Dispute

The light-purple figure spying from afar hurriedly covered her mouth when she heard Xiao Yan cry out in pain. Her eyes instantly reddened.

"Th-this... does Brother Xiao Yan train like this every day?" Although Xiao Xun'er had guessed part of it, she had only thought he was using Dou Qi whips for striking practice. Xiao Xun'er remembered that people in her clan had trained this way when she was young. But the pale white flames attached to those Dou Qi whips—others might not recognize them, but how could she not?

That was a Heavenly Flame! Xiao Xun'er understood the terror of a Heavenly Flame better than anyone. Even Dou Huang experts did not dare touch such a thing lightly. At that thought, Xun'er could no longer hold back and wanted to go out and stop him. She wanted to use her own methods to help Xiao Yan grow stronger, not let him undergo training that was like torture. Even if it was punishment, this was far too cruel.

Just as Xiao Xun'er was about to stand up, she felt a large hand press down on her shoulder. Her heart jolted. She had been entirely focused on Xiao Yan and had not even noticed someone beside her. She was about to strike back when she discovered that the person was actually Brother Xiao Yan's father, Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhan placed a finger to his lips, signaling for her to stay quiet. At that moment, Xiao Yan's scream rang out again from ahead. Xiao Xun'er tried to rise and stop him once more, only for Xiao Zhan to press her shoulder down again.

Xiao Zhan's repeated obstruction finally stirred Xiao Xun'er's anger, and she wanted to fight back directly. But she was not even a Dou Zhe yet. How could she possibly be Xiao Zhan's match? Even if she used a secret technique, it would take time—and besides, this was Xiao Yan's father.

Seeing that Xiao Xun'er was getting angry, Xiao Zhan paused slightly, then turned and walked down the mountain, waving for her to follow. Though Xiao Xun'er was extremely unwilling, she thought that since he was Xiao Yan's father, and he had not intervened despite how much he loved Xiao Yan, she could only follow Xiao Zhan and hear what he had to say.

The moment they reached the foot of the mountain, Xiao Xun'er impatiently asked, "Uncle Xiao, why did you stop me? Brother Xiao Yan is training so painfully. Don't you feel sorry for him?"

Seeing Xiao Xun'er question him the instant they came down the mountain, Xiao Zhan gave a bitter smile. How could he not feel heartache when his son had been beaten until he was covered in blood and flesh wounds? He knew Xiao Yan's tolerance very well. For him to scream even under such circumstances showed just how much pain he was enduring. His eyes moistened as he said, "Of course I feel sorry for Yan'er, but I also know he has set foot on the path of the strong. This is his own choice. We should not stop him."

"But there are many paths to becoming strong. He doesn't have to undergo training like this, like torture. If Brother Xiao Yan follows me, I can make him stronger too." Xiao Xun'er turned to go stop him again, but Xiao Zhan hurriedly called out to her.

Seeing Xiao Zhan stop her time and again, Xiao Xun'er finally exploded. Golden flames flashed through her eyes before vanishing, and the aura around her gradually began to grow stronger. She said angrily, "If you won't go, then I will! I have better ways to make Brother Xiao Yan stronger. If you try to stop me again, I'll fight you. Uncle Xiao, you should know I have that kind of strength."

Seeing Xiao Xun'er care even more about Xiao Yan than he did as his father, and even threaten him, Xiao Zhan gave a helpless bitter smile. He could only bring out his trump card. "How would you explain going up there like this? Would you say you happened to see it? You should know Yan'er's personality. If he finds out you secretly followed him, even if he says nothing on the surface, he'll hold it against you. In his eyes, this is no different from betrayal. I understand Yan'er's character. He usually laughs everything off and acts as though nothing matters, but if someone truly crosses his line, he'll remove them from his heart without hesitation."

Xiao Zhan's reminder suddenly startled Xiao Xun'er.

If she really went up there and stopped him, then Brother Xiao Yan...

Thinking of how Brother Xiao Yan might treat her like a stranger in the future, Xun'er quickly withdrew her aura and urgently asked, "Then are we just going to ignore this and let Brother Xiao Yan continue like this?"

"How did these two end up developing feelings for each other? Sigh!" Seeing Xiao Xun'er become angry because of Xiao Yan, then calm down instantly out of fear that Xiao Yan might misunderstand her, Xiao Zhan felt somewhat troubled.

Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Zhan said, "I can't bear to see Yan'er endure such cruel training every day either, so this will depend on you!"

"Depend on me?" Xiao Xun'er was immediately confused.

"Yes. You can often ask Yan'er to spar with you or something. Wouldn't that reduce the time he spends training? Then he would suffer a little less too." Xiao Zhan stroked his beard and spoke calmly.

"That really is a good idea." Hearing that Brother Xiao Yan could suffer a little less, Xiao Xun'er was overjoyed.

"But don't do it too often. I feel that old man has already noticed us, but he simply chose not to stop us. If we do this too often and make him unhappy, that would be bad." Xiao Zhan recalled the transparent old man giving him a sidelong glance before he came down the mountain.

