Da Dou Shi

A month later, Wei Yang broke through to the Nine-star Dou Shi realm.

Another two months later, he naturally broke through to become a Da Dou Shi.

This was far faster than the year Ye Xian'er had previously estimated.

He had only just turned sixteen.

His foundation was simply too solid. Ever since he began cultivating, he had advanced step by step and had never taken pills or anything of the sort.

All of his Dou Qi had been accumulated bit by bit through his own cultivation, so there was naturally no sense of instability. Nor had he excessively drained his own potential. Thus far, he had not encountered any bottlenecks and had broken through as naturally as could be.

Within his Dantian, the liquid energy that had once filled it had completely vanished.

In its place was a thumb-sized, dark-red diamond-shaped crystal, quietly suspended at the center of the Dantian's Qi Cyclone, utterly still.

A faint golden glow shimmered across the crystal's surface.

Wei Yang's mind stared in wonder at the dark-red diamond-shaped crystal, which stood like it was at the eye of a storm.

At the instant this diamond-shaped crystal had appeared, he had clearly felt a sense of comfort radiating from the depths of his soul.

His soul was growing stronger.

As a Dou Zhe's cultivation grew more powerful, their soul would also slowly strengthen over time.

And this crystal within the Dantian was the most crucial thing in becoming a Da Dou Shi: a Dou Crystal!

It contained enormous energy, the solid result of energy condensed to an extreme degree.

For a Dou Zhe, energy was gaseous.

For a Dou Shi, energy was liquid.

For a Da Dou Shi, it was solid.

In the eyes of many powerful experts, only after possessing a Dou Crystal could one be considered to have truly entered the halls of Dou Qi cultivation.

A Dou Crystal was the crystallization of all the Dou Qi within a martial artist's body, containing an astonishing amount of energy.

Wei Yang's mind gazed almost drunkenly at the newly formed dark-red diamond-shaped crystal.

Only after a long while did his mind slowly withdraw.

Inside the room, Wei Yang's eyes abruptly flew open, and a dark-red radiance shot out from them.

At the same time, a powerful aura erupted, forming a storm within the room.

After a moment, everything slowly settled.

"Phew~"

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Feeling the unprecedented, surging power within his body, Wei Yang murmured softly, "So this is a Da Dou Shi!"

With a thought, a layer of radiance emerged over his body and gathered, quickly solidifying into a dark-red suit of armor that covered his entire body.

Fine, faint golden patterns were etched across the armor's surface, making it appear imposing and extraordinary.

Dou Qi Armor!

This was the mark that only a Da Dou Shi could possess.

Although this dark-red armor was currently only a rough prototype and not yet sufficiently solid, the dense, majestic feeling it faintly exuded made it clear that it was nothing the previous Dou Qi gauze garment could compare to.

"A Da Dou Shi at last."

Wei Yang sighed, retracting the Dou Qi Armor and concealing his aura. Standing there, a smile appeared on his handsome face.

"A Da Dou Shi who has only just turned sixteen!"

As he stretched, his bones crackled throughout his body.

Ever since he began cultivating, every one of his breakthroughs had come as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

Unlike Xiao Yan in the original work, whose every breakthrough had been a hair-raising ordeal.

He often took pills to forcibly advance beyond his level, triggering all kinds of aftereffects.

Though it looked passionate and thrilling.

From Wei Yang's perspective, however, it was somewhat hard to accept.

In his view, cultivation should be an enjoyable process of pursuing power, one that emphasized gradual progress and steady advancement, one step at a time.

Relying on external aids too often always came with many drawbacks and amounted to squandering one's own potential.

If Xiao Yan were not the protagonist, blessed with absurd luck and constantly receiving countless fortuitous opportunities, anyone else who cultivated like that would have been done for long ago.

Of course, Xiao Yan had no choice. Time was pressing, and he had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Come to think of it, the kid was rather pitiful.

Thinking of this, Wei Yang could not help shaking his head with a smile.

If he could help in the future, then within his abilities, he would lend Xiao Yan a hand. After all, they were fellow countrymen.

In this world, Wei Yang was actually quite lonely inside.

