Dou Qi 3rd Stage? Damn It!

"That's terrible!"

"Witch!"

Hearing the grumbling of the two beauties beside him, Xiao Yan remained silent.

I should have known better than to give Yun Li the Dou Technique and cultivation methods.

They actually pushed me into a terrible predicament; it's utterly ingratitude!

Xiao Yan only breathed a sigh of relief after he walked out the door and heard that Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian had finally quieted down.

Upon hearing the door open, a gray-robed man suddenly moved his sleeve slightly. Immediately, Xiao Yan and the others sensed a vast and boundless invisible energy scanning over them. The strength of that energy filled them with horror.

The invisible energy seemed to serve only a scanning function, and thus lasted for only about ten seconds before receding like a tide until it completely dissipated.

"Time's up, everyone go. Remember, you must not reveal a single thing about what happened here today, including any information from inside the Library Pavilion, to anyone."

A hoarse, aged voice slowly echoed at the gate.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan and the others quickly lowered their heads.

"Hehe, you guys came out too?" The three who could be seen, including Hu, who had been standing in front of the pavilion, chuckled Hu Gan. "You didn't come back empty-handed, did you?"

When he saw Hun Li Li come out with a silly grin on her face, he knew that the girl must have gotten something good.

However, judging from the expressions of Xiao Yan and the other two, they seemed somewhat displeased.

Xiao Yan and the other two nodded.

"That's good. Regardless of whether what you get is to your liking, at least you've gained something." Seeing this, Hu Gan chuckled and offered a word of comfort. He then bowed slightly to the two gray-robed figures who resembled old monks by the gate and said, "Since these little fellows have come out, I won't disturb your arduous cultivation any longer. Farewell."

The two gray-robed men remained unresponsive to Hu Gan's words, but Hu Gan didn't seem to mind. He waved to Xiao Yan and the others and said, "Come with me."

Upon hearing Hu Gan's voice, Xiao Yan and the other two bowed to the two gray-robed men who were sitting cross-legged on the ground, motionless like wooden stakes. They slowly backed down the blue stone steps and turned to Hu Gan.

Hu Gan glanced at the three men, and after confirming that they were unharmed, he bowed to the two gray-robed men again, then turned and walked towards the invisible door frame that had been torn open by the unseen hand.

"Stay close to me and don't touch those spatial folds, or even I won't be able to save you."

Just as they were about to pass through the invisible doorway, Hu Gan tilted his head and gave a warning. Then, keeping his upper body still, he took a step and stepped out of the doorway. Xiao Yan and the other two followed cautiously, not daring to make the slightest move.

Having safely passed through the invisible door frame, a surge of energy slowly rose up. Xiao Yan looked back and saw that the torn invisible door frame was beginning to disappear. A moment later, an extremely solid spatial fold wall reappeared, protecting the Library Pavilion.

His gaze skipped over the barely perceptible folds in space and swept toward the entrance of the Library Pavilion. Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. The two gray-robed figures who had been sitting cross-legged earlier had mysteriously vanished. This strange speed made Xiao Yan feel somewhat fascinated.

Damn, this is the true realm of a strong person!

I can no longer indulge in the pleasures of love; I must strengthen my self-cultivation!

With the departure of Xiao Yan and the others, the small valley, whose location was unknown, finally returned to its former tranquility, and would not reopen until the end of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament the following year.

In the spacious study, Hu Gan watched the walls slowly close before turning to Xiao Yan and the other two standing in the room and smiling:

"Alright, you've received your rewards. Now, take two days to rest. After that, you'll need to enter the Inner Academy. You'll have plenty of time to complain then."

Looking at Hu Gan's smiling face, Xiao Yan and the other two nodded slightly. Hun Li Li had already run off and disappeared, leaving Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian feeling like they had energy but nowhere to use it.

