The Dou Po World.
Qi Fei left the Shared Space and began digesting the power he had gained from the other Qi Feis.
The Life Bead, strengthened by the Supreme God of Destruction, forced itself into existence despite the environment being unsuited to it.
The special power representing his Innate Ability merged into his soul. At the same time, various chaotic forces gathered as well.
"This power is gathering a little slowly."
Thanks to his experience with Shen San Qi Fei, Dou Po Qi Fei even had the presence of mind to offer a comment.
He wasn't sure if it was because there was no position of Destruction here, or because the Dou Po World itself didn't mesh with the concept of Destruction.
In any case, the power was gathering far more slowly here than it had for Shen San Qi Fei.
Qi Fei waited a long while before he began to feel a little muddled.
Only then did he take out a longsword he usually used for practice and pour the chaotic forces into it.
Perhaps it was because, in the worldview of Battle Through the Heavens, there were rules that allowed soul power to imbue external objects with sentience.
(Alchemists could use soul power to imbue pills with sentience and refine Eighth-Tier Pills.)
As Qi Fei poured his power into the sword, it began to emit a chaotic aura. Within it, a spark of sentience slowly began to form.
"Why does it feel like this thing wants to rebel?"
Qi Fei studied the longsword in his hand.
Unlike the spirit in the God Three World, which became like a part of his own body as soon as it was born, the spirit here had a peculiar quality even before it had fully formed.
It was as if it weren't an extension of his power, but an independent entity.
Qi Fei couldn't help thinking of something.
In the later parts of the original novel, there were several stories about high-tier pills trying to escape from their alchemists after they were born.
Ninth-Tier and Emperor-Grade Pills could even take human form, with intelligence no different from an ordinary person's.
They could basically be regarded as independent living beings.
If the process of giving birth to a spirit was similar to refining a high-tier pill, then it was entirely possible this spirit would want to rebel.
Qi Fei's gaze turned cold.
If that was the case, he'd have to prepare in advance.
Qi Fei didn't think the spirit in the sword could grow strong enough to challenge him, not with the Shared Space at his disposal. But it was better to take precautions.
Qi Fei poured his soul power into the sword, filling the as-yet-unformed spirit with thoughts of loyalty to him.
If it obeyed the thoughts he implanted in advance, that would be best for everyone.
But if it still showed signs of rebellion,
then he'd have to seal the spirit away for the time being and consider using it again once the Qi Feis had finished researching the Soul Contract.
Three days later.
The Power of Destruction gradually slowed in its absorption of the chaotic forces, and the Sword Spirit finally took shape.
As Qi Fei had expected, the Sword Spirit was an independent entity and couldn't be transferred to the other Qi Feis through the Shared Space.
This made Qi Fei a little more wary.
Fortunately, after taking shape, the Sword Spirit was quite fond of Qi Fei and obeyed his every command.
It seemed he wouldn't need to worry about the Soul Contract in the short term.
As for the weapon spirit shared with him by Coiling Dragon Qi Fei, Qi Fei still hadn't decided where to put it.
It was nothing like the spirit that couldn't even enter the Shared Space. It was truly a part of his body.
Loyal and powerful.
He had to find it a good home.
In addition to the Sword Spirit taking shape, Qi Fei's cultivation had also stabilized at the Dou Emperor level.
And thanks to the Profundity of Explosion and Rules of Fate shared by Coiling Dragon Qi Fei, his Dou Qi had been refined even further.
Under the influence of laws and rules, his Dou Qi had also gradually taken on some special properties.
The explosive nature of fire and the elusive unpredictability of the Rules of Fate meant that Qi Fei's Dou Qi was nothing like the basic Dou Qi before it had been transformed by a cultivation method.
He could also use Flame Explosion, created by Coiling Dragon Qi Fei.
But using it felt a little awkward, as though Qi Fei needed to make some adjustments.
It stood to reason that the fundamental rules of different worlds should be broadly similar, which was why this technique could be used across worlds.
"It's time to get myself a cultivation method."
Qi Fei decided to end his seclusion.
Battle Through the Heavens divided cultivation methods into Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow tiers, with Heaven being the highest and Yellow the lowest. Each tier was further divided into high, middle, and low grades.
Even the most useless Yellow Tier Low Grade cultivation method was faster than cultivating without a method, like he was now.
Of course, Qi Fei wasn't about to cultivate a Yellow Tier Low Grade method.
A Dou Emperor could generally obtain a Xuan Tier Advanced method in the Jia Ma Empire, along with a complete set of Dou Techniques.
Hai Bodong, the best angel investor in the original story, was a good example.
