Mid Earth Tier Dou Skill—Yama Palm, Seventh-Tier Beast Flame—Yama Flame

(Note: Today's Popularity: 53)

The meeting came to an end in a harmonious atmosphere.

Just as everyone in the Xiao Clan had expected, the effects of Blood-Coagulating Powder were immediate after it hit the market.

On the very first day, long lines formed outside the Xiao Clan's shops.

Those mercenaries who lived by the blade were always the best informed. They knew the Xiao Clan was releasing a new medicine, supposedly far superior to the Galie Clan's Spring-Rejuvenation Powder.

That was why they had come early to buy a bottle and see whether it was really true.

Clutching their money pouches, they crowded before the counters, shoving and jostling to snatch up Blood-Coagulating Powder.

A one-eyed mercenary leader squeezed his way to the counter. After paying his gold, he grabbed two bottles of Blood-Coagulating Powder, twisted open their stoppers, and took a sniff. His cloudy eye immediately lit up.

He turned and bellowed at the crowd outside, "Good stuff! It's more than a level above the Galie Clan's Spring-Rejuvenation Powder!"

That shout was like throwing a ladleful of water into a boiling pot of oil.

Those who had still been watching from the sidelines could no longer sit still. They surged forward, nearly trampling down the threshold of the Xiao Clan's shop.

In just a few days, the customers originally stolen away by the Galie Clan gradually returned to the Xiao Clan.

Not only that, the Xiao Clan's shops took the opportunity to snatch a huge piece of the pie from the Galie Clan.

Of the shops on several commercial streets originally controlled by the Galie Clan, thirty percent had changed their signs and raised the Xiao Clan's banner.

The Galie Clan's businesses had shrunk by nearly half, most of their customers had vanished, and their shops stood empty and desolate. Even the clerks had begun secretly submitting resignation letters.

Galie Bi sat in his own Council Hall. After hearing the steward's report, he smashed the rosewood table beside him with a single slap.

"How could the Xiao Clan possibly still have an Alchemist helping them?"

The muscles in his face twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms writhing beneath his skin.

He had never expected the Xiao Clan to find a way out of their predicament. Aside from Master Gu Ni of the Miter Auction House, the Xiao Clan had somehow hired another Alchemist.

He took several deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. Gritting his teeth, he ordered the price of Spring-Rejuvenation Powder lowered, hoping to win back customers through smaller profits and greater sales.

However, that move achieved very little.

The Xiao Clan's Blood-Coagulating Powder was already cheaper than Spring-Rejuvenation Powder, yet its medicinal effects were better.

Mercenaries risked their lives outside. Every wound they suffered and every drop of blood they shed had been bought with their lives. They might be illiterate or crude, but when it came to such matters, none could calculate more shrewdly than they could.

With the same gold, they could buy better medicine and gain a greater chance of surviving after being injured. No one was foolish enough to buy from the inferior shop.

In the Galie Clan's stores, bottles of Spring-Rejuvenation Powder had long since become unwanted.

Listening to his servants' reports, Galie Bi pressed his lips into a thin line. The rage in his chest burned until his organs ached, yet there was nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, who had single-handedly brought all this about, had no idea how furious Galie Bi was in his own hall, nor did he care.

At that moment, he stood in the dense forest behind the Xiao Clan's mountain.

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse, and the forest was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Xiao Yan finished his training for the day. The Dou Qi within him had circulated through thirty-six cycles, and the surging power filling his meridians left him invigorated.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and looked at Yao Lao floating before him.

"Teacher, now that I've broken through to become a One-Star Dou Master, shouldn't you give me some new Dou Skills?"

His voice carried anticipation, and his eyes gleamed with eagerness.

After breaking through to the Dou Master realm, he had clearly felt that the Dou Skills he had trained in before were no longer enough. Whether in power or method of circulation, they could no longer match the intensity of his current Dou Qi.

Besides, he had not forgotten the Low Earth Tier Dou Skill, Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler, and the Black Heavy Ruler that Yao Lao had passed to Xiao Yan in the original story. This also counted as intercepting an opportunity, and he wanted to see what he could obtain from the system.

Yao Lao floated in midair, his translucent body looking somewhat unreal beneath the morning light.

He studied Xiao Yan for a moment, then nodded slightly. His aged voice held a trace of approval. "Not bad. Since you have already reached One-Star Dou Master, it is indeed time for you to learn this Dou Skill."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Lao extended a finger and lightly tapped Xiao Yan's forehead.

The instant his fingertip touched Xiao Yan's brow, a vast flood of information burst into Xiao Yan's mind like a breached dam.