Seemingly sensing Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian's displeasure, Hu Gan also spoke up:

"By the way, although you are very strong, I still need to remind you that if newcomers want to avoid being bullied by the senior students when they first enter the Inner Academy, either your fists are harder than theirs, or you have connections in the Inner Academy."

"Of course, the students who can enter the Inner Academy are basically the best of the former Outer Academy students. Their cultivation talent is not weak. Coupled with the unique training and cultivation methods of the Inner Academy, it will probably be quite difficult for you newcomers to catch up with their progress."

Hu Gan's gaze swept over the three of them, then he said:

"Although that little girl Yun Li has a somewhat eccentric personality, at least for you, she is not an enemy. If she gets serious, she can make your Inner Academy life much easier."

However... well, I can't comment on your romantic relationships, but you should know that your own strength is the most important thing. After all, in the Dou Qi Continent, only strength is the foundation for survival and the greatest core competitiveness of a person."

Upon hearing this, Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian fell silent for a moment.

They naturally understood that Hu Gan's words were a dig at them.

But Yun Li really went too far!

Alright, let's focus on cultivation. Strength is indeed the foundation of everything. If we don't have strength, we won't be able to stand and fight alongside Xiao Yan in the future. They don't want to be just decorative vases to be protected!

"Thank you for the reminder, Vice Dean. We will reflect on it carefully."

Seeing that the two women both seemed to be deep in thought, Xiao Yan replied on their behalf.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, you can all go back now. Report back here in two days, and I'll take you into the Inner Academy then."

Hearing this, Hu Gan. Although Xiao Yan was so charming at such a young age, considering his talent and strength, it wasn't a problem. After all, while others were jealous of women, Xiao Yan was the one who made women jealous of him.

Wow, times have really changed!

"Then we'll take our leave!"

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, bowed to Hu Gan, and then left with Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian.

"I'm actually looking forward to seeing what kind of waves this twelve-year-old who's already Da Dou Shi will stir up in the Inner Academy."

Watching the group leave, Hu Gan sat in his chair, his fingers slowly tapping on the table, and chuckled softly with great interest.

After obtaining what he needed from the Library Pavilion, Xiao Yan went alone into the academy's vast Back Mountain that afternoon. He painstakingly searched for a secluded training ground to begin studying the two Dou Technique he had acquired.

Xiao Yan naturally took Hu Gan's words to heart.

Those who make it into the top fifty each year at the Jia Nan Academy are all geniuses gathered from all over the continent.

Without some foundation, even Xiao Yan wouldn't dare say he could thrive in the Inner Academy, where no one knew his background, on his own.

Therefore, Xiao Yan must improve his strength as soon as possible. However, in such a short time, it is impossible to make much progress in his Dou Qi cultivation. Therefore, he can only rely on the two Dou Technique he has acquired.

"Soul Suppressing Seal"

"Great Sun Separation Fire Body"

One Advanced Mystic Tier, the other Advanced Earth Tier skill; one uses a soul attack, the other a body-refining Dou Technique.

If Xiao Yan could master both spiritual and physical cultivation Dou Technique, his strength would undoubtedly increase dramatically in a short period of time. However, even with Old Yao's help, it was clearly impossible for him to grasp the basics of both techniques within two days.

Therefore, after some consideration, Xiao Yan first focused his attention on the Soul Suppressing Seal. This Advanced Mystic Tier Dou Technique should, in theory, be easier to cultivate than an Advanced Earth Tier Dou Technique, right?

Moreover, given the extreme rarity of this soul Dou Technique, it can certainly achieve unexpected results in future battles.

Of course, that's true, but "easy" is relative to Advanced Earth Tier Dou Technique.

If an ordinary student could possess even one of these High-grade Profound Tier Dou Techniques, they could stand out from their peers. Moreover, this is a soul Dou Technique. Even Old Yao rarely had the opportunity to see such Dou Technique and naturally had little experience with it. It is likely that cultivating it would be quite difficult.

On the summit of a small mountain surrounded by lush, dense forest on the Back Mountain, Xiao Yan rubbed his dazed temples, feeling somewhat helpless.

