One-star Dou Practitioner

In the silent room of the courtyard, the still air suddenly rippled violently. Strands of Pale White Spirit Qi seeped out of the air, continuously burrowing into Yan Qingshan's body and strengthening his Dou Qi.

Yan Qingshan gritted his teeth, enduring the collision between the energies inside and outside his body. The Qi Gathering Spirit Liquid he had consumed had begun to take effect. Its vast energy pushed his Dou Qi to compress and transform. Though the process was relatively safe, it was undoubtedly painful, especially for his Meridians.

He silently endured the waves of stabbing pain from his meridians. Fortunately, his many days of hard cultivation had not been in vain. After prolonged medicinal baths, his physique had greatly improved. The pain was certainly hard to bear, but for the moment, it had not placed too great a burden on his body.

Within his Dantian Qi Sea, waves of pure energy from the spirit liquid were frantically refined by his Dou Qi, assimilating into it, strengthening his aura, and continuously condensing and compressing his Dou Qi.

This was a necessary process for advancing to Dou Zhe. One had to accumulate enough energy to break through. Even someone at the peak of Dou Disciple Stage Nine needed more than a month of preparation before attempting it.

If the attempt to break through to Dou Zhe failed, bad luck could even cause one to fall back to Dou Disciple Stage Eight, wasting months of hard work. It was common for many people to make dozens of attempts before successfully advancing to Dou Zhe.

A Third-grade Pill, Qi Gathering Powder, contained enough energy to be useful even to a Da Dou Shi, yet its medicinal properties were mild enough that even Dou Qi cultivators could use it. Of course, Dou Qi cultivators would waste most of its medicinal power.

The energy contained within Qi Gathering Powder was immense, enough for a Dou Qi cultivator to attempt a breakthrough more than a hundred times. Failure was practically impossible.

The medicine Yan Qingshan had prepared might not have been as effective as genuine Qi Gathering Powder, but the energy it contained was more than sufficient for a Dou Qi cultivator attempting to break through to Dou Zhe. Therefore, his chances of success this time were still very high.

Inside Yan Qingshan's body, his Dou Qi continued growing until it reached its peak. Once the Dou Qi within him had expanded to a critical point where it could grow no further, changes finally appeared in his Dantian Qi Sea. Accompanied by the movement of his hand seals, the surging Dou Qi within his body suddenly contracted rapidly toward his Qi Sea.

It was as though a vortex had appeared within his dantian. Countless strands of Dou Qi energy were endlessly compressed into a single point. The instant that point slowly began to rotate, it felt as though his entire being had ascended into another state, and he immediately sensed that heaven and earth had become different.

"This is... Dou Zhe!!!"

Yan Qingshan lay in the icy bath barrel. The cold bathwater cleared his head slightly. Setting aside his joy, he regained his composure and gently closed his eyes to sense the condition within his body.

Internal Vision was an ability that martial artists could only master upon reaching the level of Dou Zhe. The stronger one became, the more thoroughly one could grasp the condition of one's body.

At the location of his Qi Sea Dantian, a palm-sized Milky White Qi Vortex was slowly rotating. Around its outer edge was a layer of milky white energy resembling a nebula.

There was an essential difference between Dou Zhe and Dou Disciple Stage Nine. What Dou Zhe cultivated was called Dou Qi, while what was cultivated after becoming a Dou Zhe was true Dou Qi. Though the two differed by only one word, their essence was worlds apart.

"Shuguang, display my detailed stats!"

With a thought from Yan Qingshan, a stream of information swiftly appeared in his mind.

Host: Yan Qingshan

Cultivation: One-star Dou Practitioner

Strength: 1.3

Status: Fatigued

Agility: 1.2

Mental Power: 13

(Data collection target: the average One-star Dou Practitioner in Qingshan Town. The median data for a One-star Dou Practitioner is 1.0 in all attributes.)

"Time is running out. I need to prepare quickly!"

After sensing the power within his body for a while, Yan Qingshan's tightly shut eyes abruptly opened. His mouth parted slightly, and he exhaled a murky breath. Some color returned to his face as well.

Yan Qingshan quickly rose and tidied everything up at top speed. After leaving a letter on the table in his room, he took out the pack he had prepared long ago. When a pale light began to appear on the horizon, he left Myriad Medicine Hall under the cover of the still-heavy night and headed north into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Yan Qingshan had left Myriad Medicine Hall without saying goodbye. This was something he had planned long ago, even months earlier. Before today, he had already packed his belongings and written his letter. Once he successfully broke through to Dou Zhe, he would leave and minimize contact with others.

Cautious by nature, he had arranged everything before his breakthrough because he did not want to stir up trouble or invite problems. Qingshan Town was a small town, practically one of the lowest-level human settlements on the Dou Qi Continent, only slightly better than the even harsher mountain villages. Yet even in such a small town, there were quite a few Dou Zhe, and even Dou Masters.

Most Dou Zhe in Qingshan Town had only broken through after the age of twenty. Even among the so-called geniuses of past generations, the youngest had been eighteen or nineteen. Someone like Yan Qingshan, who was barely fifteen, had never existed.

Once news of his breakthrough spread, he would inevitably find himself in the eye of the storm, attracting countless covetous eyes.

He did not have the strength to protect his secret. Having just broken through to Dou Zhe, his aura would certainly be unstable, making it difficult to ensure that no one recognized him. So before his breakthrough, he had already decided that once he succeeded, he would leave a letter and depart for a time, only returning to Qingshan Town once he was confident enough.