As for the Earth Tier and Heaven Tier methods above that, a small place like the Jia Ma Empire couldn't produce them. Getting one would pretty much come down to luck.
Still, perhaps there was a way to work something out.
Qi Fei pondered as he left his room.
"No wonder you're so talented, nephew. You've already become a Dou Zhe."
Xiao Yan's father, Xiao Clan Patriarch Xiao Zhan, showed a hint of delight.
He was a few months behind Xiao Yan, but he was still undeniably a genius.
How lucky the Xiao Clan was.
But when he thought of Xiao Yan, whose Dou Qi had been completely crippled, Xiao Zhan couldn't help feeling a trace of sadness.
If Xiao Yan hadn't been crippled, the Xiao Clan would have had two geniuses. Sigh.
"It was just luck."
Qi Fei spoke, showing the aura of a Dou Zhe.
His method of concealing his aura came from an application of the Profundity of Explosion.
Simply put, it was the stage of gathering and compression before an explosion.
The good thing about this method was that it was simple and effective. Even someone as useless as Qi Fei could compress a Dou Emperor's aura down to that of a Dou Zhe.
The downside was that, in the eyes of people with sharp senses, Qi Fei would become unusually conspicuous.
For example, Ling Ying, the Dou Emperor guarding the heroine, Xiao Xun'er.
As far as Qi Fei could tell, the man had looked at him at least five times, and was still staring at him.
He'd clearly noticed how strangely conspicuous Qi Fei was.
"Luck alone won't make someone break through."
As Xiao Zhan spoke, he took a card out of his sleeve.
"There are five thousand gold coins on this card. Consider it a small gift from me personally. The clan's resources will also be directed your way from now on. Focus on your cultivation."
He patted Qi Fei on the shoulder as he handed him the card.
"Thank you, Uncle Xiao."
Qi Fei took the card and thanked Xiao Zhan.
"It's only a small amount of money. There's no need to thank me."
Xiao Zhan said with a smile.
"By the way, nephew, did you come here because you want to obtain a cultivation method?"
"Yes. Would you be willing to make an exception for me, Uncle Xiao?"
Qi Fei asked.
The Dou Qi Pavilion, where the Xiao Clan stored its cultivation methods, was usually opened briefly sometime after the coming-of-age ceremony.
Eligible members of the Xiao Clan could enter to test their attributes and obtain a cultivation method.
Qi Fei, however, had never gone in.
Dou Qi cultivation methods could only be practiced once someone became a Dou Zhe, and whoever took one had to return it within a year. There was little point in going early.
Besides, every cultivation method in the Dou Qi Pavilion was protected by a barrier. Only those with enough strength could obtain the best methods.
That rule applied even to Xiao Yan, the patriarch's son.
So the previous Qi Fei had planned to wait until he became a Dou Zhe before going in to take the best method.
After all, there was no way the Xiao Clan would deny him a cultivation method once he became a Dou Zhe.
Qi Fei simply hadn't expected that, on the very day he became a Dou Zhe, his cheat would make him a Dou Emperor.
Life was full of surprises.
"Normally, the Dou Qi Pavilion only opens after the coming-of-age ceremony. But for you, nephew, I can certainly make an exception."
Xiao Zhan spoke as though they would only make an exception for a genius like him.
"Thank you, Uncle Xiao."
Qi Fei said.
Xiao Zhan then took Qi Fei to the Dou Qi Pavilion.
The first thing Qi Fei faced was the classic crystal-ball test to determine his attributes.
"Fire is your primary attribute, but you have a lot of others too. That's quite rare."
Xiao Zhan looked at the multicolored crystal ball in astonishment.
Normally, a person had only one attribute. Only a few special cases had two.
This was the first time he had seen someone like Qi Fei, whose attributes were too numerous for the crystal ball to display properly.
The Xiao Clan had no cultivation methods for compound attributes. It would be a waste of Qi Fei's potential.
He'd have to think of something.
"Your affinity for fire is the highest, nephew. I'd recommend cultivating that attribute first."
Xiao Zhan turned his attention away from the crystal ball.
"Once your strength is greater, you can consider whether to switch cultivation methods."
That was what he believed to be the best solution.
"Then I'll take your advice, Uncle Xiao."
Qi Fei had planned to choose a fire-attributed method anyway, so he had no reason to refuse.
"Fire Path, Third Road, Room Forty-Three."
A whisper sounded in Qi Fei's ear.
Clearly, Uncle Xiao was afraid he wouldn't find a suitable method, so he had gone out of his way to point him in the right direction.
"All right, nephew. Go on in."
Xiao Zhan patted Qi Fei on the shoulder before he could respond.
"Yes, Uncle Xiao."
