"Teacher! When will today's cultivation end? My legs are practically numb! I can barely feel them anymore." A three-year-old child sat cross-legged, looking miserable as he spoke in an exhausted voice to the transparent, elderly figure floating beside him.
The child's ears were a little pointy.
His hair was a gradient, mainly red or orange-red, with yellow and green—and even a little pink or purple—blended in, making for a richly colored look.
From roots to tips, or across different sections of his hair, the colors shifted from red to yellow to green, with pink and purple mixed in. It had a bright, multicolored gradient, like a rainbow, with red, yellow, and green as the main colors.
To put it more clearly, the dominant color of his hair was red or orange-red. Some strands, especially at the tips and sides, transitioned into yellow and green, with even a little pink or purple mixed in. Overall, it was a multicolored gradient, mainly red to yellow to green, with pink and purple accents.
"Hey, Phoenix King! Don't act like a baby! Speak properly!
"I know exactly what you're like, you little rascal.
"If I hadn't checked your soul fluctuations and found them perfectly rounded, I'd have thought some hammy adult had possessed you.
"Don't think you can fool me! I'm Medicine Elder, Yao Chen, Venerable Yao, and the greatest alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent!" Medicine Elder wasn't buying Phoenix King's act at all. He even reprimanded him sternly.
"Heh heh, Teacher, you make me sound so impressive. I'm not that capable."
Phoenix King shamelessly played along.
"Phoenix King!" Medicine Elder took a deep breath, then said, "I don't ask much of you. First, this isn't the Dou Qi Continent. This is the Douluo Continent, and it's different from the world I came from.
"Here, humans cultivate Martial Souls and Soul Power, and Soul Beasts use Soul Power too.
"It's not like the Dou Qi Continent. I don't expect you to use Battle Qi right away. For now, just build a strong body so you can cultivate Soul Power. Once you can sense Battle Qi, you can begin cultivating it.
"I don't ask much of you. I only want you to become strong enough that no one can bully you."
Though Medicine Elder spoke sternly, he treated his student well.
"Keep circulating your cultivation technique. If you don't complete thirty circuits today, you'll have to do twice as many." Medicine Elder flicked his left hand, sending a burst of force into Phoenix King's knee to straighten his posture.
"Aw, all right, Teacher." Seeing that buttering him up wouldn't work, Phoenix King closed his eyes and continued circulating his cultivation technique.
"He may be a little strict, but he really is good to me."
Phoenix King calmed his mind and began circulating his cultivation technique.
As Phoenix King's breathing gradually steadied, the room grew quiet. A shaft of afternoon sunlight also shone through the window and into the room.
Watching Phoenix King cultivate, Medicine Elder began thinking back to his past—the days before he had crossed over to the Douluo Continent. Back then, he hadn't been a spirit, but had possessed a physical body. He had been famous on the Dou Qi Continent, a powerful expert capable of founding a sect.
Though he was still far from the top powers, he had already entered the ranks of first-rate factions.
Compared with the top powers, such as the Ancient Eight Clans behind the scenes in the Central Plains, however, his faction was still far inferior.
Even so, it had been a powerful faction. He had founded Star Meteor Pavilion alongside his friends.
He had also taken a disciple. To teach that disciple, Medicine Elder had even neglected his own love life, despite having quite a few admirers.
He could say he had given so much for that disciple. Medicine Elder had trusted him deeply, too. That disciple was Phoenix King's senior brother—and, in Medicine Elder's eyes, the treacherous Han Feng.
Heaven-Rank Dou Technique—Backstab.
After all, the creator of this technique was someone who could seriously injure an opponent nearing Half-Saint with ease.
"Teacher! For your disciple's sake, please die!" A long blade glimmering with a cold light pierced Medicine Elder's chest. Han Feng held him tightly, his face twisted into a hideous expression.
He looked like an evil spirit.
"You..." Medicine Elder could scarcely believe it as he stared at the bloodied blade in his chest.
He had doted on Han Feng and given him the very best of everything. And this was what he got in return?!
Before Medicine Elder died and became a spirit, he had never imagined that his most beloved disciple, Han Feng, would conspire with the Soul Hall to ambush him. Caught off guard, Medicine Elder had his physical body destroyed. Luckily, he had thought fast in that desperate moment, using a secret technique to escape and hide inside a ring.
It was the very ring Phoenix King wore now. Hidden inside it, Medicine Elder had evaded their pursuit.
Unexpectedly, the ring had fallen during its journey through a space-time wormhole and ended up on the Douluo Continent, bringing Medicine Elder to Phoenix King.
Under normal circumstances, Medicine Elder would have needed to sleep for a long time and absorb a great deal of Battle Qi or other energy before he could slowly recover.