Yan Qingshan had prepared for this matter for a long time and devised a meticulous plan. Every month, he would leave Qingshan Town for several days. Leaving another letter and departing today would not seem abrupt enough to arouse suspicion.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range was rather desolate in winter. Especially after the snow fell, the ground was covered in silver frost. Only some hardy Evergreen Vegetation dotted the Silver Wrapped landscape with patches of green.

Amid the interwoven yellow-brown and snow-white, a trail of Footprints stretched into the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. A youth in a Grey-white Fox Robe carefully walked through the Wild Forest with a Battle Saber in hand. Naturally, this person was Yan Qingshan.

"At this pace, I should arrive around noon."

Yan Qingshan compared the Route Map with his memories and confirmed that he was heading in the right direction.

Yan Qingshan was currently disguised as a Winter Herb Gatherer entering the mountains during the snowy season. He had gained quite a bit while traveling toward his destination. The leather bag on his back was stuffed full, and in this short time alone, he had collected goods worth at least a thousand Gold Coin.

Yan Qingshan moved very cautiously. His route had been planned in advance, and the journey had been fairly safe. Several potential dangers had been sensed and avoided by him beforehand.

At noon, he arrived at a Dense Forest. Beyond the forest was a stretch of cliffs, with a flat Open Space between the cliffs and the Dense Forest. This was where he stopped.

"Set up camp first!"

Standing on the Cliff Top and looking into the distance, Yan Qingshan saw nothing but boundless Snowy Scenery. Ever cautious, he did not act rashly. Instead, after gathering some firewood, he began to Set Up Camp in the Open Space.

Although he found no signs of Peeking eyes after a careful inspection, he did not descend the cliff directly. Instead, he behaved as a Winter Herb Gatherer should. After finding a suitable place, he Set Up Camp. Though it was somewhat early to do so at noon, his actions did not appear unusual.

In the depths of winter, the sun set quickly. Herb Gatherers who entered the mountains in winter were different from mercenaries. Mercenaries mostly hunted magical beasts, while Herb Gatherers sought medicinal herbs and valued safety more. They generally made plans to Set Up Camp early, rather than waiting until it was time to rest before finding a Campsite to make do for the night like those mercenaries.

After Yan Qingshan had prepared his Campsite, he hid behind the shelter of the camp and began preparing the items he needed. After repeatedly confirming that no one was watching him, he tied one end of a rope inside his Campsite, then came to the Cliff Edge and slowly slid down along the Cliff Wall.

Yan Qingshan carefully controlled his body as he descended the Cliff Wall, stopping before a somewhat strange, steep Rock Wall. There grew an odd pine Strange Tree jutting out from the Rock Wall, barely providing a place to set foot.

Behind the Strange Tree was a tangled mass of Withered Vine Bushes. If one looked carefully, one could detect the Sound of Wind faintly coming from the gaps in the bushes. Behind them was a rather large Cave Entrance, a mountain cave that was difficult to discover. If Yan Qingshan had not already known his target and inspected the place carefully, he might have missed it that day.

"Danger!!!"

Just as Yan Qingshan used one hand to push aside the vines, every Pore on his body suddenly contracted. A powerful warning surged through his heart. He fiercely kicked off the Rock Wall with the tips of his feet, then yanked the rope and forcibly shifted himself three feet upward. With his other hand, he flung out a Porcelain Bottle at the ambusher rushing toward him.

Amid a whooshing Sound of Breaking Air, a Snake-like Object whose color resembled the Rock Wall shot out and snapped at him. It failed to bite Yan Qingshan, but it bit the Porcelain Bottle he had thrown and shattered it. Powder carrying a Faint Fragrance spread through the air.

"A Rock Snake!"

Yan Qingshan braced himself against the Rock Wall with the momentum, twisted around to steady himself, and clearly saw his attacker. It was a First-order Magical Beast, a Rock Snake—a snake-shaped magical beast that lived in Rock Walls.

The Rock Snake's body was soft and flat. Not only could it easily crawl through Rock Crevices, but because its body was flat and long like Wings, it could glide between cliffs. Moreover, this magical beast possessed a mutated Stone Attribute of the earth attribute. Its body was as hard as stone, and ordinary Swords could scarcely injure it, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

Having missed its strike, the Rock Snake circled through the air and twisted toward Yan Qingshan with a hiss. Its Triangular Eyes radiated a bloody Cold Light, while a Dark Yellow Halo enveloped its body.

"Hiss~~~"

The Rock Snake hissed again. Its flat, narrow organs, like a pair of Wings, trembled as it spun toward Yan Qingshan. The pale Fangs in its enormous mouth glinted with Cold Light, making one shudder.

"Bang..."

When the Rock Snake was less than a foot away from Yan Qingshan, he stomped backward, gripped the rope, and spun aside. Borrowing the momentum, he evaded it. Because the distance was too close, the Rock Snake had no time to adjust its direction and slammed into the Rock Wall like a throwing knife. The Flying Stones it kicked up scraped across Yan Qingshan's body, leaving his skin stinging with pain.

Yan Qingshan did not dare let his guard down. As he spun, another cloud of powder shot from his hand, completely enveloping the Rock Snake.

The Rock Snake's frantic struggling was suddenly greatly hindered. After twisting and writhing in the White Powder for a moment, its entire body stiffened, and it became stuck motionlessly in the Rock Crevice.

Yan Qingshan still did not dare relax. He took out his Battle Saber, gathered strength from a distance, and chopped down. Nearly half of the Rock Snake's body outside the Stone Crevice was severed, exposing a Half Spine. Yet even with such injuries, it merely twitched slightly. It truly seemed finished.