This soul-suppressing Dou Technique Soul Suppressing Seal, is not like Dou Qi Dou Technique that use hand seals to guide the flow of Dou Qi.

Instead, he directly condenses the Soul Suppressing Seal within his soul's sea of consciousness using the power of his soul.

How to describe it? According to Xiao Yan's understanding, this thing is somewhat similar to the talisman seals of talisman masters in the other world Martial Universe.

But they are not exactly the same.

After all, Xiao Yan had never traveled to the Tianxuan Continent, so it's hard to say what the difference is between the two.

However, he vaguely felt that the Soul Suppressing Seal's use of soul power was indeed similar to the talisman's use of spiritual power.

Having cultivated for so many years, Xiao Yan had never thought about condensing Soul Seal in his soul sea. Therefore, he failed for an entire afternoon—that is, two and a half hours—as soon as he started.

"I think we should practice our proficiency first and directly condense the Soul Seal in our sea of consciousness. If we fail, the resulting soul shock will be unbearable."

After an afternoon of failures, Xiao Yan had gained some experience and said thoughtfully.

"Yes, that's definitely something we can try."

Even the Old Yao couldn't offer much detailed advice, as this thing requires an extremely high degree of control over soul power.

Even a master alchemist like him had failed along with Xiao Yan for an entire afternoon.

Because in his current state, he has no soul or consciousness at all.

He simply condensed Soul Seal inside his soul body, almost injuring himself in the process.

Xiao Yan is very decisive and acts on his ideas immediately.

First, he used his Dou Qi to condense Dou Qi talisman.

This is where he excels, and progress is rapid.

Then, outside the body, using the power of the soul, the Soul Seal was pieced together by attaching it to the tiny twigs.

Finally, the Soul Seal within the sea of consciousness begins to condense.

As the sun rose on the third day, the cobalt blue talisman pattern between Xiao Yan's brows emitted a soft glow, and a rather powerful soul force slowly condensed and took shape on it.

"As expected of me!"

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, touched his forehead, and smiled with some satisfaction.

The Soul Seal has been initially formed successfully. It only needs to be nurtured for a period of time before it can be used to fight enemies or defend against soul attacks from others.

As expected, no Dou Technique could stump Xiao Yan!

"Your talent is truly terrifying..."

Old Yao's voice suddenly rang in Xiao Yan's mind. He had been practicing with Xiao Yan for the past three days, but even now, he still hadn't managed to condense Soul Seal.

Although a large part of the reason is that he doesn't have a physical body, which makes it impossible for his soul to be contained in his sea of consciousness, making it extremely difficult to condense Soul Seal, he is still Peak Eighth-Grade alchemist. In terms of controlling soul power, he is far more powerful than Xiao Yan!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled, "Just lucky, just lucky!"

"Someone's coming, I'll go back first..."

After the Old Yao finished speaking, he completely disappeared without a sound.

Patting the water stains off his robes, Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the entrance of the small valley. The branches there swayed slightly, and then a graceful figure in green, like a butterfly, darted out, finally landing delicately on a small protruding rock on the lake. Her silvery laughter, like the chiming of a mountain bell, quietly soothed Xiao Yan's mind, which had been restless for two days and two nights.

"Brother Xiao Yan, the two days are up. Today we need to enter the Inner Academy. Are you ready?"

The girl in green raised her delicate and pretty face, looked at the young man standing on the boulder with his hands behind his back, his posture appearing even more upright, and smiled softly.

Xiao Yan chuckled and nodded, patted the massive Heavy Profound Ruler on his back, lightly touched the stone surface with his toes, and his body transformed into a black shadow, appearing at the valley exit. He waved to Xun'er, then turned and slowly stepped out of the small valley.

"The Inner Academy? I'm really looking forward to it... I hope I won't be disappointed."

The figure gradually disappeared into the jungle, leaving behind a faint sound that lingered slowly.

