Dou Technique Cultivation, and a Heart-to-Heart with Master Yun Yun

"We can head back."

Feng Bailong patted Feng Yun on the shoulder, then turned and prepared to walk out of the Soul Hunting Forest.

They had obtained the soul ring, and today's gains had already far exceeded expectations.

Right now, he only wanted to hurry up and bring this kid back to the sect so he could properly make up his lessons in soul master theory.

Otherwise, someday the boy would go out and tell people that Feng Bailong's son did not even understand soul rings or soul ring ages.

"Wait."

Feng Yun suddenly spoke.

"Mm?"

"Dad, I want to stay here."

Feng Bailong turned around, his brows slightly furrowed.

The hunt was already over, and the soul ring had already been absorbed. What was he staying in the Soul Hunting Forest for?

Though this was a corner of the forest that had been artificially enclosed, it was not as if thousand-year soul beasts never appeared here.

He was a child who had only just become a soul master. Was he planning to spend the night here too?

"Give me a reason."

Feng Bailong's voice was very calm, but the "You'd better not be joking, brat" in his tone was already on the verge of bursting out.

Feng Yun's expression did not change. "I want to cultivate here."

"Cultivate?"

"You can't cultivate back at the sect?"

"The wilderness environment suits me better."

That was actually true. Deep within the Soul Hunting Forest was Wind Cliff Valley, where fierce winds howled all year round, and the wind-attribute soul power there was indeed much denser than in the Wind Sword Sect.

Feng Bailong stared at him for three seconds.

"A thousand-year soul beast could appear here at any time."

"I'm not afraid."

"You're not afraid, but I am."

"My master will protect me."

That mysterious master again.

Feng Bailong felt his temples throbbing.

Every time this "master" was mentioned, Feng Yun's tone was unbelievably certain, not at all like he was making up nonsense.

And the strange azure wind vortex that had appeared when he absorbed the soul ring earlier, as well as the phenomenon of a hundred-year soul ring evolving into a thousand-year one—

these things that defied common sense all seemed to faintly point toward that mysterious master who had never shown himself.

Feng Bailong was silent for quite a while.

He thought of many things.

If that mysterious master truly existed, then letting Feng Yun stay might indeed be that master's intention.

"How long?"

"Not sure. Maybe a few days, maybe a few months, maybe a few years."

"..."

The corner of Feng Bailong's mouth twitched.

But in the end, he merely sighed, took a signal flare from his storage soul tool, and stuffed it into Feng Yun's hand.

"If you run into danger, pull this. The guard soldiers of the Soul Hunting Forest will come rescue you."

"Yes!"

"Don't go deep into the forest."

"Understood!"

Feng Yun grinned and waved goodbye.

Feng Bailong's figure soon vanished at the end of the dense woods.

Feng Yun stood in place and waited for a full five minutes, confirming that his cheap old man really had gone far away.

Only then did he let out a long breath, lower his head to look at the silver ring on his finger, and his expression shifted from calm to wild delight.

"Master, Master! Is it really you?"

His voice cracked with excitement.

On the ring, azure light flowed.

A slender, elegant figure slowly condensed.

Her dark hair still fell like a waterfall, she still wore a cloud-patterned dress, and she was still as cold and frosty as ever.

But Yun Yun's soul body was far more solid than it had been a month ago.

The contours of her brows and eyes were clear and distinct, and even the cloud patterns on the hem of her dress were faintly visible.

"Master—"

The instant Feng Yun saw her, he pounced without another word.

He wrapped both arms tightly around Yun Yun's thigh, buried his little face against her leg, and rubbed against it several times.

"I missed you so much!"

He had none of the restraint he ought to have had.

Yun Yun was slightly stunned by the sudden hug, her body going a little stiff, but she did not push him away.

She lowered her head and looked at this little disciple who had buried his face against her leg and refused to let go, a trace of helplessness and gentleness flashing through her eyes.

"All right."

She reached out and gently patted Feng Yun on the head. "Am I not right here?"

Feng Yun hugged her for several more seconds before finally letting go.

"Master, when did you wake up?"

"How can you communicate with me mentally now?"

"Before, didn't you always just appear and talk to me directly? And—"

"One question at a time."

Yun Yun cut off Feng Yun's barrage of questions, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

"I recovered consciousness several days ago, and I can see everything in the outside world through the Ring."

"It was just that my soul body was not stable enough yet, so I chose not to appear."

She paused, a hint of gratification entering her tone.

"When you broke through to Soul Master, my soul power also recovered greatly along with your breakthrough. Now, I can already communicate with you mentally without appearing."

"Communicate mentally?"

"You mean that thing just now, where Master could hear what I was thinking?"