Countless words, images, and diagrams of Dou Qi circulation exploded within his consciousness, forming a complete Dou Skill technique.

[Low Earth Tier Dou Skill: Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler. When using this Dou Skill, one must wield a ruler-shaped weapon to unleash its greatest power.

The ruler moves like a dragon, with Dou Qi condensed upon its body. With a single swing, it can draw upon the fire-element energy between heaven and earth, transforming it into towering flames. Wherever the ruler wind passes, even the moisture in the air will be vaporized.

When used at full power, the ruler's radiance can slash several zhang away, while the blazing flames form a crescent-shaped blade of light, enough to flatten a small hill.

When used upon water, the ruler wind can split the waves apart. That is where the name Flowing Wave comes from—if even waves can be devoured, what chance does flesh and blood have?]

"Finally got it."

The corners of Xiao Yan's lips rose as he murmured inwardly.

After passing Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler to Xiao Yan, Yao Lao took a massive black iron ruler from the Bone Flame Ring.

The iron ruler was completely black, without the slightest sheen, as though even light would be swallowed by its surface.

Its body was forged from Flamefall Mysterious Iron. This ore lay buried within underground magma, and only a fist-sized piece could form after a hundred years. It weighed more than three times as much as ordinary mysterious iron of the same volume.

The iron ruler had no point. Its end appeared as though something had sliced it straight through the middle, exposing a smooth cross-section like a mirror.

A series of somewhat blurred, strange patterns covered the black ruler. Beginning at the handle, they spread outward like vines, covering nearly every part of the ruler's body.

Combined with its ancient black color, those patterns gave it a distinctly mysterious air, as though some ancient power had been sealed within the ruler.

Yao Lao casually tossed the Black Heavy Ruler toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan reached out and caught it. The instant the ruler entered his hand, his body abruptly sank, and his feet stamped two deep footprints into the ground.

Even with the physical strength of his current Three-Star Dou Master realm, lifting this ruler took some effort.

What surprised him even more was that the moment he gripped it, he felt the circulation of Dou Qi within his body slow considerably. It was as if something were suppressing his meridians, making the flow of Dou Qi sluggish.

"This is the Black Heavy Ruler, forged from Flamefall Mysterious Iron."

Yao Lao spoke slowly, his voice calm. "Flamefall Mysterious Iron naturally possesses the property of suppressing Dou Qi. Training while carrying it will greatly improve your control over Dou Qi.

And the Earth Tier Dou Skill I just passed on to you requires this Black Heavy Ruler to use. Otherwise, its power will be greatly reduced."

At the very moment Yao Lao spoke, a cold mechanical voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.

[Ding. Detected that the host has intercepted Xiao Yan's opportunity: Black Heavy Ruler, Low Earth Tier Dou Skill—Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler.]

[Reward obtained: Mid Earth Tier Dou Skill: Yama Palm, Seventh-Tier Beast Flame—Yama Flame.]

New information flooded into his mind. Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and began absorbing the newly acquired Dou Skill and flame.

[Mid Earth Tier Dou Skill—Yama Palm. This Dou Skill has nine layers.

The first layer is called "One Layer of Heaven and Earth." When used, its palm force can draw upon the power of heaven and earth in the surrounding area. With one palm strike, the air within several zhang will be compressed and condensed into an invisible palm imprint that blasts toward the enemy.

As the number of layers rises, the range and power of the palm force grow geometrically.

At the ninth layer, it becomes "Nine Layers of Heaven and Earth." With one palm strike, it can draw upon the power of the nine heavens. The natural energy within a hundred li will be drained and gathered in the palm. Wherever that palm falls, mountains collapse, the earth cracks, and rivers flow backward.

When Yama Palm is used, an Eight-Armed Yama Avatar will appear behind the cultivator.

The avatar stands three zhang tall, entirely black, with each of its eight arms holding a different weapon. Its face is ferocious, and ghostly green flames burn in its eyes.

The instant the avatar appears, the temperature within a hundred zhang will plummet. Anyone weaker than the caster will feel a tremor from the depths of their soul, as though they have been targeted by Yama himself in hell.]

[Seventh-Tier Beast Flame—Yama Flame. This flame is dark purple, and its temperature far exceeds that of ordinary Beast Flame. Within it, twisted faces of Yama can faintly be seen.

Yama Flame does not burn physical objects; it burns only Dou Qi and souls. Once touched by this flame, Dou Qi will be devoured and turned into fuel. The more one urges Dou Qi to resist, the fiercer the fire burns.

If it contaminates the soul, it clings like a disease of the bone. Unless the wielder of the flame withdraws it voluntarily, it will not extinguish until the soul has been burned away.]