When Xiao Yan and Xun'er arrived at Vice Dean Hu Gan's study, they saw that the open space in front of the door was already filled with many people, who were scattered into many groups of different sizes, chatting and laughing in hushed tones.

Xiao Yi Xian had been waiting there for a while, and came forward to greet the two of them.

Outside the open space, many other students had gathered. In the hearts of all the students in the Outer Academy, being able to enter the Inner Academy for cultivation was an extremely enviable honor. Countless people had been striving towards this goal since they entered the academy. Therefore, every year when those students who passed the Selection Tournament entered the Inner Academy, many people would come to see them off and watch.

A dozen minutes after Xiao Yan and his companion arrived, the tightly closed study was finally opened. Vice Dean Hu Gan and several elders walked out slowly. Upon seeing their appearance, the whispers in the open space gradually quieted down, and after a moment, there was no sound at all.

After Hu Gan's passionate speech, many students were filled with anticipation for their future life in the Inner Academy.

"The Inner Academy is the core of the Jia Nan Academy. Due to its secrecy, most students in the Outer Academy, including their instructors, do not know its exact location. Therefore, we will take you to a certain place."

Hu Gan smiled and looked up at the distant blue sky, where ten dark figures were flying towards them. After a moment, the figures gradually grew larger, revealing themselves to be ten enormous Griffin.

Ten Griffin swept across the academy, casting huge shadows, and finally stopped above where Xiao Yan and the others were. With a flap of their wings, a gale surged, making some of the students below lose their footing.

Hu Gan waved to the Griffin in the sky, and then shadows loomed over the ground. Finally, amidst the howling wind, the ten Griffin stopped not far from the open space. A quick glance revealed that each Griffin was being ridden by two people on its back.

"Alright, time's up. Everyone, go up in groups of five."

Seeing the Griffin descend, Hu Gan pointed and laughed.

Upon hearing Hu Gan's words, the students in the open space immediately turned around and swarmed into the open space. Like fleas, with a rustling sound, these impatient fellows climbed onto the Griffin's broad back. However, as soon as their feet touched the back, the Griffin's slightly slippery feathers caused them trouble. Some who lost their footing slipped and tumbled down, their bodies hitting the stone slabs with a series of thuds.

"Haha, kids, don't be reckless. The Griffin has a seat on it; don't even think about standing on its back. That's a skill only Da Dou Shi can possess." Hu Gan laughed loudly, then turned to Xiao Yan and the others, saying, "Top five, the four of you are in the same team, go up."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan wasn't surprised. He pulled Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian along and jumped onto the Griffin. His feet stood firmly on the smooth feathers, like an iron tower, completely still. Seeing his steady movements, the students who had fallen off the Griffin earlier couldn't help but admire him. Having tried to force their way onto the Griffin, they knew very well how difficult it was to stand on those damned feathers.

Then, Hun Li Li appeared out of nowhere, her fair face full of smiles, and jumped up. Then she slipped and fell into Xiao Yan.

Upon seeing this, Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian blushed instantly.

"Tsk, senior's body is indeed very sturdy. It shouldn't be a problem for junior to lean on him, right?"

Hun Li Li was clearly in a very good mood, and said with a smile.

"..."

Xiao Yan couldn't understand what was wrong with this woman, so he pulled her out of his arms.

"Why don't you just fly with the elders?"

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at Hun Li Li and said.

A Dou Wang, could he slip?

Who would believe that?

"It can't fly!"

Hun Li Li shook her head seriously.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan paused for a moment, looked closely, and a thought struck him.

Why does she look so pale?

And this faint, unreal aura...

What did you do?

Xiao Yan frowned and asked in a low voice.

"I also want to thank you for finding me such great stuff. Now, I'm going to start rebuilding my Dou Qi!"

Hun Li Li said with a smile.

"?"

Xiao Yan grabbed her wrist, channeling his soul power into it, and his expression immediately changed.

Damn, Dou Qi 3rd Stage?