Qi Fei stepped into the Dou Qi Pavilion and went straight to the room Xiao Zhan had mentioned.
The door to the room was already open.
A red barrier of light separated the room from the outside, obscuring what was inside.
Qi Fei made a show of throwing a punch. The barrier shattered at once, revealing a small room.
There was a stone platform inside, with a scroll on top.
It was the Yellow Tier Advanced fire-attributed cultivation method from the original story, Burning Fire Refinement.
Qi Fei took the scroll to the entrance to register it, then said goodbye to Xiao Zhan and went home to practice his newly acquired method.
In less than half a day, Qi Fei had mastered it, and all his Dou Qi had been converted.
"Its quality has improved a little, and it retained both special properties. Just as I expected."
Qi Fei examined his Dou Qi.
Before, aside from the two special properties, his Dou Qi was basically a zero across the board.
Now, the other aspects still couldn't compare to those special properties, but at least they had some value.
That meant Qi Fei's foundational strength had improved, allowing him to reach a higher limit.
Of course, this small boost in strength wasn't important.
What mattered was that he was now fully prepared to try things with Yao Lao.
Qi Fei looked past the window toward the lush Back Mountain, Xiao Yan's favorite place to go.
Atop the Back Mountain.
Thirteen-year-old Xiao Yan lay on the ground, wondering if he'd lost his mind.
He had cultivated hard for most of the day and finally seen his Dou Qi increase a little, only for it to disappear again before he could even celebrate.
Was Heaven playing a joke on him?
Qi Fei had already started secluding himself to break through to Dou Zhe, while he was still struggling at the third stage of Dou Qi. What was he supposed to do with his future?
Just as Xiao Yan sighed, a voice rang out.
"Well, Little Yan, taking a nap?"
Qi Fei poked his head out and looked at Xiao Yan with a grin.
"Well, if it isn't Little Fei. Did you successfully break through to Dou Zhe?"
Xiao Yan remained lying down, even crossing one leg over the other.
His actions and choice of words sounded more like provocation than concern, but his tone did show some genuine worry.
After all, Qi Fei was one of the only two friends he had left.
"More or less."
Qi Fei replied.
"Must be nice, being a Dou Zhe..."
Xiao Yan sighed.
He used to be one too.
"What if I told you I might have found the Source of your missing Dou Qi?"
Qi Fei's quiet remark instantly pulled Xiao Yan out of his wistful thoughts.
He sprang upright.
"Big brother, are you serious?"
Xiao Yan grabbed Qi Fei's hand and stared straight at him.
The fervor in his eyes seemed ready to burst into real flames.
"Of course I am."
Qi Fei quietly freed himself from Xiao Yan's grip and began making up a story.
"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I was born with sharper senses than ordinary people."
"Uh... As far as I can remember, you haven't."
Xiao Yan thought back over the past and answered with certainty.
Though he'd been a bit of a troublemaker when he was younger, he'd still listened to what his father said.
For instance, his father had once told him that Qi Fei's parents had died because of the Xiao Clan, and that he had to treat Qi Fei well.
So Xiao Yan, who proudly considered himself the leader of their generation, had always looked after Qi Fei.
Especially after Qi Fei displayed a cultivation talent that rivaled his own, Xiao Yan had nearly begun to think of him as his own little brother.
Back then, he'd almost dragged Qi Fei and Xiao Xun'er into swearing brotherhood with him.
Unfortunately, Qi Fei had been rather proud at the time and had refused point-blank to be the younger brother.
So the whole thing fell through.
If Qi Fei had told him any of this, he would definitely have remembered.
"...That's not important. What matters is that I often see other things."
Qi Fei said awkwardly.
His very first claim had already been met with doubt. How was he supposed to con people in the future?
"Other things?"
Xiao Yan was beginning to look confused.
"Right. For example, every now and then, I see a face on your chest."
Qi Fei shook off his embarrassment and spoke in the manner of someone telling a ghost story.
"?!"
Xiao Yan was so scared he nearly jumped out of his skin.
He'd had his suspicions when he first transmigrated, but it turned out ghosts really did exist in this world.
But after a brief moment of fear came overwhelming joy.
Even if there really was a ghost, at least he'd know what was causing his Dou Qi to disappear. That was far better than knowing nothing, as he had before.
"Do you mean that the face on my chest is why my Dou Qi disappeared?"
Xiao Yan pressed him.
"Yes."
Qi Fei nodded.
"In the past, I only saw the face occasionally, so I couldn't be sure. But perhaps because my cultivation has improved, I can see more now."
He stared at the Ring hanging on Xiao Yan's chest, as though he were looking at the face he'd mentioned.
"Just now, I saw him absorbing your Dou Qi."
Before you continue