Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler Mastered, Yao Lao: Worldview Being Reshaped... (Two Chapters—4,100 Words)

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Xiao Yan's expression did not change much, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.

Sure enough, there was a reward.

He had originally thought that intercepting the Black Heavy Ruler and the Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler would already be a good outcome if he received a Mid Earth Tier combat skill.

He had not expected to receive not only a Mid Earth Tier combat skill, but also an additional Seventh-Tier Beast Flame.

A Tier-Seven Magical Beast was equivalent to a Dou Zong-level powerhouse among humans.

There were only a handful of Magical Beasts at that level in the entire Jia Ma Empire. Once the flames within their bodies were extracted after death and turned into Beast Flames, their value went without saying.

"Isn't this reward a little too generous?"

A trace of doubt suddenly rose in Xiao Yan's heart.

Could a mere Black Heavy Ruler and a Low Earth Tier combat skill really warrant a Seventh-Tier Beast Flame as a reward?

That did not seem quite reasonable.

He quickly figured out the reason.

The Black Heavy Ruler itself truly had no grade. It was merely a weapon forged from Flamefall Mysterious Iron. Though weapons like it were rare on the Dou Qi Continent, they were not unique.

Yet in the original story, this ruler had accompanied Xiao Yan for many years, from his youth in Wutan City through the Jia Ma Empire, the Black-Corner Region, and the Central Plains. Through battles great and small, the Black Heavy Ruler had blocked countless fatal attacks for him and helped him slay innumerable enemies.

More importantly, the weapon Xiao Yan wielded when he finally became a Dou Emperor was also a ruler—the Eternal Heavenly Flame Ruler.

It was a legacy left behind by the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, a supreme treasure at the Dou Emperor level.

Without that Imperial Ruler, the original Xiao Yan would not have been able to defeat Hun Tiandi, who was likewise a Dou Emperor and wielded the Emperor-Slaying Ghost Blood Blade.

The Black Heavy Ruler had served as his introduction to ruler techniques, allowing him to build a solid foundation in the path of the ruler.

Only after obtaining the Eternal Heavenly Flame Ruler could he grasp the power of that Imperial Ruler in the shortest possible time and unleash its might to the fullest.

One ruler had laid the foundation early on, while the other had secured victory in the end. Neither could be absent.

Thinking of it this way, the Black Heavy Ruler being worth a reward on the level of a Seventh-Tier Beast Flame was perfectly understandable.

Xiao Yan ran through the contents of the Mid Earth Tier combat skill, Yama Palm, in his mind and gained a clear understanding of it.

This combat skill had nine layers in total. At present, he could only cultivate the first three. The fourth required him to reach the Great Dou Master realm before he could touch it. The fifth and sixth corresponded to the Dou Spirit level, while the seventh, eighth, and ninth required the strength of a Battle King, Dou Emperor, or even Dou Zong to barely execute.

One step at a time. There was no need to rush.

He opened his eyes, looked at Yao Lao floating before him, bowed, and slowly said, "Thank you, Teacher."

A smile appeared on Yao Lao's face. Floating in midair with his hands behind his back, he casually said, "Little Yan, shall I demonstrate it for you first? Earth Tier combat skills are unlike Mystic Tier ones. Their circulation routes are far more complicated. Just memorizing the paths of Dou Qi flow takes quite some time. You've only just broken through to Dou Master, so there's no need to rush—"

"Teacher, I have already completely mastered this combat skill." Xiao Yan cut him off.

The smile on Yao Lao's face instantly froze.

He stared at Xiao Yan for two seconds, his brows slightly furrowing as a trace of shock surfaced in his heart.

Even for exceptionally gifted geniuses, a Low Earth Tier combat skill took three to five months from first contact to initial mastery. To completely master one, however, had to be measured in years.

Xiao Yan had only just received the inheritance of the technique. Less than the time it took an incense stick to burn had passed, and he was saying that he had already completely mastered it?

"Little Yan, you're not joking, are you?" Yao Lao's voice rose. "This is a Low Earth Tier combat skill. I only just taught it to you, and you've already completely mastered it?"

Yao Lao remembered clearly that Xiao Yan's talent in mid- and high-level Mystic Tier combat skills was indeed astonishing. He could master them to the point of perfection in half a day, which was already an extraordinarily rare talent.

But those were Mystic Tier skills. They were completely different from Earth Tier skills.

Earth Tier combat skills placed demands on the precision of Dou Qi circulation and the sensing and drawing of heaven and earth energy that far exceeded the scope of Mystic Tier skills.

He had only just taught it to him, and he had already completely mastered it? This talent was simply absurd.

"Teacher, I have already completely mastered it." Xiao Yan nodded, his tone calm.

The moment he had gone blank just now, he had not been spacing out. His consciousness had entered the Martial Dao Space.

Within that space, where time flowed differently from the outside world, he had spent three months cultivating these two combat skills.