But the energy Phoenix King released when he awakened had given Medicine Elder enough to absorb, waking him directly.
Medicine Elder had watched him for a while. At first, he only taught Phoenix King some methods to train his body. Gradually, as Phoenix King reached the age of three, their time together helped Medicine Elder recover from the betrayal by his closest disciple. He eventually agreed to take Phoenix King as his student.
Otherwise, given Medicine Elder's state of mind after being betrayed by the disciple he had loved most, he would never have taken another student.
After all, betrayal left wounds, and those wounds made it difficult to trust again.
If Phoenix King had the same character as that treacherous disciple, Han Feng, Medicine Elder would surely suffer another betrayal someday.
But after observing him over time, Medicine Elder had found that Phoenix King was a very kind child who treated his own people extremely well.
Simply put, whoever treated him well received the same treatment in return.
That simple nature had convinced Medicine Elder that Phoenix King would never become another Han Feng.
"Knock, knock, knock." A series of knocks interrupted Medicine Elder's recollections.
"Is the Mistress in?" a deep male voice called.
"Getting old makes you dwell on the past. Let him in," Medicine Elder said with a smile.
"Come in." Phoenix King opened the door, and a man walked inside.
If he had been on the Dou Qi Continent, this man's strength would have made him a Dou Wang-level expert.
He was even close to becoming a Dou Emperor.
"Mr. Medicine Elder, are you teaching the Mistress again?"
"Uncle Di Tian, could you please stop calling me the Mistress? I'm a man. That title feels really strange."
Phoenix King didn't know what to say. These Ferocious Beasts from Star Dou Forest kept calling him their Mistress, and it felt bizarre. He was clearly male, yet they insisted on calling him their Mistress.
"You're our Lady's consort. Our Lady leads Star Dou Forest, and if she's the king, then you're naturally the queen. That's why we call you the Mistress."
Hearing Di Tian's answer left Phoenix King speechless. There was nothing he could do; they were currently relying on Star Dou Forest for their meals.
They depended on Star Dou Forest's strength to grow.
"How is everyone doing with the cultivation techniques? By the way, does Miss Gu Yuena still need me to prepare pills for her? She's almost recovered, isn't she?" Medicine Elder asked.
"She's doing much better. Thank you for your help during this time, Mr. Medicine Elder. Our Lady's injuries are nearly fully healed, and our strength has been growing steadily too."
The Gu Yuena Medicine Elder had mentioned was the true leader of Star Dou Forest. She was also the heroine of Legend of the Dragon King, as well as the legendary "giveaway Dragon King," a famous figure across the continent.
Phoenix King had been wearing the ring since birth. Medicine Elder had just absorbed the energy released when Phoenix King was born, so he no longer needed to absorb more energy to remain present.
He could also sense that the newborn Phoenix King had only physical strength and no Battle Qi.
Medicine Elder had also immediately recognized Phoenix King's true form as a Heavenly Demon Phoenix, a famous Magical Beast on the Dou Qi Continent. The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, second in rank among the three great clans, were descendants of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix.
At first, Medicine Elder had thought this was the Dou Qi Continent. He planned to observe things and slowly recover when he got the chance.
So Medicine Elder wanted to keep an eye on Phoenix King, but he hadn't expected Di Tian to show up.
The moment Medicine Elder saw this strongest fighter in the mortal world of the second Legend of the Dragon King, he immediately judged his strength to be at least Dou Wang-level.
He couldn't understand it. The man had Dragon blood and looked quite old, yet he was only a Dou Wang. At that age, most Ancient Void Dragons would already have reached Dou Zong or Dou Zun.
Even without Ancient Void Dragon Bloodline, shouldn't he at least have been a Dou Emperor at his age?
Yet he was only a Dou Wang, and it seemed something was suppressing him.
Medicine Elder felt he should have been able to reach Dou Emperor, but something was holding him back.
Medicine Elder hadn't come out then. He wanted to see what this Di Tian would do. To his surprise, Di Tian didn't touch Phoenix King; he simply took him deep into Star Dou Forest.
Following Di Tian, Medicine Elder gradually realized that this didn't seem to be the Dou Qi Continent, but another continent—or rather, another world.
After watching for a while, he realized that this world truly wasn't the Dou Qi Continent.
His observations also showed Medicine Elder that the beasts of this world seemed far weaker than Magical Beasts.
The strongest a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could manage was Dou Ling-level. On the Dou Qi Continent, who knew how many hundred-thousand-year Magical Beasts could become ninth-rank Magical Beasts, or even Dou Di?
Yet the Soul Beasts of this world, despite living ten thousand years, were only as strong as a Dou Ling or even a Da Dou Shi. It was absurd.
