even on the final day, long lines of applicants remained.

For ordinary people, Jia Nan Academy truly offered a chance to cross the divide between social classes.

Better teachers, stronger cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, more resources, and even a wider world—Jia Nan Academy had them all. How could people not flock to it like ducks?

On the Xiao Clan's rear mountain, Xiao Yao had been studying Dou Techniques in addition to his daily cultivation since breaking through to the Da Dou Shi realm.

Compared to cultivation methods, Dou Techniques had fewer restrictions.

If a cultivation method was not of the right attribute, one could not even begin to practice it; forcing the matter would yield no results.

Dou Techniques were different. They were special skills for wielding Dou Qi.

As long as a Dou Technique had not been designed specifically for a certain attribute, it could generally be practiced.

One example was Force-Dispelling Water Mirror, a water-attribute Dou Technique mastered by Instructor Ruo Lin, who would arrive later.

It had been designed specifically for the water attribute, so only water-attribute cultivators could master it.

The technique Xiao Yao was studying was Mad Lion's Roar, the High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique he had obtained from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

Like Eight Extremes Collapse, which Yao Lao had taught, this Dou Technique had no attribute requirement. Cultivators of any attribute could practice it.

After all, when Xiao Yan learned Eight Extremes Collapse, he had still only been at the Dou Qi stage. What distinction between attributes could there be in Dou Qi?

Xiao Yao gently closed his eyes. Guided by his mind, the Dou Qi in his body circulated swiftly, gathering toward his hand through several specific meridians.

Finally, a mass of power radiating dazzling golden light condensed above his fist.

This was the fruit of Xiao Yao's work studying Dou Techniques over the past few days.

In the original story, Mad Lion's Roar took the form of a giant lion made of power, which also unleashed an enormous roar to intimidate or distract enemies.

But Xiao Yao felt that rather than spending effort deliberately forming a lion, it would be simpler to release the power directly as a sphere, without having to concentrate on shaping it into a lion.

As for the sound, unless it was truly a sonic Dou Technique, its effect was limited.

Xiao Yao removed the sound effect altogether, then used his own Yang-attribute Dou Qi to make the sphere burst with intense light.

In battle, that would clearly be more effective at disrupting an enemy's vision.

Xiao Yao looked at the golden mass in his hand. He had altered Mad Lion's Roar beyond recognition, so continuing to use that name did not seem quite right.

He could not be bothered to put much thought into it and casually named it Blazing Sun Explosive Flame.

Then Xiao Yao thrust the golden mass forward. It bored straight through several enormous trees in its path.

It finally struck a large bluestone. With a thunderous boom, the entire stone exploded apart.

Scorching fragments of stone sprayed in all directions, leaving charred marks all over the surrounding trees.

Seeing the power of Blazing Sun Explosive Flame, Xiao Yao nodded in satisfaction.

He had been able to complete the modification of a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique in such a short time for several reasons.

One was that the Mad Lion's Roar scroll contained a Soul Imprint bearing the cultivation experience left behind by its predecessors.

That had allowed Xiao Yao to master Mad Lion's Roar quickly. The other reason was the knowledge he had accumulated over the years by reading through the Xiao Clan's collection of books.

In the Xiao Clan, aside from a few high-tier Dou Techniques, the vast majority were worth far less than cultivation methods.

Xiao Clan disciples could even go to the Dou Technique Hall whenever they wished and choose Dou Techniques suited to them, with dedicated Dou Technique instructors to teach them.

Thus, during his first six years of reading, Xiao Yao had looked through most of the Xiao Clan's Dou Techniques.

Even though those Dou Techniques were not of a high grade, they had given Xiao Yao a solid foundation in the subject.

Cultivation methods, however, were different. Even Xiao Clan disciples—even a young master like Xiao Yan—had to reach the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi before their coming-of-age ceremony before they could go to the Dou Qi Pavilion and choose a cultivation method.

Those who failed to reach the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi would even be stripped of the right to enter the Dou Qi Pavilion and choose a cultivation method.

Not even Xiao Zhan, the clan leader, could change that clan rule.

Even Xiao Yao, back then, had relied on the enormous contribution he had made to the Xiao Clan by continuously managing the Extreme Yang Land for six years.

That, coupled with Xiao Yao's genuinely astonishing talent, had allowed him to persuade the Xiao Clan's upper echelons to break the clan rule and open the Dou Qi Pavilion to him alone, so he could read through most of the clan's cultivation methods.