Advancing to Dou Wang

Three years later

In Room No. 1 on the sixth floor of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, a vast concentration of pale red energy hung so densely it could not disperse, filling the entire room like mist.

All that energy continuously flowed toward the cross-legged figure seated atop the stone platform. It was Liu Xi. An immensely powerful aura radiated from him, steadily growing stronger with the passage of time until it reached its limit.

Yet Liu Xi's handsome face was furrowed in a frown. The young man's dantian and meridians were already packed full with immense Dou Qi energy, unable to accommodate even the slightest trace of outside energy. He could only keep compressing his Dou Crystal.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion inside his dantian, the Dou Crystal suddenly shattered. Then, as external energy poured in without pause, it reformed into an even larger, irregularly spherical Dou Crystal. With the formation of the new Dou Crystal, Liu Xi broke through into the Dou Wang realm. The aura that had previously stopped growing surged again as energy flooded into him, seemingly strengthening without end.

An hour later, the aura rippling from Liu Xi finally calmed. He slowly opened his eyes, and an azure gleam flashed through them. Rising to stretch his limbs, Liu Xi clenched his hand and sensed the formidable power surging within him. It felt as though every cell in his body was cheering with joy, and he could no longer suppress his laughter. "Hahaha, so this is the power of a Dou Wang."

With a thought, the energy throughout the room seemed to answer Liu Xi's summons, rushing behind him and resonating with the Dou Qi within his body. It formed a pair of magnificent enormous wings, primarily composed of crimson flames and wreathed in an Azure Halo.

If Liu Xi wished it, the wings could carry him into the sky. However, the room was ultimately too confined, so he chuckled and withdrew them. Thinking back on the hardships of the past three years, he felt they had finally borne fruit.

Ever since Liu Xi had seized the Fire Energy of nearly half the Senior Students in the forest during the Fire Energy Hunt Competition three years ago, his rule-breaking actions had become known throughout the Inner Court after the competition ended.

Thus, Liu Xi had not been particularly welcome in the Inner Court at the time. He had neither established his own faction nor joined anyone else's, so people had sought trouble with him in the beginning.

However, when even a Dou Ling-level expert failed to trouble Liu Xi and was instead toyed with by his Illusion Technique, many people still resented him, but no one in the Inner Court bothered with that slippery rascal anymore. Those weaker than him could not beat him, while those stronger than him could not make him fight and would only be toyed with, losing all face.

Afterward, Liu Xi used the vast amount of Fire Energy he had accumulated in the Fire Energy selection competition to begin arduous cultivation. In four months, he successfully broke through to Seven Star Da Dou Shi. As a Fourth-grade Alchemist, Liu Xi could naturally refine the Fourth-grade Pill known as the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, yet he had never taken one himself. Now, he directly used one Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill to break through to Eight Star Da Dou Shi. After another month of bitter cultivation to stabilize his realm, he took a second Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill. Although his aura was somewhat unstable, he successfully broke through to Nine Star Da Dou Shi.

Breaking through directly to Nine Star Da Dou Shi in five months made Liu Xi sigh. "Sometimes, breakthroughs really are this simple."

Over the following period, Liu Xi also set aside time to study high-grade pill formulas and refine pills to improve his Alchemy Art. Within three years, he had reached the level of a Peak Fifth-grade Alchemist. He only lacked an opportunity to become a respected Sixth-grade Alchemist.

With the support of his more advanced Alchemy Art, Liu Xi thrived in the Inner Court. He had built connections with many Inner Court elders, refining high-grade pills for those elders, all of whom possessed at least Dou Wang-level cultivation. In return, he obtained vast amounts of Fire Energy, high-level Cultivation Methods, high-level Dou Techniques, and High-level Medicinal Materials, while his cultivation realm rose rapidly. From Nine Star Da Dou Shi, he broke through to One Star Dou Ling, then gradually advanced all the way to Nine Star Dou Ling. Every breakthrough signified Liu Xi's increasingly elevated status in the Inner Court.

At the same time, the improvement in his Alchemy Art brought another growth in soul power, making Liu Xi's use of the Illusory Heart Technique increasingly effortless. He could even create illusionary duplicates and alter his appearance through illusions, with flaws that were difficult to detect. This greatly improved his ability to preserve his life.

