Douluo Continent, Sunset Forest.
There was a fog-shrouded place that struck fear into all who spoke of it. Legend had it that even Titled Douluo had met their end here.
Yet at the heart of this fog lay an entirely different scene.
Within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the most magnificent sight on the continent, a colossal bronze pillar soared straight into the heavens!
Floating gilded palaces stood atop the pillar, linked by seven-colored rainbow bridges.
They emanated a sacred pressure that made hearts tremble!
This was Dou Po Academy, rebuilt by Zhou Xu through eighteen years of painstaking effort.
Eighteen years ago, he had transmigrated to Douluo Continent and awakened his exclusive martial soul—Dou Qi.
He had bound himself to the Dou Qi Preaching System.
The system granted him two core abilities: first, he could summon characters from Battle Through the Heavens for his own use.
Second, once he rebuilt Dou Po Academy to its peak state, he could condense Origin Qi and achieve Dou Di.
Now, Dou Po Academy had already taken on the beginnings of a Divine Realm, while all the characters he had summoned were among the top experts of Douluo Continent.
Zhou Xu himself had long since reached the Nine-star Dou Saint Realm, only one step away from becoming a Dou Di.
Yet he had been stuck at that final step for three whole years.
The barrier to Dou Di was indestructible!
No matter how he circulated his Dou Qi or drew upon the foundation of Dou Po Academy to break through, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, without the slightest progress.
Without Origin Qi, breaking through to Dou Di was simply impossible!
"From Dou Saint to Dou Di... it's actually this difficult."
A trace of heaviness flashed through Zhou Xu's eyes. Eighteen years of planning had taken him from obscurity to the creation of this hidden Divine Realm.
He had originally intended to quietly cultivate until he reached Dou Di, then emerge only after stabilizing his realm. But after reaching the peak of Nine-star Dou Saint, this damned bottleneck had left him unable to advance at all!
It stood before him like an uncrossable chasm, leaving Zhou Xu utterly frustrated!
"Master~"
A sultry voice came from behind him, carrying a faint fragrance that soothed the heart.
Zhou Xu turned and saw a woman in a green snake-patterned palace dress walking toward him. Her features were exquisite, her bearing soft and alluring!
What was strange, however, was that her pupils were shaped like three petals, with green light flowing within them.
"Qing Lin, why are you here? Is something the matter?" Zhou Xu had been interrupted in his thoughts. He turned around blankly, then asked in surprise upon seeing her.
"Master, your disciples have come to see you!" Qing Lin answered with a smile.
As Zhou Xu's personal attendant, Qing Lin managed nearly every aspect of his daily life.
Even his personal disciples had to pass through her before they could meet Zhou Xu.
"Alright, let them in." Thinking of his disciples, Zhou Xu smiled faintly and waved his hand.
Before his words had even faded, five lively voices rang out in unison.
"Teacher!"
Five figures approached together, their steps light and brisk, each radiating the vitality of youth.
Dugu Yan led the group, dressed in purple that accentuated her graceful figure.
Close behind her was Gu Yue Na in a white dress, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall. Her cool gaze remained fixed on Zhou Xu, as though her eyes could hold no one else.
Meng Yi Ran, Dragon God Reincarnation Ji Hong Yue, and Ye Ling Ling followed behind them.
"Greetings, Lady Qing Lin!" The four women and one beast bowed to Qing Lin upon entering.
Only then did they turn to Zhou Xu.
"Teacher, whenever we try to break through to Dou Emperor, we find it difficult to fully control the Dou Qi we cultivate. Could you guide us again?"
Dugu Yan spoke first, her tone carrying a hint of urgency.
She had been stuck at the peak of Dou Wang for half a month. The violent energy of this Dou Qi, which did not belong to this world, often backlashed against her, leaving her deeply troubled.
Meng Yi Ran nodded in agreement. "My Dou Qi is always unstable when I condense it, causing every attempt to break through to Dou Emperor to fail at the last moment."
Zhou Xu rose to his feet and swept his gaze over his five disciples. Though they had come with questions, his eyes still revealed satisfaction.
Over the past few years, he had taught them with great care, supplemented by Dou Qi Pills from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The five were already exceptionally talented. Though Dugu Yan's talent was not especially outstanding, as his first disciple, she had reached the peak of Dou Wang alongside Gu Yue Na and Ji Hongyue, only one step away from Dou Emperor.