Although he had lived here for more than ten years, there was always a faint sense of loneliness in his heart.

He always felt like a man in a foreign land.

Thus, toward Xiao Yan, this fellow countryman, he instinctively felt a sense of closeness.

With that thought, Wei Yang looked in the direction of the Xiao Family in Wu Tan City.

By now, Xiao Yan had fallen from his pedestal for over a year, reduced from a genius to a good-for-nothing mocked by everyone.

He had become the favorite topic of conversation for Wu Tan City's residents after meals.

The more they had once envied him, the more viciously they trampled on him now.

The story was about to begin.

Creak~

The door opened, and Wei Yang stepped outside.

At a glance, he saw Ye Xian'er standing not far away. Dressed in white and ethereal as an immortal, she had been quietly waiting for him.

The moment she saw Wei Yang emerge, her eyes lit up. She hurried over in quick little steps. "Brother Yang."

"Xian'er." Wei Yang pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and lightly kissed her forehead. "Did you miss me?"

"Mhm."

Ye Xian'er nodded, rubbing her cheek against his chest. With a beaming smile, she said, "You've been in seclusion for three days this time."

"Three days already?" Wei Yang nodded.

"Did you succeed?" Ye Xian'er looked up and asked curiously.

"Of course. It was only a breakthrough to Da Dou Shi. For me, it was as easy as eating and drinking." Wei Yang smiled.

"Th-this..." Ye Xian'er could not help clicking her tongue in amazement. Her lovely face was full of shock. "Brother Yang, you only just turned sixteen, and you're already a Da Dou Shi... This is too... A sixteen-year-old Da Dou Shi! It seems like the entire Jia Ma Empire has never heard of one."

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Ye Xian'er was still deeply shocked at this moment.

For others, becoming a Dou Zhe at sixteen was already enough to make them geniuses.

When Jia Nan Academy recruited students, a sixteen-year-old Dou Zhe was enough to be rated as having the highest S-rank talent. (Don't ask why English appeared in the Dou Qi Continent. Take it up with Potato.)

Yet Wei Yang had only just turned sixteen and was already a Da Dou Shi.

Moreover, Ye Xian'er knew very well that Wei Yang had never taken any pills. Every bit of his Dou Qi had been accumulated through his own cultivation.

That was a little absurd.

Seeing Ye Xian'er's stunned expression, Wei Yang felt rather satisfied and proud. The hand around her slender waist tightened as he felt the increasingly alluring curves of her body and pressed her soft form tightly against his own.

Ye Xian'er's face reddened slightly. She shot him an adorable glare, but her eyes were filled with laughter and affection.

"Have you been cultivating properly these past few days? Or did you take the chance to slack off again?" Wei Yang asked with a smile, rubbing her little head with one hand.

"Hmph, I didn't slack off." Ye Xian'er wrinkled her nose and replied in a cute, indignant voice.

"Really?"

"Mhm." Ye Xian'er nodded firmly, then said as if seeking praise, "I'm almost at the third stage of Dou Qi. I feel like I'll be able to break through in a few days."

"Not bad. My Xian'er is a little genius too." Wei Yang praised.

Three stages of Dou Qi in less than a year!

Even Wei Yang felt inferior.

Xiao Yan would probably blush if he heard it.

"Hehe." Ye Xian'er was delighted by Wei Yang's praise, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Brother Yang, are you hungry? Shall I make you something tasty?"

"Mhm, all right." Wei Yang draped an arm around her shoulders as the two headed toward the main hall. "Has anyone come to buy medicine these past few days?"

"Yes. I even treated four or five injured people."

"Didn't I tell you? Just sell them the medicine. We don't lack that bit of money, so why treat their wounds too?"

If Ye Xian'er did not enjoy it, he would not even bother continuing to sell medicine. He did not need the money at all.

"They were badly hurt, and they came to our home to buy medicine. Since I saw them, I just helped bandage them up."

"You little girl." Wei Yang was helpless.

He truly could not bear to let his precious darling bandage the wounds of a bunch of burly mercenaries.

But there was nothing he could do. Xian'er simply liked being a healer and treating people.