Three months was enough for him to cultivate the Low Earth Tier combat skill Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler to the realm of major mastery.

As for Yama Palm, he had only cultivated the first three layers. The later layers were restricted by his realm of strength, so he could not progress any further for the time being.

Yao Lao looked at the firm expression on Xiao Yan's face, and his heart stirred.

Could Xiao Yan truly have completely mastered it?

After spending so long together as master and disciple, Yao Lao understood his disciple's character. Xiao Yan was upright, but not rigid.

Toward enemies, Xiao Yan was decisive and ruthless. He never harbored false hopes when facing an opponent. Once he struck, he eradicated the roots and left no future trouble behind.

Yet toward those close to him, he kept his family, elders, and closest friends in the softest place in his heart. He would rather be covered in wounds himself than let those dear to him suffer even the slightest grievance.

In his daily cultivation, he was even harsh to the point of being demanding. Day and night were reversed, cold and heat never stopped him, and whenever he gained an insight, he immediately put it into practice without delaying for even a moment.

Such a person naturally would not deceive him. Besides, deceiving him would bring Xiao Yan no benefit whatsoever.

"Show me once, then," Yao Lao said.

"Alright!"

Xiao Yan nodded, slung the Black Heavy Ruler across his back, and moved his feet as Explosive Step activated.

His figure dragged an afterimage through the morning mist. Within a few breaths, he had swept into an open area deep in the back mountain.

This clearing was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a flat stretch of rocky ground in the center. Several giant boulders, each several zhang tall, lay scattered in the distance. It was where Xiao Yan usually practiced combat skills, and even if he caused some damage, it would not have much impact.

Xiao Yan steadied himself, took a deep breath, and reached behind his back with his right hand to grip the hilt of the Black Heavy Ruler.

The moment the ruler was drawn from behind his back, that familiar oppressive weight descended again, and the circulation of Dou Qi within his body slowed sharply.

Xiao Yan gripped the hilt with both hands, held the Black Heavy Ruler upright before him, and slowly closed his eyes.

The next instant, he suddenly opened them.

"Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler!"

With a roar in his heart, fire-attributed energy between heaven and earth suddenly began to surge.

The air above the back mountain clearing began to distort. Countless visible red motes gathered from every direction, as though drawn by an invisible giant hand, pouring wildly into the Black Heavy Ruler in Xiao Yan's hands.

The instant that fire-attributed energy entered the ruler, the Black Heavy Ruler began to hum.

The strange patterns that had once been blurred and indistinct upon the ruler's body seemed to come alive. One after another, they lit up with fiery red radiance.

The patterns spread from the hilt toward the tip, the red glow becoming brighter and brighter as the temperature rose higher and higher.

The air around the Black Heavy Ruler warped under the scorching heat, and wisps of green smoke rose from the ruler's surface.

The red light on the ruler shifted from dark crimson to bright red, then from bright red to a blinding incandescent white. The intense heat caused blades of grass several zhang away to curl and wither.

As energy continued to pour in wildly, Xiao Yan felt the Dou Qi within his body being drawn by a powerful suction force, surging through his meridians toward his hands before flowing from his palms into the Black Heavy Ruler.

It felt as though the ruler itself had become a bottomless abyss. While devouring the energy of heaven and earth around it, it was also drawing out the Dou Qi within his body.

Xiao Yan's expression grew grave. While cultivating combat skills inside the Martial Dao Space, he did not need to consume Dou Qi, so he had not known how much Dou Qi this Low Earth Tier combat skill would require.

What surprised him was that the consumption of this Earth Tier combat skill far exceeded his expectations. With his current One-Star Dou Master reserves, using this combat skill actually gave him a clear sense of depletion.

Forty percent of his Dou Qi was sucked away. Only when the ruler's incandescent radiance had become so dazzling that it could no longer be looked at directly did that suction force finally begin to slow.

Sensing that the remaining Dou Qi in his body was still fairly abundant, Xiao Yan quietly sighed in relief. A forty percent expenditure remained within his tolerable range.

The hum of the Black Heavy Ruler suddenly rose sharply. Every pattern on the ruler's body erupted with its most intense radiance, and an even denser wave of energy spread from within it.

A swollen sensation, almost to the point of tearing, came from Xiao Yan's palms. The energy accumulated within the Black Heavy Ruler had reached its limit.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, gripped the Black Heavy Ruler with both hands, and swung it violently.

"Haah!"

A furious roar exploded through the valley.

Wrapped in blinding incandescent light, the Black Heavy Ruler slashed toward a massive boulder three zhang tall not far away.

Where the ruler's edge passed, the air was torn open, leaving behind a visible black fissure.

The vast energy accumulated within the ruler was completely released at that instant. A crescent-shaped fiery red blade of light shot from the ruler's tip. It was roughly a zhang wide and an astonishing three to four zhang long, trailing a lengthy tail of flame as it blasted toward the enormous boulder with irresistible force.

