From Fire's Ashes, Earth Is Born, Bearing All Things

"Just luck."

Lu Heng reined in his aura, and the oppressive feeling vanished without a trace, as though everything just now had been an illusion.

"I just worked a tiny bit harder."

"Freak..."

Ya Fei held it in for a long while before she could only spit out those two words. She suddenly felt that her earlier display as a One-Star Dou Ze had been like showing off her skills before a master.

"But Nine-Star still isn't enough."

The smile on Lu Heng's face faded slightly as his fingers gently brushed over his Storage Ring.

Inside lay a pill he had refined long ago but had never been willing to use: the Yuan-Gathering Pill.

"Sister Ya Fei, help me with something tonight." Lu Heng looked at Ya Fei with a serious expression.

Ya Fei was stunned by his sudden solemnity. "What kind of help? Murder, arson, or disposing of a body?"

"Nothing that serious."

The corner of Lu Heng's mouth curved up, an expression of absolute confidence. "Guard me. I'm going into seclusion to break through to Dou Master!"

Ya Fei's hand trembled, and several drops of wine spilled from the cup she had just lifted.

"Dou Master... You're not even eleven yet..."

Looking at the young man before her, who had already completely shed his childishness, she felt not only shock, but also an indescribable pride.

This was the man Ya Fei had chosen.

"Alright."

Ya Fei set down her wine cup, her gaze firm as the imposing aura of a powerful Mite'er Family woman burst forth.

The night deepened.

Lu Heng washed away the dust from his journey, changed into clean, loose training clothes, and sat cross-legged on the cushion in the quiet room.

Outside the quiet room, Ya Fei personally moved a chair to the doorway. She even held a Refined Steel Longsword she had no idea where she had found, looking as though no stranger was allowed near.

Gu Ni also brought several trusted confidants to guard the courtyard, surrounding the small residence as tightly as an iron barrel.

Listening to the sounds outside, Lu Heng felt warmth fill his heart.

This was home.

Lu Heng took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing until his heart was as still as water.

With a flip of his palm, a smooth jade bottle appeared in his hand.

The moment he removed the stopper, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the quiet room. Just one breath of it seemed to make the Dou Qi within his body more active.

A pill the size of a longan, its surface patterned with pale green lines, rolled into his palm.

A Second-Grade Pill, the Yuan-Gathering Pill.

He had personally refined this pill five months ago. It was also the key to reaching the Dou Master realm.

"It took five months to go from six-star to Nine-Star. This final step depends on you."

Lu Heng hesitated no longer and tilted his head back, swallowing the pill.

Boom!

The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth, transforming into a violent yet pure torrent of energy that rushed down his throat and crashed into his dantian.

The previously tranquil Qi Vortex seemed to have been doused with boiling oil, spinning madly.

"Come on!"

Lu Heng formed hand seals with both hands and closed his eyes.

After tonight, Wutan City would have an eleven-year-old Dou Master.

And this was only the beginning.

A long while later, Lu Heng sat cross-legged on the cushion, his brows tightly furrowed and a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

The Qi Vortex within his body was undergoing a drastic transformation.

The medicinal power produced by the Yuan-Gathering Pill was like a rampaging bull, wildly wreaking havoc through his meridians.

"A fifty percent chance! Don't screw with me at a moment like this."

Lu Heng gritted his teeth and stubbornly held onto his consciousness.

For an ordinary person, faced with a success rate of only fifty percent, no amount of preparation could stop their heart from pounding.

Failure could mean damaged meridians and a drop in cultivation at best, or becoming crippled outright at worst.

But Lu Heng had no choice.

If he wanted to live well in this world, he had to run faster than everyone else.

"Condense!"

Lu Heng gave a low shout in his heart.

He immediately mobilized the Dou Qi that had already been compressed to its limit. Cooperating with the medicinal power, the Dou Qi in his body gradually gathered toward the center of his dantian, transforming from gaseous to liquid form.

Pop.

An extremely faint muffled sound rang out within Lu Heng's body.

Then, the first drop of liquid energy was born.

With the first drop, there would be a second.

In the blink of an eye, the once-massive Qi Vortex rapidly shrank. In its place was a small mass of blue-red liquid slowly flowing within his dantian.

Dou Qi Liquefaction!

This was the mark of a Dou Master!

Lu Heng abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

"Fifty percent, huh? What luck."

Lu Heng clenched his fist, feeling the surging power inside his body. That sense of fullness was simply too delightful.

Outside the quiet room.

Ya Fei gripped the Refined Steel Longsword as she sat at the doorway for an entire night.

Though her posture remained graceful, the fingers constantly stroking the sword hilt exposed the anxiety in her heart.

Just then.

Buzz!

An aura even more powerful and condensed than when he had been a Nine-Star Dou Ze suddenly erupted from within the room.

The aura even carried a scorching heat, piercing through the doors and windows and making Gu Ni, who stood in the courtyard, involuntarily take half a step back.

"This is..."

Gu Ni's cloudy old eyes widened, and even the wrinkles on his face trembled.

"He succeeded? He really succeeded?"

Ya Fei abruptly rose to her feet, and the longsword in her hand clattered to the ground.

She did not spare the sword a glance. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the tightly shut door, her chest rising and falling violently.

That aura was extremely steady, without the slightest hint of instability.

This meant that not only had Lu Heng succeeded in breaking through, his realm was also exceptionally stable!

"Eleven..."

Ya Fei murmured softly, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"My little brother's birthday is still a few days away... An eleven-year-old Dou Master..."

She had grown up in the Mite'er Family and had seen countless so-called geniuses.

Even the young masters and young ladies of the family who were praised to the skies were mostly still lingering around the fifth or sixth stage of Dou Qi at this age.

Those who could reach the seventh stage were already key targets of the family's cultivation.

But what about Lu Heng?

He had no family resources piled upon him, no high-grade cultivation art laying his foundation since childhood, and had even been a little brat who could only rely on her protection just over half a year ago.

Now, he had become a Dou Master.

"This little bastard..."

Ya Fei covered her mouth, her eyes slightly red, yet the corners of her lips could not stop rising.

"Are you trying to scare your sister to death?"

Inside the room.

Before Lu Heng could even rise to share the good news with Ya Fei, that familiar thing in his mind stirred again.

The Book of Destiny, which had remained dormant all this time, automatically opened.

Golden light flashed, and brand-new text emerged.

[Dou Master attained, the Three Talents are initially established!]

[From fire's ashes, earth is born, bearing all things.]

[Conditions met: Break through to Dou Master, achieve Dou Qi Liquefaction.]

[Obtained Thick Earth Physique awakening method. Requires five Third Tier Earth Attribute Magic Cores and ten Third-Grade Earth Attribute Yao Cai.]

[Thick Earth Physique: Greatly increases defense and resistance to blows, enhances perception of the power of earth, and speeds Dou Qi recovery while standing on the ground. When enduring heavy impacts, can partially transform the impact into personal protection.]

[Cultivation art advancement: Five Spirits Chaos Art (Dou Master Chapter). Can simultaneously circulate Wood, Fire, and Earth Attribute Dou Qi, initially establishing the Five Elements Cycle.]

[Obtained Dou Skill: Earth Origin Shield (Profound Rank Mid Grade).]