Night, at the Xiao Family's Back Mountain.
After looking around and making sure no one was passing by, Xiao Han opened the System Interface.
A few large words appeared on the progress bar of the System Interface.
"Hero Template fusion: 98%. Estimated time remaining: 15 minutes."
Xiao Han sat cross-legged on the large rock where Xiao Yan often lounged, and began regulating his body after the Change Meridians and Cleanse Marrow.
The Swallowing Spirit Technique that had yet to fuse was still the same low-grade Yellow Rank technique it had been that morning.
But after the Washing Marrow and Cutting Bone, Xiao Han discovered that his cultivation speed had skyrocketed to 200% of its original rate—doubling outright!
What a terrifying increase!
In other words, the time it would originally have taken him two months to cultivate one star had been cut straight down to one month!
And that extra month could be used to make rapid progress!
And this was before Xiao Han fused the Earth Rank High-Grade Cultivation Technique Xiao Xun'er had given him. If the fusion succeeded, his cultivation speed would only be faster.
Once he had regulated his breathing, Xiao Han checked the time on the System Interface. There were still five whole minutes left.
So he went on to practice the Fierce Tiger Fist, which he had long since mastered to perfection.
Every move and stance was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, brimming with ferocity! His punches flowed effortlessly, each one reined in and released with ease. Every move came naturally, sending gust after gust of force through the air!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After completing a set of Fierce Tiger Fist, Xiao Han ended the exercise and stood tall. He let out a breath, his face neither red nor flustered. That warm-up with the Dou Technique had indeed brought his body into peak condition.
"Ding! Honor of Kings Hero Template: Kai, fusion complete. Host, please check the data panel."
Boom!!!
As soon as the system finished speaking, Xiao Han sensed the streak of light that had earlier flown into his Dantian begin to stir. Then it transformed into an unknown energy that rapidly reshaped his entire body.
At the same time, information about the changes to his body appeared in his mind.
An inexhaustible surge of immense power coursed through his meridians, making Xiao Han's Dou Qi begin to boil. As someone who had cultivated for several years, Xiao Han was no longer the greenhorn he had once been.
He understood perfectly well that his Dou Qi was running wild because the energy Demon Armor had brought him was simply too vast for his body to withstand all at once!
"Hah!"
Xiao Han immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Swallowing Spirit Technique, drawing the energy from another world, known as the Demonic Path, toward his Dantian. He used it to continuously strengthen the pitifully small Dou Qi Vortex within him.
Szz—szz—
As he cultivated with his eyes closed, Xiao Han seemed to hear a strange sound. He focused his mind on his Dantian, only to find a deep-blue suit of armor inside, wantonly absorbing his Dou Qi.
Yet the deep-blue Demon Armor wasn't simply taking without giving. After absorbing his Dou Qi, it converted it into a strange energy that dispersed throughout Xiao Han's Dantian. His Dou Qi Vortex took the opportunity to absorb that energy and steadily grow stronger.
Through this cycle of drawing in and releasing energy, the Demon Armor had formed a perfect Dou Qi cycle with the Dou Qi Vortex in his body. It was as if Xiao Han was cultivating every moment of the day.
Although this cycle yielded very little cultivation progress, if he could find a way to strengthen it someday, wouldn't he have a Perpetual Motion Machine that cultivated on its own?
By then, even if Xiao Han didn't cultivate at all, his Dou Qi cultivation would grow stronger by itself—like a cultivation cheat!
Xiao Han's face lit up with joy at the beneficial changes in his body.
The second change brought about by fusing with Demon Armor appeared the very next moment.
Above the Demon Armor, a dusky blue flame had appeared at some point, flickering without pause.
Through his inner vision, Xiao Han could clearly see that the little flame was attached to the Demon Armor. In other words, it was another ability that came with the armor!
Xiao Han narrowed his eyes. Though four years had passed, he still clearly remembered Kai Dad, the hero. When he activated his ultimate, blue flames would flare around his entire body, dealing considerable True Magic damage to everything nearby every second.
Could this tiny flame be the source of those effects?!
Xiao Han was puzzled, but the energy inside him was building. He was almost unable to bear it!