Just now, it was precisely because he had suddenly heard Yun Yun's instruction that he had chosen to stay in the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Yes. As long as I do it deliberately, I can."

"Then can I hear what Master is thinking too?"

Yun Yun tilted her head slightly and did not answer the question.

But Feng Yun vaguely felt that a flicker of guilt had flashed through Master's eyes.

"Master?"

Feng Yun blinked at her. "Are you thinking about something you can't let me know?"

"...You are overthinking it."

Yun Yun turned her face away and swiftly changed the subject. "Do you know why I had you stay?"

Feng Yun's attention was immediately drawn over, and his eyes instantly changed from curiosity to shining excitement.

"To cultivate battle techniques!"

"Correct."

Yun Yun raised her hand and lightly tapped the air with her index finger.

A wisp of green light abruptly shot into Feng Yun's brow.

Feng Yun only felt a buzz in his mind as a flood of information poured into his head.

Four complete sets of battle technique cultivation methods were so clear they seemed to have been engraved directly into the depths of his memory.

Wind Blade Art, a high-tier Yellow-class battle technique.

It condensed wind-attribute battle qi into sharp, semi-transparent wind blades.

It was generally used for long-range attacks, with a range of several dozen meters.

Its power increased as one's strength improved, and upon reaching major accomplishment, one could fire wind blades in succession.

Gale Stab, a high-tier Yellow-class battle technique.

It infused wind-attribute battle qi into a weapon and thrust out a sword strike at extreme speed.

Its armor-piercing ability was extremely strong, specifically countering defensive soul skills.

Wind Soaring Step, a high-tier Yellow-class battle technique.

A basic wind-attribute movement technique.

Pale green Dou Qi surged from his feet, doubling his movement speed.

The footwork itself was not particularly profound, but its strength lay in being simple and brutal: quick to activate, fierce in acceleration.

Steel Essence Armor, a high-grade Yellow-rank Dou Technique.

Dou Qi condensed into armor with a metallic texture, covering the entire body and greatly increasing defense.

Feng Yun closed his eyes and digested it for quite a while before opening them again.

"Master, these four Dou Techniques..."

"There is offense, swordsmanship, movement, and defense."

Yun Yun's tone returned to the particular sternness she had when teaching.

"Wind Blade Art is your long-range attack method. Gale Stab is your close-combat burst. Wind Soaring Step is your guarantee of mobility. Steel Essence Armor is your means of survival."

She looked at Feng Yun, a trace of seriousness flashing through her eyes.

"These four Yellow-rank Dou Techniques are only the most basic of basics on the Dou Qi Continent."

"But on the Douluo Continent, their effects are already enough to rival many thousand-year soul skills."

"If you can cultivate them all to mastery, it will be very difficult for anyone at the same level to defeat you head-on."

Feng Yun's eyes shone like two little light bulbs.

"Master, what about Extreme Wind?"

Yun Yun fell silent for a moment.

"You still can't learn it right now."

Feng Yun's light bulbs dimmed by half.

"Extreme Wind has a cultivation threshold. You must at least reach level thirty or above before you can barely support its consumption."

"As you are now, your physical constitution is insufficient, and your total soul power is insufficient."

"All right, all right, Master, don't say any more."

Feng Yun covered his face, feeling as though he had suffered a critical hit.

"What about the others?"

"You can't learn a single one right now."

Feng Yun fell completely silent.

Then he took a deep breath and sat up straight again.

"Fine. I'll lay the foundation first."

Yun Yun nodded slightly, a trace of satisfaction flashing through her eyes.

"It is not just laying the foundation."

She raised her eyes and looked around.

Ancient trees towered into the sky, the wind howled in waves, and from the distance came the occasional low roar of soul beasts.

"You will be living here for a very long period of time."

Yun Yun's voice was cool and serious.

"It is not only for cultivating Dou Techniques."

"More importantly, you need actual combat."

"True actual combat."

"To fight soul beasts, to take the wind as your companion, and to survive alone in this forest."

"Cultivate Dou Techniques every day, battle soul beasts every day, and integrate everything you have learned into your bodily instincts."

"Your foundation will be laid more solidly than anyone else's."

As Feng Yun listened, his whole body began to grow excited.

Wasn't this exactly the same cultivation route Xiao Yan had taken in the Magic Beast Mountain Range back then?

Although the Soul Hunting Forest was far from comparable to the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

But the key point was the same!

One person, one forest, a master carried with him, and one cultivation journey that would remake him completely!

"I'm ready!"

Feng Yun stood up, his small fists clenched tight, flames burning in his eyes.

"Master, when do we start?"

Yun Yun looked at his fully motivated appearance, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"Now."