Although the Demon Armor had just seemed to care about him, Xiao Han wasn't about to trust something that had tried to burst him apart when they first fused, then repeatedly used its power to affect his emotions afterward.
Take what had happened earlier. It was Xiao Han's first time killing someone.
Faced with such a bloody scene, he hadn't felt the slightest discomfort. Instead, when he saw the blood splatter, he'd felt a faint thrill—as if he were some kind of pervert!
Even worse, when Xiao Han had witnessed death, he'd actually thought killing was a form of art?!
WTF?!!!
He, Xiao, wasn't Ryunosuke Uryu!
Why would he have such a horrifying thought?!
As a model young man who'd grown up under the Red Flag, Xiao Han had been a law-abiding citizen in his previous life, with a healthy attitude, a strong work ethic, and a diligent approach to his job.
In all those years, he'd never even once been called in for a chat by the police. He'd even helped them catch a few thieves on several occasions. That showed just how harmless he was.
Since there was nothing wrong with him, the problem had to be the Demon Armor.
That little thing just wouldn't give up. It was always pulling tricks behind his back. If Xiao Han's Soul Power hadn't been strong, he really wouldn't have been able to handle it.
That little Demon Armor was one nasty piece of work!
One day, when they finally fell out, Xiao Han would pay any price to turn it into a little loli and thoroughly discipline and toy with it!
Bullies who picked on honest people had to pay the price!
(艹皿艹)
And besides...
Xiao Han lowered his head and pondered. After seeing the Demon Armor's earth-shattering finger strike in his Soul World, he was a little dumbfounded.
At this point, Xiao Han couldn't imagine how a world like Honor of Kings, where even city-destroying power was rare, had managed to give him such a terrifying Demon Armor.
After spending 10 Energy Value on a consultation with the system, he could confirm that the system, that old schemer, was behind it.
The Hero Template was still Kai Dad's, but the Demon Armor he wore had apparently been made by the system from a Demon God it had captured from somewhere and brainwashed.
What a terrifying method.
Still, Xiao Han didn't suspect that the system had some ulterior scheme against him.
For one thing, he was just a small fry, an insignificant nobody. If the system had really wanted to mess with him, he'd have died countless times by now.
Under the circumstances, using conspiracy theories to make trouble for himself was pure brain damage. He wasn't bored enough to play mind games with thin air.
For another, most of his achievements came from the system. It was fair to say that without it, there would be no Xiao Han as he was now. He still had a grateful heart.
That was why, unlike other transmigrators, Xiao Han rarely cursed the system day in and day out for being heartless and useless.
But his system wasn't like those highly intelligent system sprites in other stories. Even when he communicated with it, it was cold and indifferent, as if it saw Xiao Han as nothing more than a tool.
Wuwuwu! He really wanted a Paimon-style emergency ration and flying sex toy as his system sprite.
He shook off those strange thoughts and opened the skill panel as he'd planned.
A new skill had appeared on it.
Dou Technique Training: Purple Cloud Wings [Heaven Stage High] (Perfected)
Well, would you look at that. The Demon Armor had merely pointed a finger and burst the Purple Cloud Eagle's soul, letting Xiao Han's Soul World absorb it, and that alone had brought his mastery of the Flying Dou Technique to perfection. Xiao Han almost felt bad, wondering if he'd been wrong to suspect the Demon Armor.
He'd just been imagining conspiracies about the Demon Armor, but the moment he got tangible benefits, his attitude changed completely.
Humans really were creatures of self-interest.
Demon Armor: (▼皿▼#)
"But now that I've mastered the Purple Cloud Wings, it's time to leave."
Xiao Han thought as the Dou Qi in his body responded to his will. It flowed along two newly branched meridians and into the small wing tattoos on his back.
As the Dou Qi flowed into them, the black tattoos immediately gave off a faint purple glow, then transformed into solid wings.
Xiao Han curiously touched them. They felt like feathers, but he knew that was only because the energy was so concentrated that the Purple Cloud Wings had become tangible.
If Xiao Han used them for maximum-speed flight, their lifelike appearance would diminish.
Yeah, the harder the system ran, the worse the graphics got.