"Who is that old man? Could he be Brother Xiao Yan's master?" Xun'er asked.

"Probably. Let's both pretend today never happened, as though we never came here." Knowing that his son had taken an extraordinary master, Xiao Zhan was very happy. A single glance from that old man had made him feel as though he stood before an abyss. Though Xiao Yan would suffer a little, becoming strong required more than talent alone.

"Mm!" Xiao Xun'er agreed on the surface, but secretly thought, I hope you don't mean Brother Xiao Yan harm. Otherwise...

The sun shone brightly. Xiao Yan, who had been beaten until he was barely alive, was once again thrown into a wooden barrel filled with red liquid. Feeling the scorching liquid eroding his flesh, Xiao Yan shuddered and instantly sat cross-legged. His hands formed seals, and his chest rose and fell as he rapidly entered a cultivation state. Enduring it by force was useless; only by consuming the medicinal power contained in the liquid could he lessen the pain.

As Xiao Yan cultivated, the red liquid in the barrel continuously evaporated. Clumps of pale red vapor entered his body through his nose and mouth. Once inside, Xiao Yan refined them into strands of pure energy. One portion entered his lower abdomen, increasing his Dou Qi. Another entered his internal organs, bones, and tendons, strengthening his body. Meanwhile, the medicinal liquid outside constantly eroded Xiao Yan's skin and muscles, helping reinforce his outer flesh and body.

This red medicinal liquid had been specially developed by Medicine Elder for Xiao Yan. Only Xiao Yan could use it. If anyone else used it, its violent medicinal power would directly destroy their tendons and meridians.

"What a lucky little fellow! With that thing's assistance, plus the medicinal liquid I carefully prepared, I guarantee I'll forge your body until it is no weaker than a Magical Beast's." Medicine Elder looked at Xiao Yan, whose entire body was wrapped in red vapor, and spoke with emotion.

Time gradually approached evening. The sun, after working all day, seemed to stretch lazily before slowly descending to rest. Its remaining rays dyed the mountain peak golden. Golden sunlight fell upon Xiao Yan's skin, making him look like a golden bronze statue.

The liquid in the wooden barrel gradually faded, and the red vapor surrounding Xiao Yan slowly disappeared. When the last trace of medicinal power was consumed, only floating dead skin remained in the barrel, along with faint streaks of red—blood that had flowed from Xiao Yan's body.

Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, and a red glint flashed through his pupils before vanishing. He slapped the barrel wall hard with both hands and kicked off with his legs, shooting toward a large tree like a sharp sword. Just before reaching it, he extended his right hand and threw a powerful punch at the trunk.

Bang!

A fist-sized hole appeared in the tree trunk. Seeing the damage he had caused with physical strength alone, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. Smiling, he said, "My strength has improved quite a bit. The fist mark is clearly deeper."

Tree: "Thanks to your whole family! This forest will be destroyed by you sooner or later."

"Hehe, not bad! At this rate, you really might cultivate Eight Extremes Collapse to great mastery, perhaps even surpass it." Medicine Elder said with a smile behind him.

"Doesn't Eight Extremes Collapse only reach a maximum of eight layers of Force Qi? Can it go even higher?" Xiao Yan asked in confusion.

"Of course. Eight Extremes Collapse relies relatively little on Dou Qi and depends entirely on physical strength. It can only produce eight layers because the body is not strong enough. If your body is strong enough, producing ten layers or even more is entirely possible. At that point, it would truly be an Earth-tier battle skill, rather than merely comparable to one." Medicine Elder stroked his beard and spoke calmly.

"But I can only produce one layer of Force Qi right now. I don't even know when I'll reach eight layers, much less anything higher." Xiao Yan rolled his eyes.

"That's because I haven't taught you yet. Originally, I only wanted you to master one layer of Manifest Force and one layer of Hidden Force. Any higher, and your body wouldn't be able to bear it—you would be directly shattered. But with your current physical strength, producing two layers won't be a problem. Close your eyes and focus your mind. I'll teach you the cultivation method for the remaining Force Qi of Eight Extremes Collapse!" Medicine Elder said with a faint smile.

Medicine Elder lightly tapped Xiao Yan's forehead with a finger, and Xiao Yan instantly felt a vast amount of information enter his mind.

Under Medicine Elder's careful guidance, Xiao Yan quickly gained a preliminary grasp of the techniques for exerting two layers of force. Facing another large tree before him, he circulated the Dou Qi within his body and slowly directed it through the acupoints and meridians required for Eight Extremes Collapse.

Tree: "Don't come over here!"

Eight Extremes Collapse!

With a bang, the large tree was instantly pierced through by the strike. Xiao Yan panted slightly. Although Eight Extremes Collapse did not consume much Dou Qi, the two layers of Force Qi had still drained nearly all of it. His body also felt a little sore. It seemed that with his current physical strength, he could only use two layers.