Then he reached the depths of Star Dou Forest and saw the Silver Dragon King with his own eyes. The moment Medicine Elder saw her, he judged her to be at least Dou Zun. But because of her injuries, being able to unleash Dou Emperor-level strength was already impressive.
Then he saw the many beast clans kneeling before the Silver Dragon King and heard that she was an incarnation of the Dragon God. Though he had never seen a god, if the Dragon God's incarnation was only at Dou Zong-level, then the Dragon God himself was merely a Half-Saint.
Unexpectedly, the Silver Dragon King directly "discovered" Medicine Elder, who was hidden inside the ring.
Medicine Elder had no choice but to appear.
He then admitted he came from the Dou Qi Continent. The two sides exchanged information and learned about each other's circumstances. Medicine Elder explained how his disciple had betrayed him, how he had become a spirit, and how he had accidentally ended up in this world.
He also explained some of the Dou Qi Continent's cultivation systems and related information.
But the Silver Dragon King seemed to have heard all of it before.
Then the Silver Dragon King explained the Douluo Continent to him, including the Soul Beasts.
After hearing that, Medicine Elder understood why Di Tian had been able to reach Dou Emperor, only to be suppressed at Dou Wang. It was because the Divine Realm suppressed him, preventing him from becoming a god.
If that was the case, then the gods of the Divine Realm were at most somewhere between Dou Emperor and Dou Zong.
After learning all this, Medicine Elder couldn't help grumbling that the powerful beings of this world were far too weak. In their world, they were nothing but fish by the roadside.
Then Gu Yuena said she could work with Medicine Elder and hoped he would teach them how to cultivate their strength. In return, she was willing to give him most of Star Dou Forest's medicinal herbs to help him recover.
She also explained that if the Divine Realm discovered Medicine Elder, the consequences would be dire.
Gu Yuena said, "The rulers of the Divine Realm develop by absorbing the power of belief from the lower realms, making the people below worship them. They rule over 108 worlds. Every living being in those worlds, whether human or beast, has to believe in the Divine Realm. That is the driving force behind their growth.
"If anyone gets in the way of their development, they'll be destroyed.
"The Douluo Continent once developed a Soul Guidance Empire. Soul Tools were special devices that could drive progress.
"At that time, humans had actually begun to consider living peacefully alongside Soul Beasts. They also hoped to find a way to strengthen Martial Souls without hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings.
"But when the Divine Realm noticed, they were displeased.
"They destroyed the Soul Guidance Empire outright. And just like that, the age when humans and Soul Beasts had first begun to reconcile was shattered.
"You come from another civilization. I don't know which world your Dou Qi Continent belongs to, but if the people of the Divine Realm discover you, I don't think you'd fear them at your peak. But you're very weak right now.
"If they find you, they'll treat you as a resource. They'll take all the knowledge in your mind and steal your strength. Once you're no longer useful, your days will be numbered.
"The Divine Realm is no good. I can tell you that plainly. If you want to return to your original world, working with us is your best choice. I won't stop you from going home, and I can help you get there.
"But the Divine Realm won't discuss any of that with you. They're used to lording it over everyone. How could they allow anyone to overthrow their rule?
"And once they learn there's a world stronger than theirs, they'll choose to grow stronger little by little. Then they'll enslave that world too. That's exactly what they'd do. They won't allow anyone to be stronger than them. If someone is, they'll find a way to surpass them, take control of that world again, and then castrate its people."
After hearing Gu Yuena's words, Medicine Elder more or less understood what the Divine Realm was. He didn't believe that these people, who were at most as strong as Dou Emperors or Dou Zongs, could defeat the Dou Qi Continent. But he also knew that in his current weakened state, he couldn't withstand them swarming him.
So cooperation was the best choice.
Gu Yuena also gave him a small piece of Life Gold to help him recover gradually. After all, the Douluo Continent had very few natural treasures capable of restoring a soul.
As for Phoenix King, Gu Yuena outright said she wanted him to become her queen.
Medicine Elder was shocked when he heard that, but after he thought it over, it suddenly didn't seem so strange. The reason was simple: Gu Yuena was a member of the Dragon clan. Though the Soul Beasts of this world weren't as powerful as Magical Beasts from the Dou Qi Continent, they still yearned for the bloodlines of the strong.
Phoenix King belonged to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, descendants of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. His bloodline was a crushing advantage on the Douluo Continent. If Gu Yuena wanted to have children with Phoenix King, they might inherit an exceptional beast bloodline.
That made sense.
Di Tian didn't say anything either. When he first saw Phoenix King, he had noticed just how powerful his beast bloodline was. Even some ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts would be suppressed by it. If Phoenix King weren't still so young, Di Tian reckoned even he would have been suppressed.