Based on what Xiao Han knew from his previous life, wasn't this just dropped frames?!!!
And when the Flying Dou Technique unfolded, the black eagle wings grew from the size of a palm to about a meter and a half.
Each wing was a meter and a half long, making the pair a full three meters across!
Whoosh!
Hoo—crackling and clattering—!!!
As if they were extensions of his arms, Xiao Han instinctively beat his huge purplish-black wings, whipping up a storm of dust and stones.
"Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!"
Caught off guard, Xiao Han choked. The original story hadn't mentioned that the Purple Cloud Wings had this kind of side effect.
But the next moment, Xiao Han's eyes lit up. Using the powerful gust from his wings to kick up a cloud of dust could catch an unprepared opponent badly off guard!
If he summoned the Purple Cloud Wings mid-battle and did this to his opponent, he might not blind them, but he could still throw them badly off balance.
Maybe he could use this to create a whole new support Dou Technique!
Who said transmigrators could only cash in on opportunities from the original protagonist?!
We can create our own skills too, you know?!
He put a temporary lid on his wild imaginings and moved the wings according to the Purple Cloud Eagle's understanding of how to use them, which he had just absorbed.
Boom!!!
With a beat of his wings, Xiao Han shot into the air at a terrifying speed, rising hundreds of meters in a single instant!
Thanks to the Purple Cloud Eagle's flight experience, Xiao Han quickly stopped ascending after clearing the nearly unclimbable cliff. Using the Purple Cloud Wings' ability to hover, he stayed at the height he wanted.
Xiao Han looked down at the earth from above. Seeing the forest shrink because he'd flown so high, he burst into laughter!
With his handsome features and a pair of purplish-black wings spanning three meters, Xiao Han looked just like a fallen angel from myth and legend!
"Flying is the highest form of freedom humans can enjoy! That saying really is true!" Xiao Han closed his eyes and spread his arms, feeling the breeze sweep over him.
With the terrifying Dou Qi quality of a Heavenly Stage Technique, and the incredible speed at which it absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to restore his Dou Qi, Xiao Han's wings were nothing like Xiao Yan's tiny thirty-centimeter pair from his first attempt. Xiao Han was now truly making the most of this Flying Dou Technique!
With his current passive recovery rate of 1% Dou Qi per second outside of battle, he could use the Purple Cloud Wings to fly for a very long time without any problem.
But there was one issue: Flying Dou Techniques were rare no matter where you went.
Although experts at the Dou Ling level could just barely glide and stay airborne for a short while, a little caution was enough to keep them from being caught.
But if a Dou Wang or Dou Emperor—or anyone stronger—found out, Xiao Han would be dead.
A commoner wasn't guilty, but possessing a treasure was.
Even if he didn't know whether the technique could be cultivated repeatedly, if those people casually captured and killed Xiao Han, the Xiao Family probably wouldn't dare say a word!
The law of the jungle was still the unchanging rule of this world.
So after scrambling up the cliff, Xiao Han only admired the scenery for a little while before quickly putting away the Purple Cloud Wings and landing by the edge.
He followed the same path down the mountain, deliberately taking plenty of detours and drawing out a whole horde of Tier 1 and Tier 2 Magical Beasts.
To gain Energy Value, Xiao Han began slaughtering the Magical Beasts that dared attack him.
Sword Qi shot in every direction, and sword light streaked wildly through the air. He had no idea how many innocent trees he'd cut down.
During this stretch of sword-drawing and killing, the Yellow Rank High Cloud Crushing Swordplay had reached perfection without Xiao Han even realizing it!
From first studying the swordplay to perfecting it, barely more than a month had passed. And during that month, he'd only spent a small portion of his time practicing with a sword; the rest had been spent on other things.
All told, he'd spent barely a week learning the swordplay from scratch and had already perfected it. His talent for swordsmanship was truly terrifying!
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Energy Value: 10." "Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Energy Value: 7." "Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Energy Value: 5." "Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Energy Value: 20."
Hearing the system notifications ring out one after another, Xiao Han was thrilled. He grinned strangely and killed even more wildly.