The instant the fiery red blade of light struck the boulder, there was no violent impact as expected.

The blade of light passed directly through the middle of the boulder, like a red-hot knife slicing through butter.

The boulder was cleanly split in two down the middle. The two halves slowly slid apart, and traces of vitrification caused by the scorching heat remained upon the cut surfaces. They were as smooth as mirrors, even reflecting human figures.

After piercing through the boulder, the blade of light did not lose momentum. It struck the mountain wall behind it, leaving a gully over a zhang deep in the rock face as shattered stones flew in all directions and dust billowed into the air.

The two halves of the boulder crashed to the ground with a dull boom, causing the entire back mountain to tremble.

Xiao Yan maintained his swinging posture and panted heavily. Losing forty percent of his Dou Qi at once did leave him feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but compared to the original story, where using it once instantly drained all the Dou Qi in his body, this was already far better.

If he had not cultivated the High Mystic Tier Heaven-Burning Divine Art, which gave him several times more Dou Qi than others cultivating techniques of the same level, then this strike would have drained at least seventy percent of the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body.

Yao Lao hovered in midair, staring at the scene before him. He stood there in a daze for a long time without recovering.

The boulder that had been split in two still lay on the ground, the marks on its cut surfaces faintly gleaming under the morning light.

Wisps of green smoke rose from the gully on the mountain wall, while shattered stones littered the ground.

He had lived for decades and cultivated for many years. He considered himself someone who had seen no shortage of geniuses, but at that moment, he felt that Xiao Yan had shattered his worldview and then pieced it back together.

That strike just now had indeed been the Low Earth Tier combat skill Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler, and judging by Xiao Yan's proficiency, it had already reached the realm of major mastery.

Yao Lao knew well that even a Great Dou Master with exceptional talent would need at least three months to initially master a Low Earth Tier combat skill.

From first contact to entry, from entry to minor mastery, then from minor mastery to major mastery, every step required extensive practice and a deep understanding of the combat skill itself.

Many Great Dou Masters could spend one or two years cultivating a Low Earth Tier combat skill before they could barely use it. Reaching major mastery in three to five years was commonplace.

How long had Xiao Yan possessed this combat skill?

From the moment it had been taught to him until now, less than five minutes had passed.

He had cultivated a Low Earth Tier combat skill to major mastery in five minutes. Such talent, even across the entire Dou Qi Continent, could be called unprecedented throughout the ages.

Yao Lao dared guarantee that even among the ancient eight clans at the heart of the Central Plains, those peerless geniuses possessing Dou Emperor Bloodlines did not have talent as absurdly overpowered as Xiao Yan's.

"Good. Good."

Yao Lao came back to his senses and muttered twice, surging emotions rising in his heart.

His eyes grew slightly hot, and a complicated smile appeared on that translucent, aged face.

Heaven had not treated him poorly.

Back then, the disciple he had taken in, the person he valued and trusted most, had stabbed him in the back. He had lost his physical body and become this neither-human-nor-ghost state.

He had once thought that his life would end like this, lingering inside a ring until the day his Soul Power was exhausted, then silently dispersing between heaven and earth.

Yet when he had been at his lowest, he had encountered Xiao Yan.

Heaven has not treated me poorly.

Yao Lao repeated it in his heart, his voice carrying the relief of someone who had survived a calamity. After being betrayed by the disciple I valued most, I was given another disciple—a peerless genius who can only be called a monster.

Xiao Yan paid no attention to Yao Lao's reaction.

He braced both hands against his knees, took a few deep breaths, then directly sat cross-legged on the ground.

The ground of the back mountain was still covered with pebbles that dug into him, but he did not care. Resting his hands on his knees, he closed his eyes and activated the Heaven-Burning Divine Art, beginning to refine the scattered Dou Qi of heaven and earth around him.

A One-Star Dou Master's reserves of Dou Qi were limited after all. That strike had consumed quite a bit, and the hollow feeling in his meridians left him uncomfortable.

Once the Heaven-Burning Divine Art began to circulate, the ambient energy of heaven and earth slowly gathered around him. It entered his body through his pores and breath, then was refined by the technique into Dou Qi, gradually replenishing his empty meridians.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body had completely recovered. He opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and stood.

Yao Lao had already calmed the excitement in his heart, and his aged face had returned to its usual composure.

Looking at Xiao Yan, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Little Yan, the Flame Splitting Flowing Wave Ruler you used just now has already reached major mastery. Since you have completely mastered this combat skill, what are your plans next?"

Originally, Yao Lao had intended to spend an entire afternoon teaching Xiao Yan how to cultivate this combat skill.

The circulation routes of Earth Tier combat skills were complicated, and both the timing and strength of Dou Qi output required repeated adjustments. He had even arranged the teaching steps in his mind.

Yet Xiao Yan had completely mastered it in one go, saving him all that effort.