Phoenix King had nothing to say when he learned he was supposed to join the Soul Beast faction. He really was a beast now, though strictly speaking, he was a Magical Beast. Why had he ended up on the Douluo Continent? He had no idea.
He had originally been a university student. In his previous life, an accident had transported him to this world. He hadn't expected to be reborn as a Heavenly Demon Phoenix and end up on the Douluo Continent. He was just as confused as anyone.
He was already on the boat, so what else could he do?
Besides, what Gu Yuena said made a lot of sense. If the Divine Realm found Medicine Elder, he wouldn't have a good ending. And what about him, a Magical Beast? Though he wasn't a Soul Beast but a Magical Beast, he was still a member of the beast clans. How could things possibly end well for him?
If those Celestial Dragons from the Divine Realm found him, the consequences would be unimaginable. The only way was to overthrow the Divine Realm, this World Government.
Only by tying all those profiteering scoundrels from the Divine Realm to crosses and shooting them to death with arrows—or killing them by even more brutal means—could he finally rest easy.
Back to the present.
"We've already contacted the powerful Soul Beasts in the Far North. The Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North—Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and the Titan Snow Demon King—as well as some of the powerful Soul Beasts under their command, have all agreed to work with us. I've already given them Humanoid Transformation Pills.
"That way, they won't have to endure being struck by lightning anymore."
Di Tian had already begun contacting the Soul Beasts of the Far North. After all, apart from the Soul Beasts of Star Dou Forest, this world also had those in the Far North, as well as Sea Soul Beasts and others. But most Sea Soul Beasts worshipped Sea God Poseidon.
So it was hard to win them over. If they could recruit anyone, it would only be those in the Far North.
"Honestly, your world has so many excellent medicinal herbs that could be used to make all kinds of excellent pills, but you never developed an alchemy system. You've lived this long without making any progress... sigh~"
Medicine Elder spoke his mind. If the Douluo Continent's alchemy system simply couldn't make pills like those on the Dou Qi Continent, he wouldn't have said a thing.
But Medicine Elder could make excellent pills. He could even make seven bottles of pills, which proved that the Douluo Continent was capable of making them. If the Soul Beasts developed alchemy, perhaps they could even make Humanoid Transformation Pills themselves.
But they didn't bother developing it at all. Medicine Elder had also realized the Soul Beasts' flaw: they believed only in their own primal strength, never bothering to develop other kinds of power.
And Gu Yuena had clearly witnessed the ancient Soul Guidance Empire. She could have taken its technology and developed the Soul Beasts' strength with it.
During his time on the Douluo Continent, Medicine Elder had also dealt with things like Soul Tools. After learning what Soul Tools were, he had to admit there was great room for their development.
They could even be strengthened and developed for civilian use. They could have used them to develop the Soul Beasts' power too.
But the Soul Beasts didn't bother. Weren't they far too arrogant and conceited?
"Mr. Medicine Elder is right. But are you sure you want our Mistress to study in the human world? Under your guidance, the Soul Beasts are growing stronger, and we have plenty of resources. We can help the Mistress become a god just as well.
"We can also help her grow stronger. Once she becomes a god, she can help you recover half your peak strength. Then we'll be able to beat the gods senseless."
"The point of going to the human world is to learn more knowledge and gather more information, so we can understand more kinds of power and see if we can recruit talented people.
"Besides, there are some things only humans have."
That was what Medicine Elder said.
After hearing Medicine Elder say this, Phoenix King didn't know what to say.
He thought that if they wanted to recruit anyone, the best choice would be Spirit Hall. After all, it had the legacy of a First-Level God. Angel God was a First-Level God, and could even go toe-to-toe with the Sea God, who was a First-Level God with a Super Divine Artifact.
So if they were going to the human world to learn things and recruit talent, Spirit Hall was their best bet. Of course, there might also be some hidden factions. According to Legend of the Dragon King, there were indeed some families hidden deep in the Douluo Continent and the other continents, concealing themselves to preserve their legacies. They weren't weak, either.
At this point in time, the Douluo Continent should also have some deeply hidden families, with powerful strength and legacies. If they brought them over, they might be quite useful when it came time to seize the divine positions.
For example, they could recruit a hidden expert or a genius to seize Tang San's divine position, turning them into one of their own. That would be pretty fun.
Or they could seize all the divine positions belonging to the other six Shrek Seven Devils. Then they'd have more hands to help deal with the Divine Realm, and those people could contribute too.
That way, Tang San and the others wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble. Without divine positions or god-level experts, they'd just be a bunch of ants.
Just like Dou Di: no matter how many Dou Shengs you had, you couldn't pile up enough of them to kill a Dou Di.
Before you continue