Exchange

"How is this possible? Could he have discovered me? That's impossible! I am a Dou Emperor of the dark attribute, specializing in stealth and assassination."

Ling Ying, currently hiding in a secluded corner of the forest, felt cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he began to doubt his own existence.

"Hiss, no! How has this brat's aura changed again? When he returned two months ago, he was only an eight-star Dou Shi, which was already monstrous enough for his age. Now he's a two-star Da Dou Shi, and his foundation seems exceptionally stable; it doesn't look like he forced his growth with medicinal pills! This kid is a freak; it seems I need to keep my distance."

Ling Ying felt as though he and Xiao Yan were destined to clash, so he hurriedly and cautiously shifted his hiding spot much further toward the edge of the forest.

"You little rich girl, the Dou Techniques you use for practice are all Earth-tier. The Xiao Clan currently only has three Earth-tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques combined," Xiao Yan said, pinching Xiao Xun'er's delicate nose.

"Hmph, seeing that Brother Xiao Yan's aura has made another breakthrough recently, why don't you spar with Xun'er? I am already a three-star Dou Practitioner now," Xiao Xun'er said, wrinkling her beautiful nose.

"Alright then." Xiao Yan walked to the center of the small grove and beckoned to Xiao Xun'er.

"Watch closely, Brother Xiao Yan."

Xiao Xun'er stepped into a nimble set of footwork and leaped forward, suddenly appearing right in front of Xiao Yan; she had clearly employed some profound movement-type Dou Technique.

"Take this!"

Xiao Xun'er raised her small hand and struck toward Xiao Yan's chest without a hint of killing intent. If you were to lower your guard because of her light, airy movements, you would surely suffer a great loss.

The sound of air being torn apart clearly signaled the astonishing power behind this strike. The usually elegant and refined Xiao Xun'er was now unleashing shocking energy from her petite frame.

"Xun'er, this level of attack isn't enough!" Xiao Yan's voice suddenly came from a distance away.

Xiao Xun'er suddenly realized that her target had vanished.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that her probing attack had failed, Xiao Xun'er did not lose heart. She stomped her small foot and closed in again, intending to entangle Xiao Yan.

Unfortunately, after a series of continuous attacks, Xiao Xun'er couldn't even touch the hem of Xiao Yan's clothes. As a proud daughter of the Ancient Clan blessed with a God-Grade Bloodline, Xiao Xun'er was very confident in her combat prowess. With her three-star Dou Practitioner strength, combined with her superb mastery of Dou Techniques and bloodline bonuses, even a seven-star Dou Practitioner would perish under her assault.

But the problem now was that Xiao Xun'er simply couldn't touch Xiao Yan at all!!

After multiple attacks failed to land, the usually calm Xiao Xun'er finally began to lose her patience.

Although Xiao Yan's cultivation had been higher than hers before, she could at least see him, touch him, and chase after him. But the current Xiao Yan was so fast that even sensing his cultivation level was a struggle for her. How could the always proud Xiao Xun'er accept this?

She was indeed elegant and refined, but that did not mean she lacked her own pride. She wanted her Brother Xiao Yan to know that she, as a heaven-gifted daughter, also possessed her own brilliant radiance.

"Heavenly Flame, appear!"

As the words left Xiao Xun'er's lips, streaks of dark golden flames erupted from her body, forming rings of fiery energy membranes around her.

The sudden appearance of the Heavenly Flame caused the temperature in the small grove to rise instantly. Even the air around Xiao Xun'er seemed to distort under the scorching heat, as if the Heavenly Flame could burn even space itself into nothingness. From afar, Xiao Xun'er looked like a furious female war god emerging from the flames.

"Condense!"

Xiao Xun'er formed hand seals, and over a dozen flames detached from the fiery membrane on her body, floating in the air to form inverted, rapidly spinning fiery spikes. The protruding spiral tips at their ends clearly signaled their formidable destructive power.

"Go!"

Xiao Xun'er pointed both hands forward, and the dozen fiery spikes, which had been spinning statically in mid-air, instantly shot toward Xiao Yan like bullets fired from a chamber.

Watching Xiao Xun'er summon the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Xiao Yan smiled dashingly: "Playing with fire? Who have I ever feared?!"

"Green Lotus Core Flame, appear!"

Following Xiao Yan's low shout, a cyan-gold Heavenly Flame surged from his body. Well, to be precise, the current cyan-gold Heavenly Flame was no longer strictly just the Green Lotus Core Flame.

It was a brand-new Heavenly Flame formed by Xiao Yan devouring the companion Purple Flame of the Tier 6 Amethyst Winged Lion King, the Green Lotus Core Flame, and a sub-flame of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. As for why Xiao Yan continued to call it the Green Lotus Core Flame?

Because Xiao Yan was lazy! Having to come up with a new name every time he devoured a Heavenly Flame was more painful for a naming-challenged person like him than fighting a Dou Sheng.

"Go!"

Xiao Yan didn't even form seals; he simply pointed a finger toward Xiao Xun'er. Within three seconds, an equal number of cyan-gold fiery spikes took shape in mid-air. After a brief moment of spinning to build up energy, they slammed fiercely into the incoming dark golden fiery spikes.

The ease with which Xiao Yan summoned his Heavenly Flame compared to Xiao Xun'er's all-out effort made the disparity in their levels immediately apparent.

"I want you to know: The Flame Emperor cannot be insulted!"

Uh, wait! Something seems wrong with the tone here?!!

"Boom!"

The dark golden Heavenly Flame and the cyan-gold Heavenly Flame collided mid-air, sparking their first clash and showering the sky with embers and dust.

"What will the result be?"

Standing to the side, Xiao Xun'er stared tensely at the spectacle in the sky, while Xiao Yan appeared completely relaxed.

"Swish!"

As the smoke cleared, only the dozen cyan-gold fiery spikes remained in the air; clearly, the dark golden Heavenly Flame had been dispersed in the shocking collision.

"As expected! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile as he looked at the cyan-gold flames in the air.

"How can this be! This is the ancestral Heavenly Flame of my clan!" Xiao Xun'er looked at the scene before her, her expression slightly dazed.

Clearly, she found it hard to accept that her supposedly guaranteed winning strike had failed once again.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Xiao Xun'er let out a sharp cry.

Because, after a momentary lapse in focus, she suddenly realized that the cyan-gold Heavenly Flame in the air was still hurtling toward her with undiminished momentum, and it was already too late for her to dodge.

Not far away, the Dou Emperor Ling Ying, who had been lurking in the air, had been closely monitoring the situation since the spar began. Seeing that the young lady might be in danger, he disregarded the possibility of exposing himself and prepared to reveal his Dou Emperor strength to save her.