As the Demon Armor converted it, the surging energy inside him continued to drive up Xiao Han's Dou Qi cultivation. The Swallowing Spirit Technique used energy with terrifying efficiency. Though its rank was low, its energy conversion rate was as high as 150%, rapidly pushing Xiao Han's cultivation higher and higher.
Boom!!!
One star! Two stars!
In a short time, Xiao Han broke through two minor realms in a row, reaching the level of a Three-Star Dou Practitioner!
This forced increase in strength came at a price. With so much energy being converted, Xiao Han could feel his meridians nearing their limit.
But the Demon Armor in his Dantian showed no sign of stopping. It continued absorbing Dou Qi and converting it into that strange energy, as if it meant to keep going until Xiao Han burst apart.
"Stop! I can't take it anymore!"
"Damn it!"
"Fuck! I refuse to believe that a mere suit of Demon Armor can overpower me!"
Xiao Han's face twisted in a grimace, veins pulsing across his forehead. He guarded his mind and marshaled all his Soul Power to suppress the Demon Armor! Unfortunately, it had absorbed far too much Dou Qi, and the Yellow Rank Swallowing Spirit Technique simply couldn't keep up with its conversion speed!
"System! Fuse the technique for me!"
Xiao Han quickly pulled the Technique Jade Slip from his pocket, summoned the System Interface, and tossed the slip toward it.
Strangely, the moment the jade slip touched the system, it rippled like a pebble falling into still water. The entire slip quickly sank into the System Interface and vanished without a trace.
"Ding! Earth Rank High-Grade Cultivation Technique Heavenly Flame Technique detected. Beginning fusion with Swallowing Spirit Technique."
"Ding! Fusion complete. Swallowing Spirit Technique has successfully advanced to an Earth Rank Low-Grade Technique."
The instant the system finished speaking, the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi throughout the entire Xiao Family's Back Mountain seemed to be drawn toward the eye of a violent tornado. It rushed into Xiao Han's body, transforming into streams of newborn Dou Qi.
Compared with its original Yellow Rank, the newly advanced Earth Rank Low-Grade Swallowing Spirit Technique now had a capacity to devour Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi no less formidable than an Earth Rank High-Grade Cultivation Technique.
Boom!
Driven by the Demon Armor's energy, Xiao Han broke through again!
He was a Four-Star Dou Practitioner now!
The commotion Xiao Han had caused was so great that the entire Xiao Family was probably alerted!
Yet, to Xiao Han's confusion, not a single person in the nearby Xiao Family courtyard seemed to notice the disturbance in the Xiao Family's Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi. It was as if something had sealed it off.
Though he found it strange that no one in the Xiao Family had been alerted, Xiao Han couldn't figure out why, so he didn't bother dwelling on it. He focused his mind, marshaled the Dou Qi and Soul Power within him, and prepared to fight the Demon Armor to the death!
The speed at which it devoured Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi had increased tenfold!
If he still couldn't smash a mere suit of armor with such a terrifying boost, Xiao Han might as well bash his head against a wall and die!
"Hah! Break open!"
His Soul Power collided with the Demon Armor, laced with Dou Qi, and the energy within him surged once more!
Boom! Xiao Han felt his body break through another minor realm!
He was a 5-Star Dou Practitioner now!
"Not good! If my cultivation keeps rising like this, my foundation will become extremely unstable! I can't let this continue!"
Using Dou Qi as the bow and Soul Power as the arrow, with his meridians for a bowstring, Xiao Han formed a great bow. Without hesitation, he shot his Soul Power arrow into the Demon Armor in his Dantian, finally suppressing it completely!
At the same time, the energy inside him erupted once again, seemingly eager to cause more trouble. Unfortunately for it, in the face of the Earth Tier Cultivation Method Swallowing Spirit Technique, that little bit of energy was laughable.
"You bastard, why'd you stop? Come on! Come on! Let's see how I deal with you!"
Xiao Han gave a cold laugh, quickly wrapping his Soul Power around the entire suit of Demon Armor. He focused all his attention on refining the defiant little thing occupying his Dantian.
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