He didn't even try to avoid the blood splashing across his face. At that moment, his whole body reeked of the foul blood of the Magical Beasts that had attacked him, only to be killed in turn.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Your Energy Value has exceeded 400. Please keep up the good work and set a new record for gaining Energy Value!"
The twelve Tier 1 Magical Beasts and four Tier 2 Magical Beasts had brought Xiao Han a very substantial haul of Energy Value.
When Xiao Han followed the mountain trail back to Green Mountain Town, he casually found an inn and checked in. The innkeeper didn't think anything of his appearance. Anyone coming out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range was bound to have fought Magical Beasts, and the innkeeper had seen plenty of people who looked just as unkempt.
Xiao Han took a bath, then began regulating his body. He also used 300 Energy Value to upgrade his Alchemist level to Second Grade.
Secondary Profession: Alchemist (Second Grade) Experience (1/5000) Craftable Pills: First Grade Pills: Qi Returning Pill; Blood Coagulation Powder; Energy Accumulation Pill; Gold Warehouse Medicine. Second Grade Pills: ... You can spend 4999 Energy Value to advance to a Third-Grade Alchemist.
After that, Xiao Han began trying to refine the Second Grade Pill recipes Old Man Yao had given him. The Second Grade Pills that he'd previously had a very low success rate with became much easier to refine after his cheat-like upgrade to Second Grade Alchemist, and their quality improved by several grades as well.
A few days later.
Xiao Han took a sip of tea and leisurely nibbled on a freshly made meat bun. After staying at the inn for a few days, his Dou Qi cultivation and Alchemy skills had both improved. It was about time to leave.
Just as Xiao Han packed his bags and prepared to check out, the commotion outside the window caught his attention.
He leaned out the window and tilted his head slightly. Through a gap in the crowd some distance away, he could just make out the figure of a woman in a white dress.
As the crowd spread out, Xiao Han finally got a clear look at the face of the woman surrounded by people.
No, rather than a woman, she should be called a girl! She looked far too young. Xiao Han guessed she was about his age.
The girl wore a pale white dress. She wasn't as stunning as Xuner or Qinglin, but she was still a rare beauty.
Her faint smile gave her a fresh, ethereal air. That unusual quality immediately made her much more captivating.
The girl was already very pretty. Though her face might not match the two girls in the Xiao Family, she was still undeniably a beautiful young girl.
Xiao Han's gaze shifted to her slender waist, bound with a green sash. As he looked at her waist, narrow enough to fit in one hand, a hint of admiration flashed through his eyes.
A person's beauty wasn't determined by how pretty their face was. Aside from a stunning figure and lovely features, their temperament was what truly determined their charm.
And to be honest, perhaps because she was too young, this girl, who looked around fourteen, didn't even have as good a figure as twelve-year-old Qinglin, who had Serpent-Human Clan blood. Her painfully ordinary chest was enough to make anyone feel sorry for her.
"If I'm not mistaken, this must be the legendary Xiao Yi Xian, right?"
Chin in hand, Xiao Han watched Xiao Yi Xian, who was being treated like the star of the show by a crowd of mercenaries. Memories of her came flooding back to him.
Back when he'd read Battle Through the Heavens, he'd liked this girl quite a bit. In the original story, she'd accompanied Xiao Yan from Dou Zhe all the way to Dou Sheng, weathered countless trials with him, risked her life for him, watched him become an Emperor, then quietly walked away in the end.
They said companionship was the longest-lasting declaration of love. Xiao Han had once thought Xiao Yi Xian would become Xiao Yan's wife by the end of the story. He hadn't expected her to leave so resolutely.
That ending had left Xiao Han baffled at the time. He couldn't understand why Potato had arranged things that way. Judging by everything she and Xiao Yan had been through, Xiao Yi Xian was the one most deserving of becoming his wife!
Unfortunately, after the story reached the Dou Sheng arc, Potato forced Xiao Yi Xian out of the picture, then kept giving Medusa opportunities to boost her Dou Qi cultivation by leaps and bounds, all so she could match Xiao Xun'er.
Potato's clumsy tricks had been so crude and obvious that Xiao Han had been at a loss for words back then.
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