With his profound cultivation and strange Illusion Technique, after breaking through to Dou Ling, Liu Xi steadily climbed from first joining the Inner Court's Strong Ranking to eventually becoming its number one. The experts of the Strong Ranking from Xiao Yan's era had yet to emerge, and even Zi Yan had not appeared yet. The Great Elder likely had not found her yet, allowing Liu Xi to smoothly become the number one of this generation's Strong Ranking.

From then on, Liu Xi truly lived up to his title of "Demon Lord" in the Inner Court. His feat of counter-robing Senior Students of their Fire Energy during the Fire Energy Hunt Competition when he had first entered the academy was endlessly discussed throughout the Inner Court, with everyone marveling at the extraordinary "Demon Lord Liu Xi." Now, when other students encountered Liu Xi, few dared to call him by name. Most respectfully addressed him as Demon Lord.

In this dog-eat-dog Dou Qi Continent, some things were simply like that. If you stood out from others, then while you were weak, everyone could not resist stepping on you. Once you became strong, everyone would come flatter you, wishing they could hang you high above them.

Recalling everything from the past three years, Liu Xi could not help but sigh. If he had not been fortunate enough to obtain the soul technique, the Illusory Heart Technique, his path would not have gone so smoothly. Now that he had broken through to Dou Wang in one stroke, paired with the Illusion Technique of the Illusory Heart Technique, he finally possessed the ability to protect himself. At last, he could go and see just how vast and boundless the Dou Qi Continent truly was.

After finishing his recollections, Liu Xi smiled. He straightened his clothes, then reached out and retrieved the Red Fire Crystal Card he had inserted into the card slot. Glancing at it, he saw that its mirror-like surface still displayed 2,580 days of Fire Energy. It looked like a lot, but in Room No. 1, it would only be enough for less than three months of cultivation. Ever since Liu Xi became number one on the Strong Ranking and a Fifth-grade Alchemist, Fire Energy had been the thing he lacked least.

Pushing open the door, Liu Xi walked out. As he passed through the corridors of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, he occasionally encountered one or two students, each of whom greeted him with admiration and respectfully called him, "Lord Demon Lord!"

The Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower itself was built underground, so Liu Xi could only leave by ascending one floor at a time. Upon reaching the first floor at the very top, he happened to run into Elder Liu, who managed that floor and was also one of the elders Liu Xi knew best.

When Liu Xi saw Elder Liu, he immediately stepped forward and greeted him with a smile. "Elder, what a coincidence!"

Seeing Liu Xi, Elder Liu's aged face also revealed an affectionate smile. Naturally, he was quite fond of this talented junior who shared his surname. Looking at Liu Xi as though he were his own grandson, he teased, "So it's the academy's Little Demon Lord! After cultivating in seclusion for so long, you finally decided to come out."

Before Elder Liu could finish speaking, he sensed the Dou Wang aura around Liu Xi, which Liu Xi had only just broken through and could not yet fully conceal. After pausing for a moment, Elder Liu revealed a wistful expression and said, "No wonder you were willing to come out. You broke through to Dou Wang! Back when you first arrived, you were only a Da Dou Shi. It has only been a few years, and you are already close to catching up with me. Time truly waits for no one!"

Liu Xi stepped forward and supported Elder Liu's arm, saying gratefully, "For Liu Xi to have come this far, I have Elder to thank for your care over these years. Without it, how could I have broken through to Dou Wang so smoothly?"

Looking at Liu Xi supporting him, Elder Liu laughed and scolded, "You little rascal! Even without this old man, with your talent, breaking through to Dou Wang would only have been a matter of time! Now that you have broken through, what do you plan to do next? If you are willing to remain at the academy, this old man can help arrange for you to become an Inner Court elder!"

Liu Xi pondered for a moment. "I plan to return home first, then go outside and take a look around."

Though Elder Liu looked slightly reluctant, he still agreed. "That is true. Young people should travel more."

After bidding Elder Liu farewell, Liu Xi went directly to the office of the Inner Court's Great Elder, Su Qian. He had come to request leave. After all, he had not yet graduated, and it was better to ask for leave before departing for an extended period.

When Great Elder Su Qian learned that Liu Xi had already broken through to Dou Wang, he could not help but remark that Liu Xi's talent was almost demonic. He then approved Liu Xi's leave. Since Liu Xi had already broken through to Dou Wang, there was no reason to restrain him.

That same day, the entire Inner Court was shocked that the number one of the Strong Ranking, "Demon Lord Liu Xi," had reached the Dou Wang realm at such a young age. Meanwhile, Liu Xi had already returned to his room to pack his belongings, preparing to set out for home the next day.