Black Heavy Ruler

It seemed that after absorbing his Dou Qi for so many years, Yao Lao's strength had indeed recovered to an unimaginable level.

Xiao Yan was quite satisfied with this. His years of frenzied Dou Qi cultivation had not been in vain.

"As long as you cultivate according to my plan, you too will be able to wield the power of space in the future. Now, carry this thing on your back. From now on, you are not allowed to take it off, not even when sleeping."

Yao Lao chuckled. A massive black object suddenly shot out from the ancient ring, crashing heavily onto the ground and sending dust flying everywhere.

As the dust settled, the black object revealed its true form.

It was a thick, massive ruler without an edge. At its end, it looked as though something had sliced straight through its middle, revealing a smooth, mirror-like cross-section.

The surface of the pitch-black giant ruler was covered in faint, strange patterns. The patterns spread all the way to the handle, covering nearly every part of the black ruler. Combined with its ancient, dark color, it gave off an air of mystery.

"Just what I needed—a weapon." Xiao Yan smiled as he looked at the black giant ruler, which stood much taller than he did.

Yao Lao watched Xiao Yan try to lift the ruler, suppressing a laugh.

Although Xiao Yan had now broken through to become a two-star Dou Practitioner, the material of this ruler was anything but ordinary.

Its weight was far greater than its appearance suggested.

Even an ordinary Dou Master would need some training before being able to use it.

Grasping the handle, Xiao Yan gave it a hard lift. Feeling its astonishing weight, he was startled as well.

The primary purpose of the Dou Qi stage was to temper the tendons and expand the meridians, strengthen the body, and lay a solid foundation.

After Yao Lao had continuously absorbed his Dou Qi over the years, Xiao Yan's physical condition had been nourished by Dou Qi to a terrifying level. His physical strength far surpassed his Dou Qi cultivation!

Yet even with fifty percent of his strength, he could barely lift it.

Yao Lao smiled, then added, "It was forged from Flame Meteoric Black Iron. There is probably only one of its kind on the entire continent. Not only is it exceptionally hard, it is also incomparably heavy."

"Most importantly, it possesses the miraculous effect of suppressing Dou Qi. If you can adapt to its suppression, then when you fight others in the future and remove it, the instant you break free from its restraints, your strength will leave everyone shocked. Besides, the Earth-rank Dou Skill I will teach you later is also related to this thing."

Xiao Yan flexed his five fingers before gripping the handle of the pitch-black giant ruler again, this time using all his strength.

Power greater than that of an ordinary Dou Master erupted. With a muffled boom, Xiao Yan easily pulled the giant ruler free, held it horizontally before him, and gently stroked its body.

Yao Lao was stunned as he watched Xiao Yan wield it as naturally as an ordinary weapon.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. He casually swung it a few times, and the pitch-black giant ruler let out bursts of whistling wind.

Its power was terrifying. If a Dou Master was caught unprepared, a single blow from the ruler would likely leave them gravely wounded and near death.

Xiao Yan held the ruler horizontally before him again and nodded slightly. It truly was immensely heavy; no ordinary person could wield it at will.

Seeing Xiao Yan use the Black Heavy Ruler with such effortless mastery the first time he held it, Yao Lao sucked in a cold breath.

This was utterly different from the image he had expected, of Xiao Yan struggling to take even a single step after carrying the ruler!

"It seems that cultivating Dou Qi for so many years has brought you extraordinary benefits. The strength of your body is something even ordinary Dou Masters can hardly compare to." Yao Lao clicked his tongue in amazement.

Xiao Yan casually tossed the Black Heavy Ruler behind him and used Dou Qi to secure it to his back. He chuckled. "There had to be some benefits, right?"

The casual, flowing motion caused a storm to rise within Yao Lao's heart.

Recalling the balanced blend of hardness and softness Xiao Yan had displayed while cultivating Eight Extremes Collapse, along with how easily he had slung the giant ruler onto his back, Yao Lao realized something.

Xiao Yan's control over strength had reached such a level that his comprehension truly surpassed every genius Yao Lao had ever seen.

It was as if he had been born for martial cultivation and battle!

Xiao Yan said lazily, "As for the Earth-rank Dou Skill, I do not have much Dou Qi in my body right now, so I am not interested."

"Still, since this weapon is so heavy, I wonder if it can be reforged into a smaller size. Then, its sheer weight alone would create an enormous contrast."

"Uh..." Yao Lao had not expected Xiao Yan to remain so calm and rational in the face of an Earth-rank Dou Skill.

After pondering for a while, Yao Lao shook his head. "I am afraid not. Flame Meteoric Black Iron is exceptionally resistant to high temperatures. Even a Heavenly Flame cannot do much to it. Reforging it further would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."

After a slight pause, Yao Lao continued, "If you subdue several kinds of Heavenly Flames in the future, you might be able to melt and reforge it."

"Fine." Xiao Yan sighed. The Black Heavy Ruler did have a sense of unadorned grandeur, but it was simply too large. One glance was enough for anyone to know that it was extraordinarily heavy. It was nothing like a black iron heavy sword, whose appearance and weight could create an immense contrast.

If it could be reforged and reduced in size, the contrast it created would be beyond ordinary imagination. The Black Heavy Ruler itself would become a great killing weapon.

"Let's talk about serious matters." Yao Lao blinked. "I need twenty-three different fire-attributed medicinal herbs and the blood of three second-tier fire-attributed magical beasts. There happen to be two types of medicinal herbs nearby. Let us move quickly."

Xiao Yan nodded and set off according to Yao Lao's directions.

With the Black Heavy Ruler on his back, Xiao Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable as well.

The Dou Qi that had once flowed swiftly through his broad meridians was now suppressed until it crawled as slowly as a turtle.

Moreover, its extraordinary weight forced Xiao Yan to exert his full strength at all times just to avoid being dragged down and turned into an overturned turtle.

However, after putting the Black Heavy Ruler on his back, Xiao Yan's heaven-defying comprehension immediately found a direction to develop.

Under the suppression of the Black Heavy Ruler, Xiao Yan's strength was greatly restricted. Unless someone possessed exceptional soul power, ordinary people would only see him as someone who was not even a Dou Practitioner.

A moment later, Xiao Yan gained an insight.

[Drawing on your experience of wearing the Black Heavy Ruler to suppress your strength, you entered a state of enlightenment and comprehended the Breath-Concealing Art.]

[Breath-Concealing Art can greatly conceal one's aura. Unless one possesses powerful soul power, it is difficult to see through.]

Having easily comprehended an auxiliary secret art, Xiao Yan felt that ever since he began cultivating, the effects of his heaven-defying comprehension had grown increasingly powerful.

This was perfectly normal. With a foundation of cultivation knowledge, Xiao Yan's heaven-defying comprehension naturally allowed him to draw inferences from one instance to another. It could no longer be compared to the days when he had been blindly fumbling along.

"Hmm? Are magical beasts guarding the medicinal herbs?" Xiao Yan frowned slightly as he looked at Yao Lao.

"Your soul perception is much stronger than I expected." Yao Lao chuckled. "Magical beasts do guard high-quality medicinal herbs. Prepare for battle."