Spirit Devouring Art

Xiao Fan had no idea what happened to Zi Yan afterward. At this moment, he was studying the condition of his body after reincarnation.

Reincarnation did not seem to mean starting over from scratch. At the very least, his soul had undergone earth-shaking changes.

As a former Half-Emperor, he understood that on the Dou Qi Continent, both cultivation and the soul were indispensable if one wished to become a Dou Emperor. In fact, the soul was far more important than one's Dou Qi level.

It was precisely because he had reached the Emperor Realm in soul strength in his previous life that he was so astonished by his current state.

"Peak Mortal Realm..."

Xiao Fan felt the tremors emanating from his soul. He could clearly sense every movement in his surroundings: spiders weaving webs, ants crawling about... all of it lay within his perception.

"If I find an opportunity or some herbs that nourish the soul, I might be able to break through to the Spirit Realm in one go."

He had had no teacher in his previous life, and everything could only be explored on his own. Only after achieving some success at Jia Nan Academy did he come into contact with alchemy and learn the importance of the soul.

Xiao Fan was exceptionally talented. In just a few years, he had surpassed Elder Huo of Jia Nan Academy's Alchemist Department. Naturally, that had also caught the attention of a certain glutton.

"Little Yan..."

Thinking of her embarrassment when they first met, Xiao Fan could not help laughing. Back then, while gathering herbs, he had found Zi Yan hanging from a tree, her entire body wrapped in spider silk.

Zi Yan had been remarkably carefree. She neither cried nor made a fuss; instead, she had fallen asleep while hanging there, drool pouring from her mouth like a waterfall. Fortunately, Zi Yan's indifference had kept the fifth-tier Bloodthirsty Demon Spider from being drawn over.

"Since I've been given another life, I can't muddle through it again. Only strength gives one the right to speak. I'll make up for every regret from my previous life."

"Spirit Devouring Art..." Xiao Fan sensed the cultivation technique surfacing in his mind. The Spirit Devouring Art had an unusual origin—it was a technique he had discovered in a Treasure Cave within the Magical Beast Mountain Range in his previous life.

The technique had no grade, only a brief explanation: all things in the world possess spirit, and all spirit can be made one's own.

Xiao Fan had already tested it. By circulating the Spirit Devouring Art, he could absorb the energy within magic cores and had broken through to the fourth stage of Dou Qi.

"It seems Jia Nan Academy's recruitment is a year from now..."

The minimum requirement for Jia Nan Academy was the eighth stage of Dou Qi. "Reaching the eighth stage of Dou Qi in a year doesn't seem too difficult, does it?"

Xiao Fan muttered softly. Raising one's strength too early was not actually good for one's foundation, but the Spirit Devouring Art was simply that domineering. It absorbed all spiritual things without reason, yet caused no harm to one's foundation.

For a time, Xiao Fan had wondered how the owner of such an overbearing technique had ultimately fallen.

"Backstabbed by a woman."

"Then that explains it."

"So sincerity can't buy sincerity."

Xiao Fan was somewhat impatient to leave the Xiao Family as soon as possible. Yet he could not obtain more of the Xiao Family's resources. To gain more resources, he would have to reveal more of his strength—but he was not truly a member of the Xiao Family. If his secrets could not be hidden, he might be captured and studied.

"A massive amount of energy..."

"I've got it!" Xiao Fan slapped his palm. This point in time was special, especially to him. It was also when he had gradually become that person's pathetic lapdog.

It was both the beginning and the end.

"That old man Gu Yuan should be sending Gu Xun'er here soon, shouldn't he?"

Only at the very end of his previous life had Xiao Fan realized that everything he did had made him nothing more than a clown. This time, he would never follow the same old path.

"Though it's only a sub-flame of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, it's still the fourth-ranked Heavenly Flame. The energy it contains is no small amount."