Meng Yi Ran and Ye Ling Ling had slightly lesser talent, but they were still Dou Ling experts.
He raised a hand, guiding a wisp of pale golden Dou Qi toward Dugu Yan. "There should be a problem with your circulation route, or perhaps the Dou Qi in your body isn't abundant enough.
Follow the route I guide you through, and you'll be able to absorb the endlessly produced Dou Qi within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well without obstruction!"
Dugu Yan did as instructed, and purple Dou Qi flowed through her meridians.
The originally violent energy truly became much gentler, and delight immediately appeared on her face.
Zhou Xu then turned to Meng Yi Ran and the others, briefly addressing their issues as well. His explanations were clear and easy to understand, instantly enlightening them!
"Alright, if you have any questions, go ask your teachers Xiao Xun Er, Cai Lin, and Xiao Yi Xian!
If there's nothing important in the future, don't come bother me. Your teacher has been preparing to enter seclusion and break through!"
After finishing his instruction, Zhou Xu made it very clear that he was sending them away! These little girls caused trouble every day.
If he did not chase them off immediately, they would probably cling to him again all day.
The four women and one beast looked at one another, stuck out their tongues, then began acting cute and insisting on staying, giving Zhou Xu a headache.
Qing Lin watched from the side with a faint smile, saying nothing.
At the edge of the Training Ground, three figures stood side by side: Dugu Bo, Dragon Duke Meng Shu, and Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang.
Dugu Bo wore green robes. As he watched Dugu Yan earnestly seek guidance in the field, a rare kindly smile appeared on his usually sinister face.
"It is Yan'er's good fortune to have met a great teacher like Dean Zhou. This Dou Qi System is truly profound, with far greater explosive power than Soul Power cultivation."
Dragon Duke Meng Shu stroked his beard, his eyes filled with gratification. "Indeed, Dean Zhou is a fine teacher! Yi Ran used to be stubborn, and her Soul Power cultivation progressed slowly. Who would have thought that after switching to Dou Qi, she would improve so quickly? Dean Zhou's inheritance is truly heaven-defying.
No, I'm already old now. I'll definitely study with Dean Zhou as well!"
Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang also nodded, her gaze settling on Meng Yi Ran as a gentle smile rested on her lips.
Dragon Duke and Snake Dowager had originally been top experts of Douluo Continent. By chance, they learned of a mysterious treasure land deep within Sunset Forest and came to investigate out of curiosity.
They had unexpectedly run into Dugu Bo, then were both captured by Zhou Xu and taken to Dou Po Academy.
In the end, they had been won over by Dou Po Academy's Dou Qi System and Zhou Xu's strength.
Now, after "voluntarily" joining the academy, they did not live here permanently, but often came as guests.
Watching their granddaughter grow within the academy filled their hearts with gratification.
Just as Zhou Xu was demonstrating the method of circulating Dou Qi in the Dou Emperor Realm for his disciples—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the universe, as if all of Sunset Forest were trembling.
The sky, originally shrouded in poisonous miasma, was instantly covered by an incomparably brilliant golden light.
The golden light pierced through the miasma and flooded all of Sunset Forest, carrying supreme pressure.
Even Zhou Xu, a Nine-star Dou Saint, felt a tremor from the depths of his soul, and the Dou Qi in his body involuntarily withdrew.
"What kind of aura is this?" Dugu Yan's expression changed slightly. She instinctively took a step back, condensing Heavenly Flames in her palm as she prepared for battle.
Meng Yi Ran furrowed her brows. "It's more than a hundred times stronger than Teacher's Dou Qi pressure. Could a god level expert have descended?"
The golden light gathered into a boundless Sky Screen, upon which lines of ancient, vigorous characters slowly appeared.
As if personally written by the Heavenly Dao, they were branded directly into the minds of every living being:
[Heavenly Dao Will Manifestation Golden Ranking presents the first ranking—the Heavenly Pride Ranking!] [Reviewing the current younger generation of the continent, the top twenty human prodigies under twenty years old, judged by overall talent, cultivation, potential, and opportunities!] [Those who make the ranking will receive Heavenly Dao Blessing, along with numerous rewards! The higher the rank, the richer the rewards!] [So that all living beings may strive forward and compete for the top!]
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