"If I had possessed the Spirit Devouring Art at this time in my previous life, I probably could've broken through to the Dou Zhe realm in one go..."

Compared to meeting Gu Xun'er again, Xiao Fan clearly valued increasing his strength more. Time would not wait for him. His goal in this life was to grow stronger without end—and, of course, there was also his Little Dragon Maiden...

"Xiao Fan, are you in there?!"

The knocking outside the door drew Xiao Fan's attention. Or rather, his peak Mortal Realm soul had long since detected Xiao Yan's approach.

The visitor was Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan's son. Like Xiao Fan, he was a genius and had also entered the Dou Qi stage.

Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan did not have a good relationship, at least not in their previous life. It was not merely envy, but jealousy as well—jealousy that Xiao Yan could so easily obtain Gu Xun'er's love.

But when he opened the door again, Xiao Fan did not put on any hostile expression. He merely glanced casually at the ring hanging around Xiao Yan's neck.

"If I remember correctly, a powerful soul seems to be residing within this ring?"

Xiao Fan instinctively wanted to seize it, but suppressed the thought. The soul within was clearly a Dou Zun-level powerhouse. If he were truly unconscious, Xiao Fan's peak Mortal Realm soul could not possibly fail to sense anything at all.

That left only one possibility: the other party had long since awakened and was even testing Xiao Yan.

No matter how weakened he was, he was not someone Xiao Fan, a mere fourth-stage Dou Qi cultivator, could contend with.

Withdrawing his gaze, Xiao Fan spoke calmly.

"Xiao Yan? What is it?"

Xiao Yan's expression shifted. He felt that Xiao Fan was very strange today, somewhat cold.

Still, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together and shamelessly said, "Brother Fan, I wanted to ask you about how to use Dou Qi."

Xiao Fan naturally knew that Xiao Yan had already successfully condensed Dou Qi by this point. His talent was not the least bit inferior to Xiao Fan's.

"Dou Qi has many uses, such as nourishing the body, widening the meridians, regulating the human body, and so on."

"Nourishing the body..."

Xiao Fan explained a great deal of knowledge about Dou Qi to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan nodded repeatedly after listening, as though he had formed some sort of plan.

After seeing Xiao Yan off, Xiao Fan watched his retreating figure with a grave gaze. They were not without grievances against each other. On the contrary, Xiao Fan could guess that Gu Xun'er's future choice to seize Origin Qi might also be related to the Xiao Yan before him.

Xiao Fan knew clearly that Xiao Yan would always be someone unwilling to admit defeat. He could never willingly accept someone standing above him. Their future cultivation techniques even had slight conflicts, as both required massive amounts of external energy and heavenly treasures, such as Heavenly Flames...

The two had also argued many times over ownership of Heavenly Flames. If not for the Dou Zun behind Xiao Yan and his consideration for the Xiao Family, Xiao Fan might have killed Xiao Yan long ago.

Naturally, Gu Xun'er's secret assistance had also played no small part in this.

But Xiao Fan no longer cared about any of that. The memories he possessed after reincarnation were his greatest wealth. Now, he only wanted to leave the Xiao Family as soon as possible and claim the treasures in his memories ahead of time.

After Xiao Yan left, the ring around his neck flashed. Yao Lao was somewhat shocked. "What powerful soul strength. It's even much stronger than this kid's!"

When Xiao Fan arrived at the Xiao Family's main hall, his pupils suddenly constricted. His heart, which should have been calm, stirred once more.

He had come to ask the Great Elder for some cultivation resources, but instead saw the person he least wished to see.

"Gu Xun'er..." Xiao Fan thought.

At this moment, Xiao Zhan and the three elders stood within the main hall. Xiao Zhan was even looking warmly and ingratiatingly at a middle-aged man. Xiao Fan could not sense the slightest aura from him, but he knew perfectly well that this man was Gu Yuan, the head of the Gu Clan—a peak nine-star Dou Saint and one of the continent's strongest experts.